Environment

Seven oil and gas companies are racing to secure offshore exploration rights before a New Zealand national election, which could result in a ban on new permits. The country's main parties?battle about the need for natural gas. New Zealand has attracted?interest? after the conservative government overturned last year a ban on offshore drilling, imposed in 2018. The goal was to avoid gas shortages for industry users and boost power generation during dry years when hydropower production falls. In May, the country produced 7,6 petajoules (PJ) of gas. This was largely due to fields that have declined or are about to...

U.S. president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had told Canadian prime minister Mark Carney that Canada must 'do better' at controlling Ontario wildfires, whose smoke has affected many U.S. state. Trump claimed that he had spoken to Carney on Sunday, at the FIFA World Cup Final they both attended. Trump said to reporters that he had a "good relationship" with Mark Carney but that they needed to put out the fires in New Jersey. "Maybe we should impose some tariffs or they could pay us some damages." The smoke from fires burning in Ontario has blanketed the United...

On Saturday, 142 protests were held in 42 states by opponents of the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. This was the first nationwide effort to channel the anger that has been roiling local politics and the AI infrastructure over the last year. The protests were organized by HumansFirst, a grassroots organization co-founded with a former leader from the modern Tea Party. She compares the growing opposition to data centres to the right-wing populist movement which emerged in 2009 as a protest against what they saw as excessive taxes and government overreach. HumansFirst, a group of protesters, called the construction of...

In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplaces in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive forestfires". Many of these fires are located in northern Canada which is home to some the largest, intact forests on earth. Canada has more active wildfires now than in the previous two years. The area that has been burned this year is also greater than the 10-year average. Here are some facts regarding the recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world based on...

In recent years, orange-hued skylines, wildfire smoke, and scorched forests have become commonplaces in North America as global warming has 'contributed to massive forest fires. These fires are primarily in the north of Canada, which is home to some of?the world's largest intact forests. Canada has experienced more wildfires this year than in the previous two years. The area that has been burned is also higher than the average for the last 10 years. Check out these facts about recent wildfires and smoke. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada, which is the second largest country in the world...

AccuWeather, the?forecaster, said that Canadian wildfire smoke will have only a minimal impact on Sunday's World Cup final at New Jersey Stadium in New York. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend this event, which will see Argentina take on Spain for soccer’s most coveted prize. This week, heavy?smoke from wildfires burning in Canada blanketed a large part of the U.S. and prompted air quality warnings. AccuWeather stated that air quality in East Rutherford (New Jersey) may not be at "good levels" on Sunday, but fans and players should expect an improvement from the "poor or unhealthy" conditions predicted...

In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplace in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive" forest fires. The majority of these fires are located in the north of Canada, home to some if the largest and most intact forests on earth. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area has burned this year as compared to the 10-year average. Here are some facts regarding the recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada, which is the second largest country in the...

In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplace in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive" forest fires. The majority of these fires are located in the north of Canada, home to some if the largest and most intact forests on earth. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area has burned this year as compared to the 10-year average. Here are some facts regarding the recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world....

In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplace in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive" forest fires. The majority of these fires are located in the north of Canada, home to some if the largest and most intact forests on earth. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area has burned compared to the 10-year average. Here are some interesting facts about recent wildfires and smoke. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world. It has nearly...

In recent years, North America has seen orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests as global warming contributes to forest fires. Many are in the north of Canada, home to some world's largest intact forest. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area of land has already burned this year, compared to the average for the previous 10 years. Here are some interesting facts about recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world. It has almost a tenth the total area...

Premier Doug Ford announced at a Friday press conference that Ontario would spend C$650 million ($465million) to purchase 'five new helicopters' and six new water-bombers in order to fight wildfires spreading quickly. On Thursday, heavy smoke from Canadian fires covered a large area of the U.S., from the Midwest up to the Northeast. Officials warned residents to stay inside whenever possible. Ford has not said when the planes will arrive. He said: "We won't put a price on the safety of our communities... We will spare no cost." Ontario has so far deployed 150 fire crews to the ground, and...

In a small study, we also describe an experimental vaccine that prevented pancreatic carcinoma in people with high genetic risks. Higher levels of plastic in blood linked with heart attacks A small Italian study suggests that heart attack survivors have higher levels in their blood of tiny plastic particles compared to those who never had a heart attack and people whose blood vessels supply the 'heart' are normal. Researchers say that the study of 61 subjects adds to the growing evidence that environmental pollutants may affect cardiovascular health. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, micro- and...

Want some inspiration? Weekend Reads is a weekly roundup of what the Open Interest team has read, watched and listened to. This week, the Open?Interest team has chosen to focus on the 'race to reinvent critical mineral resources,'?oil benchmarks that are under pressure and great-power geopolitics. This weekend, we are reading... MIKE DOLAN is a columnist for ROI Finance & Markets. The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey found that China was viewed as more favorable than the United States in 36 countries. The U.S. Department of Energy released this release by ROI Metals columnist ANDY HOME. It details five...

Some of the world's largest carmakers won the first stage of a mammoth court battle on Friday over whether their diesel vehicles had "defeat mechanisms" that limited emission control systems. In a summary of her decision, Judge Sara Cockerill stated that she "rejected the majority?of the main allegations advanced against the manufacturers?whose vehicles?were examined at trial". The decision was made after a trial that?focused on?20 sample vehicles produced by five manufacturers: Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan and Renault, as well as the Stellantis-owned Peugeot and Citroen. Cockerill said that in her summary, she made some negative findings. She stated that the "split...

