Ecology
UNESCO seeks to protect natural wonders in the high seas
UNESCO is proposing adding sites in the high seas to the World Heritage List. These natural wonders are in international waters. Heritage status could help protect them against pollution and overfishing. Many people might think there is nothing down there…
Hidden pollution exchange between oceans and groundwater revealed
Researchers have uncovered previously hidden sources of ocean pollution along more than 20 percent of America’s coastlines. The study, published online Aug. 4 in the journal Science, offers the first-ever map of underground drainage systems that connect fresh groundwater and…
Mapping Europe’s quiet areas
One-third of Europe’s countryside is potentially affected by noise pollution caused by human activity, according to a new report published in June by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Protecting areas not yet affected by noise can bring significant environmental and…
Côte d’Ivoire: 10 years on, survivors of toxic waste dumping ‘remain in the dark,’ say UN rights experts
Speaking ahead of the 10th anniversary of the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Côte d’Ivoire, a group of United Nations experts today urged the Ivorian Government, all responsible States and the international community to use the opportunity to address…
Greenpeace Reveals Brands Stumbling on the Catwalk to Toxin-Free Fashion
Since the “Detox My Fashion” campaign launched in 2011, 76 fashion brands, retailers and suppliers have committed to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains by 2020, accounting for a combined 15 percent of global textile production. For its 2016…
Threat of wildfires expected to increase as global temperatures rise – UN
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has warned that wildfires could become more frequent and more destructive as global temperatures rise and drought conditions plague many regions of the world. “Last year was the hottest year on…
Volcanic eruptions slow down climate change – temporarily
Although global concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has continuously increased over the past decade, the mean global surface temperature has not followed the same path. A team of international reseachers, KIT scientists among them, have now found an…