The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
The report "Water for Development – Charting a Water Wise Path" is the main input for the 2015 World Water Week and was authored by a range of global experts in the field of water and development. Among the topics addressed by the report are: the role of water in …
New Zealand’s freshwater habitats including rivers, lakes, estuaries and other wetlands; groundwater and geothermal ecosystems support a unique array of flora and fauna. Freshwater is New Zealand’s greatest asset and is a taonga of paramount importance. It is valued for its contribution to biodiversity, recreation, the economy and overall well-being …
Alteration of the spatial variability of natural flow regimes has been less studied than that of the temporal variability, despite its ecological importance for river ecosystems. Here, we aimed to quantify the spatial patterns of flow regime alterations along a river network in the Sagami River, Japan, by estimating river …
New York political leaders on Monday renewed their push to outlaw microbeads, the personal care plastic additives blamed for polluting waterways, and urged a statewide ban even as Congress considers prohibiting them across the nation. At least seven states, including Illinois, New Jersey and Wisconsin, have banned the beads, found …
Mega hydropower projects in tropical forests pose a major emergent threat to terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity worldwide. Despite the unprecedented number of existing, under-construction and planned hydroelectric dams in lowland tropical forests, long-term effects on biodiversity have yet to be evaluated. We examine how medium and large-bodied assemblages of terrestrial …
Ocean acidification negatively affects many marine species and is predicted to cause widespread changes to marine ecosystems. Similarly, freshwater ecosystems may potentially be affected by climate-change-related acidification; however, this has received far less attention. Freshwater fish represent 40% of all fishes, and salmon, which rear and spawn in freshwater, are …
DHAKA : The Ministry of Environment and Forests on Sunday formed a coordination committee, headed by divisional commissioner of Chittagong, to address the recent oil spill of Boalkhali, aiming to minimise its aftermath, reports UNB. The committee was formed at a high-level meeting held in the ministry with Environment Minister …
Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty says new reports from the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment indicate dairy intensification is causing increasing damage to New Zealand's waterways. The discharge of pollutants from dairy operations means the water quality of many rivers and streams is continuing to decline. "While we welcome …
In December of last year, the Nicaraguan government began work on the much-debated interoceanic canal. The proposed project would divide Nicaragua’s biodiverse rainforests, coastal reefs, and the iconic Lake Nicaragua. Although construction has not proceeded beyond clearing and paving an access road, on May 31st of this year, the project …
On March 9th and 10th, 2015, an independent panel met for two days at Florida International University’s College of Law to discuss the likely environmental impacts associated with the proposed inter-oceanic canal through Nicaragua. The goal was to review some sections of the draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) …
The United States on Monday filed a proposed settlement requiring Enbridge Inc to complete natural resource restoration projects and pay about $4 million following its 2010 oil pipeline spill in Michigan, the Justice Department said. The July 2010 spill dumped 800,000 gallons of oil and affected 38 miles of Michigan's …
Healthy communities rely on well-functioning ecosystems. They provide clean air, fresh water, medicines and food security. They also limit disease and stabilize the climate. But biodiversity loss is happening at unprecedented rates, impacting human health worldwide, according to a new state of knowledge review of the Convention on Biological Diversity …
The sun rises over Lake Malawi. As fishermen bring their overnight catch to shore, the purring motors of their dugout canoes spread ripples across waters once dubbed the “lake of stars” by David Livingstone. On the beach, a group of young men mend fishing nets. Women smoke fish to sell, …
Movement of nutrients across ecosystem boundaries can have important effects on food webs and population dynamics. An example from the North Pacific Rim is the connection between productive marine ecosystems and freshwaters driven by annual spawning migrations of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp). While a growing body of research has highlighted …
Who said large-scale hydropower was out? As an article published by Climate Central recently noted, it has now been omitted from the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) annual reports on renewable energy for eight years running, and “may be seen as a risky bet” for investors. But Peru, together with …
The Department of Water and Sanitation says the pollution of the Nyl River in Modimolle, Limpopo, has been contained. The Department's Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) Unit was dispatched to Modimolle on Monday after an incident relating to pollution of the Nyl River was reported. According to the department, the …
Climate change will have potentially significant effects on freshwater quality due to increases in river and lake temperatures, changes in the magnitude and seasonality of river runoff, and more frequent and severe extreme events. These physical impacts will in turn have economic consequences through effects on riparian development, river and …
The Western Ghats region of India is an area of exceptional freshwater biodiversity and endemism. Mahseer of the genus Tor are considered prized sport fishes of great cultural significance; nevertheless, they are threatened as a result of increasing anthropogenic stressors. In the River Cauvery, the mahseer community comprises a ‘blue-finned’ …
TIRANA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament urged the Albanian authorities to rethink plans to build hydropower plants along the Vjosa River and its tributaries, the Albanian Telegraphic Agency reported on Wednesday. "These projects would harm one of Europe's last extensive, intact and near-natural river ecosystems," said the European …
Exxon Mobil Corp has agreed to pay $5.07 million to resolve allegations it violated the federal Clean Water Act and state environmental laws in connection with a 2013 oil spill in Arkansas, the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday. The March 29, 2013 spill occurred …
