environment

Trump slams paper straws, vows 'back to plastic'

  • Trump pledged action against paper straws, which are unpopular with many consumers but create less plastic pollution.
  • President Donald Trump on Friday raged against eco-friendly paper straws promoted by his predecessor Joe Biden, and pledged that the United States would return to plastic ones.
  • Trump pledged action against paper straws, which are unpopular with many consumers but create less plastic pollution.
President Donald Trump on Friday raged against eco-friendly paper straws promoted by his predecessor Joe Biden, and pledged that the United States would return to plastic ones.
The move is his latest on green issues since returning to power, after pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement and ordering deregulations as part of a "drill, baby, drill" agenda.
On Thursday, the Republican's administration also sought to block funding for a network of electric-vehicle charging stations across the country, sparking fury from environmentalists.
Trump pledged action against paper straws, which are unpopular with many consumers but create less plastic pollution.
"I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don't work. BACK TO PLASTIC!" he said on social media.
Democrat Biden had announced a target to eliminate single-use plastic utensils like drinking straws by 2035 across government agencies.
The trend for paper drinking straws has long irritated Trump.
"They want to ban straws. Has anyone tried those paper straws? They're not working too good," he said during a campaign rally in the 2020 election against Biden.
"It disintegrates as you drink it, and if you have a nice tie like this tie, you've got no choice."
Trump's campaign team previously sold branded plastic straws with the slogan: "Liberal paper straws don't work."
The president, who calls climate change a scam, has also often targeted electric vehicles despite his close alliance with Tesla chief Elon Musk.
Halting rollout of the $5 billion national EV charging network would be a major setback to efforts to cut climate-changing emissions, according to green campaigners.
"His administration's move to block funding for a bipartisan effort to build out our national EV charging network is a blatant, illegal power grab," the Evergreen Action group said.
"This program is delivering real benefits to all 50 states -- creating jobs, boosting economic opportunities, and cutting pollution."
aue-dk-bgs/des

climate

UK MPs warn billions spent on carbon capture may hit bills

  • The carbon is captured and stored permanently in various underground environments.
  • British MPs on Friday called on the government to assess the impact on energy bills of its multibillion-pound investment into "risky" technology to capture and store carbon.
  • The carbon is captured and stored permanently in various underground environments.
British MPs on Friday called on the government to assess the impact on energy bills of its multibillion-pound investment into "risky" technology to capture and store carbon.
The Labour government plans to invest nearly £22 billion ($27 billion) to develop carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS), to help Britain reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. 
But the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee raised concerns, saying the "government's backing of unproven, first-of-a-kind technology to reach net zero is high-risk."
Three quarters of the £22 billion will come from "levies on consumers who are already facing some of the highest energy bills in the world," the cross-party committee said.
The committee found that the finanical impact on households had not been examined by the government nor was there a provision to ensure consumers benefit from lower energy bills.
The "policy is going to have a very significant effect on consumers and industry’s electricity bills," said chair of the committee, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.  
CCUS is a technology that seeks to eliminate emissions created by burning fuels for energy and from industrial processes. 
The carbon is captured and stored permanently in various underground environments.
A government spokesperson said the technology is "vital to boost our energy independence."
"There is no route to protecting jobs in our industrial heartlands and securing the future of heavy industry in the UK without it," the spokesperson added.
The ambition to become a world-leader in carbon capture comes despite doubts over the technology's effectiveness at tackling global warming given the costs and complexity involved.
It has however been advocated by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), especially for reducing the CO2 footprint of difficult to decarbonise industries like cement and steel.
ajb/jkb/tw

water

A stream turns blood red in Argentina, residents blame pollution

  • The Ministry of the Environment for the province of Buenos Aires said in a statement that water samples had been taken to determine what substance had caused the discoloration, citing the possibility of an "organic dye". 
  • A stream on the outskirts of Buenos Aires turned blood red on Thursday, causing anxiety among residents who blamed it on pollution.
  • The Ministry of the Environment for the province of Buenos Aires said in a statement that water samples had been taken to determine what substance had caused the discoloration, citing the possibility of an "organic dye". 
A stream on the outskirts of Buenos Aires turned blood red on Thursday, causing anxiety among residents who blamed it on pollution.
People living in Avellaneda, a town six miles (10 kilometres) from the center of the Argentine capital, described being woken by a stench emanating from the river.
"The smell woke us up. In the daytime, when we looked at this side of the river, it was completely red, all stained," Maria Ducomls told AFP.
"It looked like a river covered in blood, it's horrible," the 52-year-old said.
The Ministry of the Environment for the province of Buenos Aires said in a statement that water samples had been taken to determine what substance had caused the discoloration, citing the possibility of an "organic dye". 
The color of the stream, which flows through an area of textile and hide processing factories, had faded by late afternoon, according to an AFP journalist.
"It's terrible, you don't have to be an inspector to see how much pollution the poor Sarandi River suffers from," said Ducomls, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years.
"We have seen the river in other colors -- we've seen it bluish, greenish, pink, purplish, with grease on top that looks like oil," she said, blaming nearby factories for dumping waste into the river.
nb/dga/esp/jnd/aph/pbt

AI

AI starts to help India's struggling farms

BY AISHWARYA KUMAR

  • "The app is the first thing I check as soon as I wake up," said Murali, whose farm is planted with sensors providing constant updates on soil moisture, nutrient levels and farm-level weather forecasts.
  • Each morning Indian farmer R Murali opens an app on his phone to check if his pomegranate trees need watering, fertiliser or are at risk from pests.
  • "The app is the first thing I check as soon as I wake up," said Murali, whose farm is planted with sensors providing constant updates on soil moisture, nutrient levels and farm-level weather forecasts.
Each morning Indian farmer R Murali opens an app on his phone to check if his pomegranate trees need watering, fertiliser or are at risk from pests.
"It is a routine," Murali, 51, told AFP at his farm in the southern state of Karnataka. "Like praying to God every day."
Much of India's vast agricultural economy -- employing more than 45 percent of the workforce -- remains deeply traditional, beset by problems made worse by extreme weather driven by climate change.
Murali is part of an increasing number of growers in the world's most populous nation who have adopted artificial intelligence-powered tools, which he says helps him farm "more efficiently and effectively".
"The app is the first thing I check as soon as I wake up," said Murali, whose farm is planted with sensors providing constant updates on soil moisture, nutrient levels and farm-level weather forecasts.
He says the AI system developed by tech startup Fasal, which details when and how much water, fertiliser and pesticide is needed, has slashed costs by a fifth without reducing yields.
"What we have built is a technology that allows crops to talk to their farmers," said Ananda Verma, a founder of Fasal, which serves around 12,000 farmers.
Verma, 35, who began developing the system in 2017 to understand soil moisture as a "do-it-yourself" project for his father's farm, called it a tool "to make better decisions".

Costly

But Fasal's products cost between $57 and $287 to install.
That is a high price in a country where farmers' average monthly income is $117, and where over 85 percent of farms are smaller than two hectares (five acres), according to government figures.
"We have the technology, but the availability of risk capital in India is limited," said Verma.
New Delhi says it is determined to develop homegrown and low-cost AI, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to co-host an AI summit in France opening on Monday.
Agriculture, which accounts for roughly 15 percent of India's economy, is one area ripe for its application. Farms are in dire need of investment and modernisation.
Water shortages, floods and increasingly erratic weather, as well as debt, have taken a heavy toll in an industry that employs roughly two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion population. 
India is already home to over 450 agritech startups with the sector's projected valuation at $24 billion, according to a 2023 report by the government NITI Aayog think tank.
But the report also warned that a lack of digital literacy often resulted in the poor adoption of agritech solutions.

