Latest news with #UniversityofInnsbruck
Korea Herald
10-07-2025
- Science
- Korea Herald
Global experts convene in Korea to safeguard crop wild relatives
The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute, under the state-run Korea Forest Service, hosted an academic conference this week in Sejong, South Chungcheong Province, focused on the conservation of crop wild relatives. Crop wild relatives are the ancestral species of modern crops and are vital to global food security and agricultural biodiversity. The three-day event, titled the 2025 International Symposium on Crop Wild Relatives in Forests, kicked off Wednesday and brought together approximately 100 renowned experts from around the world in the field of CWR. Participating institutions included the European Genebank Managers Network, the University of Innsbruck, the Centre for Genetic Resources of the Netherlands, the United States Botanic Garden, and the New York Botanical Garden. The main event on Thursday began with keynote speeches. Dr. Lise Steffensen, former president of the European Genebank Managers Network, emphasized the need for global cooperation to integrate in-situ and ex-situ conservation of CWRs to address climate change and food security challenges. Devin Dotson, senior communications specialist at the United States Botanic Garden, highlighted the role of the 1,775 botanical gardens and arboreta worldwide in conserving CWRs through engagement with local communities. At the symposium's first session, Professor Ilse Kranner from the University of Innsbruck presented Europe's CWR conservation efforts, sharing findings from the EU's FP7 EcoSeed Project. She underscored how climate change–induced heat and drought stress affect seed viability and stressed the importance of structured project management and strict timelines in successful international collaborations. Theo Van Hintum, head of the plant genetic resources division at the Centre for Genetic Resources in the Netherlands, warned that wild crops native to the Netherlands are increasingly threatened by climate change, calling for the creation of national inventories and greater awareness among local land managers. Henrik Lutken, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, stressed the importance of practical conservation strategies, including managing endangered populations and adopting environmentally friendly biotechnologies as alternatives to chemical growth regulators. During the second session, Colin Khoury, an affiliate scientist at the New York Botanical Garden, noted that active research is underway across the US to support the systematic global conservation of CWRs. Na Chae-sun from the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum introduced Korea's national CWR project, which runs from 2021 to 2026, aiming to strengthen food security in the face of climate challenges. The project includes compiling inventories of indigenous CWRs, seed collection and conservation, and analyzing stress tolerance to build a foundation for sustainable agriculture and future crop breeding. Professor Kim Jae-yoon of Kongju National University emphasized the genetic potential of wild soybeans native to Korea, calling for expanded research into the valuable genetic resources of CWRs for future crop development. Following the keynote speeches and presentations, a panel discussion was held on strategies for CWR conservation and international cooperation under the Horizon Europe initiative, chaired by Lee Seok-woo, director general of the business division at KoAGI. 'We will continue to strengthen collaboration with international experts and position ourselves as a leader in biodiversity conservation and utilization,' said Lee Gyu-myeong, director of the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum. Sim Sang-taek, president of Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute and one of the symposium's organizers, added, 'CWR conservation and utilization within forest ecosystems are crucial to ensuring food security in the era of climate crisis.' 'We will step up efforts to establish Korea as a regional hub for forest-based CWR conservation in Asia,' he said.
