Obama highlights climate progress at home before journey overseas

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that preserving natural places would help the world adapt to warming temperatures as he began a 10-day trip to stress the urgency of curbing climate change and attend a G20 meeting in China.

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Tropical Storm Hermine forms off Florida: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical depression No. 9 on Wednesday strengthened into Hermine, the eighth tropical storm of the season, the National Hurricane Center said.

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Storm bears down on Florida, hurricane threatens Hawaii

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott declared an emergency on Wednesday, with parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch from an approaching system that forecasters warned could bring life-threatening flooding and fierce winds.

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Tropical Depression Nine likely to become a tropical storm: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Depression Nine, headed toward Florida gulf coast, is expected to become a tropical storm later on Wednesday, U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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France's Hollande says Paris climate agreement far from implemented

PARIS (Reuters) - An international agreement on climate change struck in Paris last year is still far from being implemented, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday, and he urged countries to ensure it was ratified by year-end.

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Nine people killed in flooded Japanese old people's home

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nine people were killed when floods inundated an old people's home in Japan, police said on Wednesday, taking the death toll from a typhoon battering northern parts of the country to at least 11.

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Earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude strikes off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea: USGS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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Brush fire prompts evacuation of 700 people east of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A fast-growing brush fire prompted the evacuation of roughly 700 people on Tuesday from a mobile home park and nearby community in Southern California's Riverside County, state fire officials said.

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Prosecutors to decide in September on Samarco dam spill charges

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors investigating the deadly dam spill in November at the Samarco iron ore mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton, will decide in coming weeks whether to charge the company and executives, a prosecutor in the case said on Tuesday.

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Tropical Depression Nine may intensify into storm, says NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Depression Nine, now located about 340 miles (550 kilometers) west of Key West, Florida, is expected to strengthen to a tropical storm on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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North Carolina, Florida brace for brewing tropical systems

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - North Carolina's far east coast could see tropical storm-force winds from a weather system expected to pass near its Outer Banks region on Tuesday before it turns out to sea, U.S. forecasters said.

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Tropical Depression Eight likely to strengthen into storm: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Depression Eight of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to develop into a tropical storm later on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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Typhoon Lionrock nears Japan's tsunami-hit northeast, grounds flights

TOKYO (Reuters) - More than 100 flights were canceled and evacuation warnings were issued for thousands of people as a powerful typhoon approached Japan's northeast on Tuesday, a region devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami five years ago.

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California Governor Brown signs law banning use of bullhooks on elephants

(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown on Monday signed into law a measure that bans the use of bullhooks and other devices to control elephants, the latest victory for animal rights activists who condemn the practice.

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Samarco dam failed due to poor drainage and design: investigation

BELO HORIZONTE/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The deadly collapse of a tailings dam last November at the Samarco mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton, was caused by drainage and design flaws, a report into Brazil's worst-ever environmental disaster showed on Monday.

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Insurers call on G20 to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020

OSLO (Reuters) - Insurers with $1.2 trillion under management called on Tuesday for the Group of 20 to set a timetable to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels by 2020 when they meet at a summit in China this weekend.

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Washington state begins killing wolf pack for preying on livestock

(Reuters) - Wildlife agents authorized to eradicate a group of 11 wolves for repeated attacks on cattle in Washington state have hunted down and killed six animals from the condemned pack and are searching for the rest, a state game official said on Monday.

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Climate change looms large in Obama's final trip to Asia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama sets out this week to meet world leaders in China and Laos during his final presidential trip to Asia, he will make an unusual stop along the way.

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South Africa's drought recovery could be stalled by uncertain rain prospects

PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's recovery from its worst drought in over century could be stalled as anticipated rain relief from a La Nina weather system remains uncertain, the South African Weather Service said on Monday.

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Brewing tropical systems threaten U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Two brewing tropical systems menaced the southeastern United States on Monday, with forecasters warning that a tropical storm could make landfall later this week on Florida's Gulf Coast.

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Gaston to remain a powerful hurricane for several days: NHC

(Reuters) - Gaston, the first major Atlantic hurricane of the season, is forecast to remain a powerful system for the next several days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday.

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NHC: Tropical Depression Nine could strengthen into cyclone

(Reuters) - Tropical Depression Nine, located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west-northwest of Havana, Cuba, is expected to become a tropical storm later on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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Anadarko evacuates eastern Gulf of Mexico platforms ahead of storm

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Anadarko Petroleum has evacuated all non-essential personnel from its production platforms in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a company spokesman said on Monday by email, ahead of a storm threat from Tropical Depression Nine.

