Environment

Why we Must Put Ocean-Positive Solutions at the Heart of Global Development

By Francine Pickup
The ocean is far more than a vast expanse of water; it is a cornerstone of life and a critical driver of sustainable development. The intricate relationship between human development and the ocean underscores why ocean governance and sustainability are pivotal to global progress. Its significance becomes particularly evident in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the ocean is not just a resource but an intrinsic part of identity and survival.

CIVICUS’ New Leader Speaks on Global Declines in Civic Freedom

By Oritro Karim
On June 1, CIVICUS Global Alliance, announced the appointment of Mandeep Tiwana as its new Secretary-General. With his tenure underway, Tiwana sat down with an IPS correspondent to discuss CIVICUS’s work in promoting civic freedom and solidarity in an increasingly autonomy-restrictive world.

South-West Pacific Communities Threatened by Ocean Heat, Sea-Level Rise

By IPS Correspondent
The South-West Pacific experienced unprecedented warming in 2024, according to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report released today (June 5)—threatening islands in a region where half the population lives close to the coast.

Hundreds of Cholera Cases Are Declared Per Day in Sudan

By Oritro Karim
A particularly virulent outbreak of cholera was detected in the Khartoum State of Sudan and is a direct result of the Sudanese Civil War, warns the United Nations.

In a Changing World, Protecting Nature is Protecting Our Future

By Lyes Ferroukhi and Karin Metell
In a world marked by armed conflict, threats to democracy, technological disruptions, and geopolitical tensions, many people are asking: Why should we prioritize environmental crises when there are other, more visible or perceived as more urgent challenges?

Climate Justice Starts with a Bus Ride: A Lifeline for Delhi’s Waste Pickers

By Aishwarya Bajpai
Every day, Delhi’s waste pickers walk three to four kilometers under the blazing sun, collecting and sorting the garbage that keeps India’s capital functioning. Their work is essential—yet largely invisible.

Environment Day – 2025


 
Plastic pollution is choking our planet. An estimated 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year. Less than 10% is ever recycled.

South Asian Cities Faced Relentless, Record-Breaking Heatwaves Last Year

By Selomi Garnaik and G. A. Rumeshi Perera
From the blistering heat of Delhi’s streets to Colombo’s humid corners, workers in the informal economy are silently enduring the toll of labour on their bodies and livelihoods.

Life Below Water Goes Deep: Our Planet’s Greatest Untold Story

By Diva Amon and Lissette Victorero
As David Attenborough reflects in his new documentary Ocean, “After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea". We wholeheartedly agree - and urge governments convening at the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in France next month to remember that life below water goes deep.

Abundance of Renewable Energy Attracts Major Data Centers to Brazil

By Mario Osava
Brazil hopes to soon reap benefits of its largely renewable energy matrix. Data centers, whose demand is growing with the strides made by artificial intelligence, are the new frontier for these still-uncertain investments.[pullquote]3[/pullquote]

Glaciers More Sensitive to Global Warming, Now in Extreme Danger—Study

By Tanka Dhakal
Almost 40 percent of glaciers that exist now are already in danger of melting even if global temperature stabilized at present-day conditions, a study says. An international study published in the journal Science finds that glaciers are even more sensitive to global warming than previously estimated.

Climate Justice: Island Resilience


 
In a world where headlines warn of rising seas, dying reefs, and vanishing species, it’s easy to think the story ends in loss. But what if the frontlines of climate change were also frontiers of hope?

‘We Are Witnessing Ecocide in West Papua, One of the World’s Richest Biodiversity Centres’

By CIVICUS
CIVICUS discusses the devastating impact of palm oil extraction in West Papua with Tigor Hutapea, legal representative of Pusaka Bentala Rakyat, an organisation campaigning for Indigenous Papuan people’s rights to manage their customary lands and forests.

Funding Shortfalls Threaten Haiti’s Future

By Oritro Karim
The humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly in the recent weeks as rates of violence, hunger, and displacement soar amid a severe lack of funding. As armed gangs continue to seize more territory in the capital, Port-Au-Prince, as well as in areas in the Artibonite and Centre Department, humanitarian organizations have found themselves unable to keep up with the growing scale of needs.

Climate Justice Movement in Nigeria to Tackle Oil Polluters Launched

By Promise Eze
Greenpeace Africa earlier in May brought together over 40 Nigerian civil society groups in Abuja to launch the Climate Justice Movement, the first of its kind in the country. The goal is to unite various climate efforts nationwide and address the severe impacts of climate change on Nigeria and the African continent.

Can These Prehistoric Sea Creatures Survive Climate Change?

By Manipadma Jena
In November,  tens of thousands of male olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) start congregating on just five kilometers of nearshore in Odisha in eastern India. They wait for the females of the species to arrive. The survival of these prehistoric sea species has largely depended on suitable pairing and mating. However, research findings from around the world indicate that, in the long term, there may be a limited number of males at these mating sites compared to an overwhelming number of females.

The 2025 World Social Summit Must Not Be a Missed Opportunity

By Isabel Ortiz, Odile Frank and Gabriele Koehler
Rumors circulating at UN Headquarters suggest there is little appetite for ambition at the Second World Summit for Social Development, set to take place in Doha on 4-6 November 2025. Diplomats and insiders whisper of “summit fatigue” after a packed calendar of global gatherings—the 2023 SDG Summit, the 2024 Summit of the Future, and the upcoming June 2025 Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. Compounding this fatigue is the chilling rise of anti-rights rhetoric and political resistance from some governments, casting a shadow over multilateral efforts. For some, just getting any multilateral agreement is good enough. As a result, the Zero Draft of the Social Summit Political Declaration lacks the ambition required to confront the multiple social crises our world faces.

UNOC3: Bringing Ocean Education and Science to the Global Agenda

By Naureen Hossain
A greater understanding and appreciation of the world’s oceans is needed to protect them. As the global community prepares to convene for the ocean conference, they must also prepare to invest in scientific efforts and education that will bolster their joint efforts.

Kenya Pilots AI System to Protect Black Rhino Calves in Aberdare National Park

By Chemtai Kirui
Conservationists in Kenya’s Aberdare National Park have piloted an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to detect and deter hyenas—as part of an effort to protect black rhino calves ahead of their reintroduction to the zone.

As Climate Change Threatens, Maldives Is No Island Paradise

By Robbie Newton
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

By Penny Becker, Stuart Sandin and Wes Sechrest
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.
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