Environment

Chicago soybean futures reached their highest level since more than two month on Monday as renewed optimism about Chinese purchases lifted sentiment. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said that the two countries' leaders could discuss a "substantial deal" in soybeans during a potential meeting. The most active soybean contract at the Chicago Board of Trade climbed by 1.42% to $10.56-1/2 a bushel as of 0124 GMT. This was their highest level since 25th August. The markets are watching closely a much-anticipated meeting between Trump & Xi this week in South Korea. Washington has maintained its optimism about a possible soybean...

The National Hurricane Center of the United States (NHC) announced on Sunday that Hurricane Melissa had developed into a Category 4, with winds up to 220km/h. It is expected to intensify as it moves towards Jamaica. The NHC reported that Melissa will be about 110 miles south of Kingston, and is expected to hit Jamaica on Monday or Tuesday night. It will also strike southeastern Cuba in the late afternoon. At a Sunday press conference, the authorities announced that both airports international were closed. They also said 881 shelters had been activated across the country. Desmond McKenzie said, "Many communities...

Exxon Mobil filed a lawsuit against California on Friday challenging two state laws requiring large companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emission and climate-related risks. Exxon filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California arguing that Senate Bills 261 and 253 violated its First Amendment rights because they force Exxon "to serve as a mouthpiece" for ideas it does not agree with. The company asked the court to stop the state of California enforcing these laws. Exxon claims that the Californian frameworks for reporting climate change are misleading and counterproductive. The oil giant claims...

European wheat futures rose in line with Chicago on Friday as traders looked forward to U.S. - Chinese trade talks and assessed reports that Chinese buyers are inquiring about imported wheat. The Paris-based Euronext wheat market closed 0.3% higher at 190.25 Euros ($221.87) per metric ton. It has remained within its small trading range this month. Chicago wheat was also slightly higher, moving away from the five-year low it reached last week. Euronext volumes were low as attention was focused on Donald Trump's upcoming trip to Asia, where he will hold a highly-anticipated meeting with China's Xi Jinping amid their...

A spokesperson for the U.N. Weather Agency said that it plans to reduce some positions and review its priorities because dozens of countries including the United States are behind in their fees. This week, during a conference in Geneva, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which was founded in 1951 to provide global weather forecasts and coordinate data, established a task force for a review of early warning systems against deadly climate disasters. In August, the WMO began restructuring its budget to reduce costs in line with broader U.N. Reforms. This was done even though the rate of climate change is...

A spokesperson confirmed Friday that the U.N. Weather Agency plans to cut some positions and review its priorities, as dozens countries, including United States, have not paid their fees on time. This week, during a conference in Geneva, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which was founded in 1951 to provide global weather forecasts and coordinate data, established a task force for a review of early warning systems against deadly climate disasters. In August, the WMO began restructuring its budget to reduce costs in line with broader U.N. Reforms. This is happening even though the accelerating climate change caused by man...

When it rains, Victoria Lovato’s ranch in northern New Mexico is flooded by three muddy torrents. The torrents are the result of New Mexico’s largest wildfire ever that burned mountains above her property over three years ago. This type of post-wildfire flood is making Western United States homes unlivable, and destroying infrastructure like roads and water treatment facilities. Climate change causes blazes to burn larger areas at higher temperatures. Ranch dogs follow Lovato's GMC truck as she, Ismael, and their daughter Mia, 11, drive north through a high mountain valley that is ringed with torched trees following the Hermit's Peak...

The Prince of Wales and the former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel are among the celebrities who will join him at his award ceremony in Brazil next month for his multimillion dollar environmental prize. In 2020, the British heir-to-the-throne established the Earthshot Prize with the goal of finding innovative solutions for pressing environmental issues. The winners of this year's Earthshot Prize will be announced on November 5 at an event in Rio de Janeiro that is sure to attract a lot of attention. The night's performers will include Brazilian musicians Gilberto Gil and Seu Jorge, as well as Canadian pop...

