Climate Change & Environment
Latest stories
Wildlife trade now 'serious offense' under Singapore organized crime law

Wildlife trafficking is now a "serious offence" under Singapore's organized crime law, the city-state's interior ministry has said, with those prosecuted under the code subject to sentences of up to 20 years behind bars.

W140 Full Story
Slow tropical storm dumps heavy rain around Tokyo

A slow-moving tropical storm had a far-reaching impact in much of Japan on Friday, dumping heavy rain around Tokyo and flooding roads and riverside areas in the south.

Flooding was reported in a number of areas in Kanagawa prefecture, west of Tokyo, where floodwater blocked roads, stalling vehicles and traffic. Warnings for heavy rain and potential landslides included the densely populated capital, Kanagawa and nearby Shizuoka prefecture.

W140 Full Story
Mudslide triggered by heavy monsoon rain kills 12 people in northwest Pakistan

A mudslide triggered by heavy monsoon rain hit a house in a remote part of northwestern Pakistan, killing 12 people, mostly children, a rescue official said Friday.

Inayat Ali, an official of the state-run emergency service, said the mudslide happened overnight in Upper Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near Afghanistan. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of nine children, two women and a man.

W140 Full Story
Climate-related mass die-off leaves over 100 tons of dead fish collecting at Greek port

More than 100 tons of dead fish were collected in and around the port of Volos in central Greece after a mass die-off linked to extreme weather fluctuations, authorities said Thursday.

The dead freshwater fish filled the bay 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Athens, and nearby rivers. Water levels were swollen by floods in 2023, followed by months of severe drought.

W140 Full Story
16 dead in Yemen floods as search goes on

At least 16 people have been killed in flash floods in a rebel-held district of Yemen, rebel media reported Thursday, as search efforts continued for others still missing.

W140 Full Story
Newborn rattlesnakes at Colorado 'mega den' make live debut

A "mega den" of hundreds of rattlesnakes in Colorado is getting even bigger now that late summer is here and babies are being born.

Thanks to livestream video, scientists studying the den on a craggy hillside in Colorado are learning more about these enigmatic — and often misunderstood — reptiles. They're observing as the youngsters, called pups, slither over and between adult females on lichen-encrusted rocks.

W140 Full Story
People in Brazil's Amazon are choking on smoke, feeling rainforest wildfires heat

Smoke from wildfires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest Wednesday was causing people in the region to cough, burning their throats and reddening their eyes.

Large swaths of the country have been draped in smoke in recent days, resulting from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo.

W140 Full Story
Strong storm lashes Japan with torrential rains, strong winds on slow crawl northeast

A strong storm lashed southern Japan with torrential rain and strong winds Thursday, causing at least three deaths as it started a crawl up the length of the archipelago and raised concerns of flooding, landslides and extensive damage.

Tropical storm Shanshan made landfall Thursday morning as a powerful typhoon on the southern island of Kyushu and then gradually lost strength, though it was still forecast to bring strong winds, high waves and significant rainfall to most of the country, particularly on Kyushu.

W140 Full Story
Salmon will soon swim freely in Klamath River for first time in century

For the first time in more than a century, salmon will soon have free passage along the Klamath River and its tributaries — a major watershed near the California-Oregon border — as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion.

Crews will use excavators this week to breach rock dams that have been diverting water upstream of two dams that were already almost completely removed, Iron Gate and Copco No. 1. The work will allow the river to flow freely in its historic channel, giving salmon a passageway to key swaths of habitat just in time for the fall Chinook, or king salmon, spawning season.

W140 Full Story
Typhoon Shanshan dumps rain on southern Japan, leaving 3 injured and 3 missing

A typhoon moving at bicycle speed began dumping rain on southern Japan on a path that will bring strong winds, high waves and significant rainfall to most of the country, prompting weather officials to issue the highest-level warnings Wednesday.

Three people were injured and three others were missing due to a storm-related landslide and driving accident.

W140 Full Story