Environment

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 08:41 UTC

  Tompkins widow plans to hand over thousands of acres to create national parks in Patagonia

  

  The widow of American conservationist Doug Tompkins, who died last month while kayaking in South America's Patagonia region, says she'll build on her husband's legacy of protecting threatened ecosystems in Argentina and Chile.

• Monday, January 25th 2016 - 08:24 UTC

  Storm Jonas heading for UK across the Atlantic, with forecasts of torrential rain

  

  The storm that battered America is on its way to Britain, forecasters have warned. But instead of dumping loads of snow, it’s going to bring severe rainfall across large parts of the country. It is expected that the ‘remnants’ of Storm Jonas will hit the UK on Tuesday, with torrential rain and heavy winds on their way.

• Thursday, January 21st 2016 - 07:59 UTC

  Last year was the hottest in modern times since 1880, shattering 2014 record

  

  2015 was by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change. Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880, it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the widest margin ever observed, said the report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 12:31 UTC

  Toxic gas cloud in Brazil's main and busiest port area sends tens to hospital

  

  Toxic gas which on Thursday leaked from tanks in a cargo warehouse in the Brazilian coastal city of Guaruja, close to Santos the country's largest and busiest port, has sent some 40 people to hospitals.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 08:45 UTC

  UK ambassador participates in academic forum on climate change in Chile

  

  British Ambassador Fiona Clouder and United States Ambassador Michael Hammer participated in the event “Sustainable Investment” last week organized by the Corporate Leaders Group on climate change (CLG Chile) in conjunction with the Faculty of Business and Economics from the University of Chile and the Harvard Law School.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 08:06 UTC

  Strong hints of a vast canyon system hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet

  

  A vast, previously unrecognized canyon system could be hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet. Hints of its presence are seen in the shape of the white continent's surface, in a largely unexplored region called Princess Elizabeth Land. If confirmed by a proper geophysical survey - now under way - the winding canyon network would be over 1,000km long and in places as much as 1km deep.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2016 - 08:22 UTC

  US Justice Department seeking billions of dollars from Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche

  

  The United States Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche that seeks billions of dollars in penalties over claims that the car companies installed devices to deliberately misreport emissions. Nearly 600,000 diesel-engine vehicles were installed with these devices since 2009.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2016 - 08:12 UTC

  Ascension Island to become a marine reserve as big as the UK, in 2017

  

  The British Overseas Territory of Ascension Island is set to become a marine reserve almost as big as the UK, the British government has announced. Using a £300,000 grant from the Bacon Foundation, the UK government will close 52.6% of the south Atlantic island's waters to fishing. In the rest of the waters there will be a monitored tuna fishery.

• Monday, January 4th 2016 - 10:30 UTC

  Cheering and fearing — can climate deal save Earth?

  

  By Gwynne Dyer -The climate deal that almost 200 countries agreed to in Paris was far better than most insiders dared to hope even one month ago. The biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States, are finally on board. There is real money on the table to help poor countries cut their emissions and cope with warming.

• Wednesday, December 30th 2015 - 02:47 UTC

  US bans imports of lion trophies; the majestic cats protected by USFWS Endangered Species Act

  

  In a move that is likely to put a major dent in South Africa’s canned hunting industry for lions — a practice involving the shooting of these majestic predators in fenced enclosures in a pay-to-slay arrangement— the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that it will institute important new measures to protect lions under the Endangered Species Act.