Environment

Air Quality Improves - Europe

Air quality in Europe is improving but still poses high risks, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Thursday, as fine particles exposure led to at least 238,000 premature deaths in the 27-nation EU in 2020.

Air pollution aggravates respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, with heart disease and stroke cited as the most common causes of related early deaths. Between 2005 and 2020, the number of early deaths from exposure to fine particulate matter fell by 45% in the European Union.

Meanwhile summer heatwaves in France, Germany, Spain and the UK in 2022 led to more than 20,000 "excess" deaths. Climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution group found that such high temperatures would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change.

Court Victory for Climate

A land court in Australia's Queensland state has recommended that a new thermal coal project owned by mining magnate Clive Palmer should not go ahead on the grounds that its emissions will contribute to climate change and harm human rights.

Drought in South American Andes

Around Bolivia, many areas have declared an emergency due to the drought, which Bolivia's National Meteorology and Hydrology Service expects will last until 2023, when the intensity of the La Nina is expected to wane. The drought has hit crops in Bolivia as well as in Argentina, Paraguay and Peru.

In the Andean regions, drought in recent years has caused falling water reservoir levels in places like Chile and led to important glaciers retreating. Drought has hit crops like wheat and soy, including this year in major grains producer Argentina.