Robert J. Burrowes Human beings are now waging war against life itself as we continue to destroy not just individual lives, local populations and entire species in vast numbers but also destroy the ecological systems that make life on Earth…
Category: Biodiversity
The high costs of pesticides to society
A new study warns of the “very high costs” of current levels of exposure to pesticides in food, especially for children and pregnant women. It suggests that the damage caused by pesticides across the European Union amounts to at least…
The birds, the bees, and sustainability
Q&A with Robert Engelman: We asked Worldwatch researcher Robert Engelman, author of the “Our Bodies, Our Future: Expanding Comprehensive Sexuality Education” in Worldwatch’s EarthEd: Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet, about what motivated him to explore sexuality education to move…
GM crops bounce back with gains in production areas
Manila – Global acceptance of genetically modified (GM) crops sprang back in 2016 after suffering a decline in 2015, according to estimates by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).
Researchers in Cambodia find rare riverine bird in its nest
Phnom Penh, Jul 21 (AP/UNB)- Wildlife researchers in Cambodia have found a breeding location for the masked finfoot, one of the world’s most endangered birds, raising hopes of its continuing survival.
‘Bacteria never swim alone, form flocks with algae’
Lund University (Sweden) – Many animal species display flocking behaviour, but the fact that microorganisms do is not as well known. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that algae and bacteria form flocks at very low concentrations…
Communities step up to help save Jamaica’s forests
By Desmond Brown Kingston, Jamaica, