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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

On the afternoon of June 24, an explosion and fire at the INEOS phenol chemical plant in the Houston suburb of Pasadena injured one employee. Initial investigations revealed that the accident was caused by the combustion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) caused by improper handling during the transfer of a tanker truck, resulting in a…

On June 17, 2025, a two-vessel collision in the Gulf of Oman near the Hulfekan anchorage resulted in a fire and leakage of fuel oil from a tanker’s bunker. Although the accident did not directly result in a large-scale crude oil spill, navigation anomalies (e.g., GPS signal spoofing) caused by electronic interference have resulted in…

World Environment Day 2025 is themed “End Plastic Pollution”, and more than 150 countries have responded: the European Union has fully implemented the Single-Use Plastic Ban, Kenya has launched the “Plastic Recycling for Healthcare” program, and China has initiated the “Three-Year Action Plan on Plastic Pollution Control”. China launched the “Three-Year Action on Plastic Pollution”.…

The Environmental Integrity Project reports that the New Indy, South Carolina paper mill has not only generated nearly 50,000 complaints from residents for its pungent odor, but also has the highest airborne mercury emissions of any large paper mill in the United States. The mill emitted 41 pounds of mercury and 42,116 pounds of zinc…