nature

Noisy humans harm birds and affect breeding success: study

  • In some cases, noise pollution interrupted mating displays, caused males to change their courtship songs, or masked messages between chicks and parents. 
  • Noise pollution is affecting bird behaviour across the globe, disrupting everything from courtship songs to the ability to find food and avoid predators, a large-scale new analysis showed on Wednesday.
  • In some cases, noise pollution interrupted mating displays, caused males to change their courtship songs, or masked messages between chicks and parents. 
Noise pollution is affecting bird behaviour across the globe, disrupting everything from courtship songs to the ability to find food and avoid predators, a large-scale new analysis showed on Wednesday.
Researchers reviewed nearly four decades of scientific work and found that noises made by humans were interfering with the lives of birds on six continents and having "strong negative effects" on reproduction success.
Previous research on individual species has shown that single sources of anthropogenic noise -- such as planes, traffic and construction -- can affect birds as it does other wildlife. 
But for this study, the team performed a wider analysis by pooling data published since 1990 across 160 bird species to see if any broader trends could be established.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found clear evidence of a "pervasive" impact of noise pollution on birds worldwide.
"We found that noise significantly impacts communication risk behaviours, foraging, aggression and physiology and had a strong effect on habitat use and a negative impact on reproduction," it said.
This is because birds rely on acoustic information to survive, making them particularly vulnerable to the modern din produced by cars, machinery and urban life.
"They use song to find mates, calls to warn of predators, and chicks make begging calls to let their parents know they're hungry," Natalie Madden, who led the research while at the University of Michigan, said in a statement.
"So if there's loud noise in the environment, can they still hear signals from their own species?"
In some cases, noise pollution interrupted mating displays, caused males to change their courtship songs, or masked messages between chicks and parents. 
The study included many common species such as European robins and starlings, house sparrows, and great tits.

Solutions exist

The response varied between species, with birds that nest close to the ground suffering greater reproductive harm, while those using open nests experienced stronger effects on growth.
Birds living in urban areas, meanwhile, tended to have higher levels of stress hormones than those outside of cities.
Some 61 percent of the world's bird species have declining populations, mostly due to habitat loss driven by expanding agriculture and logging, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in October.
The study authors said that noise pollution was an "underappreciated consequence" of humanity's impact on nature, especially compared to biodiversity loss and climate change.
But some relatively simple fixes could make a big difference for birds, they said.
Madden told AFP that shifting from noisier cars and landscaping tools such as mowers and leaf blowers to electric-powered alternatives was one idea.
Another could be "running machinery outside peak breeding seasons, avoiding activity when birds are migrating through an area, or shifting construction away from habitats that support vulnerable species", she added.
Buildings could also be adapted to muffle sound in the same way they are constructed to improve visibility and minimise bird collisions, said the study's senior author Neil Carter, from the University of Michigan.
"So many of the things we're facing with biodiversity loss just feel inexorable and massive in scale, but we know how to use different materials and how to put things up in different ways to block sound," he said. 
jmi-np/jxb

climate

US to scrap legal cornerstone of climate regulations this week

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • The finding under then-president Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide and methane -- endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change.
  • President Donald Trump is set this week to scrap a landmark scientific finding that greenhouse gases jeopardize public health by driving climate change -- the bedrock of US regulations to curb planet-warming pollution.
  • The finding under then-president Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide and methane -- endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change.
President Donald Trump is set this week to scrap a landmark scientific finding that greenhouse gases jeopardize public health by driving climate change -- the bedrock of US regulations to curb planet-warming pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer proposed reversing the so-called "endangerment finding" of 2009, in the administration's latest boost to the fossil fuel industry.
"On Thursday, President Trump will be joined by (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalize the rescission of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a news briefing Tuesday.
"This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history, and it will save the American people $1.3 trillion in crushing regulation."
The finding under then-president Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide and methane -- endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change.
That determination flowed from a 2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether they pose a danger to public health and welfare.
While it initially applied only to a section of the Clean Air Act governing vehicle emissions, it was later incorporated into other regulations.
As a result, repealing the determination would immediately be accompanied by revoking the requirement for federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for automobiles.
The revocation is also set to place a broader suite of climate regulations at legal risk, including limits on carbon dioxide from power plants and methane from oil and gas operations.
"This action is unlawful, ignores basic science, and denies reality," said Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California, a likely presidential candidate, and Tony Evers of Wisconsin in a joint statement. 
"We know greenhouse gases cause climate change and endanger our communities and our health — and we will not stop fighting to protect the American people from pollution."

Study authored by climate-skeptics

The administration's draft proposal, which elicited more than half a million public comments, asserts that greenhouse gases should not be treated as pollutants in the traditional sense because their effects on human health are indirect and global rather than local. 
Regulating them within US borders, it contends, cannot meaningfully resolve a worldwide problem.
The proposal also sought to downplay the scale and impacts of human-caused climate change, citing a study commissioned by an Energy Department working group filled with skeptics of human-caused climate change to produce a report challenging the scientific consensus.
That report was widely criticized for misattribution and misstating the conclusions of the studies it cited. 
Environmental groups sued the Energy Department, alleging the panel was convened behind closed doors in violation of federal rules. 
Energy Secretary Chris Wright later disbanded the group.

Legal challenges, disputed math

The Trump administration has claimed that repealing the endangerment finding would lead to reduced new car costs, which have spiraled since the pandemic, but its calculations do not account for savings from reduced fuel use. 
Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity's Safe Climate Transport Campaign, said the administration was "stoking oil demand at home by pushing for more gas guzzlers," while presenting a gift to China's electric vehicle makers who would no longer face meaningful US competition.
While the administration says the rules imposed more than $1 trillion in cumulative regulatory costs that were passed on as "hidden taxes," critics say it does not weigh those costs against the monetized benefits from climate protection, public health and fuel savings.
"The EPA's slapdash legal arguments should be laughed out of court," said Meredith Hankins, federal climate legal director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, vowing a swift court challenge.
ia/sla