NDTV
06-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Explained: Why Himalayan Glaciers Are Melting Faster Than Expected
The Himalayan region is facing a critical problem of glaciers melting at an exceptional rate, posing risks to India's water resources and downstream communities, with experts urging immediate action plans to mitigate the issue. A recent report by the United Nations highlighted that the rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers has increased the vulnerability of Himalayan grazers' livelihoods. "The changes in snow and glaciers adversely affect herders at their summer residences and winter camps in the Himalayas," the report, released on World Glacier Day, noted. Who is at risk? The accelerated melting, caused by rising global temperatures due to climate change, would impact water security as nearly two billion people living downstream of rivers originating in the Himalayan ranges may face water shortages. Such changes in glacier meltwater-fed rivers could impact agriculture, hydropower and drinking water. There will also be an increased risk of glacial lake outburst floods, avalanches and flash floods. What are the possible reasons for glacier melt? Rising temperatures are causing glaciers to lose ice at a rate higher than the average rate over past centuries. The Hindu Kush Himalaya could lose up to 75 per cent of its glaciers by the year 2100 if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the latest study published by the Science journal revealed. "Glaciers are good indicators of climate change because their retreat allows us to see with our own eyes how the climate is changing. However, since they adjust over longer timescales, the situation for glaciers is actually far worse than visible in the mountains today," Dr Lilian Schuster, at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and co-lead author, said as quoted by The Guardian. Schuster further said that it was "not too late to act now because this study shows every tenth of a degree less of global warming matters". The glaciers ending in lakes are melting faster than those ending inland due to the warming effects of the lakes. The number and size of these lakes are increasing, contributing to continued mass loss. Natural debris: Glaciers with significant natural debris are l osing mass more quickly, contributing around 46.5% of total volume loss despite making up only about 7.5% of the total number of glaciers. Carbon: Black carbon particles settling on glaciers absorb sunlight, accelerating melting. This phenomenon is particularly concerning, as it affects not only the glaciers but also regional water resources and climate patterns. Several geographical factors are also responsible, as the eastern regions of the Himalayas, including eastern Nepal and Bhutan, are experiencing faster glacier melting due to differences in geographical features and weather patterns. A study, Accelerated mass loss of Himalayan glaciers since the Little Ice Age, published in 2021 in the journal Scientific Reports analysed long-term fluctuations of mountain glaciers. Dr Jonathan Carrivick, corresponding author and Deputy Head of the University of Leeds School of Geography said: "Our findings clearly show that ice is now being lost from Himalayan glaciers at a rate that is at least ten times higher than the average rate over past centuries. This acceleration in the rate of loss has only emerged within the last few decades, and coincides with human-induced climate change."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
When it comes to reporting on mass killings, some in Europe take a different approach from Americans
When a 21-year-old former student opened fire inside his school in Austria's second-biggest city earlier this week, killing 10 people, it didn't take long for the Alpine country's press council to call on journalists to show restraint when reporting about the victims and their families. The appeal essentially reminded journalists covering the school shooting — the deadliest attack in Austria's post-war history -- to refrain from publishing names and other details about the victims. Police also didn't release any details about the victims other than their age, gender and nationality, in line with the country's strict privacy rules. Austria's press council aims to uphold ethic standards during violent news events The press council, a voluntary self-regulatory body for Austrian media that aims to uphold ethical principles and standards of journalism, argues that journalistic restraint is needed during breaking news about attacks because the publication of the victims' personal details or pictures could cause additional trauma for the families. 'You should always think twice and three times about whether this could also be a burden," Alexander Warzilek, the managing director of the Austrian Press Council, told the Austria Press Agency, even as he acknowledged that 'there is a great need for information.' The Austrian Press Council also reminded reporters to adhere to its media code which specifically states that 'in the case of children, the protection of privacy must take precedence over news value.' Protection of victims and news consumers trumps media ratings In addition to protecting those affected by the tragedy, there's also concern about those who consume news about horrific events, especially children, says Claudia Paganini, an expert of media ethics at Austria's University of Innsbruck. In the school shooting Tuesday morning at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher, police said. Another 11 people were wounded — some of them also minors. The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Paganini said consuming news about violent attacks can cause trauma and emotional overload for individuals as well as the brutalization of society in the long run. 