Climate Change & Environment
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4 Tigers Rescued from Argentina Get New Home in South Africa

Four Bengal tigers rescued from years of captivity in a train carriage in Argentina have been released into open-air enclosures in South Africa.

After a journey of more than 70 hours from Argentina, the tigers stepped from their crates into open-air enclosures at the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa's central Free State province.

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German Official Says Ukraine War will Boost Low-Emissions Tech

A senior German official predicted Tuesday that the war in Ukraine and its impact on fossil fuel prices worldwide will provide a "massive boost" for the means and measures needed to curb climate change.

Patrick Graichen, Germany's deputy energy and climate minister, said rising global prices for oil, gas and coal will accelerate the uptake of low-emission technology that simultaneously reduces countries' reliance on imports from Russia.

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Death Toll in Mozambique from Cyclone Gombe Rises to 15

Cyclone Gombe has flooded large areas of northern and central Mozambique, killing 15 people, officials said.

The dead include five members of the same family in the Angoche coastal area of Nampula province, Governor Mety Gondola said. The number of injured is now at least 50, the prime minister's office announced.

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Dust from Sahara Gives Gritty Tinge to Spain's Skies

Spain issued extremely poor air quality ratings for Madrid and a large swath of the country Tuesday after a mass of hot air from the Sahara dumped dust after crossing the Mediterranean.

The national air quality index qualified as "extremely unfavorable" — its worst rating — the capital and large parts of the southeast coast.

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Peru's 'Worst Ecological Disaster' Slams Small-Scale Fishing

Walter de la Cruz scrambled down a large sand dune in the fog to reach a rock overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where he has fished for three decades. He cast a hook into the waters off Peru's coast several times, with no luck. One attempt yielded a piece of plastic stained with oil.

De la Cruz, 60, is one of more than 2,500 fishermen whose livelihoods have been cast into doubt as a result of a large crude-oil spill at the Spanish-owned Repsol oil refinery on Jan. 15.

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Court Rules Australian Minister has No Climate Duty of Care

An appeals court on Tuesday overturned a groundbreaking ruling that Australia's environment minister had a duty to protect younger people against climate change.

Three Federal Court judges ruled for a variety of reasons that the court should not impose on Environment Minister Sussan Ley a duty of care.

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As Cairo Transforms, Egyptians Fight to Save their Trees

A few months ago, Choucri Asmar decided he wasn't ready to give up hope. So he led a group of residents in "a peaceful demonstration to protect the trees" of his Cairo neighborhood.

Egyptian authorities were planning to clear out a large avenue of ficus, acacia and palm trees — part of sweeping urban redevelopment projects that are transforming much of historic Cairo.

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U.S. Officials Reverse Course on Pesticide's Harm to Wildlife

U.S. wildlife officials reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic pesticide could jeopardize dozens of plants and animals with extinction, after receiving pledges from chemical manufacturers that they will change product labels for malathion so that it's used more carefully by gardeners, farmers and other consumers.

Federal rules for malathion are under review in response to longstanding concerns that the pesticide used on mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other insects also kills many rare plants and animals. A draft finding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last April said malathion could threaten 78 imperiled species with extinction and cause lesser harm to many more.

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Changing Snowfall Makes it Harder to Fight Fire with Fire

Dripping flaming fuel as they go, a line of workers slowly descends a steep, snow-covered hillside above central Colorado's South Platte River, torching piles of woody debris that erupt into flames shooting two stories high.

It's winter in the Rocky Mountains, and fresh snow cover allowed the crew of 11 to safely confine the controlled burn.

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U.N., Member States in Lebanon, Civil Society Celebrate Women Leading Fight against Environmental Degradation, Climate Change

Today on March 8, International Women’s Day, the United Nations celebrates the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are "leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all," a U.N. statement said.

"We are not only celebrating their efforts to alleviate the severe and lasting impacts of climate change on our environmental, economic, and social development, but also their integral role in sustaining viable communities," the statement said.

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