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Iceland's Katla volcano hit by unusually large earthquakes

(Reuters) - Two unusually large earthquakes hit one of Iceland's biggest volcanoes early on Monday, raising concerns of a possible eruption, the Icelandic Met Office said.

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China's Parliament proposes new environmental tax benefits: Xinhua

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Parliament has proposed increasing tax benefits for companies that cut pollution by more than the national standard, state media Xinhua reported on Monday, the latest effort by Beijing to curb the country's emissions.

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Mexico environmental agency defends oversight of Goldcorp mine

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's environmental prosecutor said it had kept regular oversight of the country's largest gold mine, days after a Reuters report on a prolonged leak of contaminated water there prompted activists to accuse the agency of failing its mandate.

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Hurricane Gaston packs sustained winds of 105 mph, NHC says

(Reuters) - Hurricane Gaston is producing maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (165 km per hour) and stronger gusts as it churns through the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.

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EDF chief urges Britain to give go-ahead to nuclear plant

LONDON (Reuters) - The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explicit appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks.

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Kansas City area hit by floods after three days of downpour

(Reuters) - The Kansas City area was flooded late Friday after a three-day downpour, forcing emergency services to conduct about 10 water rescues in Missouri's largest city, officials said.

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Tropical Storm Gaston expected to become hurricane Saturday: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gaston is expected to become a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.

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Tropical Storm Madeline forms east of Hawaiian Islands: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical storm Madeline has formed in the northern Pacific ocean, well east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory on Friday.

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Foreign seed firms form alliance to protest India regulation

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Major international seed companies formed an alliance on Friday to protest against India's moves to toughen regulation, executives said on Friday, reacting to proposals that foresee the compulsory licensing of genetically modified crops.

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Smoke from Indonesian fires hits 'unhealthy' level in Singapore

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Air pollution in Singapore rose to the "unhealthy" level on Friday as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the city-state's National Environment Agency (NEA) said, in a repeat of an annual crisis.

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Obama expands Hawaii marine reserve in final push on climate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean.

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Tropical Storm Gaston expected to become hurricane again

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gaston is expected to become a hurricane again over the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its advisory late Thursday.

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U.N. aviation emissions pact to let states opt out in first phase: sources

MONTREAL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A new global deal on curbing aviation emissions will likely give states the right to opt out of its initial voluntary phases, according to sources familiar with the matter, in a concession to developing countries like aviation powerhouses China and India.

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Coastal land expands as construction outpaces sea level rise

OSLO (Reuters) - The Earth has gained coastal land equivalent to the size of Jamaica in the past 30 years with man-made construction outpacing erosion caused by rising sea levels, mapping data showed on Thursday.

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Myanmar sends police, soldiers to protect ancient temples damaged in quake

BAGAN/YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar sent truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police to protect and rebuild centuries-old Buddhist pagodas around the ancient capital of Bagan on Thursday, a day after at least 187 of the brick temples were damaged in a powerful earthquake.

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Spring rain for Australia's north to hold cattle prices high

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's north is forecast to receive above average rainfall over the next three months, the country's weather bureau said on Thursday, boosting cattle herds.

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Tornadoes slam central Indiana, demolishing homes

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Several tornadoes plowed through central Indiana on Wednesday, demolishing numerous homes and a Starbucks cafe in the town of Kokomo and cutting off power to thousands of Indianapolis-area residents, but no serious injuries were reported.

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Man-made warming dates back almost 200 years: study

OSLO (Reuters) - Man-made greenhouse gases began to nudge up the Earth's temperatures almost 200 years ago as the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, far earlier than previously thought, scientists said on Wednesday.

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Tropical Storm Gaston could intensify into hurricane Wednesday: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gaston could still reach hurricane strength on Wednesday, but is expected to weaken on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.

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NHC says 60 percent chance of cyclone over northern Leeward Islands

(Reuters) - A tropical wave located over the northern Leeward Islands has a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.

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Powerful earthquake strikes central Myanmar, at least three dead

YANGON (Reuters) - A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook central Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least three people including two children, local officials said, and damaging some of the famous pagodas in the Southeast Asian nation's ancient capital of Bagan.

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Investors urge G20 nations to ratify Paris climate deal this year

OSLO (Reuters) - Investors managing more than $13 trillion of assets urged leaders of the Group of 20 on Wednesday to ratify a global climate deal by the end of 2016 and to step up efforts to shift from fossil fuels.