climate

US to scrap cornerstone of climate regulation this week

  • "The Endangerment Finding is the legal prerequisite used by the Obama and Biden Administrations to justify trillions of dollars of greenhouse gas regulations covering new vehicles and engines," it added.
  • President Donald Trump's administration is expected to finalize this week its repeal of a foundational scientific determination that underpins the US government's authority to regulate greenhouse gas pollution.
  • "The Endangerment Finding is the legal prerequisite used by the Obama and Biden Administrations to justify trillions of dollars of greenhouse gas regulations covering new vehicles and engines," it added.
President Donald Trump's administration is expected to finalize this week its repeal of a foundational scientific determination that underpins the US government's authority to regulate greenhouse gas pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency last summer proposed reversing the so-called Endangerment Finding of 2009, in what was seen as a major blow to climate action in the world's biggest historic contributor of planet-warming emissions. 
"This amounts to the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told The Wall Street Journal.
The finding under then-president Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide and methane -- endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change.
That determination flowed from a 2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether they pose a danger to public health and welfare.
While the finding initially applied only to a section of the Clean Air Act governing vehicle emissions, it was later incorporated into other regulations.
As a result, repealing the finding would immediately revoke the requirement for federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for automobiles.
And it would place a broader suite of climate regulations in legal jeopardy, including limits on carbon dioxide from power plants and methane from oil and gas operations.
"The Obama Administration made one of the most damaging decisions in modern history," the EPA said in a statement to AFP Tuesday.
"The Endangerment Finding is the legal prerequisite used by the Obama and Biden Administrations to justify trillions of dollars of greenhouse gas regulations covering new vehicles and engines," it added.
The administration's draft proposal rests on both legal and scientific arguments. Procedurally, it asserts that greenhouse gases should not be treated as pollutants in the traditional sense because their effects on human health are indirect and global rather than local. 
Regulating them within US borders, it contends, cannot meaningfully resolve a worldwide problem.
On the scientific front, the administration has sought to downplay the scale and impacts of human-caused climate change. 
It commissioned a Energy Department working group filled with skeptics of human-caused climate change to produce a report challenging the scientific consensus.
That report was widely criticized for misattribution and misstating the conclusions of the studies it cited. Environmental groups sued the Energy Department, alleging the panel was convened behind closed doors in violation of federal rules. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later disbanded the group.
Environmental organizations are expected to move quickly to challenge in court the elimination of the 2009 determination. 
"If the EPA follows through and tries to repeal the Endangerment Finding, we will see them in court," Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said recently.
ia/dw

weather

January was fifth hottest on record despite cold snap: EU monitor

  • The Northern Hemisphere was hit by severe cold waves in the final weeks of January as a polar jet stream blew icy air into Europe and North America, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
  • The planet experienced its fifth-hottest January on record despite a cold snap that swept across the United States and Europe, the EU's climate monitor said Tuesday.
  • The Northern Hemisphere was hit by severe cold waves in the final weeks of January as a polar jet stream blew icy air into Europe and North America, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The planet experienced its fifth-hottest January on record despite a cold snap that swept across the United States and Europe, the EU's climate monitor said Tuesday.
The Northern Hemisphere was hit by severe cold waves in the final weeks of January as a polar jet stream blew icy air into Europe and North America, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
But monthly temperatures were above average over much of the globe, including in large parts of the Arctic and western North America, according to Copernicus.
"January 2026 delivered a stark reminder that the climate system can sometimes simultaneously deliver very cold weather in one region, and extreme heat in another," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The average global temperature in January was 1.47C above preindustrial times.
Europe endured its coldest January since 2010, with an average temperature of -2.34C, the service said.
The United States, meanwhile, was hit by a monster winter storm that dumped snow and crippling ice from New Mexico to Maine. It was linked to more than 100 deaths.
The planet remains in an extended run of human-driven warming, with 2024 setting a record high, 2023 ranking second 2025 now third warmest.
lt/np/rmb

Global Edition

Three-year heatwave bleached half the planet's coral reefs: study

  • - No time to recover - The two previous global bleaching events, in 1998 and 2010, had lasted one year. "2014–17 was the first record of a global coral bleaching event lasting much beyond a single year," the study said.
  • A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world's coral reefs were bleached between 2014-2017 -- a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
  • - No time to recover - The two previous global bleaching events, in 1998 and 2010, had lasted one year. "2014–17 was the first record of a global coral bleaching event lasting much beyond a single year," the study said.
A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world's coral reefs were bleached between 2014-2017 -- a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
The analysis concluded that 51 percent of the world's reefs endured moderate or worse bleaching while 15 percent experienced significant mortality over the three-year period known as the "Third Global Bleaching Event".
It was "by far the most severe and widespread coral bleaching event on record", said Sean Connolly, one the study's authors and a senior scientist at the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
"And yet, reefs are currently experiencing an even more severe Fourth Event, which started in early 2023," Connolly said in a statement.
When the sea overheats, corals eject the microscopic algae that provides their distinct colour and food source.
Unless ocean temperatures return to more tolerable levels, bleached corals are unable to recover and eventually die of starvation.
"Our findings demonstrate that the impacts of ocean warming on coral reefs are accelerating, with the near certainty that ongoing warming will cause large-scale, possibly irreversible, degradation of these essential ecosystems," said the study in the journal Nature Communications.
An international team of scientists analysed data from more than 15,000 in-water and aerial surveys of reefs around the world over the 2014-2017 period.
They combined the data with satellite-based heat stress measurements and used statistical models to estimate how much bleaching occurred around the world.

No time to recover

The two previous global bleaching events, in 1998 and 2010, had lasted one year.
"2014–17 was the first record of a global coral bleaching event lasting much beyond a single year," the study said.
"Ocean warming is increasing the frequency, extent, and severity of tropical-coral bleaching and mortality."
Australia's Great Barrier Reef, for instance, saw peak heat stress increase each year between 2014 and 2017.
"We are seeing that reefs don't have time to recover properly before the next bleaching event occurs," said Scott Heron, professor of physics at James Cook University in Australia.
A major scientific report last year warned that the world's tropical coral reefs have likely reached a "tipping point" -- a shift that could trigger massive and often permanent changes in the natural world.
The global scientific consensus is that most coral reefs would perish at warming of 1.5C above preindustrial levels -- the ambitious, long-term limit countries agreed to pursue under the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Global temperatures exceeded 1.5C on average between 2023-2025, the European Union's climate monitoring service, Copernicus, said last month.
"We are only just beginning to analyse bleaching and mortality observations from the current bleaching event," Connolly told AFP.
"However the overall level of heat stress was extraordinarily high, especially in 2023-2024, comparable to or higher than what was observed in 2014-2017, at least in some regions," he said.
He said the Pacific coastline of Panama experienced "dramatically worse heat stress than they had ever experienced before, and we observed considerable coral mortality".
lt/np/phz

solar

Solar, wind capacity growth slowed last year, analysis shows

  • "Momentum appears to be slowing, but that's not due to a lack of potential," he told AFP. There is still "enough time" for countries to ramp up capacity, and solar projects that have not yet been announced could be completed before 2030, he said.
  • Planned or under-construction solar and wind projects slowed last year, analysis showed Tuesday, casting doubts on whether countries will hit a goal of tripling renewable capacity by decade-end.
  • "Momentum appears to be slowing, but that's not due to a lack of potential," he told AFP. There is still "enough time" for countries to ramp up capacity, and solar projects that have not yet been announced could be completed before 2030, he said.
Planned or under-construction solar and wind projects slowed last year, analysis showed Tuesday, casting doubts on whether countries will hit a goal of tripling renewable capacity by decade-end.
Dozens of nations agreed in 2023 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to limit global warming.
But announcements and construction starts of new wind and solar projects grew 11 percent in 2025 -- down from 22 percent in the previous year, as wind development projects faced hurdles, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said.
"Wind developers experienced political barriers and a streak of failed wind power auctions in wealthy nations," GEM research analyst Diren Kocakusak said.
US President Donald Trump has blocked wind projects, and made no secret of his antipathy towards renewables, though the global slump was not attributable to any one country, Kocakusak said.
GEM's research also found that just a small fraction of wind and solar growth came from rich G7 countries, with the "centre of gravity" now shifting "decisively toward emerging and developing economies." 
As has been the case for years, China is expanding renewable capacity on a scale unmatched elsewhere.
It accounted for around a third of global capacity growth in 2025 -- 1.5 terawatts -- more than growth in the next six countries combined.
But that was not enough to set the world on track to meet the 2030 goal.

