An expanded Panama Canal opens for giant ships
A mammoth ship bearing 9,472 containers, on Sunday will become the first vessel to officially pass through the new expanded Panama Canal, a $5.25 billion project designed to modernize a 102-year-old landmark. Others worry about the ability of the nearly 300 canal pilots to safely guide the new giant ships through the snug locks and channels.
Mangrove forest in SW China endangered
The vast tracts of mangrove forest in the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been almost erased by the immense construction of marine reclamation lands and industrial plants.
Could Seismic Tests Harm Fish?
Eight companies are currently seeking to conduct seismic surveys in areas off the southern Atlantic coast between Delaware and Florida to look for oil and natural gas resources.
Fishing For Bright Spots in a World of Sick Reefs
An unprecedented ecological analysis of fish survey findings from more than 2,500 reefs worldwide revealed that the Muluk villagers of Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, do better jobs than almost anybody of managing fish stocks for the long term bounties they can provide.
Malaysia establishes a 1-million-hectare marine park
Malaysia has just established the biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the country. The Tun Mustapha park (TMP) occupies 1m hectares (2.47m acres) of seascape off the northern tip of Sabah province in Borneo.
A Disaster-in-Waiting
In a recent interview with BBC, India’s minister of water resources unveiled the government’s massive plan to divert major rivers including the Ganges and Brahmaputra. This unilateral move by India is a clear violation of the basic tenet of all the international regulations regarding water bodies.
New International Accord to Tackle Illegal Fishing
A new international accord to tackle illegal and under-reported fishing will come into force on June 5. Under the Port States Measures Agreement (PSMA) governments will be required to inspect foreign fishing vessels that dock in their ports…
UN Environment Assembly opens in Nairobi aiming to ensure ‘healthy planet, with healthy people’
Hundreds of key global decision-makers are gathering in Kenya today for the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2 ), aiming to tackle some of the most critical issues facing our planet, from the air pollution that kills millions of people every year to an illegal trade in wildlife that is pushing species to the brink of extinction.
Premature Deaths from Environmental Degradation Threat to Global Public Health, UNEP Report Says
Danger posed by air pollution, chemicals, microplastics, zoonotic diseases and other environmental threats to human health revealed in series of reports released at second United Nations Environment Assembly.