Natur og miljø

Experts believe that the upcoming United Nations Earth Summit, Rio+ 20, scheduled to take place in Brazil from Jun.20-22, could be a real opportunity for Bangladesh to negotiate a road to sustainable development.The conference on sustainable development, which depends largely on states coming to a consensus on an effective transition to a green economy, requires significant investment in renewable energy, the efficient use of natural resources, research and innovative technologies Gå til kilden

The United Nations and the Brazilian government are launching an internet debate around 10 themes for a green planet to elicit suggestions from experts and the public for next month's Rio+20 summit.
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Efforts by the United Nations to ease rules for carbon-cutting projects may encourage investments in small-scale projects in solar water heaters and efficient cookstoves in Africa and Asia.

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Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said Friday the biggest challenge for the upcoming Rio+20 summit is to reach consensus and "to conciliate multiple interests." Gå til kilden

This week's show focuses on the environment as we take a look at what is being done to the planet and how some are trying to fix those wrongs.
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The shifting sands of geopolitics, marked by rapid growth of big, emerging economies such as Brazil and China while traditionally rich countries fall behind, could undermine progress to define sustainable development goals at a United Nations conference next month. Gå til kilden

As part of its continuing efforts to gain international recognition as a state, the Palestinian Authority is requesting to take part in the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) scheduled to take place in Brazil in June, Army Radio reported on Thursday.
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A UN Development Programme ( UNDP) official released a proposal to change the energy sector for the Pacific Islands by substituting carbon-intensive energy sources with investments in clean energy.
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The main U.N.-appointed panel that regulates supply of global carbon offsets could this week decide whether to approve rules that would lead to the award of millions of CO2 credits to coal-fired power stations in developing countries, according to meeting agenda notes on the UNFCCC website.

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Representatives from governments negotiating the outcome document for the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) today agreed to add five more days of deliberations to bridge differences that have kept them from making further progress in negotiations. Gå til kilden

Countries have made little progress in meeting their obligations to protect fragile marine ecosystems under the international Convention on Biological Diversity, new United Nations data shows. Gå til kilden

The new forestry bill is a victory for Brazil's agricultural lobbies. An economic boom fuelled by high commodity prices has boosted their political influence.

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The UN and the EU have urged the Cambodian government to carry out a speedy and independent investigation of the killing of a prominent environmental activist.
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: A top scientific academy on Thursday called on June’s Rio Summit to tackle population growth and voracious consumption that are placing Earth’s resources under intolerable strain Gå til kilden

The campaign was jointly initiated by Xinhua News Agency, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Reuters, to coincide with the World Earth Day on Sunday. Gå til kilden

An expert from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) here on Thursday called for more efforts to protect underground water in Latin America in a responsible way.
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A multilateral partnership was launched Thursday at headquarter of a UN agency in Rome aiming at managing vast stocks of obsolete pesticides in 12 former Soviet Union countries.
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Achim Steiner, the UN Environment Programme's boss, fears for our future. But, he tells Michael McCarthy, it is not too late Gå til kilden

Endangered forests and plants don’t get quite as much public attention as endangered animals generally do. Last month the World Bank addressed that deficit by issuing a study, titled “Justice for Forests,” that candidly laid out the problems posed by a “global epidemic” of illegal logging. Gå til kilden

United Nations (UN) and Brazilian officials Thursday signed an agreement allowing Brazil to host June's UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as the Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro. Gå til kilden

Earth has only one decade to pull itself back from various environmental ‘tipping points’ — points at which the damage becomes irreversible, scientists have said. Gå til kilden

Climate change and global pollution cannot be adequately tackled without addressing the neglected issue of the world's booming population, according to two leading scientists.

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UN Spotlights Role of Weather and Water Services in Addressing Climate Change Challenges Gå til kilden

Drought, floods and a lack of fresh water may cause significant global instability and conflict in the coming decades, as developing countries scramble to meet demand from exploding populations while dealing with the effects of climate change, US intelligence agencies said in a report on Thursday.

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A new World Bank study on illegal logging reports that a football field of forest is clear-cut every two seconds around the globe and the problem is now a "global epidemic."
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Dirty water and poor sanitation are the biggest killers of children in Sub-Saharan Africa. The resulting diarrhoeal diseases claim the lives of more than a million children under the age of five worldwide every year; that’s more than the combined number succumbing to AIDS, malaria and measles. Gå til kilden

The cost of damage to the world's oceans from climate change could reach $2 trillion a year by 2100 if measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions are not stepped up, a study by marine experts said on Wednesday.

