Climate, Weather-Related Disasters Increasing, but Early Warnings Save Lives
Climate- and weather-related disasters have surged five-fold over 50 years, but early warnings save lives, according to a WMO report.
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Marine Protection Treaty Could Hinder Medical Research
A treaty in the works for marine life protection in the high seas might not be an entirely good thing, Nature reports. For the treaty to be official, nations must agree to a system for creating large marine sanctuaries on the high seas and lay out rules for how industry operates in these waters. The most contentious issue is how
Read moreAnnual Sustainability Report Notes Marine Trends: Good News and Bad
The United Nations 2018 Sustainable Development Goals Report reviews the progress made during 2018 on the 17 sustainability goals set by the United Nations. Goal 14, “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”, remains challenging. View the full 2018 report: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2018
Read moreUNESCO Report Says Billions are Deprived of Water
Access to water and sanitation is internationally recognized human right. Yet more than two billion people lack even the most basic of services. The latest United Nations World Water Development Report, Leaving No One Behind, explores the symptoms of exclusion and investigates ways to overcome inequalities. The report was launched in Geneva, Switzerland on Mar. 19 during the 40th session
Read moreUN Research Warns of Toxic Side Effects of Desalination
The fast-rising number of desalination plants worldwide—now almost 16,000, with capacity concentrated in the Middle East and North Africa—quench a growing thirst for freshwater but create a salty dilemma as well: how to deal with all the chemical-laden leftover brine. In a UN-backed paper, experts estimate the freshwater output capacity of desalination plants at 95 million cubic meters per day—comparable
Read moreU.K. Calls for 30% Of Global Oceans To be Designated Protected Areas
The environment secretary of the U.K., Michael Gove, last month called for one-third of the world’s oceans to be designed as marine protected areas by 2030. Globally, less than 10% of the world’s seas are currently designated as marine protected areas (MPAs)—one of the most important ways to protect precious sea life and habitats from damaging activity. Currently, global targets for
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