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Magnitude 6.2 quake hits central Italy: USGS

(Reuters) - A strong 6.2 magnitude quake struck central Italy early on Wednesday near the town of Norcia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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Dozens of wildfires rage across arid U.S. West

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dozens of wildfires that have blackened hundreds of square miles raged in the arid U.S. West on Tuesday, as destructive blazes forced residents from homes in California and Washington state.

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Monsanto beats cities' lawsuits over San Francisco Bay pollution

(Reuters) - A federal judge has dismissed lawsuits in which the California cities of San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley sought to force agricultural company Monsanto Co to help pay for reducing PCB contamination to San Francisco Bay.

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Obama to tour flood-battered areas in Louisiana

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will visit Louisiana on Tuesday to assess flood damage there, days after he was criticized for not cutting short his vacation on Martha's Vineyard to view the devastation in the Gulf Coast state.

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Tropical Storm Gaston to become a Hurricane later Tuesday: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gaston is expected to strengthen and become a hurricane later Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory, adding that it was rapidly moving west-northwestward.

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U.S. rejects automakers' request to extend fuel comment deadline

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Monday denied a request by major automakers to extend the comment period on environmental analysis to determine whether government fuel efficiency requirements are feasible through 2025.

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Storm Gaston to become hurricane by Wednesday: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gaston, the seventh tropical storm of the season, is strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.

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EU reimposes anti-dumping duties on three Chinese solar panel exporters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Tuesday reimposed anti-dumping duties on three Chinese exporters of solar modules and cells citing breaches to terms of an agreement they had reached with Brussels not to sell below a minimum price.

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Two dozen structures destroyed by eastern Washington wildfires

(Reuters) - Emergency officials confronting a cluster of wildfires with limited resources in eastern Washington state enlisted the help of local farmers to help battle flames that have destroyed about two dozen buildings near Spokane, authorities said on Monday.

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Deaths from U.S. lightning strikes this year at highest since 2010

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A pair of fatalities from lightning strikes over the weekend lifted the U.S. death toll from such accidents this year to 29, the most since 2010, the National Weather Service said on Monday.

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Solar power brings northern Mali much needed light

Residents in Kidal in northern Mali are finding it easier to work and study into the night thanks to a solar lighting project recently introduced to the area.

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Ivory Coast rains help main cocoa crop, some farmers fear disease

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Light rains in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa regions augur well for the crop in the world's biggest producer, farmers said on Monday, but cloudy weather has stoked fears of disease in the south.

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NHC says tropical depression developing near Cape Verde islands

(Reuters) - A system about 300 miles south-southwest of the southern Cape Verde islands is developing into a tropical depression and has a near 100 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday.

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Typhoon Mindulle drenches Tokyo, halts trains and flights

TOKYO (Reuters) - Heavy rain drenched the Japanese capital on Monday as Typhoon Mindulle swept in, bringing floods that suspended train services and high winds that forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.

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Firefighters gain on California blaze but thousands still evacuated

(Reuters) - Evacuation orders have been lifted for tens of thousands of people in southern California as firefighters gain ground on the wildfire that is still keeping 7,000 others from their homes, officials said on Saturday.

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Conservatives split over U.S. land transfers to Western states

ELLIOTT STATE FOREST, Ore. (Reuters) - Every time Dean Finnerty sees the locked neon-yellow gate and "No Trespassing" sign deep in Oregon's Elliott State Forest, he bristles at the growing movement to transfer federally owned land to U.S. states.

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Deadly fish parasite forces Yellowstone River closure in Montana

(Reuters) - Montana wildlife officials have closed a lengthy stretch of the Yellowstone River to all recreational activities at the height of the summer tourist season following the deaths of thousands of fish this week from a rare but virulent microbial parasite.

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Exxon touts clean tech in Olympic ads as climate pressure grows

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp is running television advertisements at the Rio Olympics to showcase its work on clean energy, a high-profile blitz as the company faces pressure over global warming in an intense year of climate politics.

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Trump tours flooded Louisiana, Obama to visit next week

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate toured flood-damaged Louisiana on Friday, despite the Democratic state governor's urging not to make political stops in areas affected by recent deadly rains.

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Obama to tour flood damage in Baton Rouge on Tuesday: White House

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will get a first-hand look at the damage done by floods to Baton Rouge on Tuesday and talk to local officials about what more the federal government can do to assist people as they rebuild their community, the White House said on Friday.

