Source: Peatlands are crucial carbon sinks but they are not on the map
The latest news related to nature conservation from around the world. If there is
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A ‘super-year’ in store for nature-based solutions
‘Nature-based solutions’ to climate change – the definition of which is quite self-evident – have long been lifted up in science and certain development circles as an overlooked solution which can help us to reverse planetary damage and limit global warming. Nature-based solutions could provide a full…
Local traditional knowledge can be as accurate as scientific transect monitoring
New research from a cross-organisational consortium in the Amazon has found indigenous knowledge to be as accurate as scientific transect monitoring.
How would biodiversity look if we counted non-native animals?
When conservationists measure a locale’s biodiversity, it’s typically the native animals who matter. Creatures whose ancestors arrived during the last few centuries or escaped from human captivity are not treated as though they belong.
Changing behaviour towards nature to keep biodiversity
As far as I’ve remember, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasised the importance of giving priority to considering biodiversity issues when making decisions in all sectors. Biodiversity must be the basis for establishing other goals, not an idea that comes up after other goals have been set…
Conservation efforts save 10 species from extinction
Conservation efforts have saved ten species from extinction, including a flightless bird, a parakeet and a trout cod, announced International Union for Conservation of Nature on Wednesday.
European Green Deal: A turning point for nature & climate?
However, only the concrete legislative and policy proposals expected in the coming months will show the extent to which the Commission is actually committed to heeding scientific recommendations for urgent and far-reaching transformational change.
U.S. States Have Eliminated Thousands of Environmental Protection Jobs Since 2008
Over the past decade, U.S. states eliminated 4,400 jobs at agencies responsible for protecting the environment, according to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. From 2008 to 2018, 30 states also cut funding for environmental agencies, with more than…
Surge in Global Methane Emissions Traced Back to East African Wetland
Scientists believe they have found one of the key drivers behind a spike in global methane emissions in recent years. Satellite data captured a large influx of water entering the Sudd wetland in South Sudan, fueling plant growth and soil microbial activity and producing extra methane, BBC News reported….
Measures to arrest nature’s decline must be passed into law, say MEPs
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity entered into force in 1993, but decades of international collaboration have failed to save the destruction of …
Fighting climate change, protecting nature go hand in hand
“The effects of climate change stoke the biodiversity crisis,” said Grethel Aguilar, … “But can I do the same for the Convention on Biological Diversity?
Colombia to host 2020 World Environment Day on biodiversity
On the eve of a critical year for environmental decision-making, Colombia, Germany and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced that Colombia will host World Environment Day 2020 in partnership with Germany and that it will focus on biodiversity.
Biodiversity a critical ally in sustaining agriculture
Organized by FAO, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of the Republic of Rwanda, the …
The Paris Agreement – without nature, a dead end path?
… present their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the new UN biodiversity goals will be established under the Convention on Biological …
Transition to renewable energy needs to consider global threat to species
Transition to renewable energy needs to consider global threat to species … For some countries more than half of the impact on species is overseas. … they studied the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List …
Peatlands are crucial carbon sinks but they are not on the map
Peatlands cover less than 3% of the earth’s land surface area but pack twice as much carbon as world’s forest. These carbon sinks are very poorly mapped and are getting rapidly converted for other land uses.
Young girl in the United Arab Emirates adamant about creating a sustainable environment
Today’s youth are not sitting idle. All across the word, young people have been taking a stand and voicing their concerns about global issues, from gender equality to climate change. Similarly, youth in West Asia have become more and more engaged in activism and environmental mobilization.
Africa calls for urgent action to conserve its rich biodiversity
Africa calls for urgent action to conserve its rich biodiversity … Government of Rwanda and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), organized …
Asean makes recommendations at UN body meeting
Sharing common positions on key agendas on biodiversity, representatives of the Asean member-states participated and put forward recommendations for the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework…
World’s Crisis-Stricken Oceans Doomed to Destruction Without a Global Treaty
The greatest single climate-induced threat facing the world’s 44 small island developing states (SIDS) is rising sea waters which could obliterate some of the low-lying states, including Maldives, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Palau and Micronesia.
