MADRID, Feb 4 2022 (IPS)* – Now it comes to teleworking, the double-edged, relatively recent phenomenon imposed by COVID-19 lockdowns. On the one hand, it improves work-life balance, opportunities for flexible working hours and physical activity, reduced traffic and commuting time, and a decrease in air pollution. So far so good, but…
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Without proper planning, organization and health and safety support the impact of teleworking on the physical and mental health and social wellbeing of workers can be significant, warns new report. Credit: Martin/ILO
(Greenpeace International)* — When Namibia declared its independence in 1990, it officially marked the end of colonialism on the African continent. But, while most African nations have been free of European rule for a number of decades now, it seems that the power dynamics have only really changed in principle.
Rome, 3 February 2022 (FAO)* – The gauge for world food prices went up in January, largely catalysed by supply-side constraints for vegetable oils, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 3 February 2022 reported.
2 February 2022 (UN News)* — The massive volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga followed by another earthquake and aftershocks just days afterwards, has highlighted once again the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a meeting this week convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has heard.
The Global SIDS Solutions Dialogue, focused on the “severe challenge” these often impoverished low-lying nations face in being able to reach the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said FAO Chief Economist, Máximo Torero Cullen.
(UN News)* — A new UN partnership announced on Wednesday [2 February 2022] aims to raise awareness about the environmental and health impacts of microplastics in cigarette butts, the most discarded waste item worldwide.
Unsplash/Brian Yurasits | Cigarette butts and vaping pods found during a beach cleanup in the USA.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) will launch a social media campaign to highlight the issue.
The partnership is facilitated through UNEP’s Clean Seas campaign, a global coalition comprised of 63 countries devoted to ending marine plastic pollution.
MADRID, Feb 2 2022 (IPS)* – This is about Wetlands, which are considered as a natural solution to the global threat of climate change. They absorb carbon dioxide, help slow global heating and reduce pollution, hence they are often referred to as the “Kidneys of the Earth”.
Young mangrove plants, Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka. Credit: Amantha Perera/IPS
Specifically, peatlands alone store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined. However, when drained and destroyed, wetlands emit vast amounts of carbon, adds the UN on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day, marked 2 February.
I would like to announce the publication of a new book, which discusses worrying recent developments in the Antarctic and the Arctic, which warn us of catastrophic consequences if we neglect urgent climate action.
The book may be downloaded free of charge from the following link:
Diagonal cracks have been observed in Antarctica’s enormous Thwaites Glacier, and scientists fear that it might shatter into small pieces like a windscreen.
1 February 2022 (UN News)* — Marking the first anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, the independent UN expert monitoring the country implored States on Tuesday to take more robust action, reiterating his call for an arms embargo to stop the killing of innocent people.
One of the less-discussed aspects of the current crisis in Eastern Europe is its huge sales potential
Russia‘s President Putin holds a meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council, via video conference from his Kremlin office, 21 January 2022 | Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin Pool/Alamy Live News
29 January 2022 (openDemocracy)* — As the Ukraine crisis evolves, the military machinery on both sides gears up for combat, with Russia moving troops and equipment towards Ukraine and NATO sending reinforcements to Eastern Europe.
Russia understandably fears the eastward expansion of NATO. Recently NATO countries, led by the United States, have supplied arms to Ukraine.
There is a threat that the tensions building up in the region will lead to war. Such a development would be catastrophic for the entire world. Against this backdrop, we examine the question of NATO’s illegality.
Recent Threats of War over Ukraine
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 