Buzzing

Among those companies is Niqo Robotics, which has developed a system using AI cameras attached to focused chemical spraying machines.
Tractor-fitted sprays assess each plant to provide the ideal amount of chemicals, reducing input costs and limiting environmental damage, it says.
Niqo claims its users in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states have cut their outlay on chemicals by up to 90 percent.
At another startup, BeePrecise, Rishina Kuruvilla is part of team that has developed AI monitors measuring the health of beehives.
That includes moisture, temperature and even the sound of bees -- a way to track the queen bee's activities. 
Kuruvilla said the tool helped beekeepers harvest honey that is "a little more organic and better for consumption".

State help

But while AI tech is blossoming, takeup among farmers is slow because many cannot afford it.
Agricultural economist RS Deshpande, a visiting professor at Bengaluru's Institute for Social and Economic Change, says the government must meet the cost.
Many farmers "are surviving" only because they eat what they grow, he said.
"Since they own a farm, they take the farm produce home," he said. "If the government is ready, India is ready."
ash/pjm/stu/lb

crime

Hong Kong scientists fight to save fragrant incense trees

BY WILLIAM PATTERSON

  • Environmentalists say illegal incense tree felling is on the rise in Hong Kong, fueled by black market demand.
  • Geneticist Zhang Huarong walks through the forest near his Hong Kong research lab, gesturing towards a rotting incense tree stump that is one of over a dozen illegally felled for the valuable wood inside.
  • Environmentalists say illegal incense tree felling is on the rise in Hong Kong, fueled by black market demand.
Geneticist Zhang Huarong walks through the forest near his Hong Kong research lab, gesturing towards a rotting incense tree stump that is one of over a dozen illegally felled for the valuable wood inside.
A stone's throw from the city's urban centre are forests home to trees that produce fragrant -- and valuable -- agarwood, used in a number of high-end products from incense and perfume to traditional Chinese medicine.
Environmentalists say illegal incense tree felling is on the rise in Hong Kong, fueled by black market demand.
Scientists like Zhang are fighting back by taking DNA samples from each plant and creating a database that can help authorities crack down -- as well as offer insights into how the trees can be better conserved.
"In one night, over 20 trees had been cut down by poachers," Zhang, a researcher at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, told AFP.
"We have to take action."
Hong Kong has long been a hub for sweet-smelling aromatic products. The city's name -- translating to "fragrant harbour" -- is commonly linked to the area's history of incense production and sale.
Agarwood is created when incense trees are cut, which causes the plant to produce a dark resin to prevent infection.
The product then takes the form of fragrant resinous wood.

'Black gold'

Hong Kong authorities say that illegal incense tree felling soared twelvefold in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Often described as "black gold", the highest-grade products can fetch up to $10,000 per kilo.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has labelled Chinese Agarwood as "vulnerable" -- blaming logging and wood harvesting for the population decline.
Aiming to reverse that, Zhang and other field researchers hiked for hours through swathes of Hong Kong's dense jungle to access remote populations of incense trees.
Rural communities keen to protect the forests near their homes also assisted in developing the incense tree database, he told AFP.
"We have communications with those villages, and they share information with us about the remaining trees, and we also share our findings with them," he said.
The database serves a joint purpose: assisting authorities in stopping illegal incense tree felling and helping researchers understand the species' evolutionary potential.
Zhang said this research has identified unique genetic groups located in different areas of Hong Kong -- diversity that could be key to cultivating a resilient wild population of the vulnerable species.
Larger genetic diversity protects populations from environmental changes, Zhang explained. 
For Hong Kong's incense trees, that includes the effects of climate change and surges in logging activity.
This information lets conservationists know where to transplant certain incense trees from nurseries into the wild.
Authorities can then use this genetic data to cross-reference seized agarwood and check if it was taken from protected incense trees.
Hong Kong shop owner Aaron Tang sells wares that attest to the many uses of agarwood, from carved jewellery to oils and hand-rolled joss sticks.
To help protect the wild agarwood population, he said he verifies with raw material suppliers that their product comes from cultivated trees.
And when he teaches a class on making joss sticks, he warns his students against buying wild stock, or falling for illegally gotten products.
"The name of Hong Kong is because of agarwood so I want to keep this culture," he said.

'Gone completely'

Unlike sustainable agarwood producers, the illegal ones create deep cuts on the tree in a bid to make it produce agarwood more quickly.
Then "they chop down the whole tree" for harvesting, Chinese University of Hong Kong scientist David Lau told AFP, pointing to a preserved incense tree trunk on campus.
A spokesperson for the city said they have set up patrols at "specific locations with important incense tree populations".
They also insisted that illegal felling has decreased since measures implemented in 2018, including metal cages and surveillance around the most accessible trees.
But horticulturist Paul Melsom attributes the fall to there being "less trees to poach".
And the illegal trade has continued to thrive despite government efforts.
Last year, Hong Kong's customs department said it seized a tonne of agarwood in a single operation -- its largest haul in two decades.
Authorities estimated it was worth about $2.3 million.
"The trees have been cut down and gone completely in many forests in Hong Kong," Melsom said, adding he's been planting incense trees in secret locations for over a decade in response.
"I've seen many incense trees disappear," he said.
wp-oho/je/lb

climate

COP30 president urges most 'ambitious' emissions targets possible

BY ANNA PELEGRI

  • Brazil will host the COP30 meeting in the Amazonian city of Belem -- the first time the conference will be held in a region considered so crucial to the global climate.
  • Countries must aim as high as possible when setting new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Andre Correa do Lago, the president of the COP30 climate conference to be hosted by Brazil in November, told AFP in an interview.
  • Brazil will host the COP30 meeting in the Amazonian city of Belem -- the first time the conference will be held in a region considered so crucial to the global climate.
Countries must aim as high as possible when setting new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Andre Correa do Lago, the president of the COP30 climate conference to be hosted by Brazil in November, told AFP in an interview.
With just days to go until the February 10 deadline for signatories of the Paris climate accord to unveil their new goals for 2035, major players such as the European Union and China have yet to announce their targets.
Under the accord, countries agreed in 2015 to try to hold warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- which has already been breached over the past two years.
Europe's climate monitor said Thursday that last month was the hottest January on record.
Correa do Lago, the Brazilian foreign ministry's secretary for the environment, said it did not matter if countries took their time to announce their new targets, but they needed to be "as ambitious as possible."
"They have to be more ambitious than they were before, so that's a rule, but we want them to be particularly ambitious and... compatible with avoiding a 1.5 increase in temperature."
Brazil will host the COP30 meeting in the Amazonian city of Belem -- the first time the conference will be held in a region considered so crucial to the global climate.
This year's climate conference will come after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of his country from the Paris accord for a second time and doubled down on the use of fossil fuels.
Correa do Lago said there were still "several ways to talk to the United States" about climate change, such as through the G20 or the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The UN's climate chief Simon Stiell, speaking in the Brazilian capital on Thursday, said nations' self-interest should drive the fight against global warming.
"A country may step back –- but others are already stepping into their place to seize the opportunity, and to reap the massive rewards: stronger economic growth, more jobs, less pollution and far lower health costs, more secure and affordable energy," said Stiell. 

