❌

Normal view

China’s record-breaking exports of clean tech are making a big dent in emissions, report says

29 October 2026 at 15:51
BANGKOK (AP) — China is exporting a record amount of clean energy technology and that is making a dent in global emissions. Interest in renewables has surged due to the energy crisis from the Iran war. A report released Thursday shows that China’s exports of clean energy equipment such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles will avert an estimated 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide this year. Experts say this is a small sign of progress in faltering global efforts to curb climate change. Such issues are likely to be on the agenda of annual United Nations climate talks kicking off next month in Turkey. By Anton L. Delgado, Associated Press   Banner image: Installers haul a solar panel onto the roof of a home in Manila, Philippines, on April 30, 2026. Image courtesy of Anton L. Delgado via Associated PressThis article was originally published on Mongabay

Early tech warning hopes to give Sumatra’s peat community a head start on fires

29 October 2026 at 12:49
MUARO JAMBI, Indonesia — Pineapples rattled around in the basket on the back of Tahang’s motorcycle as he drove through the cracked and dried out peatland in eastern Sumatra’s Muaro Jambi district. Tahang later pulled up beside local residents Ali and Haidir, as smoke drifted in the distance over a grove of areca palms, which are grown for their betel nuts. “Did you see that fire earlier?” Tahang asked. “Yes, but it was only small,” Haidir replied. A few hours later, as Tahang rested in Muara Medak village and Ali returned to collect pineapples, the fire spread through dry grass and reached the carbon-rich peat. “It exploded,” Tahang said. Tahang picked up his water pump and raced to the field by motorcycle. By the time he arrived, he told Mongabay Indonesia, state firefighters and disaster agency staff were already battling the blaze, with little water available. A dry canal in the Air Merah community forest area. Image by Teguh Suprayitno/Mongabay Indonesia. Wildfire crisis across Indonesia Indonesia is facing its worst wildfire crisis in years, as months of drought across much of Borneo and Sumatra are compounded by a strong El Niño, which is delaying the onset of the archipelago’s main rainy season. In Sumatra’s Jambi province, fires have burned in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and across extensive peatland areas in Berbak-Sembilang National Park, a major wetland adjacent to the subdistrict of Sungai Gelam designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Peat in Jambi’s Sungai Gelam reaches depths of up to 11 meters…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Fires and weak monitoring hinder reforestation efforts in Mozambique

29 October 2026 at 08:13
MOCUBA, Mozambique — Mozambique ranks among the 10 countries with the highest deforestation rates in the world. Each year, it loses about 267,000 hectares (660,000 acres) of forest, with the heaviest rates concentrated in the provinces of Nampula, Zambézia, and Manica. To counter this, a decade ago the country set an ambitious goal to reforest 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) by 2030, alongside a 2025 target to restore 52,000 hectares (128,500 acres) per year through 2029 on a budget of 105 billion meticais ($1.65 billion). To date, however, only 58,000 hectares (143,300 acres) have been reforested — a total that includes tree plantations established before the million-hectare goal was set, according to data compiled by Sá Nogueira Lisboa, a forestry professor and researcher at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Maputo. Zambézia province in central Mozambique holds one of the country’s main forest areas, key to conserving biodiversity, regulating water resources, protecting soil, storing carbon, and supporting local communities. Yet it also faces severe pressure from deforestation, suffering some of the nation’s steepest losses in tree cover. Between 2000 and 2024, cumulative forest loss across the province reached 1.26 million hectares (3.11 million acres) — roughly 19% of its total forested area — according to the Provincial Directorate of Territorial Development and Environment (DPDTA). Replanting is critical to restore degraded landscapes, but inadequate follow-up monitoring has squandered much of that effort. A technician from the District Service for Economic Activities (SDAE) among trees with charred stems in the Tónduè Forest,…This article was originally published on Mongabay

