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  New York (AFP) Aug 15, 2019 A growing water crisis gripped a US city Thursday after environmental officials discovered high lead levels in tap water, sparking worry and highlighting creaking infrastructure in a major urban centre. Thousands of people in Newark, a city in New Jersey with a predominantly black and Hispanic population, have been told to drink only bottled water after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found filters were not extracting lead properly. The situation has drawn comparisons with a water cris ... read more |
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Trans-Brazil trail raises hopes for future of Atlantic ForestRio De Janeiro (AFP) Aug 16, 2019 Luiz Pedreira walks with other hikers beneath the Atlantic Forest's thick canopy in Brazil, where an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) trail stretching the full length of the country is being opened up. ... more  
Biological clock of plants affects herbicide efficacyWashington (UPI) Aug 19, 2019 Like humans, plants have a circadian rhythm, or biological clock. Scientists suggest that following plant circadian rhythms when making decisions on herbicide application could require less of the chemicals and make them more effective. ... more 
Eye of the swarm: experts take sting out of urban beekeepingWashington (AFP) Aug 17, 2019 When others flee in terror, they head into danger. They are the Swarm Squad, Washington's best, last and only line of defense against a rise in swarms blamed in part on urban beekeeping. ... more 
New way to relieve photosynthesis bottleneck in plants could boost crop yieldsWashington (UPI) Aug 16, 2019 Scientists have discovered a way to ease a bottleneck in the photosynthesis process. The breakthrough could allow plants to turn the sun's rays into food more efficiently, boosting crop yields. ... more |
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IMF approves $206 mn aid to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah
Flights cancelled, roads flooded as rare storm soaks UAE Sri Lanka plans $1.6 bn in cyclone recovery spending in 2026 Brazil megacity Sao Paulo struck by fresh water crisis Indonesians reeling from flood devastation plea for global help Levee break near Seattle prompts evacuation order Flash flood kills dozens in Morocco town At least 20 dead in eastern Bolivia floods Press Release from Business Wire: Textron Inc. Flash floods kill 37 in Moroccan coastal town |
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| Previous Issues | Aug 19 | Aug 16 | Aug 15 | Aug 14 | Aug 13 |
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Land and climate: problems, solutions inextricably linkedGeneva (AFP) Aug 8, 2019 The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change on Thursday delivered the most comprehensive scientific overview yet of the links between the land we live off and global warming. ... more 
Detention basins could catch more than stormwaterLouisville KY (SPX) Aug 15, 2019 Everywhere you go there are stormwater detention basins built near large construction projects intended to control the flow of rainwater and runoff. Now, those basins might help in controlling nitro ... more 
American farmers struggle to stay afloat amid floods and trade warNew York (AFP) Aug 14, 2019 Caught in the middle of a trade war and hammered by massive spring floods, American farmers are facing a tough year and worry about their future, yet some still trust President Donald Trump. ... more 
California defies White House to ban controversial pesticideLos Angeles (AFP) Aug 14, 2019 California will outlaw the use of a pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans after President Donald Trump's administration scrapped plans for a nationwide ban, state health officials said Wednesday. ... more 
Indonesia threatens tariff hike on EU dairy in trade spatJakarta (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 Indonesia's trade minister Friday threatened to impose higher tariffs on EU dairy imports in response to the bloc's proposed move to hit biodiesel made from palm oil with anti-subsidy duties. ... more |
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 We use satellites to measure water scarcity 
Scientists reveal key insights into emerging water purification technologyFort Collins CO (SPX) Aug 08, 2019 With water scarcity a critical challenge across the globe, scientists and engineers are pursuing new ways to harvest purified water from unconventional sources, like seawater or even wastewater. ... more  |
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The 'gift' of Tunisia's delicate date palm drinkGabes, Tunisia (AFP) Aug 13, 2019 As soon as the sun is up, people in southern Tunisia rush out to buy a glass or bottle of legmi, a coveted date palm drink that is too delicate to be sold far from the oasis. ... more 
Study details links between coca, conflict, deforestation in ColombiaWashington (UPI) Aug 13, 2019 Sometimes, trees fall down on their own, but deforestation is fueled by human activities. In Colombia, those activities sometimes involve coca, the crop from which cocaine is derived. ... more  
NASA gauges plant stress in Costa Rican droughtPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 09, 2019 NASA's ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) has imaged the stress on Costa Rican vegetation caused by a massive regional drought that led the Central Ameri ... more 
Installing solar panels on agricultural lands maximizes their efficiencyCorvallis OR (SPX) Aug 09, 2019 The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less tha ... more 
Poop less for a cleaner planet, says Brazil's presidentBrasilia (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro suggested Friday that people "poop every other day" as a way to save the environment, after he came under fire for a surge in deforestation of the Amazon since he came to power. ... more |
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 Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 17, 2019 
The summer heatwave of 2003 triggered a rockfall that shocked both researchers and the general public: 1,500 cubic metres of rock broke away from the Hoernli ridge - a volume roughly equivalent to two houses. The fracture event exposed bare ice on the surface of the steep scarp. Experts soon realised that the record temperatures had warmed the rock down to such a depth that the ice contained in ... more |
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 Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Aug 17, 2019 
A new study from the University of Helsinki using miniaturized satellite-based tags revealed that during drier periods desert bats must fly further and longer to fulfil their nightly needs. According to researchers this signals their struggle in facing dry periods.