Increasing climate financing

After much tortuous haggling, the last COP held in Azerbaijan ended in a deal that would see wealthy nations pay $300 billion a year to developing countries, which are worst affected by climate change.
Poorer nations have criticized the agreement as falling short of what was needed to tackle the impact of a changing climate.
Correa do Lago said that aside from the presentation of the new Paris accord goals, "there are a number of negotiations that are still ongoing."
"There is also a mandate for Brazil, together with Azerbaijan, to present alternatives so that we can increase financial resources from $300 billion to $1.3 trillion."
Under leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil -- the world's ninth-largest oil producer -- is seeking to position itself at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change.
While the country has managed to reduce deforestation in the Amazon, Lula has come under fire for pushing for the expansion of oil exploration, particularly in a controversial offshore basin near the mouth of the Amazon River.
Correa do Lago said the energy transition "is something that will be very different depending on the country."
"This process may have paths that some consider tortuous or not in a straight line. The example that is always remembered is that when Germany decided to abandon nuclear energy, which does not emit greenhouse gases, it went back to using coal. But this is a process."
app/fb/des

UN

Fighting global warming in nations' self-interest: UN climate chief

  • On Thursday, Europe's climate monitor said last month was the hottest January on record.
  • The UN's climate chief, seeking to shore up solidarity on combating global warming as the United States retreats from its leadership role, appealed to nations' self-interest in a speech Thursday.
  • On Thursday, Europe's climate monitor said last month was the hottest January on record.
The UN's climate chief, seeking to shore up solidarity on combating global warming as the United States retreats from its leadership role, appealed to nations' self-interest in a speech Thursday.
Speaking at a university in Brazil's capital, Simon Stiell said global heating was "dangerously high," but that real progress had been made since the landmark Paris Agreement.
He conceded many countries would miss a February 10 deadline to submit their next round of climate plans -- giving them until September to deliver "first-rate" emissions roadmaps.
Brazil is set to host the next global climate conference, COP30, in November.
"We are already headed in the right direction. We just have to implement, and implement more and faster," said the former Grenadan environment minister.
Quickly after his White House return, President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris deal for the second time. 
"A country may step back –- but others are already stepping into their place to seize the opportunity, and to reap the massive rewards: stronger economic growth, more jobs, less pollution and far lower health costs, more secure and affordable energy," said Stiell. 
He said economic reality would drive action, with climate investment now at $2 trillion.
Self-interest, he said, "above all other factors, is why the clean energy shift is now unstoppable: because of the colossal scale of economic opportunity it presents."

Climate costs

Only a handful of countries have so far submitted their climate plans, including Brazil and Britain, with big emitters China and the European Union expected to follow later in the year.
A UN official said that over 170 countries had indicated they were working on their new emissions goals and planned to submit them this year, most of them before COP30.
When the Paris deal was signed ten years ago, the world was heading for 5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels.
That was "a death sentence for humanity as we know it," said Stiell, noting that the current trajectory of 3C was still catastrophic.     
The safer limit under the Paris deal is 1.5C, but scientists say that is slipping out of reach.
Last year was the hottest on record, and the combined average temperature of 2023 and 2024 exceeded the 1.5C threshold for the first time. 
On Thursday, Europe's climate monitor said last month was the hottest January on record.
Last year's contentious COP29 meeting in Baku ended with richer countries agreeing to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer nations progress their green transition and build resilience. 
The actual need has been estimated at $1.3 trillion in developing countries -- many of whom are facing crushing debts.
Stiell said the focus this year would be to find other sources of money to plug the gap.  
He stressed the funding was "not charity" but a way to curb inflation caused by climate disasters. 
"Just take rising food prices, which have the fingerprints of climate-driven droughts, floods, and wildfires all over them," he said.
rsr-klm/np/fb/des

warming

January smashes heat record, surprising scientists

BY NICK PERRY AND BENJAMIN LEGENDRE

  • Climate scientists had expected this exceptional spell to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to a cooling La Nina phase.
  • Last month was the hottest January on record, blitzing the previous high and stunning climate scientists who expected cooler La Nina conditions to finally start quelling a long-running heat streak.
  • Climate scientists had expected this exceptional spell to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to a cooling La Nina phase.
Last month was the hottest January on record, blitzing the previous high and stunning climate scientists who expected cooler La Nina conditions to finally start quelling a long-running heat streak.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service said January was 1.75C hotter than pre-industrial times, extending a persistent run of historic highs over 2023 and 2024, as human-caused greenhouse gas emissions heat the planet.
Climate scientists had expected this exceptional spell to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to a cooling La Nina phase.
But the heat has lingered at record or near-record levels ever since, sparking debate among scientists about what other factors could be driving warming to the top end of expectations.
Scientists warn that every fraction of a degree of warming increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts.
January was 0.09C hotter than the previous high of January 2024 -- a "sizeable margin" in global temperature terms, said Julien Nicolas, a climate scientist from Copernicus.
"This is what makes it a bit of a surprise... you're not seeing this cooling effect, or temporary brake at least, on the global temperature that we were expecting to see," he told AFP.
Stefan Rahmstorf, from the University of Potsdam, said it was the first time that temperatures recorded during a La Nina period were above those of a preceding El Nino.
"This is of serious concern -- over the past sixty years, all twenty five La Nina January's have been cooler than surrounding years," he said.

Weak La Nina

This year La Nina is expected to be weak and Copernicus said prevailing temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean suggested "a slowing or stalling of the move towards" the cooling phenomenon. 
Nicolas said it could disappear completely by March.
Last month, Copernicus said that global temperatures averaged across 2023 and 2024 had exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time.
This did not constitute a permanent breach of the long-term 1.5C warming target under the Paris climate accord -- but was a clear sign that the limit was being tested.
Overall, 2025 is not expected to follow 2023 and 2024 into the history books: scientists predict it will rank as the third hottest year yet.
Copernicus said it would be closely monitoring ocean temperatures throughout 2025 for hints about how the climate might behave.
Oceans are a vital climate regulator and carbon sink, and cooler waters can absorb greater amounts of heat from the atmosphere, helping to lower air temperatures.
They also store 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by humanity's release of greenhouse gases.
"This heat is bound to resurface periodically," said Nicolas.
"I think that's also one of the questions -- is this what has been happening over the past couple of years?"
Sea surface temperatures have been exceptionally warm over 2023 and 2024, and Copernicus said readings in January were the second highest on record.
"That is the thing that is a little puzzling -- why they remain so warm," Nicolas said.