India’s forgotten vegetables offer a glimpse into what global diets are missing

29 October 2026 at 05:53
The world is eating a smaller variety of vegetables as diets become increasingly uniform, reports contributor Sharmila Vaidyanathan for Mongabay India. In India, Indigenous crops such as the clove bean and the Yerengere white long eggplant have largely vanished from commercial markets as hybrid varieties dominate supply chains. Prabhakar Rao, a natural farmer and founder of Hariyalee Seeds in Bengaluru, conserves hundreds of heirloom seed varieties to prevent their extinction. “People are all eating the same few vegetables, and the loss of vegetable biodiversity has not received a lot of attention,” Rao said. “Sadly, this loss is happening under the radar.” Recent research has confirmed this loss of vegetable diversity is global. In a paper published in PNAS in July, researchers compiled a list of 1,482 vegetable species in a new global data set, though they note the true number of local and wild varieties is substantially higher. Many wild vegetable varieties are threatened, they write: approximately 24% of the wild relatives of 79 major vegetable species are currently at risk of extinction. “A major consideration that prompted this article is that many of the vegetable species are not conserved in national and international gene banks,” said lead author Maarten van Zonneveld, head of the gene bank at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru. “There are so many vegetables that need to be rescued before they completely disappear. And the end goal is not just conservation, but also ensuring that this diversity is utilised.” Some reasons for the eroding…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Cyclone batters India’s eastern coast, killing 3 and damaging homes and farmland

28 October 2026 at 15:58
KAKINADA, India (AP) — A powerful cyclone battered India ’s Andhra Pradesh state on Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging homes and farmland after authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people, officials said. Cyclone Arnab made landfall early Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm before weakening to a severe cyclonic storm as it moved inland, the India Meteorological Department said. Two women were electrocuted in separate incidents in the port city of Visakhapatnam, while another person was killed when a tree fell in East Godavari district, officials said. State disaster management officials said late Wednesday morning that wind speeds reached 135 kph (84 mph). Officials said the cyclone was expected to weaken further as it moved inland, with wind speeds likely to ease later in the day. The state’s chief minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, said that 14 coastal districts of the state were badly affected. He said winds and heavy rains caused widespread damage to houses, road networks, electrical poles and power supply infrastructure. He requested urgent assistance from the central government. The cyclone damaged 79,000 acres of crops and dozens of homes. The worst hit area was the state’s fertile Konaseema district. Banana and coconut plantations suffered extensively and a large number of trees and electricity poles were uprooted, disrupting electricity across the district, officials said. The meteorological service said the landfall process was complete and heavy rainfall as well as strong winds would continue under the cyclone’s influence in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Artificial nests help Hong Kong’s rare cockatoos cope with a ‘housing crisis’

28 October 2026 at 05:15
In the urban landscape of Hong Kong, artificial nest boxes are providing shelter and research opportunities for one of the world’s most threatened parrot species. The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) is critically endangered, with fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining across its native range in eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. However, Hong Kong hosts roughly 200 wild cockatoos, a tenth of that number, believed to be descendants of escaped or released pets, reports Mongabay’s Yenni Kwok. Although the city’s cockatoo population remains stable due to strict legal protection and a lack of natural predators, severe storm damage and tree pruning have eliminated more than 60% of natural tree hollows where the footlong birds make their nests. “In the city, they do not have that luxurious choice available,” said Astrid Andersson, a biologist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong, who described the tree hollow shortage as “a housing crisis for these birds.” To tackle the issue, Andersson teamed up with arborist and conservationist Harry Wong to launch HK Cockatoo Watch. Adapting Australian prototypes for Hong Kong’s humid climate, the pair build artificial nest boxes fitted with internal cameras to monitor breeding behavior remotely. “What I am doing is to find a way: How can we coexist with them?” said Wong, who previously spent six to seven years in bee conservation. Since March 2025, the team has installed 15 nest boxes across public parks and school campuses, including St. Louis School and ISF Academy. The project has actively engaged local students…This article was originally published on Mongabay