'Disappointing developments'

Even if all the projects currently announced and under-construction proceed, the world would still fall short.
GEM's research has found almost 40 percent of planned projects begin operations after their announced start date, or are put on hold or scrapped.
However, Kocakusak said that did not mean the goal was out of reach.
"Momentum appears to be slowing, but that's not due to a lack of potential," he told AFP.
There is still "enough time" for countries to ramp up capacity, and solar projects that have not yet been announced could be completed before 2030, he said. Wind projects can take longer to get up and running.
More than 3.5 terawatts of wind and solar projects have also been announced without a confirmed start date, and could help meet the 2030 goal if they come online quickly enough.
Some wealthy countries are supporting renewable growth, with Japan seeking to revise wind auction guidelines and Britain boosting investment.
These policies sit alongside "disappointing developments", though, like reports Germany may limit grid priority for renewables, Kocakusak said.
"Whether the 2030 tripling target is achieved will depend on the level of commitment and implementation from countries and developers," he said.
sah/cms

wildlife

Man arrested in Thailand for smuggling rhino horn inside meat

  • Airport authorities and police seized six pieces of rhinoceros horn and around 12 kilograms of unidentified meat used to conceal them inside a polystyrene icebox.
  • Thai authorities arrested a man for allegedly smuggling more than 11 kilograms of rhino horns inside wrapped meat, in a case officials linked on Tuesday to an international wildlife trafficking network.
  • Airport authorities and police seized six pieces of rhinoceros horn and around 12 kilograms of unidentified meat used to conceal them inside a polystyrene icebox.
Thai authorities arrested a man for allegedly smuggling more than 11 kilograms of rhino horns inside wrapped meat, in a case officials linked on Tuesday to an international wildlife trafficking network.
The 36-year-old Vietnamese man was detained on Monday after landing at Bangkok's main international airport on suspicion of illegal wildlife imports, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said in a statement. 
He was travelling from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Laos, transiting through Ethiopia and Thailand, according to the department.
Airport authorities and police seized six pieces of rhinoceros horn and around 12 kilograms of unidentified meat used to conceal them inside a polystyrene icebox.
"There were some irregularities in the X-ray scan of the checked luggage so the authorities checked it," the department said.
Sadudee Panpakdee, director of the department's CITES division, told AFP officials were unsure of the value of the seized horns or what type of meat was used to conceal them.
The items were sent to a wildlife forensic laboratory for examination, officials said.
If convicted, the suspect faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to one million baht ($32,000).
All five rhino species are protected under international law and trade in their horns is banned.
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers who often sell highly prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in Asia.
tak/sco/mjw

climate

Warming climate threatens Greenland's ancestral way of life

BY NIOUCHA ZAKAVATI

  • Traditionally, hunters' boats would head straight out to sea, slowly pushing through the ice and creating holes that attract seals coming up for air.
  • Standing in his boat with binoculars in hand, hunter Malik Kleist scans the horizon for seals.
  • Traditionally, hunters' boats would head straight out to sea, slowly pushing through the ice and creating holes that attract seals coming up for air.
Standing in his boat with binoculars in hand, hunter Malik Kleist scans the horizon for seals. But this February, the sea ice in southwestern Greenland has yet to freeze, threatening traditional livelihoods like his.
"Normally the seals are on the ice or in the more calm waters. But today we had to sail all the way into the fjords to find them," the 37-year-old tells AFP.
The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature, causing the sea ice to retreat.
Seals rely on pack ice to give birth, to rest and for protection.
Hunters increasingly have to sail farther along the jagged coast of Sisimiut, navigating into the fjords for several hours to find them.
Traditionally, hunters' boats would head straight out to sea, slowly pushing through the ice and creating holes that attract seals coming up for air.
But without any ice, "it's too windy and the waves are too big," Kleist says.
Last year was exceptionally warm in the vast autonomous territory, with several temperature records beaten, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). 
In December, the Summit Station, located at the height of Greenland's ice sheet, recorded an average temperature of -30.9 degrees C (-23.6 Fahrenheit), 8.1C higher than the December average during the period 1991-2020.
"It affects everything we do. Because normally around November, December the ice comes. And this year there's no ice, so it affects our living a lot," Kleist says.

Financial woes

For the same reason, the government has also had to postpone the annual winter musk ox hunt that was due to start on January 31.
There wasn't enough snow and ice to transport the massive animals that roam the Arctic tundra back from Kangerlussuaq where they are predominantly found, around 165 kilometres (103 miles) away. Greenland has no roads connecting its towns.
That has left some Sisimiut hunters with less income than usual.
"This time of year there is not much to hunt. So we rely on musk ox meat and skin," Kleist says.
"Many of my fellow hunters are struggling with money right now."
Every part of the animal, from the fur to the meat, is either used or sold.
The summer hunting season has therefore gained importance, enabling Greenlanders to fill their freezers to get them through the winter months, he tells AFP over a steaming bowl of fish stew.
The shorter winter season has also impacted another key activity in Greenland, one that has become increasingly important to the tourism sector: dogsled tours. 
In the Sisimiut neighbourhood where the dogs are kept, their thunderous barking mounts as Nukaaraq Olsen, a 21-year-old musher, attaches them to the sled.
Raring to get going, his 18 dogs are hard to hold back. Twenty minutes later, the group bounds off. 
But the road is bumpy, and several times Olsen has to get up to manually push the sled, stuck on the tundra's rocks in patches where there is no ice.
"This year we had a lot of hot, warm days, even though it's December or January," he says.
Other parts of the route are no longer safe to use, due to repeated melting and freezing of snowfall which causes uneven layers, he explains.

