Toyota debuts hydrogen-fueled Corolla race car as auto racing begins shift away from gas guzzlers
June 1, 2023 GMTOYAMA, Japan (AP) — In a sprawling circuit near Mount Fuji, a humble Corolla running on liquid hydrogen has made its racing debut, part of a move to bring the futuristic technology into the racing world and to demonstrate Toyota’s resolve to develop green vehicles.
NAHA, Japan (AP) — A weakened Tropical Storm Mawar headed toward Japan's southern archipelago of Okinawa on Thursday, leading businesses and the airport to close and fishermen to batten down their boats in preparation.
Debt ceiling deal advances pipeline and tweaks environmental rules. But more work remains.
June 1, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Despite weeks of negotiations, the White House and House Republicans were unable to reach a comprehensive agreement to overhaul environmental regulations and streamline federal permitting as part of their debt ceiling deal, instead settling for limited changes that could simplify some project reviews.
Judge dismisses criminal charges against California energy company in 2020 fatal wildfire
June 1, 2023 GMTREDDING, Calif. (AP) — A California judge on Wednesday dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in connection to a 2020 fatal wildfire sparked by its equipment that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people, including an 8-year-old.
Born in a typhoon: Many, including newborns, remain without electricity as Guam recovers from storm
June 1, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — About a week after Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in over two decades, most of the island remained without electricity and the governor appealed for patience during a recovery process expected to take at least a month.
Officials: Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle
June 1, 2023 GMTIMMOKALEE, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the fourth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of four total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
ATLANTA (AP) — Police on Wednesday arrested three Atlanta organizers who have been aiding protesters against the city's proposed police and fire training center, striking at the structure that supports the fight against what opponents derisively call “Cop City.”
Corporate Amazon workers protest company’s climate impact and return-to-office mandate in walkout
June 1, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Telling executives to “strive harder,” hundreds of corporate Amazon workers protested what they decried as the company's lack of progress on climate goals and an inequitable return-to-office mandate during a lunchtime demonstration at its Seattle headquarters Wednesday.
Man pleads guilty to picking up Yellowstone bison calf that was rejected by herd, euthanized
May 31, 2023 GMTMAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) — A man from Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge alleging he picked up a bison calf in Yellowstone National Park, causing the animal's herd to reject it and leading park officials to kill it rather than allow it to be a hazard to visitors.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California grapples with how to deal with heat waves made more intense by climate change, schools in the state may soon have to come up with plans for cooling down outside play areas by planting more trees and replacing surfaces like asphalt that swelter on hot days.
Earth is ‘really quite sick now’ and in danger zone in nearly all ecological ways, study says
May 31, 2023 GMTEarth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into “the danger zone,” not just for an overheating planet that's losing its natural areas, but for the well-being of people living on it, according to a new study.
It’s time to prepare for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season
May 31, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — It's time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — An unprecedented string of wildfires in Canada's Atlantic-coast province of Nova Scotia continued to burn out of control for a fourth day on Wednesday, preventing thousands of evacuees from trying to see if their homes have been destroyed.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Thirteen coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are being sued over unpaid penalties for previous mining law violations that the federal government says pose health and safety risks or threaten environmental harm.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — An unprecedented string of wildfires in Canada's Atlantic-coast province of Nova Scotia continued to burn out of control for a fourth day on Wednesday, preventing thousands of evacuees from trying to see if their homes have been destroyed.
Triple-whammy of cyclones, a 1-in-200-year event, drove Italy’s deadly flooding, scientists say
May 31, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — A rare, triple-whammy of cyclones drove the deadly flooding that devastated much of northern Italy this month, but scientists said Wednesday that climate change doesn't seem to be to blame for the intense rainfall.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — For most of the year, California's quest to rid itself of fossil fuels seems on track: Electric cars populate highways while energy from wind, solar and water provides much of the power for homes and businesses.
A consumer class action lawsuit filed Tuesday claims Delta Air Lines inaccurately billed itself as the world's “first carbon-neutral airline” and should pay damages. The complaint in federal court in California alleges the airline relied on carbon offsets that were largely bogus.
The details of the deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are out. The 99-page bill produced from their agreement Sunday would avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. But the two leaders still have to persuade Congress to pass the bill.
Hawaii reopens popular stretch of Waikiki beach after endangered monk seal pup weans
May 30, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A young Hawaiian monk seal has weaned and relocated, allowing a stretch of a popular Hawaii beach to reopen Tuesday after it was made off-limits to protect the endangered pup while it nursed.
Body of avalanche victim in Washington state recovered after being spotted by volunteer
May 30, 2023 GMTLEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — Search crews have recovered the body of a climber who was one of three killed in an avalanche on Washington's Colchuck Peak in February.
