Scientists probe Tonga’s ‘volcanic ground zero’ in epic 54-day mission
An international team of 40 scientists and technical staff has embarked on a 54-day mission to study the impacts of Tonga's 2022 Hunga Volcano eruptio...
As U.N. delegates gather in Busan, South Korea, for the fifth round of talks on a global plastics treaty, deep divisions persist, raising doubts about reaching a final agreement on curbing plastic pollution.
As delegates from 175 nations convene in Busan, South Korea, for the fifth round of U.N. talks aimed at securing a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution, unresolved divisions raise concerns over whether a final agreement will be reached. The meeting, which began on Monday, is expected to be the concluding session of the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5). However, the previous round of discussions in Ottawa, held in April, ended without a clear resolution on capping plastic production.
The focus of this week's talks will shift towards addressing chemicals of concern and other measures, following strong opposition from petrochemical-heavy nations such as Saudi Arabia and China, who resisted proposals to target plastic production. Their objections stand in stark contrast to the positions of countries that face the harsh consequences of plastic pollution.
These ongoing disagreements mirror the tensions that have long impeded U.N. efforts to combat global warming. The most recent climate summit, COP29, ended with an agreement that many developing nations criticised as insufficient.
At the opening session in Busan, INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned that without decisive action, the amount of plastic entering the environment annually by 2040 could nearly double compared to levels in 2022. He emphasised the urgency of addressing this "existential challenge," noting that microplastics have been detected in human organs.
In a surprising development in August, the United States expressed its support for a cap on plastic production in the treaty, aligning itself with the European Union, Kenya, Peru, and other members of the High Ambition Coalition. This move has raised expectations for progress in the negotiations.
Despite the hurdles, Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, remains optimistic that an agreement will emerge from the talks. She highlighted the communique from the recent Group of 20 summit, where leaders called for a legally binding treaty by the end of this year.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
Ocean acidification, caused by rising CO₂, is silently reshaping marine life, threatening shellfish, coral reefs, and coastal communities. Scientists warn its impacts could ripple through food chains, economies, and human livelihoods unless urgent action is taken.
Residents in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos braced themselves on Monday as Hurricane Erin, the first of the Atlantic season, passed nearby as a Category 4 storm, with winds of 225 kph.
The hurricane was located about 170 km north of Anguilla, with maximum sustained winds near 255 km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Talks at the United Nations in Geneva to establish a global legally binding treaty on plastic pollution went into overtime on Thursday, with discussions adjourned to Friday.
SOCAR Türkiye, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic, has announced about a cooperation with Turkish Airlines in the field of sustainable aviation fuel. The move is aimed at complying with Türkiye's goal of reducing aviation emissions by 5% by 2030.
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