This article shows some facts concerning hunger and poverty such as on health problem due to hunger.The terrifying numery of how many people across the world are hungry and facts like “every five seconds a child dies from hunger related causes” let me think about that huge problem. As we saw the movie about “terra preta” I was fascinated by that story and by the thought that scientists could disclose the secret of what substance of content or animalcule makes that earth so fructuous. Of course this is not THE one and only solution against hunger in the world but some could be feeded …
-----------------------------------------
"1.02 billion people across the world are hungry. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes - one child every five seconds. In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness."
Amidst all the people harking the apocalypse about global warming (Al Gore, for instance, and such Hollywood bigshots as Leonardo Dicaprio et al.), the general public seems much too apathetic towards the consequences of what we're doing to our planet. The problem is that the direst consequences of our actions are manifested in an area where very few people live- beyond the Arctic circle, so until the melting of its ice affects us directly (maybe with a huge tidal wave à la "Day After Tomorrow"?), people will sit blissfully ignorant in their SUVs, blasting their AC with their windows open. This is directly linked with the Tragedy of the Commons- why should WE worry about something that affects THEM? People should realize that we have one planet, and that THEM will soon become US....
------------------------------ "The 20th Century is the first century for which how much energy we're getting from the Sun is no longer the most important thing governing the temperature of the Arctic," said another of the study team, Nicholas McKay from the University of Arizona.
The recent warming of the Arctic has manifested itself most clearly in the drastic shrinkage in summer sea-ice extent, with the smallest area in the satellite era documented in 2007.
As the Science study emerged, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was telling the World Climate Conference in Geneva that many of the "more distant scenarios" forecast by climate scientists were "happening now"."
Cotton is part of our everyday life - it keeps us warm. But while some of us are concerned about fashion, others have to deal with serious problems. This article is about the results of one material and its current form of production. Pesticides are hazardous – not “only” for the environment, but also for human beings. The number of cases of pesticide poisonings is shocking. So if possible, choose “organic cotton”!
----------------------------------
An estimated 1 million to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers and at least 1 million requiring hospitalisation.
Acute symptoms of pesticide poisoning include headaches, vomiting, tremors, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing or respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, seizures and death. Chronic effects of long-term pesticide exposure include impaired memory and concentration, disorientation, severe depression and confusion. (…) Despite being particularly vulnerable to poisoning, child labourers throughout the world risk exposure to hazardous pesticides through participation in cotton production. Children are also often the first victims of pesticide poisoning, even if they do not participate in spraying, due to the proximity of their homes to cotton fields or because of the re-use of empty pesticide containers. Hazardous pesticides associated with global cotton production also represent a substantial threat to global freshwater resources. Hazardous cotton pesticides are known to contaminate rivers in USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Australia, Greece and West Africa.
"Brazil Pledges to Cut Amazon Deforestation by 70 percent"
This article says that the government of Brazil has finally revealed a specific plan to reduce deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by more than 70 percent between 2008 and 2018. The Amazon deforestation releases approximately 400 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year which makes Brazil the world's sixth largest emitter of the greenhouse gas. The reduction of deforestation is vital not only because the Amazon rainforest is abundant in plant and animal species, but also it has a rich source of medicinal plants which are used to create many drugs to cure cancer and diseases. Although this is the very first time that Brazil has set exact goals to reduce deforestation, the President Lula have not yet announced how much the rainforest preservation plant would cost and the type of penalties involved with unattentive actions toward environmental preservation.
----------------------------------
According to Minc, the new plan will slow the rate of rainforest destruction by 72 percent as compared to the 7,330 square miles on average that were lost each year between 1996 and 2005.
Brazil succeeded in slowing deforestation in the Amazon by about 60 percent between 2005 and 2007, but deforestation accelerated again in 2008 as rising soy and beef prices encouraged Brazilian farmers to create more fields and pastures by slashing and burning rainforest land.
Brazil’s anti-deforestation plan would increase federal patrols in the rainforest, replant trees to replace those that have been lost, and finance sustainable development projects to offer viable work alternatives in areas where illegal logging is currently a major source of income.
