Half of World Heritage Sites at risk from industries, says WWF

Factors such as mining and logging have emerged as a threat to almost half of the world’s natural World Heritage sites. This is true from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the Inca site of Machu Picchu in Peru, the WWF conservation group said.

The findings are higher than the 18 natural sites listed as “in danger”, a more severe condition, by the World Heritage Committee of the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO. The Everglades in the United States, Ecuador’s Galapagos islands and Russia’s Kamchatka volcanoes are at threat among several others.

Illegal gold mining exposing indigenous people to high mercury levels

Illegal gold mining in the Amazon is having a devastating effect on the indigenous people as can be seen from Brazil’s example. Statistics have revealed an alarming rate of mercury poisoning among the Yanomami and Yekuana communities. Around 90 per cent of Indians in one community have been severely affected, with levels far above than that recommended by the World Health Organization.

French Polynesia proposes world’s largest marine sanctuary

A marine sanctuary is being planned on a secluded island south of Tahiti which aims to conserve one of the healthiest marine ecosystems on the planet.

Once approved, fishing would be banned in the surrounding ocean and sustainable fishing zones will be established around the five inhabited islands.

 

Scientists blame El Nino, warming for coral death

The coral on the sea floor around the Pacific island of Kiritimati looks white and lifeless. Kiritimati is the place where El Nino, along with global warming, has done the maximum amount of damage to corals in the past two years, experts said.

While dramatic images of coral bleaching on Australia's Great Barrier Reef are shocking the world, thousands of miles to the east conditions are even worse. The island has been on the highest level of alert for coral stress since June 2015.

Maldives becomes fourth island state to ratify Paris climate deal

The Maldives became the fourth small island state to announce the ratification of the Paris climate agreement, two weeks before an official UN signing ceremony in New York. The Parliament voted to approve the pact which commits countries to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C above the pre-industrial levels and target net zero carbon emissions before 2100.

India