ILO

Ari Heinz (left) an astronomer at the the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy talks to the International Labour Organization's Kevin Cassidy.
ILO Photo/John Isaac

‘Earth’s last Defence’ against asteroids

22 June 2020
Interviews

An asteroid tracking programme in Hawaii has been dubbed the “Earth’s Last Defence” against potentially catastrophic impacts, the UN has heard ahead of International Asteroid Day marked annually on 30 June.  

The Director of the ILO’s Office for the United States, Kevin Cassidy, sat down with astronomer Ari Heinz to find out more about his job with the programme.

Audio -
8'7"
Fred Cowell (right), the General Manager of Kauai Coffee Company talks to Kevin Cassidy, the Director of the ILO Office for the United States.
ILO Photo/John Isaac

Growing sustainability on a Hawaiian coffee farm

17 June 2020
Interviews

The sustainable production of coffee, and indeed other crops, is more of a cultural rather than environmental commitment according to the manager of the largest coffee farm in the United States.

Fred Cowell, met Kevin Cassidy, the Director of the ILO’s office for the United States, at sunrise at the farm he manages on Kauai.
Mr Cassidy began by asking him if the techniques used at the farm were replicable in other parts of the world.

Audio -
6'10"
Coral reefs surround Coconut Island where a research centre of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology is based.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Bringing the coral reefs back to life

7 June 2020
Climate and Environment

Coral reefs are being killed by the climate crisis, which is leading to rising sea temperatures. “Cryopreservation”, a pioneering scientific technique, could be one way to help save them.

The UN estimates that estimates that about 25 to 50 per cent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 60 per cent are under threat.
ILO Photo/John Isaac

First Person: Collecting the ‘Book of Life’ for coral reefs

6 June 2020
Climate and Environment

With the climate crisis threatening coral reefs around the world, a researcher in Hawaii is part of a team pioneering new techniques to preserve living coral sperm and larvae, and ultimately save the biodiversity and genetic diversity of coral reefs not just in Hawaii but across the world.