Why 9 May is Europe Day

Why 9 May is Europe Day

9 May is Europe day. In 1950, then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman gave the speech considered to be the starting point of the European Union: the Schuman Declaration. His proposal required “the elimination of the age-old opposition of France and Germany” through the union of the “Franco-German production of coal and steel under a

Costa Rica convicts those who killed an activist who protected sea turtles

Costa Rica convicts those who killed an activist who protected sea turtles

What makes environmental crimes even more dreadful is impunity. “Across the world environmental defenders are being shot dead in broad daylight, kidnapped, threatened, or tried as terrorists for standing in the way of so-called ‘development’,” said Billy Kyte, campaigner at Global Witness. “The true authors of these crimes – a powerful nexus of corporate and

Small islands will face more drought as a consequence of climate change

Small islands will face more drought as a consequence of climate change

Yet again small islands are at the forefront when it comes to the impacts of climate change. A recent study claims that these will face more freshwater scarcity than scientists previously thought. Current global climate models (GCMs, mathematical representations of climate used to predict future variables such as surface pressure, wind, temperature, humidity and rainfall) predict

Seychelles swaps millions of dollars in debt in exchange for conserving its ocean

Seychelles swaps millions of dollars in debt in exchange for conserving its ocean

Seychelles is finalising a multi-million dollar debt swap in exchange for its commitment to saving the ocean. The deal was initiated by environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy and the government of the western Indian Ocean nation in 2012. “This is the first example of a debt swap focused on marine conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation to climate

Half of all World Heritage Sites are threatened by human-related activities

Half of all World Heritage Sites are threatened by human-related activities

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef with its multi-coloured biodiversity, Madagascar’s rainforests with their lemurs, Tanzania’s natural reserves, and Szechuan giant panda sanctuaries in China. These and many others natural and cultural treasures are at risk due to human-related economic activities. A report carried out by WWF shows that at least 114 out of 229 World Heritage