Environment

Human development set back 5 years by Covid, other crises: UN report

A United Nations report published Thursday argues that an unprecedented array of crises, chiefly among them Covid-19, has set human progress back five years and fueled a global wave of uncertainty.. Titled "Uncertain times, unsettled lives," the report points to the Covid-19 pandemic as a major driver of the global reversion, but also says that a compounding number of crises -- political, financial and climate-related -- have not allowed time for populations to recover.

Thu, Sep 8, 2022 3 mins read

Environment

Countries growing 70% of world's food face 'extreme' heat risk by 2045

Blistering crop-withering temperatures that also risk the health of agricultural workers could threaten swathes of global food production by 2045 as the world warms, an industry analysis warned Thursday.. However, the authors stress that in projections to mid-century, even scenarios that assume higher levels of carbon-cutting action could still result in temperatures nearing 2C. India -- responsible for 12 percent of global food production in 2020 and heavily reliant on outdoor labour productivity -- is already rated as at extreme risk, the only major agricultural nation in that category at current temperatures. 

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 3 mins read

Environment

Energy majors exaggerating green performance: analysis

Energy majors are exaggerating their green credentials in public messaging while continuing to allocate the majority of new investment to oil and gas projects, according to an industry analysis released Thursday.. The analysis found that 62 percent of TotalEnergies' communications mentioned green activities, while it planned to allocate 25 percent of 2022 capital expenditure on low-carbon projects. 

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 3 mins read

Environment

Ancient skeleton reveals amputation surgery 31,000 years ago

A skeleton discovered in a remote corner of Borneo rewrites the history of ancient medicine and proves amputation surgery was successfully carried out about 31,000 years ago, scientists said Wednesday.. For all that the skeleton reveals, many questions remain: how was the amputation carried out and why?

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 3 mins read

Environment

Western US heat wave to wane, but more fire danger ahead: forecast

A ferocious heat wave scorching the western United States could finally begin to wane in the coming days, forecasters said Wednesday, but they warned of dangerous fire conditions as howling winds sweep through the bone-dry region.. A number of wildfires are already burning all over the western United States, including two deadly blazes that erupted over the long Labor Day weekend.

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 3 mins read

Environment

Mexico's Baja California braces for Hurricane Kay

Hurricane Kay gathered strength in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and was on course to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, forecasters said.. Heavy rain and large swells could also affect the US state of California in the coming days, it warned.

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 1 mins read

Environment

Biden to evoke JFK's moon speech in cancer fight

President Joe Biden will evoke John F. Kennedy's famous 1962 speech on putting an American on the moon next week when he outlines his government's goal of halving cancer deaths, the White House said Wednesday.. Biden will mark the 60th anniversary of JFK's "Moonshot" speech with an event at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston "to deliver remarks on the Cancer Moonshot and the goal of ending cancer as we know it," the White House said.

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 1 mins read

Environment

Dutch city to ban meat ads in world first claim

The Dutch city of Haarlem is set to become the first in the world to ban advertisements for most meat because of its impact on climate change, officials said Wednesday.. The move was approved by the city council in November, but went unnoticed until last week when a councillor announced he had officially notified advertising agencies.

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 2 mins read

Environment

Green groups demand loss and damage money ahead of COP27

Hundreds of environmental groups called Wednesday for the issue of loss and damage finance to be on the formal agenda of the forthcoming COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt.. More than 400 aid agencies and activist groups on Wednesday signed an open letter demanding that loss and damage finance be added to the official negotiating agenda. 

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 1 mins read

Environment

Ukraine backs UN peacekeeping force at occupied nuclear plant

Ukraine's nuclear operator said Wednesday it would support the deployment of UN peacekeepers at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, a day after the UN atomic watchdog called for a security zone around the site.. Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom said Wednesday it would support the deployment of UN peacekeepers to the facility and called for Russian troops to leave. 

Wed, Sep 7, 2022 3 mins read