'As opposed to the United States, where news are seen as a product and reporters are pushed to get all the details in order to raise the visibility of their news organization, journalism in northern Europe is seen as a service to society and to democracy that comes along with a lot of responsibility,' Paganini said. In the U.S., reporting on victims is a way to put a face on the tragedy In the United States, where news organizations have more experience dealing with mass shootings, reporting on victims is fairly standard and becomes an important vehicle to put a human face on the tragedy, said Josh Hoffner, director of U.S. news for The Associated Press. 'Many families are open to having those stories out there to celebrate the legacies of their loved ones and call attention to the failures that lead to shootings,' he said. Some news organizations make it a point to minimize the names of the alleged perpetrator of such crimes. There have been public campaigns to encourage journalists to focus on victims, survivors and heroes instead of the people who commit the crimes, said Amanda Crawford, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut who is writing a book on media coverage of mass shootings. Whenever there is a mass shooting, a team at CNN is assigned right away to learn as much about the victims as possible, said Matthew Hilk, senior vice president for national news at CNN. They are important voices that help viewers understand the gravity of the situation, he said. Often, survivors and their families also become active politically in lobbying for gun control legislation or other measures to curb these crimes. 'We always approach victims and survivors, and people connected to victims and survivors, with extreme sensitivity and certainly never push anyone to discuss anything they don't want to discuss,' Hilk said. Reporters who break the press code are shunned by their colleagues Of course, not all reporters in Austria and elsewhere in Europe abide by the voluntary press code to stay away from victims. Those who break the code — especially those from tabloid newspapers — are often shunned by media colleagues. There's even a German term to describe reporters who ruthlessly try to interview those affected by tragedy. It's called 'Witwenschütteln,' or 'shaking widows,' which in journalistic jargon means pressurizing the families of victims until they give up quotes. Germany and Sweden also expect ethical responsibility from journalists The call for responsible reporting in the face of tragedy and the plea to withhold information that may interest readers isn't unique to Austria. Publishing intimate information about victims is also considered unethical in neighboring Germany. When a German co-pilot intentionally crashed a plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf into the Alps ten years ago, killing all 150 people on board, the German Press Council received 430 complaints by readers and viewers who criticized the fact that the victims' and their families' rights to anonymity had been violated. The press council reprimanded several media outlets based on the complaints. That usually means that the reprimand must be published in the publication concerned. When 10 people were killed at an adult education center in Orebro in Sweden in February, in what is considered the Scandinavian country's worst mass shooting, the country's Professional Ethics Committee of the Union of Journalists, or YEN, specifically called out a reporter at Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet for interviewing a relative of the perpetrator after receiving several complaints about that report. The right to anonymity also applies to attackers The right to anonymity also applies to the perpetrator in Austria as well as Germany and Sweden. When asked at a press conference Thursday why police did not publish a picture or release the name of the 21-year-old Austrian perpetrator from Graz who committed suicide right after his shooting rampage, the head of the Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation, Michael Lohnegger replied that 'we are not allowed to.' He added that 'if we publish photographs, it is for search purposes. There is no reason for a manhunt here. Therefore, as an investigating authority, we have no basis for publishing personal data or photographs." Lessons learned from the Nazi past In addition to the belief that the protection of those affected by a tragedy should be more important than the right to information, Paganini said there's also a historical reason for shying away from any abuse of journalistic powers. 'Especially Germans and Austrians still remember how irresponsibility and propaganda by the media during the Nazi times led to the brutalization of civil society,' she said. Kirsten Grieshaber And David Bauder, The Associated Press
The Hill
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
When it comes to reporting on mass killings, some in Europe take a different approach from Americans
When a 21-year-old former student opened fire inside his school in Austria's second-biggest city earlier this week, killing 10 people, it didn't take long for the Alpine country's press council to call on journalists to show restraint when reporting about the victims and their families. The appeal essentially reminded journalists covering the school shooting — the deadliest attack in Austria's post-war history — to refrain from publishing names and other details about the victims. Police also didn't release any details about the victims other than their age, gender and nationality, in line with the country's strict privacy rules. The press council, a voluntary self-regulatory body for Austrian media that aims to uphold ethical principles and standards of journalism, argues that journalistic restraint is needed during breaking news about attacks because the publication of the victims' personal details or pictures could cause additional trauma for the families. 