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Indonesia urges action against slash-and-burn clearing as haze season arrives

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's disaster agency urged prompt action against slash-and-burn plantation fires on Friday as the annual smoke "haze" begins to drift across the Malacca Strait to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

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Fiona to weaken into tropical depression over the weekend: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Fiona, the sixth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to become a tropical depression over the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest report on Friday.

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Trump, Pence to visit flooded Louisiana as governor warns against 'photo op'

(Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate planned to visit Baton Rouge on Friday to survey the damage after recent deadly floods in Louisiana, sources with knowledge of the trip said, despite calls from the state's governor advising against any touring of the area.

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EPA has not completed required review of biofuel mandate: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not complied with federal requirements to study the effects of the nation's biofuel use mandate, an agency watchdog said on Thursday.

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Lawyer accused of fraud by U.S. in BP oil spill case is acquitted

(Reuters) - A prominent Texas lawyer was acquitted on Thursday of charges he made up thousands of fake clients to sue BP Plc for damages that the oil company caused in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, court records show.

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California wildfire challenges fight to stem its progress

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firefighters faced searing temperatures and steep terrain on Thursday as they toiled to contain a fast-moving Southern California wildfire that has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

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Exxon, GT find way to cut carbon emissions for chemicals: Science

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil and Georgia Tech researchers published findings of a breakthrough in the journal Science on Thursday, saying they had devised a way to slash carbon emissions from chemicals manufacturing by using reverse osmosis instead of heat to separate molecules.

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California lawmaker to withdraw zero emissions vehicle bill

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California lawmaker on Thursday said she will withdraw a bill that would have required 15 percent of new car sales be zero emission vehicles by 2025 due to opposition from automakers, the oil industry and labor.

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Harley-Davidson to pay $12 million fine over motorcycle emissions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Harley-Davidson Inc agreed to pay a $12 million civil fine and stop selling illegal after-market devices that cause its motorcycles to emit too much pollution, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

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VW gets German approval for tech fixes on 140,000 2.0-liter cars

BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen has received approval by Germany's motor vehicle authority KBA for technical fixes on another 140,000 2.0-litre diesel cars with illegal emissions control software, a spokesman said.

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South Korea widens probe into imported carmakers after VW emissions scandal

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has expanded a probe into whether foreign carmakers besides Volkswagen AG falsified documents on emissions and noise-level tests, in the wake of the German automaker's emissions-test cheating scandal.

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Southern California wildfire rages unchecked after evacuations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California wildfire raged unchecked in thick brush on Wednesday after destroying dozens of houses near a highway corridor between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and forcing as many as 80,000 residents to flee their homes, officials said.

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Most cities too hot to host the summer Olympics by 2085: study

BERKELEY, Calif. (Reuters) - In 70 years, most cities in the Northern Hemisphere will be unfit to host the summer Olympics due to rising temperatures associated with climate change, according to a medical journal's findings published this week.

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After scorching heat, Earth likely to get respite in 2017

OSLO (Reuters) - The Earth is likely to get relief in 2017 from record scorching temperatures that bolstered governments' resolve last year in reaching a deal to combat climate change, scientists said on Wednesday.

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Eleven dead, thousands of homes ravaged in Louisiana floods

BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) - Search-and-rescue operations were still underway on Tuesday in Louisiana, where at least 11 people have died in severe floods that damaged about 40,000 homes, state officials said.

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Exxon Baton Rouge refinery shuts CDU due to flooding: sources

HOUSTON (Reuters) - ExxonMobil Corp shut a crude distillation unit at its 502,500 barrel per day (bpd) Baton Rouge refinery on Tuesday as flooding disrupted operations at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility, sources familiar with plant operations said.

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U.S. coal regulator boosts campaign to fix 'outdated' cleanup rules

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A leading U.S. coal regulator announced plans on Tuesday to toughen what it called "out-of-date" rules for guaranteeing mine cleanups.

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Crews make progress against Northern California wildfire

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Crews began to make headway on Tuesday against a Northern California wildfire that has destroyed more than 175 homes and businesses, a day after authorities arrested a man on suspicion of setting that blaze and numerous others in the area over the past year.

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U.S. regulators to unveil final rule on truck emissions limits: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Tuesday will announce final regulations setting fuel efficiency standards on medium- and heavy-duty trucks through 2027 that will cut 1.1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

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Navajo Nation sues U.S. EPA over metal sludge from Colorado mine spill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Navajo Nation sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, one year after 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater spilled into three states from an abandoned Colorado gold mine.

