Laos suffers from severe haze during the dry season, with PM2.5 concentrations reaching up to 218 µg/m3 (the safety threshold is 50 µg), and the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the capital city of Vientiane and other places persistently ranging from 117 to 269. The causes and impacts of the crisis are a combination of…

On July 24th, a serious diesel spill occurred in Kilbogget Park, south of Dublin, Ireland, from the Bank of Ireland Cabinteely site. The spill caused a noxious odor throughout the lagoon and covered a number of swans in contaminated sludge, in what wildlife rescue organizations described as the worst oil spill in 12 years. Local…

Microorganisms sealed by glaciers have survived extreme cold and high-pressure environments and may have evolved unique resistance (including drug resistance). For example, Bacillus anthracis found in the Siberian tundra was responsible for the 2016 outbreak that killed thousands of reindeer, and “P-bacteria” in the Alaskan tundra are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, and…

A report released by the UK Environment Agency shows that water company pollution in England continues to worsen, with serious pollution incidents surging by 60% in 2024 compared to the previous year, and three companies, including Thames Water, responsible for 81% of serious incidents. The report notes that leaks upstream of sewers directly affect protected…

In mid-July, flood warnings were issued for sections of the Missouri and Illinois rivers in the United States due to heavy rainfall, with Clarksville reaching 25.5 feet (about 7.77 meters) of water, resulting in flooding of State Highway P. The flood warnings were issued for the Missouri and Illinois rivers in mid-July. This phenomenon is…

The European Commission’s “Nature’s Credit” roadmap, launched on July 8, has been criticized as a “paper exercise”, with member states disagreeing on the criteria for determining corporate environmental responsibility. France’s far-right political parties have taken the opportunity to attack the government’s green policy, calling for a moratorium on renewable energy projects.

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…

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…

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…

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…