Snow and ice melt: short-term hazards, long-term water stress
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31 October 2019 (World Meteorological Organization)* —A High Mountain Summit has issued a Call for Action in the face of rapid melting of the Earth’s frozen peaks and the consequences for food, water and human security, as well as for ecosystems, the environment and economies.
1 November 2019 (UN Environment)* — Growing demand for air conditioning units and refrigerators is threatening to accelerate global warming, but new guidelines could help reduce emissions by setting clear performance standards for new appliances.
Photo by Shutterstock (Photo posted here from UN Environment).
1 November 2019 (UN Environment)* — One of the most threatened yet overlooked ecosystems on earth, seagrass could have a promising future thanks to its ability to absorb carbon.
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Photo by Dimitris Poursanidis/GRID-Arendal (posted here from UN Environment).
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Seagrass is a flowering marine plant whose blades form dense meadows in shallow, sheltered areas along coastlines.
Washington, D.C. (IFPRI)* — Bangladesh’s recent aquaculture growth has defied predictions so much that it deserves to be called a “Blue Revolution.” Even though aquaculture has enabled over 2 million Bangladeshis to escape poverty from 2000-2010, the country’s fisheries policy has yet to adapt to these changes.
Creating greater access to fish as a source of nutrition among poor households in the future will require policy reforms and targeted investments. These are some of the key findings of a new book from researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and their collaborators.
On the occasion of World Cities’ Day, celebrated on 31 October, UNESCO is designating 66 urban settlements that are to join the Organization’s Network of Creative Cities, which now number a total of 246 members. The Network brings together cities that base their development on creativity, whether in music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy. *
31 October 2019 (UN Environment)* — Over half the world’s people live in cities. As more and more people move into cities from rural areas a number of environmental and social challenges arise, including overcrowding in slum areas, poor sanitation and air pollution. However, urbanization can also present great opportunities and is a critical tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development if done right.
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Photo by Foster and Partners (posted here fromUN Enviroment).
Cities have always been drivers and incubators of innovation. It is often said that the battle for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will be won or lost in cities.
31 October 2019 (Wall Street International)* — Only immediate climate action can save the future. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.
At an April 30 conference entitled “Covering Climate Now”, co-sponsored by The Nation and Colombia Journalism Review, Bill Moyers made a speech which included the following remarks:
More than 400 delegations of Venezuela participated in this first meeting, as well as 60 international delegations coming from across the country.
One of the focus will be the creation of an international movement of native peoples, along with a collective agenda for the fight against foreign intervention and extractivism. | Photo: MINCI (posted here fromteleSUR).
30 October 2019 (teleSUR)* — The 1st International Congress of Native Peoples has begun Tuesday [29 October 2019] in Venezuela and will last until Thursday, as part of the strategic actions that were outlined during the 25th Forum of Sao Paolo last month.
If emissions from the maritime industry are not cut, we are headed for “an environmental disaster”, Isabelle Durant, the deputy head of the UN trade body, UNCTAD, told the Global Maritime Forum summit on Wednesday [30 October 2019].
Her views were echoed by the UN shipping agency IMO, whose spokesperson, Lee Adamson, told UN News in an exclusive interview that current levels of emissions from shipping are “not acceptable”, and the industry needs a “new propulsion revolution”, to completely cut emissions from the sector.
Over half of the world’s population now live in cities, with numbers expected to double by 2050, but while urbanization poses serious challenges, cities can also be powerhouses for sustainable development; something the UN is spotlighting on World Cities Day, marked 31 October. *
© UNESCO
© MSC shipping (photo posted here from UN News). Shipping companies are working towards sustainable maritime transport as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 