Dehydrated dogs

The dogs' health is also affected by the changing climate. 
They are used to quenching their thirst with snow, but with little or no snowfall, they can easily get dehydrated. Mushers have to take that into account when caring for their animals.
Many have even had to get rid of their dogs, the business of maintaining them no longer profitable with the dogsled season shrinking to just two months, says Emilie Andersen-Ranberg, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen who runs a dog clinic in Sisimiut. 
Others, such as 72-year-old Johanne Bech, are finding novel ways to adapt.
She plans to put wheels on her sled to continue running dogsled tours during the summer period.
That solution is growing in popularity, as "the window with snow is getting more and more narrow," the veterinarian says.
Over the past 20 years, the number of sleddogs has been halved from 25,000 to 13,000, according to a 2024 article from the University of Greenland in 2024.
Yet Johanne Bech remains optimistic about the future.
"I hope this is just for a short time, so we can go back to a little more stable snow or more ice in the future."
nzg/ef/po/ks/abs

trees

Pakistan's capital picks concrete over trees, angering residents

BY SHROUQ TARIQ

  • Built in the 1960s, Islamabad was planned as a green city, with wide avenues, parks and tree-lined sectors.
  • Pakistan's capital Islamabad was once known for its lush greenery, but the felling of trees across the city for infrastructure and military monuments has prompted local anger and even lawsuits.
  • Built in the 1960s, Islamabad was planned as a green city, with wide avenues, parks and tree-lined sectors.
Pakistan's capital Islamabad was once known for its lush greenery, but the felling of trees across the city for infrastructure and military monuments has prompted local anger and even lawsuits.
Built in the 1960s, Islamabad was planned as a green city, with wide avenues, parks and tree-lined sectors.
Many residents fear that vision is steadily being eroded, with concrete replacing green spaces.
Muhammad Naveed took the authorities to court this year over "large-scale tree cutting" for infrastructure projects, accusing them of felling "many mature trees" and leaving land "barren".
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) blamed major infrastructure development, including road construction and monuments, for the mass razing of trees and natural vegetation in Islamabad.
Between 2001 and 2024, the capital lost 14 hectares of tree cover, equal to 20 football pitches, according to Global Forest Watch, though the figure does not account for tree cover gains during the same period.
For Kamran Abbasi, a local trader and resident since the 1980s, it feels like "they are cutting trees everywhere".
"It is not the same anymore," he told AFP.
"Trees are life. Thousands are cut to build one bridge."

Smog and pollen

Meanwhile, air quality in Islamabad continues to deteriorate.
Pollution is a longstanding problem, but plants can help by filtering dirty air, absorbing harmful gases and cooling cities.
"Forests act as powerful natural filters... cleaning the air and water, and reducing the overall impact of pollution," Muhammad Ibrahim, director of WWF-Pakistan's forest programme told AFP.
There were no good air quality days in Islamabad last month, with all but two classed as "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" by monitoring organisation IQAir.
While some trees are felled for infrastructure, officials justify removing others to tackle seasonal pollen allergies that are especially acute in spring.
That problem is largely attributed to paper mulberry trees, which were planted extensively during the city's early development.
"The main reason is pollen allergy," said Abdul Razzaq, an official from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad.
"People suffer from chest infections, asthma and severe allergic reactions. I do too," he told AFP.
The government plans to remove 29,000 pollen-producing trees and plants, according to a recent WWF report.
However, critics argue that pollen allergies are an excuse to justify broader tree-cutting, particularly linked to military and infrastructure projects.
The solution lies not in indiscriminate tree removal, but careful urban planning, experts say, replanting with non-allergenic species -- and greater transparency around development projects in the capital.

Capital under axe

In recent months, large bulldozers have been spotted levelling former green belts and wooded areas, including near major highways.
According to WWF and unnamed government officials, some of the cleared land is tapped for monuments commemorating the brief but intense armed conflict between Pakistan and neighbouring India last May.
Other plots were razed to make way for military-linked infrastructure.
"We know that trees are being cut for military-related projects, but there is not much we can do," a government source told AFP, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
"The people in power, the military, can do whatever they want."
Pakistan's powerful military has ruled the country for decades through coups and is deeply involved in the country's politics and economy, analysts say.
At a proposed military monument site along the city's express highway, WWF recorded more than six hectares of land clearing last year, with work continuing in 2026.
It saw "no active plantation... indicating that the clearing is infrastructure driven".
The military did not respond to AFP's request for comment.
Naveed's court case seeking to halt the widespread felling, which is still being heard, argues there is "no excuse" for the tree loss.
If a monument is "deemed essential, why was it not placed in any existing park or public place?", he argues.
In reply to Naveed's petition, authorities said roads and infrastructure projects were approved under regulations dating back to 1992.
stm/rsc/je/sah/cms

pollution

Chile's climate summit chief to lead plastic pollution treaty talks

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • "Plastic pollution is a planetary problem that affects everyone: every country, every community and every individual," career diplomat Julio Cordano warned after being elected.
  • Countries on Saturday elected Chile's COP climate summit chief negotiator to revive stalled talks on striking a landmark global treaty tackling the scourge of plastic pollution.
  • "Plastic pollution is a planetary problem that affects everyone: every country, every community and every individual," career diplomat Julio Cordano warned after being elected.
Countries on Saturday elected Chile's COP climate summit chief negotiator to revive stalled talks on striking a landmark global treaty tackling the scourge of plastic pollution.
"Plastic pollution is a planetary problem that affects everyone: every country, every community and every individual," career diplomat Julio Cordano warned after being elected.
"If we don't take concerted action, it will get much worse in the coming decades. A treaty is urgently needed."
More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, with half for single-use items. 
The plastic pollution problem is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks and in the oceans' deepest trench.
Supposedly final talks in South Korea in 2024 ended without a deal -- and a resumed effort in Geneva last August likewise collapsed in overtime.
Talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso then quit in October.
The process has been seeking consensus -- which has proved impossible to find, with tiny island states drowning in foreign marine plastic and oil-producing countries pulling in opposite directions.
A large bloc of states wants bold action such as curbing plastic production, while the smaller clutch of oil-producing states wants to focus more narrowly on waste management.
Cordano said the talks needed a rejigged and more efficient way of working, calling for "flexibility and pragmatism".

Finding the game-changer

Some 156 countries met in Geneva on Saturday to pick a new chair from three candidates, with the process underlining how far apart the different groups remain.
Oil-producing nations like Kuwait, Iran and Russia asked for more time for diplomats to find a consensus candidate, but others charged that they were merely trying to run down the clock.
After hours of fruitless negotiations, a vote was ultimately called, with Cordano coming through two rounds, defeating candidates from Senegal and Pakistan.
Several NGOs think carrying on seeking consensus is pointless and will produce the same outcome as Busan 2024 and Geneva 2025 -- but were somewhat encouraged by Saturday's outcome.
"The game-changer is voting," Laurianne Trimoulla, spokeswoman for Gallifrey Foundation, told AFP.
The oil-producing states "delay or undermine: everything is done for the treaty not to progress," she said. 