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Antarctica's sea ice said to be vulnerable to sudden retreat

OSLO (Reuters) - Sea ice around Antarctica shrank in a warm period more than 100,000 years ago, an indication that man-made climate change could also trigger an abrupt retreat, a scientific report said Tuesday.

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Wildfire burns more than 175 homes, businesses in California town

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wildfire that spread into a small Northern California town over the weekend has destroyed more than 175 homes and businesses, authorities said on Monday, as crews fought to save more dwellings from the flames.

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NHC says 60 percent chance of cyclone near the Cape Verde Islands

(Reuters) - A tropical wave located about 450 miles (725 km) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands off of Africa's west coast has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday.

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Pacific islander dances to raise climate change awareness

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A weightlifter who lost his family's house in a cyclone danced off stage at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday to raise awareness of the threat climate change poses to his remote Pacific nation

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Volkswagen, U.S. Justice Dept discuss settling criminal probe: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG and the U.S. Justice Department have held preliminary settlement talks about resolving a criminal probe into the automaker's diesel emissions scandal, two sources briefed on the matter said.

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Flooding disaster that killed seven in Louisiana now menaces Texas

LIVINGSTON, La. (Reuters) - Overwhelmed rivers in much of southern Louisiana receded slowly from record levels on Monday while crews in boats searched for more people stranded in inundated homes after three days of torrential rains that killed seven people.

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Forecaster sees 20 percent chance of cyclone near Cape Verde

(Reuters) - A tropical wave located few hundred miles south of the Cape Verde Islands has a 20 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday.

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Senegal floods expose need for community warning, preparation

KAFFRINE, Senegal (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Little is left in the house where Fati Camara lived with her four children, after it was hit by heavy rains last month.

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Undermining China: towns sink after mines close

HELIN, China (Reuters) - Deep in the coal heartlands of northern Shanxi province, people in Helin village are fighting a losing battle as the ground beneath them crumbles: patching up cracks, rebuilding walls and filling in sinkholes caused by decades of coal mining.

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China to use tougher environmental standards to tackle capacity glut

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will use the stricter enforcement of environmental, safety and energy efficiency standards as well as tougher credit controls to help fight against overcapacity in key industrial sectors, the government said.

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As Earth swelters, global warming target in danger of being missed

OSLO (Reuters) - The Earth is so hot this year that a limit for global warming agreed by world leaders at a climate summit in Paris just a few months ago is in danger of being breached.

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California lawmaker to float zero emission vehicle bill

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California lawmaker next week will introduce a bill requiring 15 percent of all vehicles sold in California be emissions-free by 2025, a spokesperson said on Friday.

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Volkswagen eyes SMA Solar storage systems in cooperation talks

BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen is in early talks with German solar power equipment maker SMA Solar about working together, the companies said, as the automaker pushes ambitious electric car plans to overcome its diesel emissions scandal.

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U.S. aims to restore water, return fish to diverted California river

FRESNO, Calif. (Reuters) - California's San Joaquin River flows out of the mountains above Yosemite, clear and bubbling until it abruptly stops just north of Fresno, its water diverted to irrigate farms.

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Major 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off Vanuatu: USGS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck about 535 km (330 miles) southeast of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, triggering a local tsunami warning.

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U.S. announces recovery of California's rare island fox

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three groups of California's rare island fox were removed from the U.S. endangered species list on Thursday, and a fourth was downgraded to threatened, marking the fastest recovery yet for an American mammal once deemed to be on the brink of extinction.

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A year on, survivors haunted by China’s Tianjin chemical blasts

TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - Survivors grieved on Thursday for the 165 people killed in chemical warehouse explosions a year ago in China's port city of Tianjin, as environmentalists raised safety concerns despite government promises of tighter industry regulations.

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Oil rig grounded off Scotland may have leaked diesel: maritime agency

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - An oil rig that ran aground off a Scottish island on Sunday may have leaked around 53 tonnes of diesel but has not caused any serious pollution, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.

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Worst fires in almost two decades ravage hills around Marseille

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Forest fires raged through parts of France's Mediterranean coast on Thursday, with the worst in almost two decades burning around Marseille, injuring seven people and forcing authorities to evacuate thousands from their homes.

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U.S. weather forecaster maintains forecast for La Nina in fall or winter

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday reduced its outlook that La Nina conditions would develop in next few months but said it still expected the weather phenomenon to occur this fall or winter.

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Wild fires spread in southern France, four firemen injured

MARSEILLE (Reuters) - Several wild fires broke out in various parts of southern France on Wednesday, causing a major firefighting operation in which four firemen were injured, three of them seriously, the interior ministry said in a statement.

