UN Environment Programme, Paris / Nairobi 24 Mar 2016 For first time, developing world investments in renewables (up 19 percent in 2015) topped developed nations’ (down 8%); World record total of $286 billion invested in renewables last year, makes $2.3 trillion over 12 years Frankfurt / Nairobi — Coal and gas-fired electricity generation last year […]
IPBES, Bonn / Office of the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia 26 Feb 2016 Assessment Details Options for Safeguarding Pollinators Kuala Lumpur – 26 February, 2016 – A growing number of pollinator species worldwide are being driven toward extinction by diverse pressures, many of them human-made, threatening millions of livelihoods and hundreds of billions […]
American Mineralogist 12 Feb 2016 What do 2,500+ obscure, isolated mineral species reveal about Earth? Scientists have inventoried and categorized all of Earth’s rare mineral species described to date, each sampled from five or fewer sites around the globe. Individually, several of the species have a known supply worldwide smaller than a sugar cube. These […]
MIGHT, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology) 11 Jan 2015 Additional Malaysian nanoscience research includes converting greenhouse gases into energy source; ‘Smart farming’ nanosensors; New program aims for macro impact in health, energy, environment, agriculture, electronics Malaysian scientists are joining forces with Harvard University experts to help revolutionize the treatment of lung […]
UN S-G’s Advisory Board, Water & Sanitation 18 Nov 2015 Blunt valedictory report from Secretary-General’s water and sanitation advisory board suggests routes to next generation world water goals; calls for major institutional upgrades and a UN-wide ‘water-cultural revolution’ The supreme importance of water and sanitation to development and well-being merits creation of a powerful new global arena […]
United Nations University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health — Hamilton, Canada 3 Nov 2015 Safe, systematic collection of human waste in low-resource countries could yield valuable fuels, invaluable health and environmental benefits Biogas from human waste, safely obtained under controlled circumstances using innovative technologies, is a potential fuel source great enough in theory […]
Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership, Montreal 11 October, 2015 Decarbonizing electricity: After 2 years of international consultations, world’s leading utilities publish major report for Paris summit, catalog innovative means to help realize national CO2 pledges An association of the world’s leading electricity firms today lit a picture of a future high-tech enabled world energy […]
UN University – INWEH, Hamilton 1 Oct 2015 Importance of water cooperation grows as climate changes advance; Tajikistan Foreign Minister honored for water-related leadership in Central Asia; Sirodjidin Aslov delivers UNU-INWEH Distinguished Lecture The importance of international cooperation in freshwater management is growing with world population and changes to global climate and weather […]
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology, Kuala Lumpur International ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ of sustainable development advisors assesses progress at 5th annual meeting in New York Malaysia has passed an important milestone on its way to developed country status. World Bank data shows that Malaysian GDP per capita -$10,830 in 2014 -has exceeded for the first time […]
UN University – INWEH, Hamilton, Canada 15-SEP-2015 To better inform the tradeoffs involved in land use choices around the world, experts have assessed the value of ecosystem services provided by land resources such as food, poverty reduction, clean water, climate and disease regulation and nutrients cycling. Their report today estimates the value of ecosystem services […]
United Nations University, Bonn 30 Aug, 2015 UN University, INTERPOL, partners conclude 2-year inquiry; report recommends ways to better enforce laws, monitor e-waste trade; cooperation vital to make stringent EU regulations function Mismanagement of discarded electronics within Europe involves a volume 10 times that of e-waste shipped to foreign shores in undocumented exports, according to a […]
UNSG’s Scientific Advisory Board Paris 9 July 2015 UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board calls for advisor, not observer seat for science at leaders’ policy-making table; recommends science test for pending policy decisions Investing up to 3.5% of a nation’s GDP in science, technology and innovation – including basic science and education – is a key benchmark […]
REN21 (Renewable Energy for the 21st Century), Paris Record installations for wind and solar PV in 2014; renewable energy targets created in 20 more countries, new total: 164 Renewable energy targets and other support policies now in place in 164 countries powered the growth of solar, wind and other green technologies to record-breaking energy generation […]
Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto 25 May 2015 Innovative ‘flocked swab’ improves diagnosis, treatment of deadly childhood diarrheal diseases; results could prompt rethink of how to manage second leading cause of death among children under 5 With Canadian government funding, medical scientists have created and demonstrated a new tool that could dramatically lower the tragic annual […]
The Gordon Foundation, Toronto 22 April, 2015 10,000 people in 8 nations with Arctic territory surveyed; Results released on eve of Arctic Council meeting in Nunavut; Secretary of State John Kerry scheduled to participate as US succeeds Canada into Arctic Council chair Differing levels of trust, geopolitical tension, and a general lack of public awareness […]
United Nations University, Bonn 19 April 2015 End-of-life electronic, electrical equipment totals 41.8 million metric tonnes in 2014 E-waste last year contained $52 billion in resources, large volumes of toxic material; most is not collected for recovery or treatment New report details e-waste generation by region Bonn — In 2014, people worldwide discarded all but a small […]
UN Environment Programme, Paris, Nairobi 31-Mar-2015 Driven by Solar and Wind, World Investments Reverse 2-year Dip, Brush Aside Challenge from Sharply Lower Oil Price; 103gw Capacity Added in 2014 is Roughly that of all US Nuclear Plants Frankfurt / New York, 31 March, 2015 — Global investments in renewable energy rebounded strongly last year, registering […]
World Register of Marine Species, Belgium 12-Mar-15 World registry, nearing completion, confirms 228,450 known marine species; consolidation relegates 190,400 other “species” as duplicate identities Champion of taxonomic redundancy: “Rough Periwinkle” sea snail had 113 scientific names Over 1,000 new-to-science marine fish species have been described since 2008 – an average of more than 10 per month […]
United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton CANADA 22-FEB-2015 Corruption, siphoning 30 percent of water sector funding, must end for world development and security A new UN report warns that without large new water-related investments many societies worldwide will soon confront rising desperation and conflicts over life’s most essential resource. Presenting their […]
UN University INWEH (Institute for Water, Environment & Health ), Hamilton CANADA 23-DEC-2014 Large Parts Of Europe, South America Face Rising Vulnerability The first-ever maps of global vulnerability to dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical virus that produces a painful condition of body joints sometimes referred to as “breakbone fever,” were published today by UN University’s Canadian-based Institute […]
Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto 19-Dec-2014 Canada Funds 23 Bold New Ideas for Global Health Ultra high-speed gaming laptops and a sensor that lets computer gamers battle foes in the virtual world proved early stepping stones on the path to a quick, inexpensive way to create fittings for artificial legs needed by child amputees in the […]
United Nations University – International Human Dimensions Programme, Bonn; UN Environment Programme, Nairobi; UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development 9-DEC-2014 New perspective on growth of world wealth, 1992-2010: GDP up 50 percent; ‘Inclusive Wealth’ 6 percent; Looking beyond GDP, new index measures progress toward sustainability; combines changes in human capital, natural […]