It is noted that the highest inflation rate in Europe is observed in Turkey at 70 percent due to the collapse of the lira.
The largest increase in consumer prices in the EU is observed in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe due to their energy dependence on Russia, the Financial Times newspaper writes.
Thus, Estonia suffers the most, where consumer prices rose by almost 19 percent over the year. In Lithuania, this figure reached 16.8 percent, in Bulgaria – 14.4 percent, in the Czech Republic – 14.2 percent, in Romania – 13.8 percent, in Latvia – 13 percent, in Poland – 12.4 percent.
The economies of the member states of the European Union may face a combination of recession and record inflation against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine, the German publication Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten wrote earlier. The publication notes that in the European Union, you can already see a noticeable increase in consumer prices, which exceeds last year’s figure by 7.5%.
The day before, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, said that the economy of the republic would be destroyed without Russian oil supplies.
Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree providing for the supply of gas to unfriendly states (including all EU countries) only for rubles. In turn, the G7 member countries and the EU urged local companies not to accept ruble invoices for relevant deliveries.
Researchers at the University of Kent have discovered a universal mathematical formula that can describe any bird’s egg that exists in nature, something never before achieved.
The shape of the egg has long attracted the attention of mathematicians, engineers and biologists from an analytical point of view.
The form has been highly valued for its evolution, being large enough to incubate an embryo, small enough to come out of the body in the most efficient way, rather than rolling once laid, structurally strong enough to bear the burden and give birth to 10,500 species that survived the dinosaurs. The egg is called the “perfect shape”.
The analysis of all egg shapes uses four geometric shapes: a sphere, an ellipsoid, an egg-shaped and a pear-shaped (conical) shape with a mathematical formula of the pear-shaped shape that has yet to be derived.
The usual perception of an “egg-shaped” shape is oval, with a pointed end and a blunt end, and the widest point closest to the blunt end, somewhat like a hen’s egg. However, things can be much simpler (as in the case of spherical eggs seen in owls, for example) or much more complex (as in the case of pear-shaped eggs seen in squirrels, snipe and two of the largest species of penguins). The data show that the shape of the egg is determined before the formation of the shell and by the underlying membranes.
Why the egg is evolutionarily shaped like this is surprisingly poorly understood. That is, although there is some previous research into the development of egg shape, we do not know exactly how this process came about. In this context, the most attention in this study is drawn to pear-shaped eggs (included in this study to make the formula universal). In common snipes, the pear shape is an adaptive trait that ensures that the four eggs (invariably) “fit together” in the nest (with the pointed edges inwards) to ensure maximum incubation area under the mother.
Researchers are introducing an additional feature into the egg-shaped formula by developing a mathematical model to fit a completely new geometric shape, characterized as the last stage in the evolution of the spherical ellipsoid that is applicable to any egg geometry.
This new universal mathematical formula for egg shape is based on four parameters: egg length, maximum width, vertical axis offset and a quarter of the egg diameter.
This long-sought universal formula is a significant step in understanding not only the shape of the egg itself, but also how and why it evolved, thus making widespread biological and technological applications possible.
Mathematical descriptions of all major forms of eggs have already found application in food research, mechanical engineering, agriculture, biology, architecture and aeronautics. As an example, this formula can be applied to the engineering construction of thin-walled egg-shaped vessels, which must be stronger than typical spherical ones.
This new formula is an important breakthrough with many applications, including:
1. Competent scientific description of a biological object.
Now that an egg can be described by a mathematical formula, the work in the field of biological taxonomy, the optimization of technological parameters, the incubation of eggs and the selection of poultry will be greatly simplified.
2. Accurate and simple determination of the physical characteristics of a biological object.
The external properties of the egg are vital for researchers and engineers who develop technologies for incubating, processing, storing and sorting eggs. There is a need for a simple identification process, using egg volume, area, radius of curvature and other indicators to describe the contours of the egg provided by this formula.
3. Future engineering inspired by biology.
The egg is a natural biological system studied for the design of engineering systems and the latest technologies. The egg-shaped geometric figure has been adopted in architecture, such as the roof of the City of London and the Mary X skyscraper, and construction, as it can withstand maximum loads with minimal material consumption, to which this formula can now be easily applied.
“Biological evolutionary processes, such as egg formation, must be studied for mathematical description as a basis for research in evolutionary biology, as shown by this formula. This universal formula can be applied in key disciplines, especially in the food industry, and will serve as an impetus for further research inspired by the egg as an object of study, “said study lead author Darren Griffin. Professor of Genetics at the University of Kent.
