Global

“We are in the early stages of analyzing those comments, including tallying the number of comments received,” Coker said. “Until we carefully evaluate the comments, it’s unclear when we will reach a decision on how or whether to finalize the proposed revisions.” “The haphazard and negligent regulation of agricultural biotechnology has been nothing short of a disaster for the public and the environment,” said George…

Climate disruption increases the vulnerability of poultry to bacterial diseases and external parasites in the tropics, an expert has warned. Eddy Decuypere, researcher at the laboratory of animal physiology at the University of Louvain (Belgium), was speaking at a symposium held in Togo (12-17 June) on the production of poultry in hot and humid climatic conditions. Assessing the impact of climate…

“As we said previously on this topic, the effects of climate change have a range of implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights. On this basis we join consensus,” said Mack. The recognition by the US of the importance of continuing work on this issue contrasted with Trump’s speech three weeks ago, which framed the Paris Agreement as an injustice against the US economy…

Excess nitrogen and trace metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury can impair plant metabolism and cut crop productivity, ultimately putting pressure on arable land. When they enter the food chain, such pollutants also pose risks to food security, water resources, rural livelihoods and human health. "Soil pollution is an emerging problem, but, because it comes in so many forms, the only way we…

Ghana Cardinal Peter Turkson, the church’s guiding force behind the writing of Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home. This picture was taken on the day the document was released. Photo by Justin Catanoso “There is an assumption that if religious leaders let the pope talk about [environmental protection], it will usher in rapid, large-scale change,” said Fletcher Harper, executive director of GreenFaith, a…

“Human activities are having major impacts on the ocean, affecting everything from the viability of marine habitats to the quality and temperature of the water, the health of marine life, and the continued availability of seafood,” the UN organizers said about the event being held 5 to 9 June. The Ocean Conference, the first ever such summit convened by the UN, will focus on the…

This damage bill was exacerbated by a lack of climate-resilient infrastructure. Taking urgent action to combat climate change and building infrastructure that can withstand its impacts are critical, therefore, to achieving sustainable development in the region. Using advanced technology when building or upgrading infrastructure can help reduce climate-related risks, and climate-resilient technology is already being incorporated into infrastructure in various sectors. If climate proofing…

Climate-related disasters are a global phenomenon. Earlier this year in Colombia, heavy rains overnight caused rivers to burst their banks, taking over 200 lives. In Quebec, Canada, excessive rainfall flooded thousands of homes. But it is Asia and the Pacific that are bearing the brunt. In Sri Lanka’s latest floods, the worst since 2003, rainfall that would have been usual for a year fell in…

“This is an area where we can make a real difference,” said Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “Sustainably managed forests are productive and resilient ecosystems, providing people with livelihoods and renewable energy, along with timber, food, shelter, clean air, water and climate benefits,” he added. At the same time, fuel wood – the primary source of energy for nearly a third…

Yet, as exciting as this future looks, we must not forget the critical role trees play right now in so many facets of daily life. One in three households, or about 2.4 billion people, rely on wood for heating homes, boiling safe drinking water and cooking nutritious meals – which tells us how crucial wood is to food security and well-being. Another 65 million people…

"We're particularly interested in severe turbulence, because that's the kind of turbulence that's strong enough to hospitalise people," Williams told The Washington Post. Forecasting algorithms can help pilots anticipate and avoid turbulent patches. But the research does suggest that future fliers could be in for a bumpier ride. The paper builds on a 2013 study in the journal Nature Climate Change by Williams and colleague…

Dr James Ryalls, author of the report, told Xinhua on Wednesday that this process the plants undertake is often “neglected,” but it is crucial to resist herbivory, attacks by insect predators. Ryalls maintained that while research in this field is somewhat in its infancy, the potential to use silicon as a natural form of pesticide is immense. “It’s applicable to field conditions and crops, and…

The land use sector is particularly important because it holds many links to food security, economy, well-being, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This sector is also unique because of its huge carbon sink potential. In developing countries, land use change (i.e. deforestation) and agriculture are often the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Unfortunately, emissions from land use change are notoriously hard to…

The examination of the movement and interaction of mechanical energies across the atmosphere, published Jan. 24 in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to explore long-term variations of the Lorenz energy cycle -- a complex formula used to describe the interaction between potential and kinetic energy in the atmosphere -- and offers a new perspective on what is happening with global warming. "It is…

As targeted, the conference brought together 65 participants and presenters coming from Timor Leste, Kyrgyz Republic, Cambodia, and South Korea. From the Philippines, there were participants from the Institute of Agroforestry-CFNR-UPLB, Laguna Lake Development Authority, DENR-CAR, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, Saint Louis University, Benguet Federation of Farmers and National Power Corporation. “This activity is an expanded activity primarily because it was an ordinary visit from…

Upward trend The main reason for the rise is the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas, which send carbon dioxide, methane and other pollutants known as greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and warm the planet. The mounting toll of industrialization on the Earth’s natural balance is increasingly apparent in the record books of recent decades. “Since the start of the 21st…

1. Hottest year on record—again. From the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the UK Met Office, experts unanimously agreed that 2016 will almost definitely be the hottest year ever, a record previously set by 2015. Scientists will only be able to confirm this early next year. Analysts attributed the high temperatures partly to the lingering…

Scientists involved in the editorial will discuss these trends at a session during the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco on Tuesday, 13 December. The findings could give new global attention to methane - which is much less prevalent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide but is a more potent greenhouse gas, trapping 28 times more heat. And while research…