Essay: COP15 – three visions for protecting nature on the table at the UN biodiversity conference
In an article first published on The Conversation, HARRIET BULKELEY, professor of geography at Durham University in the UK, looks at what’s up for discussuon at the UN biodiversity conference…
UN chief urges strong global nature deal to end “orgy of destruction”
Montreal, CanadaReuters As countries prepare to negotiate a new global agreement to protect Earth’s environment, the head of the United Nations warned there was no time to lose. “Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told delegates to the COP15 biodiversity summit at an opening ceremony on Tuesday in Montreal. […]
This Life: Praise Yahweh from the Earth
SAMANTHA ELLEY suggests we take a “leaf” out of the books of nature when it comes to praising the Lord…
Extreme wildfires are here to stay – and multiply
London, UKReuters Indonesia’s peatlands, California’s forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it. With climate change triggering droughts and farmers clearing forests, the number of extreme wildfires is expected to increase 30 per cent within the next […]
UN biodiversity chief urges COP26 climate talks to prioritise nature
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Any new pledges made at the upcoming COP26 climate summit must include protection and restoration of natural areas, said the UN biodiversity chief – a move that could give a boost to ongoing efforts to broker a separate global nature pact. About 195 countries are set to finalise a new […]
Development banks linked to nature loss worth $US800 billion per year
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Investments made by public development banks around the world could destroy nature worth $US800 billion each year, researchers warned on Thursday, urging greater testing and transparency of the institutions’ lending to reduce the risks to biodiversity. A study published by the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative (F4B), a global thinktank, analysed how […]
Doctor’s orders: ‘Nature prescriptions’ see rise amid pandemic
CAREY L BIRON, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, writes that with the coronavirus pandemic highlighting the health benefits of spending more time outdoors, a growing faction of the US medical community is prescribing time outside the same way they would traditional medication…
Wow!: Natural sounds from across seven continents celebrate Earth Day
SARAH MILLS, of Reuters, reports on a project by British composer Ted White to capture natural sounds from across the globe, released on Thursday to mark Earth Day…
UN puts nature’s value on the balance sheet. Will it work?
Thomson Reuters Foundation Conservationists and environment officials hope new UN standards to measure the value of nature can help governments slow the rapid decline of plant and animal species worldwide. Adopted this week by the UN Statistical Commission, the accounting system comes as a global movement gathers pace to protect the natural world by valuing the contributions […]
David Attenborough leads call for world to invest $US500 billion a year to protect nature
London, UKReuters British broadcaster David Attenborough led a call from conservation groups on Wednesday for the world to invest $500 billion a year to halt the destruction of nature, warning that the future of the planet was in “grave jeopardy”. Attenborough, whose new film A Life on Our Planet documents the dangers posed by climate […]