Paris climate talks not just hot air, France tells U.S. 13/11/2015

Any global climate change agreement reached in Paris next month will be legally binding and have a concrete impact, France's president and foreign minister said on Thursday, reacting to U.S. comments that questioned the status of the accord. ...more

Declining snowpack, water shortage projected in areas home to 2 billion: study 13/11/2015

Large swathes of the northern hemisphere, home to some 2 billion people, could suffer increasing water shortages due to shrinking snowpacks, researchers said on Thursday. ...more

Monarch butterfly count expected to rebound in Mexico 13/11/2015

After a staggering decline over the past two decades, the population of the iconic monarch butterfly is expected to recover following coordinated efforts across North American governments, Mexico's environment minister said on Thursday. ...more

Zimbabwe blames disgruntled rangers and villagers for elephant poisonings 13/11/2015

Zimbabwe’s environment minister has blamed the poisoning of at least 71 elephants in recent months on disgruntled game rangers and local communities who do not benefit from wildlife revenues. ...more

G20 nations spend $452 bn a year supporting fossil fuels: study 12/11/2015

The G20 group of major economies spend $452 billion per year supporting fossil fuel industries, despite their primary role in causing climate change, according to a study released on Thursday. ...more

Indonesia uses trained elephants to control forest fires 12/11/2015

Officials in Indonesia are using trained elephants outfitted with water pumps and hoses to help control fires that have claimed vast amounts of forest while sending thick haze into neighboring countries. ...more

Oil prices forecast to stay low until 2020 12/11/2015

Oil prices are likely to remain low over the next five years because of plentiful supply and falling demand in developed countries, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday in its annual forecast. ...more

Mexico to award up to 2,500 MW in renewable energy contracts in March 12/11/2015

Mexico will start soliciting bids later this month in its first auction of renewable energy certificates, part of an electricity sector overhaul that ends the state-owned power company's monopoly, government officials said on Wednesday. ...more

Thailand returns 14 smuggled orangutans to Indonesia 12/11/2015

Fourteen orangutans smuggled into Thailand illegally were sent back to Indonesia on Thursday, but the operation was not without incident -- one of the powerful apes tore a wildlife officer's finger off when he tried to put them in cages. ...more

Oil giant Saudi Arabia submits carbon-curbing pledge 11/11/2015

Oil export giant Saudi Arabia submitted its pledge Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a move observers hailed as a step in the right direction. ...more