United Nations News

Once-in-50-Year Heat Waves Now Happening Every Decade – U.N. Climate Report

Extreme heat waves that previously only struck once every 50 years are now expected to happen once per decade because of global warming, while downpours and droughts have also become more frequent, a UN climate science report said on Monday. …

UN Official Warns Digital Technologies Open Areas for Attack

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. disarmament chief warned Tuesday that digital technologies are lowering barriers to malicious intrusions and opening potential areas for governments, armed groups, terrorists and criminals to carry out attacks, including across international borders. Izumi Nakamitsu …

UN Office Says Sri Lanka Ship Fire Causes Significant Damage

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The U.N. representative in Sri Lanka said the sinking of a container ship that caught fire while transporting chemicals off the capital Colombo has caused “a significant damage to the planet” by releasing hazardous substances …

Sri Lanka Seeks UN help in Assessing Damage From Ship Fire

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka’s government is seeking help from the United Nations and other countries in assessing the environmental damage caused by a fire on a container ship carrying chemicals that is sinking off its capital, officials …

UN Official: Catastrophe Looming From Oil Tanker Off Yemen

CAIRO — The U.N. environment chief said Wednesday that “time is running out” to avert an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe from a deteriorating oil tanker loaded with 1.1 million barrels of crude oil that is moored off the coast …

Environmental Groups Propose Tailings Dam Safety Standards

Mining companies should be required to buy private insurance for tailings dams and their board of directors should be held legally responsible for any disasters, a coalition of 140 environmental groups said in a report published on Tuesday. The recommendations, …

Insurers Join ‘Net Zero’ Climate Pledge at United Nations

Insurers and pension funds managing $2.3 trillion pledged on Monday to shift their portfolios away from carbon-heavy industries in the hope of triggering snowballing climate commitments from other big investors. German insurer Allianz, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), …

Stay or Go? As Weather Gets Wilder, States Urged to Prepare for Displacement

GENEVA — Warned that Typhoon Haiyan would slam into the coastal part of the Philippine town of Dulag in November 2013, Leah C. Caminong’s family rented a room 300 meters back from the shoreline where they planned to ride out …

Microsoft Turned Down Facial-Recognition Sales on Human Rights Concerns

PALO ALTO, California — Microsoft Corp recently rejected a California law enforcement agency’s request to install facial recognition technology in officers’ cars and body cameras due to human rights concerns, company President Brad Smith said on Tuesday. Microsoft concluded it …

UN Report Says Earth’s Ozone Layer is Healing

Earth’s protective ozone layer is finally healing from damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants, a new United Nations report said. The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Scientist raised the alarm and ozone-depleting chemicals were phased …