Global Issues
News headlines for “Nature and Animal Conservation”, page 24
As Climate Change Threatens, Maldives Is No Island Paradise
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, May 26 (IPS) - Every year, thousands of couples choose to spend their honeymoon in the Maldives. Tucked in the Indian Ocean, this tropical atoll nation consistently ranks among the world’s most desirable destinations for newlyweds.
But beyond the crystal-clear waters and pristine, white-sand beaches, local communities are facing a far harsher reality: a growing water crisis driven by climate change. While tourists sip cocktails in overwater bungalows, some neighboring islands are literally running out of fresh water.
Islands are Solutions: the Case for Island-Ocean Coalitions
- Inter Press Service
SEATTLE, Washington / SAN DIEGO, California / AUSTIN, Texas, May 26 (IPS) - As the world confronts escalating climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and ocean degradation, islands stand as critical test cases—not just as sites of vulnerability, but as living laboratories of resilience, restoration, and innovation. Too often, they are framed as victims of global circumstances, awaiting salvation from external forces.
Economic Growth is the Wrong Metric for Our Time
- Inter Press Service
SAINT PAUL, Minnesota, May 23 (IPS) - As the United States lurches toward isolationism and authoritarianism, its political problems are now bleeding into pocketbook anxieties that Trump's policies will torpedo economic growth, both domestically and globally.
Human Life Hinges on the Preservation of Biological Diversity
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (IPS) - Since 2000, the United Nations (UN) recognizes May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity, in hopes of promoting international cooperation and conversation surrounding biodiversity issues. Through the 2025 theme; Harmony With Nature and Sustainable Development, the UN seeks to increase public awareness around biodiversity loss and promote progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Harmony with Nature: A Dryland Perspective on Development and Biodiversity
- Inter Press Service
HYDERABAD, India, May 23 (IPS) - Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world’s drylands. Covering 41% of the Earth’s land surface, these regions are home to over two billion people and support 50% of the world’s livestock and 44% of its cultivated systems (UNCCD). Far from being marginal, drylands are central to global food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
How Computational Biology Is Zoning in on the Future of Agriculture
- Inter Press Service
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois, May 22 (IPS) - When pioneering agronomist and father of the “Green Revolution” Norman Borlaug set out to breed a disease-resistant, high-yielding variety of wheat, he spent years laboriously planting and pollinating different specimens by hand. He manually catalogued every outcome until he landed on the variety that would transform farming and avert famine. The result was even greater than expected: it is estimated that he saved more than a billion people worldwide from starvation.
Global Push to Protect Oceans Gains Momentum Ahead of UN Conference in Nice
- Inter Press Service
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, May 22 (IPS) - As delegates prepare for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, momentum is building around ocean governance, finance for marine conservation, and an urgent shift toward a regenerative blue economy. Ocean advocates say the world is at a critical juncture—and the next few weeks could shape the future of marine protection for decades.
HeForShe Campaign Tackles 'Sex for Fish' Abuse Malawis Lakeshore Communities
- Inter Press Service
LILONGWE, May 22 (IPS) - Women in fishing communities in Malawi's lakeshore districts of Nkhotakota and Mangochi are frequently targets of sexual exploitation for fish, a practice commonly known as 'sex for fish.' A recent report by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has unearthed disturbing accounts of women being coerced into transactional sex to access fish from male boat owners, exposing a widespread violation of their rights.
A New Pope at a Pivotal Moment: Civil Society’s Hopes for Leo XIV
- Inter Press Service
LONDON, May 22 (IPS) - The new pope, the latest in a line dating back almost 2,000 years, was quickly subjected to a very modern phenomenon: no sooner had Pope Leo XIV delivered his first address than people started trawling his social media history for clues about his views. In the context of an ongoing culture war, the fact that far-right grievance entrepreneurs were quick to decry the new pope as ‘woke’ seemed reason enough for progressives to welcome him. But for civil society and the global human rights community, it’s how Leo acts that matters.
UN Ocean Conference Must Inspire Global Ambition
- Inter Press Service
NICE, France, May 21 (IPS) - The United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) takes place every three years and in just a few weeks, the international community will gather in Nice, France, at a time when the International Science Council has called for the world to address the new reality of a disrupted Earth system.
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