Environment

Refill era here to stay? Luxury hotels ditching bottled water

Refill stations now appear in lobbies, gyms, pool areas, and increasingly on guest floors.

FILLING A stainless-steel bottle in the corridor’s dispenser at Hilton Paris Opera.
TAMAR ZANDBERG.

Religiosity among Israelis determines what they're willing to do about climate crisis, study says

MIRIAM ADELSON looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks at a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, December 16, 2025.

US House of Representatives passes bill to expedite permitting for big energy projects

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Josh Adler on whether creativity is a choice or is simply biology


The real cost of climate delay: Storm Byron is an economic warning for Israel - opinion

Storm Byron should be understood not only as a meteorological event, but as a strategic signal of the climate reality we now inhabit.

An Israeli flag flutters as a thunderstorm rages in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, December 6, 2025

Bracing for Byron: Ways to prepare for major storm making landfall in Israel

Currently, the storm has made landfall in northern Israel and is expected to progress through the region over the next few days after causing heavy rains and floods in Greece over the past week.

A drone view of a damaged road and bridge, after the Enipeas river overflooded due to storm Byron, near the town of Farsala, Greece, December 6, 2025.

Greta Thunberg, other activists fined, banned from Venice after Grand Canal dyed green

The activist dumped dye in the Grand Canal and strung a banner from the Rialto Bridge reading “Stop Ecocide.”

People enjoy a gondola ride on the Grand Canal, where the canal's water has been dyed green in a protest organised by the "Extinction Rebellion" climate activists, in Venice, Italy, November 22, 2025.

Digital storytelling will decide if the world is ready for Israeli climate tech - opinion

Innovation alone does not bridge the gap between what founders create and what decision-makers choose to purchase.

Oxfam activists wearing big head masks depicting world leaders stage a "Sleeping on the Job" protest to criticize the inadequacy of decisions made by the world?s largest economies in combating the climate crisis, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil, November

The drying up of Iran's Lake Urmia will worsen ethnic tensions with Azerbaijanis - opinion

The drying of Lake Urmia is widely seen as a symbol of failed governance, with profound and ongoing human rights implications.

LAKE URMIA, formerly the largest lake in West Asia, is now almost completely dried up. The Iranian government has faced heavy criticism for its handling of the crisis, says the writer.

Israeli scientists pioneer way to monitor sea urchins as die-offs threaten coral reefs worldwide

Sea urchins play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of coral reef ecosystems by feeding on algae that compete with corals for sunlight.

 The sea urchin Diadema setosum before (left) and after (right) mortality. The white skeleton is exposed following tissue disintegration and loss of spines.

Turkey proposes joint COP31 leadership to end host standoff with Australia, sources say

Australia and Turkey both submitted bids in 2022 to host COP31, and neither has withdrawn, leading to an attention-sapping impasse that must be overcome at this year's COP30 meeting.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before a MIKTA photo session amidst the G20 leaders' summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022.

Scientists select demonic name for new horned 'Lucifer' bee species discovered in Australia

While the bee’s horns may have been enough to inspire the name alone, the lead scientist admitted she was inspired by the popular show Lucifer, which she had been watching on Netflix.

Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer named after Tom Ellis's character Lucifer

Wild form of polio found in German sewage sample, Hamburg city authority says

The findings marked the first wild virus detection from environmental sampling in the country since this type of routine monitoring began in 2021.

A nurse fills a syringe with a vaccine before administering an injection at a kids clinic in Kiev, Ukraine August 14, 2019

High pollution levels found at several streams in northern, eastern Israel, ministries confirm

The Health and Environmental Protection Ministries advised against entering the water at several points due to a high level of bacterial contamination.

A scientist gathers samples for conducting bacteria contamination tests on a stream; illustrative.

UN: Global emissions set to fall 12% by 2035, but still short of climate target

The revised figure represents progress from the expected 10% reduction announced on October 28.

A loan wind turbine spins as exhaust plumes from cooling towers at the Jaenschwalde lignite coal-fired power station, which is owned by Vatenfall, April 12, 2007 at Jaenschwalde, Germany.