Reference: “Egg and math: introducing a universal formula for egg shape” by Valeriy G. Narushin, Michael N. Romanov and Darren K. Grif fi n, 23 August 2021, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
DOI: 10.1111 / nyas.14680
Source: The Perfect Shape? Research Finally Reveals Ancient Universal Equation for the Shape of an Egg – UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Picture: Images of eggs from the four main shapes of the following bird species: (A) ostrich, round; (B) emu, elliptical; (C) songbirds, ovoid; (D) eagle, ovoid; and (E) curry, pear-shaped; with their theoretical contours (in the right graphs). The images of the eggs were taken from Wikimedia Commons. Credit: Darren Grif et n et al.
In his report presented on May 11 before the UN Security Council, the International High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, drew up the gloomy political balance sheet of a country split in three to four months of general elections, evoking an "imminent danger of disintegration" and "risk of a return to conflict".
The aim of the visit was to listen to the Leaders on their key priorities, and to exchange on how to give new impetus to reforms on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU path. The discussions were substantial and productive and notably on how the EU can support improving and strengthening the functioning of state institutions and thus also improve the delivery of services, jobs, growth and prosperity for all citizens. President Michel expressed his readiness to facilitate re-energising the dialogue between all parties.
The President of the European Union (EU) Council Charles Michel met with the President of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Council Sefik Dzaferovic and the Serbian member of the council Milorad Dodik at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Building.
The parties made a statement to the press after the meeting.
In his statement, Charles Michel expressed his pleasure to be in Bosnia and Herzegovina and reiterated the EU’s support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards the EU.
“We want to deepen our cooperation and strengthen our dialogue”
“I am convinced that the Western Balkans need the EU, but the EU also needs the Western Balkans. It is time to give a new impetus to EU integration,” Michel said. he said.
Reminding that the leaders of the EU and the Western Balkans will meet in Brussels in June, Michel said, “We want to deepen our cooperation and strengthen our dialogue. I wanted to hear your concerns firsthand, understand your priorities, and how we, as the EU, can support you.” said.
“Peace must be preserved at all costs”
Serbian leader Dodik said, “It is important to maintain ‘peace and stability’, which is the key issue in the region and in the world. We agree on this. From this perspective, there is absolutely no alternative. Peace must be preserved at all costs.” made its assessment.
Underlining that he conveyed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s stance on the Ukraine crisis to Michel, Dodik drew attention to the fact that his country would impose sanctions on Russia.
“Getting candidate status is very important for the relaxation of relations in the country.
Dzaferovic said, “We have clearly said that Bosnia and Herzegovina and all Western Balkan countries have a European perspective. Western Balkan countries should establish strong cooperation and relations with the Eastern countries, as well as with the EU.” said.
Emphasizing that everyone should respect the Constitution and laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian leader Dzaferovic said, “The blocking of institutions must end. This is good for all of us. We must fulfill the 14 basic priorities of the European Commission and get candidate status as soon as possible. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidate status is very important for the relaxation of relations in the country.” he said.
The full remarks by President Charles Michel after his meeting in Sarajevo with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
First of all, I would like to thank you, the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for your warm welcome in Sarajevo. It is a pleasure to be here. It is also important for me to be here to reaffirm our support for your EU path.
I would like to repeat what I said in Bled a few months ago. Indeed, I am convinced the Western Balkans need the EU, but the EU also needs the Western Balkans. It is time for a new momentum to advance European integration. I have also shared this message with the members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina presidency.
In June, we will organise a meeting of the 27 EU leaders with the leaders of the Western Balkans, because we want to enhance our dialogue and deepen our cooperation. This is also why I am here today, ahead of the leaders’ meeting. I want to actively listen to your concerns. I want to better understand your priorities, and how we, as the European Union, can support you.
As we speak, Russia is brutally attacking the people of Ukraine. In the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced the terrible consequences of war. So you know the importance of our strong support for Ukraine, of speaking with one voice and of acting together to send a clear message of deterrence. And you are also feeling the broader consequences of the war across the continent, and the most obvious example is the energy supply and prices.
The common challenges we face today require new ways of thinking and new ways of working. We need to speed up EU integration and we must create a new impetus for reform. Almost 20 years ago, the Thessaloniki Summit provided a firm commitment to an EU future for the region, and today we feel a new sense of urgency. And we want to support you, our Western Balkan partners and friends, on your journey to the EU.
