Login
Register
+7 /495/ 641 04 26facebook
 

News

water4More than a quarter of the rain and snow that falls on continents reaches the oceans as runoff. Now a new study helps show where the rest goes: two-thirds of the remaining water is released by plants, more than a quarter lands on leaves and evaporates and what's left evaporates from soil and from lakes, rivers and streams.

"The question is, when rain falls on the landscape, where does it go?" says University of Utah geochemist Gabe Bowen, senior author of the study published today in the journal Science. "The water on the continents sustains all plant life, all agriculture, humans, aquatic ecosystems. But the breakdown - how much is used for those things - has always been unclear."

climate change1The head of the International Labour Organization today opened a summit meeting devoted to tackling climate change as a unique opportunity for job creation and economic growth, saying that up to 60 million jobs can be created in a greener, low carbon economy if the right policies are adopted.

“Inaction on climate change now will cost us all in the future,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said in his keynote address to the World of Work Summit taking place during the International Labour Conference, bringing together the agency’s member States at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

climate changeWith a welcoming 'tweet' from the International Space Station and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's renewed appeal for “bold climate action,” the United Nations-backed World Meteorological Congress opened its seventeenth session today as international delegates will seek to address continuing concerns over global warming.

“We rely on you, the world's meteorologists to provide us with the scientific knowledge that leaders in government, business and society at large need to make informed choices,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared in a video message.

nairobiMore than a billion people – one in five globally – lack electricity to light their homes or conduct business, according to a recent World Bank report. Nearly three billion rely on dangerous, polluting fuels – such as wood, charcoal and animal dung – to cook and heat their homes.

Renewable energy generation and energy efficiency improvements need to accelerate dramatically worldwide if development and climate goals are to be met over the next decade-and-a-half, adds the report – Progress Toward Sustainable Energy: Global Tracking Framework 2015.

bokova9Incheon, Republic of Korea, 21 May: A transformative vision for education over the next 15 years has been adopted at the World Education Forum, which concluded today in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
The Incheon Declaration was welcomed by the global education community, including government ministers from more than 100 countries, non-governmental organizations and youth groups.

education forum2015Incheon, Republic of Korea, 19 May - The global education agenda for the next 15 years is discussed at the World Education Forum 2015 (WEF 2015), which opened in Incheon, Republic of Korea, on 19 May. The conference sets out a global roadmap for Education until 2030.

The Declaration on Education 2030 to be agreed at the Forum will mobilize all countries and partners to implement the new agenda, and propose ways for its coordination, financing and monitoring – globally, regionally and nationally – to ensure equal educational opportunities for all.

sustainable Energy1Renewable energy generation and energy efficiency improvements will need to accelerate dramatically if the world is to achieve universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, according to a United Nations-backed report released today as senior leaders from government, business, finance, civil society and global institutions are gathering in New York for the second annual Sustainable Energy for All Forum.

The world is heading in the right direction under the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative, the Progress Toward Sustainable Energy: Global Tracking Framework 2015 report says, but it must move faster.

soil foodAs Global Soil Week began in Berlin today, a United Nations agricultural agency official used his opening address to stress the significance of healthy soils to global food production and the importance of prioritizing soil health in public policy.

“If humanity’s overarching need for food security and nutrition, climate change mitigation and sustainable development is to be met, soil resources have to be given the global attention they deserve,” said Moujahed Achouri, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Land and Water Division.