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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
CLIMATE CHANGE: Cancun May Deliver Little
Little hope has emerged from a meeting here of any binding international regulations to reduce greenhouse gases at the next UN conference on climate change scheduled for November and December in Cancun, Mexico.
ECONOMY: Rich Countries’ Farm Subsidies Benefiting Royals
Subsidies for agriculture in the industrialised countries of the world grew again in 2009, benefiting the largest companies and land owners, such as Prince Albert of Monaco and Queen Elizabeth of Britain.
When Agrochemical Corporations Invented Nature
A civil society protest against a British agrochemical company that claims it has invented a particular sort of broccoli has again focused attention on the question who owns natural biodiversity, especially vegetables, seeds, and many forms of meat and animal food products.
Q&A: “Incomprehensible” Absence of Women in Global Environment Policy
There is a vacuum in the various texts that currently regulate global policy against climate change: specific mention of the effects of global warming on women and of the role women can play in protecting the environment.
Q&A: Clean Energy and Cultural Survival in Nicaragua
For the past six years, French and U.S. engineers have been installing solar panels and wind turbines in the southeastern Nicaraguan town of Bluefields, promoting clean energy and development among the region's Rama indigenous peoples.
Clean Energy and Cultural Survival in Nicaragua
On Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, a project is under way to ensure the survival of an indigenous culture through environmentally friendly development.No Sign of Financial Regulation
More than three years after the start of the financial crisis that brought the world economy to the brink of collapse, the governments of industrialised countries are still struggling to reach a consensus on the minimum regulation required for the operations of international banks and hedge funds.
AFRICA: Widening Tax Bases “Key to Development and Democracy”
African countries should deepen their tax bases to collect more revenues to finance their development, build state institutions and to improve national dialogue and, more generally, their social contracts with citizens.
GERMANY: Nature vs. Nurture in Forest Recovery
Amidst criticism and applause from environmentalists and experts, a programme is emerging in Germany to expand the total area covered by forests -- to as much as five percent of national territory. The debate centres on just how much human intervention there should be.TRADE: UNCTAD “Forgets” Real Risks Faced by African Farmers
The latest UNCTAD report on science and technology repeats previous calls for a "green revolution" in African agriculture but contains no mention of the real and present dangers that the international trade and financial framework presents to African farmers.
Nature vs. Nurture in Forest Recovery
Some experts disagree with the German government's plan to extend virgin natural areas, saying it will open the way for pests. Supporters say it will help protect biodiversity.
SOMALIA: Questions Abound about EU’s “Combating” of Piracy
Modern German justice had never handled a case of piracy until Jun 11, when 10 Somali seafarers, including children, were presented at a tribunal in the city port of Hamburg, some 300 km west from Berlin, on charges of robbing cargo in the Indian Ocean.
BIODIVERSITY: Imagine a World Without Bluefin Tuna
The bluefin tuna, an "apex predator" fish of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, is condemned to extinction within two years by the inaction of the industrialised North and international regulatory bodies, predict marine biologists and environmentalists.AGRICULTURE: Africa Should Take Lessons from China — IFPRI
The model of agriculture applied by the People’s Republic of China during the last 30 years is an example that the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa should follow in their quest for development and growth and to eradicate poverty, according to agricultural experts.ISRAEL: Settlement Policy Wrong – European Jews
Prominent Jewish intellectuals living in Europe have begun denouncing the Israeli policy of allowing settlements to come up on Palestinian territories as "morally and politically wrong.’’
AFRICA: “EU Subsidises Companies Guilty of Illegal Fishing”
The European Union has for years been paying subsidies to the tune of one billion euro annually to industrial fishing companies based in its member states, including companies that have been caught fishing illegally in African waters.
Imagine a World Without Bluefin Tuna
The resistance against banning trade in bluefin tuna leaves the door open to industrial fishing, with unforeseen consequences for the ecological balance of the seas, say experts.BIODIVERSITY: Oil Spill Will Devastate the North Sea Warn Experts
If an oil spill similar to that in the Gulf of Mexico were to happen in the North Sea, it would devastate the Wattenmeer, one of the most fragile and important biodiversity hotspots in northern Europe.Mediterranean Bailout – German Virtue or Necessity?
Under pressure from its European Union (EU) peers and confronted with the undeniable realities of the Greek financial collapse, the German government has finally given up its resistance to a multinational bailout programme for the Mediterranean EU member states.ENERGY: Germans Want Nuclear Plants Phased Out
After tens of thousands of people turned out to protest against any extension of life to existing nuclear power plants, it seems clear that Germans continue to be emphatically opposed to nuclear energy.
NIGER: Lack of Data on Causes of Death Buffers French Company
French state-owned company Areva continues to deny any wrongdoing after findings that populated areas in Niger remain contaminated with high levels of radio-activity. The company seems to be escaping censure partly because of lack of data on cancer-related causes of death among Nigeriens working at or living near the uranium mines.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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