Wildlife tracking has revolutionized the study of animal movement and their behavior. Yet, tracking small, flying animals such ... more |
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 Libreville (AFP) Aug 19, 2019 
A haul of illegally-loggedtropical hardwood that triggered a major scandal in Gabon is to be auctioned, the environment ministry has said.
In February, the authorities seized 353 container-loads of kevazingo, a precious wood that is highly prized in Asia but which is protected under Gabonese law, at two Chinese-owned depots at the Owendo port in the capital Libreville.
Some of the contai ... more |
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 Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 09, 2019 
As an alternative to traditional fossil fuels, biofuels represent a more environmentally friendly and sustainable fuel source. Plant or animal fats can be converted to biofuels through a process called transesterification.
In particular, the storage molecule triacylglycerol (TAG), found in microscopic algae, is one of the most promising sources of fat for biofuel production, as microalgae ... more |
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 Wurzburg, Germany (SPX) Aug 17, 2019 
Organic solar cells are made of cheap and abundant materials, but their efficiency and stability still lag behind those of silicon-based solar cells. A Chinese-German team of scientists has found a way to enhance the electric conductivity of organic solar cells, which increases their performances. Doping the metal oxide interlayer, which connected the electrode and active layer, with a modified ... more |
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 Sussex UK (SPX) Aug 17, 2019 
Europe has the capacity to produce more than 100 times the amount of energy it currently produces through onshore windfarms, new analysis from the University of Sussex and Aarhus University has revealed.
In an analysis of all suitable sites for onshore wind farms, the new study reveals that Europe has the potential to supply enough energy for the whole world until 2050.
The study rev ... more |
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 Sydney (AFP) July 22, 2019 
A French television crew filming a protest against a newly approved Indian-owned coal mine was arrested by Australian police Monday and charged with trespassing.
Construction of the Adani project near the Great Barrier Reef has been under fierce debate for almost a decade, with environmentalists warning that fossil fuels damage the climate.
France 2 reporter Hugo Clement and three member ... more |
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 Beijing (AFP) Aug 18, 2019  It was meant to be an unabashed celebration of the triumph of Communism in China, and of President Xi Jinping's authority as the country's undisputed leader for years to come.
But as the People's Republic of China approaches its 70th anniversary on October 1st, Xi finds himself battling threats on multiple fronts.
From a biting US trade war to relentless protests in Hong Kong challenging ... more |
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 Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 14, 2019 
Autonomous robots will assist future astronauts during long-duration missions to other worlds by performing tedious, repetitive and even strenuous tasks. These robotic helpers will let crews focus on the more meticulous areas of exploring. To help achieve this, NASA's Centennial Challenges program, along with Space Center Houston of Texas, opened the second phase of the NASA Space Robotics Chall ... more |
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 Bangun, Indonesia (AFP) Aug 20, 2019  His weathered face breaks out in a big grin as Keman explains how sifting through rubbish paid for his children's education, one of many in his Indonesian hometown basking in a waste-picking boom.
Governments around the world are grappling with how to tackle the scourge of single-use plastic, but for the people of Bangun trash equals cash.
Around two-thirds of the town's residents eke o ... more |
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 Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 14, 2019 
Wildfires in the Arctic often burn far away from populated areas, but their impacts are felt around the globe. From field and laboratory work to airborne campaigns and satellites, NASA is studying why boreal forests and tundra fires have become more frequent and powerful and what that means for climate forecasting, ecosystems and human health.
"Fires are a natural part of the ecosystem, bu ... more |
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 Wellington (AFP) Aug 15, 2019 
Pacific island leaders do not share Australia's concerns about China's rising influence in the region, Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi said Thursday.
While Canberra and Washington fear China's long-term ambition is a military base in the Pacific, Malielegaoi said he was more interested in the practical aid Beijing offered.
"The bigger geopolitical issues don't have importanc ... more |
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 Paris (AFP) Aug 19, 2019 
Northern hemisphere summers will deliver dangerously longer heatwaves, droughts and bouts of rain even if humanity manages to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius, scientists said Monday.
With one degree of warming since pre-industrial times so far, extreme weather of this kind has already become more intense, with a single heatwave in 2003 leading to 70,000 excess deaths in Europe al ... more |
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 Stockholm (AFP) Aug 16, 2019 
Greenland is not for sale, the mineral-rich island said Friday, after a newspaper reported that US President Donald Trump was asking advisers whether it's possible for the United States to buy the Arctic island.
Trump has expressed interest in the self-governing part of Denmark - which is mostly covered in ice, - asking advisors if it is possible for the US to acquire the territory, The W ... more |
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 Washington DC (SPX) Aug 16, 2019 
NASA has selected two proposals to demonstrate small satellite technologies to improve science observations in deep space, which could help NASA develop better models to predict space weather events that can affect astronauts and spacecraft.
"This is the first time that our heliophysics program has funded this kind of technology demonstration," said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Helioph ... more |
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 Geneva (AFP) Aug 18, 2019 
The regulator of global wildlife trade will likely ban sending African elephants captured from the wild to zoos after countries supported the move Sunday, in what conservationists hailed as a "historic win".
A large majority of countries voted in Geneva to prohibit the transfer of elephants caught in the wild to so-called captive facilities - a practice animal protection groups have long de ... more |
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