Recognizing that the continued deterioration and degradation of the world’s natural ecosystems were having major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere, world leaders called for increased resolve to protect biodiversity at the UN. A record number of countries – nearly 150 countries and 72 Heads of State
Two in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of the natural world, according to an international report. Plants and fungi underpin life on Earth, but the scientists said they were now in a race against time to find and identify
Last year, the UN General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition and highlighting the essential need to reduce food loss and waste. In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic underlining
If the environmental cost of food production were factored into the price tag of products on supermarket aisles, then the prices of meat, dairy and cheese would be far higher. Now, a discount retailer in Germany is showing the “true cost” of foods as calculated by a scientific study as
The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, the voice of the European travel and tourism sector, calls on Member States to urgently agree on harmonised travel restrictions and ensure swift implementation to help the sector survive this unprecedented crisis. The European Tourism Manifesto alliance applauds renewed efforts of the European Commission as well as
The number of people in Latin America and the Caribbean living in extreme poverty could surpass 83 million this year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant rise in hunger, according to a UN report released on 16 June 2020 on Preventing the COVID-19 crisis from
The World Food Programme has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause one of the worst food crises since World War II. It predicts a doubling of the number of people going hungry – more than half of them in sub-Saharan Africa. So far, the global food system has proven to be resilient to the COVID-19
To mark World Environment Day, the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme led by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announces its new vision for global tourism– growing better, stronger, and balancing the needs of people, planet and prosperity. The One Planet Vision for the Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector builds on the
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the world’s most ethnically and culturally diverse regions. It is also one of its most biodiverse. Yet local marine ecosystems are nearing a tipping point as a result of various environmental stresses caused by unsustainable human practices. In a newly released report, The Changing Sails: Accelerating
Vilnius gives public space to bars and cafes to allow physical distancing during lockdown Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, has announced plans to turn the city into a vast open-air cafe by giving over much of its public space to hard-hit bar and restaurant owners so they can put their tables outdoors
«Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people.» Now, the real question is how do we make things right in the world, while avoiding
There is a strong link between economic activity and global carbon dioxide emissions, due to the dominance of fossil fuel sources of energy. This coupling suggests we might be in for an unexpected surprise due to the coronavirus pandemic: a slowdown of carbon dioxide emissions due to reduced energy consumption. The effect
It’s shocking, but right now, 70% of monitored rivers are too polluted to swim in. Companies like Ravensdown are driving industrial dairying and making our rivers sick, all so they can make a quick buck. Use of synthetic fertiliser has increased 627% since 1990 and in that time the dairy herd
The 100-million-year-old burrows confirm that bees diversified alongside early flowering plants. A new fossil find has set paleontologists abuzz: Ancient nests confirm that bees were alive and well in Patagonia 100 million years ago, marking the oldest fossil evidence for modern bees. The nests, described recently in the journal PLOS ONE, consist
Experts welcome example of nation once drinking more per head than any other. The world’s toughest controls over the promotion of sugary drinks, brought in by a nation beset by obesity, have cut purchases by nearly a quarter in two years, research has shown. Instead of a sugar tax, which
Three million people in the Asia Pacific region must be lifted out of hunger each month, over the next decade if the region is to meet Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG) of zero hunger by end 2030, says a new UN report. While “substantial advances” have been made in the region