The U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding a number of cases during the new nine-month session that begins Monday. These include issues like presidential powers, trade tariffs, transgender sportspeople, guns, race laws, campaign finance laws, gay "conversion therapies", religious rights, and capital punishment. The following are some of the cases that will be heard during the upcoming court term. Separately, the court has also acted in emergency cases in several cases that involved challenges to President Donald Trump’s policies. LOUISIANA ELECTORAL DISTRICTS The conservative justices of the court signaled on October 15, their willingness to undermine another key section in...

Climate Investment Funds, a multilateral lender, announced on Monday that its board had approved a plan for helping restore Fiji's ecosystems and strengthening the island's capacity to withstand global warming. The Climate Investment Funds announced the agreement on Monday, ahead of the November round of U.N. talks. Fiji and the other Small Island Developing States are pushing for the world to do even more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CIF announced that it would provide $27 millions in financing, and hopes to attract an additional $20 million from World Bank and Progreen. This multi-donor initiative is designed to support the...

Nicola Willis, New Zealand's Finance Minister, said that regional and bilateral trade relationships would continue to grow in the face of the U.S.-China Trade War. Small countries such as hers will have to adjust to a different reality and maintain their priorities. Willis stated in an interview with The New Zealand Herald on Thursday that New Zealand is acutely aware of geopolitical risks and economic challenges. However, her discussions this week at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings showed the strength of international institutions as well as trade agreements among other countries. She said that New Zealand...

Researchers in northern Kenya have discovered fossils of the hand and foot bones of an extinct human relative that dates back to 1.52million years ago. This species was able to manipulate stone tools, and would have been fully bipedal. The fossils were the first to be unambiguously associated with the species Paranthropus boisei. Researchers found a partial skull that contained a large portion of the hand and three foot bones. They also discovered most of teeth, a forearm fragment, a partial tooth, and a fragment of a skull. The new discovery is a revelation, especially when you consider the fragmentary...

Climate damage: Russia must pay! Rebuilding Gaza will increase emissions Massive gaps in military emissions data Emma Batha Researchers estimate that the first three years of the conflict generated 237 million tons of greenhouse gasses (GHG). This is equivalent to the annual emissions of Belgium Austria and Ireland combined or 120 million cars running on fossil fuels. This is pushing us into the wrong direction, at a time we need to drastically cut emissions," said Lennard de Klerk of Climate Research, the lead author of a report that tallied the war's emission, published in this month. De Klerk stated that...

The Malaysian Palm Oil Council announced on Tuesday that the price of crude palm oil will remain above 4,400 Ringgit ($1,042) a metric ton through 2026. This is due to biodiesel and an uncertain outlook for stocks. Concerns about the effect on Indonesian stocks due to a tightening of supply of soybean oil in Argentina B50 biodiesel mandate In a press release, the Council stated that it would support palm prices. It said that sentiment was still cautious because of the low crude oil prices, large vegetable oil inventories in major markets like China and India and due to the...

The Brazilian environmental agency Ibama has given the green light to state-owned oil company Petrobras for exploratory research, including drilling wells in the Foz do Amazonas area, near the mouth the Amazon River, according to a firm statement released on Monday. Petrobras has said that the drilling will begin immediately and should last for around five months. They also added that at this time, they won't be producing oil. Petrobras considers the area in deep water off the coast of Amapa to be its most promising oil frontier. It shares geology with the nearby Guyana where Exxon Mobil has developed...

Brazil's indigenous land is being invaded by farms Fire and drought hazards increase in the territory Native residents change farming practices By Andre Cabette Fabio This scene has been repeated for generations by the Kalapalo tribe's Tanguro Village in Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Park. Instead of the traditional thatched roofing, the communal home is covered in a white plastic sheet, which has been decorated with the brand logo and "for agricultural use only." The roof is just one of the many signs of increased cattle- and soybean-farming on the Amazon's heavily deforested Southeast edges, where the rainforest is warming the fastest....

