Archive for October, 2021

15/10/2021

‘Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”

A woman picking apples

Farmers care for their apple gardens thanks to modern drip irrigation technologies they got with support of a FAO project in Uzbekistan. PHOTO:©FAO/Rustam Shagaev

15 October 2021 (United Nations)* — Achieving gender equality and empowering women is not only the right thing to do but is a critical ingredient in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

On average, women make up more than 40 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, ranging from 20 percent in Latin America to 50 percent or more in parts of Africa and Asia.

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15/10/2021

‘Invest in Gender Equality to Reduce Climate Change Impacts on World’s Poorest’

Rome, 15 October 2021 (IFAD)*We need a significant boost in investments to close the gender gap otherwise rural communities will never bounce back from the impacts of climate change, warned Gilbert F. Houngbo, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
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©IFAD/G.M.B. Akash

12/10/2021

Disparities in Poverty Between Ethnic Groups and Across Genders Show Why We Need to Dig Deeper into Poverty Data

Human Wrongs Watch

LONDON, Oct 12 2021 (IPS)* – During the pandemic, we learnt a new word – at least I did: comorbidity. It means that one or more additional conditions co-occur (all happen at the same time for a person) alongside a primary condition – in this case the virus.

Disparities-in-Poverty_2_

Credit: UNDP

And we learnt that when a person has significant comorbidities, the path of the virus can be tragic.

We therefore learned to be highly alert for diabetes, for lung conditions, and medical histories, and to protect vulnerable people in our circles carefully.

As time went on, our circle of attention expanded – to handwashing, to overcrowding, to water and nutrition, or informal work – or risks like domestic violence, that make lockdown unbearable.

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12/10/2021

Use of Fossil Fuels Must Stop

Human Wrongs Watch

By John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media Service*

The IPCC Report

The 4,000-page report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was not due to be released until February, 2022, but a copy was leaked to Agence France-Presse.

John-Scales-Avery

John Scales Avery

The report calls for a total transformation of our way of life if we wish to avoid catastrophe.

The window of opportunity is closing rapidly. Urgent action must be taken within less than a decade.

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The report states that,

“We need transformational change operating on processes and behavior at all levels: individual, communities, business, institutions and governments. We must redefine our way of life and consumption.”

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12/10/2021

What You Need to Know about the UN Biodiversity Conference

Human Wrongs Watch

(UNEP)* — Today [11 October 2021], world leaders are gathering in Kunming, China and virtually for the first phase of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP-15) to agree on a new set of goals for nature over the next decade. The second phase will be held in April-May 2022 due to the pandemic.

biodiversity2Shutterstock / 11 Oct 2021

Nature and biodiversity loss are accelerating the triple planetary crisis we face, along with climate change and pollution waste.

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12/10/2021

“We Are Losing Our Suicidal War against Nature” – UN Chief

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — With more than a million species at risk of extinction, countries must work now to achieve a sustainable future for people and the planet, Secretary-General António Guterres told leaders attending the UN Biodiversity Conference, which opened on Monday 11 October 2021 from Kunming, China.

© 2019 Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT/ Georgina Smith | A Kenyan farmer has been experimenting with a range of new seeds which is helping to increase biodiversity where she lives.

“We are losing our suicidal war against nature,” he said in a video message to the meeting, which is mainly being held virtually. 

12/10/2021

‘Trade Can Play a Pivotal Role in Addressing Climate Change’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Economies in the Asia-Pacific region need to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including to maintain their trade competitiveness as carbon taxes at borders threaten to rise, according to a new United Nations report.

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UN Photo/Kibae Park | Climate friendly transportation is one of the proposals of the report
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Around 16 million new jobs could be created in clean energy, energy efficiency, engineering, manufacturing and construction industries in the Asia-Pacific region, more than compensating for the estimated loss of five million jobs by downscaling industries.
10/10/2021

Avoiding a Cop-Out at COP-26

Human Wrongs Watch

By William Becker*

Time has run out for a polite phaseout of carbon fuels

The climate is changing faster than scientists and computer models predicted
The climate is changing faster than scientists and computer models predicted | Image from Wall Street International Magazine.

10 October 2021 (Wall Street International)* — With weather disasters becoming the rule rather than the exception worldwide, two inconvenient realities are clear.

First, the climate is changing faster than scientists and computer models predicted. Rather than exaggerating the threat of global warming, the experts have been too conservative.

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10/10/2021

Mangrove Blue Carbon for Climate Change Mitigation

Human Wrongs Watch

NAIROBI, Oct 7 2021 (IPS)* – Smelly, boggy, and full of bugs, mangroves’ superpowers are well hidden. However, there is rising confidence that mangroves are the silver bullet to combat the effects of climate change.

Approximately-75-percent-of-mangrove-forests-globally-remain-unprotected-and-overexploited.-Photo-Joyce-Chimbi-1024x768

Mangroves could be the silver bullet needed to mitigate climate change, however, approximately 75 percent of mangrove forests globally remain unprotected and overexploited. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

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10/10/2021

How to Manage the Damage from Oil-Spills

Human Wrongs Watch

9 October 2021 (UNEP)* — This month’s oil spill in California and the sinking of the X-Press Pearl off the coast of Sri Lanka in July have renewed attention to the environmental dangers of such disasters, especially the toll they take on marine and coral life.

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Photo by Shutterstock / 07 Oct 2021

 In this question and answer segment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) explores the dire impact of oil spills, the cost of clean-ups and what can be done to limit damage to the environment and ecosystems.

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