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In the news, 2024 TCA clients' most noted science news stories of the year

In 2024 we authored (or co-authored) and distributed 12 major articles on behalf of clients in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Evanston, Bonn, Geneva, and Brussels

The efforts generated over 12,400 online news articles in at least 46 languages across 108 countries and territories, resulting in roughly 45 billion potential public impressions, according to the Meltwater news search engine. Countless other impressions were generated via print newspapers and magazines, radio, television and social media

With thanks to the researchers and collaborators behind these stories, and to the hundreds of journalists who covered them, the following releases were the most widely noted last year.

Bonn, Germany

17 December, 2024

Tackle together five interlinked global crises in biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change

The most ambitious scientific assessment ever undertaken of the complex interconnections between the biodiversity, water, food, health and climate crises, offering scores of response options to maximize co-benefits across the "nexus."

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

How to Repair the Planet? One Answer Might Be Hiding in Plain Sight, click here.
Major report joins dots between world's nature challenges, click here
Unified approach could improve nature, climate and health all at once, click here

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Planet in Peril: IPBES Report Reveals Options to Achieve Urgently Needed Transformative Change to Halt Biodiversity Collapse

Prepared over three years by more than 100 leading experts from 42 countries from all regions of the world, the report explains what transformative change is, how it occurs, and how to accelerate it for a just and sustainable world.

Example coverage:

Biodiversity hit to economies estimated at up to $25tn a year in landmark report, click here
‘Fundamental change’ to nature-harming industries needed, UN report warns, click here
Three 'transformations' for nature, according to UN experts, click here

Full coverage summary, click here

~1,450+ online news articles, 36 languages, 101 countries, 5.5 billion potential impressions

Bonn, Germany

9 December , 2024

Three-quarters of Earth’s land became permanently drier in last three decades: UN

Even as dramatic water-related disasters such as floods and storms intensified in some parts of the world, more than three-quarters of Earth’s land became permanently drier in recent decades, UN scientists warned today

Full news release, click here

Example coverage

Three-Quarters of Earth’s Land Got Drier in Recent Decades, U.N. Says, click here
Almost all of earth became permanently drier since 1990: Report, click here
Three-Quarters of the Earth Has Gotten Permanently Drier, click here

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Full coverage summary here

1,150 online news articles, 31 languages, 83 countries, 5.1 billion potential impressions

United Nations Convention on Migratory Species, Bonn, Germany

12 February, 2024

Landmark UN report reveals shocking state of wildlife: the world’s migratory species of animals are in decline, and the global extinction risk is increasing

First-ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report offers a comprehensive assessment of migratory species: a global overview of their conservation status and population trends, combined with latest information on their main threats and successful actions to save them.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage

Nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline, UN report says, click here
Migrating species crucial to planet under threat, says UN, click here
'Humans have altered the Earth so much that migratory animals are facing extinction, click here

* * * * *

Full coverage summary, click here

2,966 articles in 46 languages across 108 countries; 8.1 billion potential public impressions

4 June, 2024

US pre-teens discover rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex; Science expedition chronicled in extraordinary documentary

Three keen-eyed young fossil hunters made the discovery of a lifetime when they found the remains of a rare teenage Tyrannosaurus rex that could rewrite history

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Family Discovers Rare T. Rex Fossil in North Dakota, click here
Rare fossil of adolescent Tyrannosaurus - 'Teen Rex'- found by US kids, click here
Three boys discovered teenage T. rex fossil in northern US: 'Incredible dinosaur discovery', click here

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Full coverage summary here

1,763 online news articles, 33 languages, 80 countries, 6.3 billion potential impressions

Bonn

21 May, 2024

‘Silent demise’ of vast rangelands threatens climate, food, wellbeing of billions: UN

Degradation of Earth’s extensive, often immense natural pastures and other rangelands due to overuse, misuse, climate change and biodiversity loss poses a severe threat to humanity’s food supply and the wellbeing or survival of billions of people, the UN warns

News release in full, click here

Example coverage

Demise of rangelands 'severely underestimated': report, click here
Half of world's pastures degraded by overuse, climate change, UN report says, click here
La degradación de los pastizales del planeta ponen en riesgo el suministro de alimentos (The degradation of the planet's grasslands puts the food supply at risk), click here

