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The Star
6 days ago
- General
- The Star
Wetland loss could cost global economy 39 tln USD, report warns
NAIROBI, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Unchecked wetland degradation could trigger a 39 trillion U.S. dollar loss to the global economy, alongside worsening water stress and food insecurity, according to a report released Tuesday. Unveiled at the ongoing 20th Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Global Wetland Outlook report said that although wetlands cover only 6 percent of the Earth's surface, they provide critical ecosystem services, including flood control, food production, and carbon storage, valued at the equivalent of 7.5 percent of global gross domestic product. Compiled by the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), the report said that the world is losing wetlands at an annual rate of 0.52 percent. This loss significantly undermines global efforts to combat the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, hunger and poverty. Musonda Mumba, secretary general of the Convention on Wetlands, said that restoring degraded wetlands could unlock massive socio-economic benefits for rural communities and accelerate the green transition. "We need to value wetlands and increase investments towards their restoration, since losing them comes at a heavy cost to planetary health and livelihoods," Mumba said. The report, titled "Valuing, Conserving, Restoring and Financing Wetlands," estimated that about 411 million hectares of wetlands have been lost globally since 1970, representing a decline of 22 percent. It added that 25 percent of the remaining wetlands are degraded, suffering from unsustainable land-use practices, invasive species, pollution, rapid urbanization, and climate change impacts. The report was released ahead of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15), scheduled for July 23-31 in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Evelyn Ndlovu said that the data from the report will help inform policy and legislative interventions to halt wetland depletion. Ndlovu called for cross-border wetland conservation initiatives, knowledge sharing, innovative financing, and greater community engagement to help restore the ecological health of this vital ecosystem across Africa.
New Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Minister urges sports associations to settle squabbles ahead of SEA Games
KOTA BARU: Sports associations are urged to immediately resolve any internal issues that may arise before the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled from Dec 7 to 19. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said early resolution of the matter is very important so that it would not affect the focus and preparations of the country's athletes who will compete on the international stage. "Currently, all preparations are underway, so I would like to call on all sports associations if there are any internal issues, to resolve them immediately to ensure the smooth running and spirit of the national team is not affected. "We know that time is running out before the SEA Games in Thailand later this year. Therefore, we hope that the country's athletes can take full advantage of this opportunity as preparation for the next Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2027 and the Olympic Games expected to be held in 2028," she said. She told Bernama after officiating the Youth Camp @ Rakan Prihatin 2025, at Pantai Cahaya Bulan, here today, which was also attended by the Ministry of Youth and Sports secretary-general, Datuk Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu and National Youth and Sports Department director-general, Azura Abidin. Meanwhile, commenting on the appointment of Abdul Rashid Yaakub as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Secretariat of the Malaysian SEA Games (MASOC) and the 2027 Asean Para Games Organisers, Hannah said the appointment is very appropriate based on his extensive experience in the world of sports in the country. "Abdul Rashid has a strong background in the National Sports Council (MSN), including "his role during the organisation of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, and he has also worked with several other states such as Sarawak. So, we are confident that he understands the ins and outs and challenges of managing large-scale sporting events," she said. Abdul Rashid, 61, who is also the former director-general of MSN, officially assumed the position of CEO of MASOC and Para Asean 2027 on July 1 and will lead the main secretariat responsible for coordinating all aspects of preparations for the regional biennial games. – BERNAMA
Hamilton Spectator
18-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
CGTN: China, Central Asian countries sign landmark treaty, vow to boost cooperation
CGTN published an article on the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, emphasizing the significance of China and the five Central Asian nations signing the Treaty of Permanent Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, and highlighting their shared commitment to strengthening partnerships through the Belt and Road Initiative to promote mutual development and regional cooperation. BEIJING, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a historic first, the China-Central Asia Summit was hosted in a Central Asian country, as leaders of China and five Central Asian nations gathered on Tuesday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, for the summit's second edition. In a new landmark, the six countries signed the Treaty of Permanent Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation at the summit. The treaty is to enshrine the principle of everlasting friendship between the countries in the form of law, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a keynote speech. 