Analysis

Marine Resources in High Seas Should be Shared Equitably

After almost 10 years of often frustrating negotiations, the U.N. ad hoc committee on BBNJ decided, by consensus, to set in motion a process that will result in work commencing on a legally binding international instrument on the conservation and sustainable use, including benefit sharing, of Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction.

U.S.-India Partnership a Step Forward for Low-Carbon Growth

By David Waskow and Manish Bapna

India garnered international attention this week for its climate action.

A “Rosetta Stone” for Conducting Biodiversity Assessments

By Zakri Abdul Hamid

This month saw an important milestone reached by the U.N.’s young Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): Publication of its first public product.

Prosecutor’s Death a Test for Argentine Democracy

By Fabiana Frayssinet

The death of a special prosecutor investigating one of the biggest unresolved mysteries in the history of Argentina, the bombing of a Jewish community centre over 20 years ago, has put to the test an immature democracy that is caught up in a web of conspiracy theories and promiscuity between the secret services and those in power.

Pacific Islands Call for New Thinking to Implement Post-2015 Development Goals

By Catherine Wilson

As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of poverty-alleviation targets set by the United Nations, come to a close this year, countries around the world are taking stock of their successes and failures in tackling key developmental issues.

Humanity’s Future: Below Replacement Fertility?

By Joseph Chamie

Is below replacement level fertility the future for humanity? The answer to this seemingly simple question regarding human reproduction is not only of considerable demographic concern, but also has enormous social, economic and environmental consequences for the planet.

Cuba and United States Now Foment Moderation in the Americas

By Mario Osava

With the decision to reestablish diplomatic ties, Cuba and the United States, polar opposites that have long inspired or fomented extremism of different kinds in the Americas, have now become factors of moderation and pragmatism.

What the U.S. Should Learn from Russia’s Collapse

By Miriam Pemberton

After months of whispered warnings, Russia’s economic troubles made global headlines when its currency collapsed halfway through December. Amid the tumbling price of oil, the ruble has fallen to record lows, bringing the country to its most serious economic crisis since the late 1990s.

GDP and the Unaccounted for 82 Percent of National Wealth

By Anantha Duraiappah

Virtually all countries use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as their primary measurement of economic progress and overall societal progress. At the same time, countries express allegiance to the doctrine of sustainable development. This exposes an obvious disconnect.

REDD and the Green Economy Continue to Undermine Rights

By Jeff Conant

Dercy Teles de Carvalho Cunha is a rubber-tapper and union organiser from the state of Acre in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, with a lifelong love of the forest from which she earns her livelihood – and she is deeply confounded by what her government and policymakers around the world call “the green economy.”