“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation, one is by the sword, the other is by debt.” (John Adams)
What I would like to show is a part of the controversial documentary Zeitgeist II Addendum; more specifically an interview with John Perkins, former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main and author of the book ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’. In this interview he talks about his carreer as "an 'economic hit man' for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinational corporations cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business.”
He doesn’t only touch historical issues, but has the guts to come out with current hot topic in global foreign policy, that’s what made it take my breath away. I had to think about this video when last week the professor touched lightly the ‘coup’ in Venezuela. Other countries spoken about are Iran, Equador, Panama and Iraq.
What he tries to show, is that the same ‘economical hitman strategy’ is used over and over again in order to suck out the natural resources of the country with no profit for the people itself, but only for the corrupt leaders who are forced to sell the resources real cheap to the Big American Companies because of a huge debt.
I quote: “We economic hitman have been the one responsible for creating this first global empire and we worked many different ways; but perhaps the most common is that we will identify a country that has resources covered, like oil, and then arrange huge loans to that country from the World Bank or one of its sister organisations. The money actually never goes to the country, instead it goes to our big corporations to build infrastructure projects in that country: powerplants, industrial parks, ports. Things that benefit a few rich people in that country in addition to our coorporations; but really don’t help the majority of the people at all, however those people, the whole country is left holding a huge debt, and such a big debt they can’t repay it, and that’s part of the plan. And at that point the economic hitman goes to them and says: “Listen, you lost a lot of money, you can’t pay your debt, sell your oil real cheap to our companies, allow us to buil a military base, send troops in support of ours to some place in the world ….”
"Reusing Plastic Bottles Can Pose Serious Health Hazards"
How bad is Plastic? I don't think I ever heard any good news about Plastic. I knew that it's not good to put plastic tapawares in the microwave, but this time this article says it's just not good to use it. Even the plastic bottle bought in the first place is harmful. It's not only because plastic pullutes the environment, also it harms our health, we have got to try to get rid of them, according to this article.
-----------------------
Most types of plastic bottles are safe to reuse at least a few times if properly washed with hot soapy water. But recent revelations about chemicals in Lexan (plastic #7) bottles are enough to scare even the most committed environmentalists from reusing them (or buying them in the first place).
Studies have indicated that food and drinks stored in such containers—including those ubiquitous clear Nalgene water bottles hanging from just about every hiker’s backpack—can contain trace amount of Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that interferes with the body’s natural hormonal messaging system.
Health advocates also recommend not reusing bottles made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), including most disposable water, soda and juice bottles. According to The Green Guide, such bottles may be safe for one-time use, but re-use should be avoided because studies indicate they may leach DEHP—another probable human carcinogen—when they are in less-than-perfect condition.
How sure are are we about universe or even this planet we are living in? The article talks about new research founding about thermoenergy transfer that may affect the basic knowledge of scientists. According to the article, there is a region in outer space, called magnetosphere, where energy transfer occurs. We were not so sure about the basic mode of transfer, but now they are finding more and more about it which is quite groundbreaking. We always have to face new stage of science with new founding, but I hope all this accumulated knowledge lead mankind to a better future.
-----------------------------------------------
"Just when we were getting confident that we understood the most important factors affecting the earth�s weather and climate, new research creates some surprises. UCLA atmospheric scientists have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere. The research, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, could improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft that operate in the upper atmosphere. It could also help us understand the weather and previously unknown affects on our climate.
The sun, in addition to emitting radiation, emits a stream of ionized particles called the solar wind that affects the Earth and other planets in the solar system. The solar wind, which carries the particles from the sun's magnetic field, known as the interplanetary magnetic field, takes about three or four days to reach the Earth. When the charged electrical particles approach the Earth, they carve out a highly magnetized region � the magnetosphere � which surrounds and protects the Earth. "
Zero-sum Game? The Crisis, The Environment & The Children
We are easy to think that world financial condition is just good for the rich and aid for the environment and kids is only good for the poor. According to this logic, assistant for one side means insufficiency for the other side by necessity. On the other hand, this article argued that we might choose both if we look on the bright side. For example, the project for anti-desertification creates more erable land and it also helps poor people keeping their families at an adequate standard of living. It can be accept naturally and matter-of-course for you but as reading this article, I think it is really turn of thinking about our direction that we should be moving forward.
