Results for Environment

“When we cut down a tree it is important to plant a new one,” Crown Prince Haakon of Norway said after planting a mangrove seedling in the swampy coastline of ‘Ahau village in Western Tongatapu today.

Twenty-four people involved in managing climate resilience projects have completed a certification in Project Management Practice at the USP Tonga Campus, organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its USD$24 million regional Climate Ready Project.

Countries have agreed to a set of rules to implement the Paris Agreement in a bid to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as the UN climate negotiations came to an end on 15 December in Katowice, Poland.

A thin layer of brown scum has appeared on the surface of the public swimming pool at the waterfront in Touliki this week, raising concerns on the water quality of the popular site. It's particularly noticeable on the northern edge of the pool when the water is flat in the morning. By Eleanor Gee

On a worldwide expedition, a futuristic looking vessel powered by the sun, water, and wind, named ‘Race for Water’, is in Tonga raising awareness about new innovative solutions to preserve our ocean and to combat the rising tides of plastic in our oceans. By Eleanor Gee.

Tonga understands deeply the impact of environmental changes because they directly affect these islands, said the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, during a visit to dedicate two Forest Reserves at Tupou College this afternoon. Tupou College singers were a hit with their variation of the Mosquito song harmony "Zing Zang Zung Zoon".

Some 30 cylinders of a banned refrigerant R22 Hyrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC that were seized by Tongan Customs at Queen Salote Wharf in September 2013 are still under the care of the Customs Department.

Tonga took a major step to advance its commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global surface temperature rise to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” when the Privy Council endorsed the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on 21 June this year.

Tonga is finding it difficult to manage illegal dumping of rubbish, including plastic bags, in Nuku'alofa, as it celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June with the worldwide theme "Beat Plastic Pollution". Filimone Lapao’o, the Tonga goverment's Senior Environmentalist, said after Cyclone Gita, the amount of rubbish at Sopu increased so much that his department cannot manage it properly. By Eleanor Gee.