Nevada fight over leaky irrigation canal and groundwater more complicated than appears on surface
May 30, 2023 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Water conflicts are nothing new to the arid West, where myriad users long have vied for their share of the precious resource from California's Central Valley to the Colorado and Missouri rivers.
No kidding: California overtime law threatens use of grazing goats to prevent wildfires
May 30, 2023 GMTWEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the White House next week for talks on Ukraine, climate issues and more.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — Passenger rail service has been restored along a section of the Southern California coast a month after a landslide damaged a historic building and threatened seaside tracks.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities said Tuesday that a beluga whale, which was first spotted in Arctic Norway four years ago with an apparent Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian military facility, has been seen off Sweden's coast nearly 2,000 kilometers (around 1,250 miles) to the south.
Tesla’s Musk meets Chinese foreign minister, who calls for ‘mutual respect’ in US-China relations
May 30, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister met Tesla Ltd. CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday and said strained U.S.-Chinese relations require “mutual respect,” while delivering a message of reassurance that foreign companies are welcome.
Toyota, Daimler Truck, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso joining forces in ecological technology
May 30, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — German truck maker Daimler, Japan’s top automaker Toyota and two other automakers said Tuesday they will work together on new technologies, including using hydrogen fuel, to help fight climate change.
Offshore Typhoon Mawar lashes eastern Taiwan, northern Philippines as it heads for southern Japan
May 30, 2023 GMTYILAN, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Mawar lashed Taiwan's eastern coast with wind, rain and large waves Tuesday but largely skirted the island after giving a glancing blow to the northern Philippines. The storm was moving slowly toward southern Japan.
Struggles continue for thousands in Florida 8 months after Hurricane Ian as new storm season looms
May 29, 2023 GMTFORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight months ago, chef Michael Cellura had a restaurant job and had just moved into a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach. Now, after Hurricane Ian swept all that away, he lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old long-haired chihuahua named Ginger.
ATLANTA (AP) — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has reached its full power output for the first time and is scheduled to enter commercial operation within the next month.
4 dead after tourist boat capsizes in storm on Italian lake
May 29, 2023 GMTMILAN (AP) — A body was retrieved early Monday in a northern Italian lake by police divers, raising to four the final death toll in the capsizing of a tourist boat a day earlier during a sudden, violent storm that included a whirlwind.
PARIS (AP) — A United Nations committee met in Paris Monday to work on what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement yet on what the outcome should be.
Thousands evacuated as Philippines warns of flooding, landslides from approaching Typhoon Mawar
May 29, 2023 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials began evacuating thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and imposed a no-sail ban Monday as Typhoon Mawar approached the country’s northern provinces a week after battering the U.S.
UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali, call for urgent aid
May 29, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Two U.N. agencies warned Monday of rising food emergencies including starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti,Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods.
EL PRAT DE LLOBREGAT, Spain (AP) — Where once the population of Barcelona drank mostly from its rivers and wells, Spain’s second city now relies upon a labyrinth-like mesh of green, blue and purple pipes inside an industrial plant to keep it from going thirsty amid a prolonged drought.
Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing
May 29, 2023 GMTEWA BEACH, Hawaii (AP) — Brian Keaulana is the quintessential Native Hawaiian waterman, well-known in Hawaii and beyond for his deep understanding of the ocean, gifted with surfing and lifeguarding skills passed down from his big-wave rider father.
NEW YORK (AP) — If rising oceans aren’t worry enough, add this to the risks New York City faces: The metropolis is slowly sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers, homes, asphalt and humanity itself.
Coca-Cola 600 postponed until Monday due to wet weather
May 28, 2023 GMTCONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Motor Speedway has announced the Coca-Cola 600 has been postponed until Monday due to wet weather.
The Cup Series race will begin at 3 p.m. ET. NASCAR has moved the Xfinity Series up to an 11 a.m.
Venice police investigate bright green liquid in Grand Canal
May 28, 2023 GMTMILAN (AP) — Police in Venice are investigating the source of a phosphorescent green liquid patch that appeared Sunday in the city’s famed Grand Canal.
The governor of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, posted a photo of the green liquid that spread through the water near the arched Rialto Bridge.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has been at the forefront of the fight against climate change and the protection of nature for years. But it now finds itself under pressure from within to pause new environmental efforts amid fears they will hurt the economy.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen in the U.S.'s only commercial-scale fishing industry for valuable baby eels once again had a productive season searching for the tiny fish.
