Month: November 2024

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Human-caused climate change made Atlantic hurricanes about 29 kilometers per hour (18 miles per hour) stronger in the last six years, a new scientific study found Wednesday.  For most of the storms — 40 of them — the extra oomph from warmer oceans made the storms jump an entire hurricane category, according to the study published in the journal, Environmental Research: Climate. A Category 5 storm causes more than 400 times the damage of a minimal Category 1 hurricane, more than 140 times the damage of a minimal Category 3 hurricane and more than five times the damage of a minimal Category 4 storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  For three storms, including this month's Rafael, the climate change factor goosed wind speed so much…

NEW YORK — Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought. Astronomers know that the universe is being pushed apart at an accelerating rate and they have puzzled for decades over what could possibly be speeding everything up. They theorize that a powerful, constant force is at play, one that fits nicely with the main mathematical model that describes how the universe behaves. But they can't see it and they don't know where it comes from, so they call it dark energy. It is so vast it is thought to make up nearly 70% of the universe — while ordinary matter like all the stars and planets and people make up just 5%. But findings published earlier this…

CHEYENNE, Wyoming — A state judge on Monday struck down Wyoming's overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy.  Since 2022, Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens has ruled consistently three times to block the laws while they were disputed in court.  The decision marks another victory for abortion rights advocates after voters in seven states passed measures in support of access.  One Wyoming law that Owens said violated women's rights under the state constitution bans abortion except to protect a pregnant woman's life or in cases involving rape and incest. The other made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, though other states have instituted de facto bans on the medication by broadly prohibiting abortion.  The laws were challenged…

California's public health department reported a possible case of bird flu in a child with mild respiratory symptoms on Tuesday, but said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus and that the child's family members tested negative. California officials said they have sent test specimens from the child to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. A CDC spokesperson said the agency is aware of the presumptive positive case of H5 avian influenza, is collaborating with the state's investigation, and will provide further updates promptly. The agency has said the risk to the general public remains low. Although human infections in the United States have been rare, bird flu has infected 53 people since April, according to the CDC, most recently a person in…

London — As the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan enters its final days, there are growing frustrations over the apparent lack of progress toward securing a deal on climate finance, which is seen as a crucial step in reducing emissions and limiting global warming. Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s COP29 president, called on delegates to show more urgency. “People have told me that they are concerned about the state of the negotiations,” Babayev told delegates Monday. “It's time for them to move faster. This week we will welcome ministers from around the world as the negotiations reach their final stage. “Politicians have the power to reach a fair and ambitious deal. They must deliver on this responsibility. They must engage immediately and constructively,” he said. Climate finance Money is at the center…

NAIROBI, KENYA — The spread of a mosquito in East Africa that thrives in urban areas and is immune to insecticide is fueling a surge in malaria that could reverse decades of progress against the disease, experts say. Africa accounted for about 95% of the 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths worldwide in 2022, according to the most recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which said children under 5 accounted for 80% of deaths in the region. But the emergence of an invasive species of mosquito on the continent could massively increase those numbers.  Anopheles stephensi is native to parts of South Asia and the Middle East but was spotted for the first time in the tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti in 2012. Djibouti had all…

Cancer patients and advocates are urging authorities in Zimbabwe to ensure cancer centers have lifesaving equipment needed to properly treat patients. Some patients say public hospitals do not have working machines to provide radiotherapy. Columbus Mavhunga has more from Harare. (Camera: Columbus Mavhunga) ...

warsaw, poland — Poland's health authorities on Monday urged polio vaccinations for children after the virus was detected in Warsaw's sewage during regular tests this month. The state Main Sanitary Inspectorate in a statement said the presence of the virus does not necessarily mean people have been sick, but those who have not been vaccinated against polio could be at risk. The vaccinations are free in Poland for people under 19. New measures also include more intensive testing of Warsaw's sewage, renewing the vaccination stocks and updating the list of children still unvaccinated. Polio is most often spread by contact with waste from an infected person or, less frequently, through contaminated water or food. The polio virus mostly affects children under 5. Most people infected don't have symptoms, but in severe…

BAKU, Azerbaijan — United Nations climate talks resumed Monday with negotiators urged to make progress on a stalled-out deal that could see developing countries get more money to spend on clean energy and adapting to climate-charged weather extremes. U.N. Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell called for countries to "cut the theatrics and get down to real business." "We will only get the job done if Parties are prepared to step forward in parallel, bringing us closer to common ground," Stiell said to a room of delegates in Baku, Azerbaijan. "I know we can get this done." Climate and environment ministers from around the world have arrived at the summit to help push the talks forward. "Politicians have the power to reach a fair and ambitious deal," said COP29 President Mukhtar…

In New York City, where some communities have limited access to fresh produce, a unique classroom program is teaching students how to grow their own food and improve their eating habits. Aron Ranen has more on how gardening is shaping healthier futures for kids. ...

NEW DELHI — Authorities in India's capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season. Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. It rose further into the severe category, according to SAFAR, the country's main environmental agency, which measures tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs. The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the capital, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays. In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit. Forecasts say the…

The World Bank is helping Malawi's vulnerable communities address the impact of the climate-related disasters, such as cyclones and drought, that the country has been facing since 2022. Participants say increased community involvement would lead to more immediate outcomes from the program. Lameck Masina reports from the Karonga District in northern Malawi ...

