Coral reefs
FILE - In this June 9, 2010 file photo, the Celebrity cruise ship Solstice is docked in Cozumel, Mexico. With tourism shattered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Mexico's Caribbean island of Cozumel is planning with the backing of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador another dock for cruise ships. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)
Opposition grows to 4th cruise ship dock in Mexico's Cozumel

May. 06, 2021 07:25 PM EDT

In this photo provided on Sunday, March 21, 2021, by the Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, some of the 220 Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 7, 2021. The Philippine government expressed concern after spotting more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels it believed were crewed by militias at a reef claimed by both countries in the South China Sea, but it did not immediately lodge a protest. (Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP)
US backs Philippines in standoff over South China Sea reef

By Jim Gomez Mar. 23, 2021 03:41 AM EDT

In this photo provided Sunday, March 21, 2021, by the Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, some of the 220 Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 7, 2021. The Philippine government expressed concern after spotting more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels it believed were crewed by militias at a reef claimed by both countries in the South China Sea, but it did not immediately lodge a protest. (Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea via AP)
Philippine defense chief asks Chinese flotilla to leave reef

By Jim Gomez Mar. 20, 2021 09:37 PM EDT

In this undated 2020 satellite image provided by the Arizona State University's Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Allen Coral Atlas, runoff from the island of Molokai in Hawaii is shown flowing into the ocean. Axis deer, a species native to India that were presented as a gift from Hong Kong to the king of Hawaii in 1868,  have fed hunters and their families on the rural island of Molokai for generations. But for the community of about 7,500 people where self-sustainability is a way of life, the invasive deer are a cherished food source but also a danger to the island ecosystem. Now, the proliferation of the non-native deer and drought on Molokai have brought the problem into focus. Hundreds of deer have died from starvation, stretching thin the island's limited resources. When deer devour fruits, vegetables and other plants, it leads to to erosion and runoff into the ocean that alters the island's coral reef— another important food source. (Arizona State University's Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Allen Coral Atlas via AP)
Deer native to India starve to death amid drought in Hawaii

By Caleb Jones Feb. 09, 2021 01:23 PM EST

From left, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Managing Executive Officer Masanori Kato, Mitsui O.S.K.Lines, Ltd. Representative Director Akihiko Ono, and Nagashiki Shipping CEO Kiyoaki Nagashiki bow during a press conference in Tokyo, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. The owners and operators of the grounded ship Wakashio on Sunday apologized for the accident that has led to tons of fuel leaking into Mauritius waters. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan operator says human error caused Mauritius oil spill

By Mari Yamaguchi Dec. 18, 2020 07:38 AM EST

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2019 file photo, a section of Amazon rainforest stands next to soy fields in Belterra, Para state, Brazil. A decade-long effort by the world to save the world’s disappearing species and declining ecosystems has mostly failed so far, with fragile ecosystems like coral reefs and tropical forests in even more trouble than ever, according to a United Nations biodiversity report released on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
World isn't meeting biodiversity goals, UN report finds

By Christina Larson And Seth Borenstein Sep. 15, 2020 09:16 AM EDT

FILE — In this Sunday, Aug. 16 file photo the Japanese MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius, can be seen from the coast of Mauritius. The oil spill disaster turned deadly this week when a tugboat leaving the shipwreck collided with a barge and sank, killing at least three sailors, police said Tuesday Sept. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/ Sumeet Mudhoo-L'express Maurice/File)
Japan ship operator to pay $9M over Mauritius oil spill

By Mari Yamaguchi Sep. 11, 2020 09:03 AM EDT

Tens of thousands of people protest in Port Louis, Mauritius, Saturday Aug. 29, 2020, over the government's slow response to an oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship and the alarming discovery of dozens of dead dolphins . (Beekash Roopun/L'express Maurice via AP)
Thousands march in Mauritius over dead dolphins, oil spill

By Cara Anna Aug. 29, 2020 09:48 AM EDT

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius, is seen outside the courthouse in Port Louis Tuesday Aug. 18, 2020. Nandeshwar who is from India, was charged with "endangering safe navigation" and is in custody pending a bail hearing next week. (Rishi Etwaroo/L'express Maurice via AP)
Mauritius arrests captain of Japanese ship that spilled oil

By Andrew Meldrum Aug. 18, 2020 02:29 PM EDT

This photo provided by the French Defense Ministry shows a French military transport aircraft carrying pollution control equipment after landing in Mauritius island, Sunday Aug.9, 2020. The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has declared a "state of environmental emergency" after the Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel. (Gwendoline Defente/EMAE via AP)
Mauritius races to contain oil spill, protect coastline

By Andrew Meldrum And Mari Yamaguchi Aug. 09, 2020 11:52 AM EDT

In this photo provided by Grégoire Rouxel a ship, top right, off shore that ran aground is leaking fuel in the ocean, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, in Mauritius. The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has declared a "state of environmental emergency" after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced the development late Friday, Aug. 7, as satellite images showed a dark slick spreading near environmental areas the government called "very sensitive." (@gregrouxel via AP)
Mauritius scrambles to counter oil spill from grounded ship

By Cara Anna Aug. 08, 2020 10:29 AM EDT

Philippines rejects China's territorial label on island

By Jim Gomez Apr. 30, 2020 08:49 AM EDT
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines protested on Thursday China’s designation of a disputed South China Sea reef, which it has turned into a heavily...

FILE - In this April 12, 2020, file photo provided by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Navy Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Brian Miller, of Mineral Wells, Texas, disinfects a berthing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) with a multi-surface sanitizer. The U.S. Navy says that after weeks of work, all of the roughly 4,800 sailors on the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier have been tested for the virus. The ship has been sidelined in Guam since March 27, moving sailors ashore, testing them and isolating them for nearly a month.(Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kaylianna Genier/U.S. Navy via AP, File)
Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea

Apr. 26, 2020 11:02 PM EDT