Environment

China Hailed as Leader for New Climate Plan

By Kitty Stapp

Environmental groups are praising China following the formal submission of Beijing’s highly-anticipated climate change strategy to the United Nations Tuesday.

U.N. Chief Seeks Equity in Paris Climate Change Pact

By Thalif Deen
When the 193-member General Assembly hosted a high level meeting on climate change Monday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that any proposed agreement at an upcoming international conference in Paris in December must uphold the principle of equity.

U.S. Supreme Court Deals Blow to Obama’s Emissions Cuts

By Kitty Stapp
In a setback to the Barack Obama administration's clean energy plans just five months ahead of a critical climate change summit in Paris this December, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked an initiative to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.

Rome March Celebrates Pope’s Call for Urgent Climate Action

By Sean Buchanan
People of faith, civil society groups, and communities affected by climate change marched together in Rome Sunday Jun. 28 to express gratitude to Pope Francis for the release of his Laudato Si encyclical on the environment, and call for bolder climate action by world leaders.

Donors Pledge Over 4.4 Billion Dollars to Nepal – But With a Caveat

By Thalif Deen
Blessed with more than 4.4 billion dollars in pledges at an international donor conference in Kathmandu on Thursday, the government of Nepal is expected to launch a massive reconstruction project to rebuild the earthquake-devastated South Asian nation.

Fracking Expands Under the Radar on Mexican Lands

By Emilio Godoy
“People don’t know what ‘fracking’ is and there is little concern about the issue because it’s not visible yet,” said Gabino Vicente, a delegate of one of the municipalities in southern Mexico where exploration for unconventional gas is forging ahead.

Billions Pledged for Nepal Reconstruction – But Still No Debt Relief

By Kanya D'Almeida
A major donor conference in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, came to a close on Jun. 25 with foreign governments and aid agencies pledging three billion dollars in post-reconstruction funds to the struggling South Asian nation.

Heat Wave Picking Off Pakistan’s Urban Poor

By Zofeen Ebrahim
Over 950 people have perished in just five days. The morgues, already filled to capacity, are piling up with bodies, and in over-crowded hospitals the threat of further deaths hangs in the air.

Trees are the Earth’s Lungs, Says Guyana’s President, We Must Finance Their Survival

By Desmond Brown
Guyana's new president, David Granger, sits down with IPS correspondent Desmond Brown to talk about how his country is preparing for climate change – and hoping to avert the worst before it happens.

The U.N. at 70: United Nations Disappoints on Its 70th Anniversary – Part Two

By James A. Paul
While member states, weakened in the neoliberal era, have pulled back from the U.N. and cut its budgets, a charity mentality has arisen at the world body. Corporations and the mega-rich have flocked to take advantage of the opportunity. They have looked for a quietly commanding role in the organisation’s political process and hoped to shape the institution to their own priorities.

An Interview with Guyanese President David Granger

By Desmond Brown
Guyana's new president, David Granger, sits down with IPS correspondent Desmond Brown to talk about how his country is preparing for climate change – and hoping to avert the worst before it happens.

Grenada Rebuilds Barrier Reefs

By Desmond Brown
The Eastern Caribbean nation of Grenada is following the example of its bigger neighbours Belize and Jamaica in taking action to restore coral reefs, which serve as frontline barriers against storm waves.

Views from the Caribbean ahead of COP21, the December 2015 Climate Change Summit in Paris – Building Resilience to Disaster: Mitigation

By Kitty Stapp
Despite being a relatively small source of greenhouse gas emissions, the Caribbean region has been taking steps to introduce renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal, which also reduce its dependence on expensive oil imports.

On Kenya’s Coast, a Struggle for the Sacred

By Miriam Gathigah
Travel into the heart of Kenya’s southern Coast Province, nearly 500 km from the capital city of Nairobi, and you will come across one of the planet’s most curious World Heritage Sites: the remains of several fortified villages, revered by the indigenous Mijikenda people as the sacred abodes of their ancestors.

Young People Lend a Hand to Trinidad’s Ailing Watersheds

By Jewel Fraser
Starting in 1999, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) of Trinidad and Tobago began a 10-year effort to map the country’s water quality. They started to notice a worrying trend.

Conservation Successes Eclipsed by Species Declines

By Roger Hamilton-Martin
Although strong gains have been made in some areas of conservation, many species are facing increasing threats to their survival.

Critics of World Bank-Funded Projects in the Line of Fire

By Kanya D'Almeida
For an entire month beginning in February 2015, a group of between 40 and 50 residents of the Durgapur Village in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand would gather at the site of a hydroelectric power project being carried out by the state-owned Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC).

Opinion: Pope Francis’ Timely Call to Action on Climate Change

By Tomás Insua
On June 18, Pope Francis issued Laudato Si, the first ever encyclical about ecology, which promises to be a highly influential document for years to come. The encyclical, which is the most authoritative teaching document a Pope can issue, delivered a strong message addressing the moral dimension of the severe ecological crisis we have caused with our “throwaway culture” and general disregard for our common home, the Earth.

Opinion: The Oceans Need the Spotlight Now

By Dr. Palitha Kohona
The international community must focus its energies immediately on addressing the grave challenges confronting the oceans. With implications for global order and peace, the oceans are also becoming another arena for national rivalry.

Opinion: Ethical Challenges to Advertising

By Hazel Henderson
Challenges to advertisers and marketers arose in the past century. Critics deplored the role of cigarette marketers who exploited the aspirations of women by associating smoking with liberation. 

Amazon Dam also Brings Health Infrastructure for Local Population

By Mario Osava
Extensive public health infrastructure and the eradication of malaria will be the most important legacy of the construction of the Belo Monte hydropower dam in Brazil’s Amazon jungle for the population affected by the megaproject.
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