International E-Waste Day: 57.4M tonnes expected in 2021 will outweigh China’s Great Wall
UN University / WEEE Forum, Brussels The e-waste result of an online streaming explosion: an emerging concern / information gap […]
Environment
New UN Mapping Tool Reveals Global Floods Since 1985 to Aid Disaster Planning
United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada See also: “Popular Science Magazine: UN’s World Flood Mapping
Biodiversity, Environment, UN Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations
UN’s new global framework for managing nature: 1st detailed draft agreement launched
UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal Draft 1 of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework includes 21 action targets proposed for
IPBES/IPCC: Tackling the biodiversity and climate crises together, and their combined social impacts
IPBES, Bonn (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform On Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services) Unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity, driven by human activities,
More harmful algal bloom impacts emerge amid rising seafood demand, coastal development
UNESCO, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Paris An unprecedented analysis of almost 10,000 Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) events worldwide over the past
UN: 17% of all food available at consumer levels is wasted
United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Paris Wasted in 2019: 931 million tonnes of food sold to households, retailers, restaurants and
UNEP synthesis of scientific assessments provides blueprint to secure humanity’s future
UN Environment Programme, Nairobi Meeting ramped-up climate and biodiversity targets, cutting deadly pollution and achieving SDGs needs an all-society push
Buildings-related CO2 emissions hit record high: UN
United Nations Environment Programme, Paris / Nairobi Including construction, building sector now accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions; Direct building
Escaping the ‘Era of Pandemics’: experts warn worse crises to come; offer options to reduce risk
IPBES, Bonn (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) Highlights: Intergovernmental council on pandemic prevention; risk drivers include deforestation,
Nature: Humanity at a crossroads, UN warns in new Global Biodiversity Outlook report
UN Convention on Biodiversity, Montreal Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 report outlines 8 major transitions needed to slow, then halt nature’s
Climate-friendly cooling could cut years of greenhouse emissions, save $ trillions: UN
UN Environment Programme / IEA, Paris As need for cooling rises in step with world temperatures, energy-efficient, climate-friendly appliances are
Falling clean energy costs an opportunity to boost climate action during COVID-19 recovery: UN
UNEP / Frankfurt School / BNEF As COVID-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new report shows that renewable energy
DNA surprises surfacing in the Atlantic: Species far from their usual southern homes
The Rockefeller University Programme for the Human Environment, New York DNA scientists sampling the New Jersey shore bottle the changing ranges of
‘Digital disruption’ a game-changer for climate: Future Earth report
Future Earth: “Research. Innovation. Sustainability” Scientists, innovators turn to digital sector for transformative ‘systems change’ on climate; ‘Digital Disruptions for
Humanity’s greatest risk: Cascading impacts of climate, biodiversity, food, water crises: scientists
Future Earth, Stockholm, Sweden Survey reveals common concern of global scientists: interlinkages between crises; Part of Our Future on Earth,
Vast amounts of valuable energy, nutrients, water lost in world’s fast-rising wastewater streams
UN University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton Canada Enough energy to power all households in the USA
Imperfect diamonds paved road to historic Deep Earth discoveries
Deep Carbon Observatory, Carnegie Institution, Washington DC Materials trapped inside diamonds offer clues to life’s origin; suggest oceans’ worth of
Scientists quantify global volcanic CO2 venting; estimate total carbon on Earth
Deep Carbon Observatory, Carnegie Institution, Washington DC Scientists update estimates of Earth’s immense interior carbon reservoirs, and how much carbon
Earth Commission to identify risks, guardrails, targets for the entire planet
Future Earth, Stockholm, Sweden First holistic attempt to identify scientific risks, guardrails — akin to a 2C rise for climate —
A decade of renewable energy investment, led by solar, tops US $2.5 trillion
UN Environment / Frankfurt School / Bloomberg New Energy Finance UN-backed report: Decade of investment (2010-2019) quadruples renewables capacity from
Plastics visible in 2-metre sea ice cores in the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage Project, University of Rhode Island, Inner Space Centre Plastics visible in 2-metre sea ice cores in the Northwest
Nature’s dangerous decline ‘unprecedented,’ species extinction rates ‘accelerating’
IPBES, Bonn (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) Current global response insufficient; ‘transformative changes’ needed to restore and protect