POLYCE, Bonn, Germany Consumers asked to favor electronic products containing recycled plastics; firms to build recycled plastic into design, ease plastic recovery for reuse A European Commission-funded project supported by the United Nations is calling for consumers to demand electronic and electrical products made with recycled plastic, and for manufacturers to redesign products to both […]
Deep Carbon Observatory, Carnegie Institution, Washington DC Scientists update estimates of Earth’s immense interior carbon reservoirs, and how much carbon Deep Earth naturally swallows and exhales 10-year Deep Earth study advances knowledge, delineates limits; Do volcanoes send up chemical warnings days before they erupt? Carbon catastrophes: Earth has seen a few of them before; they […]
Future Earth, Stockholm, Sweden First holistic attempt to identify scientific risks, guardrails — akin to a 2C rise for climate — to create targets for land, water, oceans, biodiversity Three of the world’s foremost scientists will co-chair a commission of leading international experts to identify risks and develop a coherent suite of scientific targets to protect […]
UN Environment / Frankfurt School / Bloomberg New Energy Finance UN-backed report: Decade of investment (2010-2019) quadruples renewables capacity from 414 GW to about 1,650 GW; renewables generated 12.9 per cent of global electricity in 2018, avoiding 2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions Frankfurt / Nairobi – Global investment in new renewable energy capacity this […]
Northwest Passage Project, University of Rhode Island, Inner Space Centre Plastics visible in 2-metre sea ice cores in the Northwest Passage Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a U.S.-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution now poses to marine life in […]
IPBES, Bonn (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) Current global response insufficient; ‘transformative changes’ needed to restore and protect nature; opposition from vested interests can be overcome for public good; most comprehensive assessment of its kind; 1 million species threatened with extinction Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and […]
Deep Carbon Observatory Washington DC Not all methane originated in buried, decayed remains of ancient life; some deep hydrocarbons aren’t conventional ‘fossil fuels’ as popularly defined; Abiotic methane: catalyst and nourishment for the earliest life on this planet — and others? Looking for methane results in more questions than answers – geology and biology work […]
UN University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton Canada At least 140 million people in 50 countries have been drinking water containing arsenic at levels above the World Health Organization guideline A United Nations University study compares for the first time the effectiveness and costs of many different technologies designed to remove arsenic […]
UNU / World Economic Forum, Geneva Joint report: Technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution show huge potential and could lead to “dematerialization”, better product tracking, take-back and recycling, and products sold as services In brief: Seven UN entities have come together, supported by the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development […]
The Rockefeller University, Program for the Human Environment, New York Organizers of 1st National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA call for official US Government marine eDNA program; investments to speed sampling results, standard sampling / reporting protocols; priority exploration / baseline monitoring site Advanced technologies capable of analyzing DNA in seawater will help answer some of […]
UNU-INWEH, Hamilton Canada World’s ~16,000 desalination plants discharge 142 million cubic meters of brine daily — 50 percent more than previously estimated; Enough in a year to cover Florida under a foot (30.5 cm) of brine The fast-rising number of desalination plants worldwide — now almost 16,000, with capacity concentrated in the Middle East and […]
Deep Carbon Observatory Washington DC Deep Carbon Observatory collaborators, exploring the ‘Galapagos of the deep,’ add to what’s known, unknown, and unknowable about Earth’s most pristine ecosystem Barely living “zombie” bacteria and other forms of life constitute an immense amount of carbon deep within Earth’s subsurface – 245 to 385 times greater than the carbon […]
Rockefeller University, New York, Program for the Human Environment Experts convene for 1st US National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA, a far-reaching, potent complement to traditional monitoring systems; initiates coordinated US research theme, standardized sampling/reporting protocols; baseline monitoring sites New York — An innovative tool that can confirm the recent presence of any given fish […]
UN University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada Several avenues to elevate Canada’s role on the global water stage are recommended Hamilton, Canada – The United Nations University’s Canadian-based Institute on Water, Environment and Health today released a critical examination of the capacity of Canada’s water sector with respect to meeting and […]
Rockefeller University, New York Far from special: Humanity’s tiny DNA differences are ‘average’ in animal kingdom Paper offers new insights into evolution; as with humans, over 90 percent of animal species today likely originated 100,000-200,000 years ago Researchers report important new insights into evolution following a study of mitochondrial DNA from about 5 million specimens […]
UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton Canada (op-ed published by Project Syndicate) Sustainable Development Goal 6 calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation. But if governments do not embrace unconventional water resources, achieving that goal will be as difficult as getting water from a stone – and the consequences for water-scarce […]
University of Helsinki, Finland Study finds virtually no correlation between higher levels of atmospheric CO2 and nations’ forest expansion/decline; difference mirrors the UN Human Development Index The surprising, steady expansion of forests in many countries is a reflection of national well being and does not constitute a benefit of rapidly rising levels of atmospheric carbon […]
United Nations University, Bonn / Tokyo About three-fourths of 60,000 tons of used electronic equipment shipped to Nigeria in both 2015 and 2016 originated from EU ports; At least 15,400 tons didn’t work; TVs, monitors are largest category (almost one-third by weight), followed by photocopiers A two-year study into used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE) […]
UN Environment, Paris / Nairobi China leads with more than half of world’s new solar capacity; global solar investment jumps 18 percent to $160.8 billion; cumulative renewable energy investment since 2004: $2.9 trillion Solar energy dominated global investment in new power generation like never before in 2017. The world installed a record 98 gigawatts of […]
IPBES, Bonn 26 March, 2018 Main cause of species loss; driver of the migration of millions of people by 2050 In landmark 3-year assessment report, 100+ experts outline costs, dangers and options The dangers of land degradation, which cost the equivalent of about 10% of the world’s annual gross product in 2010 through the loss […]
IPBES, Bonn 23 March 2018 Human well-being at risk; Landmark reports highlight options to protect and restore nature and its vital contributions to people Biodiversity — the essential variety of life forms on Earth — continues to decline in every region of the world, significantly reducing nature’s capacity to contribute to people’s well-being. This alarming trend […]
Project ProSUM, Brussels Standardized, consolidated data helps to identify recovery potential of secondary raw materials worth € billions wasted annually Expert European organizations have united to create the world’s first database of valuable materials available for “urban mining” from scrap vehicles, spent batteries, waste electronic and electrical equipment, and mining wastes. The Urban Mine Platform […]