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From corporate involvement in water provision to ministerial wording around the right to water, and standards for building large dams, many activists are far from happy with what’s happening at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille this week.

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A top UN official on Thursday said that the International Year of Forests has spotlighted the importance of forests as more than 1.6 billion people depend on them for livelihoods, but stressed that governments need to "redouble their efforts" in addressing them.
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A growing number of Americans are displaying anxiety and pessimism about the perception that the United States is in decline on the world stage.
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As five-year-olds charge through the corridors of a kindergarten in northeast Japan at lunchtime, teacher Junko Kamada says she is still unsure if their food is safe a year after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

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A UN team has arrived in Australia to investigate possible damage to the Great Barrier Reef by the mining industry.

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An overhaul of the way the planet is managed is urgently needed if the world is to sustain the seven billion population. This is the conclusion of studies conducted by United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) involving over 400 scientists and experts worldwide now meeting at Gigiri, Nairobi.
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The United Nations has designated 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Its official launch in Africa in mid-February will not “switch on” the continent in a flash – but it can help to jump-start global efforts towards that goal, thereby enhancing the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.

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Global airlines called on Sunday for a deal brokered by a United Nations agency to avoid an impasse between China and the European Union over jet pollution spilling into a trade war. Gå til kilden

The short, one-minute video is grainy but the poor picture quality makes the scene no less chilling. Shot from a balcony, it shows the recently ousted Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed walking out of a building, pleading with military officers to stop rioting police.
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The upcoming United Nations summit on sustainable development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the world on a durable track that guarantees a decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations, a top UN official says.

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International efforts towards conservation, climate mitigation and population stabilisation are now critical.
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Growing inequality, environmental decline and "teetering" economies mean the world must change the way it does business, a UN report concludes.

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While many people are aware that agriculture is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change, few know that agricultural practices contribute about 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Gå til kilden

Biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world. The challenges of conserving the world's species are perhaps even larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change. Gå til kilden

The Secretary General of the UN has told industrial leaders they have a social and moral duty to innovate, in the drive to turn around the global financial crisis. Gå til kilden

The worldwide fishing industry could benefit from a $50 billion boost annually if stocks were allowed time to recover, the UN said Wednesday. Gå til kilden

With the Rio environment conference only five months away, a just-released summit draft calls for "sustainable development goals" toward a green economy but critics slam it as too vague Gå til kilden

The development of the green economy is the subject of pitched debate among specialists. While some believe it will deepen social inequalities and increase corporate control over natural and biological resources, others highlight its potential role in protecting the environment Gå til kilden

Forty years ago, in the Swedish capital Stockholm, history was made at a UN conference on the future of humanity and the planet that would propel Kenya into the centre of international environmental affairs. Amid rising concern over pollution, the land and the seas; the growing loss of species and the dying of forests as a result of acid rain, governments agreed that a UN body charged with coordinating a global response to such challenges should be established. Gå til kilden

What might the Rio+20 summit deliver? We have a little more idea now, following publication of the "zero draft" outcome document for the June summit.

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The top official of a northwest China province has pledged to clean up the sky over the provincial capital after it was named China's city with the worst air pollution by a World Health Organization (WHO) survey published in September. Gå til kilden

The Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group comprising seven states sharing the rivers rising in the Greater Himalayas is expected to meet early next month to adopt a joint initiative to minimise the impact of melting of glaciers. Gå til kilden

From floods that crippled countries, to mega cyclones, huge blizzards, killer tornadoes to famine-inducing droughts, 2011 has been another record-breaker for bad weather.

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In a country which houses 21 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities, outcry over official underplaying of pollution is escalating as residents refuse to take government readings of the problem at face value.

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Achim Steiner says population growth makes sustainability essential, as he prepares for green economy talks at Rio+20
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According to official figures, the European Union member countries have successfully reduced their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), especially of carbon dioxide (CO2), by more than 15 percent since 1990, thus more than fulfilling their commitments under the Kyoto protocol.

