Brazilian Catholic worshippers created an eco-friendly carpet from recycled plastic caps in front of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue, advocating for environmental protection before upcoming UN climate talks in the Amazon. Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta led celebrations, emphasizing ecological co-responsibility and honoring Pope Francis's environmental encyclical.

Chad is battling deforestation with green charcoal, made from plant waste, aiming to reduce reliance on wood and combat desertification. This initiative, supported by the World Bank and UNHCR, provides a cleaner, longer-lasting alternative to traditional charcoal, particularly benefiting refugee populations. Scaling up production and lowering prices are crucial to meet national energy needs and protect Chad's dwindling forests.

More than three quarters of bathing waters monitored in the European Union, Albania and Switzerland were of excellent quality in 2024, the 27-member bloc's environment agency said on Friday. EU members meanwhile are obliged to monitor popular bathing places from May to September and rank the water quality as excellent, good, sufficient or poor.

Short, intense summer rainfall in Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming, according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL). With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future, said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy.

Hurricane Erick killed at least two people as it swept through southern Mexico causing significant damage to coastal communities before weakening to a low-pressure system Thursday night, authorities said. The US National Hurricane Centre's latest advisory at 0300 GMT said Erick had weakened overnight to a tropical storm located 95 miles (155 kilometres) from Acapulco port, with sustained winds of 30 mph (50 kmh) as it moved across southern Mexico on Thursday.

Ten black rhinos have been moved from South Africa to Mozambique to secure breeding of the critically endangered animals that became locally extinct 50 years ago, conservationists said Thursday. Twelve black rhinos had previously been sent from South Africa to Zinave in central Mozambique but the population was still not viable for breeding, Van Rooyen said.

The UK could experience more frequent extreme and prolonged heat due to climate change, its meteorological office said Wednesday, as the country braced for its first heatwave of the year. The new study also highlights how UK heatwaves could become longer and hotter due to escalating climate trends, the Met Office added.

As Paris braces for a heatwave this weekend, a little-known network of underground pipes will be cooling the Louvre museum and other storied landmarks using water from the River Seine. Other sites served by the Paris network include department stores and offices, the train network, concert halls, and arguably the world's most famous museum, the Louvre.

Norway on Tuesday launched a flagship carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, a technology seen as crucial to curbing climate change but struggling to find a viable economic model. Norway has presented Longship as the world's first full-scale value chain for capture and storage of carbon in the greenhouse gases that cause harmful climate change.

The World Bank is set to re-enter the nuclear energy sector after decades, announced President Ajay Banga, aiming to meet the escalating electricity demands in developing nations. Collaborating with the IAEA, the bank will enhance non-proliferation safeguards and regulatory frameworks. This decision arises as electricity demand in developing countries is projected to more than double by 2035, necessitating a surge in annual energy investment.

A global oceans summit wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month. - Seabed row - France and like-minded countries vowed to block any effort to permit deep-sea exploration at negotiations over a mining code at the International Seabed Authority next month, said Poivre d'Arvor.

A summit on the state of global oceans concludes Friday with nations having tested the waters on deep-sea mining and making strides towards protecting unpoliced reaches of the high seas. Alarmed at US President Donald Trump's unilateral push to fast-track deep-sea mining, leaders called for strict global rules to govern the ocean floor to stop a damaging race for critical minerals.

May 2025 was the second-warmest on record, with the Northern Hemisphere experiencing its second-hottest spring, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Although global temperatures dipped below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 22 months, experts warn that this threshold will likely be exceeded again soon.

Iceland is experiencing unprecedented heat, with temperatures soaring to record highs in May, exacerbating Greenland's ice melt at an alarming rate. Scientific analysis attributes this extreme weather directly to global warming, primarily driven by fossil fuel emissions. The accelerated melting threatens to disrupt global ocean currents and contribute to rising sea levels, impacting coastal regions and indigenous communities.

Dozens of countries at the UN oceans summit on Tuesday took a first step toward recognising an invisible but growing threat to marine life -- underwater noise pollution. In a step toward a quieter ocean, 37 countries led by Canada and Panama have launched a new effort to reduce harmful underwater noise pollution.

Indonesia has revoked permits for four mining companies in Raja Ampat after videos surfaced showing nickel extraction damage to the pristine islands. The decision follows public outcry and Greenpeace's exposure of forest and vegetation destruction. While one company will continue operations under close monitoring, activists urge further action to ensure complete cessation and prevent future permit reissuance.

At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Secretary-General Guterres cautioned against turning the deep oceans into a wild west, amid debates on seabed mining regulations. President Macron advocated for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, emphasizing the need to protect marine biodiversity. A global pact to protect marine life in international waters is nearing implementation.