--------------------------------------------- It might appear that the international community has on its hands a catch-22 of sorts—a type of zero-sum scenario. It must find a way to fund the economic recovery, international development and global warming. Of course, only one option can get the funds. We cannot choose all three ... or perhaps we can.
Fundamentally, developed nations need money to finance international development activities; firms need equity to undertake corporate social responsibility; and investors need confidence in the health of the financial system to put money into poor and rich economies alike.
On the bright side, global warming can be done in innovative ways that engage the financial system, for example: new carbon trading schemes that send revenue to the poor; anti-desertification investments that increase the amount of arable land in tropical regions; technological innovations and the creation of ‘green jobs;’ as well as ecologically sustainable investments that provide jobs to poor countries and keep families at an adequate standard of living. In fact, if you believe in the Malthusian collapse, then international development activities that support family planning can be good for the environment too.
Too many children in South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean have died of poverty and of global warming-related causes such as hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, droughts, and floods. Creative ways of marrying solutions that address global financial conditions, international development and global warming are possible—more than that, people must strive for them.
>> This is very interesting to me. The worlds superpower, the US, are still reluctant to develop solution for the climate changes. To me it seems not only worrying, but also almost arrogant that the worlds superpower somewhat ignores the climate issues of the world and decides to take up the problem ad hoc. Especially when the upcoming Climate convention in Copenhagen - you might want to be prepared for that? At least it is worth a discussion...
>> NEW YORK — Last Tuesday, Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat and majority leader of the U.S. Senate, was asked by a reporter to appraise the odds that Congress, in the throes of debating health care changes, would manage to pass climate legislation in 2009 — including provisions for an emissions cap-and-trade plan.
“So, you know, we are going to have a busy, busy time the rest of this year,” Mr. Reid replied. “And, of course, nothing terminates at the end of this year. We still have next year to complete things if we have to.”
That is, one might guess, the last thing many people in the international community want to hear as they round the final turn and tumble headlong, ready or not, toward a climate meeting in Copenhagen in December.
A statement from the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, John Bruton, was unambiguous in its displeasure.
“It is suggested that the U.S. Senate may not, after all, deal with the climate change issue until next year, when the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen is over and the delegates have gone home,” Mr. Bruton said. “If this were to happen, it would open the United States to the charge that it does not take its international commitments seriously and that these commitments will always take second place to domestic politics.”
3. Why is this interesting? Because it is ridiculous. Because it is indecent. Because it is just plain wrong. Because it is undermining what we all know is true; the female are the stronger of the two sexes. To realise that we still have big areas and countries in the world that without hesitation will lash women for wearing trousers, truly show that there is a long way to go. Some would say it is purely a religious thing. I would say that, nevermind me narrow insight in Islam, it does not say anywhere that women can not wear pants.
--------------------------------------
NAIROBI, Kenya — A Sudanese woman who wore pants in public was fined the equivalent of $200 but spared a whipping on Monday when a court found her guilty of violating Sudan’s decency laws.
The woman, Lubna Hussein, an outspoken journalist who had recently worked for the United Nations, faced up to 40 lashes in the case, which has generated considerable interest both inside and outside Sudan.
Mrs. Hussein vowed to appeal the sentence and even walked into the court in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, wearing the same pair of loose-fitting green slacks that she had been arrested in.
Manal Awad Khogali, one of her lawyers, said the judge hearing the case had called only police witnesses to testify and refused to allow Mrs. Hussein — who had pledged to use her trial to bring attention to women’s rights in Sudan — to defend herself.
“He didn’t give us a chance,” Mrs. Manal said.
After the trial was over, Mrs. Hussein, a 34-year-old widow, seemed defiant as ever. “I will not pay a penny,” she told The Associated Press.