Are you looking for inspiration? Weekend Reads is a weekly roundup of what the Open Interest team was reading, watching, and listening to. This week's picks include the impact of war on?energy security and food, China's ability to leverage critical minerals, and World Cup drama. We'll be reading RON BOUSSO's ROI Energy Columnist's paper, which examines the global impacts of Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's oil refinery infrastructure. The analysis provides great detail about the extent of the damage. CLYDE RUSSELL is a columnist for ROI Asia 'Commodities and Energy. The Iran War threatened to cause a food shortage. The...

Typhoon Bavi, which blew near 124 mph and had winds of?200 kph on Thursday in the southeast of Taiwan, was causing havoc for China and Taiwan. Parts of China are still recovering from Typhoon Maysak. Authorities in Taiwan warned residents to prepare for the strongest typhoon since 2024. According to China's National Meteorological Centre, Bavi will pass north of Taiwan and skirt the eastern Fujian Province before landing in China on Saturday night. China is still in shock after Typhoon Maysak ravaged the southwest region of Guangxi. Local officials said that the flooding in Guangxi caused by the storm killed...

OVER 100 COMPANIES, INCLUDING UBER AND NESTLE?URGE GOVERNMENTS?TO MAKE ELECTRIFICATION CENTRAL IN ECONOMIC STRATEGY 'Nestle' and Ikea, among others, urged government officials to put electrification at the forefront of their economic strategies to reduce exposure to volatile fuel prices and boost energy security. They said that exposure to fossil fuel price shocks undermined their competitiveness. With combined revenues of $1.5 trillion annually, the group also included Iberdrola and Volvo Cars, Mahindra Group and Uber, Nikon Corporation and Levi Strauss. The statement was coordinated by the Global Renewables Alliance and the We Mean Business Coalition. It added that the ability to...

Steel associations in Singapore warned that delays to green steel projects were increasing and government support was far below what was 'needed. According to the World Steel Association, about half of all green steel projects around the world have been delayed. Governments have only committed $20 billion out of the $1.5 trillion required to decarbonise this sector. The industry executives stated that progress in reducing emissions is slow and will likely remain this way without an increase in funding from the state or customers willing pay more for cleaner metal. This gloomy assessment contrasts with renewed investor interest in clean...

Geneva police fired tear gas at protesters on Sunday who had set a Tesla car alight and broken windows of an UN agency as they vented anger at the Group of Seven summit that was about to be held across the border in France. A peaceful march of 20,000 people was held, but later protesters targeted symbols they deemed to be emblematic of capitalism and multilateralism. These included the Tesla parked in the street and the UN Office. Witnesses reported that demonstrators ripped bricks out of the ground to throw at police while children cried when tear gas wafted across...

After a multi-day search that engulfed the nation and closed local schools, Utsunomiya in Japan captured a?wild black bear? on Tuesday. After its first bear sighting Saturday night, the city closed all 94 municipal primary schools and middle schools for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. An official reported that authorities decided to close schools again on Wednesday because of a report about a second bear possibly roaming around the city. In Japan, bear attacks, especially in urban areas have increased. The government has set up a taskforce to help reduce these incidents. According to the Environment Ministry, in fiscal...

Financial markets underestimate the economic risks associated with biodiversity loss. This could expose countries to debt crises and higher borrowing costs. The study, ?led ?by economists from the Universities of Sussex, Sheffield and Heriot-Watt, presented what they described as the world's first biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings model. The report said that existing rating frameworks do not take into account environmental degradation and leave $83 trillion worth of global assets susceptible to mispricing. Researchers estimated that a partial collapse in key ecosystems, such as marine fisheries, tropical forests, and wild pollinators, could result in an increase of $162 billion annually for...

Highlights from the French Open's fifth day on Thursday (times GMT). 1730 GAUFF BREAZES PAST SHERIF Coco Gauff, the defending champion, cruised to victory over Egypt's Mayar?Sherif with a score of 6-3 6-2. The American now moves on to the third round where she will play the winner between Britain's Katie Boulter &?Austria’s Anastasia Potapova. 1540 TIAFOE BEATS HURKACZ Frances Tiafoe, last year's quarter-finalist, defeated Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-1 6-4 6-7(1) in a four hour and 43 minute battle. The 19th seed from the United States will play Portugal's Jaime Faria for the third round. 1347 CERUNDOLO...

Authorities reported that torrential?rain continued to fall across central and southern?China Tuesday, with at least 18 people killed in flooding which also affected schools, businesses and transport. China's weather service said that areas in Jiangxi and Anhui, Hunan and Hubei, Guizhou and Guangxi as well as Guangdong, Guangdong, and Hainan were at high risk for rain-related disasters. These included landslides and flash floods, severe urban flooding, and waterlogging. Authorities have announced that they have set aside 150 million yuan (22.04 millions) for disaster relief. They also launched emergency response in several affected regions. Images posted on the Chinese video platform...

Chicago wheat reached a ten-month high on Monday, with corn and'soybeans rising as well following gains in crude oil. U.S. - Iran peace?talks stalled causing Gulf shipping to be blocked. Chicago Board of Trade?most-active?Wheat increased 0.8% to reach $6.22 per bushel at 0936 GMT. It reached its highest level since June 2025. Soybeans increased by 0.2%, to $11.81-3/4 bushels. Corn was up by 1.0%, at $4.68-1/4 bushels. Johnny Xiang of Beijing's AgRadar Consulting said that the main influence on prices is the rising crude oil price. The grain markets were supported by the rising?crude prices which rose nearly 3% on...