Open questions

Bill McGuire, a climate scientist from University College London, said it was "astonishing and frankly terrifying" that January remained at record highs despite La Nina emerging.
Joel Hirschi, from the UK's National Oceanography Centre, cautioned against reading too much into a single month's data, saying record warmth had been observed following El Nino phases even after the onset of La Nina.
Scientists are unanimous that burning fossil fuels has largely driven long-term global warming, and that natural climate variability can also influence temperatures from one year to the next.
But natural warming cycles like El Nino could not alone explain what had taken place in the atmosphere and seas, and answers were being sought elsewhere.
One theory is that a global shift to cleaner shipping fuels in 2020 accelerated warming by reducing sulphur emissions that make clouds more mirror-like and reflective of sunlight.
In December, a peer-reviewed paper looked at whether a reduction in low-lying clouds had let more heat reach Earth's surface.
"These are avenues that must be taken seriously, and remain open," Robert Vautard, a leading scientist with the UN's climate expert panel IPCC, told AFP.
The EU monitor uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations to aid its climate calculations.
Its records go back to 1940, but other sources of climate data -- such as ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons -- allow scientists to expand their conclusions using evidence from much further in the past.
Scientists say the current period is likely the warmest the Earth has been for the last 125,000 years.
np-bl/klm/yad

politics

UK to quicken rollout of mini-nuclear reactors

  • Labour presents "as fact things which are merely optimistic conjecture on small nuclear reactor cost, speed of delivery and safety, which is courageous -- or stupid -- given that not a single one has been built", Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said in a statement. 
  • Britain's Labour government on Thursday said changes to planning laws will speed up the country's rollout of mini-nuclear reactors aimed at providing cheaper and cleaner energy.
  • Labour presents "as fact things which are merely optimistic conjecture on small nuclear reactor cost, speed of delivery and safety, which is courageous -- or stupid -- given that not a single one has been built", Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said in a statement. 
Britain's Labour government on Thursday said changes to planning laws will speed up the country's rollout of mini-nuclear reactors aimed at providing cheaper and cleaner energy.
"Reforms to planning rules will clear a path for smaller, safer, and easier to build nuclear reactors -- known as Small Modular Reactors (SMR) -- to be built for the first time ever in the UK," a statement said.
"This will create thousands of new highly skilled jobs while delivering clean, secure and more affordable energy for working people."
The government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that China is constructing 29 reactors and the European Union has 12 at planning stage.
"My government was elected to deliver change," said Starmer, whose party came to power in July following 14 years of Conservative rule.
"I'll take the radical decisions needed to wrestle Britain from its status quo slumber, to turbocharge our plan for change."
The current plans restrict nuclear development to just eight UK sites.
Greenpeace voiced scepticism at the changes, while urging the government to focus on renewable energy which includes wind and solar.
Labour presents "as fact things which are merely optimistic conjecture on small nuclear reactor cost, speed of delivery and safety, which is courageous -- or stupid -- given that not a single one has been built", Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said in a statement. 
While scrapping the limit on site numbers, the government on Thursday stressed there will "continue to be robust criteria for nuclear reactor locations, including restrictions near densely populated areas and military activity", adding it would take into account environmental impacts.
Labour believes easing regulations across various sectors will help to grow a stagnant UK economy. It argues that for the nuclear industry it should help to speed up net zero carbon emissions and improve energy security. 
"The British people have been left vulnerable to global energy markets for too long -- and the only way out is to build our way to a new era of clean electricity," Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said in the joint statement.
Britain has five nuclear power plants in operation of which four will have their lifetime extended according to an announcement in December by their French operator EDF, as the UK aims to fully decarbonise its energy grid by 2030.
EDF, which is building the new nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C in southwest England, decided last year to withdraw its interest to construct Britain's SMRs.
bcp/jkb/lth

environment

Indonesia backs climate deals after envoy's Paris skepticism

  • But in a statement to AFP, the environment ministry backed the climate deal.
  • Indonesia's environment ministry has backed Jakarta's participation in the landmark Paris climate deal after the country's climate envoy suggested the agreement was irrelevant given Washington's withdrawal.
  • But in a statement to AFP, the environment ministry backed the climate deal.
Indonesia's environment ministry has backed Jakarta's participation in the landmark Paris climate deal after the country's climate envoy suggested the agreement was irrelevant given Washington's withdrawal.
Indonesia's special envoy for climate change and energy, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, last week questioned why his country should continue participating in the deal to limit warming after President Donald Trump again withdrew from it.
"If the United States does not want to comply with the international agreement, why should a country like Indonesia comply with it?" he said, calling the issue "a matter of justice."
Hashim's office did not respond to requests for comment on the remarks.
But in a statement to AFP, the environment ministry backed the climate deal.
Indonesia "needs to demonstrate its commitment to addressing global environmental impacts", senior environment ministry official Ari Sudijanto said, listing "benefits that Indonesia has gained" as a signatory to climate deals including Paris.
"Indonesia has taken a major role in various efforts to mitigate climate change in the regional and global level," he added.
The ministry declined to directly answer whether Jakarta is considering leaving the deal, or if it endorsed Hashim's statement.
But Ari said "participation in global agreements is beneficial for environmental and climate change control programs, strategies and policies in Indonesia."
Coal-dependent Indonesia is one of the world's top emitters, but the country's new President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to phase out coal power in just 15 years.
The country has also pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, a decade earlier than previously planned.
A spokesperson for the presidential office did not respond to request for comment on Hashim's remarks.
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels and is seen as key to coordinating global action on climate change.
Environmentalists fear Trump's withdrawal will undermine global cooperation on reducing fossil fuel use and could embolden major polluters like China and India to weaken their commitments.
Argentina, under libertarian President Javier Milei, has already said it is "re-evaluating" its participation in the agreement.
Hashim's remarks had sparked alarm among environmental groups in Indonesia.
Uli Arta Siagian, a campaigner at climate group WALHI, called Hashim comments "a step backwards in Indonesia's climate commitments."
Uli told AFP that climate and environment skeptics in Indonesia's government had received a "strong push" from Trump's Paris withdrawal.
Norly Mercado, Asia regional director for the 350.org climate network, meanwhile warned Indonesia not to "hide behind the US government's betrayal of global climate goals."
mrc-sah/sn 

electricity

In the English countryside, a pylon war looms

BY OLIVIER DEVOS

  • For Stacey, in his 60s, the construction on his land threatens not just where he works but also his home. 
  • Standing by his winter wheat field on a plot of land where tall electricity pylons are set to be built, John Stacey feels far from bright about the future.
  • For Stacey, in his 60s, the construction on his land threatens not just where he works but also his home. 
Standing by his winter wheat field on a plot of land where tall electricity pylons are set to be built, John Stacey feels far from bright about the future.
"They will cut our farm in half," he told AFP referring to the large metal structures due to be erected across Witham, northeast of London, by the start of the next decade.
Part of a multibillion pound project approved by the UK government, it has pitted residents like farmer Stacey against those seeking to upgrade Britain's energy infrastructure.
The four pylons planned for his land are to be operated by National Grid, a privately-run company responsible for transporting electricity in England and Wales. 
Once installed, they will carry power from wind and solar farms to London. 
For Stacey, in his 60s, the construction on his land threatens not just where he works but also his home. 
"I had long term visions of staying here for my retirement and my family running the farm," he said as seagulls flew overhead close to the North Sea.
"Can I live here with pylons and the noise they may make? Probably not," he said, adding he sees "no hope" the Labour government will scrap the plans. 
National Grid has assured it will listen to the viewpoints of those effected to "limit the impact" of the pylons.
At the same time, National Grid deputy director Tom McGarry insisted the country needs "rewiring" following the closure of coal-fired power stations.
Labour sees the pylons as essential to help deliver net zero carbon emissions and improved energy security. 