'It's time to work'

Bjorn Beeler, executive director at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals, said: "The plastics treaty has escaped the consensus trap.
"Voting has finally enabled a breakthrough and breakout from the past's pitfalls," he told AFP.
"The road ahead is now open to tackle the global plastics crisis poisoning our planet and our bodies."
No date was set for a third round of talks aimed at sealing the deal.
Panamanian delegate Kirving Lanas Ramos told AFP: "Now it's time to work. It's very important to start as soon as possible, but with new approaches or new strategies to finally get into more constructive and productive discussions."
Henri Bourgeois-Costa, from the Tara Ocean Foundation, said there was "a tiny bit of success", as the vote confirmed the number of countries "fighting against the treaty is actually very, very, very small".
rjm/gv

weather

Spain, Portugal face fresh storms, torrential rain

BY JORGE GUERRERO

  • Both Spain and Portugal have issued fresh flood alerts.
  • Spain and Portugal endured fresh storms and torrential rain that claimed another life Saturday, just days after the deadly flooding and major damage caused by Storm Leonardo.
  • Both Spain and Portugal have issued fresh flood alerts.
Spain and Portugal endured fresh storms and torrential rain that claimed another life Saturday, just days after the deadly flooding and major damage caused by Storm Leonardo.
In Portugal, the latest depression -- christened Storm Marta -- led to the deployment of more than 26,500 rescue workers.
It was a 46-year-old volunteer member of the emergency services who died Saturday trying to cross a flooded zone, according to local media reports -- the first victim of Storm Marta.
The extreme weather also led three municipalities to postpone by a week a presidential vote meant to be held on Sunday.
Storm Kristin killed five people when it swept across Portugal last week, and Storm Leonardo claimed another victim on Wednesday.
The Iberian Peninsula is on the front lines of climate change in Europe. It has been experiencing increasingly prolonged heat waves and more frequent, intense episodes of heavy rainfall for several years.
Both Spain and Portugal have issued fresh flood alerts. The storms have already blocked hundreds of roads, disrupted trains and forced thousands to evacuate from the rising waters.

Thousands evacuated

In Spain, much of the country's south, particularly the region of Andalusia, was placed on orange alert on Saturday, as was the north-west, which was facing heavy rain and violent storms.
"We have never seen such a series of storms," said Andalusia's regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno, describing the situation as "complex" with dozens of roads cut off, rail traffic largely suspended, and "more than 11,000 people" evacuated.
The farming sector had been badly hit and it would cost over 500 million euros ($590 million) to repair roads, he added.
The famous pedestrian-only Roman bridge across the Guadalquivir river in Cordoba was blocked off for safety reasons.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held a crisis meeting on Saturday, a day after visiting flood-affected areas.
Evacuated from Grazalema, one of the hardest-hit municipalities in Andalusia, residents were taken in at a gymnasium in the city of Ronda.
"Yesterday, I was told this would last a long time," said Jesus Ramirez, a 37-year-old resident. "It won’t be a week or two -- it could be longer."
"There are a lot of children who are suffering," added Nieves de los Santos, a 67-year-old pensioner.
Sevilla Football Club announced that its home match against Girona, scheduled for Saturday evening, had been postponed by the authorities to ensure spectator safety.

Deadly series of storms

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro meanwhile said 2026 had been a "particularly unusual year" with "exceptionally violent" climatic conditions.
Several landslides were reported in Portugal but there were no casualties, authorities said.
The risk of flooding from the Tagus river in the country's central Santarem region remained at its highest level, the authorities said.
Further south, in Alcacer do Sal, the waters of the Sado river had receded to the banks, they added.
According to meteorologists, Storm Marta was expected to move north and start pulling away from Portugal by the end of the day, on the eve of the second round of the presidential election.
Portugal was still recovering from the effects of Storm Kristin, which killed five people, injured hundreds of others and left tens of thousands without power, when Leonardo hit earlier this week.
One person died during the passage of Storm Leonardo earlier this week and 1,100 people were evacuated across the country, according to the authorities.
A succession of atmospheric depressions saw Portugal's dams release "a volume of water equivalent to the country's annual consumption" in just three days, Jose Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), said Friday.
Several hundred kilometres further south, Morocco has also been hit by a series of violent storms that have displaced 150,000 people in the northwest of the country in recent days.
rbj-tsc-anr/gv/jj

Italy

'Free the mountains!": clashes at Milan protest over Winter Olympics

  • Police with riot helmets could be seen on standby near the demonstration, where some protesters marched waving Palestinian flags. tsz-ide/ar/rmb
  • Thousands of people marched through Milan on Saturday in protest against the Winter Olympics, with a small number setting off fireworks and clashing with police in riot shields.
  • Police with riot helmets could be seen on standby near the demonstration, where some protesters marched waving Palestinian flags. tsz-ide/ar/rmb
Thousands of people marched through Milan on Saturday in protest against the Winter Olympics, with a small number setting off fireworks and clashing with police in riot shields.
Demonstrators fired flares and threw stones at police, who dispersed them with water cannon following an otherwise peaceful march the day after the opening Olympic Games ceremony in the northern Italian city.
The police had been on high alert after violent clashes during a protest in Turin last weekend in which over 100 officers were injured.
Protesters had earlier held up banners slamming a range of issues, from the use of artificial snow and tree felling, to a housing crisis in the country's financial and fashion capital.
"The Games are no longer sustainable from an environmental or a social point of view, their time is up," 29-year-old protester Francesca Missana told AFP.
Critics of the Winter Games complain about the impact of infrastructure on fragile mountain environments, as well as the widespread energy- and water-intensive use of artificial snow.
Others say host city Milan has become unliveable for many, with locals squeezed by soaring living costs amid an influx of wealthy new residents attracted by a tax scheme.
"These Games were promoted as sustainable and cost-neutral," complained Alberto di Monte, one of the organisers of the march, which was called by unions, housing-rights groups and activists.
But with these being one of the most geographically dispersed Games in history -- unfolding in several sites spread across the Italian Alps -- billions spent were spent to build roads rather than protect the mountains, di Monte told AFP.
And meanwhile, Milan has been transformed into a "pleasant Disneyland for tourists", hosting a string of major events but neglecting its residents, he said.
"Let's take back the city, free the mountains!" read one protester's banner, while another with a picture of a drop of water read: "The Olympics are drying me out."
Demonstrator Giovanni Gaiani, 69, slammed the decision to cut down hundreds of trees to make the contested Milan-Cortina bobsleigh track.
Fellow protesters held up dozens of cardboard trees, before spreading them out over the ground as if lying where they were felled.
"Free mountain, less ICE, more glacier", read another banner.
There has been anger in Italy over the presence of some agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE as part of security for the American delegation.
Police with riot helmets could be seen on standby near the demonstration, where some protesters marched waving Palestinian flags.
tsz-ide/ar/rmb

