Briefly

UNITED NATIONS

First treaty for marine life in high seas adopted

The UN has adopted the world's first treaty to protect the high seas and preserve marine biodiversity in international waters, marking a milestone after nearly 20 years of effort, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Monday. The adoption followed an agreement reached in March by more than 100 countries on the text of the High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, after more than 15 years of discussions and five rounds of UN-led negotiations. In approving the text, member states have "pumped new life and hope to give the ocean a fighting chance", Guterres said in a statement. The agreement will be open for signature in New York for two years starting Sept 20, the day following a summit on the UN sustainable development goals. It will take effect after 60 countries ratify the agreement, according to the UN.

UNITED STATES

Blistering heat wave hits southern cities

More than 35 million people in multiple southern states of the United States, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, are experiencing a widespread heat wave that is expected to last for days, according to the United States National Weather Service. A blistering heat wave will persist all this week, the NWS said in its latest forecast on Monday. Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible in the next few days across the Southeast. Critical fire weather conditions persist in the Southwest. Heat waves are occurring more often than they used to in major cities across the US. Their frequency has increased steadily, from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

NEPAL

Himalayan glaciers disappearing faster

Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya disappeared 65 percent faster in 2011-20 than in the previous decade, and the changes driven by global warming to the region's glaciers, snow and permafrost are "unprecedented and largely irreversible", said a study released on Tuesday by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, Nepal. According to the study, glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya could lose up to 80 percent of their current volume by the end of the century on current emissions trajectories, while snow cover is projected to fall by up to a quarter, thus drastically reducing freshwater for major rivers.

Agencies - Xinhua