World’s Oceans Are Losing Oxygen Rapidly, Study Finds
A new report found that oxygen levels in the world’s oceans declined by 2 percent over 50 years, threatening marine life around the planet.
Greenpeace calls for urgent ocean protection action
… and committing to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030 with a network of ocean sanctuaries at the Convention on Biological Diversity summit in China, …
COP25: UN Secretary-General concerned over ‘utterly inadequate’ efforts against climate change
Concerned about that the world’s efforts to stop climate change have been “utterly inadequate” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid a “surprise” visit to Madrid on Sunday, ahead of the official start of the 25th round of the UN-sponsored climate change talks.
Jane Goodall on fighting climate change: ‘The window of time is closing’
Jane Goodall, 85, is considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees and is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. Her groundbreaking research helped redefine the way we think about humankind’s closest living relatives and challenged long-standing scientific beliefs including that human…
Nature-Based Climate Solutions Opportunity for Latin America
Protecting and restoring natural areas in Latin America, home to fifty percent of the planet’s biodiversity and over a quarter of its forests, is critical if the world is to avert a biodiversity and climate disaster.
Climate heating is sucking the oxygen out of the oceans
The growing number of greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of nutrients are taking oxygen out of the oceans, threatening all marine biodiversity.
As Climate Change Worsens, A Cascade of Tipping Points Looms
New research warns that the earth may be approaching key tipping points, including the runaway loss of ice sheets, that could fundamentally disrupt the global climate system
Climate change tops list of global worries for young people, says Amnesty
Four out of 10 young people view climate change as one of the most important issues facing the world, an Amnesty International survey on the state of human rights showed on Tuesday, as environmental groups said U.N. climate talks in Madrid were failing to respond to that concern.
Barking up the wrong tree: what if the COP cannot deliver us from climate change?
The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an annual event that has been attracting increasing attention in recent years, as the impacts of climate change intensify and are now visible virtually to all.
Europe must lead on the climate crisis. The European Green Deal shows how
Humanity faces an existential threat. Forests burn from America to Australia. Deserts are advancing across Africa and Asia. Rising sea levels threaten our European cities as well as Pacific islands. Mankind has seen such phenomena before, but never at this speed.
‘Daring multi-level club solution’ could offer key to combating climate change
‘Climate clubs’ offering membership for sub-national states, rather than just countries, could speed up progress towards a globally-harmonised climate change policy.
Nature-Based Climate Solutions Opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean
Several countries, including Ecuador, Panama, and Peru, have already met or surpassed the Convention of Biological Diversity’s (CBD) target of …
Report highlights severe threats to Earth’s largest carbon sink
It warns that our changing climate, biodiversity loss and habitat destruction are endangering the processes which … at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean at the Convention on Biological Diversity summit in China in October 2020
Are Nature Based Solutions the Key to Africa’s Climate Response?
While the UN climate talks are celebrating their 25th year, carbon emissions around the world have continued to climb. For many, that is where natural solutions could play a key role in managing a dramatic climate transition.
We need to protect nature to stand any chance of tackling climate chaos
A 2019 report into the state of British nature paints a bleak picture: nearly half the species assessed showed strong or moderate decline over the last …
Climate Change Is Ravaging the Arctic, Report Finds
It was another very warm year in the region, leading to low winter sea ice and growing concerns over sea level rise.
U.N. Climate Talks End With Few Commitments and a ‘Lost’ Opportunity
A key United Nations meeting ended early Sunday with the United States and other big polluters blocking even a nonbinding effort to enhance…
Current wildlife conservation policies are no match for climate change
Current wildlife conservation policies are no match for climate change … directly threatens the conservation of migratory birds (themselves or others) or …
European Nations Approve New Goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2050
European Union leaders have agreed on a “common goal” of net-zero emissions by 2050, setting a major economic transformation, known as the European Green Deal, into motion. All but one of the EU’s 28 member states approved the new 2050 target; Poland, which gets 80 percent of its electricity from coal,…
Convention on Biological Diversity Notifications
