By VÍCTOR CAIVANO and RAMIRO BARREIRO

PENÍNSULA VALDÉS, Argentina (AP) — After coming back from the brink of extinction, Southern right whales are swimming in greater numbers off the coast of Argentina’s Patagonia this year, delighting tourists seeking to catch a glimpse of their acrobatics.

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Peninsula Valdés, located in the Patagonian province of Chubut, is globally important for the conservation of marine mammals and is home to a key breeding population of Southern right whales — once an endangered species — as well as elephant seals and sea lions.

“I’ve seen whales in Canada and California, but this was the best and probably the largest number of whales I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Tino Ventz, a German tourist who recently visited the peninsula with his girlfriend.

The Southern right whale was nearly exterminated by hunting expeditions up until the last century. Before large-scale whaling began, the population in southern waters was estimated at around 100,000, before it was decimated to about 600. Since then, it has slowly recovered to roughly 4,700 whales around Peninsula Valdés today.

Whale-watching season in the south American country peaks between August and September. This year, more than 2,000 whales have been spotted, though the actual number is likely higher, scientists say.

Ventz, 24, and his partner joined Argentine Andrea Delfino and her children on a boat trip. Southern winds stirred the whales into more acrobatic breaching, a spectacle that leaves an indelible impression on those who witness it.

Other tourists preferred to watch the whales from the shore, as is common in neighboring Brazil or Uruguay.

Watching from the beach, Agustina Guidolín, fulfilled her dream of witnessing “the immensity that borders on the magical and the wild.” The tourists were at El Doradillo Park, a protected natural area in Puerto Madryn, where whales spend time close to shore with their young after giving birth.

In addition to Peninsula Valdés and other points in Patagonia, the whales’ migration route extends along Uruguay’s eastern coast and southern Brazil.

Santiago Fernández, a biologist with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council, is part of a project that since 1999 has carried out two to three aerial surveys each year along 400 miles of Patagonian coastline. This year’s count recorded 2,100 whales — 863 of them mothers with calves, and the rest solitary individuals.

A Southern Right Whale breaches off the coast of Puerto Piramides, Argentina, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

“We’re underestimating the number of whales in the area,” Fernández said of the census, noting that it represents only a snapshot, since whales move in and out of the same region as they migrate.

He explained that in 1999 “about 500 whales were counted along that same route,” and that “we’re currently seeing a 3% annual growth rate.”

Fernández added that another project, “Following Whales,” conducted by several national and international organizations, tracks individual whales via satellite telemetry within the San Matias Gulf to the north, the San Jorge Gulf to the south, and beyond, to better understand their routes.

From that project, which began in 2014, scientists learned that once the calves grow, the mothers lead them deeper into the gulfs — whales that are therefore not included in the aerial census.

The growing population is leading to a dispersal — especially of juveniles and mothers that have already calved — toward the San Matias and San Jorge gulfs, and even as far north as the coast of Buenos Aires province.

This expansion also brings the whales closer to risks posed by human activity, such as fishing nets and boat propellers, researchers have found, based on injuries suffered by whales unable to return to Antarctica at the end and beginning of their natural cycle.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

By MATTHEW DALY

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday ordered approval of a proposed 211-mile road through an Alaska wilderness to allow mining of copper, cobalt, gold and other minerals.

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The long-debated Ambler Road project was approved in Trump’s first term, but was later blocked by the Biden administration after an analysis determined the project would threaten caribou and other wildlife and harm Alaska Native tribes that rely on hunting and fishing.

The gravel road and mining project, north of Fairbanks, Alaska, “is something that should’ve been long operating and making billions of dollars for our country and supplying a lot of energy and minerals,” Trump said at an Oval Office ceremony. Former President Joe Biden “undid it and wasted a lot of time and a lot of money, a lot of effort. And now we’re starting again. And this time we have plenty of time to get it done,” Trump added.

In a related development, the White House announced it is taking 10% equity stake in Trilogy Metals, a Canadian company that is seeking to develop the Ambler site along with an Australian partner.

The U.S. government said last week it is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, another Canadian company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in Nevada. The Department of Energy will take a 5% equity stake in the company and a 5% stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said approval of Ambler Road will unlock access to copper, cobalt and other critical minerals “that we need to win the AI arms race against China.”

The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, where the Ambler Road project would pass through, is visible from Ambler, Alaska, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Supporters, including Alaska’s congressional delegation, have said the road is needed to reach a large copper deposit worth more than $7 billion. Copper is used in production of cars, electronics and even renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines.

Opponents, including a consortium of 40 federally recognized tribes, worry that development allowed by the road would put subsistence harvests at risk because the lands include important habitat for salmon and caribou.