The judge had threatened to jail her for one month if she did not pay the fine. But according to The A.P., Mrs. Hussein said flatly: “I would spend a month in jail. It is a chance to explore the conditions in jail.”
On Monday night, after refusing her lawyers’ advice to pay, Mrs. Hussein was whisked off to jail, though her lawyers said that in the coming days a committee formed for her defense might pay the fine and free her.
Sudan is partly governed by Islamic law, which calls for women to dress modestly. But the law is vague. According to Article 152 of Sudan’s penal code, anyone “who commits an indecent act which violates public morality or wears indecent clothing” can be fined and lashed up to 40 times.
It was the potential lashing, customarily carried out with a plastic whip that can leave permanent scars, that seemed to raise so many eyebrows. On Monday, diplomats from the British, French, Canadian, Swedish and Dutch Embassies showed up at the Khartoum courthouse, along with a throng of female protesters, many wearing pants. Witnesses said several bearded counterprotesters in traditional Islamic dress also arrived and yelled, “God is great.”
Riot police officers broke up the demonstration and took away more than 40 women. Sudanese officials said they were released shortly afterward. Witnesses said the police beat up at least one woman.
A very down to earth* kind of guy. I'm an environmental sociologist interested in establishing material and organizational sustainability worldwide. I'm always looking for interesting materials/technologies, inspiring ideas, or institutional examples of sustainability to inspire others to recognize their choices now. To be fatalistic about an unsustainable world is a sign of a captive mind, given all our options.
*(If "earth" is defined in a planetary sense, concerning comparative historical knowledge and interest in the past 10,000 years or so anywhere...) See both blogs.
"Hunger Facts: International"
ReplyDeleteThis article shows some facts concerning hunger and poverty such as on health problem due to hunger.The terrifying numery of how many people across the world are hungry and facts like “every five seconds a child dies from hunger related causes” let me think about that huge problem.
As we saw the movie about “terra preta” I was fascinated by that story and by the thought that scientists could disclose the secret of what substance of content or animalcule makes that earth so fructuous. Of course this is not THE one and only solution against hunger in the world but some could be feeded …
-----------------------------------------
"1.02 billion people across the world are hungry. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes - one child every five seconds. In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness."
-----------------
http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html
Alexandra Vorobyova
ReplyDelete"Arctic Warning"
Amidst all the people harking the apocalypse about global warming (Al Gore, for instance, and such Hollywood bigshots as Leonardo Dicaprio et al.), the general public seems much too apathetic towards the consequences of what we're doing to our planet. The problem is that the direst consequences of our actions are manifested in an area where very few people live- beyond the Arctic circle, so until the melting of its ice affects us directly (maybe with a huge tidal wave à la "Day After Tomorrow"?), people will sit blissfully ignorant in their SUVs, blasting their AC with their windows open. This is directly linked with the Tragedy of the Commons- why should WE worry about something that affects THEM? People should realize that we have one planet, and that THEM will soon become US....
------------------------------
"The 20th Century is the first century for which how much energy we're getting from the Sun is no longer the most important thing governing the temperature of the Arctic," said another of the study team, Nicholas McKay from the University of Arizona.
The recent warming of the Arctic has manifested itself most clearly in the drastic shrinkage in summer sea-ice extent, with the smallest area in the satellite era documented in 2007.
As the Science study emerged, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was telling the World Climate Conference in Geneva that many of the "more distant scenarios" forecast by climate scientists were "happening now"."
-------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8236797.stm
Anna Maislinger
ReplyDeletePesticides and cotton
Cotton is part of our everyday life - it keeps us warm. But while some of us are concerned about fashion, others have to deal with serious problems. This article is about the results of one material and its current form of production. Pesticides are hazardous – not “only” for the environment, but also for human beings. The number of cases of pesticide poisonings is shocking. So if possible, choose “organic cotton”!
----------------------------------
An estimated 1 million to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers and at least 1 million requiring hospitalisation.
