Environmental and Government News #4: 6/16/25

Hello! Apologies for the nearly 2 month break since my last post. The end of the school year is always a busy time, and I wasn't able to make time to write a post. Nonetheless, here is the big news of the month!


Global Warming Heating Up:

Global Warming is a pressing environmental issue that is widely debated and researched. However, the issue it presents is becoming more and more relevant to public health as time passes. According to UN news, "nearly half of humanity already living in areas highly susceptible to climate change," and because of this, hundreds of thousands of people are dying to heat related issues across the world. The UN also notes that Europe accounts for a third of the world's global heat-related deaths. To combat this, WHO/Europe on Wednesday created a new program, called the "Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health". I think this program is a step in the right direction. However, more drastic measures need to be made by our world leaders to truly create a long-lasting impact on global warming. 


UN Ocean Conference: 

On a brighter note, the United Nations Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice from June 9th to the 13th and gathered around 15,000 participants. There were over 800 commitments, some of which include:

-1 billion euro European investment into ocean conservation and research

-100 million euro German program to clear underwater munitions

-37 country coalition against underwater noise pollution

-$52 million from New Zealand towards Pacific ocean governance


Also, there were political/diplomatic impacts:

-Criticism of the U.S. not being at the conference

-The High Seas Treaty (AKA the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty) now has 50 out of 60 need countries to ratify it, which hopes to protect marine life in international waters (about 2/3rds of the ocean). 

Looking forward,  Peter Thomson, the UN’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, says that they hope to build on UNSDG (United nations sustainability and development goal) 14, and hope to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.


Overall, I think the conference was very successful, it is now up to the governments to follow through on their commitments. 


Today's fun environmental fact: If you add up the weight of all ants on earth, it is greater than that of all the humans on earth.


That is all for now, thank you for reading!

-Oscar




Sources:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164261 

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381

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