travel

French duo reach Shanghai, completing year-and-a-half walk

BY JING XUAN TENG AND REBECCA BAILEY

  • Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined the procession.
  • Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from their hometown to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.
  • Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined the procession.
Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from their hometown to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.
Tired but delighted, Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the Chinese financial hub's distinctive skyline glittering in the background.
Voisot, 26, and Humblot, 27, set off from Annecy in southeastern France in September 2024.
Yearning for a "great adventure", they wanted to visit China but without flying, to avoid contributing to the harmful environmental impact of the aviation industry.
"We're having a hard time believing it's real, that we've done all that on foot, that we're finally here, after having thought of Shanghai for so long," a weather-beaten Voisot told AFP.
"I think first and foremost we're proud, especially of having dared to do this... We weren't sure we'd make it, but we told ourselves we'd try it out."
The pair spent 518 days on the road, crossing a distance of about 12,850 kilometres (7,980 miles) and taking rests every five or seven days.
They walked around 45 kilometres a day, except for a brief cross into Russia by bus for safety and logistical reasons.
Around 50 people gathered at the start point of the final 10-kilometre stretch of their odyssey, including locals who have been following their journey through China this autumn on social media.
Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined the procession.
A huge cheer went up as the two men declared their walk was over.

'Responsibility' towards the planet

The pair have known each other since they were 10 years old, and went to secondary school and university together.
Hanging out after work in Paris one night, they asked each other what they would do "if you could do whatever you wanted".
"When we talked about adventure, (China) came up quickly. Then we had this slightly crazy idea of going on foot," said Humblot, a project manager.
"We're both conscious of climate change, and the responsibility humans bear for it... there are some actions we can take individually," said Voisot, a climate consultant.
"We try not to travel by plane. We've done a pretty good job!"
Crowdfunding and business sponsors helped cover the cost of the trip.
Along the way, their fan base has grown.
"I think they're very impressive, to both have this idea and actually turn it into reality," Salome Gao, a 28-year-old Chinese woman who joined the walk and got their autographs, told AFP.
A woman surnamed Luo said she had come across the Frenchmen's account on social media platform RedNote.
"I found it very moving, because I also like walking and I think it's incredible to come here all the way from France," the 57-year-old said.
She had walked two hours from her home to meet the pair, she said.

'Always keep going'

Expectedly, the French duo had encountered some challenges along the way.
"There were very hard winters, we had to cross the desert in Uzbekistan," said Voisot, taking pride in "having had the willpower to always keep going".
And while Humblot said they had generally eaten very well, there was one thing they both missed terribly -- French cheese.
"It's a bit of a cliche, but it's delicious," said Voisot.
Both said that the magnitude of the feat they achieved had not yet sunk in, and that they were tempted "to maybe keep the adventure going".
"We've hit the ocean, so we thought, why not take a boat to keep heading east and reach the United States?" said Humblot.
In this scenario, they could walk across North America, then cross the ocean to France and walk back to Annecy, "coming full circle".
But before that, some more pressing -- and simpler -- plans.
Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, Voisot said: "Sleep a lot!"
tjx-reb/ami

environment

Spain, Portugal brace for fresh storm after flood deaths

BY JORGE GUERRERO

  • Fresh rainfall Saturday in Andalusia comes on top of downpours which caused mass flooding, landslides and the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from their homes.
  • Spain and Portugal on Saturday braced for another storm heading for the Iberian peninsula, just days after the floods caused by Storm Leonardo proved fatal in both countries. 
  • Fresh rainfall Saturday in Andalusia comes on top of downpours which caused mass flooding, landslides and the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from their homes.
Spain and Portugal on Saturday braced for another storm heading for the Iberian peninsula, just days after the floods caused by Storm Leonardo proved fatal in both countries. 
The latest depression, christened Storm Marta, has prompted the deployment of more than 26,500 rescuers in Portugal, where the foul weather has led three municipalities to postpone Sunday's presidential vote till next week.
Both countries have issued warnings over the potential fresh floods, after inundations blocked hundreds of roads, disrupted trains and forced thousands to evacuate from the rising waters. 
In Spain, much of the country's south, particularly Andalusia, was placed on orange alert on Saturday, as was the north-west facing heavy rain and violent storms, said national meteorological agency Aemet. 
But Aemet added it expected the rainfall to be less "exceptional" than seen in recent days during the Leonardo depression, which authorities say claimed two lives, including a woman swept away by a river in Andalusia and whose body was found on Friday.
Fresh rainfall Saturday in Andalusia comes on top of downpours which caused mass flooding, landslides and the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from their homes.
"The rivers have hit their limit," warned Juan Manuel Moreno, president of the Andalusia region, on X.
Many roads remained closed as a precaution and rail traffic is largely suspended, according to the authorities, who have called on the population to limit their travel as much as possible.
Mario Silvestre, commander in Portugal's civil protection agency, warned that the forecast was "extremely worrying", as quoted by the Lusa press agency.
His organisation fears gusts of wind reaching 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour after Marta reaches the Portuguese coastline, along with landslides and flash floods. 
"All the furniture is completely destroyed, the water broke the window, forced the doors open and then burst through the window from the other side," Francisco Marques, a municipal employee in the central village of Constancia, told AFP.
After flying over flood-hit areas in southern Spain near Cadiz on Friday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that "difficult days" lay ahead for the region as a result of the "very dangerous" weather forecast.
Sanchez added he was "bowled over at seeing the endless rain." 
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro warned the damage exceeded four billion euros ($4.7 billion). 
Portugal was already reeling from the effects of Storm Kristin, which led to the deaths of five people, injured hundreds and left tens of thousands without power, when Leonardo hit earlier this week.
Portugal's National Meteorological Institute (IPMA) has placed the entire coastline on orange alert due to heavy sea conditions, with waves reaching up to 13 metres high.
Eight of the 18 districts on the mainland, located in the centre and south of the country, are also on orange alert.
"All river basins remain under severe pressure," particularly the Tagus River in the Lisbon region and the Sado River further south, a spokesperson for the National Civil Protection Authority told AFP.
One person died during the passage of Storm Leonardo earlier this week and 1,100 people were evacuated across the country, according to the authorities.
A succession of atmospheric depressions saw Portugal's dams release "a volume of water equivalent to the country's annual consumption" in just three days, said Jose Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), on Friday.
Several hundred kilometres (miles) further south, Morocco has also also been hit by a series of violent storms, which have displaced 150,000 people in the north-west of the country in recent days.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as the floods and heatwaves that have struck both countries in recent years.
rbj-rs-tsc-lf-mig/sbk/cw/ach 

