Archive for ‘Climate Crisis’

11/02/2021

Himalayan Flood Highlights High Mountain Hazards

dhouliganga-flood-pic-credt-information-department

The exact cause of the disaster is yet to be ascertained. Early assessments indicate that the event involved a large avalanche of ice and rock.

The role of climate-related drivers, and climate change, was not immediately clear. This was not the first such avalanche from these slopes, as experts have identified a similar (but smaller) event from late-2016.

read more »

10/02/2021

In Search for New Energy Direction

Human Wrongs Watch

By Aleksandra Pećinar*

Montenegro and Greece at the focal point of untapped oil and gas resources

Shallow water pipelay, Albanian waters
Shallow water pipelay, Albanian waters | Image from Wall Street International.

9 February 2021 (Wall Street International)* — The global economy, international geopolitics as well as intra-national security have hinged upon oil production capacity and petrol markets so thoroughly that this inseparability of oil economics and geopolitics makes them in fact two sides of a coin.

read more »

10/02/2021

Nature’s Nutritious Seeds: 10 Reasons Why You Should Opt for Pulses

Human Wrongs Watch

Find out why you should include pulses in your diet

medium_7d342759df9b0687f3e9bcd67fecdb9c
Pulses are an affordable source of protein and minerals for a large proportion of rural populations in the world. ©FAO

10 February 2021 (FAO)* — We see them at the grocery store, the farmer’s market and as side orders served with our favourite dish. In many countries, they are part of the cultural heritage and are consumed on a regular or even daily basis. In other parts of the world, they hardly garner a mention except when served in a soup on a cold winter’s day.

However, these tiny, multi-coloured seeds have been one of nature’s nutritious foods since time began. Here is why:

read more »

10/02/2021

For the Love of Pulses!

World Pulses Day, 10 February 2021

10 February 2021 (FAO)* — World Pulses Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses and their contribution to sustainable food systems and a world without hunger.

Pulses are critical in addressing the challenges of poverty, food security, human health and nutrition, soil health and environment, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Hand-in-Hand Initiative.

09/02/2021

Can the United States be trusted on climate?

Human Wrongs Watch

By William Becker*

The United States is second only to China in the amount of carbon dioxide

.

The Paris Agreement adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts
The Paris Agreement adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts | Image from Wall Street International.

9 February 2021 (Wall Street International)*  — One of the first things Joe Biden will do as President of the United States will be to revive U.S. participation in the Paris climate accord. Most other nations will be happy that “America is back”.

After all, the United States is second only to China in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) it dumps into the atmosphere.

read more »

09/02/2021

Creeping Corporate Statism, aka Fascism

By Ann Garrison | Black Agenda Report – TRANSCEND Media Service*

Despite depending on separate news media that purvey different realities, the two corporate parties both serve a corporate dictatorship.

When I look back to the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, four light years ago, the first image that comes to mind is that of Jimmy Dore’s conversation  with Glenn Greenwald about Congressmember Adam Schiff’s appearance on The Tucker Carlson show. Schiff is a Democrat representing California’s 28th District, and the military industrial complex
Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon are among his most generous campaign contributors.
.
He voted against  banning armed forces in Libya without congressional approval, voted against  removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, voted in favor  of the Iraq War, voted in favor  of arming moderate Syrian opposition rebels, and pushed  for the US to arm Ukrainian rebels.

read more »

09/02/2021

The West vs the Global South: You Have the Numbers. We Have the Money

*

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 9 2021 (IPS)* – When the 134-member Group of 77, the largest single coalition of developing countries, was trying to strike a hard bargain in its negotiations with Western nations years ago, one of its envoys famously declared: “You have the numbers. We have the money.”

When-Palestine_

When Palestine made history as Chair of the Group of 77 in 2019. The current chair is the Republic of Guinea. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elias

But that implicit threat– signifying the power of the purse– did not deter the G77 from playing a key role in helping shape the UN’s socio-economic agenda, including sustainable development, environmental protection, universal health care, South-South cooperation, eradication of extreme poverty and hunger—all of them culminating largely in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 and targeted for a 2030 deadline.

read more »

09/02/2021

A Major Intrusion of Sand and Dust from the Sahara Transformed Skies and Landscape over Europe, with Far-Reaching Impacts for the Environment and Health

8 February 2021 (WMO)* — A major intrusion of sand and dust from the Sahara transformed skies and the landscape over Europe on the weekend of 6-7 February, with far-reaching impacts for the environment and health. It once again highlighted the importance of accurate forecasts and warnings of this transboundary hazard.

.

jurasnow

read more »

08/02/2021

‘Companies that Ignore Their Impact on the Environment Don’t Just Alienate Customers and Turn Off Investors…’ Ultimately They Face “Existential Challenges”

Survival of the greenest: businesses must reduce their footprint

Nzambi_Matee_2020_UNEP_Young_Champions_of_the_Earth_winner_credit_Georgina_Smith_UNEP110

Photo credit: Georgina Smith/UNEP / 03 Feb 2021

8 February 2021 (UNEP)* — Companies that ignore their impact on the environment don’t just alienate customers and turn off investors. Ultimately, says a new business brief from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), they face “existential challenges”.

read more »

08/02/2021

Indebtedness Affects 68% of Returnee Migrants in Six West African Countries, Jeopardizing Their Reintegration at Home

Dakar, 7 February 2021 (IOM)* A study conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the impact of indebtedness on returnee migrants in six West African countries reveals that 68 per cent are in debt, while over two-thirds characterize either the shame or burden of their indebtedness as a hindrance to their reintegration in their home communities.

africa_debt_2_oim_2020_6

An IOM study on migrant debt reveals that the estimated amount of the indebtment of all returnees across the six countries surveyed may reach EUR 18 million Photo: IOM

As migration becomes increasingly hazardous and costly, many migrants take out loans and incur debt from relatives and friends to finance their journey.  On a personal level –social and psychological– many of those surveyed cited feelings of anxiety, failure, social isolation and fear of not being able to repay their obligations.

read more »