A Thai rescue center gives injured leopard cat cubs a second chance

28 October 2026 at 05:01
At a government wildlife rescue center in Thailand, dozens of lost and injured baby leopard cats are receiving a second chance at life in the wild. Annual admission of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation rescue center in Khon Kaen, in northeastern Thailand, have surged from an average of about 10 cats per year before to 2023 to as many as 65 now. The cats are being displaced by worsening habitat fragmentation, agricultural burning in sugarcane fields, and increased public use of a government wildlife hotline, reports contributor Ana Norman Bermudez for Mongabay. Between January and August this year, the facility admitted more than 60 kittens, more than half of them recovered from charred fields with burn injuries. Staff focus on stabilizing new arrivals by treating burns, infections, and nutritional deficiencies before moving them into specialized 24-square-meter (258-square-foot) rehabilitation enclosures. Mortality rates at the facility dropped to around 33% in 2026, from 60% in previous years, according to center officials. “Many of the cubs that didn’t survive were brought by people who tried to take care of them at home,” said Warisara Thomas, a researcher and veterinarian at the center, adding that keeping the wild cats at home is illegal. Being in homes also deprives the cubs of specialized care while exposing them to domestic animals that can transmit diseases. Before putting the cubs into behavioral rehabilitation, veterinarians conduct comprehensive health checks, testing the cats for feline immunodeficiency virus, parvovirus, and canine…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Baby orangutans in India expose illegal wildlife trade as experts question a billionaire’s zoo

27 October 2026 at 14:58
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The discovery of five baby orangutans abandoned on a plantation in eastern India is highlighting the country’s growing role as a destination for trafficked apes. Experts say wealthy collectors, expanding air links with Southeast Asia and loopholes in wildlife laws are to blame. India also legally imported 41 orangutans between 2021 and 2024 and experts have raised questions about their origins. At the same time, efforts to return rescued orangutans to Indonesia have stalled. Scrutiny over ownership of apes intensified after one orangutan was transferred to a private wildlife facility run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s family. By Aniruddha Ghosal and Victoria Milko, Associated Press Banner image: Six baby orangutans playing on the ground at Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation in Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan. Image courtesy of Bjorn Vaugn / BOSF / GreenpeaceThis article was originally published on Mongabay

International Gibbon Day: Stories of threats and survival  

24 October 2026 at 16:14
Twenty species of gibbons swing through the tropical forests of Asia, all are threatened by human activities like deforestation, hunting and trafficking baby gibbons for the exotic pet trade. In recognition of International Gibbon Day on Oct. 24, here are three recent Mongabay stories about the threats gibbons face and the people working to protect them: A growing demand for the exotic pet trade In 2025, gibbon trafficking seizures reached an all-time high; 336 individuals were recorded between January and August alone, Mongabay’s Ana Norman Bermúdez reported. A Malaysian woman who asked to be called Esther (not her real name) unwittingly became part of the illegal trade. “When we first got Joy, we thought she was a monkey,” Esther said. A hunter had come to Esther’s village on the island of Borneo, to sell wild meat. He showed Esther and her husband a weeks-old primate with long arms, dark skin and large, round eyes. Worried the animal might otherwise be killed for food; Esther decided to take her home. It was only later that she realized Joy was not a monkey, but a gibbon. Gibbons are small apes, more closely related to chimpanzees and humans than to monkeys. They are highly social animals and will defend their young to the death, so the capture of an infant gibbon often represents the annihilation of an entire family group. Trafficked baby gibbons overwhelm rehabilitation centers in North Sumatra To capture baby gibbons for the illegal pet trade, hunters often shoot mothers in…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by

23 October 2026 at 17:12
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan shut down schools and offices and grounded hundreds of flights as Typhoon Champi brushed by the island Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains. Champi peaked at 298 kph (185 mph) maximum sustained winds earlier this week but has weakened to 155 kph (96 mph) winds as it approached Taiwan from the southwest. Its center is forecast to remain offshore as it sweeps by the island’s northeastern tip before turning north toward Japan’s southwestern islands. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration urged residents in coastal areas to avoid outdoor activities and driving and be cautious of falling objects. One person was killed Thursday after being swept away by waves in Liuqiu, a small island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan’s main island, according to the fire department. More than 170 other people were injured in the storm. More than 2,600 people have been evacuated from vulnerable, mountainous areas, the government said. All of Taiwan’s 262 domestic flights were canceled, along with 669 international flights, according to the transport ministry. High-speed rail services on the western coast were operating normally. The capital Taipei, in northern Taiwan, saw light showers and gusts of winds. Transportation services including the subway remained open. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visited the island’s Central Emergency Operation Center in New Taipei City, which spans from near the capital to Taiwan’s northern coast. Champi has a massive radius of around 320 kilometers (200 miles), large enough to engulf most of Taiwan. Experts expect its biggest effect…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Two decades after crash, Nepal still searching for new generation of conservation visionaries