Karmen Monigold, an Inupiaq member of Protect the Kobuk, a Northwest Arctic advocacy group opposed to the access road, said she cried when she first learned of Trump’s actions. “And then I reminded myself of who we are, and who our people are and how far we’ve come,” she said Monday in a telephone interview. “They tried to assimilate us, to wipe us out and yet we’re still here. We still matter.”

Monigold said she hopes Alaska Native groups will file lawsuits, as they’ve done before, to halt the project.

The two-lane gravel road includes about 26 miles that would cut through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The road would also cross 11 rivers and thousands of streams before reaching the site of a future mine.

The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, where the Ambler Road project would pass through, is visible from Ambler, Alaska, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

The Republican-controlled House approved a bill last month that would pave the way for Trump to expand mining and drilling on public lands in Alaska and other states. The vote, largely along party lines, would repeal land management plans adopted in the closing days of Biden’s administration that restricted development in large areas of Alaska, Montana and North Dakota.

Biden’s goal was in part to reduce climate-warming emissions from the burning of fossil fuels extracted from federal land. Under Trump, Republicans are casting aside those concerns as they open more taxpayer-owned land to development, hoping to create more jobs and revenue and boost fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The administration also has pushed to develop critical minerals, including copper, cobalt, gold and zinc.

While Trump has often said, “drill, baby, drill,” he also supports “mine, baby, mine,” Burgum said. “We’ve got to get back in the mining business.”

Trump’s order finds that the proposed road is in the public interest, given U.S. needs for domestic critical minerals, and says there is no economically feasible alternative route.

The decision directs the federal Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reissue necessary permits to construct the road.

Tristen Pattee, an Inupiaq who serves as an environmental technical supervisor at Red Dog zinc mine near Kotzebue, Alaska, said approval of the road is long overdue.

“I’m excited for the opportunities that are going to be coming in and all the jobs that will be created,” he said. “I look forward to them responsibly building the road and making sure it’s operated as permitted.”

Ambler Metals, a joint venture between Trilogy Metals and Australia-based South32, thanked Trump for jump-starting the Ambler project.

“This road will help secure the critical minerals our country needs for economic competitiveness and national defense, while also delivering meaningful benefits here at home,” said managing director Kaleb Froehlich.

Associated Press writer Annika Hammerschlag in Seattle contributed to this story.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org

By ALEXA ST. JOHN

Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, according to a new analysis.

Global solar generation grew by a record 31% in the first half of the year, while wind generation grew by 7.7%, according to the report by the energy think tank Ember, which was released after midnight Tuesday London time. Solar and wind generation combined grew by more than 400 terawatt hours, which was more than overall global demand increased in the same period, it found.

The findings suggest it is possible for the world to wean off polluting sources of power — even as demand for electricity skyrockets — with continued investment in renewables including solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal energies.

“That means that they can keep up the pace with growing appetite for electricity worldwide,” said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember and lead author of the study.

At the same time, total fossil fuel generation dropped slightly, by less than 1%.

“The fall overall of fossil may be small, but it is significant,” said Wiatros-Motyka. “This is a turning point when we see emissions plateauing.”

The firm analyzes monthly data from 88 countries representing the vast majority of electricity demand around the world. Reasons that demand is increasing include economic growth, electric vehicles and data centers, rising populations in developing countries and the need for more cooling as temperatures rise.

Meeting that demand by burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas for electricity releases planet-warming gases including carbon dioxide and methane. This leads to more severe, costly and deadly extreme weather.

Analyzing major markets

Ember also dedicated part of its report to an analysis of China, India, the European Union and the U.S. Combined, they account for nearly two-thirds of electricity generation and carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector globally.

FILE – A solar farm is visible in Hainan prefecture of western China’s Qinghai province July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

In the first six months of the year, China added more solar and wind than the rest of the world combined, and its fossil fuel generation fell by 2%, the report said.

India saw record solar and wind growth that outpaced the growth in demand. India’s fossil fuel generation also dropped.

In both nations, emissions fell.

“It’s often been said by analysts that renewable energy doesn’t really lead to a reduction in fossil fuel use,” said Michael Gerrard, founder and director of the Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, who was not involved in the report. “This report highlights an encouraging step in the opposite direction.”

FILE – A worker stacks solar cells in a ReNew manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

But in the U.S., demand growth outpaced the growth of clean power generation. In the E.U., sluggish wind and hydropower generation contributed to higher coal and gas generation, the report said. In both markets, fossil fuel generation and emissions increased.

Challenges in the US

The U.S. clean energy market faces challenges as President Donald Trump’s administration shifts federal policy away from renewables and toward boosting coal, oil and gas production. The administration has terminated Biden-era funding that supported clean energy projects, repealed policy underpinning climate-related regulation and halted wind energy developments.

Meanwhile, the administration has lifted barriers to coal mining, granted two years of regulatory relief to coal-fired power plants and other polluting industries and dedicated millions of dollars to these coal plants.

In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Trump attacked renewable energy and questioned the validity of the concept of climate change.