We have proposed that we envisage the process of enlargement in a new way that offers concrete, socio-economic advantages and political integration during the accession negotiations. The new dynamism for EU enlargement also needs to be matched by a new push for reforms among the countries of the region. And I would like to be extremely clear: indeed, we propose to have a debate in June in the European Council on the idea to put in place a Geopolitical European Community or a Political European Community, a political platform, and this is extremely clear, this won’t replace the EU accession process. On the contrary, we want to speed up political integration by making sure that we can cooperate, that we can coordinate and address together some common challenges immediately, while waiting for the final decision that will be needed on the topic of the accession process. The Western Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina are a high priority for the EU and I strongly believe that your future is within the EU as a single, united and sovereign country.
The EU path is set and now the obstacles need to be cleared. The path to the EU is outlined in key priorities, 14 key priorities, and we hope to see real actions on the agenda of political, social and economic reforms. It is important that all political leaders engage in dialogue. Establishing trust and dialogue is key.
We discussed how we can give momentum to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European perspective. Advancing on reforms means advancing towards the EU. This war has impacted energy supplies across Europe. We are supporting our EU citizens and businesses to cope with high energy prices and we will also support Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thank you again for your warm welcome. It is my first time in the country and we never forget the first time. I am extremely pleased to take time with you to exchange views and to prepare our common future. Thank you.
From Sunday 22 May to Tuesday 24 May Catholic religious men and women will discuss leadership and social inclusion in the global arena. Discussions are taking place at the international meeting of the Global Solidarity Fund in Switzerland of which the Catholic Church is a member, bringing together representatives of all fields.
By Mario Galgano, Vatican City
The great shift in Europe’s security and defense policy and the global impact of war on energy and food supplies are dominating discussions at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. The international alliance at the Global Solidarity Fund (GSF) has invited leading representatives of the Catholic community to participate in the World Economic Forum, which begins Sunday 22 May in Switzerland. They will discuss the world’s most pressing problems together with leaders from the private, nonprofit and public sectors.
Presentations and roundtables
During the presentations, proven strategies for social inclusion of the most vulnerable will be presented and lessons learned will be shared. This is to ensure that a global recovery benefits all people in all fields, the GSF alliance has underscored in a statement. A panel discussion on “courageous leadership” will be held on Monday 23 May and job creation for migrants and refugees will be discussed on Tuesday 24 May. The two initiatives are part of the Davos “Goal 17” partnership and represent the culmination of the GSF’s participation in Davos.
The Global Solidarity Fund is considered a unique alliance of its own kind. Inspired by Pope Francis’ grand vision, it promotes partnerships for the most vulnerable by bringing together private and development sectors, as well as Catholic communities. It focuses on the empowerment of the most vulnerable, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its goals are in line with the mission, values and social teachings of the Catholic Church.
The campaign United in Faith 2022 aims to increase visibility of the younger generation in the ecumenical movement, exploring opportunities offered by the European Year of Youth.
The campaign will run on Facebook and Instagram for several weeks in autumn 2022.
The social media campaign will address numerous topics, such as what faith mean to youth, how churches impact the life of youth, communities and the European region. Reflections are also encouraged on relations between faith and politics, engagement with EU institutions, society and diversity, and the role of churches and religious communities in building peace.
Those interested to participate are encouraged to read the template featuring examples, and send their contributions to [email protected] before 19 June 2022.
MACAU, May 21 – The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People’s Republic of China expresses strong opposition to the release of the 2021 annual report on the MSAR issued by the European Union (EU).
With regard to Macao’s successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle, the report contains unfounded accusations and counterfactual claims.
The MSAR Government urges the EU to stop immediately its intervention in Macao’s internal affairs, as they are part of China’s domestic affairs.
Since its return to the motherland in 1999, Macao has won worldwide recognition for its successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle, opening a new chapter, the best in history, for its development. Residents of the MSAR have fully enjoyed the rights and freedoms enshrined under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the MSAR. These accounts are undeniable facts.
With the strong support of the Central Government, along with concerted effort from across the community, Macao will ensure steady progress in the implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle with Macao characteristics, and welcome the fruition of further achievements.
Southern yellow-billed hornbill at study site. Credit: Nicholas Pattinson
The yellow-billed hornbill, cousins of fan-favorite Zazu from The Lion King, faces local extinction due to the climate crisis. Between 2008 and 2019, researchers investigated the effects of high air temperature and drought on the breeding success of southern yellow-billed hornbills in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa. This study is one of the first to research the impact of the climate crisis on population-level breeding success over a longer timescale.
The climate crisis is exacerbating the harsh conditions of extreme climates, such as the high temperatures and the frequency and intensity of drought periods associated with arid regions.
In fact, the animals that inhabit these regions are already suffering the consequences. For example, previous research has shown that the breeding success of multiple bird species is affected by a warming climate. They are breeding earlier and for a shorter period of time.
