Environment Focus Washington from

Rain and Hail Pelt Fire-Ravaged Australian States

January 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Severe thunderstorms are pelting some regions of Australia suffering from historic wildfires with powerful rain and large hail, CNN writes. The storms could bring some much-needed relief to the firefighters battling some of the worst […]

Follow

AP: Australians Leave Homes as Heat, Winds Escalate Fire Danger

January 10, 2020 Focus Washington

Thousands of people fled their homes and helicopters dropped supplies to towns at risk of nearby wildfires as hot, windy conditions Friday threatened already fire-ravaged southeastern Australian communities, The Associated Press writes. The danger is […]

Follow

Thunderstorms Bring Relief, but also Danger to Australian Wildfires

January 8, 2020 Focus Washington

Thunderstorms and showers brought some relief for firefighters battling deadly wildfires across Australia’s drought-parched east coast on Wednesday, but also raised concerns that lightning will spark more fires before dangerous hot and windy conditions return, […]

Follow

Australia Urges People to Flee as Fires Could Surge over the Weekend

January 4, 2020 Focus Washington

Authorities urged Australians on Friday to evacuate parts of the eastern states of Victoria and New South Wales to escape bushfires they fear are set to burn out of control this weekend, Reuters informed. In […]

Follow

AP: Weather Raises Australia’s Fire Danger

January 3, 2020 Focus Washington

One of the largest evacuations in Australia’s history was underway Friday ahead of hot weather and strong winds that are forecast to worsen devastating wildfires raging across the country, The Associated Press informs. More than […]

Follow

Trump’s Administration Terminates Pollution-Tracking Map

December 24, 2019 Focus Washington

A federal database that was tracking pollution in the United States was terminated at the beginning of this month by the White House. The database was in the form of an interactive map hosted by […]

Follow

Trump Snaps at Wind Farms, Says He ‘Never Understood Wind’

December 23, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump snapped at wind farms on Saturday, with a claim that energy produced by wind turbines causes a large carbon footprint. Trump held was speaking to the conservative student group Turning Point USA, […]

Follow

UN Chief Warns About Climate Change Efforts

December 1, 2019 Focus Washington

The world must stop a “war against nature” and find more political will to combat climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday, the eve of a two-week global climate summit in Madrid, […]

Follow

Winter Storm Strands 1,000 Near Grand Canyon

November 29, 2019 Focus Washington

Some 1,000 people were stranded without heat or power in a small Arizona town near the Grand Canyon on Friday during a major winter storm that threatened to disrupt travel for millions as it moves […]

Follow

Winter Storms Hamper Thanksgiving Travel, Stranding Cars and Planes

November 28, 2019 Focus Washington

Two winter storms blasted the United States on Wednesday, stranding motorists and causing thousands of flight delays as Americans jammed highways and airports to visit family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday, Reuters writes. Scores […]

Follow

Vegan Sues Burger King for Making Meatless Whoppers on Same Grill as Meat

November 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Burger King is being sued by a vegan customer who is saying that the meatless Whoppers were made on the same grills used for meat. According to Reuters, Phillip Williams filed a class-action lawsuit in […]

Follow

Apple Commits $2.5bn to Combat Housing Crisis in California

November 5, 2019 Focus Washington

Apple announced a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California. As costs skyrocket for renters and potential homebuyers, and as the availability of affordable housing fails to […]

Follow

New Wildfire Engulfs San Bernardino Homes

October 31, 2019 Focus Washington

New wildfires have spread and engulfed several houses, threatening other homes nearby in San Bernardino, Southern California, CNN reported citing officials. Residents awoke to be rushed into evacuation as the fires are racing from hillsides […]

Follow

Brazil Says Oil On Its Beaches Could Come from Venezuela

October 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Thick crude oil that has been mysteriously washing up on beaches in Brazil is “very likely from Venezuela,” Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles said on Wednesday, citing a report by state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro […]

Follow

The New York Times: Notre-Dame’s Toxic Fallout

September 15, 2019 Focus Washington

The April fire that engulfed Notre-Dame contaminated the cathedral site with clouds of toxic dust and exposed nearby schools, day care centers, public parks and other parts of Paris to alarming levels of lead, The […]

