City empties as thousands flee wildfire closing in on capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories

City empties as thousands flee wildfire closing in on capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a wildfire burned toward the city of 20,000, while firefighters on Friday battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia. Thousands of people in Yellowknife drove hundreds of kilometers (miles) to safety, with … Read more

Montana climate trial: Judge sides with young activists in first-of-its-kind trial

Montana climate trial: Judge sides with young activists in first-of-its-kind trial

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Young environmental activists scored what may be a groundbreaking legal victory Monday when a Montana judge said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development. The ruling in this first-of-its- kind trial in the U.S. adds to a small number of … Read more

Brazil’s Amazon Summit ends with a plan to protect the world’s rainforests, but no measurable goals

Brazil’s Amazon Summit ends with a plan to protect the world’s rainforests, but no measurable goals

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Amazon Summit closed Wednesday with a roadmap to protect tropical rainforests that was welcomed as an important step in countering climate change, but without the concrete commitments sought by some environmentalists to end deforestation. Leaders and ministers from eight Amazon nations signed a declaration Tuesday in Belem, Brazil, that laid … Read more

Biden heads west for a policy victory lap, drawing an implicit contrast with Trump

Biden heads west for a policy victory lap, drawing an implicit contrast with Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden set out Monday on a Western swing aimed at showcasing his work on conservation, clean energy and veterans’ benefits as he seeks to draw an implicit contrast between his administration’s accomplishments and former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Biden’s first stop will be the Grand Canyon area, where he’s … Read more

Crammed with tourists, Alaska’s capital wonders what will happen as its magnificent glacier recedes

Crammed with tourists, Alaska’s capital wonders what will happen as its magnificent glacier recedes

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Thousands of tourists spill onto a boardwalk in Alaska’s capital city every day from cruise ships towering over downtown. Vendors hawk shoreside trips and rows of buses stand ready to whisk visitors away, with many headed for the area’s crown jewel: the Mendenhall Glacier. A craggy expanse of gray, white and … Read more

Scouting body asks South Korea to cut World Scout Jamboree short as heat wave prompts exodus

Scouting body asks South Korea to cut World Scout Jamboree short as heat wave prompts exodus

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The world scouting body urged South Korea to cut short the World Scout Jamboree as thousands of British scouts began leaving the coastal campsite Saturday because of a punishing heat wave. American scouts were preparing to pull out, too. Hundreds of participants have been treated for heat-related ailments since the … Read more

Poor water quality sets back test of Paris’ preparations for Olympic swimming in the Seine

Poor water quality sets back test of Paris’ preparations for Olympic swimming in the Seine

PARIS (AP) — Heavy rains have set back plans to test Paris’ readiness for swimmers to race in the River Seine at next year’s Summer Olympics, but Games organizers say the waterway will be better prepared in 2024. The Open Water Swimming World Cup event was postponed for at least 24 hours because of unacceptable … Read more

Climate change made July hotter for almost every human on earth

Climate change made July hotter for almost every human on earth

Human-caused global warming made July hotter for four out of five people on Earth, with more than 2 billion people feeling climate change-boosted warmth daily, according to a flash study. More than 6.5 billion people, or 81% of the world’s population, sweated through at least one day where climate change had a significant effect on … Read more

Beijing records heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years, causing severe flooding and 21 deaths

Beijing records heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years, causing severe flooding and 21 deaths

ZHUZHOU, Hebei (AP) — China’s capital has recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years over the past few days after being deluged with heavy rains from the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri. The city recorded 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said Wednesday. Beijing and … Read more

Phoenix sweltered from heat that will break record for US cities

Phoenix sweltered from heat that will break record for US cities

PHOENIX (AP) — A dangerous 19th straight day of scorching heat in Phoenix set a record for U.S. cities Tuesday, confined many residents to air-conditioned safety and turned the usually vibrant metropolis into a ghost town. The city’s record streak of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or more stood out even amid sweltering temperatures across … Read more