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Spain’s Heat Disaster Escalates
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Spain’s health ministry data showed on July 14 that the number of deaths due to high temperatures reached 1,180 from May 16 to July 13, a surge of 1,035% compared with the same period in 2024, 95% of whom were over 65 years old. Traditionally cooler regions such as northern Galicia have been hardest hit…
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Wildfire gets out of control in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park
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A wildfire broke out on the North Rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon on July 13th, completely destroying key facilities such as the historic lodge, visitor center, and wastewater treatment plant. Firefighting operations triggered a chlorine leak due to a fire at the wastewater treatment plant, leading to an emergency evacuation of Inner Canyon hikers. The…
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Japan’s Volcanic Eruption Causes Ecological Disaster
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On July 3, Japan’s Mount Niigata volcano on the island of Kyushu erupted, with ash columns as high as 5,000 meters, equivalent to the height of 13 Tokyo Towers stacked on top of each other. The eruption led to the closure of the Kagoshima airport for 72 hours, and the surrounding 1,200 square kilometers of…
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Los Angeles Reigns as U.S. “Pollution Champion”
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The American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2025 report, released in April, shows that the Long Beach area of Los Angeles topped the nation’s ozone pollution list for several years in a row, and ranked in the top 10 for short-term and year-round particulate matter pollution. Kern County is even a pollution “triple crown…
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Global plastics governance enters a critical period
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Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) come into force on August 1, 2025, requiring ships of over 5,000 gross tons to submit more granular fuel consumption data, including shore power usage and the application of innovative technologies. The European Union has strengthened its Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan over the…
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Southeast Asia faces “double whammy of water crisis”
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The number of days with more than 20 millimeters of rainfall per day in major Southeast Asian countries is set to increase by 25-50 percent over the next 25 years, according to a UN report, while rising sea levels are threatening densely populated areas such as the Mekong River delta. Flooding in Jakarta, Indonesia, in…
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Illegal gold mining in Africa triggers chain of crises
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that illegal gold mining exploitation in the Sahel region of Africa has led to deforestation, mercury contamination of water sources and exacerbated armed conflicts. Criminal groups smuggle gold to the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland for refining by forging certificates of origin, and collude with…
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Ecuador Suspends Oil Pipeline Operations
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Due to heavy rainfall, the water level of the Loko River in Napo Province of Ecuador surged, and the country’s oil company suspended the operation of two pipelines on July 2 to prevent the risk of crude oil leakage. The preventive shutdown may lead to a reduction of about 500,000 barrels per day in the…
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The California fire is raging again in the United States!
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On July 1, a brush fire called the “Wolf Fire” spread rapidly across 5.67 square kilometers (about 1,400 acres) of forest in southern California, USA. Strong winds pushed the fire closer to residential areas. 300 firefighters and four helicopters fought the fire, but it was only 10% contained. Local authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation…
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European Heat Wave and Nuclear Facility Crisis
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France is experiencing an ongoing heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 35°C in three-quarters of the country, and the nuclear power plant in southern Golfesch has been forced to shut down due to high temperatures in the Garonne River, the source of its cooling water. Orange heat alerts were issued in 11 of Spain’s autonomous regions, and…