23 October 2026 at 10:40
Twenty years after a helicopter crash killed some of Nepal’s most prominent environmental figures, the nation is celebrating ecological gains while grappling with a void in visionary leadership, reports Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi. On Sept. 23, 2006, a Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter crashed near the high-altitude mountain village of Ghunsa, killing all 20 passengers and four crew members. The victims included Gopal Rai, the minister of forests and soil conservation; other senior government officials; a Finnish diplomat; a USAID official; and key WWF staff. They had traveled to Ghunsa to hand over management of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, in the northeastern corner of Nepal, to local communities.  The crash occurred the next day as the group was taking off from Ghunsa. “For the community, this was the beginning,” said Ghana Shyam Gurung, now country representative for WWF Nepal. Seven WWF staff died in the crash, the single greatest loss of life in the history of the organization. Among them were Harka Gurung, Chandra Gurung, and Mingma Norbu Sherpa, and their loss left an institutional vacuum. “We didn’t just lose people that day. We lost the pace we were moving at,”said Sarita Jnawali, a former conservationist with the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). Shiv Raj Bhatta, an ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, who lost key supervisors in the crash, recalled the immediate aftershock. “I wondered how we would ever produce people of that height again,” Bhatta said. The community-based conservation framework championed by that generation laid…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Facing pushback on data centers, tech giants are promising hosts more money and fewer secrets

22 October 2026 at 18:16
With host communities across the U.S. turning against their gargantuan data centers, America’s technology giants are promising to take fewer taxpayer handouts, keep fewer secrets or shower more money onto the communities willing to allow the server warehouses. The promises come as anti-data center sentiment has become a potent issue in the midterm election with control of Congress and 36 governors’ offices on the line. In addition to ramping up financial incentives, officials with Google and Meta said in interviews with The Associated Press they are trying to address mistrust by being more transparent with communities where they would like to build. By Marc Levy and Kaitlyn Huamani, Associated Press Banner image: Anti-data center demonstrators protest at the Pennsylvania state Capitol, Oct. 6, 2026, in Harrisburg, Pa. Image courtesy of Marc Levy, Associated Press. This article was originally published on Mongabay

Deadly gold rush continues as latest landslide kills four in Sumatra

22 October 2026 at 12:13
PADANG, Indonesia — Four gold miners were killed after a hillside in the Jorong Jujutan forest of Sumatra’s South Solok district gave way in the early hours of Oct. 6. The landslide marked the latest fatalities in the so-called artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector, which has killed more than 50 people in just one of Indonesia’s 38 provinces in the last15 years, according to the country’s largest environmental pressure group. Local authorities identified the latest victims as Dani, Defriadi, Rafli and Zul Fatrianto. The men were recovered at around 5 a.m., approximately four hours after the fatal landslip. “The other workers who were nearby attempted to give assistance, but the thick layer of mud and rocks made it impossible to save the four,” the chief of South Solok district police Andreanaldo Ademi told Mongabay Indonesia. Illegal gold mining accidents have repeatedly led to loss of life in Indonesia, including recent landslides that buried miners in the West Sumatra districts of Sijunjung, Solok, South Solok and West Pasaman districts. The West Sumatra office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Indonesia’s largest environmental nonprofit, has recorded 52 deaths among miners in the last 15 years. However, Tommy Adam, director of Walhi’s chapter in West Sumatra, said the true number could be far higher. A gold mine operating in a forest area in Batang, in the upper reaches of the Batang Sangir River, South Solok. Image by Vinolia/Mongabay Indonesia. Global challenges and framework At least 20 million people work…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Rare Indonesian maleo birds face new threat from international exotic pet trade