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Peru detects fresh oil spill from decades-old Amazon pipeline

LIMA (Reuters) - A fresh oil spill in the Peruvian Amazon was detected from the country's four-decades-old pipeline on Thursday, operator Petroperu said, bringing the number of leaks this year to four.

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Out-of-control California wildfire grows, forces schools to close

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wildfire burning out of control in mountains and foothills east of Los Angeles mushroomed more than 50 percent overnight, forcing authorities to order three school districts to cancel classes due to heavy smoke and dangerous conditions.

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Wildfires kill three people on Portugal's Madeira, 1,000 evacuated

LISBON (Reuters) - At least three people died and more than a thousand were evacuated on the Portuguese island of Madeira when forest fires, raging for a third day, spread to the regional capital and tourist destination, Funchal, authorities said on Wednesday.

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China backs GMO soybeans in push for high-tech agriculture

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will push for the commercialization of genetically modified soybeans over the next five years as it seeks to raise the efficiency of its agriculture sector, potentially boosting output of the crop by the world's top soy importer and consumer.

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Electric car charging station companies issue warning over VW settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Electric vehicle charging companies are calling for independent oversight of the $2 billion Volkswagen AG is required to invest in clean car infrastructure, saying VW should not have the power to shape the nascent electric car charging space.

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China suspends work on $15 billion nuclear waste project following protests

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The city of Lianyungang in east China has suspended preliminary work on a nuclear waste processing plant following days of protests, it said on Wednesday.

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Chevron Mining to pay $143 million to clean up New Mexico Superfund site

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chevron Mining Inc, in a settlement with state and federal authorities, has agreed to spend $143 million to clean up the Chevron Questa Mine Superfund site in New Mexico, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

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U.S. must bury coal to save miner jobs: Interior secretary

EHRENFELD, Pa. (Reuters) - From Appalachia to Wyoming, surging demand for cheap natural gas, tougher environmental regulations and multiple coal company bankruptcies have left behind a devastated coal business, lost jobs and billions of dollars in cleanup work.

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Sailing: Athletes fed up with Rio water-quality complaints

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Despite reports of dangerous levels of pollution in Rio's Guanabara Bay and concerns that floating garbage could damage or slow competitors' boats, sailors at the 2016 Olympics are showing little or no fear of getting into the water.

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U.S. coal regulator to crack down on cleanup coverage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. states should force coal companies to set aside collateral to pay for future mine cleanups and protect taxpayers as the industry braces for further declines, a leading federal regulator said on Tuesday.

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California wildfire forces closure of scenic Highway 1

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An epic wildfire that has killed one person and blackened about 60,000 acres along the California coast, forced authorities on Monday to shut down a portion of scenic Highway 1 near Carmel-by-the-Sea.

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Javier weakens as it mover over Mexico's Baja peninsula

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In a respite to waterlogged Mexico, Javier weakened on Tuesday to a tropical depression as it traveled over the southern half of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

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China drafts new rules to curb mining pollution

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China plans to raise environmental standards in its highly-polluting mining sector, according to a policy draft circulated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

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Social costs of Flint, Michigan, water crisis total $395 million: study

(Reuters) - The social costs stemming from dangerous levels of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, such as the effect on children's health, amount to $395 million, according to an analysis by a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

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U.N. chief urges large nations to ratify Paris climate accord

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Argentina and other large nations to ratify the Paris climate accord at a Buenos Aires conference on Monday, and Argentina's foreign minister said she hoped the country would do so by the end of the year.

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Italy anti-trust fines Volkswagen $5.5 million over emissions

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-trust agency said on Monday it had fined German carmaker Volkswagen 5 million euros ($5.54 million) for misinforming car buyers about diesel emissions results.

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German court to speed up VW investor lawsuits

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German court will adopt a rarely used class-action style procedure to more efficiently process claims by investors seeking damages from Volkswagen over a diesel emissions cheating scandal, according to a ruling.

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Tropical Storm Javier closes in on Baja California resorts

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Javier was expected to hit Mexico's Baja California peninsula later on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, adding that it could strengthen.

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Mudslides triggered by storm claim 18 lives in eastern Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mudslides triggered by the intense rainfall in eastern Mexico have left 18 people dead over the weekend, and more lives are threatened as saturated hillsides have collapsed onto homes in the wake of now-dissipated Tropical Storm Earl.

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Six dead in Mexico as remnants of Earl trigger landslides

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Six people died in eastern Mexico on Saturday after they were buried in landslides caused by intense rainfall from the remnants of now-downgraded Tropical Storm Earl, an emergency services official said.

