Environment – Winnipeg Free Press

President Donald Trump speaks to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

These are the 66 global organizations the Trump administration is leaving

The Associated Press 3 minute read 7:27 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it's going to depart 66 international organizations, nearly half them affiliated with the United Nations.

Many focus on climate, labor, migration and other issues the Trump administration has categorized as catering to diversity and “woke” initiatives.

Here is a list of all the agencies that the U.S. is exiting, according to the White House:

Non-U. N. organizations

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US will exit 66 international organizations as it further retreats from global cooperation

Matthew Lee And Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

US will exit 66 international organizations as it further retreats from global cooperation

Matthew Lee And Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 7:08 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will withdraw from dozens of international organizations, including the U.N.'s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations, as the U.S. further retreats from global cooperation.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending U.S. support for 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, following his administration’s review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations, according to a White House release.

Many of the targets are U.N.-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels that focus on climate, labor, migration and other issues the Trump administration has categorized as catering to diversity and “woke” initiatives. Other non-U.N. organizations on the list include the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

“The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

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Updated: 7:08 PM CST

FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building, Feb. 28, 2022, at United Nations Headquarters. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Snow and ice ground flights and choke highways in parts of Europe

Mike Corder And Aleksandar Furtula, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Snow and ice ground flights and choke highways in parts of Europe

Mike Corder And Aleksandar Furtula, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 7:21 PM CST

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — More than 1,000 stranded passengers spent the night at Amsterdam's international airport as snow and ice that is pummeling parts of Europe grounded hundreds of flights and choked highways and railroads Wednesday.

In Paris, a skier slid along the snowy bank of the Seine river and roads and parks around the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were blanketed in snow, which also snarled traffic in parts of France.

There was good news for some Berlin residents during the cold snap as power was being restored to thousands of households in the German capital that had been without electricity in freezing temperatures for four days following a suspected far-left attack on high-voltage lines, authorities said.

Schiphol Airport, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, set up hundreds of field beds overnight and served breakfast to weary travelers as staff worked to clear snow from runways and deice airplanes. At least 800 flights were canceled Wednesday at the airport, one of Europe's busiest aviation hubs.

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Updated: 7:21 PM CST

A man rides a bike in an alley in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Snow and ice wreak havoc across Europe, causing deadly accidents and travel chaos

Mike Corder, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Snow and ice wreak havoc across Europe, causing deadly accidents and travel chaos

Mike Corder, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:01 AM CST

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports.

Authorities in the Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Île-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams on Monday.

Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.

Dutch weather woes

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:01 AM CST

Freshly fallen snow lies on the roofs of houses in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

B.C. approves extending life of Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine to 2035

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

B.C. approves extending life of Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine to 2035

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

VICTORIA - British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office says it has approved an extension for the life of the Mount Milligan copper and gold mine near Fort St. James into 2035.

The province says an amendment to the mine's environmental assessment certificate was approved after a "comprehensive" review of an application by the operator Thompson Creek Metal Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Toronto-based Centerra Gold.

The Environmental Assessment Office says the approval allows the company to expand the mine's area by 80 hectares, to boost its ore production by 6,500 tonnes per day and to increase the height of the mine's tailings storage dam by more than 100 metres.

The office says in a statement that the mine is a "priority project," allowing its assessment to be tied in with permitting reviews by the Mining and Environment ministries.

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Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

British Columbia's provincial flag flies in Ottawa, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Seabirds that look like pint-sized penguins blown ashore in Newfoundland after storms

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Seabirds that look like pint-sized penguins blown ashore in Newfoundland after storms

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

ST. JOHN'S - Scores of tiny seabirds that look like pint-sized penguins have been blown ashore by back-to-back storms in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dovekies are part of the auk family and live in the cold ocean waters, typically migrating from the Arctic to the North Atlantic Ocean around Newfoundland and Labrador.

But residents have been surprised to find dovekies on local wharfs, front lawns and even on highways, according to social media posts over the past few days.

Karen Brown-Gosse with The Rock Wildlife Rescue said she has never seen so many reports at once about wayward dovekies. Her group near St. John's has received at least 50 calls about them in the past few weeks, she said.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Devin Roberts is shown holding a dovekie found next to an arena in Triton, N.L., in a Dec. 28, 2025, handout photo. The bird was later released safely into the ocean. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Danielle Thomas (Mandatory Credit)

Northern lights inspire recovery in Telegraph Cove, B.C., year after devastating fire

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Northern lights inspire recovery in Telegraph Cove, B.C., year after devastating fire

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Mary Borrowman says she'll never forget the moment she and her husband, Jim, watched the northern lights shimmer across the sky on the morning of Jan. 1, 2025, from their home in Telegraph Cove, B.C.

