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The site contains articles and information on topics related to health, the environment and animal welfare.
While the focus is on Hvar Island in Dalmatia, much of the information is relevant to the rest of Croatia, and some to Europe, the United States and the rest of the world.
The main language of the site is English, but articles in Croatian are being added as quickly as possible. Some of the Croatian articles are translations, some original. Book reviews are in the language of the publication being reviewed.
To see all the articles archived in each category, click on the category name which is given below the title of each article (Environment, Highlights, Notices etc).
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Environment Agency names seven regions affected by unusually hot and dry weather and shortage of water
Half of England is officially in drought, with July set to be the driest on record after winter floods, the Environment Agency has said.
The “flash drought” developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures.
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Authorities fear progress in containing the fires in the Gironde and Madrid regions may be set back by temperatures expected to hit the low 40s
in Brussels
The European Union’s crisis-management team is expecting difficult weeks ahead, fearing a further outbreak of wildfires in Italy and Greece as the summer goes on.
“A firefighter will focus on protecting people. They will focus on protecting houses, protecting a business, a company, because this is something that matters for all our society. And indeed, sometimes by focusing on that, they cannot extinguish fire, [as] they would do it if it would be just forest.
So this is new, this is worrying. And of course also, this means that we need to adapt our methods of fighting the fires.”
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Findings can inform conversations about global climate reparations and financing for mitigations, researchers say
Caribbean nations suffered $53.2bn (£40bn) of damage from climate-fuelled disasters between 2000 and 2024, research into the cost of the climate crisis to developing small islands has found.
The figure is more than 90% of the total $57bn in economic damage caused by floods, storms and drought across 39 developing island nations in the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, according to a study by development thinktank ODI Global.
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Growing number of studies assessing whether heat training can help people prepare for scorching temperatures
Even as summer temperatures soar, the sauna trend is booming, with some venues touting them as a way to beat the heat. But while experts have urged caution about sweatingit out in hot weather, a growing number of studies are considering whether heat training could help people prepare for heatwaves.
With parts of the UK experiencing their fourth heatwave of the year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts across much of England. The warnings follow an unprecedented summer, with western Europe experiencing its hottest June on record.
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A delicacy for centuries and a key part of Native tradition, the lake whitefish has seen its population crash. Researchers know why … but stopping it is another matter
From the basement of the Sandusky library, page 29 of the book Sandusky of To-Day proclaims the town to be the “largest fresh water fish market in the world”. Two pages later, an image of the lake whitefish, referred to as “Sandusky’s pride”, takes up the entire page.
But the book was published in 1888.
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Adopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggests
Organic eggs are twice as bad for the climate as eggs from chickens living in cages, research suggests.
According to the study, switching the UK’s entire egg production to an organic free-range model would lead to greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2 (tCO2e), while production through a fully caged system would emit 1,184,000 tCO2e.
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No other bird speaks to us quite so directly, its serenade conjuring memories of old family tales
I wake early on these bright summer mornings. And now that the birds in my garden have mostly fallen silent, only one is still serenading me at this hour: the aptly named song thrush. Its measured, deliberate repetitions – which this particular bird has provided without a break since the turn of the year – are unmistakable.
Whenever I hear a song thrush, I’m taken back in time. First, to my childhood, when the first sign of spring was when thrushes started singing from the roofs of our suburban housing estate as I walked home from school in the dim light of a February afternoon.
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Climate crisis affects not only the amount of rain that falls but where, with implications for land use and water security
Have you ever wondered how far a raindrop has travelled before it lands on you? It may have journeyed thousands of kilometres from the ocean, sea or lake it evaporated from – and now research shows raindrops are travelling even farther than they used to.
Warmer air can hold more water vapour, and that is changing not only how much rain we receive but also where it falls. Travis Aerenson, of the University of Wyoming, and his colleagues modelled atmospheric moisture movements in the US over more than three decades. Their research showed that in the southwestern and southern plains, moisture in the atmosphere travels 30 to 50 miles (50 to 80km) farther than it did 35 years ago, staying aloft for an extra two to four hours before falling as rain.
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Raja is normally a celebration of the start of the monsoon, but in the eastern state of Odisha, the rains came so late the seeds were sown under clear skies
Kasturi Gamango and Pramila Sabar cannot contain their giggles as they explain one of the big attractions of the Raja festival, which they attended a few days earlier along with 20 other farmer families in Laxmipur, in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
“We do no work for three days during the festival,” they say. “Our husbands cook and clean while we enjoy our free time.”
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Residents struggle to take in the devastation five days after El Morro was evacuated as fires burned across countryside west of Spanish capital
The handwritten sign taped to the front gate of a house in the mountains an hour west of Madrid offered as succinct a summary of recent events as you will find.
“EMPTY,” it said. “No people or animals here.”
Continue reading...Since October, the morning-after pill has been made available free-of-charge at high street pharmacies under a new scheme in England.
In a letter to the PM, the Conservative leader offers to work with him on adult social care reform.
A No 10 source says it is an attempt by the prime minister to show he is "hitting the ground running".
Ed Hunt, 37 and from the UK, voluteered after seeing news reports of the deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.
The Lampard Inquiry hears from experts about Oxevision technology.
Extreme heat can take a toll on mental health - and young people and women are among the groups most at risk, according to one study.
Fampridine boosts nerve signals to make it easier to walk, with up to 5,000 eligible.
The health worker was evacuated to the UK from the DR Congo after being potentially exposed to the virus.
England is seeing "a worrying increase" in women in their 20s developing type 2 diabetes, say experts. Here's what to look out for.
Want to avoid battles over broccoli and squabbles over spinach? We've asked you for your advice on how to cope at mealtimes over the summer holidays.
Deep in the mountains of Palawan, Conservation International scientists are capturing what few people ever see: the secret lives of the Philippines’ rarest species.
At Maido — the Lima restaurant recently crowned the best in the world — one of the star dishes is paiche, a giant prehistoric river fish.Its journey to the table begins on a small family farm deep in Peru’s Amazon.
“Jane Goodall forever changed how people think about, interact with and care for the natural world,” said Daniela Raik, interim CEO of Conservation International.
Conservation International’s Neil Vora was selected for TIME’s Next 100 list — alongside other rising leaders reshaping culture, science and society.
Climate change is happening. And it’s placing the world’s reefs in peril. What can be done?
After decades of negotiation, the high seas treaty is finally reality. The historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters which face numerous threats.
The Amazon rainforest, known for lush green canopies and an abundance of freshwater, is drying out — and deforestation is largely to blame.
The ocean is engine of all life on Earth, but human-driven climate change is pushing it past its limits. Here are five ways the ocean keeps our climate in check — and what can be done to help.
In a grueling and delicate dance, a team led by Conservation International removes a massive undersea killer.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures might be worth even more. An initiative featuring the work of some of the world’s best nature photographers raises money for environmental conservation.
