4 December 2020 (UNEP)* — Each year, the world marks World Soil Day on 5 December to raise awareness about the growing challenges in soil management and soil biodiversity loss, and encourage governments, communities and individuals around the world to commit to improving soil health.
‘Soil Pollution Can Lead to the Emergence of New Pests and Diseases by Changing the Balance of Ecosystems…’
Soils Host More than 25% of World’s Biological Diversity. And over 40% of All Living Organisms in Terrestrial Ecosystems Are Associated with Soils
Human Wrongs Watch
New FAO report examines the potential of soil organisms in ensuring sustainable agri-food systems and mitigating climate change
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ROME, 4 December 2020 (FAO)* — Soil organisms play a crucial role in boosting food production, enhancing nutritious diets, preserving human health, remediating polluted sites and combating climate change, but their contribution remains largely underestimated, FAO on 4 December 2020 in its first ever report on “The State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity“.
The report was launched today on the occasion of World Soil Day, marked on 5 December.
Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity – World Soil Day
4 December 2020 (United Nations)* — Plants nurture a whole world of creatures in the soil, that in return feed and protect the plants. This diverse community of living organisms keeps the soil healthy and fertile.
This vast world constitutes soil biodiversity and determines the main bio-geochemical processes that make life possible on Earth.
Reducing Inequality: What Is Your Country Doing to Tackle the Gap Between Rich and Poor?
Human Wrongs Watch
By OXFAM International*
The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world that was already profoundly unequal. The failure to tackle inequality has left the majority of countries far more vulnerable and unprepared for both the health and economic impacts of the disease.

In the Central African Republic, the Covid-19 represents a health crisis which is added to an already alarming humanitarian crisis. One in two people in need of humanitarian assistance, and about 70% of health services are provided by humanitarian organizations. Photo: Aurelie Godet/Oxfam
How the Rich Get Richer
Human Wrongs Watch
Patients seeking treatment at the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. Credit: World Bank/Dominic Chavez
– Wealth begets wealth. This simple concept of privilege has added to growing discontent with inequality that has escalated under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional 207 Million People Could Be Pushed into ‘Extreme Poverty’ by 2030, Due to the Severe Long-term Impact of COVID-19, Bringing Total Number to More than a Billion
‘Put an End to the “Surreal and Absurd Dimension” of Human Rights Violations Engulfing War-Torn Yemen, Where Abuses Continue Unchecked’
Human Wrongs Watch
UN experts called on the Security Council on Thursday [3 December 2020], along with the international community at large, to put an end to the “surreal and absurd dimension” of human rights violations engulfing war-torn Yemen, where abuses continue unchecked. (*).

Stop Killing Our Children

Image from Wall Street International.
1 December 2020 (Wall Street International)* — Brazil is a young and fragile democracy and holds a most shameful record: it’s the country with the highest number of murdered teenagers worldwide.
In 2015 alone, 11,403 boys and girls aged 10 to 19 were homicide victims. Of these, 10,480 were boys – more than the total violent deaths of boys in conflict-affected countries, Syria and Iraq.
2020 May Be Third Hottest Year on Record, World Could Hit Climate Change Milestone by 2024 – World Meteorological Organization
Extreme weather compounds the impact of COVID-19

Cut Fossil Fuels Production to Ward Off ‘Catastrophic’ Warming: UN-Backed Report
Human Wrongs Watch
Countries must decrease production of fossil fuels by 6 per cent per year, between 2020 and 2030, if the world is to avert “catastrophic” global temperature rise, a new UN-backed report has found.*

Released, on Wednesday [2 December 2020], in the shadows of the coronavirus pandemic, the Production Gap Report also revealed that while the pandemic and resulting lockdowns led to “short-term drops” in coal, oil and gas production, pre-COVID plans and post-COVID stimulus measures point to a continuation of increasing fossil fuel production.

