"Switzerland Grapples With the Return of Gray Wolves"
"A new law will make it easier for provinces to cull wolf packs. Will they survive?"
"A new law will make it easier for provinces to cull wolf packs. Will they survive?"
"Madrid is hosting a conference with energy and climate ministers ahead of COP28, the UN climate summit, in Dubai. It comes as the European Union races to firm up a plan to cut harmful emissions."
"Rising sea temperatures are killing mussels in Spain's Ebro delta and shellfish output is also suffering from Greece to Canada".
"EBRO DELTA, Spain - Mussel farmer Xavier Cabrera held out a handful of dry, dead mussels from his shellfish farm on the coast of the Ebro Delta, 100 miles (160 km) south of Barcelona. "Let's hope this isn't our future," he said ruefully.
A summer heatwave in the Mediterranean region killed off about 80% of the seed mussels - the tiny young that were going to be next year's harvest - and the little that was left of this year's production.
"A Swiss Academy of Sciences panel is reporting a dramatic acceleration of glacier melt in the Alpine country, which has lost 10% of its ice volume in just two years after high summer heat and low snow volumes in winter."
"Britain on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for a major oil and gas project in the North Sea, ignoring warnings from scientists and the United Nations that countries must stop developing new fossil fuel resources if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change."
"Guardian investigation finds 98% of Europeans breathing highly damaging polluted air linked to 400,000 deaths a year".
"Industrial companies in the Netherlands get 39 billion to 46 billion euros ($42-49 billion) in tax breaks and subsidies annually for using fossil fuels, the Dutch government said in a report aimed at spurring international debate on such subsidies."
"Rishi Sunak is planning to row back on some of the government’s net zero policies that impose a direct cost on consumers as the Conservatives attempt to create a dividing line with Labour before the next election."

When nations converge this fall for the latest round of annual talks on harnessing climate change, they meet at a crucial juncture. Will the increasingly dramatic impacts of global warming, and the prospects of worse, focus their attention enough to bring about progress? In this sweeping analysis, Backgrounder assesses the varied pressures at play at the coming COP28, along with tips for covering it, from up close or afar.