UNEP – आवारा मुसाफिर

Sand crisis looms as UNEP calls for ban on beach extraction

April 27, 2022896 Views

Global sand use hits 50 bln tonnes a yearSand is the second-most exploited natural resourceUN report calls for new rules on sand miningSome rivers flow backwards, deltas sink A U.N. report on Tuesday called for urgent action to avert a "sand crisis," including a ban on beach extraction as demand surges to 50 billion tonnes a year amid population growth and urbanisation. Sand is the most exploited natural resource in the world after water, but its use is largely ungoverned, meaning we are consuming it faster than it can be replaced by geological processes that take hundreds of thousands of years, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) report says. Global consumption for use in glass, concrete and construction materials has tripled over two decades to reach 50 billion tonnes a y...

खबरनामाघटनाएं

UN plastic treaty to tackle production, packaging design

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 28, 20221103 Views

United Nations negotiators have agreed a roadmap for a global plastic treaty that would address plastic production and design, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters, in what delegates said was a key step to agreeing an ambitious deal. U.N. member states are meeting this week in Nairobi to agree plans for the first global agreement to tackle plastic pollution, a soaring environmental crisis that is destroying marine habitats and contaminating the food chain. A 30-foot monument dubbed "turn off the plastic tap" by Canadian activist and artist Benjamin von Wong, made with plastic waste collected from Kibera slums, is seen at the venue of the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5), at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Gi...

जलवायु परिवर्तन

Extreme wildfires are here to stay – and multiply

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 24, 20221100 Views

Indonesia's peatlands, California's forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it. With climate change triggering droughts and farmers clearing forests, the number of extreme wildfires is expected to increase 30% within the next 28 years. And they are now scorching environments that were not prone to burning in the past, such as the Arctic's tundra and the Amazon rainforest. FILE PHOTO: A house is fully engulfed by flames at the Dixie Fire, a wildfire near the town of Greenville, California, U.S. August 5, 2021. REUTERS/Fred Greaves "We've seen a great increase in recent fires in northern Syria, northern Siberia, the eastern side of Australia, and India," said Australian go...

खबरनामाट्रैवल उद्योग

Tourism leaders call for urgent action to protect the oceans

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

February 12, 2022767 Views

Tourism’s central role in advancing the Blue Economy was highlighted as UNWTO chaired a special session and joined a Heads of State panel at the One Ocean Summit, hosted by the French Presidency this week. In a session on “Tourism in the Blue Economy” co-hosted with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and France, high level representatives stressed how implementing a blue economy can combat the threats of climate change, plastic pollution and over exploitation of resources. At the same time, the panel, representing Colombia, Kenya, Seychelles and Palau, made clear how a stronger focus on sustainability can help deliver more competitive and inclusive tourism activities. Addressing the Summit, UNWTO Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic, said: “Tourism is one of the pill...

अंडमान निकोबारखबरनामाघटनाएं

Radhanagar beach retains Blue Flag certification

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

September 23, 2021877 Views

Radhanagar beach in Swaraj Deep island of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has retained the Blue flag certification for 2021-22, an official release said. The Radhanagar beach is in South Andaman district and is very popular with both domestic and foreign tourists. It is often termed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The Blue flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), Denmark, based on 33 stringent criteria under four major heads - environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environmental management and conservation and safety and services at the beaches. Blue flag beach is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide the tourists or beachgoers clean and...

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Two more Indian beaches get coveted ‘Blue Flag’ tag

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

September 21, 2021865 Views

Two more beaches in India have been awarded "Blue Flag" certification, an international eco-level tag, taking the total number of such beaches in the country to 10, the Environment Ministry said on Tuesday. The two beaches to receive the certification this year are Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry, it said. The Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), Denmark, which accords the Blue Flag certification, has also given re-certification for eight nominated beaches - Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag certificate last year, the ministry said. These eight beaches got the Blue Flag certification on October 6, 2...

खबरनामाट्रैवल उद्योग

Tourism takes action on plastic waste and pollution

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 12, 20211127 Views

Tourism businesses and destinations are stepping up their commitment to sustainability. Aimed at reducing waste and pollution across the sector, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) is welcoming 32 new signatories, with every global region represented behind the shared goal. The Initiative unites the tourism sector behind a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution. It enables businesses, governments and other tourism stakeholders to lead by example in the shift towards a circular economy of plastics. Among the 32 new signatories are organizations such as TUI Group, AC Hotels by Marriott, Palladium Hotel Group, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Hostelling International, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and Visit Valencia. These new addi...

खबरनामाट्रैवल उद्योग

Efforts to map single-use plastic products across tourism sector

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

June 16, 20211333 Views

WTTC and UNEP release a new report to advance sustainability in Travel & Tourism The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), have launched a major new report, addressing the complex issue of single-use plastic products within Travel & Tourism. ‘Rethinking Single-Use Plastic Products in Travel & Tourism’ launches as countries around the world begins to reopen, and the Travel & Tourism sector starts to show signs of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic which has been devastating. The report is a first step to mapping single-use plastic products across the Travel & Tourism value chain, identifying hotspots for environmental leakages, and providing practical and strategic recommendations for businesses and ...

खबरनामाघटनाएंजलवायु परिवर्तनसेशेल्स

Shrinking sea meadows store more carbon than forests

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

April 8, 20211326 Views

Scientists are now racing to track what’s left of the underwater seagrass plateaus Hundreds of miles from the nearest shore, ribbon-like fronds flutter in the ocean currents sweeping across an underwater mountain plateau the size of Switzerland. A remote-powered camera glides through the sunlit, turquoise waters of this corner of the western Indian Ocean, capturing rare footage of what scientists believe is the world’s largest seagrass meadow. A shoal of fish swim over seagrass on the Saya de Malha Bank within the Mascarene plateau, Mauritius March 20, 2021. Tommy Trenchard/Greenpeace/Handout via REUTERS Human activity is helping destroy the equivalent of a soccer field of these seagrasses every 30 minutes around the world, according to the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). A...

खबरनामाट्रैवल उद्योग

UNWTO calls for a more equal and sustainable future for tourism

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

March 13, 20211192 Views

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has returned to ITB Berlin to lead the conversation on the current challenges facing the sector, and the opportunities to be seized in the future. As the United Nations specialized agency leads the restart of global tourism following the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, three virtual events brought together voices from across the sector at the leading trade fair. Against a backdrop of ongoing uncertainty, UNWTO outlined a positive narrative for tourism, stressing its historic ability to lead from the front and adapt to new challenges. Less Waste, More Opportunity On the opening day of ITB Berlin Now, UNWTO ensured sustainability was high on the agenda, leading efforts to ensure the sector lives up to its responsibili...