Environment

The light rain brought some relief to South Korean authorities who are battling the worst wildfires in country history. Firefighters were exhausted and made another effort on Friday to control blazes that stretched 70 km (44miles). In the last week, strong winds from central Uiseong County to the coastal areas have caused fires that have burned more than 45,000 ha (111,197 acres). At a press briefing, Lim Sang Seop, Korea Forest Service Minister, said: "Conditions have improved and we still have a chance. We are using all our resources to do everything we can to put out the fires." Uiseong...

The Metals Company, a Canadian mining company, announced on Thursday that it had initiated a formal process with the U.S. Department of Commerce for the application of exploration licenses and permit to extract minerals from ocean floors. The company intends to apply for a permit under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1981 (DSHMRA), rather than the International Seabed Authority, stating that the latter has not yet adopted regulations regarding deep seabed exploitation. It added that it had requested a consultation prior to the application with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. TMC's attempt to be the first company...

The Metals Company, a Canadian mining company, announced on Thursday that it had initiated a formal process with the U.S. Department of Commerce for the application of exploration licenses and permit to extract minerals from ocean floors. The company intends to apply for a permit under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1981 (DSHMRA), rather than the International Seabed Authority, stating that the latter has not yet adopted regulations regarding deep seabed exploitation. It added that it had requested a consultation prior to the application with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. TMC's attempt to be the first company...

Wall Street's leading regulator announced on Thursday that it had decided to stop legal actions to defend regulations requiring companies to disclose their climate-related risks, emissions and spending. This regulation had been fiercely contested by industry lobby groups. Mark Uyeda, the acting chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a Republican-dominated agency, made public remarks about its decision last month. Since taking office, Donald Trump has taken steps to reverse virtually all the efforts of the previous administration to combat climate change. Uyeda stated in a press release that the goal of today's Commission actions and notification to...

Canada's Suncor Energy said on Thursday it had identified and isolated the source of a hydrocarbon spill observed during regular monitoring at its 85,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Sarnia, Ontario. Suncor also stated that there were no reported injuries. Suncor did not specify if the spilled crude oil or fuel. The company had earlier said that it was responding in response to an incident near the St. Clair River, noting community members might notice an odor. St. Clair Township, in another community alert reported an oil spill that was being contained by Suncor and Shell booms. The water distribution system of St....

The Trump administration has invited companies to send an email to the Environmental Protection Agency by March 31 to request presidential exemptions to nine clean-air rules, including limits on mercury for power plants and limits to hazardous air pollutants produced in plastics. This is the latest example of a rarely used measure to ease burdens for businesses. The EPA stated that the exemption offer is aimed at achieving President Donald Trump's aim of reducing red tape in energy production. This comes only days after the agency announced it would rollback more than twenty bedrock regulations and water rules as well...

According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the U.S. Justice Department may merge the agencies that enforce drug and gun laws as part of a major shake-up to follow President Donald Trump's directive to streamline government. According to a memo dated March 25, department leaders may merge the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and eliminate field offices that deal with antitrust, civil and environmental cases. The memo states that a possible merger between the ATF, DEA and other agencies would "realize efficiencies in terms of resources, case deconfliction efforts and regulatory efforts."...

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday a bid from 21 young people who wanted to bring back a novel suit claiming that the U.S. Government's energy policy violates their right to be protected against climate change. The justices refused to hear the appeals of the youth activists against a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court in San Francisco. Circuit Court of Appeals directed a federal judge to dismiss the case in Oregon after finding that they lacked standing to sue. The verdict marks the end to Juliana v. United States. It was one of the most long-running climate...

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday a bid from 21 young people who wanted to bring back a novel suit claiming that the U.S. Government's energy policy violates their right to be protected against climate change. The justices refused to hear the appeal by the youth activists of a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court in San Francisco. Circuit Court of Appeals directed a federal judge to dismiss the case in Oregon after finding that they lacked standing to sue. The verdict marks the end to Juliana v. United States. It was one of the most long-running climate...

JPMorgan Chase & Co announced that its asset management division has left a flagship climate initiative. This is a major blow for the group, which had paused operation in January to try to stop defections due to political pressure by U.S. Republicans. In a statement, a representative from the JPMAM unit noted that the Net Zero Asset Management initiative had taken pause in January "due to changes in the regulatory climate and client expectations". JPMAM decided to leave the market in light of this. The company didn't immediately respond to further questions. Neither did the organizers. Republicans, including many from...

Sand mining is a growing industry for women after floods and drought The work is hard and the pay is low Sand mining is a major contributor to land degradation By Charles Pensulo The 37-year old sand-miner has no time to appreciate her surroundings. A tourist hotspot centred around the vast body of waters known as the Lake of Stars because of the brilliance of the nighttime reflections. Wilson notices that the shoreline is receding and thinks it may be her fault. She says that she is stuck with no choice. She said, "We think that (sand-mining) contributes to erosion....

Two sources familiar with this appointment confirmed that former Newmont executive David Copley was appointed to oversee the mining portfolio of the U.S. National Energy Dominance Council. This makes him the highest ranking federal official shaping the domestic minerals policy. The President Donald Trump created the Council last month to increase not only U.S. production of oil and gas, but also extraction and processing lithium, copper, and other essential minerals that are used throughout the economy. Trump and his predecessors have long been irritated by China's near total control over the vital minerals industry. The U.S. still does not have...

