AFP

AFP Video - Environmental Issues

Bolivians watch their glacier melt away

AFP - Mon Nov 9, 4:14 PM ET

One of the first victims of global warming has almost disappeared. By next year, experts say the Chacaltaya glacier in Bolivia will have completely melted. Overlooking La Paz, Chacaltaya was once the highest ski slopes in the world, sitting at 5300 meters above sea level. According to experts, most tropical glaciers in the Andes are doomed as the earth's average temperature rises. In Boliva, many worry what will happen when one of the city's major water sources is gone.

  • Cyprus' golfing ambitions a washout with environmentalists AFP - Fri Nov 6, 6:50 AM ET

    In a bid to boost its flagging tourism industry, Cyprus is laying golf courses by the acre. But the manicured greens demand much irrigation and opponents say developers' plans to use water from desalination plants would be harmful to the environment. Duration : 02:16.

  • Climate change explained to children in Mexico AFP - Thu Nov 5, 2:35 PM ET

    An exhibit on climate change in Mexico City¿s Papalote children¿s museum aims to raise awareness of global warning in one of the world¿s top oil producers. Although Mexico has led global efforts to combat climate change, the issue is still new at home.

  • Mont Blanc gets a height check AFP - Thu Nov 5, 12:14 PM ET

    Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps is standing tall -- all 4,810.45 metres of it. That's only 45 centimetres less than when it was last measured four years ago, but three metres above the height French schoolchildren have long been taught. Scientists carried out new measurements in September -- and on Thursday announced some surprising finds from the top of the summit straddling France and Italy. Duration: 01:15

  • Peru's 'cloud catchers' harvest water AFP - Wed Nov 4, 7:35 PM ET

    A new innovation is helping Peru's most isolated communities -- nets which "catch" clouds in the country's Andean heights, soaking up precipitation to be converted into water.

  • Obama urges action as Europe ups climate pressure on US AFP - Tue Nov 3, 7:42 PM ET

    US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said it was "imperative to redouble our efforts" to combat global warming, as European leaders pressed Washington to take action on climate change ahead of next month's summit.

  • France pushes on with controversial carbon tax AFP - Tue Nov 3, 10:22 AM ET

    France is planning to introduce a controversial new carbon tax to cut energy consumption and help combat global warming. The new levy on oil, gas and coal consumption by households and businesses will come into effect next year, making France the biggest economy yet to impose a straight-up carbon tax. Duration: 01:48

  • Argentina's southernmost glaciers are disappearing AFP - Mon Nov 2, 10:41 AM ET

    Ushuaia is the southernmost city on Earth, just at the edge of the Antarctic. But even in this fridgid climate, global warming is taking a huge toll on glaciers that not only support a tourist industry but also provide drinking water for the city. Duration: 02:02

  • US coal plant deploys carbon capture, sequestration AFP - Sun Nov 1, 5:39 AM ET

    Banking that coal power plants will come under legal and financial pressure to reduce emissions as part of efforts to reduce global warming, French firm Alstom on Friday unveiled the world's largest carbon capture facility at a coal plant. It's a technology backers hope will fuel a new multi-billion dollar industry and keep the coal industry alive. Duration: 02:07

  • EU agrees deal on helping poor nations fight climate change AFP - Fri Oct 30, 4:23 PM ET

    EU leaders on Friday agreed that developing nations will need 100 billion euros per year by 2020 to tackle climate change, but failed to put a figure to Europe's own contribution amid sharp east-west differences. A natural sound version of an AFPTV voiced report. Duration: 01:40

  • Chip fat-fuelled bus on climate change mission AFP - Thu Oct 29, 7:07 AM ET

    As world leaders gear up for a crucial change conference in Copenhagen, one Englishman is doing his best to spread the word about fuel efficiency. Adventurer and eco-campaigner Andy Pag is travelling round the world in an old school bus, powered by nothing but used chip fat. Duration: 01:59

  • William Kamkwamba: the Don Quijote of Africa AFP - Tue Oct 27, 8:01 PM ET

    They call William Kamkwamba "the boy who harnessed the wind." At 14, after dropping out of school, the African boy in a rural Malawi village taught himself how electricity works, and built a windmill from scraps and pieces of a bicycle. AFPTV talks to him in Washington as he tours around the US to promote his recently published biography.

  • Ageing French hunters target young blood AFP - Mon Oct 19, 10:05 AM ET

    France has the largest hunting population in Europe, with close to a million devotees. But with an average age of 54, they're desperately trying to draw more young people into the fold. A voiced AFPTV report. Duration: 01:50

  • Locals fear for Benin's coastal plans AFP - Sun Oct 18, 5:45 AM ET

    It's no wonder the thin strip of land that separates the Atlantic Ocean from Cotonou lagoon in Benin is so sought-after. For years the Benin government has wanted to develop the area as a tourist destination, but that would not only mean relocating fishing villages but also building hotel complexes on a particularly sensitive landscape. Duration: 01:58.

  • Farmer Joel thinks global, grows local AFP - Wed Oct 14, 8:05 PM ET

    To some, he's a throwback. To others, he's a sage. In a country that has embraced GMOs and junk food, Virginian farmer Joel Salatin fights for sustainable agriculture and local consumption.

  • Floating Dutchmen: Holland builds homes on water AFP - Wed Oct 14, 12:28 PM ET

    The Dutch have always fought the sea to claw back land, but as sea levels rise due to global warming, threatening the low-lying Netherlands, the time has come to work with the sea, not against it. Building homes that float on water is the answer. Duration: 1:36

  • One person's trash is another person's treasure AFP - Tue Oct 13, 7:40 PM ET

    At a "green" festival, American school children have crafted a giant sculpture out of trash. It's an initiative designed to raise public awareness in the nation responsible for producing more than 25 percent of the world's garbage.

  • Benin cotton farmers embrace organic revolution AFP - Mon Oct 12, 7:44 AM ET

    Benin's cotton farmers are embracing the benfits of organic farming. By ditching pesticides and only using natural fertilizers, not only is their health improving, but the damage they're causing to the environment is decreasing. Duration: 02:11