Alpine village is largely destroyed after Swiss glacier collapse causes 'major catastrophe'
28 May 2025 - A huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier thundered down a Swiss mountainside on Wednesday [28 May], sending plumes of dust skyward and coating with mud nearly all of an Alpine village that authorities had evacuated earlier this month as a precaution. (more)

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn
28 May 2025 - Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world's top weather agencies forecast. 'Higher global mean temperatures may sound abstract, but it translates in real life to a higher chance of extreme weather: stronger hurricanes, stronger precipitation, droughts,' said Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn't part of the calculations but said they made sense. 'So higher global mean temperatures translates to more lives lost.' (more)

Fires drove record loss of world's forests last year, 'frightening' data shows
21 May 2025 - The destruction of the world's forests reached the highest level ever recorded in 2024, driven by a surge in fires caused by global heating, according to 'frightening' new data. ...In tropical regions, home to the most biodiverse and carbon-dense forests on the planet, fire became the leading driver of loss for the first time since global records began. However, fire is not a natural part of tropical ecosystems. Boreal forests in Canada and Siberia continued to burn last year. (more)

'World Bee Day,' the bees did not seem bothered. They should be
20 May 2025 - On the eighth annual 'World Bee Day,' the bees did not seem bothered. They should be. Bees and other pollinators have been on the decline for years, and experts blame a combination of factors: insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. A significant part of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by bees -- not just honeybees, but hundreds of species of lesser-known wild bees, many of which are endangered. (more)

Bees face new threats from wars, street lights, and microplastics, scientists warn
19 May 2025 - University of Reading report says conflicts including war in Ukraine among 12 most pressing threats to pollinator. War zones, microplastics, and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists. (more)

Ten dead in 'brutal' attacks by ISIS-linked militants on Mozambique wildlife reserve
18 May 2025 - Thousands have been displaced and conservation work halted as series of killings jeopardizes decades of work in Niassa, one of Africa's biggest protected areas. Conservationists in Niassa reserve, Mozambique, say decades of work to rebuild populations of lions, elephants, and other keystone species are being jeopardized, as conservation operations grind to a halt. (more)

How herbicide drift from farms is harming trees in Midwest
16 May 2025 - Researchers are starting to pay closer attention to the widespread damage wrought by agricultural herbicides. Drifting sprays may not kill trees, shrubs, and other nontarget plants outright, but experts believe they are making them vulnerable to insects, fungi, and disease. (more)

U.S. press freedom falls to historical low
2 May 2025 - Press freedom in the United States has hit a record low, according to the latest World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders. Press freedom in the U.S. now falls in line with developing countries, such as Gambia, Uruguay, and Sierra Leone. (more)