Unprecedented scale

The Witham project would be on the route to the Bramford substation, whose rows of pylons on land the size of nearly 20 football pitches emit a persistent humming. 
Residents are concerned about an expansion already attracting firms to build necessary grid-linked infrastructure.
A large solar farm is under construction nearby, as is a large warehouse serving as a connection point for offshore wind turbines. 
National Grid plans to invest £35 billion ($44 billion) by 2031 to transform its electricity network, a project of an unprecedented scale since the 1960s.
New production sites are in more remote areas, which means "building a lot of new transmission lines to bring that power back to population centres", noted Stephen Jarvis, a researcher at the London School of Economics. 
"Some big investments are needed, not just in the UK, this is a pretty global phenomenon," he said. 
Opposition groups argue that while new connections may be necessary, alternative projects such as cables buried under land and sea -- and with closer proximity to London -- have not been seriously considered.
The projects are being carried out "without consulting with communities first," said Rosie Pearson, founder of an action group for local residents in East Anglia. 

'Pylon war'

In a small cafe near the village of Ardleigh, east of London, Pearson met with a group of pylon opponents, whose concerns ranged from the impact on biodiversity to inadequate compensation for property owners. 
There is opposition also to having 50-metre high pylons blocking picturesque views.
The group crowded around a table looking at highly detailed maps of future electric lines. 
"It's the beginning of a very big pylon war," said Pearson, who is ready to fight in court to prove that other cheaper solutions are viable.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who came to power in July, has promised to override those he sees as "blockers" preventing big new infrastructure projects and the reform of Britain's restrictive planning rules.
"Securing Britain's clean energy future will require improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way," a government spokesperson told AFP. 
"Underground cabling is more expensive, and costs are borne by the electricity billpayer," they added.
ode-ajb/bcp/jkb/jxb/rsc

energy

Nigeria's lithium mining Eldorado sparks concerns

BY LESLIE FAUVEL

  • One such vendor, Matthew Danbala, crouched down as he bashed pieces of rock together.
  • At an open-cast mine, Abdullahi Ibrahim Danjija carefully chisels away at a hunk of whitish rock before stuffing a sack with the pieces which break off the walls.
  • One such vendor, Matthew Danbala, crouched down as he bashed pieces of rock together.
At an open-cast mine, Abdullahi Ibrahim Danjija carefully chisels away at a hunk of whitish rock before stuffing a sack with the pieces which break off the walls.
In the course of a day's work he manages to fill three 50-kilo bags which will net him 150,000 nairas ($100), or around double the monthly minimum wage in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation where more than one in two live below the poverty line.
Three years ago the 31-year-old miner came down from Kano in the north lured by promises of being able to make his fortune by contributing to the development of the artisanal lithium mining industry in the central state of Nasarawa.
There, as in other Nigerian states, the prospect of benefiting from a global explosion in demand for lithium, a critical metal in the manufacturing of electric batteries and mobile phones, is just too attractive to miss. 

Artisanal mines

At Gidan Kwano, not far from where Danjija was beavering away, another group of workers refused AFP reporters access to their mine.
Several families, including women and children, were busy laying explosives to carve into the base of their artisanal site.
While proud of their achievement, not having acquired a mining permit, they are reluctant to advertise its existence.
Much mining activity in Nigeria is of a similarly small scale, hence artisanal and often illegal.
Even some of those who do have a permit exploit the land without respecting any safety or environmental guidelines.
Along Nasarawa's main road lie lines of empty houses used as warehouses where miners and their intermediaries sort and clean rock deposits so as to prepare concentrated pieces of lithium for customers.
One such vendor, Matthew Danbala, crouched down as he bashed pieces of rock together. A dozen children sat around him copying his gestures.
"We are very happy. Since lithium comes here everybody, children and women, are benefiting," as they are able to head into the bush, dig, and then sell the rocks which cost them nothing beyond their labour, said Danbala.
Lithium seller Muhammed, 43, explained that in this informal economy "most of the buyers are Chinese. Either they come to our warehouse to buy, or if possible, we take it to where they are.
"But mostly, they come to us to buy the material -- it puts everyone to work." 

 Chinese presence

China, the globe's foremost refiner and consumer of lithium is only the world number two when it comes to production and has to import large quantities.
The Nigerian government is seeking to attract foreign investment as it promotes what ranks as "new oil" in what is sub-Saharan Africa's leading oil producer.
The country regularly declares war on illegal miners and has made scores of arrests without managing to choke off the flow of mining hopefuls who see lithium as their ticket to riches.
Nigeria now wants to require foreign investors to set up processing plants on its soil -- a condition which would have dissuaded billionaire Tesla chief Elon Musk from investing, according to Nigerian media.
Paris and Abuja did sign a memorandum of understanding at the end of 2024 to carry out mining projects, notably lithium.
But for the time being foreign investment is limited to Chinese companies, such as Avatar and Ganfeng, who have set up local plants to transform raw rock into lithium oxide before sending it on to Chinese plants.
Uba Saidu Malami, president of the Geological Society of Nigeria, said the Chinese will sometimes seek to move in before sufficient exploration work has been done regarding site viability.
"There is need for detailed exploration work to ascertain the reserves of lithium in those areas," said Malami, stressing the need for better regulation of the sector.
The Chinese "are cowboys when it comes to mining," he added.
"They move the excavator and just expand that physical extraction, which is not smart mining in these days of sustainable practice and environmental sensitivity."

Conflict

Quite apart from associated environmental risks, artisanal lithium mining can stoke local conflict, said analyst Charles Asiegbu.
"It can happen between communities where there's a disagreement on where the resource is actually located," said Asiegbu.
"It could also happen between communities and exploration companies. We have seen situations where companies or expatriates are attacked and, you know, even kidnapped by community members who feel that they have not gotten the relevant reparations or royalty or whatever."
He added organised armed groups also take advantage of a lack of government presence in some areas "to illegally extract these resources."
Danjija meanwhile continued apace with his work, even during the rainy season which can bring a frequent risk of landslides that can prove fatal.
Nearby, Fulani herders graze livestock and burn some fields to prepare land for the next harvest, oblivious to the regular explosions as miners dynamite surrounding rock.
fvl/cw/rl/rsc

climate

Top yet contested climate scientist declares 2C climate goal 'dead'

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • The 1.5C target has already been breached over the past two years, according to data from the EU's climate monitoring system Copernicus, though the Paris Agreement referred to a long-term trend over decades.
  • Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius -- the fallback target of the Paris climate accord -- is now "impossible," according to a stark though hotly debated new analysis published by leading scientists.
  • The 1.5C target has already been breached over the past two years, according to data from the EU's climate monitoring system Copernicus, though the Paris Agreement referred to a long-term trend over decades.
Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius -- the fallback target of the Paris climate accord -- is now "impossible," according to a stark though hotly debated new analysis published by leading scientists.
Led by renowned if dissenting climatologist James Hansen, the paper appears in the journal "Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development" and concludes that Earth's climate is more sensitive to rising greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought.
Compounding the crisis, Hansen and colleagues argued, is a recent decline in sunlight-blocking aerosol pollution from the shipping industry, which had been mitigating some of the warming.
An ambitious climate change scenario outlined by the UN's climate panel, which gives the planet a 50 percent chance of keeping warming under 2C by the year 2100, "is an implausible scenario," Hansen told a briefing Tuesday.
"That scenario is now impossible," said Hansen, formerly a top NASA climate scientist who famously announced to the US Congress in 1988 that global warming was underway, but had become an increasingly isolated voice in the scientific community.
"The two degree target is dead."
Instead, he and co-authors argued, the amount of greenhouse gases already pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels meant increased warming is now guaranteed.
Temperatures will stay at or above 1.5C in the coming years -- devastating coral reefs and fueling more intense storms -- before rising to around 2.0C by 2045, they forecast.
However other experts contested the paper's analysis, with Valerie Masson-Delmotte, the former co-chair of the UN's climate panel's working group on climatology, arguing it "requires a great deal of vigilance."
"It is not published in a climate science journal and it formulates a certain number of hypotheses that are not consistent with all the available observations," she told AFP on Wednesday.

