Number of natural World Heritage sites affected by climate change nearly doubles in three years

Bonn, Germany, 13 November 2017 (IUCN) – The number of natural World Heritage sites threatened by climate change has grown from 35 to 62 in just three years, with climate change being the fastest growing threat they face, according to a report released today by IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, at the UN […]

Thousands of scientists issue bleak “second notice” to humanity – “Humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in solving these foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting far worse”

By Sarah Kaplan 13 November 2017 (The Washington Post) – In late 1992, 1,700 scientists from around the world issued a dire “warning to humanity.” They said humans had pushed Earth’s ecosystems to their breaking point and were well on the way to ruining the planet. The letter listed environmental impacts like they were biblical […]

Endangered vaquita porpoise dies in captivity – Fewer than 30 vaquitas remain

By Mark Stevenson 5 November 2017 MEXICO CITY (AP) – Researchers were thrilled to have captured one of the few remaining vaquita porpoises, but announced Sunday that the adult female died after a few hours in captivity in a floating pen, raising questions about the last-ditch effort to enclose the world’s smallest porpoises to save […]

Penguin catastrophe leaves thousands of chicks dead with only two survivors – “It’s like ‘Tarantino does Happy Feet’, with dead penguin chicks strewn across a beach in Adélie Land”

By Manisha Ganguly 13 October 2017 (CNN) – A penguin colony in Antarctica has suffered a massive breeding failure, with only two chicks surviving the disaster. Terre Adélie (Adélie Land) is home to more than 18,000 pairs of Adélie penguins, but this year almost all the seabirds’ babies starved to death, a situation one expert […]

Mexico launches desperate attempt to save the world’s last vaquita porpoises – “These beautiful animals deserve to live free in the Gulf of California, but that will never happen until the Mexican government eliminates the illegal gillnet fishing that has driven these porpoises to the very brink of extinction”

SAN FELIPE, Mexico, 5 October 2017 (Center for Biological Diversity) – Wildlife officials in Mexico next week will attempt to capture and protect some of the last vaquita on Earth in a desperate effort to save these small porpoises from extinction. The operation in the Gulf of California, scheduled to begin 12 October 2017, will […]

Join global treaty to root out the scourge of illegal fishing, urges UN food security agency

6 October 2017 (United Nations) – Calling for strengthening the fight against illegal fishing, the United Nations food security agency has urged all countries to join a landmark global treaty that aims to rid the world of the multibillion-dollar scourge.The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) – approved by the Conference of the Food and Agricultural […]

As oceans warm, whales face new dangers – “We haven’t seen this level of mortality in right whales since we stopped whaling them”

By Karen Weintraub 2 October 2017MOUNT DESERT ROCK, Maine (The New York Times) – From the top of the six-story lighthouse, water stretches beyond the horizon in every direction. A foghorn bleats twice at 22-second intervals, interrupting the endless chatter of herring gulls. At least twice a day, beginning shortly after dawn, researchers climb steps […]

Justin Hofman’s viral sea horse photo shows the heartbreaking state of our polluted oceans

By Kelly Kasulis 15 September 2017 (Mic) – The world’s oceans are going to have more plastic in them than fish by 2050, according to World Economic Forum projections. But we don’t need to wait for the future to witness grim scenes of polluted waters.Just look at the photo below. Photographer Justin Hofman caught a […]

Global shift in Marine Protected Area analysis and reporting

7 September 2017 (IUCN) – The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and IUCN have launched the Marine Protected Planet Interactive – the world’s most authoritative and ambitious platform for information about ocean protection. As of September 2017, Marine Protected Areas cover 6.35% of the ocean.Several large-scale Marine Protected Areas have been announced in […]

Hasten efforts to achieve sustainable global goals, urges deputy UN chief – “Our assessment clearly shows that the pace of progress is insufficient”

8 September 2017 (United Nations) – Noting the efforts being undertaken around the globe to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for picking up the pace to ensure that the 2030 deadline is met.“The SDGs have jumped from the General Assembly Hall to communities across the world [and] […]

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