Background Articles

British Columbia faces a surge in heat-related emergencies and wildfire risks as temperatures soar, breaking records and prompting heat warnings and a campfire ban.

A new federal program expedites the repair of Alaska's mining-damaged waterways, incorporating a streamlined environmental assessment process to restore up to 5 miles of habitat annually over 25 years.

Earlier this year, the spring of 2024 in the Russian North was registered as the warmest in the history of weather observations, the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia reported.

Port Alberni bans all outdoor fires due to a heatwave and high fire risk, with fines for non-compliance until October 31, 2024.

The long-term decline is believed to be due to the accumulated effects of fishing and unfavourable environmental conditions, such as high sea temperatures, according to the findings of independent experts based on Erpur Snær's data, who has been monitoring puffins for a long time.

The project to clean the area around Khatanga started in 2023. The participants report that last year volunteers cleaned more than 200 tons of man-made waste along the 3 km of the coastline, the RGS website reports. The waste has been accumulating there since the Soviet times.

With the future of fossil fuels in question, an Australian oil company is branding its new Arctic development as climate-friendly.

Agrigento, a tourist destination in Sicily, is facing severe water shortages, leading to rationing and the turning away of tourists, impacting the local economy reliant on tourism and agriculture.

Western Canada is experiencing extreme heat, prompting health warnings and wildfire concerns, with measures in place to protect vulnerable populations.

The B.C. Wildfire Service monitors out-of-control fires amid rising temperatures, with 20 fires classified as out of control and heat warnings across the province.

The unusually hot summer weather in the Moscow region this year may trigger an increase in populations of invertebrate species, the regional Environmental Ministry said this week.

The National Park Service has banned sport hunters from baiting bears in Alaska's National Park Service-managed Preserves, citing safety and wildlife conservation concerns.

After a steep population drop in Western Alaska’s reintroduced wood bison herd, a state biologist sees a plan for a new herd in the Interior as promising. But two tribal groups oppose it.

ADF&G has confirmed the spread of the invasive European green crab in Alaska, urging increased monitoring and public awareness to mitigate its destructive impact on local ecosystems.

Adult abundance “well below” fishery thresholds on both beaches. This outcome was not unanticipated, as the department said when opening the fishery in Ninilchik last year that adult abundance met necessary thresholds for allowing harvest — at least meeting or exceeding 50% of the historical average — but juvenile abundance was low, meaning there would likely not be enough adult clams this year or next.

Nome experienced a record-breaking influx of 1,800 cruise ship passengers from the MS Westerdam, enjoying a variety of local tours, cultural presentations, and the Berry Festival during their full-day port of call visit.

A potential rat sighting on St. Paul Island, which has maintained a rat-free status for over two decades, prompts urgent conservation efforts to protect local seabirds and wildlife.

Applications for relief funds from Alaska's 2019 and 2020 crab fisheries disasters are now open, with $13 million allocated for the Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery.

Juneau's king salmon fishery will be closed this summer due to low hatchery returns caused by a 2020 landslide that disrupted the freshwater supply and forced premature salmon release.

As the US grapples with extreme heat, floodwaters force evacuations in the Midwest, including a submerged Iowa town.