November 17, 2022

A global wildlife summit in Panama took an important step Thursday toward upgrading protection for sharks, the ancient ocean vertebrates targeted for their fins used in a status-symbol soup. A committee voted to approve a proposal to include requiem and hammerhead sharks on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The appendix lists species that may not yet be threatened with extinction but may become so unless their trade is closely controlled. The Wildlife Conservation Society, advocating for the sharks’ inclusion on the appendix, said the requiem shark family makes up at least 70% of

NASA’s Webb Space Telescope is finding bright, early galaxies that until now were hidden from view, including one that may have formed a mere 350 million years after the cosmic-creating Big Bang. Astronomers said Thursday that if the results are verified, this newly discovered throng of stars would beat the most distant galaxy identified by the Hubble Space Telescope, a record-holder that formed 400 million years after the universe began. Launched last December as a successor to Hubble, the Webb telescope is indicating stars may have formed sooner than previously thought — perhaps within a couple million years of creation.

Data collected through Malta’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) portal is showing that Maltese companies who are incorporating ESG Criteria in their business model are not only contributing to the fight against climate change but are also reaping financial benefits. This data shows that companies investing in ESG Criteria have registered a 31% decrease in water consumption, 9% decrease in waste generation and 8% less in CO2 emissions.   Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli announced this data whilst delivering a keynote speech during the ‘Climate Resilient Tourism in the Mediterranean’ conference during COP27 in Sharm El