* * * * *

Coverage summary in full, click here

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620 articles in 21 languages, across 58 countries, resulting in a combined 1.9 billion potential impressions via online news sites

Brussels

10 October, 2024

E-waste experts urge public: Stop trashing electronic products with ordinary garbage (International E-Waste Day)

To mark International E-Waste Day, consumers worldwide are urged to collect dead and/or unused electronics and electrical products and give them a second life through reuse or repair, or recycle them properly. Above all: stop tossing them out in household waste bins.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Los desechos electrónicos que van a la basura equivalen al peso de 24.000 grandes aviones (The electronic waste that goes into the trash is equivalent to the weight of 24,000 large airplanes), click here
Ancora troppi rifiuti elettronici finiscono nella raccolta indifferenziata (Too much electronic waste still ends up in undifferentiated collection), click here
Householders urged to recover, recycle electronic waste, click here

* * * * *

Full coverage summary, click here

1,218 online news articles, 38 languages, 68 countries, 2.6 billion potential impressions

Geneva, Switzerland

20 March 2024

Electronic waste rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling: UN

The world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling, the UN’s fourth Global E-waste Monitor (GEM) reveals. The 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator; Up 82% since 2010 and on track to rise further 32% in 2030; $billions worth of strategically-valuable resources squandered; Just 1% of rare element demand met by recycling

Full news release, click here

Example coverage:

UN says e-waste from trashed electric devices is piling up and recycling isn’t keeping pace click here
Rising scourge of e-waste a ‘catastrophe’ for environment: UN, click here
The vast scale of Earth’s e-waste: 62 million tonnes of phones, TVs and vapes were discarded worldwide in 2022 – weighing the equivalent of 6,000 Eiffel Towers, report reveals, click here

* * * * *

Full coverage summary here

2,203 online news articles, 41 languages, 94 countries, 7 billion potential impressions

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909 articles, 21 languages, 50 countries, potential impressions: 2.4 billion

Paris

16 October 2024

8% GDP loss by 2050 foreseen due to world water crisis; more than 50% of food production at risk

In a landmark report, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water says the water crisis threatens a loss of GDP of up to 15% in lower-income countries, and even larger economic consequences beyond.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Water Crises Threaten the World’s Food Supply, Studies Show, click here
Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, click here
OECD-backed group calls for global pact to solve water crisis, click here

* * * * *

Full coverage summary, click here

1,002 articles, 76 countries, 31 languages, 4.8 billion potential impressions

Bonn, Germany

1 December, 2024

Planetary boundaries: Confronting the global crisis of land degradation; Potsdam institute report opens UNCCD COP 16

A major new scientific report charts an urgent course correction for how the world grows food and uses land in order to avoid irretrievably compromising Earth’s capacity to support human and environmental wellbeing.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Land degradation expanding by 1m sq km a year, study shows, click here
Mongabay: Land use change impacting seven planetary boundaries, solutions urgent, say scientists, click here

Full coverage summary, click here

April 26, 2024

COVID, wildfires, heat waves underline need for better air quality norms in schools, child care

The COVID-19 pandemic, smoke from raging wildfires, and extreme heat waves have intensified concerns among child health and environmental law experts about inadequate air quality in schools and child care settings.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Canada needs to improve indoor air quality for kids as an early wildfire season looms, advocates say click here

6 articles in Canada, potential impressions 6.6 million

Montreal

2 November, 2024

Biodiversity COP 16: Important Agreements Reached Towards Making Peace with Nature

The 16th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on an expanded role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in saving biodiversity and a groundbreaking agreement on operations of a new global mechanism to share benefits from digital genetic information.

News release in full, click here

Example coverage:

Global Summit on Nature Adopts a Novel Way to Pay for Conservation, click here
Some of the countries richest in nature are poor. Here’s what it will take to save them, click here
COP16 sur la biodiversité : à Cali, les Etats devront transformer en actes leurs promesses de stopper la destruction de la nature (COP16 on biodiversity: in Cali, States will have to transform their promises to stop the destruction of nature into actions), click here

Additional coverage highlights: here

Terry Collins is a Toronto journalist specialized in global publicity of science-related research and events. The consultancy was established in 1996 after nine years of news reporting (Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa) and 10 years of public service (Ottawa; UN, New York). Associates in the United States, United Kingdom and Africa

To subscribe to releases: tc@tca.tc

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