SACRAMENTO, US & NEW DELHI, India:, Jun 9 2025 (IPS)* –A newly released report by Earth Insight in collaboration with 16 environmental organizations has sounded a global alarm on the unchecked expansion of offshore oil and gas projects into some of the most biologically rich and ecologically sensitive marine environments on the planet.
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A report documents the impact of unchecked oil and gas projects in biologically rich and ecologically sensitive environments. Credit: Spencer Thomas
8 June 2025 (United Nations)* —The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.
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The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
If you’ve been following the global conversation around plastic pollution, you’ve probably heard of microplastics. These small particles have turned up everywhere from the depths of the ocean to the top of Mount Everest and even throughout the human body.
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Credit: dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP/Bernd Wustneck
But what exactly are microplastics, why are they concerning and what can the world do about them? Read on to find out.
Fisheries provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well-being for people throughout the world. In a world of growing population and persistent hunger, fish has emerged as an important commodity for the achievement of food security.
However, efforts by the international community to ensure the sustainability of fisheries are being seriously compromised by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.
NICE, France, Jun 2 2025 (IPS)** – As David Attenborough reflects in his new documentary Ocean, “After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea”.
Credit: NOAA Photo Library
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), scheduled to take place in Nice, France from 9-13 June, will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet’s largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem.
(UN News)* —As coral reefs bleach, fish stocks collapse, and sea temperatures break records, world leaders are heading to the French Riviera — not for leisure, but for one of the most urgent diplomatic gatherings of the year.
(UN News)* — As the hurricane season gets underway in the Caribbean, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm over Haiti’s humanitarian situation.
With roughly half the population, 5.7 million people, facing some sort of emergency level of hunger, Haiti is one of five countries in the world with catastrophic levels of hunger.
“Despite all the violence, displacement and collapse”, WFP remains in Haiti, Lola Castro, Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean, said during a briefing on Tuesday , having recently returned from the country.
More than one million people in Haiti are displaced due to ongoing gang violence and insecurity.
4 June 2025 — Like generations before her, Haoua farmed cattle in the Central African Republic (CAR). But one day, about ten years ago, armed fighters appeared in the village, intent on killing people and animals.
“We didn’t want to leave our herd of oxen, so we were the last to flee,” says Haoua. With her husband and children, she made it across the border to Cameroon.
With her back bent and a broom in her hand, 47-year-old Haoua briskly sweeps away the red soil in the courtyard. Swish, swish. As if every swish were a year that has passed. Swish. The dust of what once was. Swish.
(UN News)* — The UN is facing a deepening budget crisis that threatens lifesaving operations worldwide. From refugee aid in Mozambique to maternal health services in Afghanistan, critical programmes are on the brink of collapse unless urgent funding is secured.
TheUnited Statesis the largest debtor at about $1.5 billion, as the Trump Administration is withholding funds to cut what it sees as unnecessary spending.
(UN News)* — The UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his calls for Member states and the United Nations to work towards justice and reparations for Africans and the diaspora in a speech in New York on Friday .
UN News/Israa Hamad | Slavery memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
“Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility. But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed,” he said.
Credit: dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP/Bernd Wustneck
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