'You should always think twice and three times about whether this could also be a burden,' Alexander Warzilek, the managing director of the Austrian Press Council, told the Austria Press Agency, even as he acknowledged that 'there is a great need for information.' The Austrian Press Council also reminded reporters to adhere to its media code which specifically states that 'in the case of children, the protection of privacy must take precedence over news value.' In addition to protecting those affected by the tragedy, there's also concern about those who consume news about horrific events, especially children, says Claudia Paganini, an expert of media ethics at Austria's University of Innsbruck. In the school shooting Tuesday morning at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher, police said. Another 11 people were wounded — some of them also minors. The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Paganini said consuming news about violent attacks can cause trauma and emotional overload for individuals as well as the brutalization of society in the long run. 'As opposed to the United States, where news are seen as a product and reporters are pushed to get all the details in order to raise the visibility of their news organization, journalism in northern Europe is seen as a service to society and to democracy that comes along with a lot of responsibility,' Paganini said. In the United States, where news organizations have more experience dealing with mass shootings, reporting on victims is fairly standard and becomes an important vehicle to put a human face on the tragedy, said Josh Hoffner, director of U.S. news for The Associated Press. 'Many families are open to having those stories out there to celebrate the legacies of their loved ones and call attention to the failures that lead to shootings,' he said. Some news organizations make it a point to minimize the names of the alleged perpetrator of such crimes. There have been public campaigns to encourage journalists to focus on victims, survivors and heroes instead of the people who commit the crimes, said Amanda Crawford, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut who is writing a book on media coverage of mass shootings. Whenever there is a mass shooting, a team at CNN is assigned right away to learn as much about the victims as possible, said Matthew Hilk, senior vice president for national news at CNN. They are important voices that help viewers understand the gravity of the situation, he said. Often, survivors and their families also become active politically in lobbying for gun control legislation or other measures to curb these crimes. 'We always approach victims and survivors, and people connected to victims and survivors, with extreme sensitivity and certainly never push anyone to discuss anything they don't want to discuss,' Hilk said. Of course, not all reporters in Austria and elsewhere in Europe abide by the voluntary press code to stay away from victims. Those who break the code — especially those from tabloid newspapers — are often shunned by media colleagues. There's even a German term to describe reporters who ruthlessly try to interview those affected by tragedy. It's called 'Witwenschütteln,' or 'shaking widows,' which in journalistic jargon means pressurizing the families of victims until they give up quotes. The call for responsible reporting in the face of tragedy and the plea to withhold information that may interest readers isn't unique to Austria. Publishing intimate information about victims is also considered unethical in neighboring Germany. When a German co-pilot intentionally crashed a plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf into the Alps ten years ago, killing all 150 people on board, the German Press Council received 430 complaints by readers and viewers who criticized the fact that the victims' and their families' rights to anonymity had been violated. The press council reprimanded several media outlets based on the complaints. That usually means that the reprimand must be published in the publication concerned. When 10 people were killed at an adult education center in Orebro in Sweden in February, in what is considered the Scandinavian country's worst mass shooting, the country's Professional Ethics Committee of the Union of Journalists, or YEN, specifically called out a reporter at Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet for interviewing a relative of the perpetrator after receiving several complaints about that report. The right to anonymity also applies to the perpetrator in Austria as well as Germany and Sweden. When asked at a press conference Thursday why police did not publish a picture or release the name of the 21-year-old Austrian perpetrator from Graz who committed suicide right after his shooting rampage, the head of the Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation, Michael Lohnegger replied that 'we are not allowed to.' He added that 'if we publish photographs, it is for search purposes. There is no reason for a manhunt here. Therefore, as an investigating authority, we have no basis for publishing personal data or photographs.' In addition to the belief that the protection of those affected by a tragedy should be more important than the right to information, Paganini said there's also a historical reason for shying away from any abuse of journalistic powers. 'Especially Germans and Austrians still remember how irresponsibility and propaganda by the media during the Nazi times led to the brutalization of civil society,' she said.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
When it comes to reporting on mass killings, some in Europe take a different approach from Americans