pesticides

Trump administration re-approves twice-banned pesticide

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • "This decision is not what is needed to make America healthy again," she told AFP.  ia/aha
  • US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday re-approved the use of pesticide dicamba for spraying on top of genetically modified cotton and soybean crops, drawing swift backlash from environmental groups and the Make America Healthy Again movement.
  • "This decision is not what is needed to make America healthy again," she told AFP.  ia/aha
US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday re-approved the use of pesticide dicamba for spraying on top of genetically modified cotton and soybean crops, drawing swift backlash from environmental groups and the Make America Healthy Again movement.
The move comes despite federal courts in 2020 and 2024 striking down the Environmental Protection Agency's previous approvals of the contentious weedkiller. 
"This decision responds directly to the strong advocacy of America's cotton and soybean farmers, particularly growers across the Cotton Belt, who have been clear and consistent about the critical challenges they face without access to this tool for controlling resistant weeds in their growing crop," the EPA said in a statement.
A persistent concern about dicamba is "drift": when the chemical volatilizes in high heat it can spread for miles, poisoning other farms, home gardens as well as trees and plants.
The 2020 court ruling that first overturned dicamba's approval found it caused damage across millions of acres and "has torn apart the social fabric of many farming communities."
The EPA acknowledged this concern as real but said that by imposing certain restrictions, such as reducing the amount used and avoiding application in higher temperatures, it was safe.
Agricultural industry giant Bayer, which acquired dicamba when it bought Monsanto, welcomed the news and said the chemical would be marketed under the name "Stryax."
"With a federal registration in hand, we'll begin the process of seeking state approvals," said Ty Witten, the company's vice president of commercial stewardship, in a statement.
"In the coming weeks, we'll launch applicator training opportunities, and stewardship education to help ensure that growers and applicators have the best experience possible with Stryax herbicide."

Lobbyists turned regulators

Environmental advocates dismissed the safeguards as insufficient -- pointing out, for example, the new approval allowed year-round use, including in the hottest summer months.
"They're clearly looking out for the interests of polluting companies much more than the interests of the public, and this is because this office is being run by former industry lobbyists," Nathan Donley, environmental health science director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP. 
Kyle Kunkler, a former lobbyist for the American Soybean Association, is now the deputy assistant administrator for pesticides in the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
The decision also rattled MAHA activists -- supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 
Kelly Ryerson, who last year started a petition calling for EPA administrator Lee Zeldin to resign over pesticide approvals, told AFP she was "very disappointed."
"This is clearly the work of the chemical lobbyists who now are staffed throughout the EPA and are not aligned with the MAHA movement or with President Trump's mandate," she said.
Alexandra Munoz, a molecular toxicologist who works at times with the MAHA movement, also cricitized the move. 
"EPA's approval for over-the-top application of dicamba will result in poisonous drift that will damage American farmland, moving us farther away from a future where regenerative agriculture can thrive." 
"This decision is not what is needed to make America healthy again," she told AFP. 
ia/aha

conservation

Trump reinstates commercial fishing in protected Atlantic waters

  • Explaining the latest reversal, Trump's proclamation said the plants and animals in question were already protected under existing laws, making a ban on commercial fishing unnecessary.
  • US President Donald Trump on Friday issued a proclamation reopening commercial fishing in protected waters off the Atlantic coast, in a region renowned for its rich biodiversity.
  • Explaining the latest reversal, Trump's proclamation said the plants and animals in question were already protected under existing laws, making a ban on commercial fishing unnecessary.
US President Donald Trump on Friday issued a proclamation reopening commercial fishing in protected waters off the Atlantic coast, in a region renowned for its rich biodiversity.
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument spans nearly 5,000 square miles -- larger than Yellowstone National Park.
Long a focus of scientific interest, the monument lies about 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and was established in 2016 by former Democratic president Barack Obama, who warned it was threatened by overfishing and climate change.
In a familiar political yo-yo, Republican Trump reopened the monument to commercial fishing during his first term, only for the decision to be reversed by Democratic successor Joe Biden. Biden's administration cited the monument as part of its pledge to conserve 30 percent of US land and waters by 2030.
Explaining the latest reversal, Trump's proclamation said the plants and animals in question were already protected under existing laws, making a ban on commercial fishing unnecessary.
The move, expected since last year, was welcomed by the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association (NEFSA).
"For decades, overregulation has stopped fishermen from making a living and putting wild, heart-healthy, American-caught products on store shelves. NEFSA is pleased that the Trump administration is committed to making America's natural resources available to all Americans," said NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman in a statement last May.
Conservation groups, however, pushed back.
During an aerial survey last August, the New England Aquarium documented more than 1,000 marine animals in the area, including an endangered fin whale and calf, an endangered sperm whale, pilot whales, and a wide array of other whales, dolphins and rays.
"This Monument supports amazing species from the seafloor to the sea surface, and we see evidence of that during every aerial survey," said Jessica Redfern, of the aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.
"Removing protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument puts these species at risk."
ia/nro

synthetics

EU nations back chemical recycling for plastic bottles

  • But representatives for the European Union's 27 member states voted to extend the same benefit to chemically recycled plastics.
  • European nations voted Friday to allow for chemical recycling to play a larger role in the production of plastic bottles, overcoming reservations about the energy-intensive technology.
  • But representatives for the European Union's 27 member states voted to extend the same benefit to chemically recycled plastics.
European nations voted Friday to allow for chemical recycling to play a larger role in the production of plastic bottles, overcoming reservations about the energy-intensive technology.
Under EU rules, single-use plastic bottles need to contain at least 25 percent of recycled plastic -- with the share set to increase to 30 percent by 2030.
Currently only plastic recycled through mechanical techniques, which involve washing, shredding and remelting the stuff, can be used towards the quota.
But representatives for the European Union's 27 member states voted to extend the same benefit to chemically recycled plastics.
The vote follows a proposal put forward by the European Commission aimed at supporting investment in the plastic recycling sector, which is struggling against competition from China and other parts of Asia.
The change "will benefit the plastics industry, they now have consistent and clarified rules to calculate, verify and report the recycled content", said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman for the European Commission.
She defined the vote as a "first milestone for defining rules for chemical recycling at EU-level".
Brussels believes that chemical recycling can help the re-use of certain challenging types of packaging, such as yoghurt containers.
But environmental groups complain that the process, which involves heating plastics to high temperatures to recycle them, is energy intensive, more polluting than mechanical techniques and could serve as a fig leaf for companies to continue producing more plastics.
The vote "sets (a) dangerous precedent for greenwashing around recycled content", campaign group Zero Waste Europe said in a statement.
A commission source said there was "strong pressure from industry" to back chemical recycling despite doubts about its benefits.
"We see many pilot projects, but at the industrial level, we're not there yet," the source said.
Europe's recycling sector is under severe pressure, due to abundant supply of cheap plastics as global production continues to rise.
More than half of plastics produced worldwide -- 57 percent -- come from Asia, with 35 percent coming from China.
adc-cda/ub/ec/rl/jhb/cc

