Environment

According to a new study, wildfires in Los Angeles that ravaged parts of the area in January led to hundreds more deaths than the official 31. According to the research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 440 "excess" deaths were caused by the fires between January 5 and February 1. The models used to compare predicted mortality under normal conditions to the actual numbers recorded during that time period. The study found that the additional deaths are likely due to a combination of factors. These include increased exposure for people with heart or lung diseases to...

His office announced on Wednesday that the Dominican Republic’s Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, along with top Mexican officials, have proposed a bi-lateral roundtable to discuss the environmental impact of sargassum on both countries' Caribbean coasts. Why it's important As mountains of pungent decomposing sargassum pile up on Caribbean coastlines, hotel workers struggle to keep the beaches clean. This releases irritant gasses, which smother marine ecosystems, and lowers occupancy rates in seaside resorts. CONTEXT Atlantic sargassum, a type algae, has increased dramatically over the last decade. This is due to nutrient pollution, which was exacerbated by the deforestation of the oceans...

Hawaii increases tax on cruise ships and hotels Green fees raise $100 million per year Priorities to be decided by the public By Carey L Biron Two years ago, these grasses fueled devastating wildfires on the island of Maui. More than 100 people were killed and $5.5 billion worth of damage was caused. Riley, a leader of the environmental group Care for 'Aina Now and a coalition member, said: "You're literally increasing your vulnerability when you see these grasses growing." But controlling the growth of invasive grasses, for example, can be expensive. Hawaii's conservation funding gap is more than $560m...

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump Administration from diverting over $4 billion from a program of grants designed to protect local communities from natural disasters. The U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns issued a preliminary order in Boston prohibiting the government from using money allotted to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program for other purposes. Last month, twenty mostly Democratic states led by Massachusetts & Washington sued the Administration, claiming that the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not have the power to cancel BRIC without congressional approval. FEMA is part of Homeland Security. Both agencies did not...

Two sources informed on the subject said that the Trump administration is weighing whether or not to end a $7 billion grant designed to power low- and moderate-income homes with solar energy. Sources claim that the Environmental Protection Agency may terminate grants to 60 tribes, nonprofit groups and states in this week. The grants were given out during the administration of Joe Biden. The sources claimed that they had been briefed on the situation by a representative of the EPA. They spoke under condition of anonymity. New York Times was the first to report on EPA's decisions. EPA stated that...

A senior EU official stated on Tuesday that although the EU's methane regulations has been discussed in U.S. negotiations, the EU "firmly" stands behind its legislation. Officials said that energy questions still need to be clarified in a statement about EU-U.S. Trade that will be finalised shortly. The EU will require importers of gas and oil to report and monitor the methane associated with their imports starting this year. The second biggest cause of climate changes is methane emissions from leaky gas pipelines. The official stated, "We are firmly behind this regulation. It is the first one of its kind."...

Chemours DuPont Corteva has agreed to pay $875 Million over 25 Years to the State of New Jersey in order to settle environmental claims, including pollution related to PFAS or "forever Chemicals", the companies announced on Monday. In 2023, over $11 billion was settled in lawsuits that accused major chemical companies for polluting U.S. water supplies with toxic PFAS chemicals. Experts predict new federal regulations as well as a growing public awareness about the extent of contamination will lead to more litigation and settlements. PFAS is a chemical class that's used in many products, including non-stick cookware. These substances are...

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), imposed on Monday a fine of 1 million euros ($1.16million) on fast fashion online retailer Shein, founded in China for misleading its customers about the environmental impact on their products. Shein has now been hit with a second financial sanction from a European Competition Authority in less than a week. On July 3, France fined Shein 40 million Euros for false discounts and misleading claims about the environment. AGCM, the Italian regulatory agency, launched an investigation into "greenwashing", which led to Infinite Styles Services Co. Limited of Dublin, operating Shein's European website. Shein didn't immediately...