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On the eve of the 17th UNFCCC conference’s High-Level Segment, ecological non-governmental organizations that are on site observing the ongoing climate negotiations urged ministers to take real action to reduce emissions in the Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) secto Gå til kilden

The rate of global deforestation, mainly the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land, averaged 14.5 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2005, according to a satellite-based survey released today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO Gå til kilden

A rapidly growing population, climate change and degradation of land and water resources are likely to make the world more vulnerable to food insecurity and challenge the task of feeding its people by 2050, the United Nations' food agency said.

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The United Nations has declared 2011 as the ‘Year of Forests'. In connection with this, the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) is organising an exhibition on Forests of India at their premises — Vennirul Art Gallery, C.P. Art Centre. Gå til kilden

Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 could rise more than forecast to between 6 billion and 11 billion tons above what is needed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report showed on Wednesday.

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Global warming gases have hit record levels in the world's atmosphere, with concentrations of carbon dioxide up 39 percent since the start of the industrial era in 1750, the U.N. weather agency said Monday Gå til kilden

Global climate change is "very likely" to have been human-induced, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded. Gå til kilden

An increase in heat waves is almost certain, while heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones, landslides and more intense droughts are likely across the globe this century as the Earth's climate warms, U.N. scientists said on Friday.

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The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected 27 new members to the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

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The toll from ever-more intense floods, drought, and heatwaves will crescendo this century unless humanity anticipates the onslaught, according to a UN report set to be unveiled on Friday.

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Businesses and governments are accelerating investment in the green sectors of the economy, a United Nations report unveiled today shows, stressing that the trend will facilitate the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive global economic model Gå til kilden

The UNESCO Chair for Peace and Malaviya Centre for Peace Research at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) organised a workshop on 'environment and conflict in today's world' on Tuesday. The programme was held to commemorate the UN International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of Environment in War and Armed Conflict. On the occasion, speakers said that environment becomes a silent casualty in any war.
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Fuel subsidies that allow fishing fleets to "plunder" the deep seas should be scrapped, claim a group of leading international scientists.
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Unless civil society activists launch their own programme of action at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Gå til kilden

The United Nations body responsible for civil aviation weighed in against the European Union's emissions trading scheme on Wednesday, increasing pressure on the EU to back down in what threatens to become a serious trade dispute Gå til kilden

communities in Latin America should go to court more often to fight for access to drinking water, regarded as a universal right, and combine legal action with social protests and political lobbying, experts say. Gå til kilden

Leaded gasoline, once so widespread it was sold at U.S. pumps as "regular" fuel, is expected to be eradicated globally within two years, the United Nations Environment Program announced Thursday. Gå til kilden

Four United Nations agencies have prepared a plan to limit the degradation of oceans and address issues such as overfishing, pollution and declining biodiversity to encourage countries to renew their commitment to improve oceans’ governance, the UN announced today. Gå til kilden

United Nations agencies have agreed to step up their efforts to protect and revitalize drylands, and help improve the social and economic well-being of the communities that rely on these ecosystems. Gå til kilden

UN demands urgent answers from Ethiopia over Gibe III dam

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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for making electricity available to all by 2030 saying energy poverty threatens global economic growth and the creation of jobs.
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World forests face the dual challenge of climate change and the global economic crisis, a key UN report says.

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The United Nations atomic energy agency today pledged to play a central role in restoring public faith in nuclear power after this year’s disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant, which is projected to slow the growth in the use of such electricity generating reactors.

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They will be the first entire ecosystem to be destroyed by human activity, says top UN scientist Gå til kilden

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday singled out sustainable development as the top issue facing the planet with the world's seven billionth person expected to be born next month. Gå til kilden

The annual joint conference of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which begins next week in Bonn, Germany, will focus on sustainable development, volunteerism and the power of individuals to effect change and transform communities. Gå til kilden

The first ever meeting of United Nations Academic Impact ‘hub’ universities examined projects and themes being tackled by academics around the world that can feed into the UN system, and ultimately find solutions to world problems. Gå til kilden

UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrives in Japan on Sunday, where he plans to visit the Fukushima nuclear disaster zone, as the crippled atomic power plant simmers and a food safety scare deepens. Gå til kilden

A ban on pollution from heavy grade fuel oils in the Antarctic region goes into effect today, the United Nations maritime agency reported. Gå til kilden

The head of the United Nations nuclear agency today visited the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan to gather first-hand information on the damage and repair operations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported. Gå til kilden

