Environment

Antigua Faces Climate Risks with Ambitious Renewables Target

By Desmond Brown
Ruth Spencer is a pioneer in the field of solar energy. She promotes renewable technologies to communities throughout her homeland of Antigua and Barbuda, playing a small but important part in helping the country achieve its goal of a 20-percent reduction in the use of fossil fuels by 2020.

Humanity Failing the Earth’s Ecosystems

By Kanya D'Almeida
In pure numbers, the past few decades have been marked by destruction: over the last 40 years, Earth has lost 52 percent of its wild animals; nearly 17 percent of the world’s forests have been felled in the last half-century; freshwater ecosystems have witnessed a 75-percent decline in animal populations since 1970; and nearly 95 percent of coral reefs are today threatened by pollution, coastal development and overfishing.

Thirsty Land, Hungry People

By Amantha Perera
Gazing out over the parched earth of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, one might think these farmlands have not seen water in years. In fact, this is not too far from the truth.

New Global Declaration “Insufficient” to Tackle Deforestation

By Carey L. Biron
Heads of state, civil society groups and the leaders of some of the world’s largest companies this week urged their peers to sign on to a landmark new global agreement aimed at halting deforestation by 2030, even as others are warning the accord is too lax.

OPINION: From Elephants to Blue Whales, Sri Lanka Leads the Way on Biodiversity

By Dr. Palitha Kohona
Sri Lanka will host the World Biodiversity Congress (WBC) Nov. 24-27. Given its long and active history of preserving biodiversity, it would be most appropriate for Sri Lanka to be the next host of this global event, which also marks the U.N.'s Decade on Biodiversity.

Latin America on a Dangerous Precipice

By Diana Cariboni
“We could be the last Latin American and Caribbean generation living together with hunger.”

Puerto Rico’s Green Crusaders Still Going Strong

By Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
The heart of Puerto Rico’s central mountain range is the site of an extraordinary story of struggle and triumph.

Vaca Muerta, Argentina’s New Development Frontier

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Production here has skyrocketed so fast that for now the installations of the YPF oil company at the Loma Campana deposit in southwest Argentina are a jumble of interconnected shipping containers.

OPINION: A Roadmap to Living – and Thriving – in Harmony with Nature

By Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias
In Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, the international community made a commitment to future generations by adopting the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

U.S. to Create National Plan on Responsible Business Practices

By Carey L. Biron
The United States will begin developing a national action plan on responsible business practices, following on several years of related advocacy from civil society.

Outgunned by Rich Polluters, Africa to Bring United Front to Climate Talks

By Monde Kingsley Nfor
As climate change interest groups raise their voices across Africa to call for action at the COP20 climate meeting in December and the crucial COP21 in Paris in 2015, many worry that the continent may never have fair representation at the talks.

Blistering Drought Leaves the Poorest High and Dry

By Amantha Perera
The last time there was mud on his village roads was about a year ago, says Murugesu Mohanabavan, a farmer from the village of Karachchi, situated about 300 km north of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.

Zero Nuclear Weapons: A Never-Ending Journey Ahead

By Thalif Deen
When the United Nations commemorated its first ever "international day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons," the lingering question in the minds of most anti-nuclear activists was: are we anywhere closer to abolishing the deadly weapons or are we moving further and further away from their complete destruction?

Championing Ocean Conservation Or Paying Lip Service to the Seas?

By Christopher Pala
President Barack Obama this week extended the no-fishing areas around three remote pacific islands, eliciting praise from some, and disappointment from those who fear the move did not go far enough towards helping depleted species of fish recover.

Cuba’s Sugar Industry to Use Bagasse for Bioenergy

By Patricia Grogg
Cuba’s sugar industry hopes to become the main source of clean energy in the country as part of a programme to develop renewable sources aimed at reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and protecting the environment.

Côte d’Ivoire Chokes on its Plastic Shopping Bags

By Marc-Andre Boisvert
In the middle of downtown Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the aisles of a thriving supermarket are full of customers. But as they line up to pay for their items, there is one line to a cashier’s till that remains empty. It’s the “green cash register”, where the cashier does not provide plastic bags as this supermarket tries to implement a green policy. 

Climate Summit: Much Talk, A Bit of Walk

By Joel Jaeger
Speaking to more than 120 heads of state at the U.N. Climate Summit, actor and newly appointed U.N. Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio made clear the long-ranging impact of the attendees’ decisions.

Obama Mandates Climate Resilience in All U.S. Development Projects

By Carey L. Biron
All international development assistance and investments from the United States will now be required to take into account the potential impacts of climate change, according to a new rule signed Tuesday by President Barack Obama.

Climate-Smart Agriculture is Corporate Green-Washing, Warn NGOs

By Thalif Deen
On the sidelines of the U.N.'s heavily hyped Climate Summit, the newly-launched Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture announced plans to protect some 500 million farmers worldwide from climate change and "help achieve sustainable and equitable increases in agricultural productivity and incomes."

Water: A Defining Issue for Post-2015

By Amantha Perera
A gift of nature, or a valuable commodity? A human right, or a luxury for the privileged few? Will the agricultural sector or industrial sector be the main consumer of this precious resource? Whatever the answers to these and many more questions, one thing is clear: that water will be one of the defining issues of the coming decade.

Urban Population to Reach 3.9 Billion by Year End

By Gloria Schiavi
People living in cities already outnumber those in rural areas and the trend does not appear to be reversing, according to UN-Habitat, the Nairobi-based agency for human settlements, which has warned that planning is crucial to achieve sustainable urban growth.
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