Acute symptoms of pesticide poisoning include headaches, vomiting, tremors, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing or respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, seizures and death. Chronic effects of long-term pesticide exposure include impaired memory and concentration, disorientation, severe depression and confusion.
(…)
Despite being particularly vulnerable to poisoning, child labourers throughout the world risk exposure to hazardous pesticides through participation in cotton production. Children are also often the first victims of pesticide poisoning, even if they do not participate in spraying, due to the proximity of their homes to cotton fields or because of the re-use of empty pesticide containers.
Hazardous pesticides associated with global cotton production also represent a substantial threat to global freshwater resources. Hazardous cotton pesticides are known to contaminate rivers in USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Australia, Greece and West Africa.
-------
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page332.html
Hyun A Kim
ReplyDelete"Brazil Pledges to Cut Amazon Deforestation by 70 percent"
This article says that the government of Brazil has finally revealed a specific plan to reduce deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by more than 70 percent between 2008 and 2018. The Amazon deforestation releases approximately 400 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year which makes Brazil the world's sixth largest emitter of the greenhouse gas. The reduction of deforestation is vital not only because the Amazon rainforest is abundant in plant and animal species, but also it has a rich source of medicinal plants which are used to create many drugs to cure cancer and diseases. Although this is the very first time that Brazil has set exact goals to reduce deforestation, the President Lula have not yet announced how much the rainforest preservation plant would cost and the type of penalties involved with unattentive actions toward environmental preservation.
----------------------------------
According to Minc, the new plan will slow the rate of rainforest destruction by 72 percent as compared to the 7,330 square miles on average that were lost each year between 1996 and 2005.
Brazil succeeded in slowing deforestation in the Amazon by about 60 percent between 2005 and 2007, but deforestation accelerated again in 2008 as rising soy and beef prices encouraged Brazilian farmers to create more fields and pastures by slashing and burning rainforest land.
Brazil’s anti-deforestation plan would increase federal patrols in the rainforest, replant trees to replace those that have been lost, and finance sustainable development projects to offer viable work alternatives in areas where illegal logging is currently a major source of income.
-------
http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/deforestation.htm
Sam Wijnants
ReplyDelete“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation,
one is by the sword, the other is by debt.”
(John Adams)
What I would like to show is a part of the controversial documentary Zeitgeist II Addendum; more specifically an interview with John Perkins, former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main and author of the book ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’. In this interview he talks about his carreer as "an 'economic hit man' for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinational corporations cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business.”
He doesn’t only touch historical issues, but has the guts to come out with current hot topic in global foreign policy, that’s what made it take my breath away. I had to think about this video when last week the professor touched lightly the ‘coup’ in Venezuela. Other countries spoken about are Iran, Equador, Panama and Iraq.
What he tries to show, is that the same ‘economical hitman strategy’ is used over and over again in order to suck out the natural resources of the country with no profit for the people itself, but only for the corrupt leaders who are forced to sell the resources real cheap to the Big American Companies because of a huge debt.
I quote: “We economic hitman have been the one responsible for creating this first global empire and we worked many different ways; but perhaps the most common is that we will identify a country that has resources covered, like oil, and then arrange huge loans to that country from the World Bank or one of its sister organisations. The money actually never goes to the country, instead it goes to our big corporations to build infrastructure projects in that country: powerplants, industrial parks, ports. Things that benefit a few rich people in that country in addition to our coorporations; but really don’t help the majority of the people at all, however those people, the whole country is left holding a huge debt, and such a big debt they can’t repay it, and that’s part of the plan. And at that point the economic hitman goes to them and says: “Listen, you lost a lot of money, you can’t pay your debt, sell your oil real cheap to our companies, allow us to buil a military base, send troops in support of ours to some place in the world ….”
It’s really worth watching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkBQzrQgg8 (min 5.20)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2BJM80cnWY
Sue
ReplyDelete"Reusing Plastic Bottles Can Pose Serious Health Hazards"
How bad is Plastic? I don't think I ever heard any good news about Plastic. I knew that it's not good to put plastic tapawares in the microwave, but this time this article says it's just not good to use it. Even the plastic bottle bought in the first place is harmful. It's not only because plastic pullutes the environment, also it harms our health, we have got to try to get rid of them, according to this article.