22 October 2026 at 09:59
Wildlife traffickers are increasingly targeting critically endangered maleo birds from coastal Indonesia for the international exotic pet trade, according to a recent study. In 2024, enforcement agencies recorded three separate seizures totaling 25 live juvenile maleo birds (Macrocephalon maleo) en route to or within India. The ground-dwelling, black-and-white birds are endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Just 4,000 to 7,000 breeding pairs are thought to remain there due to severe habitat destruction and egg poaching, reports Mongabay’s Spoorthy Raman. While all international commercial trade in maleos is banned under Indonesian law and CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, the new study marks the first documented evidence of the species entering illicit international commerce. Researchers found that trafficking syndicates recruited couriers including young couples, families with children, and a single mother. They were offered paid holidays and cash to carry the birds through international transit hubs in Jakarta, Mumbai, and Bangkok to avoid detection. “All evidence we have so far points to a domestic pet market in India,” said study co-author Uttara Mendiratta, a wildlife trade researcher in India and consultant with the Wildlife Trust of India. “We also see social media posts where influencers or celebrities are seen with rare wildlife as pets.” “We were not expecting to see maleos because we have not seen them in international trade before,” said lead author Chris Shepherd, senior conservation advocate at the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity. Shepherd said that while 25 birds may seem like a small number, removing them…This article was originally published on Mongabay

A ‘Treasury of Ice’ goes on show, revealing relics as Swiss glaciers rapidly melt

21 October 2026 at 18:37
LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — A bow once used to fire arrows in an ancient hunt. A crunched tube of mayonnaise and a discarded wine bottle. An alpinist’s cracked helmet. A statuette dating back to Roman times. The Glacier Garden in Lucerne is showcasing artifacts like these in a new exhibit of relics that have emerged from Switzerland’s vaunted glaciers over the years, with more expected to come as global warming accelerates the thaw. The exhibit, whose title translates as “Treasury of Ice” from German, comes as Swiss glaciologists recently reported that Switzerland lost 5.5% of its total glacier volume this year, the second-biggest decline on record. “The glaciers are disappearing very, very fast now and before that completely happens, we want to show to the people that this is a very important and interesting archive of what we will lose, unfortunately,” said Andreas Burri, director of the Glacier Garden, an open-air museum. The exhibit features an array of relics — a cow skull, boots, a primitive sort of Swiss army knife, ski gear — as well as videos from Swiss glaciers, charts showing the level of thaw over the years, and a mockup of a glacier flow. Some, Burri says, was just rubbish. “It’s trash. People either lost it or threw it away. We don’t really know for sure,” he said. “But it does give an idea of the variety of things that are now being found as the glaciers melt away.” The remnants from the ice are stacked on…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Six new calves offer hope amid ongoing threats to Cambodia’s Irrawaddy dolphins

20 October 2026 at 13:55
Cambodia’s population of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins has increased to an estimated 118 individuals since the confirmed birth of six calves this year. They were born along a 120-kilometer (75-mile) stretch of the river in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, in the country’s northeast. Conservation officials say the births are a strong sign that the river’s sole cetaceans can recover if severe environmental threats are curbed, reports contributor Eung Sea for Mongabay. In Cambodia and Laos, Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are regarded as sacred animals representing the ancestral spirit of the river. They also generate vital ecotourism revenue for riverside communities. “Irrawaddy dolphins are very important for our community,” said Heang Koeurn, a boat driver at the Kampi dolphin pool, a 60-meter-deep (nearly 200-foot) stretch of the Mekong that serves as a protected habitat for some 20 Irrawaddy dolphins in Kratie. “People here can make more income from tourists by driving them to see the beauty of Irrawaddy dolphins.” “They are a source of Cambodian national and local pride,” said Ian Baird, a professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the U.S. “They may also inspire people to protect the river and its tributaries from the impacts of more dams in the future.” Yet the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Cambodia’s section of the Mekong remains far below late-1990s estimates of roughly 200 individuals. The steep decline is largely from electrofishing, habitat degradation, and gillnet entanglement, which is especially deadly for calves, Sea reported. Additionally, more than 160 dams…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Wildfire in Indonesia’s Mount Bromo National Park kills 4 firefighters