BEIRUT — Declassified 1970s-era U.S. spy satellite imagery has led a British-Iraqi archeological team to what they believe is the site of a seventh-century battle that became decisive in the spread of Islam throughout the region. The Battle of al-Qadisiyah was fought in Mesopotamia — in present-day Iraq — in the A.D. 630s between Arab Muslims and the army of the Sassanid Persian dynasty during a period of Muslim expansion. The Arab army prevailed and continued on its march into Persia, now Iran. A joint team of archeologists from the U.K.'s Durham University and the University of Al-Qadisiyah stumbled across the site while undertaking a remote sensing survey to map the Darb Zubaydah, a pilgrimage route from Iraq's Kufa to Mecca in Saudi Arabia built more than 1,000 years ago. The…

NEW YORK — Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.  The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.  The individual was isolating at home and health workers are reaching out to close contacts as a precaution, the state health department said.  Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that's in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. Milder symptoms can include fever, chills…

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Chris Wright, the founder of an oilfield services company, to lead the Energy Department, as his new administration continues to take shape.  The transition team officially announced the choice on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, Trump announced a new National Energy Council to be led by his Interior Department pick, former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. In this role, Burgum will direct a panel that crosses all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, Trump said in a statement. As chairman of the National Energy Council, Burgum will have a seat on the National Security Council, the president-elect said.  Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy based in Denver, Colorado, has no political experience. He is an advocate for the…

paris — Climate change is responsible for nearly a fifth of the record number of dengue cases worldwide this year, U.S. researchers said Saturday, seeking to shine a light on how rising temperatures help spread disease.  Researchers have been working to demonstrate how human-driven climate change directly contributes to individual extreme weather events such as the hurricanes, fires, droughts and floods that have battered the world this year.  But linking how global warming affects health — such as driving outbreaks or spreading disease — remains a new field.  "Dengue is a really good first disease to focus on because it's very climate sensitive," Erin Mordecai, an infectious disease ecologist at Stanford University, told AFP.  The viral disease, which is transmitted via bites from infected mosquitoes, causes fever and body aches and…

RIO DE JANEIRO — As Brazil prepares to welcome leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies for the Group of 20 summit, another event is taking place in Rio de Janeiro, one that brings global civil society to together for pivotal discussions. The Brazil G20 Social Summit, an initiative by the Brazilian government, marks the first event at which citizens from around the world, as well as nonprofits and community organizations, are invited to participate in a series of smaller conferences. One of the most talked-about initiatives is the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger — a group proposed by Brazil’s government to raise funds and implement policies aimed at reducing hunger worldwide. Wellington Dias, Brazil’s minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger, told VOA this initiative…

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Hundreds of activists formed a human chain outside one of the main plenary halls at the United Nations climate summit on what is traditionally their biggest protest day during the two-week talks. The demonstration in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be echoed at sites around the world in a global “day of action” for climate justice that's become an annual event. Activists waved flags, snapped their fingers, hummed and mumbled chants, with many covering their mouths with the word “Silenced.” Demonstrators held up signs calling for more money to be pledged for climate finance, which involves cash for transitioning to clean energy and adapting to climate change. It comes as negotiators at the venue try to hammer out a deal for exactly that — but progress has been slow, and…

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — The United Nation's climate chief urged G20 nations on Saturday to push COP29 negotiations toward a deal to raise money for developing nations, warning there was a "long way to go." Negotiators worked through the night to narrow their differences at the U.N. talks in Baku before ministers arrive next week for the final days of the summit, but major differences remain. U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell appealed for leaders of the Group of 20 nations, which includes the world's biggest economies and top polluters, to weigh in when they meet in Brazil on Monday. "As G20 Leaders head to Rio de Janeiro, the world is watching and expecting strong signals that climate action is core business for the world's biggest economies," Stiell said in a statement. Some…

WINCHESTER, England — In the half-light of dusk, Martin Edwards surveys the shadows of the ancient woodland from a high seat and waits. He sits still, watching with his thermal camera. Even the hares don't seem to notice the deer stalker until he takes aim. The bang of his rifle pierces the stillness. He's killed a buck, one of many wild deer roaming this patch of forest in Hampshire, southern England. Edwards advocates humane deer management: the culling of deer to control their numbers and ensure they don't overrun forests and farmland in a country where they no longer have natural predators. For these advocates, shooting deer is much more than a sport. It's a necessity because England's deer population has gotten out of control. There are now more deer in…

LONDON — There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight. Among them are normally innocuous statements such as, "Feel better soon" or "Wishing you a quick recovery," the Kenyan businesswoman said, shaking her head. Gichohi, 41, knows such phrases are well-intentioned. "I think you have to accept, for me, it’s not going to happen." Recent scientific studies shed new light on the experience of millions of patients like Gichohi. They suggest the longer someone is sick, the lower their chances of making a full recovery. The best window for recovery is in the first six months after getting COVID-19, with better…