London named again worst in UK for traffic jams, report says

For the tenth year in a row, London was named on Saturday the worst in the UK for traffic jams, with Londoners spending an average of 74 peak travelling hours sitting in queues every year.

IMF predicts oil price plunge to $50 per barrel in 2017-2018

The International Monetary Fund expects global oil prices at around $50 per barrel, down from its April projection of $55 per barrel, according to the World Economic Outlook report published Tuesday.

Powerful 6.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Southwestern China

A 6.5 earthquake magnitude occurred on Tuesday in the Sichuan province in southwestern China, the Chinese Seismological Center reported.

World population to hit 9.8 bln by 2050, despite nearly universal lower fertility rates, UN says

The United Nations said here Wednesday that the world population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, and to hit 9.8 billion by 2050, despite nearly universal lower fertility rates.

California drought at lowest level in three years, report says

A rainier than normal October has erased drought conditions in the northern corner of California, and the state overall is in better shape than it has been in years, though forecasters warn a month of improvement won't correct five years of extreme drought in the state.

Global temperature continues to set record in February

Record warmth across the globe, aided by a strong El Niño that peaked during the winter, has continued into February, leading to a 10-month streak of breaking monthly global temperature records, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday.

600,000 people have died due to weather-related disasters

A new UN-backed report found that in the past 20 years, more than 600,000 people have died as a result of weather-related disasters, and 90 percent of major disasters have been caused by nearly 6,500 recorded floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events.

Biodegradable plastics not the answer to cut marine litter

Widespread adoption of products labelled "biodegradable" will not significantly decrease the volume of plastic entering the ocean or the physical and chemical risks that plastics pose to marine environment, accord to a United Nations report released yesterday.

Climate change can force 100 mln into poverty by 2030

Climate change could push an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 if the world fails to take actions, the World Bank warned in a report released Sunday.

Action on climate change could save tens of thousands of American lives annually (White House)

Global action on climate change could save tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the United States by the end of this century, a report released by the White House said Monday.

China launches world's first electric plane

China has made the world's first electric passenger aircraft that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations, state media reported today.

World must redouble efforts on sustainable energy goals (UN-backed report)

The world must redouble its efforts to achieve universal access to sustainable energy by 2030 through increasing energy investments and transferring technology to countries with less capacity, said a UN-backed report released Monday.

Geothermal energy can help developing countries boost food security, says UN agency report

UN, 7 April 2015 – A new report released today by the United Nations agricultural agency says that the heat energy generated by the earth’s core can be used for cost efficient, sustainable food production and processing in developing countries.

Climate change will make food less tasty

A report prepared by climate scientists at the University of Melbourne reveals the impact that shifting rainfall patterns, extreme weather, warming oceans, and climate-related diseases will have on the production, quality and cost of Australia's food in the future.

Benefits of investing in protection of biodiversity outweigh financial costs, says UN-backed report

UN, 7 October 2014 – Implementing measures that promote the sustainable use of biodiversity is a worthwhile investment that will bring multiple economic and environmental benefits to countries, according to a United Nations-backed report released today.
The report, released at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-12) in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, found that there is a gap across all countries and regions between investments needed to meet the 20 global biodiversity goals known as the Aichi targets, and the resources currently allocated to this endeavour.

New UN-backed report finds ‘alarmingly high’ levels of elephant poaching across Africa

 UN, 13 June 2014 – The level of elephant poaching across Africa remains alarmingly high, according to a new United Nations-backed report release today, which also found an increase in the number of large seizures of ivory.

“Africa’s elephants continue to face an immediate threat to their survival from high-levels of poaching for their ivory and with over 20,000 elephants illegally killed last year, the situation remains dire,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Urgent action needed to safeguard genetic diversity of world’s forests, UN study says

UN, 3 June 2014 – Urgent action to better manage the genetic diversity of forests – under pressure from climate change, exploitation and conversion for other uses – is needed to ensure that the benefits they provide will survive, the United Nations said in a first-of-its-kind report released today. 

“Forests provide food, goods and services which are essential to the survival and well-being of all humanity,” Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant Director-General for Forestry at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said on the release of The State of the World's Forest Genetic Resources.
“These benefits all rely on safeguarding the rich store of the world’s forest genetic diversity – which is increasingly at risk,” he added.

Scientists: Rising Sea Levels Threaten NASA Space Centers

U.S. scientists say global warming is forcing NASA to build seawalls near major flight and research centers along the U.S. coasts.

A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists says rising sea levels are the greatest threat to the historic Kennedy Space Center, along the Atlantic Ocean in Florida. It says other NASA facilities already have faced costly damage from erosion and hurricanes.

First UN report on antibiotic resistance reveals ‘serious threat’ to global public health. - WHO said that people can help tackle resistance...

UN, 30 April 2014 – Antibiotic resistance – when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections – is now a major threat to public health, says a new United Nations report released today.

The study, produced by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), is the first to look at antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, globally, and provides the most comprehensive picture to date, incorporating data from 114 countries.

Air pollution now linked to 1 in 8 deaths worldwide, UN health agency reports

25 March 2014 – Air pollution – both indoor and outdoor – killed some 7 million people across the globe in 2012, making it the world’s largest single environmental health risk, according to new figures released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
“The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes,” said Maria Neira, Director of WHO’s Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.