Knowledge Base

Mr. Lennart Kümper-Schlake

Webinar on monitoring marine and coastal biodiversity in the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework (SBSTTA-24 items 3 and 6)

19 January 2022, Online

2021 joins top 7 warmest years on record: WMO

Last year joined the list of the seven warmest years on record, the UN weather agency said on Wednesday, and was also the seventh consecutive year when the global temperature has been more than 1°C above pre-industrial levels; edging closer to the limit laid out under the 2015 Paris Agreement on ...

Climate change will limit choice for Winter Games hosts, says study

Of the 21 cities to host the Winter Olympics, only Sapporo, Japan would be able to provide fair and safe conditions to stage them again by the end of the century if greenhouse gases are not dramatically reduced, said a University of Waterloo study released on Tuesday.

It’s time for business and government to get together on climate change

What do you get when a banker, an oil executive, a miner and a big-agriculture player walk into a virtual conference together? A big ask for federal government activism — and that’s no joke.

Business leaders must rethink their goals to tackle climate change. Here’s why

Most nations today recognize both the importance and the urgency of the battle against global warming; but there are still significant differences on how best to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions and how to share the cost of doing so. In the polarized world we unfortunately live in, this ...

Documentary examines Cuba’s 21st-century plan to combat climate change

Cuba’s location in the Caribbean Sea makes it especially vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, but the island nation has embarked on a plan to combat that threat that began in 2017 and is envisioned to span the entire 21st century.

Climate change, extreme weather among top risks facing humanity: 3 stories you may have missed

Climate change and environmental degradation are among the gravest threats to humanity, says a new report.

Humans are adapting to climate change, but not quickly enough, according to new research

The evidence is overwhelming: climate change is here, and with it come catastrophes, soaring costs, migration and now, in the face of reality, human adaptation. Across the globe, people are learning to live with a climate that is unlike the one they and generations before them experienced.

Nearly half of countries' shared fish stocks are on the move due to climate change, prompting dispute concerns

Climate change will force 45 per cent of the fish stocks that cross through two or more exclusive economic zones to shift significantly from their historical habitats and migration paths by 2100, a challenge that may lead to international conflict, according to a new UBC study.

Trees bear fruit in winter thanks to charity for birds in Turkey

Reviving what they call an Ottoman tradition, crews from a municipality in eastern Turkey adorn the dried branches of trees amid a harsh winter with fruit for birds who cannot find food easily during the bad weather.

Small gardens as vital as big ones for conserving bees, says study

Small gardens are as important as big gardens for conserving bees and other pollinators in UK cities, a study has found. Worldwide, bee populations are declining. Habitat destruction, pesticide use, and climate change have led to the disappearance of some pollinators, but researchers found that ...

Cutting the food chain? The controversial plan to turn zooplankton into fish oil

A few times a day, off the Faroe Islands’ coast, the crew of the Jákup Sverri marine survey ship test the water, measuring its salinity, temperature and oxygen at different sea depths. But they also look for something else.

Brighton bee bricks initiative may do more harm than good, say scientists

An initiative in Brighton aimed at helping protect the bee population could do more harm than good, scientists have warned.

Snakes in Bengaluru city

“Sun’s out, snakes out!” exclaimed Shuayb Ahmed, and Yatin Kalki as they jumped to action. Ahmed, an independent snake rescuer, had received a frantic call from a woman who spotted a snake – claimed to be a juvenile spectacled cobra – in her house in Bengaluru.

First NI environment strategy 'should be more ambitious

More than 30 organisations and individuals have called for greater ambition in Northern Ireland's first-ever environment strategy. It comes after a Stormont committee was told the target for increasing woodland cover was outdated.

Biodiversity faces its make-or-break year, and research will be key

Biodiversity is being lost at a rate not seen since the last mass extinction. But the United Nations decade-old plan to slow down and eventually stop the decline of species and ecosystems by 2020 has failed. Most of the plan’s 20 targets — known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets — have not been met.

New research collection highlights indigenous perspectives on conservation biology

A collection of 17 papers in Pacific Conservation Biology aims to transform the field of conservation biology. The special issue titled "Transforming Conservation Biology Through indigenous Perspectives," edited by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH) researchers Kawika Winter and Melissa Price, ...

More protected areas won't save biodiversity, warn experts

Expanding nature preserves will not be enough to stem a rising tide of extinctions, a panel of experts warned Wednesday, taking aim at a draft treaty tasked with rescuing Earth's animal and plant life.

Smart soil bugs offer farmers an ecofriendly route to controlling crop diseases

An innovative method of controlling a range of damaging crop diseases using native, beneficial soil bacteria has emerged from a research-industry collaboration.

Giant panda’s gut bacteria help it remain chubby despite bamboo diet, researchers say

Giant pandas stay chubby and health despite a low-quality bamboo diet due to their gut bacteria, a study has found. Though no longer considered an endangered species, giant pandas are still considered “vulnerable,” with just 1,800 outside of captivity.

Transforming a ghost village with hill-centric livelihood and tourism opportunities

India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, known as the Land of Gods, is facing the dual challenge of climate change and migration. The incidence of glacier bursts, flash floods, unseasonal torrential rains, forest fires, and landslides have swelled in the state. The dwindling population is another ...

In Africa, temperatures rise, but adaptation lags on West’s funding failure

For Africa, 2021 was the third-warmest year on record, tied with 2019. Even as the continent clocks record-breaking temperatures, adaptation efforts are failing to keep pace, marred by planning gaps and financing woes.

As Malaysian state resumes log exports, Indigenous advocates warn of fallout

Activists in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, say they fear logging will ramp up following the state government’s decision to overturn a ban on exporting unprocessed timber.

How Barcoding Technology Is Rescuing Aquatic Animals

Researchers in Kenya are developing a special barcoding technology method in order to achieve a challenging and urgent goal: protecting aquatic life.