NASA disasters programme joins Anticipation Hub 18/01/2021 - by the Climate Centre
NASA last week joined the Anticipation Hub created by the German Red Cross, the IFRC and the Climate Centre with support from the German Federal Foreign Office and formally launched last month. The disasters section of the US space agency’s Earth Applied Sciences Program will hope to add “unique perspectives from Earth-observing instruments operating within and above Earth’s atmosphere,” a NASA news story said Friday. “NASA’s participation will…help illustrate how Earth is a complex system that is affected by land use, human activities [and the] social and economic context, as well as weather, water and climate phenomena.”
What’s new? The 2015 Iran nuclear deal has looked at best shaky since the Trump administration withdrew from it in 2018, imposing damaging economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. In response, Tehran ramped up its nuclear activity in contravention of its obligations under the agreement. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration could mark an inflection point.
Why does it matter? Having failed to achieve its objectives, Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy may be nearing an end. Restoring the nuclear deal, with its considerable non-proliferation benefits, could lead to wider U.S.-Iran diplomatic engagement. But one or both sides may be tempted to make additional demands, which would be a recipe for deadlock.
Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director, Berghof Foundation
Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – Department of Peace Operations
Sibylle Sorg, Director General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation, Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Assistance, German Federal Foreign Office
Background and key insights of the publication: Luxshi Vimalarajah, Senior Advisor, Mediation and Development, Berghof Foundation
Panel discussion with:
Barney Afako, Lawyer and expert on transitional justice; Senior member of the Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Nicholas Haysom, United Nations Special Adviser
Christina Murray, Senior member of the Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers, United Nations Department of Political Affairs; Professor Emeritus at University of Cape Town
Heading Off the Next Pandemic Advertisement
Heading Off the Next Pandemic
Scientists fear another virus will leap from wildlife into humans, one that is far more lethal but spreads as easily as SARS-CoV-2. January 8, 2021 • By Kaiser Health News and Jim Robbins Advertisement
As the COVID-19 pandemic heads for a showdown with vaccines it’s expected to lose, many experts in the field of emerging infectious diseases are already focused on preventing the next one.
They fear another virus will leap from wildlife into humans, one that is far more lethal but spreads as easily as SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A virus like that could change the trajectory of life on the planet, experts say.
Candace Krebs
Newly released dietary guidelines generate mixed reactions
New five-year dietary guidelines, released in late December by USDA, brought strong approval from mainstream beef, dairy and grain organizations, but left other health advocates concerned.
Updated every five years, the guidelines serve as the foundation for federal nutrition policy and shape the recommendations found on USDA s MyPlate graphic.
Nina Teicholz, author and executive director of The Nutrition Coalition, said the new guidelines overlook the fact that 60 percent of the U.S. population already suffers from at least one chronic, diet-related condition.
Ultimately, USDA rejected recommendations from an advisory committee made up of health and medical experts, which advised lower limits on alcohol and added sugars.