Climate risk Index shows increased impacts of tropical cyclones: Study
Dec 04, 2018, at 06:49 pm
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): Tropical cyclones have heavy impacts on an increasing number of countries. In 2017, the hurricane season in the Caribbean Sea was particularly strong and left several islands destroyed.
UN launches Facebook Messenger-powered bot to take on climate change
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:15 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): As world leaders and decision-makers get to work on mitigating climate change at the COP24 conference in Katowice, Poland, renowned broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough launched a new UN campaign to give individuals their say on the key global issue, via social media.
COP24: green, gender focus, as UN's crucial climate change conference gets underway
Dec 03, 2018, at 08:55 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): COP24, the two-week 24th conference of the parties of the United Nations Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), started on Sunday in Katowice, Poland, with a special focus on carbon neutrality and gender equality.
G20 told crucial COP24 climate change conference 'must succeeed': Guterres
Dec 01, 2018, at 07:50 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): During press briefings at the beginning of the G20 meeting of industrialized nations in Buenos Aires, UN Secretary António Guterres described the event as an essential forum, citing a lack of confidence and high level of confrontation within the international community.
Has World Water Council become hostage to Water mafia?
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:26 pm
Marseille, France, 29 November: Set up in 1996 after a proposal to this effect at the United Nations' International Conference on Environment and Development in Dublin in 1992, the World Water Council is in the eye of a storm. With accusations from its very own members of succumbing to the greed of water mafia, the world’s apex body on water is of late mired in controversies.
Mass pilot whale stranding at Chatham Island: New Zealand Department of Conservation
Nov 30, 2018, at 04:25 pm
Wellington, Nov 30 (IBNS): An overnight stranding of pilot whales has occurred at the southern end of Hanson Bay, near the township of Owenga in the Chatham Islands, officials said.
WB govt fined Rs 5 crore for failing to check pollution
Nov 29, 2018, at 05:37 pm
Kolkata, Nov 29 (IBNS): The National Green Tribunal has slapped a Rs 5-crore fine on the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal for failing to improve air quality in Kolkata and Howrah. The money has to be paid in two weeks, failing which the amount will increase by Rs 1 crore every month.
Cutting emissions, one bog at a time
Nov 28, 2018, at 09:09 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): Farmers and entrepreneurs in rural eastern Europe are helping to tackle climate change while boosting their livelihoods as a result of regenerating ancient wetland peat bogs.
CO2 emissions on the rise for first time in four years, UN agency warns
Nov 28, 2018, at 08:49 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): A new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose again during 2017 after a three year hiatus, highlighting the imperative for countries to deliver on the historic Paris Agreement to keep global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
5 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, no casualty
Nov 27, 2018, at 09:21 am
Tokyo, Nov 27 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 5.0 struck Japan's southern Ibaraki Prefecture on Tuesday, weather officials said.
6.2 earthquake hits areas close to Taiwan Strait
Nov 26, 2018, at 10:02 am
Beijing, Nov 26 (IBNS): A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit areas close to the Taiwan Strait, officials said.
6.3 earthquake hits border area between Iraq and Iran, 350 hurt
Nov 26, 2018, at 09:53 am
Baghdad, Nov 26 (IBNS): At least 350 people were hurt as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the border area between Iraq and Iran on Sunday, as per the US Geological Survey.
Nov 24, 2018, at 08:48 am
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): To bring the voice of the people to the upcoming Climate Change Conference in Poland (known by the shorthand 'COP 24', from 2 to 14 December), the United Nations has launched the ‘People’s Seat’ initiative, calling millions of change advocates worldwide to submit messages for an address that will be delivered to leaders attending the conference, by renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere break another record, UN report shows
Nov 23, 2018, at 08:52 am
New York, Nov 23 (IBNS): Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to a report issued on Thursday by the United Nations weather agency, which reveals that there is no sign of reversal of this trend, responsible for climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather.
With worst AQI, Kolkata becomes India's most polluted metro
Nov 19, 2018, at 08:51 pm
Kolkata, Nov 19 (IBNS): Surpassing Delhi, Kolkata has become the most polluted metropolitan in India, in last 72 hours, with a 'very poor' and 'hazardous' Air Quality Index (AQI), reports said.
