Venezuela , Loses Its Last Glacier , Amid Rising Global Temperatures.
BBC reports that scientists have warned that Venezuela
may be the first country to have lost all of its glaciers
after the nation's last glacier was downgraded to an ice field.
According to the International Cryosphere Climate
Initiative (ICCI), Venezuela's last remaining glacier
has now become "too small to be classed as a glacier.".
In the last 100 years, Venezuela
has lost at least six other glaciers.
As a result of global average temperatures rising, ice loss
is increasing globally, which in turn is raising sea levels.
There has not been much
ice cover on the last Venezuelan
glacier since the 2000s. Now it's
not being added to, so it has been
reclassified as an ice field, Dr Caroline Clason, a glaciologist at Durham University, via BBC.
According to researchers at the University of
Los Andes in Colombia, Venezuela's last glacier has
already shrunk from 450 hectares to under two.
BBC points out that while there is no global
standard for the minimum size that qualifies a body
of ice as a glacier, the United States Geological Survey
says 10 hectares is a commonly accepted minimum. .
The Venezuelan government's plan to cover the remaining
ice with a thermal blanket to stem the thawing process
was met with criticism from local climate scientists.
However, Professor Mark Maslin, a professor of earth
system sciences at University College London, cautioned
that mountain glacier loss was "not directly reversible.".
Once a glacier’s gone,
the sunlight heats the ground,
makes it much warmer and makes
it much less likely to actually
build ice up over the summer, Professor Mark Maslin, a professor of earth system
sciences at University College London, via BBC
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Global Deforestation Increased, 3.2% in 2023 Despite , Tropical Forest Loss Decreasing .
Fox News reports that the global loss of primary
forests in the world's tropics declined slightly
in 2023 compared to the year before.
According to Global Forest Watch researchers, the world
lost about 14,000 square miles of tropical primary forest,
sometimes referred to as old-growth forests, in 2023.
Global Forest Watch (GFW) director Mikaela Weisse
warns that declining losses in Colombia and Brazil
were mostly offset by increased losses in other places.
The world took
two steps forward,
two steps back, Mikaela Weisse, Global Forest Watch
(GFW) director, via Fox News.
Fox News reports that scientists consider
tropical primary forests to be treasure troves
of biodiversity, with the Amazon rainforest home
to an estimated 10% of Earth's known species.
According to Weisse, tropical primary forest losses in
2023 caused greenhouse gas emissions equal to half
of the United States' annual fossil fuel emissions.
According to Weisse, tropical primary forest losses in
2023 caused greenhouse gas emissions equal to half
of the United States' annual fossil fuel emissions.
The GFW found that Brazil, the Democratic Republic
of Congo and Bolivia topped the list of tropical
nations with the most primary forest losses. .
Despite remaining on top of the list, forest loss in
Brazil fell 36% as a result of President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva's aggressive conservation policies. .
At the same time, Colombia experienced
a 49% decline in forest loss amid President
Gustavo Petro's environmental preservation efforts.
Overall, beyond just tropical primary forest loss, , global deforestation , rose 3.2% in 2023.
We are far off track and
trending in the wrong direction
when it comes to reducing
global deforestation, Rod Taylor, World Resources Institute
forests director, via Fox News
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Shakira says that she and her sons found the 'Barbie' movie "emasculating." The Colombian pop star opened up about finding empowerment after being brought down by heartbreak in a new Allure profile and cover story. When asked her thoughts on Greta Gerwig's blockbuster film, Shakira told Allure, "My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent."
Credit: The Hollywood Reporter Duration: 01:08Published
Dozens of families from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela have chosen Madrid as a residential and investment destination, transforming the real estate, cultural and leisure fabric of the Spanish capital.
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 02:14Published
UN Warns Global , Wildlife Crime , Driving Global Extinctions.
'The Guardian' reports that over
4,000 species from around the world
are the targets of wildlife traffickers. .
According to a United Nations report,
this causes "untold harm upon nature.".
The report found that 40% of all
the animals targeted are on the red list
of threatened or nearly threatened species.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report
found that the trade, driven by demand for medicine,
pets and trophies, is active in over 80% of countries.
Despite gaps in knowledge
about the full extent of wildlife
trafficking and associated crime,
there is sufficient evidence to
conclude that this remains
a significant global problem
far from being resolved, UNODC report, via 'The Guardian'.
Despite gaps in knowledge
about the full extent of wildlife
trafficking and associated crime,
there is sufficient evidence to
conclude that this remains
a significant global problem
far from being resolved, UNODC report, via 'The Guardian'.
According to the report, the largest
number of individual seizures involved
corals, large reptiles and elephants.
According to the report, the largest
number of individual seizures involved
corals, large reptiles and elephants.
According to the report, the largest
number of individual seizures involved
corals, large reptiles and elephants.
Wildlife trade was found to be the driving
factor in both local and global extinctions,
including rare orchids, reptiles and fish.
Wildlife crime inflicts untold harm
upon nature, and it also jeopardizes
livelihoods, public health, good
governance and our planet’s
ability to fight climate change, Ghada Waly, Executive director of UNODC, via 'The Guardian'.
Researchers warn that wildlife crime is often
linked to organized crime, with corruption playing a critical role in impeding efforts to stop trafficking. .
'The Guardian' reports that this corruption can
take the form of bribes paid to inspectors and
government officials in exchange for fake permits.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Israel has told the United Nations' top court that South Africa's case against its military operation in Gaza "makes a mockery of the heinous charge of.. Sky News
This Day in History: , Pope John Paul II Is Shot.
May 13, 1981.
Mehmet Ali Agca shot
Pope John Paul several times
in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
Agca was a Turkish terrorist
and fugitive wanted for the
murder of a journalist.
The Pontiff was rushed to
the hospital and survived
the attack, asking for Catholics
to pray for the would-be assassin.
In a trial considered extraordinary
because of its short length, Agca
was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
In 1983, Pope John Paul visited
Agca in prison and publicly
forgave him for the shooting.
In 2000, the Pope requested
a pardon for Agca, which was
granted. Agca was released
from prison.
14 years later, Argca returned to
Rome to lay white roses
on John Paul's tomb
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:02Published
Ewa Schaedler from the Third Way party called the vote ''symbolic'' and ''a breakthrough'' for Polish women. However the subject remains divisive in the mostly Catholic country.
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 02:31Published
Catholics in Ecuador took part in the Good Friday procession in central Quito, some of them wearing the traditional purple hoods known locally as "cucuruchos."
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 02:00Published
The father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz arrives home after he was freed by Colombia's ELN guerrilla group, triggering celebration in his hometown, where he thanks members of the Colombian police..