Environment

Tuesday, September 24th 2019 - 08:22 UTC
Polar expedition experts meet for international Field Guide Conference

Polar field guides are descending on Sturbridge, Massachusetts for the third bi-annual International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) joint Polar Field Staff Conference.
Tuesday, September 24th 2019 - 07:41 UTC
Criminal charges against Brazil's mining giant Vale and German safety firm

Brazilian federal police have proposed criminal charges against mining giant Vale and German safety firm Tüv Süd and 13 of their employees over January's deadly dam collapse, reports say.
Thursday, September 19th 2019 - 11:49 UTC
Argentine firefighter hospitalised in Bolivia for smoke poisoning

Argentine forest firefighter Jhonatan Villalva had to be ferried Wednesday to a medical facility after suffering from poisoning by smoke as a result of his deployment to the fire-plagued Chiquitanía area in Bolivia.
Tuesday, September 17th 2019 - 09:10 UTC
Green activist Greta Thumberg receives Amnesty International's “Ambassadors of Conscience” award

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future youth movement received Amnesty International's “Ambassadors of Conscience” award on Monday, days before a major UN climate summit in New York.
Monday, September 16th 2019 - 09:04 UTC
Borneo schools closed for a week because of dangerous air quality caused by forest fires

Schools in two cities in the Indonesian part of Borneo island will be closed for a week after smoke from forest fires caused air quality to hit “dangerous” levels, a local government official said on Sunday.
Saturday, September 14th 2019 - 20:07 UTC
Malaysia and Indonesia clash over fires in the rain forest allegedly involving palm plantations

Malaysia’s Minister of Primary Industries Teresa Kok expressed concern on Friday over a statement released by Indonesian authorities regarding the sealing of land owned by subsidiaries of four Malaysian plantation companies. Fire was said to be raging on the properties, contributing to haze in the region.
Friday, September 13th 2019 - 19:17 UTC
Brazil's soybean and corn sowing seasons delayed because of very dry conditions

Brazil’s soybean sowing season for the 2019-20 harvest is officially underway, but there might not be too many planters out in the fields just yet as conditions are extremely dry.
Thursday, September 12th 2019 - 11:50 UTC
Hurricane Dorian: 2.500 still unaccounted for in the Bahamas

Some 2,500 people are unaccounted for in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Wednesday. NEMA spokesman Carl Smith told reporters that some of the missing people may eventually be located.
Thursday, September 12th 2019 - 07:18 UTC
Falkland Islands: new Director of Natural Resources next month

The Falkland Islands Government has announced the appointment of Dr Andrea Clausen as the new Director of Natural Resources. Andrea is due to take up her post in October 2019 and will be working with John Barton to ensure that there is a unified approach to the handover of duties across the agriculture, fisheries and veterinary departments. This appointment comes following a comprehensive search and selection process.
Wednesday, September 11th 2019 - 23:11 UTC
UN: Scientists call for urgent action to avoid reversing the development gains

New York, 11 September — Achieving human well-being and eradicating poverty for all of the Earth’s people—expected to number eight and a half billion by 2030—is still possible, but only if there is a fundamental—and urgent—change in the relationship between people and nature, and a significant reduction in social and gender inequalities between and inside countries, according to a new United Nations report by an independent group of scientists to be launched at the 2019 SDG Summit, but made available today.