-----------------------
Most types of plastic bottles are safe to reuse at least a few times if properly washed with hot soapy water. But recent revelations about chemicals in Lexan (plastic #7) bottles are enough to scare even the most committed environmentalists from reusing them (or buying them in the first place).
Studies have indicated that food and drinks stored in such containers—including those ubiquitous clear Nalgene water bottles hanging from just about every hiker’s backpack—can contain trace amount of Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that interferes with the body’s natural hormonal messaging system.
Health advocates also recommend not reusing bottles made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), including most disposable water, soda and juice bottles. According to The Green Guide, such bottles may be safe for one-time use, but re-use should be avoided because studies indicate they may leach DEHP—another probable human carcinogen—when they are in less-than-perfect condition.
-----
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/plastic_bottles.htm
"Things we knew and things we thought we knew"
ReplyDeleteHow sure are are we about universe or even this planet we are living in? The article talks about new research founding about thermoenergy transfer that may affect the basic knowledge of scientists. According to the article, there is a region in outer space, called magnetosphere, where energy transfer occurs. We were not so sure about the basic mode of transfer, but now they are finding more and more about it which is quite groundbreaking. We always have to face new stage of science with new founding, but I hope all this accumulated knowledge lead mankind to a better future.
-----------------------------------------------
"Just when we were getting confident that we understood the most important factors affecting the earth�s weather and climate, new research creates some surprises. UCLA atmospheric scientists have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere. The research, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, could improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft that operate in the upper atmosphere. It could also help us understand the weather and previously unknown affects on our climate.
The sun, in addition to emitting radiation, emits a stream of ionized particles called the solar wind that affects the Earth and other planets in the solar system. The solar wind, which carries the particles from the sun's magnetic field, known as the interplanetary magnetic field, takes about three or four days to reach the Earth. When the charged electrical particles approach the Earth, they carve out a highly magnetized region � the magnetosphere � which surrounds and protects the Earth. "
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40472
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHyun Deok, Park
ReplyDeleteZero-sum Game? The Crisis, The Environment & The Children
We are easy to think that world financial condition is just good for the rich and aid for the environment and kids is only good for the poor. According to this logic, assistant for one side means insufficiency for the other side by necessity. On the other hand, this article argued that we might choose both if we look on the bright side. For example, the project for anti-desertification creates more erable land and it also helps poor people keeping their families at an adequate standard of living. It can be accept naturally and matter-of-course for you but as reading this article, I think it is really turn of thinking about our direction that we should be moving forward.
---------------------------------------------
It might appear that the international community has on its hands a catch-22 of sorts—a type of zero-sum scenario. It must find a way to fund the economic recovery, international development and global warming. Of course, only one option can get the funds. We cannot choose all three ... or perhaps we can.
Fundamentally, developed nations need money to finance international development activities; firms need equity to undertake corporate social responsibility; and investors need confidence in the health of the financial system to put money into poor and rich economies alike.
On the bright side, global warming can be done in innovative ways that engage the financial system, for example: new carbon trading schemes that send revenue to the poor; anti-desertification investments that increase the amount of arable land in tropical regions; technological innovations and the creation of ‘green jobs;’ as well as ecologically sustainable investments that provide jobs to poor countries and keep families at an adequate standard of living. In fact, if you believe in the Malthusian collapse, then international development activities that support family planning can be good for the environment too.
Too many children in South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean have died of poverty and of global warming-related causes such as hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, droughts, and floods. Creative ways of marrying solutions that address global financial conditions, international development and global warming are possible—more than that, people must strive for them.
-------
http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/News/News/child-charity-news/Pages/Zero-sumGameTheCrisisTheEnvironmentTheChildren962.aspx
>> U.S. Reluctance on Climate Change Persists
ReplyDelete>> Tom Zeller Jr.