weather

Spanish PM urges caution as fresh rain heads for flood zone

  • Prime Minister Luis Montenegro visited stricken areas of the country on Friday and spoke of a provisional estimate of damage exceeding four billion euros ($4.7 billion).
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pleaded for caution from flood-hit residents on Friday as more rain was expected to drench parts of the Iberian Peninsula already saturated by a deadly storm.
  • Prime Minister Luis Montenegro visited stricken areas of the country on Friday and spoke of a provisional estimate of damage exceeding four billion euros ($4.7 billion).
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pleaded for caution from flood-hit residents on Friday as more rain was expected to drench parts of the Iberian Peninsula already saturated by a deadly storm.
Portugal had barely recovered from last week's battering by rain and winds that killed five people, injured hundreds and left tens of thousands without power.
This week's Storm Leonardo has left one dead in Portugal and lashed the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, where rescuers evacuated 8,000 people, and road and rail transport were severely disrupted.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as the floods and heatwaves that have struck both countries in recent years.
Spain's AEMET weather agency warned of Storm Marta's arrival on Saturday that could exacerbate conditions in some flooded municipalities that soaked in several months' worth of rain in 24 hours.
"It is highly likely to trigger further floods, spates and landslides" in mountainous parts of Andalusia, AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo said in an audio note.
Sanchez visited a frontline coordination post in the province of Cadiz after surveying swathes of flooded fields in a helicopter, saying "we have all felt overwhelmed seeing all this relentless rain."
Faced with "complicated days" ahead as the new storm approached, he told the population "it is very important to be cautious" and called for "calm".
Rescuers on Friday found an unidentified body believed to be that of a woman swept away by a river in the municipality of Sayalonga earlier this week as she attempted to rescue her dog.

Bracing for fresh storm

In Portugal, where around 900 people have been evacuated, the IPMA weather agency said Marta would "contribute to another rise in river flows", notably in the south and the Lisbon region.
Dams had released in three days "a volume of water equivalent to the country's annual consumption", according to the president of Portugal's environment agency APA, Jose Pimenta Machado.
Civil Protection commander Mario Silvestre told a press conference that there had been "a slight improvement on the precipitation front" but warned of impending fresh rain and winds of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour.
The Civil Protection authority said they had dealt with more than 7,500 incidents and mobilised more than 26,500 rescuers since Thursday.
The mayor of the northern Portuguese tourist city of Porto, Pedro Duarte, called for vigilance after the Douro river burst its banks and flooded some businesses.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro visited stricken areas of the country on Friday and spoke of a provisional estimate of damage exceeding four billion euros ($4.7 billion).
His government has already approved a reconstruction plan of 2.5 billion euros following last week's storm.
burs-imm/phz

conflict

Russian drone hits Ukrainian animal shelter

  • A Russian drone attack on a farm in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region last October killed around 13,000 pigs, according to rescuers.
  • A Russian drone blasted into an animal shelter in southern Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 10 rescue dogs and injuring multiple others, according to staff.
  • A Russian drone attack on a farm in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region last October killed around 13,000 pigs, according to rescuers.
A Russian drone blasted into an animal shelter in southern Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 10 rescue dogs and injuring multiple others, according to staff.
An AFP reporter at the scene saw volunteers in tears, some embracing each other or sweeping away rubble.
One volunteer carried a dead dog away in a wheelbarrow.
"It's terrible. The dogs were torn by shrapnel, pieces of their bodies were stuck to the fencing. It's very difficult for me to talk about it," said 18-year-old volunteer Alina Fober.
"I feel very sorry for the dogs. I knew all of them, helped them. They were very good, beautiful dogs," she added.
The attack took place around 9:00 am (0700 GMT), 41-year-old staff member Iryna told AFP.
"We heard this terrible buzzing sound, then an explosion," she said.
The scene outside was horrible, she added.
"All the dogs that were there at that moment, right here, were dead. Enclosures, trees, debris, smoke, fire. It was scary."
In addition to triggering Europe's biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II, Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine has caused direct suffering to animals.
A Russian drone attack on a farm in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region last October killed around 13,000 pigs, according to rescuers. The month before, a Russian attack on an equestrian club near Kyiv left seven horses dead.
The animal shelter hit Friday, known as "Give Me Your Paw, My Friend", lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the front line in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and had been taking in rescues for more than a decade.
str-cad/jhb

Climate and Environment

Portugal heads for presidential vote, fretting over storms and far-right

BY THOMAS CABRAL

  • The last election, five years ago, was held despite the Coronavirus pandemic, outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he had told Ventura on Friday.
  • Portugal ended campaigning on Friday for a presidential election this weekend amidst a battering by storms and fretting about the political whirlwind created by outspoken far-right leader Andre Ventura.
  • The last election, five years ago, was held despite the Coronavirus pandemic, outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he had told Ventura on Friday.
Portugal ended campaigning on Friday for a presidential election this weekend amidst a battering by storms and fretting about the political whirlwind created by outspoken far-right leader Andre Ventura.
Ventura is almost certain to be beaten by Socialist candidate Antonio Jose Seguro in Sunday's election but the far-right score will be watched almost as much as the latest of a series of fierce gales that have swept in off the Atlantic since the start of the year.
Voting has been delayed by a week in three municipalities because of the storms, which have killed at least five people, triggered flooding and left an estimated four billion euros ($4.7 billion) in damage. A new storm is forecast for Saturday.
But Ventura's call to postpone the whole vote was rejected and he said the country's political leaders had shown themselves to be "useless".
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the storms had caused a "devastating crisis" but that the threats to voting could be overcome. The last election, five years ago, was held despite the Coronavirus pandemic, outgoing president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he had told Ventura on Friday.

Government attacks

   
Seguro and Ventura have drastically rewritten their election scripts and appearances to focus on the towns and villages worst hit by floods and storm damage.
Ventura, whose Chega (Enough) party was only created in 2019 but is now the biggest opposition party in parliament, has attacked the response to the storm given by Montenegro's centre-right minority government. 
Seguro has cast off his stance as a unifying candidate to also criticise the government.
The 63-year-old former Socialist party leader said he was "shocked" by the state's efforts to get the country back on its feet.  
Seguro has the advantage in the divisions caused by the rise of Chega in recent years. 
An opinion poll published by the Publico daily on Wednesday gave Seguro 67 percent of voter support and Ventura 33 percent.
Seguro led the first round of the election in January with 31 percent of votes and he is now backed by a host of political figures from the far left to the mainstream right.
Montenegro, whose government relies on the goodwill of the Socialists and Chega to survive, has not publicly backed any candidate, however. 
His own party's candidate obtained only 11 percent in the first round and dropped out.
Ventura, 43, took 23 percent of the vote in the first round. 
The Portuguese establishment and analysts will be closely watching Ventura's final score on Sunday to see whether his support is "stagnating" or whether he is "conquerering a new public", said Joao Cancela, political science professor at Lisbon's Nova University.
But the weather could have the final word in the debate as the storms and Seguro's predicted win may lower voter turnout.
tsc/mdm/tw/ach