A senior climatologist at Australia's Weather Bureau isn't convinced that La Nina is forming, which could affect crop production and change rainfall patterns in parts of Asia, the Americas and Oceania. La Nina and El Nino are both caused by a cooling or warming in ocean surface temperatures. El Nino is the opposite. The former brings more rain to Australia's east, Southeast Asia, and India, with dryer weather in North America. Both can lead to flooding and hurricanes. The models that forecast the weather patterns usually converge around this time of the year, but there are currently many variations. She...

According to documents seen on Tuesday, Brazil's Ibama environmental agency has requested more information from the state-run Petrobras in order to complete the licensing process of drilling in the Foz do Amazonas Basin. A new technical report highlighted "pending issues and uncertainty" in Petrobras emergency and wildlife protection plan. Ibama approved the emergency response test performed by Petrobras back in August but requested adjustments before making a decision on the license. Petrobras issued a statement in which it said that it would "respond to all inquiries from the agency, as it had done since the start of the process, and...

Magda Chabriard, the CEO of Brazil's Petrobras, said that the company wants the government to require the use coprocessed diesel with vegetable oil. The firm is capable of producing fuels with up to 10% renewable contents. The coprocessed diesel is not included in the recently passed alw which created incentives to decarbonize fuels, including a mandate for a so-called separate green diesel. Chambriard, at an event held in Rio de Janeiro, said that "our coprocessed Diesel still does not have a mandate." Petrobras has taken steps to reduce emissions by using coprocessed diesel. The CEO stressed the importance of collaboration...

Scientists in Chile's Atacama desert, the world's driest, are studying a resilient, small flower. It could provide genetic clues that will help farmers adapt to the worsening droughts caused by climate change. Cistanthe longiscapa blooms in the Atacama Desert during rare rain events, creating a colorful mosaic known as the "flowering desert phenomenon". A team from Chile's Andres Bello University has been conducting genetic sequencing tests to discover the traits that enable the fuchsia colored flower to survive extreme temperatures and water scarcity in one of Earth's harshest environments. They want to transfer the drought-tolerant traits to other crops. Ariel...

In a month, the first heads of state are expected to arrive in the Amazonian city of Belem for the United Nations Climate Summit. However, the infrastructure that will receive them is still not finished. Another three-story structure is still far from being completed. It sits alongside what has been called the "leaders' village," which is a collection of low-slung structures that will be home to many visiting presidents. The helipad on its gleaming glass and white facade overlooks the complex that will host the 197 nation climate talks, also known as COP30. The building's raw shell is visible at...

In the northwestern part of Venezuela, a local foundation has turned piles of broken furniture and discarded plastic into desks. El Zulia Recicla in the capital of Zulia, Maracaibo has so far refurbished 160 desks using plastic waste collected from students. The foundation does not build new furniture but instead repairs metal frames that are damaged and replaces the missing parts with molded panels manufactured in its workshop. The research director of the foundation, Nicolino Bácho, said: "We show that desks with damaged wood and falling apart can be restored." Already, 20 desks were delivered to Ramon Reinoso Nunez school,...

In November, Brazil will host the COP30 climate summit, and the Amazon city of Belem, which is the most biodiverse city in the world, will be the center of attention. Visitors to Sao Paulo in Brazil's business capital may be shocked by the city's treeless landscapes, and its polluted river. Cardim is a botanist and landscaper on a mission. He wants to use native plants of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil's most endangered ecosystem. The Atlantic Forest once covered the entire city but now only occupies a fraction of its original area along the coast. Cardim has created "pocket trees," a...

Petrobras failed a part of the test required to get a drilling license in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, Brazil's Environmental Agency wrote in its report made public on Wednesday. The agency Ibama said that Petrobras had passed the broad test. However, the technical report required the firm to resubmit their animal-rescue plans, listing this as a step necessary for its bids to drill in an ecologically sensitive area. Ibama wrote that the plan "is not capable of ensuring adequate actions for animal care." Petrobras and Ibama didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Petrobras had previously stated that it...