Dozens of bushfires burning across Australia’s east coast could get worse as a severe heatwave continues, fire services have warned. After two years of rains and floods, a return to warmer conditions has sparked New South Wales state’s worst fires since the 2019/2020 “Black Summer”. A blaze 250km (155 miles) north-west of Sydney triggered the region’s first emergency fire warning in two years. Firefighters reported battling 10-15m (49ft) high flames. Residents in affected areas across New South Wales – Australia’s most populous state – have been urged to evacuate, and there are reports of damage to some properties. Temperatures in … Continue reading Dozens of bushfires spread as heat grips Australia’s east

France is facing drought restrictions after its driest winter for more than 60 years. Following a month of no significant rainfall, the country is now in a state of alert. Local officials will gather on Monday to assess the situation “territory by territory”, Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Béchu has said. Last year was France’s hottest year on record, according to national weather agency Météo-France. Records were broken elsewhere in Europe – in the UK, Spain and Italy. The hot temperatures triggered drought conditions that many regions are yet to recover from. Snowfall in the Italian Alps is down by 53% … Continue reading French drought alert after driest winter since 1959

Temperatures for January have reached an all-time high in a number of nations across Europe. National records have fallen in eight countries – and regional records in another three. Warsaw, Poland, saw 18.9C (66F) on Sunday while Bilbao, Spain, was 25.1C – more than 10C above average. The mild European weather comes as North America faces more severe storms, days after a deadly winter cold snap left more than 60 dead. Heavy snow and freezing rain have been forecast for parts of the northern Midwest while severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. But on the … Continue reading Winter heat records smashed all over Europe

US President Joe Biden’s administration will help fund the move of three tribal communities facing urgent threats from climate change. The three tribes will receive $75m divided equally between them, Mr Biden announced on Wednesday. All are located along coastal areas and rivers in the states of Alaska and Washington. The money will fund the move of key buildings and residential homes to higher ground, away from rising waters. Mr Biden made the funding announcement at the White House during the Interior Department’s Tribal Nations Summit. In his remarks, he said the tribes receiving funding are “at risk of being … Continue reading US to pay $75m to relocate tribes facing flood threat

A historic deal has been struck at the UN’s COP27 summit that will see rich nations pay poorer countries for the damage and economic losses caused by climate change. It ends almost 30 years of waiting by nations facing huge climate impacts. But developed nations left dissatisfied over progress on cutting fossil fuels. “A clear commitment to phase-out all fossil fuels? Not in this text,” said the UK’s Alok Sharma, who was president of the previous COP summit in Glasgow. This year’s talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, came close to collapse, and overran by two days. Luke-warm applause met the … Continue reading Climate costs deal struck at COP27 but no fossil fuel progress

Florida is bracing for a rare November hurricane as Nicole churns off the state’s Atlantic Coast. The huge category one hurricane has lashed Grand Bahama Island and is forecast to hit Florida overnight. Nicole has already grounded flights and shut theme parks and schools in the state ahead of its projected landfall. Since record-keeping began in 1853, Florida has had only two hurricanes strike in November, in 1935 and 1985. Nicole would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the US this late in the season in 40 years. The storm is expected to hit south-eastern or east-central Florida … Continue reading Florida braces for unusual November storm

Parts of France and Spain are seeing an unusually warm late October, with bathers enjoying water temperatures of 20-21C on the French Riviera. “This year is exceptional,” Rose-Marie Martini told Reuters news agency as she tanned on the beach at Nice. “At the end of October it cools down normally and by All Saints Day [1 November] it usually rains.” Millions anxious about the jump in Europe’s fuel prices will not have to turn on their heating just yet. However, it may also be a sign of changing weather patterns after a summer which saw extreme heat in Europe, with … Continue reading France and Spain to experience an unsually warm weather stream

Australia has legislated a climate target for the first time, with a promise to slash emissions by at least 43% by 2030 passing the parliament. The country is one of the world’s biggest emitters per capita, and the target brings it more in line with other developed countries. But critics say government plans to reach the target are lacking detail. Some have been demanding a higher goal as well as a ban on new fossil fuel projects in the country. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lauded the new law – the Climate Change Bill, as an end to a … Continue reading Australia passes major new climate bill

Top French football club Paris St-Germain has been criticised following a joke about the team using a private plane for a short journey. Head coach Christophe Galtier and star player Kylian Mbappé were asked about the French champions’ recent jet trip to the western city of Nantes. Mbappe laughed and Galtier said the club was looking into the possibility of travelling by sand yacht, instead. French politicians urged the club to be more responsible over the environment. PSG won 3-0 at Nantes on Saturday, but the controversy started on Sunday when a senior official from French train operator SNCF tweeted: … Continue reading PSG football coach faces backlash over ‘sand yacht’ response to private jet question

Some 180,000 residents in Jackson, Mississippi have “indefinitely” lost access to reliable running water after excessive rainfall and flooding. Rising floodwaters over the weekend breached the city’s main water treatment facility, bringing it to the brink of collapse. A state of emergency has been declared, and schools, restaurants and businesses have temporarily closed. The city had already been under a boil-water notice for a month. Problems at the OB Curtis Water Plant began after heavy rains caused the Pearl River to crest and spill over onto city streets over the weekend. City hall confirmed on Monday that river water had … Continue reading US state of Mississippi has ‘no water to drink or flush toilets’

One-third of Pakistan has been completely submerged by historic flooding, its climate minister says. Devastating flash floods have washed away roads, homes and crops – leaving a trail of deadly havoc across Pakistan. “It’s all one big ocean, there’s no dry land to pump the water out,” Sherry Rehman said, calling it a “crisis of unimaginable proportions.” At least 1,136 people have died since the monsoon season began in June, according to officials. The summer rain is the heaviest recorded in a decade and is blamed by the government on climate change. “Literally, one-third of Pakistan is underwater right now, … Continue reading Historic Floods: One third of Pakistan is under water

Powerful storms have battered areas of central and southern Europe, killing at least 13 people including three children. The deaths, most from falling trees, were reported in Italy and Austria, and on the French island of Corsica. Heavy rain and winds wrecked campsites on the island, while in Venice, Italy, masonry was blown off the belltower of St Mark’s Basilica. The storms follow weeks of heatwave and drought across much of the continent. In Corsica, winds gusting up to 224 km/h (140mph) uprooted trees and damaged mobile homes. Authorities there said a 13-year-old girl was killed by a falling tree … Continue reading Tragic:13 people including children dead in Europe storms