A U.S. Judge on Friday rejected in large part a request from top asset managers, including BlackRock, to dismiss a suit filed by Texas and twelve other Republican-led States that claimed the companies had violated antitrust laws through climate activism which reduced coal production and increased energy prices. U.S. district judge Jeremy Kernodle, in Tyler, Texas, agreed to dismiss only three of the 21 count in the states' suit, which also names institutional investors State Street, Vanguard, and others. This is one of the most high-profile lawsuits aimed at promoting environmental, social, and governance goals. Requests for comment from the...

Baxter International cut its profit forecast for 2025 and reported disappointing earnings on Thursday as the lingering effects of Hurricane Helene, and hospital fluid conservation continued to weigh on its medical product business. The shares of the medical product maker fell about 23% during morning trading, reaching their lowest level since 2006 The CFO Joel Grade said that despite the fact that he never wants to lower expectations, his overall goal is to reduce the outlook in order to take into account more of the possible downside risks. Baxter has voluntarily halted shipments after receiving reports of multiple injuries and...

Dominion Energy beat its second-quarter revenue estimates and profit expectations on Friday, thanks to rising electricity demand in Virginia and South Carolina. The demand for electricity in the U.S. has increased as tech companies have built power-hungry data centers that run artificial intelligence models. The U.S. Energy Information Administration stated earlier this year that power consumption is expected to hit record levels in 2025 and 26. This will be driven by data centers, cryptocurrency and the electrification and home and car. The second quarter saw an increase of 13.2% in adjusted operating earnings for Dominion's Virginia division, to $549 millions....

AIB Group anticipates a slower loan growth in 2019 due to a subdued lending environment to Irish small business and fewer renewable energy projects being funded by the United States. However, it reiterated its forecast for growth to return to 2026 or 2027 on Friday. AIB, Ireland's dominant lender, kept its guidance for net interest income and stated that it expects a return on tangible assets (ROTE) of over 20%, compared to an earlier forecast which was significantly ahead of the 15% target. After a series of rate cuts by the European Central Bank, first-half after-tax profit fell by 16%...

Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China's coal imports in July fell by 23% compared to a year ago, due to a limited demand for imports. The imports of coal in July were 35.61 millions metric tons. Although down on the previous year, this was a rebound from June's two-year-low as the hotter weather prompted higher air conditioning demands, which supported electricity consumption. The market will be watching to see if China takes concrete steps in the future to reduce production and curb oversupply at home. The National Energy Administration issued a document on July 20 calling...

State Department announced on Tuesday that the U.S. and the Cook Islands have begun discussions on research regarding seabed mineral exploration and development. Cook Islands are a group of 15 islands, atolls and other small groups that lie between New Zealand (halfway) and Hawaii. In 2021, the country had a total population of 15,040. After Beijing signed deals in recent years with Pacific nations on trade, defense and finance, Western nations who traditionally dominated the Pacific Islands are becoming increasingly worried about China's plans for increasing its influence. A strategic partnership agreement was signed between China and Cook Islands earlier...

Rescue crews in south China prepared for the final downpour of heavy rain on Wednesday. They raced between torrential downpours, clearing mudslides and draining waterlogged roads that submerged cars. The East Asian monsoon is at its peak. Forecasters warn of more thunderstorms a day after the skies over Hong Kong and high-tech cities in China's Pearl River Delta went black, unleashing the heaviest rainfall of August since 1884 to the Asian financial center. Videos show that Guangdong province in southern China has transformed its shopping streets into flooded waterways, which is worsening the outbreak of Chikungunya. The mosquitoes are flourishing...

Henan Province, known as China’s Granary for its wheat production, announced that it had received funding of 131.5 million Yuan ($18.3million) from the central government to support its drought-stricken agriculture sector. This was more than double the amount that the province of central China had raised on its own between mid-July to early August in order to protect the fall grain harvest. The autumn harvest accounts for approximately three quarters of the annual grain production of the country. The Henan Finance Department said on its website that the total amount of funds allocated since then to repair wells, maintain irrigation...