----
>> This is very interesting to me. The worlds superpower, the US, are still reluctant to develop solution for the climate changes. To me it seems not only worrying, but also almost arrogant that the worlds superpower somewhat ignores the climate issues of the world and decides to take up the problem ad hoc. Especially when the upcoming Climate convention in Copenhagen - you might want to be prepared for that? At least it is worth a discussion...
>> NEW YORK — Last Tuesday, Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat and majority leader of the U.S. Senate, was asked by a reporter to appraise the odds that Congress, in the throes of debating health care changes, would manage to pass climate legislation in 2009 — including provisions for an emissions cap-and-trade plan.
“So, you know, we are going to have a busy, busy time the rest of this year,” Mr. Reid replied. “And, of course, nothing terminates at the end of this year. We still have next year to complete things if we have to.”
That is, one might guess, the last thing many people in the international community want to hear as they round the final turn and tumble headlong, ready or not, toward a climate meeting in Copenhagen in December.
A statement from the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, John Bruton, was unambiguous in its displeasure.
“It is suggested that the U.S. Senate may not, after all, deal with the climate change issue until next year, when the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen is over and the delegates have gone home,” Mr. Bruton said. “If this were to happen, it would open the United States to the charge that it does not take its international commitments seriously and that these commitments will always take second place to domestic politics.”
--
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/business/global/21iht-green21.html
1. christoffer grønlund
ReplyDelete2. Sudan Court Fines Woman for Wearing Trousers
3. Why is this interesting? Because it is ridiculous. Because it is indecent. Because it is just plain wrong. Because it is undermining what we all know is true; the female are the stronger of the two sexes. To realise that we still have big areas and countries in the world that without hesitation will lash women for wearing trousers, truly show that there is a long way to go. Some would say it is purely a religious thing. I would say that, nevermind me narrow insight in Islam, it does not say anywhere that women can not wear pants.
--------------------------------------
NAIROBI, Kenya — A Sudanese woman who wore pants in public was fined the equivalent of $200 but spared a whipping on Monday when a court found her guilty of violating Sudan’s decency laws.
The woman, Lubna Hussein, an outspoken journalist who had recently worked for the United Nations, faced up to 40 lashes in the case, which has generated considerable interest both inside and outside Sudan.
Mrs. Hussein vowed to appeal the sentence and even walked into the court in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, wearing the same pair of loose-fitting green slacks that she had been arrested in.
Manal Awad Khogali, one of her lawyers, said the judge hearing the case had called only police witnesses to testify and refused to allow Mrs. Hussein — who had pledged to use her trial to bring attention to women’s rights in Sudan — to defend herself.
“He didn’t give us a chance,” Mrs. Manal said.
After the trial was over, Mrs. Hussein, a 34-year-old widow, seemed defiant as ever. “I will not pay a penny,” she told The Associated Press.
The judge had threatened to jail her for one month if she did not pay the fine. But according to The A.P., Mrs. Hussein said flatly: “I would spend a month in jail. It is a chance to explore the conditions in jail.”
On Monday night, after refusing her lawyers’ advice to pay, Mrs. Hussein was whisked off to jail, though her lawyers said that in the coming days a committee formed for her defense might pay the fine and free her.
Sudan is partly governed by Islamic law, which calls for women to dress modestly. But the law is vague. According to Article 152 of Sudan’s penal code, anyone “who commits an indecent act which violates public morality or wears indecent clothing” can be fined and lashed up to 40 times.
It was the potential lashing, customarily carried out with a plastic whip that can leave permanent scars, that seemed to raise so many eyebrows. On Monday, diplomats from the British, French, Canadian, Swedish and Dutch Embassies showed up at the Khartoum courthouse, along with a throng of female protesters, many wearing pants. Witnesses said several bearded counterprotesters in traditional Islamic dress also arrived and yelled, “God is great.”
Riot police officers broke up the demonstration and took away more than 40 women. Sudanese officials said they were released shortly afterward. Witnesses said the police beat up at least one woman.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/world/africa/08sudan.html?ref=world
September 8, 2009 5:11 PM