Asia

Worst virus fears realized in poor or war-torn countries

Jul 01, 2020 13:19

Coronavirus lockdowns are likely the most effective safeguard, but they have exacted a heavy toll even on middle-class families in Europe and North America, and are economically devastating in developing countries. India’s lockdown, the world’s largest, caused countless migrant workers in major cities to lose their jobs overnight.
Human-derived mercury shown to pollute the world’s deepest ocean trenches

Jun 28, 2020 09:38

Scientists have found that man-made mercury pollution has reached the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean — the Marianas Trench. This has significant implications for how mercury affects the marine environment, and how it may be concentrated in the food chain. According to Phys.org, the findings, which come from two independent research groups, are presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference.
Emerging markets are awash in confidence

Jun 25, 2020 10:18

Emerging markets head into the final full week of the first half buoyed by confidence the global liquidity rush will keep risk assets supported even as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of letting up. Developing-nation stocks are approaching their highest level since March, while dollar-denominated bonds have just clocked up an eighth week of gains.
WHO reports largest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases

Jun 25, 2020 09:59

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this week that Sunday saw the highest number of new cases of coronavirus across the globe since the pandemic began. More than 183,000 new cases were reported within a 24-hour time period around the world, WHO said, with Brazil tracking the highest amount during that time, counting 54,771 new cases. The United States had the second-highest single-day increase, according to WHO statistics, with 36,617 new cases during that period.
Save the insects, save the farmers, save ourselves: new global report calls for end of industrial agriculture

Jun 18, 2020 10:54

A new report released on Tuesday draws attention to the worldwide decline in insects and calls for global policies to boost the conservation of both agriculture and the six-footed creatures. The report points to various studies documenting that loss, including 2018 research finding 41% of insect species are in decline and that one-third of all insect species are threatened by extinction.
Tourism deals lingering blow to global economy

Jun 15, 2020 15:19

Economists warn the blow that coronavirus has dealt to the global travel and tourism industry is set to do lingering damage to the world’s growth, as areas that are dependent on visitors for their income struggle to reposition their local economies.
World health leaders urge green recovery from coronavirus crisis

May 29, 2020 08:48

Studies have suggested that air pollution may play a role in worsening COVID-19 symptoms or increasing mortality, though scientists also say it is too early to draw hard conclusions about the full impacts. However, the clearing skies that have accompanied lockdown in many countries are under threat, as industrial activity resumes without new safeguards.
A life of heat 'near unlivable' for more than 3 billion people in just decades, climate report warns

May 27, 2020 10:43

In the next five decades, more than three billion people—one third of the world's population—could live in regions with climate conditions considered unlivable, according to a new study.
Museums are losing millions but working hard to preserve COVID-19 artifacts

May 20, 2020 10:37

In the future, generations will need the means to understand how the coronavirus pandemic affected our world, just as they can now reflect on the Spanish flu or the Black Death. The world heritage sector is already working hard to preserve the COVID-19 moment, predicting that future generations will need documentary evidence, photographic archives and artifacts to help them understand this period of history.
Advocates eyeing post-pandemic world say green hydrogen’s time has come

May 17, 2020 10:38

Hydrogen has long been touted as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Now, as major economies prepare green investments to kickstart growth, advocates spy a golden chance to drag the niche energy into the mainstream of a post-pandemic world. Green hydrogen was pushed to the fore recently when Fatih Birol, Head of the International Energy Agency, said the technology was “ready for the big time” and urged governments to channel investments into the fuel.