New York, Feb 23 (IBNS): With the biodiversity of plants cultivated for food shrinking, the global population’s health, livelihoods and environment are under severe threat. This warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) comes as the UN agency releases a new report – the first of its kind – on the state of the world’s biodiversity in food and agriculture.
Boat made of recycled plastic and flip-flops inspires fight for cleaner seas along African coast
New York, Feb 13 (IBNS): After completing a historic 500km journey from the Kenyan island of Lamu to the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, the world’s first ever traditional “dhow” sailing boat made entirely from recycled plastic, known as the Flipflopi, has successfully raised awareness of the need to overcome one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges: plastic pollution.
New York, Feb 2 (IBNS):“High impact weather” has gripped much of the world so far this year, the UN weather agency, WMO, reported on Friday, with “dangerous and extreme cold in North America, record high heat and wildfires in Australia, heavy rains in parts of South America, and heavy snow on the Alps and Himalayas.
Boom in Artificial Intelligence patents, points to ‘quantum leap’ in tech: UN report
New York, Feb 1 (IBNS): The “upsurge” in patent applications for devices and machines powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last five years, suggests that it could soon revolutionize all areas of daily life far beyond the tech world, a UN report suggested on Thursday.
UN lauds special chemistry of the periodic table, kicking off 150th anniversary celebrations
New York, Jan 30 (IBNS): On Tuesday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements at its headquarters in Paris, kicking off a series of events and activities to be held throughout the year, as the world celebrates the 150th anniversary since its creation by Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev.
At COP24, countries agree concrete way forward to bring the Paris climate deal to life
New York, Dec 16 (IBNS): After two weeks of crunch negotiations – with overtime – the almost 200 parties gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the United Nations COP24 two-week climate change conference, adopted on Saturday a “robust” set of implementing guidelines for the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, aimed at keeping global warming well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
UN space-based tool opens new horizons to track land-use on Earth’s surface
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): Satellite-based tracking to chart how land is being used on the earth’s surface is about to get much easier and more accessible, the UN food agency has announced, launching a new online portal developed in collaboration with the United States Space Agency, NASA.
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): With roadblocks continuing at the COP24 climate change conference over how to implement the historic 2015 Paris Agreement, United Nations chief António Guterres returned to Poland on Wednesday, to challenge the more than 100 Government leaders gathered in Katowice to find consensus and “finish the job.”
‘Going green’ is good business says private sector at UN’s COP24 climate conference
New York, Dec 11 (IBNS): Businesses across the world should no longer be viewed solely as greenhouse gas emissions culprits, but more as indispensable partners for climate action, who stand to increase profits from “going green”. That was the key message as the United Nations COP24 climate change conference went into its second week in Katowice, Poland.
New York, Dec 5 (IBNS): With thousands gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the ‘COP24’ meeting to chart the way forward for climate action, United Nations chief António Guterres presented his longer-term vision on Tuesday for the 2019 Climate Change Summit.
COP24: green, gender focus, as UN's crucial climate change conference gets underway
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): COP24, the two-week 24th conference of the parties of the United Nations Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), started on Sunday in Katowice, Poland, with a special focus on carbon neutrality and gender equality.
CO2 emissions on the rise for first time in four years, UN agency warns
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): A new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose again during 2017 after a three year hiatus, highlighting the imperative for countries to deliver on the historic Paris Agreement to keep global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): To bring the voice of the people to the upcoming Climate Change Conference in Poland (known by the shorthand 'COP 24', from 2 to 14 December), the United Nations has launched the ‘People’s Seat’ initiative, calling millions of change advocates worldwide to submit messages for an address that will be delivered to leaders attending the conference, by renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere break another record, UN report shows
New York, Nov 23 (IBNS): Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to a report issued on Thursday by the United Nations weather agency, which reveals that there is no sign of reversal of this trend, responsible for climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather.
Oslo leads the way in ‘Breathe Life’ campaign for cleaner cities in climate change era
New York, Oct 26 (IBNS): Norway’s capital Oslo is paving a fossil-free, electrified, path in its push toward improving air quality, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced.