The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
New scorecards rating donors’ commitments to improving nutrition across the world show the UK meeting its targets, with other rich nations lagging behind There are so many players involved in malnutrition reduction, from health, agriculture, education, water and social welfare, that there’s a worrying tendency for no one to take …
Hundreds of millions of acres of forest could be lost in the next two decades in less than a dozen global hotspots for deforestation, conservationists have warned. Research by wildlife charity WWF has identified 11 “deforestation fronts” where 80% of projected global forest losses by 2030 could occur. Up to …
Pressure is mounting on India to address climate change. Every country, including India, needs to take some level of responsibility to address it and act accordingly at the UN-sponsored climate change meet in Paris this December, said David W Cash, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, during a …
WASHINGTON: Talking tough, India today asked developed nations not to view climate change as "a business opportunity" and asserted that it would not allow "bullying" tactics as the days of "bulldozing" were over. Ahead of the crucial climate conference in Paris later this year, India demanded the developed world "must" …
2015 is a critical year for humanity. Our civilization has never faced such existential risks as those associated with global warming, biodiversity erosion and resource depletion. Our societies have never had such an opportunity to advance prosperity and eradicate poverty. We have the choice to either finally embark on the …
German insurers are likely to face damage claims of around 750 million euros ($808 million) from windstorm "Niklas", which struck the country on March 31, insurance trade body GDV said on Monday. That would make Niklas, which entailed wind speeds of up to 192 kilometers (119 miles) per hour, one …
France is leading Europe’s electric vehicle revolution with the nation now accounting for more than a quarter of EV sales across the EU, new figures reveal. Data released by the European Environment Agency shows around 38 000 electric vehicles were registered in 2014, up by 57 % compared to 2013. …
Set aside any romantic notions of Paris in the spring. Visitors to the French capital are facing the choice of using an umbrella or wearing a mask. Paris is suffering under a seasonal pollution crisis that may drive the concentration of particles called PM10 and PM2.5 in some areas to …
Three foreign tourists — two Austrians and an Italian — have died in an avalanche in the French Alps, and a fourth tourist has been taken by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble with unspecified injuries. Hautes-Alpes department officials said that the snow slide took place mid-afternoon Wednesday in the …
Asian Development Bank has become the first multilateral development bank accredited to receive financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for projects to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation in its developing member countries, the bank said in a statement yesterday. The GCF was established in 2010 under the United …
Pesticides have been associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but there are few data on important exposure characteristics such as dose-effect relations. It is unknown whether associations depend on clinical PD subtypes. The researchers examined quantitative aspects of occupational pesticide exposure associated with PD and investigated whether associations were similar across …
Imagine you are Sherlock Holmes bent on solving a mystery but the evidence is starting to crumble and eventually you will be left with worthless dust. This is the worry which haunts ice scientists delving into Earth’s threatened glaciers. Deep inside them, the slumbering ice slabs hold information about Earth's …
Scientists have discovered that deep water marine fish living on the continental slopes at depths of 2,000 feet are more are suffering health problems due to human-caused pollution. Surface waters aren't the only regions being impacted by pollution in the ocean. Scientists have discovered that deep water marine fish living …
Environmentalism is fast becoming a top concern in France – a rooftop concern, to be precise. Excitingly, the nation has just passed new legislation that will require all upcoming commercial construction projects to feature either green roofs or solar panels above their top floors. By now, most people are at …
Emergency measures introduced in Paris to halve the number of vehicles on the roads after a noxious smog descended on the French capital have been hailed as a success. Police said the measures had reduced traffic jams in and around Paris by up to 40% and that 2,800 drivers had …
Malaria, dengue fever and other deadly exotic diseases could become an established part of British life in a matter of decades, public health experts have warned. The emergence of the illnesses is likely to be driven by climate change, which will make it easier for mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects …
LONDON: Climate change could accelerate the emergence of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile virus in Britain, says a new study. The findings detailed in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases indicate that vector-borne diseases, which are transmitted by insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, are …
PARIS will restrict car use on Monday as a measure to fight against surging air pollution, the city's Police Department announced on Saturday. According to a statement published on the department's website, only cars with an uneven number are allowed to drive Monday, while public transport will be free at …
Paris authorities have requested emergency traffic-limiting measures to be put in place on Friday, as the city of light and much of northern France suffers from a choking smog. City mayor Anne Hidalgo asked national authorities to stop one in every two cars entering the capital and make all public …
Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday. Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. …
