The Himalayas Need a Common Language of Warning

The Himalayas Need a Common Language of Warning: Emergency Cooperation Must be Institutionalised Into Durable Regional Architecture

A genuinely regional approach could eventually include - besides Nepal, China and India - Bhutan and, where relevant, downstream institutions in Bangladesh. Organisations with established Himalayan expertise, particularly the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, could offer scientific and institutional support.

The Himalayas are Sending a Warning: Need for Timely Trans-Border Sharing of Environmental Information

The Himalayas are not collapsing because humanity exists, but humanity is creating a warmer world in which the Himalayas are becoming less predictable. The real question is no longer whether climate change will alter the mountains. It already is. 

When an Entire Village and Bazaar in Nepal Disappeared in an Instant

My eldest aunt was swept away. So was her son, my dai Madhu, and his wife. My other aunt — gone too, they told me. Her grandson Sijan and his wife, caught in the same water. His own son and daughter-in-law, unreachable, unaccounted for. My maternal uncle had gone out that morning to cut grass for the cattle. He never came back.

When the Mountain Moved: Nepal's Bhote Koshi Disaster and the Case for AI-Driven Early Warning

No technology can stop an avalanche. But the tragedy of events like Wednesday's is that the fatal interval between the trigger high in the mountains and the flood wave reaching villages downstream  is often 20 minutes to a few hours. That window is exactly where artificial intelligence, coupled with sensors and satellites, earns its keep.

More on Climate, Sustainability and Energy

Guterres: Bring crimes of sexual violence in conflict out of ‘the shadows’, punish perpetrators

Sexual violence in conflict “reverberates down generations” and threatens both human and international security, the UN chief said on Thursday in his message for the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Guterres appointed to second term as UN secretary-general, promises 'breakthrough'

The UN General Assembly on Friday appointed Antonio Guterres to a second term as the secretary-general to lead the world body through the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against global warming, which he has made his priority

Suicide one of the leading causes of death worldwide: WHO

New research published by the UN health agency on Thursday revealed that suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide – taking more lives each year than HIV, malaria, breast cancer, war and homicide

UN chief urges debt relief extension for middle-income countries

Innovative measures to address debt are required to help the world’s more than 100 middle-income countries expand their economies and exit the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the General Assembly on Thursday

Restore land to help deal with global climate crises; Indian forestry project gets Land for Life award

World leaders are rallying support for a coordinated and coherent approach to reverse the loss of healthy land in light of the role it can play in the global efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to deal with the crises of climate change and the loss of biological diversity

Bangladesh seeks roadmap from UN for repatriation of Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh has demanded a clear roadmap from the United Nations on the repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya people to neighboring Myanmar

‘Digital dumpsites’ study highlights growing threat to children: UN health agency

The health of children, adolescents and expectant mothers worldwide is at risk from the illegal processing of old electrical or electronic devices, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, in a landmark new report on the toxic threat

Domestic workers among hardest hit by COVID crisis, says UN labour agency

Domestic workers globally have been among the hardest hit by the COVID crisis, losing more jobs and working hours than other sectors, the UN labour agency ILO said on Tuesday

More transparency needed in investigating coronavirus origins: WHO Director-General Tedros

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-Genral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on China to cooperate on the ongoing investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus

Vaccines should be considered 'global public goods': UN chief

Lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines should be considered “global public goods”, the UN chief told journalists on Friday, covering the G7 Summit of leading industrialized nations taking place in the United Kingdom

UN elects five new members to serve on the Security Council

Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were elected by the 75th session of the General Assembly on Friday to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2022-2023 term

UN rights chief urges accountability for escalating ‘catastrophe’ in Myanmar

Escalating violence across Myanmar including attacks on civilians must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said

UNESCO report highlights need for greater investment, diversity in science

Although spending on science has risen worldwide, greater investment is needed in the face of growing crises, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended in a new report published on Friday

UN rights chief urges accountability for escalating ‘catastrophe’ in Myanmar

Escalating violence across Myanmar including attacks on civilians must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Friday

UN condemns ‘horrendous attack’ on demining partner HALO Trust

The United Nations has called for an investigation into the deadly attack in northern Afghanistan against the HALO Trust, a humanitarian group working to rid the country of landmines