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At least 15 dead in Macedonian flash floods

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Fifteen people died in flash floods overnight in the Macedonian capital of Skopje and six more were missing, state news agency MIA quoted police as saying on Sunday.

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Twenty percent chance of cyclone over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico : NHC

(Reuters) - An area of cloudiness and thunderstorms associated with a trough of low pressure is located over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and has a 20-percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Friday.

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Thaw could release Cold War-era U.S. toxic waste buried under Greenland's ice

OSLO (Reuters) - Global warming could release radioactive waste stored in an abandoned Cold War-era U.S. military camp deep under Greenland's ice caps if a thaw continues to spread in coming decades, scientists said on Friday.

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Global climate deal likely to enter into force in 2016: study

OSLO (Reuters) - A global agreement on climate change looks likely to enter into force this year, a study showed on Friday, making it harder for Republican Donald Trump to pull out if he wins the U.S. presidency.

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California voters could decide future of climate change program

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California voters could decide whether to extend the state's pioneering climate change program beyond 2020 when they go to the polls in two years, an official within Governor Jerry Brown's administration said on Thursday.

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Amazon dam opposed by tribes fails to get environmental license

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's environmental regulator Ibama decided on Thursday to shelve the environmental license request for a hydroelectric dam on the Tapajos River in the Amazon, a project that had been opposed by indigenous tribes and conservation groups.

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U.S. refining trade group pushes EPA to change biofuels program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An oil refining group on Thursday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to change the way it enforces the country's biofuel mandate, stepping up pressure on the agency to alter the program.

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Yellow River yields clues to Chinese legend of ancient 'Great Flood'

OSLO (Reuters) - The crushed skeletons of children point to an earthquake and catastrophic flood on China's Yellow River 4,000 years ago that could be the source of a legendary "Great Flood" at the dawn of Chinese civilization, scientists say.

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Germany's new electric car discount scheme draws nearly 2,000 applicants

BERLIN (Reuters) - Nearly 2,000 people in Germany have applied for the government's electric car discount scheme, introduced on July 1, and a third of them are buyers of BMW models, a government agency said on Thursday.

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U.S. ethanol industry finds sweet deals in Brazil as sugar prices soar

NEW YORK/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - U.S. ethanol plants and traders are rushing to sell biofuel to Brazil as tightening supplies and logistics in the South American market give the world's top producer a rare opportunity to ship south during the peak sugar cane harvest, sources said. U.S. ethanol plants are pumping out a record 1 million barrels per day taking advantage of cheap and plentiful corn feedstock, pushing domestic prices to three-month lows. But they are finding unexpected demand in

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Earl to weaken into tropical depression by Thursday night: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Earl is rapidly weakening and expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest report on Thursday.

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Earl weakens to a tropical storm: U.S. hurricane center

(Reuters) - Hurricane Earl has weakened into a tropical storm on Thursday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

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Sudan floods kill 76, destroy thousands of houses

CAIRO (Reuters) - Floods and heavy rain in Sudan have killed 76 people and destroyed thousands of homes in recent days, the interior minister said on Thursday.

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NHC says earl weakening as it moves farther inland over Belize

(Reuters) - Hurricane Earl is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm later Thursday morning and to a tropical depression by Friday morning as it moves farther inland over Belize, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Thursday.

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Cities rush to measure climate footprint after Paris deal

BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The number of cities reporting on their efforts to tackle global warming has risen 70 percent to 533 around the world since the adoption of the Paris climate change agreement in 2015, the group collecting the data said.

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Australia orders climate change U-turn at peak science body

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's re-elected conservative government has announced a U-turn on climate change policy, reinstating climate science as the bedrock of its peak science body just months after slashing its funding and axing hundreds of jobs.

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Seoul to limit old diesel vehicles to fight air pollution

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's capital of Seoul will limit the number of old diesel vehicles on the roads starting next year, as the country tackles rising air pollution.

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California wildfire near Big Sur coast steered away from homes

(Reuters) - Crews battling a deadly wildfire burning well into its second week near California's Big Sur coast have carved buffer lines around a quarter of its perimeter, steering flames more deeply into the forest and away from populated areas, officials said on Wednesday.

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Clinton campaign studying alternative to U.S. ethanol mandate

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign has solicited advice from California regulators on how to revamp a federal regulation requiring biofuels like corn-based ethanol be blended into the nation's gasoline supply, according to campaign and state officials.

