Why The World Is Running Out Of Sand

 

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China completes 2017 deep sea exploration

Chinese research vessel, Ocean No. 6, on Tuesday finished a 219-day deep sea scientific exploration in the western Pacific Ocean and returned to the city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province.

Vladimir Putin visits Arctic to reaffirm Russia's claim

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited an area in the Arctic archipelago as part of Russia's efforts to reaffirm its foothold in the oil-rich region.

Brazil launches campaign to combat food waste

Brazil has launched an educational campaign to halve food waste by 2030, local news agency Agencia Brasil (EBC) reported on Tuesday.

On World Day, UN urges meaningful action to protect future health of oceans

On World Day, UN urges meaningful action to protect future health of oceans Healthy oceans are critical to sustaining life on Earth, by regulating the climate and providing a wide range of services, including natural resources, nutritious food and jobs that benefit billions of people, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today, as the UN kicked off its celebrations to mark World Oceans Day.

Arctic Frontiers conference kicks off in Norway's Tromso

The week-long Arctic Frontiers conference kicked off on Sunday as about 1,300 delegates from around the world gathered in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso to discuss the balance between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic.

UN chief urges action on climate change

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in Bolivia at the Peoples World Conference on Climate Change and the Defence of Life, said that the subject of the conference was both "important and timely."

Russian PM Signs Decree to Establish Russian Border on Shelf in Okhotsk Sea

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that he had signed a document establishing the Russian border on Russia's continental shelf in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Moscow allocated 205 million rubles for the North Pole drifting station

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree allocating over 205 million rubles ($4 million) to invest into North Pole drifting station's operation in the Arctic, the government press service said on Monday.

Mozambique: Planting a Future (video Al Jazeera)

According to the UN, South America and Africa lose forests at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world. After years of civil war Mozambique is trying to rebuild itself from the ruins, but the development comes at a great cost to the country's natural resources.

Russian diplomat calls for joint use of emerging opportunities in Arctic

The opportunities that are emerging in the Arctic should be used jointly for the benefit of the whole region, Russia’s ambassador-at-large and senior official at the Arctic Council, Vladimir Barbin, said on Monday.

‘It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime’ UN proclaims on World Wildlife Day

UN,  3 March 2015 – Illegal wildlife trade undermines rule of law, degrades ecosystems and severely hampers the efforts of rural communities striving to sustainably manage their natural resources, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as the United Nations marked World Wildlife Day.

No need for NATO presence in Arctic (Lavrov)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday he sees no need of NATO presence in the Arctic.
“We firmly believe that there are no problems in the Arctic which demand NATO participation, moreover, there are no problems there which demand military decisions,” the minister said during a public lecture on Russia’s foreign policy.
According to Lavrov, long before the Ukrainian crisis, NATO said and continues saying that the military factor in the Arctic will increase amid the escalation of the fight for the resources.

“The Arctic is a territory of dialogue,” the minister stressed. “We use this slogan for regular forums in Russia, and the work of the Arctic Council, to a large extent, is drawn up in this way,” he said.

Arctic Council Needs Russia, to Continue Working With It

WASHINGTON, October 1  - The Arctic Council needs Russia, and is supportive of Moscow's continued engagement in its work, said Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., US Special Representative to the Arctic said during the conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
"We work with Russia now. We expect to continue to work with Russia," Papp, who will take over the Arctic Council chairmanship in 2015, said Tuesday.
US Representative to the Arctic noted that Ambassador Bolton just came back from Vladivostok where he worked on fisheries agreements.

Russia dispatches naval force to reopen Arctic base

MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday (Sep 6) sent six ships carrying personnel and equipment to a Soviet-era military base in the Arctic that it is reopening to bolster its presence in the region, Russian news agencies reported. Moscow is ramping up its military presence in the pristine but energy-rich region as other countries such as Canada and Norway are also staking claims to access its resources.

President Vladimir Putin last year ordered the military to return to a base on the far-Northern New Siberian Islands that was abandoned in 1993. On Saturday, a fleet of six ships including two large landing ships set off from the port of Severomorsk in northern Russia, a spokesman for the Western military district, Vadim Serga, told ITAR-TASS news agency.

Arctique: Washington souhaite coopérer avec Moscou

Washington souhaite coopérer avec Moscou dans l'exploration de l'Arctique malgré sa décision de boycotter la 4e réunion du Conseil de l'Arctique qui s'est tenue les 6-7 août en Russie, a déclaré vendredi le secrétaire du Conseil de sécurité de Russie Nikolaï Patrouchev.

"Les Américains n'ont pas expliqué leur absence, mais ils se disent prêts à coopérer en Arctique lors de contacts bilatéraux", a indiqué M.Patrouchev dans une interview à RIA Novosti.

We need a new revolution (Janez Potočnik)

European Commission, New Environmentalism Summit, Brussels, 3 June 2014:

Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment: 

"Good afternoon everyone, thank you James.

I hope you all agree it has been a fascinating day with really excellent speakers.

Recently I gave a TED talk which had the title 'New Environmentalism and the Circular Economy'. Some of you may have watched it on YouTube so I will try not to repeat too much of what I have said before but some of the points I made in that talk are highly relevant to this one and need to be repeated.

Russia to create united naval base system for ships, subs in Arctic

A united system of naval bases for ships and next-generation submarines will be created in the Arctic to defend Russia’s interests in the region, President Vladimir Putin said.
He urged the government to provide full state funding for the socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic through 2017-20.
Putin said that a separate state agency should be created to implement Russian policy in the Arctic and to improve the quality of governance and decision-making in this area.
“We do not need a bulky bureaucratic body, but a flexible operational structure, which will help better coordinate the activities of ministries and departments, regions and businesses,” he said.

Environment: Experts meet to discuss how to better fight wildlife trafficking in the EU and globally

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 10 April 2014 -

Following an invitation by the European Commission, 170 experts met today in Brussels to discuss how the EU can better fight wildlife trafficking.

The conference marked the end of a public consultation which was launched on 7 February with a Communication by the Commission (COM (2014) 64 final). The background of the Commission's initiative is the surge in wildlife trafficking globally over the last years which has reached a level that threatens the survival of some endangered species and undermines good governance and sustainable development. Organised crime is significantly involved in this lucrative business, also within the EU.

UN Commission recognises Sea of Okhotsk enclave part of Russia

The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has recognized the Sea of Okhotsk enclave with an area of 52,000 sq.km part of the Russian continental shelf, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Sergey Donskoy told Russian journalists today.


He said that the ministry has received a formal certificate from the UN Commission satisfying Russia’s appeal to recognize the enclave in the Sea of Okhotsk part of the Russian shelf. This is an actually acknowledged fact and I can congratulate everyone, the minister said.

Answering an Itar-Tass correspondent’s question, the minister stressed that the decision on the enclave is final and not subject to revision. Now the enclave is fully under Russia’s jurisdiction, the minister said.