Beijing warned its residents to prepare for more heavy rains in the mountains of the city, one week after the deadly floods that killed dozens. Weather forecasters have warned that parts of Beijing could receive up to 200mm (7.9 in) of rain over a period of six hours starting at midday. Weather forecasters warn that Beijing, a city with 22 million residents, receives an average of 600mm of rain each year. Authorities are rushing to update evacuation plans, improve weather forecasts, and reinforce aging flood defences. They have also reported that bodies were pulled from floodwaters across the country. At...

Beijing warned residents to stay indoors if it rains heavily on Monday, following the recent floods that killed dozens in the Chinese capital. Weather forecasters have warned that parts of Beijing could receive up to 200mm (7.9 in) of rain over a period of six hours starting at midday. Weather forecasters warn that Beijing, a city with 22 million residents, receives an average of 600mm of rain each year. At least 44 people were killed in Beijing last month after heavy rains. The majority of those who died were trapped by quickly rising water at a nursing facility in Miyun...

Chongqing in southwest China, known for its cyberpunk cityscape and fiery hotpot restaurants, has been sweltering in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Locals have responded to the heat by inventing new ways of coping with it. Liu Fengying (60), a local resident, said, "It is getting hotter and more hot." Liu Fengying, 60, a local resident, said that the temperatures were soaring on Thursday afternoon. He avoided the heat playing cards and sharing snacks among friends in an air-conditioned subway entrance. There's no way to escape the heat other than coming here. Even with the AC set at 17 degrees...

Eight people have died in extreme weather conditions near Beijing. Another 18 are still missing. Heavy rains flooded the hills of the region last week. State-run Xinhua late Wednesday reported citing local officials that the deaths took place in villages in the Xinglong region of Chengde, Hebei Province, without specifying how or when the people died. Xinhua reported that the search for missing persons is ongoing. Chengde, a mountainous town in China's Qing Dynasty, was a popular summer resort for Qing Emperors. Beijing and its surrounding areas have been ravaged by extreme rains since last Wednesday. In some places, a...

Japan's land and industry ministers designated Matsumae, and Hiyama areas, off the northern island Hokkaido as promotion zones for offshore wind auctions. The goal is to boost the country's goals of renewable energy. In a joint announcement, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that the government would develop guidelines for using the zones and hold a public auction to select operators for energy project. The next auction date was not provided. By 2040, Japan wants to reach 45 gigawatts in offshore wind power, which will help reduce the country's...

China Central Television (CCTV), reported Wednesday that Shanghai had relocated over 280,000 people as a precaution in preparation for heavy rains due to the arrival of tropical cyclones in eastern China. Co-May, a tropical cyclone, made landfall in Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province) in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The maximum sustained wind speed near the centre was 23 metres per second 83 kph. Co-May's winds are less powerful than those of a typhoon, but the Chinese financial center and other cities along the Yangtze Delta have not taken any chances. They cancelled flights and trains, suspended schools and moved people...

Authorities said that heavy rains intensified in Beijing and other provinces of northern China, increasing the risk of disasters such as landslides, flooding and mudslides. They also relocated over 4,000 people. CCTV reported that flash floods, landslides and massive rains continued to hit the northwest suburb of Miyun, Beijing, causing flash flooding and other problems. Many villages were also affected. In recent years, the north of China has experienced record rainfall, which puts densely-populated cities like Beijing at risk of flooding. Scientists attribute the increase in rainfall in China's normally arid north region to global warming. These storms are part...

Authorities have warned that further rain could bring disasters such as landslides, flooding and landslides. CCTV, the state broadcaster, reported that two people were missing and two others dead in Hebei Province on Sunday morning. Fuping, a city in Baoding's industrial district, received 145 mm (5.8 inches) of rain per hour overnight. China's Water Resources Ministry issued flood warnings for 11 provinces, including Beijing and the neighbouring Hebei region, due to small and midsize river flooding and mountain torrents. CCTV reported that floods and landslides have affected many villages within the Miyun district in the capital. The rural town of...