News by topic: Environment

Japan to host world conference on disaster risk reduction next year – UN

23 May – Japan will host the world conference slated to be held next year at which countries will adopt the successor to the current global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts, it was announced today at a United Nation forum on the issue that wrapped up in Geneva.

UN agency to open nuclear emergency preparedness centre in Fukushima

22 May – Experts from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are heading to Japan to launch an emergency preparedness and response centre in Fukushima, the coastal city devastated two years ago when a massive earthquake and tsunami set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant.

UN urges collective efforts to achieve ‘water secure world’ on Day for Biological Diversity

22 May – Unless greater efforts are made to reverse current trends, the world will run out of freshwater, the United Nations said today marking the International Day for Biological Diversity and urging stronger scientific alliances to understand and protect natural resources.

UN global disasters forum opens with condolences for Oklahoma City tornado victims

21 May – A United Nations forum dedicated to building resilience to disasters and making communities safer opened today in Geneva with expressions of sympathy for the people of Oklahoma City over the loss of life caused yesterday by a deadly tornado.

Ahead of June climate change talks, UN body urges coordinated response to CO2 ‘danger zone’

13 May – In the face of “clear and present danger,” the United Nations climate change body is warning that a stepped-up coordinated response is needed to fend off the impacts of climate change after the world’s carbon-dioxide concentrations surpassed their highest level in 4 million years.

At UN conference, countries boost protection against hazardous chemicals and waste

13 May – Representatives from 170 countries have adopted a series of measures to strengthen protections against hazardous chemicals and waste during a United Nations conference in Geneva.

On World Migratory Bird Day, UN calls for greater protection of habitats

11 May – As an estimated 50 billion birds commence their annual migrations, the critical staging areas they need to complete these journeys continue to be degraded or are disappearing completely, the United Nations today warned on this year's World Migratory Bird Day.

UN disaster assessment team arrives in drought-affected Marshall Islands

10 May – A United Nations disaster assessment team has arrived in the Marshall Islands to help the Government respond to a severe drought affecting its northern islands, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

‘Greening’ global trade vital for sustainable development – UN report

8 May – In an increasingly interconnected world where trillions of dollars worth of goods and services are traded annually, the rabidly expanding market for low-carbon and environmentally friendly products will create new opportunities, the United Nations environmental agency today reported.

UN official alarmed over rising violence in Central African Republic nature reserve

6 May – The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has expressed deep concern over the rise of poaching, armed violence and destruction in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) Dzanga-Sanga National Park, which is on the agency’s World Heritage List.