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:39 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): A new generation of green infrastructure which boosts the local economy, ensures water supplies and protects the environment is being built in Timor-Leste thanks to the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Cyclone Gaja : Storm intensifies, to make landfall in Tamil Nadu today
Nov 15, 2018, at 02:13 pm
Chennai, Nov 15 (IBNS) :The cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ will make a landfall between Cuddalore and Pamban on Thursday evening bringing heavy rainfall to Tamil Nadu.
Cyclone ‘GAJA’ to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours
Nov 14, 2018, at 12:51 pm
New Delhi, Nov 14 (IBNS) : The Cyclonic storm ‘GAJA’ over West central and adjoining East central and South Bay of Bengal moved west-southwestwards with a speed of 06 kmph during past 06 hours and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST on Wednesday over Westcentral and adjoining East central & South Bay of Bengal, about 540 km east of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 640 km northeast of Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu).
Climate Change Focus: Cows, coffee and sustainable farming
Nov 13, 2018, at 09:18 am
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): Small-scale farms in Panama are helping to heal land degraded by extensive cattle ranching and extreme rainfall or drought associated with climate change, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme, (UNDP).
Smartphones may be used to better predict the weather: Study
Nov 12, 2018, at 03:44 pm
Tel Aviv, Nov 12 (IBNS): Flash floods occur with little warning. Earlier this year, a flash flood that struck Ellicott City, MD, demolished the main street, swept away parked cars, pummeled buildings and left one man dead.
Freezing pollutants removes them from indoor air, study finds
Nov 11, 2018, at 08:00 pm
London, Nov 11 (IBNS): An international study, involving Nottingham Trent University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aimed to address the severe effect that hazardous outdoor air pollution – which is thought to lead to more than 3m premature deaths worldwide every year – was having on indoor air quality.
5 magnitude earthquake hits Indo-Nepal border, no casualty
Nov 11, 2018, at 06:11 pm
Pithoragarh, Nov 11 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter Scale hit Indo-Nepal border in Uttarakhand state of India on Sunday, as per the India Meteorological Department.
UN chief appoints Luis Alfonso de Alba as Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit
Nov 11, 2018, at 04:14 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Friday the appointment of Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico as his Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit.
Healing of ozone layer gives hope for climate action: UN report
Nov 06, 2018, at 08:14 am
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): The findings of a new UN-backed report, released on Monday, showing the ongoing healing of the ozone layer, are being hailed as a demonstration of what global agreements can achieve, and an inspiration for more ambitious climate action to halt a catastrophic rise in world temperatures.
6.0 earthquake hits Philippines, no casualty
Nov 04, 2018, at 04:14 pm
Manila, Nov 4 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale hit southeast of Sapad, Philippines on Sunday, U.S. Geological Survey said.
World Heritage sites under threat from climate change: Study
Nov 03, 2018, at 04:47 pm
London, Nov 3 (IBNS): UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean such as Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Medieval City of Rhodes are under severe threat of coastal erosion and flooding due to rising sea levels within the next 100 years, a study published in Naturemagazine reports this week.
Tsunamis account for $280 billion in economic losses over last twenty years: UNISDR
Nov 03, 2018, at 03:32 pm
Geneva, Nov 3 (IBNS): The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has called attention to the significant loss of life and economic losses associated with tsunamis, notably for countries bordering the Indian and Pacific Oceans, over the last twenty years.
Ozone hole could've been a big one this year – but it wasn’t: Finds study
Nov 03, 2018, at 03:19 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): The ozone hole that forms over the Antarctic each September is primarily driven by two factors: the amount of ozone-destroying chlorine in the polar stratosphere and the availability of ice crystals in stratospheric clouds for the chlorine to bind to.
Plastic-busting fungi may help tackle pollution, climate change: UN Environment
Nov 01, 2018, at 12:13 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS): When it comes to helping green our world, organic mushrooms from the local market may be just the tip of the iceberg. A new United Nations-backed report reveals that fungi could help ween the world off its plastic addiction, by degrading polyurethane in just a matter of weeks.
6.1 earthquake hits New Zealand, no casualty
Oct 30, 2018, at 09:16 am
Wellington, Oct 30 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale hit New Zealand' North Island on Tuesday, as per the US Geological Survey.