'It is a milestone for today and a foundation for tomorrow,' Xi said while addressing the summit, which was attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Upholding the China-Central Asia Spirit Xi on Tuesday hailed the China-Central Asia Spirit, which embodies mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development. In 2020, China proposed the establishment of a China-Central Asia mechanism. In 2022, the countries proposed upgrading the mechanism to the level of heads of state at a virtual summit marking the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. This proposal was realized at the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in 2023 in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an, where leaders agreed that the top-level gathering would be held every two years, alternating between China and the Central Asian countries. Two years on, the consensus at the first summit has been implemented across the board, Xi said, adding that the path of cooperation is steadily widening, and the friendship is blooming ever more brightly. A recent CGTN poll found that 90 percent of respondents believe the China-Central Asia mechanism is not about rivalry or competition but a framework for both sides to seek stability, development, and future-focused cooperation. To date, China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships, signed Belt and Road cooperation documents, and implemented the vision of building a community with a shared future at the bilateral level with all five Central Asian countries. This fully demonstrates the high-level strategic mutual trust and the firm resolve to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, said Sun Weidong, secretary-general of the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism. High-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative At the Astana summit, Xi called on the countries to act on the China-Central Asia Spirit, enhance cooperation with renewed vigor and more practical measures, promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and forge ahead toward the goal of a community with a shared future for the region. It was in the capital of Kazakhstan in 2013 that Xi first laid out his vision for jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt, an essential component of the BRI. Through this initiative, China and the region have seen robust cooperation in trade, the digital economy and connectivity. China has become the region's top trading partner and a major investment source. Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China-Central Asia trade reached a record $94.8 billion in 2024, with China's cumulative investment in the region exceeding $30 billion. According to the CGTN poll, 92.4 percent of respondents agree that the BRI is an important international public good that supports high-level cooperation between China and Central Asia. Xi on Tuesday urged China and Central Asia to optimize their cooperation framework to make it more results-oriented, efficient and deeply integrated. Efforts should be made to focus cooperation on smooth trade, industrial investment, connectivity, green mining, agricultural modernization, and personnel exchanges, and to roll out more projects on the ground, he said. In order to promote relevant cooperation, China has decided to establish three cooperation centers focusing on poverty reduction, education exchange, and desertification prevention and control, as well as a cooperation platform for smooth trade, Xi announced. Cui Zheng, director of the Research Center for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asian Countries at Liaoning University, recognized the significance of the cooperation model given the current international landscape in a CGTN opinion piece. In a global environment marked by rising protectionism, the China-Central Asia partnership represents a new model of diplomatic engagement – one that respects independence, promotes mutual benefit and amplifies the voice of the Global South, Cui said. For more information, please click:
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Saipan Environment Forum Hears Caution On Pacific Garbage Patch Cleanup
An expert says there is pushback from environmental groups when it comes to cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent An expert says there is pushback from environmental groups when it comes to cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Bradley Nolan, waste management adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), spoke at the 32nd Pacific Islands Environmental Training Symposium at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan. He was asked from the floor about efforts to address the massive plastic accumulation zone in the North Pacific – a swirling gyre of marine debris between California and Hawai'i, commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Nolan, who presented on regional waste management resources, acknowledged the urgency and complexity of the issue, tying it to global negotiations under way for a plastics treaty. 'Article nine of the plastics treaty currently under negotiation talks about legacy plastics and cleaning up the marine environment,' he said. 'There are a number of technologies trying to scrape up and clean the patch, and it makes sense to do that – but now we're seeing pushback from some environmental groups.' According to Nolan, a growing number of scientists and green groups have raised concerns that clean-up efforts could destroy an unintended but now-established ocean ecosystem. 'Because that garbage patch has existed so long, it's created a new marine habitat – a floating ecosystem that didn't exist before,' Nolan said. 'Efforts to clean it up could cause massive bycatch and harm species that have come to depend on it.' While the 'patch' isn't a solid island of trash, it is a dense concentration of microplastics and floating debris, which accumulate due to oceanic gyres. Roughly 80 per cent of that material comes from land-based sources, not ships, he said. Calling the garbage patch 'a significant problem with no simple solution', Nolan said the issue touches on marine biodiversity, waste transboundary movement, and the production of harmful micro- and nano-plastics. 'This is a complex issue – and complex issues rarely come with easy fixes,' he said. In 2023, the Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit environmental engineering organization, removed about 25,000 pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch remains a symbol of the global plastics crisis. While innovation in clean-up continues, experts like Nolan stress that prevention – especially at the land-source level – must be prioritised across the Pacific. The four-day symposium features workshops on hazardous waste, climate adaptation, and the PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) contamination crisis facing islands such as Saipan and Guam. It concludes on Friday.