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Crescent Point Energy pipeline leaks oil in Saskatchewan field

(Reuters) - A Crescent Point Energy pipeline in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan leaked 100 cubic meters (630 barrels) of oil emulsion on Tuesday, a government official said on Wednesday.

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Most water tests safe after Canada oil spill, but no all-clear

(Reuters) - Out of 900 water samples tested from a major Canadian river polluted by an oil spill last month, five exceeded drinking water guidelines, officials said on Wednesday, cautioning it was unclear when the river would be safe to drink from again.

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Volkswagen to equip petrol engined cars with particulate filters

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen will roll out particulate filters in its petrol engined cars between 2017 and 2022, a step which reduces the pollution from particulate matter by up to 90 percent.

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Tropical Storm Earl almost a hurricane: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Earl has almost become a hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday adding that hurricane warnings have been issued for the Bay Islands of Honduras.

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Indonesian seaweed farmers sue Thailand's PTT over Australian oil spill

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Indonesian seaweed farmers on Wednesday sued Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production for potentially more than A$200 million ($152 million) to cover damages from Australia's worst oil spill in 2009.

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Land and sea warmest in 2015 : 'State of the Climate' report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Last year was the warmest year on record for land and sea, partly because seasonal El Nino climate patterns prevailed year-round, and melting ice pushed sea levels to the highest ever, a study based on the work of more than 450 scientists worldwide confirmed on Tuesday.

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White House directs federal agencies to consider climate change impacts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agencies will be required to disclose whether their actions and decisions will have an impact on climate change, the White House announced Tuesday.

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Tropical Storm Earl forms in Caribbean Sea: NHC

(Reuters) - Tropical storm Earl, the fifth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, has formed in the north-western Caribbean Sea, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.

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German state of Bavaria to sue VW over emissions scandal

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's state of Bavaria will sue Volkswagen for damages caused by the diesel emissions scandal, the state's finance ministry said on Tuesday, adding to the carmaker's litigation risks.

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California crews battle Big Sur blaze for 11th day

(Reuters) - Crews battling a deadly wildfire that has gutted dozens of homes near California's Big Sur coast looked forward to cooler weather to help them slow the flames on Monday as the blaze raged for an 11th day, burning most heavily in rugged, inaccessible terrain.

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U.S. NHC says 80 percent chance of cyclone over central Caribbean Sea

(Reuters) - A strong tropical wave over the central Caribbean Sea has an 80 percent chance of developing into a cyclone in the next couple of days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.

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Venezuela denies zoo animals starving, says one happy family

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's government denied on Monday that zoo animals were dying of starvation amid a national food shortage, saying they were being lovingly treated "like family."

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Japan, S.Korea block certain U.S. wheat varieties over GMO concerns : USDA

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea have both taken steps to block certain imports of U.S. wheat after unapproved genetically-modified (GMO) plants from Monsanto Co seeds were found growing in Washington state, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Monday.

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Typhoon Nida shuts Hong Kong, more than 150 flights canceled

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Typhoon Nida swept through Hong Kong on Tuesday, shutting down most of the financial hub with gale-force winds and disrupting hundreds of flights, while low-lying areas were put on flood alert.

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Criminal investigation underway into 2015 Colorado mine spill

DENVER (Reuters) - Federal investigators said on Monday they have opened a criminal probe into the 2015 spill of some 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of toxic wastewater from a defunct Colorado gold mine that was triggered by a contractor with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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More than half of Husky oil spill in Canada recovered : officials

(Reuters) - About half of the oil that leaked from a Husky Energy Inc pipeline into a western Canadian river more than a week ago has been recovered, but there is no immediate deadline for when the cleanup will conclude, officials said on Monday.

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N.Y. regulators approve clean energy standard with nuclear subsidies

(Reuters) - New York state energy regulators on Monday approved a plan to pay several upstate nuclear power plants up to $965 million over two years to keep the reactors in service and meet the state's carbon reduction goals.

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Maryland town ravaged by deadly flood braces for more rain

(Reuters) - More rain was expected to hit a central Maryland town on Monday after flooding that inundated its historic downtown and killed at least two people over the weekend, as crews began the task of cleaning up the wreckage, government officials said.

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Wild nature claims place in Romanian capital

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - On an early morning walk through the Romanian capital’s newest park, photographer Helmut Ignat points out cormorants, harriers, terns and several other birds flying high over the marshes.

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Philippines' Duterte says nation can survive without mining companies

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned mining companies to strictly follow tighter environmental rules or shut down, saying the Southeast Asian nation could survive without a mining industry.

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