'Unseen' News and Views
30 October 2020 (Wall Street International)* — There are no signs of a halt to the arms race… on the contrary, production of the most modern 5th and 6thgeneration technological weapons and the most terrifying and lethal weapons continues unabated.
30 October 2020 (UNEP)* — 31 October is World Cities Day. The theme for 2020 is Valuing Our Communities and Cities.
Photo: UNEP / 30 Oct 2020
For the Day, we look back to one of our Young Champions of the Earth from 2017, Latin America and Caribbean winner Liliana Jaramillo.
In the capital city of Quito in Ecuador, she has been working to build green roofs that host native plant species. Not only do plants beautify urban spaces, but they also reduce air pollution and provide habitat for birds and insects.
Bonn, 29 October 2020 (UNEP)* – Future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, do more damage to the world economy and kill more people than COVID-19 unless there is a transformative change in the global approach to dealing with infectious diseases, warns a major new report on biodiversity and pandemics by 22 leading experts from around the world.
Rome (FAO)* — Efforts to restore the world’s degraded forests and landscapes must be scaled up to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, said FAO in a new publication released on 28 October 2020.
Land and forest degradation are among the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Globally, 25 percent of the total land area has been degraded. To safeguard the future of our planet, major actions are needed to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
27 October 2020 (openDemocracy)* — Despite our best intentions, Trump’s name is on everyone’s lips, yet I have no interest in the sordid details of his psyche. His pathologies are a matter of indifference. It’s clear to me that he’s a violent, dangerous lunatic. His desperate attempts to win attention and adulation likely stem from abuse he suffered as a youth.
Cities are growing – and so is the opportunity to make them sustainable
Good urban planning, including promoting green spaces and sustainable food systems, can have a positive effect on food security and nutrition. It can also help to improve the livelihoods and well-being of people in urban and peri-urban communities. ©Roschetzky Photography/shutterstock.com
(By FAO)* — Over half of the world’s population now lives in cities. With that number expected to rise to 68 percent by 2050, urbanisation is one of the world’s most transformative trends.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 