“There is rapidly growing evidence for the negative effects of high temperatures on the behavior, physiology, breeding, and survival of various bird, mammal, and reptile species around the world,” said first author Dr. Nicholas Pattinson, of the University of Cape Town.
“For example, heat-related mass die-off events over the period of a few days are increasingly being recorded, which no doubt pose a threat to population persistence and ecosystem function.”
Pattinson and his colleagues have researched whether rapid climate warming influenced the breeding success of the southern yellow-bill hornbill, an arid-zone bird, over a period of 10 years. The study was published on May 19, 2022, in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
The yellow-billed hornbill
The southern yellow-billed hornbill’s distribution includes most of southern Africa, with a large portion falling within the Kalahari Desert. It is thought that their population numbers are declining.
Known for its peculiar breeding and nesting strategy, the southern yellow-billed hornbill is a socially monogamous species. They are cavity nesters; the female seals herself into the nest cavity and stays there for an average of 50 days to brood and care for chicks. The only opening is a narrow vertical slit, through which the male feeds the female and chicks.
This type of nesting largely protects from predation, which means that breeding success depends primarily on other factors such as climate and food availability. For example, yellow-billed hornbills initiate breeding in response to rainfall, which corresponds with the hottest days of the year. This makes it difficult for them to shift breeding dates outside of the hottest periods.
Population collapse
Pattinson and his team studied a population of southern yellow-billed hornbills at Kuruman River Reserve in the southern Kalahari Desert in South Africa between 2008 and 2019. Data was exclusively collected from pairs breeding in wooden nest boxes. They looked at the breeding success at broad and fine scales (long term trends and individual breeding attempts, respectively). The team also analyzed climate trends for the region.
The results showed that breeding output collapsed during the monitoring period (2008-2019) due to the increased maximum air temperature.
“During the monitoring period, sub-lethal effects of high temperatures (including compromised foraging, provisioning, and body mass maintenance) reduced the chance of hornbills breeding successfully or even breeding at all,” explained Pattinson.
When comparing the first three seasons (between 2008 and 2011) to the last three (between 2016 and 2019), the researchers found that the average percentage of occupied nest boxes declined from 52% to 12%, nest success (successfully raising and fledging at least one chick) declined from 58% to 17%, and the average of chicks produced per breeding attempt decreased from 1,1 to 0,4.
No successful breeding attempts were recorded above the threshold air temperature of 35,7°C. Breeding output was negatively correlated with increasing days on which the maximum air temperature exceeded the threshold at which the hornbills displayed heat dissipation behavior and normal breeding and nesting behavior. These effects were present even in non-drought years.
Fast paced climate crisis
The study shows the fast pace at which the climate crisis is taking place is having severe negative effects for charismatic species over alarmingly short time periods. Current warming predictions at the study site show that the hornbill’s threshold for successful breeding will be exceeded during the entire breeding season by approximately 2027.
“Much of the public perception of the effects of the climate crisis is related to scenarios calculated for 2050 and beyond,” Pattinson continued. “Yet the effects of the climate crisis are current and can manifest not just within our lifetime, but even over a single decade.”
“Despite no striking large die-off events, our prediction in this study is that southern yellow-billed hornbills could be extirpated from the hottest parts of their range as soon as 2027.”
“Sub-lethal consequences of high temperatures may drive local extinctions by resulting in recruitment failure (ie no young animals joining the population) and changes to the ecosystems on which we all depend.”
Reference: “Collapse of Breeding Success in Desert-Dwelling Hornbills Evident Within a Single Decade” by Nicholas B. Pattinson, Tanja M. F. N. van de Ven, Mike J. Finnie, Lisa J. Nupen, Andrew E. McKechnie and Susan J. Cunningham, 19 May 2022, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.842264
As a significant portion of the recently reported Monkeypox cases has been identified among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expressed concern on Sunday about some public media reporting and commentary reinforcing homophobic and racist stereotypes.As of May 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of 92 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases from 12 countries not endemic for the disease.
Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics and investigations are ongoing.
According to WHO, available evidence suggests that those who are most at risk are those who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, and that risk is not limited to men who have sex with men.
UNAIDS urged media, governments, and communities to respond with a rights-based, evidence-based approach that avoids stigma.
“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” said Matthew Kavanagh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director. “Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures”.
Mr Kavanagh highlighted that the agency appreciates the LGBTI community for having led the way in raising awareness of monkeypox and reiterated that the disease could affect anyone.
“This outbreak highlights the urgent need for leaders to strengthen pandemic prevention, including building stronger community-led capacity and human rights infrastructure to support effective and non-stigmatizing responses to outbreaks”, he noted.