20 October 2026 at 12:16
MALANG, Indonesia — Four people were killed on Oct. 15 as they fought to contain a wildfire in the east of Java Island at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, a complex of active volcanoes and one of Indonesia’s best-known tourism destinations. The fire took place by a savanna and hillside in a crater visited by hundreds of thousands of domestic and international tourists every year. “Their dedication serves as a reminder that behind every effort to protect nature and society lies struggle, courage, and sacrifice that deserve respect,” said Berton S.P. Panjaitan, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster management agency, the BNPB. Indonesia’s environment minister identified the four victims as Sukaris, a national park civil servant; Wisnu Yuda Pratama and Sefriel Ardiansyah, who were employees of a hotel services company PT Mitra Indo Permai; and Hendra Rony Wagiyanta, a member of the state firefighting unit, Manggala Agni. Hendra, who was evacuated to Tongas hospital in Probolinggo, the nearest town, died due to the injuries hours later. Much of Indonesia’s most severe fire damage occurs in carbon-rich peatlands on the islands of Borneo, New Guinea and Sumatra. Fires are common in other parts of the country, but rarely lead to fatalities. Tanker trucks have been deployed to help extinguish the fire in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park area. Image courtesy of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Forest and land fires on Mount Arjuno, Sept. 2. Sea of sand On Oct. 10, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park officers received notification of…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Typhoon Champi strengthens to Category 5 but moves away from land; Trudy weakens

19 October 2026 at 18:30
Typhoon Champi has moved from the western Pacific into the Philippine Sea and has become a Category 5 super typhoon, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. It had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (258 kph) by late Monday Asia time, and was not near land. Champi earlier passed close to Guam, and the governors of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands requested emergency disaster declarations Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump approved the emergency declaration for Guam. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal assistance was available for the territory to supplement local response efforts. Airports, harbors and some health facilities in the territories were closed. Relief supplies were unlikely to reach the islands for three to five days, FEMA said Saturday. Meanwhile, former hurricane Trudy weakened to a tropical storm early Monday after it lashed parts of Mexico’s Pacific coast with rain and winds. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (100 kph) and was moving west at 6 mph (9 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Trudy was moving away from the coast and its center was forecast to pass south of the Baja California Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday. Some further rainfall was possible in the region where the ground has been saturated by successive storms. By Associated Press Banner image: This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken on Thursday, Oct. 15 2026, shows Hurricane Trudy in the Pacific. Image courtesy…This article was originally published on Mongabay

Fundraising to protect oceans, forests and other key nature sites falling short ahead of UN summit

16 October 2026 at 18:54
Promises by nations to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to finance nature and increase protections for oceans around the globe are falling short ahead of a key U.N. biodiversity conference. The warnings from the head of the conference and environmental groups comes as the countries gather Monday in Yerevan, Armenia for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP17. The conference running from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30 is a chance for countries to take stock of their progress after agreeing to a historic deal in 2022. Countries agreed to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030 and raise at least $200 billion by 2030. By Michael Casey, Associated Press Banner image: Flamingos feed at Duden Lake near the town of Kulu, in Konya province, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Image courtesy of Emrah GurelThis article was originally published on Mongabay

Heavy rain shuts down Istanbul, causing flooding and 3 deaths

15 October 2026 at 22:36
ISTANBUL (AP) — A heavy downpour has shut down Istanbul, flooded homes and roads and killed at least three people, officials said Thursday, as rescuers evacuated hundreds of stranded people. The downpour Wednesday night flooded homes and businesses and inundated roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles and causing traffic chaos in Turkey’s largest city. In some neighborhoods, the floods swept away cars, sending them crashing into one another. It was the heaviest rainfall in the city in 83 years, said Murat Kurum, the minister for the environment, urbanization and climate change. The Istanbul governor’s office on Thursday reported three deaths in the city and said five other people were reported missing. A 14-year-old was electrocuted after stepping in a puddle at a park in the Fatih district, and a 34-year-old slipped on a sidewalk in the Sariyer district and hit their head, local media reports said. The governor’s office said the body of a third victim was discovered near another park in the Kagithane district. More than 3,000 people who were stranded by the floods were safely evacuated throughout the city, Kurum said. The minister, who will chair the U.N. climate change conference, COP31, in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya next month, linked the floods to the climate crisis. “Climate change is no longer an issue of the future; it is the most important issue of today,” he told reporters. “Unfortunately, climate change is affecting rainfall patterns. We are now facing more intense rainfall events.” In Sakarya province, around 150…This article was originally published on Mongabay

❌