'Not helpful'

Hansen's paper estimated polar ice melt and freshwater injection into the North Atlantic will trigger the shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) within the next 20–30 years.
The current brings warmth to various parts of the globe and also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life.
Its end "will lock in major problems including sea level rise of several meters -- thus, we describe AMOC shutdown as the 'point of no return,'" the paper argued.
The world's nations agreed during the landmark Paris climate accord of 2015 to try to hold end-of-century warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Scientists identified the threshold as critical to preventing the breakdown of major ocean circulation systems, the abrupt thawing of boreal permafrost, and the collapse of tropical coral reefs.
The 1.5C target has already been breached over the past two years, according to data from the EU's climate monitoring system Copernicus, though the Paris Agreement referred to a long-term trend over decades.
At 2C, the impacts would be even greater, including irreversible loss to Earth's ice sheets, mountain glaciers and snow, sea ice and permafrost.
The authors acknowledged the findings appeared grim, but argued that honesty is a necessary ingredient for change.
"Failure to be realistic in climate assessment and failure to call out the fecklessness of current policies to stem global warming is not helpful to young people," they said.
"Today, with rising crises including global climate change, we have reached a point where we must address the problem of special interests," they added, stressing they were "optimistic" for the future.
Other scientists however remained cautious of Hansen's findings.
"There is still much speculation involved... I continue to remain sceptical of their claims," said Karsten Haustein, a climate scientist at the University of Leipzig.
ia/sbk/acb

energy

Oil giants TotalEnergies, Equinor reduce low-carbon investments

  • TotalEnergies said Wednesday it would reduce its investments in low-carbon energy, mainly for electricity, by $500 million -- from $5 billion to $4.5 billion.
  • French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said Wednesday it would reduce its low-carbon energy investments while Norwegian peer Equinor scaled back its renewables ambitions as the companies reported sharp drops in annual profits.
  • TotalEnergies said Wednesday it would reduce its investments in low-carbon energy, mainly for electricity, by $500 million -- from $5 billion to $4.5 billion.
French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said Wednesday it would reduce its low-carbon energy investments while Norwegian peer Equinor scaled back its renewables ambitions as the companies reported sharp drops in annual profits.
Major fossil fuel companies have seen their profits fall as crude prices have dropped over demand concerns after soaring in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite pressure from climate campaigners for the industry to phase out fossil fuels, companies are reducing investment in renewables and boosting their more profitable oil and gas output.
TotalEnergies said Wednesday it would reduce its investments in low-carbon energy, mainly for electricity, by $500 million -- from $5 billion to $4.5 billion.
The French oil and gas major reported a net profit of $15.8 billion for 2024 -- still sizeable but 26 percent lower than in the previous year. It was around $1 billion less than forecast by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg and financial data firm FactSet.
This followed two years of record profits, which reached $21.4 billion in 2023.
"The oil and gas landscape was less favourable (in 2024)," TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Poyanne told reporters.
"In the end, it will still be the third highest results in (company) history," he added.
Equinor said its net profit fell by a quarter to $8.8 billion in 2024.
The Norwegian company said it now planned a renewable capacity of between 10 and 12 gigawatts in 2030, down from a previous forecast of 12 to 16 GW.
It added that its ambition to allocate 50 percent of capital investment to renewable and low-carbon projects "is retired".
Emissions from fossil fuels keep rising despite a global pledge to move the world away from coal, oil and gas.
Under the Paris accord on climate change, the world agreed to try and keep warming to this safer 1.5C threshold.

'Colossal profits'

Equinor also announced plans to increase oil and gas production by more than 10 percent between 2024 and 2027. It increased its expected production for 2030 from two million barrels per day to 2.2 million.
"We are taking strong measures to adapt to the market as we see it," chief executive Anders Opedal told Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv.
"It's the market that is changing. My job is to create value for shareholders in a constantly evolving market," he said.
Climate campaigners slammed the company's announcement.
"Equinor continues to rake in colossal profits by accelerating climate change, which causes more extreme weather events, ice melting, and human deaths," said Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway. 
"When more than 99 percent of its energy production remains fossil-based and the company further reduces its renewable ambitions, it is impossible to take its ecological commitments seriously," he said.
The NGO urged the Norwegian government, which olds a 67-percent stake in Equinor, to respond to the company's decision to scale back renewables plans.

Oil output debate

Equinor and TotalEnergies are not alone. 
British oil majors BP and Shell have also scaled back various climate objectives to focus more on oil and gas in order to raise profits, drawing criticism from environmental activists.
Italy's Enel cut its renewable energy ambitions by around five billion euros for the 2024-2026 period in a new strategic plan published in 2023.
US majors ExxonMobil and Chevron remain focused on oil and gas production.
The outlook for global oil production varies.
The International Energy Agency, which advises developed countries, sees oil production peaking by the end of the decade.
The Saudi-led OPEC oil cartel expects output to continue growing until at least 2050.
burs-lth/cw

automobile

Toyota announces Lexus EV plant in Shanghai

BY KATIE FORSTER AND NATSUKO FUKUE

  • - Forecasts up - Toyota said Wednesday it expects to log a net profit this financial year of 4.52 trillion yen ($29.5 billion), up from its previous forecast of 3.57 trillion yen.
  • Japan's Toyota said Wednesday it will build an electric vehicle plant in Shanghai for its luxury Lexus brand as it raised its annual net profit forecast to almost $30 billion.
  • - Forecasts up - Toyota said Wednesday it expects to log a net profit this financial year of 4.52 trillion yen ($29.5 billion), up from its previous forecast of 3.57 trillion yen.
Japan's Toyota said Wednesday it will build an electric vehicle plant in Shanghai for its luxury Lexus brand as it raised its annual net profit forecast to almost $30 billion.
China overtook Japan as the biggest vehicle exporter last year, helped by its dominance in EVs.
Many foreign car firms are struggling in China, but Toyota -- the world's top-selling automaker -- said it wants to "match the unique needs of Chinese customers" with its new factory.
"We decided to establish a wholly owned company for the development and production of Lexus BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and batteries in Shanghai, China," it said.
Toyota aims to start production there after 2027, and said the new plant would create 1,000 new jobs with an annual output capacity of approximately 100,000 vehicles.
It will be China's second wholly foreign owned electric vehicle factory after Tesla's Shanghai plant. Other foreign companies making cars in the country run joint ventures with Chinese companies.
"Local Chinese members will take the lead in planning and developing BEVs" to suit local customers, Toyota said.
"Our goal is to become a company that is more loved and supported by the people of China."