Baby eels, called elvers, are often worth more than $2,000 per pound because of how valuable they are to Asian aquaculture companies.
Mechanical sails? Batteries? Shippers forming ‘green corridors’ to fast-track cleaner technologies
May 27, 2023 GMTIt's among the world's busiest container shipping routes — a stream of vessels packed with furniture, automobiles, clothing and other goods, traversing the Pacific between Los Angeles and Shanghai.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s government announced Friday that a U.N. Latin America regional group has endorsed a Brazilian city in the Amazon region to host the 2025 U.N. climate change conference, though the world body has not yet publicly confirmed the venue.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. government can keep using chemical retardant dropped from aircraft to fight wildfires, despite finding that the practice pollutes streams in western states in violation of federal law, a judge ruled Friday.
Climbers celebrate Mount Everest 70th anniversary amid melting glaciers, rising temperatures
May 26, 2023 GMTKATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — As the mountaineering community prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest, there is growing concern about temperatures rising, glaciers and snow melting, and weather getting harsh and unpredictable on the world's tallest mountain.
BERLIN (AP) — A German government spokesperson on Friday rejected the notion that comments by Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticizing climate activists might have prompted raids against them this week.
Police on Wednesday searched more than a dozen properties across Germany linked to the group Last Generation, seizing assets as part of a probe into its finances.
Hyundai and LG announce $4.3 billion plant in Georgia to build batteries for electric vehicles
May 26, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution announced Thursday they will build a $4.3 billion electric battery plant as part of Hyundai's new electric vehicle assembly plant in southeast Georgia.
Climate protesters face tear gas at oil giant TotalEnergies shareholder meeting in Paris
May 26, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French police threw a security cordon around a shareholders' meeting in Paris of oil giant TotalEnergies on Friday, spraying tear gas and pushing back climate protesters who chanted, “Be gentle, police officers, we're doing this for your kids!"
California’s epic melting snowpack means cold, deadly torrents ahead of Memorial Day weekend
May 26, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California rivers fed by this winter's massive Sierra Nevada snowpack have been turned into deadly torrents, drawing warnings from public safety officials ahead of the Memorial Day weekend's traditional start of outdoor summer recreation.
Strong earthquake shakes eastern Japan; no tsunami warning
May 26, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake shook Tokyo and other areas of eastern Japan on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The magnitude 6.1 quake was centered off the east coast of Chiba Peninsula at a depth of 44.5 kilometers (28 miles), the U.S.
As electric cars boom, locals fear Chinese battery plant will harm land in drought-stricken Hungary
May 26, 2023 GMTDEBRECEN, Hungary (AP) — Just beyond the pastoral gardens and traditional homes of an eastern Hungarian village, a gigaproject of Chinese industry is taking shape.
Bulldozers and excavators are already preparing the land for construction of a nearly 550-acre electric vehicle (EV) battery plant.
Three cheetah cubs die in India amid sweltering heat wave
May 26, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Three cheetah cubs born to a big cat that was brought to India from Africa last year died in central India’s Kuno National Park in the past week, forest officials said, as a heat wave in the region sent temperatures soaring.
How busy will Atlantic hurricane season be? Depends on who wins unusual battle of climatic titans
May 26, 2023 GMTTwo clashing climatic behemoths, one natural and one with human fingerprints, will square off this summer to determine how quiet or chaotic the Atlantic hurricane season will be.
An El Nino is brewing and the natural weather event dramatically dampens hurricane activity.
Supreme Court limits regulation of some US wetlands, making it easier to develop and destroy them
May 26, 2023 GMTThe U.S. Supreme Court has stripped federal agencies of authority over millions of acres of wetlands, weakening a bedrock environmental law enacted a half-century ago to cleanse the country’s badly polluted waters.
Guam ‘very blessed’ with no early reports of major damage in the messy aftermath of Typhoon Mawar
May 26, 2023 GMTHAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Chainsaws buzzed Friday as neighbors helped neighbors clear toppled trees and began cleaning the wreckage of Typhoon Mawar, which walloped Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the island in over two decades but appeared to have passed without leaving death or massive destruction in its wake.
California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to storms, new power sources
May 26, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — California regulators say the state is unlikely to run out of electricity this summer because of a big increase in power storage and a wet winter that filled the state's reservoirs enough to restart hydroelectric power plants that were dormant during the drought.
Ford electric vehicle owners to get access to Tesla Supercharger network starting next spring
May 26, 2023 GMTDETROIT (AP) — All of Ford Motor Co.'s current and future electric vehicles will have access to about 12,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the U.S. and Canada starting next spring.
Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the agreement Thursday during a “Twitter Spaces” audio chat.