Environmental developments worldwide in March 2021

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - March saw several reports on climate change and the environment, including the alarming food insecurity issue across Africa, danger of extinction, living in forests and the savanna.

Here is a look at environmental developments, reports, events, and stories compiled by Anadolu Agency.

March 3:

- About one million out of the eight million animals and plant species in the world are threatened with extinction, primarily due to human activities, according to a report on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

- Turkey should follow the path of the European Union towards a more sustainable, efficient, and green economy, said Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, a member of the EU delegation to Turkey.

March 4:

- The world's first recycled plastic sailing dhow begins a mission in Africa's largest freshwater lake to raise awareness about plastic pollution, according to the UN.

March 9:

- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urges African leaders to unite and develop a common position to fight climate change ahead of this year's UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).

- 12 states in the US file a lawsuit against President Joe Biden's climate change executive order, claiming it would damage the American economy and the states' energy industries.

March 11:

- Nigeria is facing a level of food insecurity not seen since 2016-2017, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, rising conflict, and floods, a UN agency says.

- The slowdown in global warming seen at the end of the last century is reflected by a decline in malaria transmission in the Ethiopian highlands, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the University of Chicago.

March 12:

- According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 83,000 people are displaced in Somalia due to water shortage since November 2020.

March 13:

- The Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG) estimated that 1.4 million people in arid and semi-arid areas faced acute food insecurity crisis (IPC Phase 3) or even worse outcomes during 2020, according to a report.

March 14:

- According to officials, more than 2.5 million people in Somalia need humanitarian assistance due to natural disasters, conflict, and the coronavirus pandemic.

March 16:

- According to a UN report, South Sudan is facing its highest levels of malnutrition and food insecurity since it gained independence ten years ago due to ongoing violence and the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 21:

- Six lions were found dead in one of the country's most famous parks, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said.

March 23:

- Along with violence, floods trigger massive and under-reported displacement in Cameroon, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

- Climate change-caused drought in Somalia has left 70% of families in the country without access to safe drinking water and urgently need humanitarian support, according to the non-profit organization Save the Children.

March 24:

- A joint security team in Uganda arrest four people, suspected of poisoning six lions in a well-known national park.

March 25:

- Turkey's First Lady Emine Erdogan receives Global Action Award from the UN Development Project (UNDP) for the country's zero waste project that she led.

March 26:

- African elephants living in forests and the savanna face extinction due to poaching and loss of habitat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in a report.

- US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders to a virtual climate summit that will take place in April, the White House announced.

March 28:

- Air pollution has been taking its toll on Bangladesh for successive years, causing lives and economic losses as well as environmental hazards linked to pollution, making experts fearful for the days ahead.

March 29:

- Pakistan offers its support to Saudi Arabia for its massive tree-planting project.

March 30:

- For Turkey, in one of the regions most affected by climate change, green transformation is not a choice but a necessity, said the head of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD).

March 31:

- US President Joe Biden's top energy policy is focused on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving a target of net-zero emissions by the end of the next three decades, experts tell Anadolu Agency.