The size of the wildfires raging across South Korea on Thursday doubled from the day before, with authorities calling the fires the worst natural disaster in the country. At least 26 people were killed and ancient temples destroyed. The largest fire that started in central Uiseong County has burned or is still burning more than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres). This makes it the largest forest fire in South Korea history. The previous record for a fire in March 2000 was 24,000 ha (59,000 acres). Han Duck-soo, acting president of South Korea, told a government meeting that the rapid spread of...

Official data released in march showed that China's glacier areas have shrunk 26% due to global warming. 7,000 small glaciers have disappeared completely, and the glacial retreat has intensified in recent years. According to a UNESCO study, glaciers are disappearing more quickly than ever. The largest glacial mass losses on record occurred in the past three years. Environmental groups warn that the shrinking of important water towers will lead to a greater competition over water resources. The retreat of the glaciers also presents new disaster risks. China's glaciers can be found mainly in the north and west of the country....

Wildfires raged in the southeast region of South Korea on Tuesday. They threatened a World Heritage site and forced thousands more residents out of their homes. A city official and a text message alert informed residents of Andong's 150,000-strong population to move to safer areas. Officials said that the fire is currently located about 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), from Hahoe. Authorities designated counties affected as'special disaster areas'. Wildfires continue to burn in the region, causing death. Since Saturday, when fires broke out across several regions, fuelled by dry weather and strong winds, at least four people were killed and hundreds...

Summit Nanotech announced on Tuesday that it had received $25.5 million from a group of investment funds to support its research on direct lithium extraction technologies (DLE). The metal lithium, which is used in the batteries of electric vehicles, was previously produced by open-pit mining or water-intensive evaporation pools. DLE Technologies intends to change this. DLE has been described as an eco-friendly, faster and more efficient way to extract lithium. This is in contrast with the traditional methods that are known to disrupt habitats. Summit Nanotech, a private company, is developing DLE in South America with BHP as an investor....

According to Conab's forecasts, Brazilian soybean farmers are expected to harvest a larger crop than they had previously anticipated in 2024/25, due to the increased demand from China, which is likely to be a result of deepening trade conflicts. Brazil's soybean harvest, which is currently underway, will likely total 167.37 millions tons. This is 1.3 million tonnes more than the Conab forecast for February and well above the previous record of 155.7million tons set in 2022/23. Conab data shows that more than 100 million tons will be exported. This is an increase of 7% over the previous season. Brazil, the...

A study commissioned by WaterAid on Wednesday showed that the weather in many of the most densely-populated cities around the world is changing from droughts to flooding and back again, as rising temperatures disrupt the global water cycle. Researchers found that South and Southeast Asia are experiencing the most wet weather, while Europe and the Middle East, as well as North Africa, are getting drier. The study was based on 42 years' worth of data from over 100 of the largest cities in the world. Michael Singer, Water Research Institute at Cardiff University and one of the study's authors, said...

David Lammy, British Foreign Minister, said that Britain and the Philippines are committed to an international order based on rules. Lammy, on an official visit to the Philippines, said that both countries had stood together, supporting Ukraine, and promoting a free, open Indo-Pacific. Lammy and his Philippine counterpart said at a press conference that they were charting a course for their relationship in the face of global instability. They also emphasized that it was important to strengthen ties with other like-minded countries, such as the Philippines. The Philippines and Britain have signed a framework agreement for enhanced cooperation in multiple...

In a small workshop in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, goldsmith Nadja Kreutzmann polishes stones and metals mined on this vast island rich in minerals. Her jewellery is decorated with Inuit symbols for life and survival. Indigenous identity in Greenland is resurging ahead of the March 11 general elections called by U.S. president Donald Trump after he said he wanted Greenland to be his. Trump's interest in Greenland has shaken up the status quo. This, coupled with growing Inuit pride has led to some locals viewing the vote as an historic opportunity to free Greenland of Danish influence. Greenland is...

By Joachim Klement March 4, 2019 - As the transatlantic alliance seems to be tearing apart, Europe must quickly devise a strategy to harness geopolitical power. China could be a good source of ideas on how Europe can achieve this. Enhancing defensive capabilities is the first step. China's military was modernised in the early 1990s by its leadership. World Bank estimates that Chinese defence spending grew from $12 billion in 1993, to approximately $296 billion by 2023. This represents an annual growth of more than 11% compared to the 3.5% average in the U.S. China has the largest naval force...

The Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday that China is seeking public opinion regarding rules for the importation of leftovers from the recycling spent lithium-ion batterys, as well recycled steel materials. The deadline for comments was set at March 20, in accordance with China's desire to speed up recycling efforts. This is reflected in the establishment of the China Resources Recycling Group, a group that focuses on recycling in the city of Tianjin, located in the north of the country. According to the proposal of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, black mass, which is a mixture of nickel and cobalt...

This week, countries will gather in Rome to try again to figure out how to raise $200 billion per year to preserve biodiversity around the world. It's a chance to give global cooperation a boost as the United States pulls back. Donald Trump's moves to cut development funding since his January inauguration have cast a cloud over discussions and put pressure on participants, despite the fact that the world's largest economy wasn’t a signatory of the efforts. Last October, after striking a landmark agreement in 2022 - the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to stop nature losses by 2030 –...

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel opened the first of 92 Solar Parks on Friday, as part of an initiative backed by China to reduce the number of blackouts that can last for hours in the Caribbean Island nation. The park in Havana is one of 55 that are expected to be online by this year. It will generate 1,200 megawatts. Last year, the outdated power grid of this Communist-run nation collapsed multiple times. A severe fuel shortage made it impossible for smaller clusters to operate diesel-powered generators which typically backup the system. Blackouts that lasted for years have weakened the economy,...