Environment-News-The Economic Times - Seite 2 
Wild elephants are dying like never before in Kerala
Sri Lanka will ban four species of predatory ornamental fish including Piranhas that have escaped into rivers and lakes, devastating native species and threatening fragile freshwater ecosystems, the fisheries minister said Wednesday. Snakeheads, which can grow to over three feet (one metre), were rapidly multiplying in a lake in the northwestern part of the island, threatening the native species.
Fossil fuels harm health from 'cradle to grave': report
The extraction, transportation and burning of planet-heating fossil fuels have a huge impact on people's health that starts before they are born and lasts until they die, a report warned Tuesday. - Poorest often hit hardest - Aside from the health impacts of extracting and burning fossil fuels, transporting them can also pose a threat, such as gas pipe lines leaking into water systems or mass oil spills.
Ozone layer on track to return to 1980s levels by mid-century, says WMO report
A new WMO report indicates the Earth's ozone layer is recovering, projected to reach 1980s levels by mid-century, thanks to the Montreal Protocol's success in phasing out ozone-depleting substances. The 2024 Antarctic ozone hole is smaller than recent years, signaling initial recovery. Continued monitoring of stratospheric ozone and related substances remains crucial for complete healing.
Bulgarian mussel farmers face risk, and chance, in hotter sea
Faced with rising Black Sea temperatures that suffocate his mussels, Bulgarian farmer Nayden Stanev has been forced to change his ways -- shifting his seeding schedule and harvesting at cooler depths. But the warmer waters are still a threat to Black Sea mussel farmers.
Australia approves world-first vaccine to save koalas from chlamydia
A groundbreaking vaccine has been approved in Australia to combat chlamydia in koalas, a disease causing significant infertility and mortality in the endangered species. Developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the single-dose vaccine has shown to reduce disease symptoms and mortality rates.
How to use 8 arms? Octopuses tend to explore with their front limbs
Research reveals that octopuses, unlike humans, don't favor a dominant arm. However, they exhibit a preference for using their front four arms for tasks like exploring, while the rear arms are more frequently employed for movement. This study, conducted in the wild, highlights the versatile capabilities and redundancy of octopus limbs in their natural environment.
Study warns US emissions progress may flatline
After years of steady decline, US greenhouse gas emissions risk leveling off under Trump administration policies that promote fossil fuels and restrict renewables, according to an analysis released Wednesday. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has pursued an agenda centered on boosting fossil fuels and restricting renewables.
Fossil energy 'significant' driver of climate-fuelled heatwaves: Study
Fossil fuel and cement producers have contributed "significantly" to the growing number and intensity of climate-change-driven heatwaves, according to a study published on Wednesday in Nature. "We also show that emissions associated with the largest producers of fossil fuels and cement contribute significantly to heatwaves," Quilcaille told AFP. Emissions from just one of these carbon majors would have been enough to cause events deemed 10,000 times more likely, they found.
Why painting your home white could help you survive heatwave
August third-hottest globally on record, says climate monitor
Devastating wildfires and blistering heatwaves during the world's third-hottest August on record underscored the urgency of tackling climate change and preparing for its deadly consequences, the European global warming monitor said Tuesday. "With the world's (oceans) also remaining unusually warm, these events underline not only the urgency of reducing emissions but also the critical need to adapt to more frequent and intense climate extremes," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
China endured its hottest summer on record in 2025
China experienced its hottest summer on record in 2025, the meteorological authority said, as heatwaves continued to scorch the country's south. From June to August, "large parts of China experienced intense heat, with the national average temperature reaching 22.31C", the hottest summer since records began in 1961, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a social media post on Monday night.
Can a giant seawall save Indonesia's disappearing coast?
The encroaching ocean laps against a road in Karminah's village, threatening her home on Indonesia's Java island, where the government says it has a plan to hold back the tide. For residents who have seen the tide come more than a kilometre inland in parts of Java, the plan sounds like salvation.
Records smashed as new heatwave bakes southwest France
Temperature records were broken at at least four weather stations in southern France on Monday as much of the country baked in a new summer heatwave and the government called for vigilance. All-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons, according to the national weather service, Meteo France.
Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks
Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. The talks are mandated to look at the full life cycle of plastic, from production to pollution, but some countries are unhappy with such a wide scope.