Latest global index proposed to manage natural resources more sustainable
The global decline of nature is increasingly being felt all around the world. Conventional efforts to address this decline are not only failing to turn the tide, but are also contributing to political polarisation, green grabbing, and ecoanxiety, making it even harder to inspire the widespread societal collaboration needed to make a difference. An international collaboration of conservation, environment, and human development experts and practitioners led by the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report Office (UNDP-HDRO) proposes a new way for countries to measure and improve their relationships with nature and each other.
Kazakhstan to Create Six latest Environmental Institutions
The initiative aims to increase the share of specially protected natural territories to 12.5 percent of the country’s total area. This expansion will support the protection and restoration of rare species of animals and plants listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book.
In addition to the new institutions, the government will expand three existing protected areas: the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve, the Akzhayik Reserve, and the Caspian Seal Reserve.
These measures are outlined in a draft Concept on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for 2025-2035, currently under development. The concept aims to create conditions that stimulate activities to protect biodiversity and the sustainable use of its components, as well as the fair and equitable distribution of benefits from the use of genetic resources, in line with Kazakhstan’s international environmental commitments.
This concept will serve as the foundation for an action plan to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity in Kazakhstan over the next 10 years.
Natural resources a dowry?
Addressing cadets in Kohat recently, the DG ISPR remarked that the province’s natural resources are not the PTM’s “birthright or dowry”. This statement sparked intense discussions, raising questions about the ownership and distribution of natural resources in Pakistan.
It is vital to analyse this issue through the lens of Pakistan’s constitution and legal framework. Pakistan operates as a federal democracy governed by a Constitution that dictates the resolution of disputes and the fair distribution of resources among the federation and its constituent provinces. State officials are constitutionally mandated to act within the law, adhering to established rules and procedures.
Korean cows propel Nepal’s milk production sixfold
In the hillside town of Kamalamai in Nepal’s Sindhuli District, the arrival of two Korean heifers turned dairy into a chance at a better life for Nisha Karki.
As one of 51 households gifted with cows in the Korea-Nepal Model Dairy Village, she raised two Korean cows, named Sanee and Hwanggol, which produce five to six times more milk than indigenous breeds.
“I’m truly happy knowing I already own high-yield dairy cows,” she said. “Thanks to livestock management training, I clearly understand when, how much and what kind of feed to provide to keep them healthy.”
They have proven a boon not only to her family’s income, she added, but, more meaningfully, to Nepal’s broader progress in the dairy sector.
Government to legalize community oil wells
The government is set to legalize crude oil extraction activities carried out by local communities across Indonesia, a move that could formalize the production of up to 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) and ensure its sales to State energy company PT Pertamina.
“Currently, around 15,000 to 20,000 bpd are being sold to unclear parties. It’s better if the oil is sold to Pertamina,” Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia, told a press conference at the ESDM Ministry office on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
The policy, he added, is part of the government’s effort to empower local oil producers by offering them legal certainty and fair pricing, while also reducing illegal sales and improving national energy security.
“If the people are already doing a good job, let’s not make it harder for them. Let’s support them with the right regulations,” he said.
Norway Monthly Gas Production in Fall
Preliminary official data showed Norway produced 296.9 million standard cubic meters a day (MMscmd) of natural gas in May, down for the third consecutive month by both sequential and year-on-year comparisons.
The month-on-month decrease was 13.2 percent while the year-on-year decrease was 7.9 percent. May’s gas production did beat the official forecast by 800,000 standard cubic meters per day, according to preliminary figures published by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD).
The Nordic country sold 9.2 billion standard cubic meters (Bscm) of gas last month. That is down by 1.1 Bscm from April, according to the upstream regulator.
Climate change, coffee rates and production: a new macro-economic reality?
Coffee is one of the world’s most traded commodities, supporting the livelihoods of millions in rural communities globally. Climate change has already begun to slow agricultural productivity (IPCC, 2023), and combined with extreme weather events and droughts, the total area suitable for coffee production is projected to halve by 2050. This vulnerability is driving increased volatility in the global coffee market, which in turn, affects consumption and production patterns, carrying wider macroeconomic implications for economies reliant on coffee exports.