12 stories about the environment you should read this week

It's been a big week for news about the environment as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest assessment report.

For all your required reading on that, and other stories that might have passed you by, read on below.

Human activities are 'unequivocally' responsible for climate change, it said. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it a "code red for humanity".

From the accelerating rise in sea levels to extreme weather getting more common, Reuters gave us 6 key takeaways to help you digest the report.

And in addition to Guterres, here's what some leaders from around the world said in response, including World Economic Forum President, Børge Brende.

And what it might mean for the ocean, according to the UN special envoy Peter Thomson. He called for detailed plans around emissions cuts and concrete commitments to invest in a sustainable blue economy.

So what can we do about it? A different Reuters piece outlined some possible solutions, from AI to wind-powered cargo ships.

This week has also seen serious wildfires in Europe, California, Algeria and Russia. The Siberian wildfires are bigger than all other fires burning around the globe, ABC News explained.

The Greek government has appointed a new minister in charge of recovery from natural disasters in response to the widespread damage and devastation.

Argentina is in the midst of a once-in-a-century drought. It's set to affect the country's grains exports into next year, significant news from the world's third largest corn supplier.

While, in California, drought has forced famers to rip up almond trees. The almond market is worth nearly $6 billion a year to California, but several years of low rainfall has seen authorities turn off the tap to agricultural producers.

Sicily, Italy, has reported what would be Europe's hottest ever temperature – 48.8°C – once it's confirmed. The current record of 48°C was recorded in Athens in 1977.

The US state of Oregon has also declared a state of emergency ahead of high temperatures – just weeks after the Pacific northwest experienced another deadly heatwave.

Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flooding on the Black Sea coast in Turkey. As of Friday morning, authorities were reporting at least 27 deaths. It follows the deaths of at least six people in flooding in the eastern province of Rize last month.