FILE – Wind turbines operate in a rural area near Canudos, Bahia state, Brazil, March 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

Experts warn that Trump’s efforts to block clean energy will have a long-term impact.

“The federal government is greatly increasing the growth of artificial intelligence, which is going to massively increase electricity demand, and they’re also shutting down the cheapest new sources of electricity, wind and solar. That’s going to lead to a gap in supply and demand,” Gerrard said.

Renewables “still have an opportunity to make inroads in to displacing fossil fuels, even with some demand growth,” said Amanda Smith, senior scientist at research organization Project Drawdown, who also wasn’t involved in the report. But, Smith said: “I am very cautiously optimistic that renewables can continue to grow and continue to displace fossil fuels in the U.S. I am more optimistic on the world scale.”

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Ayden Lopez, 7, from Nebraska, was born with arthrogryposis, a rare condition that causes multiple joint contractures at birth.

On Monday, she and her mom, Anissa Padgett, visited Shriners Children’s Twin Cities Hospital for the first time, consulting with orthopedic and hand surgeon, Dr. Van Heest, whose name the two said in unison, prompting Lopez to cast a jinx spell on her mom.

“Your joint’s kind of grew a different way than everybody else’s, didn’t they,” Padgett said after Lopez released her from the spell by saying, “mommy” twice.

In honor of the 75th anniversary year of “Peanuts,” created by Minnesota native Charles M. Schulz, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Shriners Children’s Twin Cities in Woodbury hosted Paintfest, a paint-by-number mural event for patients and families to create together, in between appointments.

The six-panel canvas piece featuring “Peanuts” characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and crew, was donated by the Foundation for Hospital Art, a national nonprofit that donates “joyful Peanuts-themed murals to hospitals around the world.” Many children participating in the event have orthopedic conditions that can affect hands and arms and make joint movement challenging, but it doesn’t stop them from getting in on the fun.

“In child life, we’re focused on helping kids cope with their medical conditions, and help them to see that their physical bodies don’t have to limit what they’re capable of doing,” child life specialist Audrey Haugen said. “They can do anything they set their minds to.”

‘I’m having so much fun’

The 102-year-old hospital transitioned to an outpatient clinic in recent years and moved from its original Minneapolis location to its current Woodbury-based facility in 2020.

The pediatric, orthopedic hospital specializes in a variety of services, including burn injuries, craniofacial conditions, spine care and spinal cord injuries, and sports medicine. On Monday, one of Shriners’ hands and arms visiting specialists was on site to see patients in need of upper extremities care, ranging from injury, illness-related conditions, to functional or appearance differences, Haugen said.

While painting “Peanuts” character Lucy, Lopez would say out loud, “I’m having so much fun,” and “this is so fun.” She and her mom are making a trip of their visit to Minnesota, Padgett said. They have plans to shop at the Mall of America, and little artist Lopez is especially excited for the Crayola Experience.

Other patients also traveled from outside the state, like the Kagemann family from Iowa and the Kraft family from Wisconsin.

Five-year-old Theo Kagemann was born with three fingers on his left hand and a webbed thumb, his mom Jessica Kagemann explained. They came to Shriners, Monday for a consult following surgery Theo underwent for his thumb to provide a better range of motion.

“It’s pretty exceptional here,” Jessica Kagemann said about Shriners.

‘Not so much about just being a doctor’s visit’

Their family has visited the hospital for the past two years for Theo’s condition and each time they try to make the visit, which consists of a four-hour drive, which Theo emphasized, more like a vacation. In the past, their family has stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, visited the Mall of America and other attractions, but Monday’s “Peanuts” event was a welcome surprise they hadn’t planned for.

“It makes it not so much about just being a doctor’s visit,” said dad Tyler Kagemann. “It’s something fun to do with the kids, and that’s what we like to do when we make the trips up here, too, make it fun.

Theo’s seven-year-old sister also enjoyed the “Peanuts” mural event as she waited for her brother to return from his appointment. By the time he appeared, she’d already moved on to her second canvas, arms covered in paint and Snoopy a lovely shade of fire engine red.

Their family had never watched or read the cartoons together, but they will after this event, they said. After all, it is the season for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” and Theo was especially excited to stream the classic at home.

Paintfest mural

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Fourteen-year-old Abby Kraft and 17-year-old Zeke Kraft, however, who both visit the hospital due to their genetic bone conditions, are no strangers to the “Peanuts gang,” they said.

The Gen Z Wisconsinites grew up with the characters and chuckled when seven-year-old Ayden said that when she heard the name Snoopy, she thought only of rapper Snoop Dog.

Once fully painted, the “Peanuts” mural will hang on the walls of Shriners in Woodbury, making it the first Paintfest mural created by the hands of patients, families and staff. It’s also the hospital’s first cartoon-style mural, marketing manager Lauren Elm said.