Follow

Japan May Have to Dump Radioactive Fukushima Water into the Ocean

September 11, 2019 Focus Washington

Eight years after Japan’s worst nuclear disaster, the government is not sure what to do with the contaminated water that remains – but its environment minister says dumping it into the ocean might be the […]

Follow

Mick Jagger Criticizes Trump over Environmental Policy

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Singer Mick Jagger spoke out recently against President Donald Trump’s environmental policy and his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. “We are in a very difficult situation at the moment, especially in the […]

Follow

Hundreds of Flights Canceled Due to Hurricane Dorian

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Hurricane Dorian has moved northward, prompting Florida airports to cancel hundreds of inbound and outbound flights. Nearly 1,200 flights scheduled to start or end in Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach were canceled Tuesday […]

Follow

Florida Issues Evacuation Orders Over Dorian Threat

September 2, 2019 Focus Washington

Hurricane Dorian continued to batter the Bahamas and Abaco Islands early Monday with winds up to 200 mph and extreme storm surges, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Category 5 storm has become the […]

Follow

Dorian Strikes Bahamas as Second Strongest Atlantic Hurricane on Record

September 1, 2019 Focus Washington

Hurricane Dorian crashed into the Bahamas on Sunday as the second strongest Atlantic storm on record and inched closer to the U.S. mainland, with parts of Florida evacuating and Georgia and the Carolinas bracing for […]

Follow

Pope Challenges World Leaders to Start with ‘Drastic’ Climate Change Action

September 1, 2019 Focus Washington

The Pope urged the governments to take serious actions towards climate change. The Hill reports that the Pope said that governments have a “responsibility” at the United Nations Climate Action Summit this month to show […]

Follow

POLITICO: How the G-7 Fell for the Amazon Scam

August 30, 2019 Focus Washington

Emmanuel Macron may not technically be a celebrity, but he tweets like one, POLITICO’s Rich Lowry writes in an opinion piece. Prior to the G-7 summit, the French president declared on Twitter, “The Amazon rain […]

Follow

EPA Wants to Ease Regulation of Methane Emissions

August 30, 2019 Focus Washington

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal on Thursday to ease regulation of methane emissions, a particularly potent greenhouse gas believed to contribute significantly to climate change, because it believes the Obama administration improperly regulated […]

Follow

Swedish Teen Climate Activist Greta Thunberg to Sail into New York for U.N. Summit

August 28, 2019 Focus Washington

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was expected to sail into New York Harbor on Wednesday in a zero-carbon emissions vessel, completing her 14-day journey from England to partake in a United Nations climate summit in […]

Follow

Brazil Turned Down $20mn Amazon Aid Pledged at G-7

August 27, 2019 Focus Washington

Brazil is rejecting an offer of $20mn that was pledged at the G-7 summit in France to help the country after the devastating Amazon fires, CNN reported. According to news site G1 Globo, the chief of […]

Follow

Climate Change Could Affect Saudi Aramco’s IPO

August 21, 2019 Focus Washington

Saudi Arabia’s state energy giant’s vast oil reserves, which can sustain current production levels for the next 50 years, make it more exposed than any other company to a rising tide of environmental activism and […]

Follow

Clean Energy Production Overcomes Coal for First Time in U.S.

June 28, 2019 Focus Washington

Renewable energy production in the U.S. has surpassed coal for the first time in the country’s history, the latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show. Twenty-three percent of the American electricity in April […]

Follow

Trump Administration to Face Legal Battle over Pollution Rule

June 23, 2019 Focus Washington

The Trump administration’s decision to repeal an Obama-era rule on power plant pollution is sure to be met with a legal challenge by Democrats and environmental groups, who believe that the administration’s new rule will […]

Follow

Americans Aren’t Sure U.S. System Can Fix Long-Term Problems, Poll Shows

June 21, 2019 Focus Washington

Americans have little faith in the U.S. political system, can address long-term challenges, and are skeptical the nation remains committed to foundational tenets such as the free market, majority rule and tolerance, a Wall Street […]

Follow

New York Lawmakers Pass Law to Fight Climate Change

June 20, 2019 Focus Washington

New York state lawmakers passed early Thursday one of the nation’s most ambitious plans to slow climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, Reuters informs. If signed into law, it would […]

Follow