Forecasts up

Toyota said Wednesday it expects to log a net profit this financial year of 4.52 trillion yen ($29.5 billion), up from its previous forecast of 3.57 trillion yen.
The "upward revision incorporates progress in strengthening earning power, backed by improvement efforts including product competitiveness", the company said.
Unit sales rose for hybrid electric vehicles between April and December, Toyota said.
But over the same period, in China, total vehicle sales dropped from 1.5 million to 1.4 million.
Lacklustre consumer spending and tough competition is making life hard for many automakers worldwide.
However, Toyota's strategy to offer a range of vehicles, including hybrids, has paid off in markets such as the United States.
Tatsuo Yoshida, senior auto analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, told AFP that Toyota was once "extremely cautious about expanding its business in China due to concerns over risks such as technology leaks".
"However, the company has now shifted its approach to developing technologies and products tailored to the local market, ensuring acceptance by Chinese consumers," he said.

'Strategic move'

China's government has supported the development and production of less polluting battery-powered vehicles, a field where Chinese manufacturers such as BYD are leading the way.
So Toyota's decision to build the Shanghai plant "is a logical strategic move", Yoshida said.
"Toyota's ability to make proactive investments in electrification (particularly BEVs) and its business in China, even when other auto companies hesitate, is a unique strength stemming from its abundant talent and financial resources."
Toyota also said on Wednesday that its new battery plant in the US state of North Carolina was ready to begin production.
The nearly $14-billion plant will start shipping batteries for North American electrified vehicles in April, the company said.
Honda and Nissan, Japan's number two and three automakers after Toyota, have also launched talks on a merger to help them strengthen their position on EVs and self-driving tech.
But Nissan shares plunged on Wednesday after the Nikkei business daily reported that the carmaker had decided to withdraw from merger talks, after Honda had proposed making Nissan its subsidiary.
nf-kaf-reb/mtp

climate

No new clothes: S. Korean climate activist targets hyperconsumption

BY CLAIRE LEE AND CAT BARTON

  • Lee stopped buying any new clothes -- and has not purchased a single fast fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago. 
  • Recovering South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily -- until a $1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.
  • Lee stopped buying any new clothes -- and has not purchased a single fast fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago. 
Recovering South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily -- until a $1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.
While looking at the ultra-cheap padded jacket at an H&M shop in the United States, where she was working at the time, Lee asked herself how any item of clothing could be sold so cheaply.
The 30-year-old embarked on a deep dive into fast fashion production methods and was horrified at the human, social and environmental toll hyperconsumerism is having on the planet -- and on the mental health of women who make and buy cheap clothes.
"I used to buy one new outfit each (working) day of the week," Lee told AFP, adding that each item from major high street retailers would typically cost less than a dollar.
But the reason the clothes are so cheap, Lee learned, is because the women who sew for companies are paid little, while the business model itself is causing significant environmental harm.
Lee stopped buying any new clothes -- and has not purchased a single fast fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago. 
Her much more compact wardrobe consists of used items that she received from friends and family, including a vintage leather jacket that once belonged to her mother.
Unlike fast fashion items, which are often designed to be thrown away after just a few wears, each piece is irreplaceable because it carries a unique story and history, she said.
"Ultimately, the most eco-friendly clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe," said Lee.

Break the cycle

Lee now organises clothing swaps with her friends and family, and has written a book to promote the idea of valuing garments for "the story behind it," rather than chasing ephemeral trends.
She is part of a small but growing global movement seeking to promote second-hand clothing and help people -- especially women -- opt out of the cycle of over-consumption.
The app Lucky Sweater provides a platform for users to trade items from their closets with each other, focussing on sustainable brands, founder Tanya Dastyar told AFP.
"We're programmed to believe the only way to express my fashion or show that I'm beautiful or trendy... is new outfits," Dastyar said.
"But you can still be fashionable and feel good and look great and not have to do that," she said, adding that although trading clothes did not have the same quick dopamine hit as making a fast-fashion purchase, it was far more rewarding over time.
The app's growing uptake indicates that people are hungry to shift their relationship with clothing and consumerism, she said.
People realise: "I don't have to follow trends and I can just dress in a way that feels comfortable to me," she said. "Is that like a mass market thing? No. But do I feel like it can be a movement? Yes."
For Lee, breaking the cycle of cheap clothing consumption helped her improve her mental health.
As a teenager, she would worry about what to wear on school trips -- when uniforms were not required -- at least a month in advance and would go shopping to ease her fears.
"I felt a lot of pressure about how others would see me," she told AFP.
But learning about Bangladesh's 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy -- one of the world's worst industrial disasters that killed more than 1,130 garment factory workers, most of them young women -- was a turning point.
The factory workers died making clothes for "women like me", Lee said.

No second-hand?

The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting, accounting for up to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to World Bank estimates.
Most modern clothes are made of synthetic materials like nylon and polyester, which are essentially plastic and do not biodegrade in landfills, industry data shows.
Keeping clothes out of landfills can help, but in South Korea, many still avoid used garments, said Kim Dong-hyun, who runs a used clothing export factory.
"People often don't look favourably on someone wearing used clothes because they are seen as unwanted items," Kim told AFP, noting he has found dirty diapers and food waste in the collection bins.
South Korea is the fifth largest exporter of used clothing in the world -- and activists say many garments are essentially dumped in developing countries, which lack the capacity to process them.
At Kim's second-hand clothing factory in Paju, outside Seoul, a mechanical claw categorised piles of used clothes to be exported overseas.
"Many people treat the clothing collection bin as just a trash can," Kim said.
cdl/ceb/dhw

politics

Trump taps 'Sharpiegate' meteorologist to lead top science agency

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • A report from the National Academy of Public Administration stated that NOAA's defense of Trump's claim "was not based on science but appears to be largely driven by external influences."
  • A meteorologist who caved to political pressure during Donald Trump's first administration to mislead the public about a hurricane forecast was nominated by the president Tuesday to once more lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
  • A report from the National Academy of Public Administration stated that NOAA's defense of Trump's claim "was not based on science but appears to be largely driven by external influences."
A meteorologist who caved to political pressure during Donald Trump's first administration to mislead the public about a hurricane forecast was nominated by the president Tuesday to once more lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Neil Jacobs, who previously helmed the renowned science agency from 2018 to 2021, was officially censured for his role in the infamous "Sharpiegate" scandal -- one of the more bizarre episodes of Trump's first term.
Despite this, he has now been tapped to return to NOAA, which right-wing ideologues accuse of fueling the "climate change alarm industry."
The controversy erupted in September 2019 when Trump, relying on outdated information, wrongly claimed that Hurricane Dorian was set to strike Alabama. 
The National Weather Service's local office in Birmingham swiftly corrected him to prevent unnecessary panic. 
But Trump refused to back down, lashing out with angry tweets and even displaying a doctored forecast map -- apparently amended with one of the black Sharpie pens he favors using -- to bolster his false claim.
NOAA later issued an unsigned statement backing Trump's erroneous assertion, sparking widespread backlash from meteorologists. 
Subsequent official investigations castigated Jacobs and another official for their roles in the drama.
A report from the National Academy of Public Administration stated that NOAA's defense of Trump's claim "was not based on science but appears to be largely driven by external influences." It also warned that such actions corrode public trust in scientific institutions.
Jacobs's new nomination has already drawn sharp criticism.
"If the data used to help protect people and the economy becomes less reliable, the result will be very real harm to everyone, especially those on the frontlines of the climate crisis," said Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
She added that if Jacobs is confirmed, he must "commit to upholding NOAA's scientific integrity policy and standing up to any attempt to dismantle NOAA or commercialize its forecasting work, which proponents of Project 2025 have called for."
Developed by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 calls for breaking up NOAA, which it says is one of the "main drivers of the climate change alarm industry."
It also seeks to fully privatize the functions of the National Weather Service so that forecasts are only provided by companies like AccuWeather.
Although Trump distanced himself from the plan during his 2024 campaign, it appears to be gathering momentum now that he is back in office.
ia/jgc