The U.N. secretary-general says global development that reduces poverty but preserves the environment for future generations will be the top priority of the world body during his second term in office. Gå til kilden

Scientists from around the world gathered in Geneva today for the opening of a meeting of the United Nations-backed international organization aimed at stopping trade in endangered species. Gå til kilden

With less than a year to go for the Rio+20 Summit, civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean is mustering its strength to defend the principles of sustainable development, as opposed to the model of a "green economy", which it views as only benefiting the business interests of big companies. Gå til kilden

The Security Council today reaffirmed its support for the efforts of the United Nations to facilitate dialogue between the countries of Central Asia on regional issues of common concern, including water and energy management, counter-terrorism and sustainable development. Gå til kilden

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today lauded the world’s leading international convention on environment and human rights as a powerful tool for environmental protection and the promotion of civil rights, saying the instrument also helped to combat climate change and air and water pollution. Gå til kilden

DISASTER Risk Reduction (DRR) is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and reducing the risks of disaster. Gå til kilden

Asia-Pacific countries can cushion themselves against food and fuel price shocks and natural disasters by more efficient use of resources and energy, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said today.

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Long-term trends such as climate change and human impact on the world’s natural resources are “radically changing the development landscape,” the top United Nations development official warned today.

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The United Nations (UN) marked the World Environment Day (WED) on Sunday by calling on the international community to invest an additional 40 billion U.S. dollars annually in the forestry sector to halve deforestation rates by 2030.

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Construct and manage buildings in an economic way: Green Building! Gå til kilden

The rate of destruction of the world's three largest forests fell 25 percent this decade compared with the previous one, but remains alarmingly high in some countries, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said. Gå til kilden

Everyone knows that trees are good for the environment and that well-run forests might become lucrative under emerging climate change mitigation schemes. But how do you know if you have a good forest going, or not?

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Nations must pay more than lip service to the idea of indigenous rights if they hope to seriously address problems like species loss and climate loss, say delegates at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a U.N. body created to safeguard the rights of the world's 370 million indigenous people. Gå til kilden

The United Nations on Friday launched a study of the health, safety and security impact of the accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March. Gå til kilden

All cultures contribute to the enrichment of humankind. Human beings must respect one another in all their diversity of belief, culture and language. Differences within and between societies should be neither feared nor repressed but cherished as a precious asset of humanity. This is a core challenge of the 21st century. Gå til kilden

Global consumption of natural resources could almost triple to 140 billion tons a year by 2050 unless nations take drastic steps, the United Nations warned Thursday. Gå til kilden

Global consumption of natural resources could almost triple to 140 billion tons a year by 2050 unless nations take drastic steps, the United Nations warned Thursday. Gå til kilden

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the world to must find ways to bring global resource consumption and the resulting environmental impact within safe limits and called for international cooperation in the effort to achieve sustainable development. Gå til kilden

UN chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday warned that no country or city was immune from natural or man-made disasters, as a report underlined the soaring, trillion dollar, economic risks the world faces. Gå til kilden

Nearly 80 percent of the world's energy needs could be met by renewable energy by mid- century, and the renewable sources can play a key role in fighting global warming, a UN spokesman said Monday. Gå til kilden

Renewable power from the Sun, wind, water and biomass can and should generate a major portion of the planet's energy supply by 2050, according to a draft United Nations report obtained by AFP.

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Warning of the consequences of unsustainable consumption and production on the world’s ecosystems, a senior United Nations official today urged Member States to agree on a plan to promote a more efficient and safer use of the Earth’s resources. Gå til kilden

- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday he plans to convene a summit meeting in September to discuss nuclear safety following the crisis at Japan's earthquake-damaged Fukushima plant.

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The world must prepare for more nuclear accidents on the scale of Chernobyl and Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, the UN chief warns, saying that grim reality will demand sharp improvements in international cooperation. Gå til kilden

A senior U.N. radiation expert ranks the Japanese nuclear accident "in between" those that occurred at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
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Record loss of the ozone, the atmosphere layer that shields life from the sun's harmful rays, has been observed over the Arctic in recent months, the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday.

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United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-moon has praised China's efforts towards making a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy.