"When we looked out our window, and we looked over the water, everywhere you could see in the sky were the most beautiful dancing red and green, and purple northern lights that we have ever seen," said Borrowman.

A day earlier, a massive New Year's Eve fire in the quaint tourist resort on northeastern Vancouver Island had destroyed the Whale Interpretive Centre that she and her husband founded, the local pub and restaurant and the office of the Prince of Whales whale-watching firm.

"I said to Jim, if that's not a sign from above that we're meant to carry on, then I don't know what is," said Borrowman, 73, recalling the aurora flickering above.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

This handout photo shows volunteers Brenda deRoos, left to right, and Bob deRoos helping Tyra Bain (Manager of the Whale Interpretive Centre) raise a pygmy sperm whale skeleton, in Telegraph Cove, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Whale Interpretive Centre (Mandatory Credit)

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Newfoundland fishers donate cod to those who lost everything in summer wildfires

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Newfoundland fishers donate cod to those who lost everything in summer wildfires

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

PETTY HARBOUR - Two fishermen and a forklift loaded 330 pounds of cod into the back of an SUV on Tuesday, destined for people in eastern Newfoundland who lost everything in a summer of raging wildfires.

The fisher harvesters' co-operative in Petty Harbour, N.L., purchased the frozen cod from its members to be distributed to residents of Conception Bay North on Jan. 6, which is widely celebrated as Old Christmas Day in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bernard Martin, who sits on the board of the Petty Harbour Fishermen's Co-operative, said it was simply the right thing to do.

"A lot of the people who lost their homes, they lost everything including their freezers which, in a lot of cases, had a winter supply of fish," Martin said, standing on a foggy wharf Tuesday in Petty Harbour, which is just outside St. John's. "And also, it sends out a message that people need help."

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Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

Billy Lee, Bernard Martin and Doug Howlett are shown speaking with Gerry Rogers before loading a container of donated cod into Rogers's vehicle, in Petty Harbour, N.L., Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Elling Lien

Arctic blast brings snow and wind to the Great Lakes and Northeast

Holly Ramer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Arctic blast brings snow and wind to the Great Lakes and Northeast

Holly Ramer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

A surge of Arctic air brought strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreling across the Midwest left tens of thousands of customers without power.

Blustery winds were expected to add to the chill, with low temperatures dipping below freezing as far south as the Florida panhandle, the National Weather Service said.

The wild storm hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes this week with sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain, leading to treacherous travel. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops.

Kristen Schultz, who was heading home to Alaska, said it took her four hours to get to the Minneapolis airport on Tuesday.

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Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

Snow is cleared from a parking lot in Grandville, Mich. on Monday Dec. 29, 2025. (Joel Bissell /MLive.com via AP)

‘Trump’s EPA’ in 2025: A fossil fuel-friendly approach to deregulation

Michael Phillis, Alexa St. John And Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

‘Trump’s EPA’ in 2025: A fossil fuel-friendly approach to deregulation

Michael Phillis, Alexa St. John And Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 7 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has transformed the Environmental Protection Agency in its first year, cutting federal limits on air and water pollution and promoting fossil fuels, a metamorphosis that clashes with the agency’s historic mission to protect human health and the environment.

The administration says its actions will “unleash” the American economy, but environmentalists say the agency’s abrupt change in focus threatens to unravel years of progress on climate-friendly initiatives that could be hard or impossible to reverse.

“It just constantly wants to pat the fossil fuel business on the back and turn back the clock to a pre-Richard Nixon era” when the agency didn’t exist, said historian Douglas Brinkley.

A lot has happened this year at “Trump’s EPA,” as Zeldin frequently calls the agency. Zeldin proposed overturning the landmark finding that climate change is a threat to human health. He pledged to roll back dozens of environmental regulations in “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.” He froze billions of dollars for clean energy and upended agency research.

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Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

FILE - The Kyger Creek Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant, operates April 14, 2025, near Cheshire, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Indonesia’s panda cub Rio thriving 40 days after birth

Edna Tarigan, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Indonesia’s panda cub Rio thriving 40 days after birth

Edna Tarigan, The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 6:51 AM CST

CISARUA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s conservation park on Tuesday released a video showing the progress of a giant panda cub, 40 days after his birth in the country.

The panda named Satrio Wiratama and nicknamed “Rio” was examined for the first time outside the incubator while veterinarians at the Indonesian Taman Safari park in Cisarua, West Java province, took his measures. The video shows Rio's growth from a tiny pink baby to a panda with black and white fur.

