South Africa drought likely to persist -weather service 21/12/2015

Drought conditions in South Africa that have pushed prices for maize, the national staple, to record highs are likely to persist for the rest of the southern hemisphere summer, the national weather service said on Friday. ...more

Conservationist to fly 4,500 miles in motorized parachute to save UK swan 21/12/2015

A British conservationist is taking to the skies next year for a daring and uncomfortable 4,500-mile journey across the Russian Arctic to help save the UK’s smallest and shyest swan. ...more

Loss of monkeys and birds in tropical forests driving up carbon emissions 21/12/2015

Large fruit-eating monkeys and birds in tropical forests have been revealed as surprising climate change champions, whose loss to over-hunting is driving up carbon emissions. This is because their seed-spreading plays a vital role in the survival of huge, hard-wooded trees. ...more

UN policy centre to open in 2016 in Dubai 18/12/2015

A new environmental sustainable policy centre for the Middle East is set to open its headquarters in Dubai by the end of 2016, a senior UN official said on Thursday. ...more

Britain unveils final plan to improve air quality 18/12/2015

Britain will submit its final plan for improving air quality to the European Commission on Thursday after levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide, mostly from diesel vehicles, were found to have breached EU limits. ...more

Met office says 2016 'very likely' to be warmest on record 18/12/2015

A new global temperature forecast from the UK's Met Office says that 2016 is likely to be even warmer than 2015. ...more

Two tonnes of elephant tusks seized in Vietnam 18/12/2015

More than two tonnes of elephant tusks, illegally brought into Vietnam from Mozambique have been seized, an official said Friday. ...more

Malaysia deforestation linked to human cases of monkey malaria 18/12/2015

Deforestation in Malaysia and the changes it causes to the environment are highly likely to be to blame for a steep rise in human cases of a type of malaria usually found in monkeys, scientists said on Thursday. ...more

Beijing issues 2nd smog red alert of the month 18/12/2015

China's capital Beijing issued its second smog red alert of the month on Friday, triggering vehicle restrictions and forcing schools to close. ...more

Lettuce is ‘three times worse than bacon' for emissions and vegetarian diets could be bad for environment 18/12/2015

Eating a healthier diet rich in fruit and vegetables could actually be more harmful to the environment than consuming some meat, a US study has claimed. ...more