When a 21-year-old former student opened fire inside his school in Austria's second-biggest city earlier this week, killing 10 people, it didn't take long for the Alpine country's press council to call on journalists to show restraint when reporting about the victims and their families. The appeal essentially reminded journalists covering the school shooting — the deadliest attack in Austria's post-war history -- to refrain from publishing names and other details about the victims. Police also didn't release any details about the victims other than their age, gender and nationality, in line with the country's strict privacy rules. Austria's press council aims to uphold ethic standards during violent news events The press council, a voluntary self-regulatory body for Austrian media that aims to uphold ethical principles and standards of journalism, argues that journalistic restraint is needed during breaking news about attacks because the publication of the victims' personal details or pictures could cause additional trauma for the families. 'You should always think twice and three times about whether this could also be a burden," Alexander Warzilek, the managing director of the Austrian Press Council, told the Austria Press Agency, even as he acknowledged that 'there is a great need for information.' The Austrian Press Council also reminded reporters to adhere to its media code which specifically states that 'in the case of children, the protection of privacy must take precedence over news value.' Protection of victims and news consumers trumps media ratings In addition to protecting those affected by the tragedy, there's also concern about those who consume news about horrific events, especially children, says Claudia Paganini, an expert of media ethics at Austria's University of Innsbruck. In the school shooting Tuesday morning at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher, police said. Another 11 people were wounded — some of them also minors. The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Paganini said consuming news about violent attacks can cause trauma and emotional overload for individuals as well as the brutalization of society in the long run. 'As opposed to the United States, where news are seen as a product and reporters are pushed to get all the details in order to raise the visibility of their news organization, journalism in northern Europe is seen as a service to society and to democracy that comes along with a lot of responsibility,' Paganini said. In the U.S., reporting on victims is a way to put a face on the tragedy In the United States, where news organizations have more experience dealing with mass shootings, reporting on victims is fairly standard and becomes an important vehicle to put a human face on the tragedy, said Josh Hoffner, director of U.S. news for The Associated Press. 'Many families are open to having those stories out there to celebrate the legacies of their loved ones and call attention to the failures that lead to shootings,' he said. Some news organizations make it a point to minimize the names of the alleged perpetrator of such crimes. There have been public campaigns to encourage journalists to focus on victims, survivors and heroes instead of the people who commit the crimes, said Amanda Crawford, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut who is writing a book on media coverage of mass shootings. Whenever there is a mass shooting, a team at CNN is assigned right away to learn as much about the victims as possible, said Matthew Hilk, senior vice president for national news at CNN. They are important voices that help viewers understand the gravity of the situation, he said. Often, survivors and their families also become active politically in lobbying for gun control legislation or other measures to curb these crimes. 'We always approach victims and survivors, and people connected to victims and survivors, with extreme sensitivity and certainly never push anyone to discuss anything they don't want to discuss,' Hilk said. Reporters who break the press code are shunned by their colleagues Of course, not all reporters in Austria and elsewhere in Europe abide by the voluntary press code to stay away from victims. Those who break the code — especially those from tabloid newspapers — are often shunned by media colleagues. There's even a German term to describe reporters who ruthlessly try to interview those affected by tragedy. It's called 'Witwenschütteln,' or 'shaking widows,' which in journalistic jargon means pressurizing the families of victims until they give up quotes. Germany and Sweden also expect ethical responsibility from journalists The call for responsible reporting in the face of tragedy and the plea to withhold information that may interest readers isn't unique to Austria. Publishing intimate information about victims is also considered unethical in neighboring Germany. When a German co-pilot intentionally crashed a plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf into the Alps ten years ago, killing all 150 people on board, the German Press Council received 430 complaints by readers and viewers who criticized the fact that the victims' and their families' rights to anonymity had been violated. The press council reprimanded several media outlets based on the complaints. That usually means that the reprimand must be published in the publication concerned. When 10 people were killed at an adult education center in Orebro in Sweden in February, in what is considered the Scandinavian country's worst mass shooting, the country's Professional Ethics Committee of the Union of Journalists, or YEN, specifically called out a reporter at Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet for interviewing a relative of the perpetrator after receiving several complaints about that report. The right to anonymity also applies to attackers The right to anonymity also applies to the perpetrator in Austria as well as Germany and Sweden. When asked at a press conference Thursday why police did not publish a picture or release the name of the 21-year-old Austrian perpetrator from Graz who committed suicide right after his shooting rampage, the head of the Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation, Michael Lohnegger replied that 'we are not allowed to.' He added that 'if we publish photographs, it is for search purposes. There is no reason for a manhunt here. Therefore, as an investigating authority, we have no basis for publishing personal data or photographs." Lessons learned from the Nazi past In addition to the belief that the protection of those affected by a tragedy should be more important than the right to information, Paganini said there's also a historical reason for shying away from any abuse of journalistic powers. 'Especially Germans and Austrians still remember how irresponsibility and propaganda by the media during the Nazi times led to the brutalization of civil society,' she said.