The agency urged all media covering Monkeypox to follow WHO’s updates.
The UN health agency said over the weekend that as the situation is evolving and the surveillance expanding, it is expected that more monkeypox cases will be identified.
To date, all cases whose samples were confirmed by PCR have been identified as being infected with the West African clade.
Genome sequence from a swab sample from a confirmed case in Portugal indicated a close match of the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak, to exported cases from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.
WHO said that the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox with no direct travel links to an endemic area represents a ‘highly unusual event’.
CDC
CDC – A young man shows his hands during an outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (file)
About the illness
monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms very similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
There are two clades of monkeypox virus: the West African clade and the Congo Basin (Central African) clade.
The name monkeypox originates from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. The first human case was identified in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
With the industrial food system common to farming in the United States, from the way slaughterhouses are run to the pesticides used on crop farms, Samer Saleh found adhering to a diet based on Islamic guidelines impossible. His solution? He founded his own farm so he and his family can observe the dietary laws of Islam and he can share natural and organic food with others.
In 2013, Samer, originally from Alexandria, Egypt, founded Halal Pastures, his farm in Rock Tavern, New York, 60 miles north of Manhattan. There he and his family raise and sell grass-fed, organic halal beef, chicken, turkey and lamb, pasture-raised eggs, and organically grown fruits and vegetables.
In Islamic law, halal, which means permissible and lawful, describes what a Muslim may and may not eat or drink. For meat to be halal it must not be the meat of animals which are strictly forbidden and it must be raised and slaughtered in accordance with exact rules. For beverages to be halal they must be produced in clean conditions and must not contain forbidden ingredients such as alcohol. Halal bears some similarities to kashrut, the rules set down within Judaism that qualify foods as kosher. Kashrut and halal laws both forbid eating pork, for example.
“In our religion, food truly nourishes your body,” Samer said. “What we put in our food, or even our body, is what we get out. And if the food that we put into our body is wholesome, is halal, is pure, you believe that it turns into good deeds.”
In June 2022, Halal Pastures will begin a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, harvesting custom boxes of produce for local subscribers to pick up at the farm through the growing season.
Activists who support “food justice” work to incorporate eco-friendly standards in the farms producing halal and kashrut foods. While they work to the end of a preserved environment for the future, this aligns with the principal responsibilities of halal. “You don’t want to dirty the land that has been given to you,” Samer said. “You really have to take care of that soil … because this is the soil that will feed generations—and generations after you.”
Three-quarters of the land-based environment and about 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions. On the International Day for Biological Diversity, the UN Secretary-General urged to end the ‘senseless and destructive war against nature’.
“Biodiversity is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending the existential threat of climate change, halting land degradation, building food security and supporting advances in human health”, said António Guterres in a statement.
The UN chief highlighted that biodiversity offers solutions for green and inclusive growth and, this year, governments will meet to agree on a global biodiversity framework with clear and measurable targets to put the planet on the path of recovery by 2030.
“The framework must tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss and enable the ambitious and transformative change needed for living in harmony with nature by effectively protecting more of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans, encouraging sustainable consumption and production, employing nature-based solutions to address climate change and ending subsidies that damage the environment”, he highlighted.
UNEP – An orphaned gorilla released in its new habitat, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Healthy gorilla populations are becoming increasingly isolated due to habitat loss and conflict across the region.
Living in harmony with nature
Guterres added that the global agreement should also mobilize action and financial resources to drive concrete nature-positive investments, ensuring that we all benefit from the dividends of biological diversity.
“As we accomplish these goals and implement the 2050 Vision for “living in harmony with nature”, we must act with respect for equity and human rights, particularly regarding the many indigenous populations whose territories harbour so much biological diversity”, he emphasised.
The UN chief said that to save our planet’s indispensable and fragile natural wealth, everyone needs to be engaged, including youth and vulnerable populations who rely the most on nature for their livelihoods. “Today, I call on all to act to build a shared future for all life”, he concluded.
Building a shared future for all life is precisely this year’s focus for the International Day, in line with the United Nations Decade on Restoration.
Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations.
Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about 3 billion people; plants provide over 80 per cent of the human diet; and as many as 80 per cent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant‐based medicines for primary healthcare.
Yet, about 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Loss of biodiversity threatens all, including our health. It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses – diseases transmitted from animals to humans- while, on the other hand, if we keep biodiversity intact, it offers excellent tools to fight against pandemics like those caused by coronaviruses.
If current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems are not addressed soon, they will undermine progress toward 80% of the assessed targets of 8 Sustainable Development Goals.