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The Japanese reactor crisis is a major challenge with enormous implications for nuclear power, the head of the U.N.'s atomic watchdog said Monday.
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he was fascinated by how Kenya is tapping the volcanic heat of the Great Rift Valley to generate electricity, saying the East African country may be on the way to becoming sufficient in low-carbon and resource-efficient energy to power a "green economy".

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Activities by the United Nations in 2009 caused the emission of a total of 1.7 million tons of the greenhouse gases, which are blamed for global warming and harmful effects on the environment and human health, the world body Gå til kilden

Japanese authorities evacuated workers on Sunday from a reactor building they were working in after high doses of radiation were detected at a crippled nuclear power plant, the plant's operator said.

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It is time to reassess the international nuclear safety regime in the wake of the crisis in Japan where an earthquake and tsunami crippled an aging atomic power station, the U.N. chief said on Friday.

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When the international community commemorates World Water Day next week, perhaps it should ponder the words of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who once remarked he does not expect people the world over to stop what they are doing and observe a moment of silence, come Mar. 22.
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Radiation leaking from a damaged nuclear plant in Japan has not reached the upper atmosphere, leaving air travel safe except for in the immediate area around the plant, a UN weather expert said Friday.

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The U.N. nuclear agency says all the fuel from a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan was transferred last November to the spent fuel pool where a fire broke out Tuesday.
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A United Nations seminar on international water cooperation <"http://www.unece.org/press/pr2011/11env_p07e.htm">opened today in Tajikistan as part of an effort to promote dialogue and strengthen cooperation between Central Asian countries over the use of water and energy resources Gå til kilden

The mysterious collapse of honey-bee colonies is becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United Nations have revealed.

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After five years of preparation the international community is expected to launch the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services this year. For some of its proponents, even the decisions of the World Trade Organisation should be subject to its analysis.

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Water usage in north Africa and the Middle East is unsustainable and shortages are likely to lead to further instability – unless governments take action to solve the impending crisis
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Over a quarter of a million people were killed by disasters worldwide last year, making 2010 one of the deadliest years in more than a generation, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.


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Political leaders have committed to ramping up restoration of the world's forests and tackling poverty in forest communities as part of pledges made at the ninth session Forum on Forests, which wrapped up at the United Nations headquarters in New York last week.
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The world's forest area could start expanding again in a few years, a top UN expert said Wednesday as the United Nations launched an international year of forests.

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The United Nations and aid groups warned of a possible looming catastrophe as a severe drought plunged millions of Somalis into crisis after rains failed for several consecutive seasons in the Horn of Africa nation. Gå til kilden

A better evaluation of what forests are worth will generate direct benefits for poor forest dwellers, open up new markets and affect global economic growth. The economic benefits of forests are massively under-valued by governments and donor agencies, according to IUCN’s latest report.

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for “revolutionary action” to achieve sustainable development, warning that the past century’s heedless consumption of resources is “a global suicide pact” with time running out to ensure an economic model for survival.

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2010 was one of the deadliest years for natural disasters in the past two decades and unless better preparations are put in place now, many more disasters can be expected in years to come, the UN’s top disaster reduction official said today.

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The Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development (ForUM) and The Norwegian Biodiversity Network (SABIMA) have produced two reports with the aim of sharing their experiences and strategies related to the role as national umbrella organizations in Norway.

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Mating between different species could lead to the extinction of many Arctic animals, because hybrid offspring are often less hardy, scientists say.
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Fears for future of gene pool as interbreeding between vulnerable species driven together by global warming gathers pace

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The International Year of Biodiversity, celebrating our rich heritage on the land, and in the sea, is coming to an end this month, and it is fitting that FAO and SPC are collaborating to hold the first ever Regional Consultation for the Strengthening, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the Pacific Island Countries in Suva, Fiji, 7-10 December, 2010.

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday announced the appointment of the new executive coordinators for the UN conference on Sustainable Development, a statement released here said.
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This year's targets for global biodiversity conservation -- the culmination of UN efforts emerging from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 -- have largely failed.

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The United Nations on Wednesday urged a global phase-out of old-style light bulbs and a switch to low-energy lighting that it said would save billions of dollars and combat climate change.

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The amount of water available per person in Africa is declining and only 26 of the continent's 53 countries are currently on track to reduce by half the number of people without sustainable access to clean drinking water by 2015, according to a survey by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released today. Gå til kilden

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10), held from 18 to 29 October in Nagoya, Japan made commitments that will change the way patent rights are approached.