environment

Trump seeks species protection rollbacks to promote US drilling

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • "Donald Trump made it clear on Day One what his priorities for public lands and waters would be, and these orders are the next step in his reckless 'drill, baby, drill' agenda," said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program. ia/des
  • US President Donald Trump's administration is moving to roll back protections for endangered species and their habitats in a bid to advance his "drill, baby, drill" energy agenda.
  • "Donald Trump made it clear on Day One what his priorities for public lands and waters would be, and these orders are the next step in his reckless 'drill, baby, drill' agenda," said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program. ia/des
US President Donald Trump's administration is moving to roll back protections for endangered species and their habitats in a bid to advance his "drill, baby, drill" energy agenda.
A directive signed late Monday by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum gives agencies 15 days to submit plans to unleash US energy, which critics say would weaken the Endangered Species Act and open up fragile landscapes from the Arctic to the Grand Canyon and even national monuments for exploitation.
"Today marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Department of the Interior," said Burgum, whose close ties to the fossil fuel industry drew sharp rebuke from environmentalists during his confirmation hearings.
"We are committed to working collaboratively to unlock America's full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America's natural resources and innovation."
The order aims to reverse bans on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore waters, sweeping restrictions imposed by former president Joe Biden. 
It also seeks to rescind a rule that reinstated long-standing protections for birds against unintentional but preventable deaths caused by oil spills, mining pits, and building collisions.
Remarkably, it contains a directive to review safeguards for all national monuments -- a list of 138 historic landmarks that include sites such as Bears Ears in Utah, which was proclaimed by former president Barack Obama before Trump ordered its size to be reduced by 85 percent during his first term.
Environmental groups warn the move would accelerate the decline of animal and plant species.

Birds and lizards threatened

"Even as imperiled species dwindle and vanish across America, this order will fan the flames of the extinction crisis," said Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity.
Taylor McKinnon, who oversees the Center's Southwest region, went further: "By making all national monuments available for review and possible termination, this order could be the most sweeping attack on public lands in the history of public lands."
Since its 1973 enactment, the Endangered Species Act has been credited with saving iconic species such as the gray wolf, bald eagle and grizzly bear from extinction.
But under Trump's first administration, key provisions were weakened -- allowing economic considerations to influence decisions on species protections. Biden later rolled back those changes, and now Trump is pushing to reinstate them.
Greenwald told AFP that species like the greater sage grouse, lesser prairie chicken, and sagebrush lizard -- whose habitats overlap with the Greater Permian Basin, the nation's top oil-producing and fracking site -- would be at heightened risk.
"Donald Trump made it clear on Day One what his priorities for public lands and waters would be, and these orders are the next step in his reckless 'drill, baby, drill' agenda," said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program.
ia/des

sinkhole

Japan's Olympic pool-sized sinkhole highlights risk of old pipes

BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI

  • The week-long sinkhole saga was a reminder of the insidious corrosion gnawing at Japan's ageing water and sewerage pipes, Shinya Inazumi, a professor of geotechnical engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology, told AFP. The majority of the underground infrastructure was developed during the country's rapid post-war economic growth.   
  • A massive sinkhole near Tokyo that swallowed a truck and its driver a week ago, and has filled with sewage and debris, highlights the risk posed by Japan's ageing pipes.
  • The week-long sinkhole saga was a reminder of the insidious corrosion gnawing at Japan's ageing water and sewerage pipes, Shinya Inazumi, a professor of geotechnical engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology, told AFP. The majority of the underground infrastructure was developed during the country's rapid post-war economic growth.   
A massive sinkhole near Tokyo that swallowed a truck and its driver a week ago, and has filled with sewage and debris, highlights the risk posed by Japan's ageing pipes.
Emergency workers have been striving in vain to reach the 74-year-old man, who rescuers have had no contact with for a week, and who was likely buried under sediment and sewage water in the sinkhole in the city of Yashio.
Officials say corroded sewerage pipes created the sinkhole that is now 40 metres (130 feet) wide -- nearly the size of an Olympic swimming pool -- and 15 metres (50 feet) deep.
Cranes have been mobilised and a 30-metre slope built to locate and reach the driver, with a second slope under construction, but progress has been slow and dangerous.
Koichi Yamamoto, an official with Yashio's fire department, told AFP on Tuesday that rescue efforts had been suspended.
A "substantial" amount of sewage water has accumulated at the site, eroding the surrounding soil and "constantly flowing in like a river", he said.
"This makes it impossible for us to proceed."
Also "hampering our rescue operation is a pile-up of heavy masses such as debris, slabs of asphalt and concrete that need removing", Yamamoto added.
When the hole suddenly opened up in Yashio, in the region of Saitama near Tokyo, during the morning rush hour on Tuesday last week, it at first looked like just one of thousands of sinkholes reported annually across Japan.
Their occurence is trending upwards in Japan, topping 10,000 in fiscal 2022, with many of the sinkholes sewage-related in urban areas, a land ministry probe shows.

Ageing pipes

Initially the hole was around five metres in diameter, then a much larger cavity opened nearby and the two holes merged.
To reduce the volume of sewage, locals were urged to "use as little water as possible" for three hours on Tuesday afternoon.
This was on top of requests already issued for about 1.2 milion people in Saitama to refrain from non-essential use of water, such as taking baths or doing laundry.
In response, some onsens have opened their public bath facilities for free to accommodate residents in Yashio and nearby areas, according to local media.
The week-long sinkhole saga was a reminder of the insidious corrosion gnawing at Japan's ageing water and sewerage pipes, Shinya Inazumi, a professor of geotechnical engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology, told AFP.
The majority of the underground infrastructure was developed during the country's rapid post-war economic growth.   
"Many sewerage pipes in Japan have already outlived their service life (of 50 years) so pipes anywhere else could break due to ageing," Inazumi said.
In just over 15 years' time, 40 percent of Japan's sewerage pipes will have exceeded their lifespan, according to an estimate from the land ministry.
In Yashio, local authorities attributed the initial chasm to rusty, punctured sewerage pipes that absorbed the surrounding soil, creating a hollow under the ground.
Extreme weather events such as intense rain -- made more frequent by climate change -- can also exacerbate this kind of infrastructure failure, Inazumi said. 
"Rainfall these days can be extremely heavy and localised, which means a great amount of water seeps underground," the professor said. 
"The water gushes in at an incredible speed, accelerating the growth of an underground hollow by making it bigger and bigger through erosion."
tmo/kaf/sco