“The panda cub is developing healthily and growing very well. Its body weight has increased by 46% over the past 30 days, while its body length has increased by 95%," said Bongot Huaso Mulia, a veterinarian who monitors Rio’s progress.

Rio was born on Nov. 27 to Hu Chun, a 15-year-old adult female, and Cai Tao. The pair arrived in Indonesia in 2017 on a 10-year conservation partnership with China. They live in an enclosure built for them at the park about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Jakarta.

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Yesterday at 6:51 AM CST

Images of Satrio Wiratama, nicknamed 'Rio', the first giant panda cub born in Indonesia displayed on a screen as senior veterinarian and the Vice President of Life Science at Indonesia Safari Park Bongot Huaso Mulia speaks, during a press conference, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026

The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026

Rain poured down on the iconic Rose Parade on Thursday for the first time in 20 years, as flood warnings and evacuation orders in Southern California joined snow squalls and frigid temperatures in the country's midsection to mark the first day of 2026.

Marching bands, floats and throngs of spectators were soaked by one to two inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of New Year’s Day rain at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena. The mercury stood at a chilly 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14.4 degrees Celsius) at the 8 a.m. start of the parade.

Across the country, in New York City, hats and gloves were as necessary as noisemakers at the city's New Year's Eve ball drop, where temperatures near freezing appeared to be the coldest in 10 years.

Hundreds of thousands of people gather along the nearly six-mile (10-kilometer) route in Pasadena, where the two-hour parade kicked off. Millions more watch on national television. Organizers at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the group that organizes the parade ahead of the Rose Bowl college football game, said they made only small changes to accommodate the weather, such as the tops being up on convertibles carrying grand marshal Earvin “Magic” Johnson and other VIPs.

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Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026

Trump’s offshore wind project freeze draws lawsuits from states and developers

Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Trump’s offshore wind project freeze draws lawsuits from states and developers

Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 12:01 PM CST

Offshore wind developers affected by the Trump administration’s freeze of five big projects on the East Coast are fighting back in court, with one developer saying its project will likely be terminated if they can’t resume by the end of next week.

Norwegian company Equinor and the Danish energy company Orsted are the latest to sue, with the limited liability companies for their projects filing civil suits late Tuesday. Connecticut and Rhode Island filed their own request on Monday seeking a preliminary injunction for a third project.

The administration announced Dec. 22 it was suspending leases for at least 90 days on the five offshore wind projects because of national security concerns. Its announcement did not reveal specifics about those concerns.

President Donald Trump has been hostile to renewable energy technologies that produce electricity cleanly, particularly offshore wind, and has instead prioritized oil, coal and natural gas that emit carbon pollution when burned.

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Updated: 12:01 PM CST

FILE - Wind turbine bases, generators and blades sit at The Portsmouth Marine terminal that is the staging area for Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

First winter storm of 2026 shuts down much of Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

First winter storm of 2026 shuts down much of Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

ST. JOHN'S - Residents of eastern Newfoundland woke up to knee-deep snow drifts and cancelled classes on Monday as the first storm of the new year howled outside their windows.

The overnight storm dumped about 20 centimetres of snow onto Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city of St. John's by the morning, said David Neil, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Though it was the first storm of 2026, it was technically the fourth to hit the region since Christmas Day, he said in an interview.

The back-to-back weather systems have contributed to above-average snowfall in Newfoundland and parts of Labrador, Neil added. That's exactly what's needed to ward off the drought-like conditions that fuelled destructive wildfires in the province last year, he said.

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Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

Roses in the rain? New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena gets wet forecast. Bundle up for NYC ball drop

Ed White, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Roses in the rain? New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena gets wet forecast. Bundle up for NYC ball drop

Ed White, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

For the first time in 20 years, rain is expected to intrude on the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year's Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV.

Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 100% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, the National Weather Service said.

“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff game.

Arctic air is meanwhile expected to blanket much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, the weather service said.

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Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025

FILE - Marching bands perform along Colorado Blvd. in the 136th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Rain continues in parts of California reeling from flooding and high tides

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Rain continues in parts of California reeling from flooding and high tides

The Associated Press 3 minute read Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) — Crews cleared mud from key California highways as forecasters warned Sunday that more thunderstorms were on the way after downpours and high tides caused flooding, road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars.

Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to three inches (7.6 cm) of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka. At least a foot (.3 meters) of snow was likely in the mountains.

To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, waters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking “ King Tides.” Such tides occur when the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.

Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees. Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet (1.1 and 1.2 meters), Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said Saturday.

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Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

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