Data shows the year was also one of the hottest three ever recorded, with scientists warning that the ‘climate tide is rising fast’ 2017 was the hottest year since global records began that was not given an additional boost by the natural climate cycle El Niño, according to new ... Read More »
ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Unless countries urgently boost their flood defenses, millions more people will be at risk from river flooding in the next 20 years as global warming increases the likelihood of severe rainfall, scientists said on Wednesday. In Asia, the numbers at risk will more than ... Read More »
Snowfall covered the desert dunes Snow has fallen in the Sahara, covering desert dunes in a layer up to 40cm deep. Snow started falling on the Algerian town of Ain Sefra in the early hours of Sunday morning, giving children an opportunity to race each other down the slopes. Rising ... Read More »
Quake comes five weeks after a major earthquake in the country killed at least 600 people A large earthquake of magnitude 5.2 has struck Iran’s capital Tehran, according to state television. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The report said the quake hit just before 11.30pm Wednesday ... Read More »
Researchers say ‘source reefs’ could produce larvae and help repair damage by bleaching and starfish A group of “source” reefs have been identified that could form the basis of a life support system for the Great Barrier Reef, helping repair damage by bleaching, starfish and other disturbances. Researchers from ... Read More »
More than a third of about 2,800 planned new dams are in protected areas, threatening rivers and biodiversity Hydropower constructions have rocketed by 300% across the western Balkans in the last two years, according to a new analysis, sparking fears of disappearing mountain rivers and biodiversity loss. About 2,800 ... Read More »
Rescuers battle to find survivors trapped under collapsed buildings after the 7.3 magnitude quake More than 200 people have been killed in Iran and Iraq after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the border region between the two countries, state media said. Iranian state television said that at least 200 ... Read More »
SHARHABIL, Jordan – From a hillside in northern Jordan, the Yarmouk River is barely visible in the steep valley below, reduced from a once important water source to a sluggish trickle overgrown with vegetation. Jordan’s reservoirs are only one-fifth full, a record low, and vital winter rains are ... Read More »
UN warns that drastic action is needed to meet climate targets set in the Paris agreement The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at record speed last year to hit a level not seen for more than three million years, the UN has warned. The new report ... Read More »
Plastic pollution, overfishing, global warming and increased acidification from burning fossil fuels means oceans are increasingly hostile to marine life If the outlook for marine life was already looking bleak – torrents of plastic that can suffocate and starve fish, overfishing, diverse forms of human pollution that create ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information