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A $1 billion dollar deal with Norway to save Indonesia's forests and cut planet-warming carbon emissions will trigger a much-needed shake up of Indonesia's notorious bureaucracy, a top official said on Thursday.

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Member states of the U.N. nuclear watchdog are expected to approve next month a U.S.-backed fuel supply plan seen as a way to help prevent the spread of atom bombs, despite misgivings among some developing countries. Gå til kilden

An international agreement reached in the Japanese city of Nagoya constitutes a great step forward towards protecting biodiversity from decimation, but also represents an enormous legislative and administrative task, environment experts say.
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A top UN panel has called for increased taxes on carbon emissions and air and sea transport to raise $100 billion a year for poor nations to combat climate change.

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged China to keep moving down the path of sustainable development and put greater emphasis on social equity and environmental sustainability.
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The world is ill-prepared for the human toll from the expected increase in floods, droughts and extreme storms and hurricanes on the horizon.

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A historic global treaty to protect the world's forests, coral reefs and other threatened ecosystems within 10 years was sealed at a UN summit on Saturday.



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The reindeer and caribou populations in the Arctic have dropped by around 33 per cent since the year 2000. Severe changes in the abundance of these and other species are sending alarming signals to scientists, now worried about the possibility of catastrophic climate change in this most sensitive of regions, which has far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world.
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Even as Asian ministers discussed ways to reduce disaster risks here, news broke of a twin tragedy in Indonesia – a tsunami triggered by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake, and the eruption of the country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, whose name means "mountain of fire".

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Environment ministers from around the world tried to wrap up a U.N. meeting to preserve nature on Friday but remained split on targets to fight losses in animal and plant species that support livelihoods and economies.

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A major change in the direction of economic development is essential to avoid the catastrophic unraveling of Earth's ecosystems that support all life, a new global analysis published in the journal Science revealed Tuesday.

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Ministers from around the world began on Wednesday a final push for a U.N. deal to protect nature, as the World Bank urged them to value the benefits of forests, oceans and rivers on economies and human welfare.

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Businesses are starting to factor in the growing risk to investments from the destruction of forests, reefs and wetlands, but more needs to be done to fight damage to nature estimated at trillions of dollars a year, a U.N. report says.

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Delegates at a global U.N. meeting to preserve natural resources were on Tuesday trying to agree on ways to deploy about $4 billion (2 billion pounds) in cash to help developing nations save tropical forests.

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Delegates to the world summit on biodiversity here are calling for a moratorium on climate engineering research, like the idea of putting huge mirrors in outer space to reflect some of the sun's heating rays away from the planet.

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The potential riches from mining are tempting, but the lead pollution it creates is killing communities



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* U.N. health agency says its investigation shows water safe
* Water, air, soil should be monitored for heavy metals
* 150 waste reservoirs along Danube should also be assessed

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- Governments and businesses need an overhaul of policies and strategies to respond to the rapid loss of nature's riches, worth trillions of dollars but long taken for granted, a U.N.-backed study said on Wednesday. Gå til kilden

Saving the Earth's biodiversity from the crisis engulfing it will cost far less than letting it disappear, a radical new report will reveal tomorrow. Gå til kilden

Delegates from more than 190 nations kicked off a U.N. conference Monday aimed at ensuring the survival of diverse species and ecosystems threatened by pollution, exploitation and habitat encroachment.

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CARBON pollution and over-use of Earth’s natural resources have become so critical that, on current trends, we will need a second planet to meet our needs by 2030, the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) said yesterday. Gå til kilden

* Mankind is squandering planet's natural capital - U.N.
* Business needs to bring nature into the boardroom
* Firm's impacts on nature must be part of risk management
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Wildlife researchers said Wednesday they had discovered 145 new species in the Greater Mekong region last year, including a fish with fangs and a seven-metre (23 feet) tall carnivorous plant. Gå til kilden

Artsrike utviklingsland krever en større del av inntektene. Gå til kilden

The world should not rush to reach agreement on a United Nations protocol that could have a huge impact on businesses by setting rules for access to genetic resources and discoveries, a Japanese lobby said on Wednesday. Gå til kilden

The world's forest biodiversity is threatened by a high global rate of deforestation and forest degradation as well as a decline in primary forest area, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report released on Monday.
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