Projects Archives

OPINION: The Caribbean: A Clean Energy Revolution on the Front Lines of Climate Change

Lefties Food Stall, a pint-sized eatery serving Barbados’ signature flying-fish sandwiches, recently became the first snack shack on the Caribbean island to be fitted with a solar panel.

Proposed Arms Embargo on Syria a Political Mockery

By Thalif Deen

When the 15-member Security Council, the most powerful body at the United Nations, fails to resolve a military conflict, it invariably exercises one of its tried, and mostly failed, options: punish the warring parties by imposing punitive sanctions.

Khamenei Remarks Show Both Sides Maneuvre on Enrichment

By Gareth Porter

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s comments on the nuclear talks Monday provided an unusual glimpse of diplomatic maneuvering by the U.S.-led coalition of five nuclear powers and Germany on the issue of enrichment capability to be allowed in a comprehensive agreement.

Future of Rwanda’s Orphans Still Uncertain

By Amy Fallon

Every day, 14-year-old Deborah wakes up in an orphanage, goes to school, and comes home to an orphanage. It does not matter when or for how long she leaves the orphanage, she always knows she’ll be back.

El Niño Triggers Drought, Food Crisis in Nicaragua

By José Adán Silva

The spectre of famine is haunting Nicaragua. The second poorest country in Latin America, and one of the 10 most vulnerable to climate change in the world, is facing a meteorological phenomenon that threatens its food security.

New Data Sends Wake-Up Call on Caribbean Reefs

By Desmond Brown

Marine environmentalist Eli Fuller, who for the past two decades has been exploring the coastline of Antigua and Barbuda, warns that while there has been “dramatic changes” to coral reefs since he was a little boy, “it’s getting worse and worse.”

The Silent Power of Boycotts and Blockades

By Kanya D'Almeida

Peruse a few reports on global military expenditure and you will not be able to shake the image of the planet as one massive army camp, patrolled by heavily weaponised guards in a plethora of uniforms.

Bahrain’s Expulsion of U.S. Official Sets Back Ties, Reform Hopes

By Jim Lobe

Monday’s expulsion order by Bahrain against a visiting senior U.S. official has set back tentative hopes for internal reforms that could reconcile the kingdom’s Sunni-led government with its majority Shia community and drawn a sharp protest from Washington.

At the Crucial Nexus of Water and Energy

By Jewel Fraser

Global institutions are still in the learning phase when it comes to successfully managing water and energy in an integrated manner as part of the quest for sustainable development.

Salvadoran Peasant Farmers Clash With U.S. Over Seeds

By Edgardo Ayala

Under a searing sun, surrounded by a sea of young maize plants, Gladys Cortez expresses her fears that her employment in the cooperative that produces seed for the Salvadoran government may be at risk, if United States companies achieve participation in seed procurement.

Burundian Women Want a Greater Say in Running of Country

By Bernard Bankukira

As Burundi heads towards the 2015 general elections, and despite a quota of 30 percent women’s representation in parliament, women in this southeast African nation feel that they are yet to have a significant say in the management of their country.

Indian Ocean Islands Unprepared for Climate Change

By Nasseem Ackbarally

Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port Louis Mauritius that despite clear evidence of climate change, the Indian Ocean Islands have not done much in terms of adaptation and mitigation.

Problems Inspire Ingenious Solutions in Peruvian Amazon Town

By Milagros Salazar

He may look like a rapper, but 33-year-old José Antonio Bardález is the mayor of Jepelacio, in the Peruvian Amazon. His ingenious innovations in the municipality include transforming waste management into a source of income and making spring water a source of drinking water.

Rights Experts Urge Action on Gender Equality in Taiwan

By Dennis Engbarth

Prominent international human rights experts are calling on the Taiwan government to quickly enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination act, revamp the law on citizenship and take a wide range of other actions to curb gender discrimination.

For the Caribbean, a United Front Is Key to Weathering Climate Change

By Desmond Brown

As the costs of climate change continue to mount, officials with the Commonwealth grouping say it is vital that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) stick together on issues such as per capita income classification.

Water, Rivers and Runoff Challenge Ethiopia’s Expanding Capital

By James Jeffrey

The streets of Addis Ababa are increasingly turning into water-logged obstacle courses as downpours increase in the run up to Ethiopia’s July to September rainy season. Strangers link hands to steady themselves as they step high and gingerly over the spreading puddles and slippery mud.

U.S. Demand for Deep Centrifuge Cut Is a Diplomatic Ploy

By Gareth Porter

With only a few weeks remaining before the Jul. 20 deadline, the Barack Obama administration issued a warning to Iran that it must accept deep cuts in the number of its centrifuges in order to demonstrate that its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

Looking to Africa’s LDCs to Learn How to Save the Lives of Millions of Mothers and their Babies

By Nqabomzi Bikitsha

Every year, three million newborn babies and almost 6.6 million children under five die globally, but if the rest of the world looked towards the examples of two of Africa's least-developed countries (LDCs), Rwanda and Ethiopia, they would perhaps be able to save these children.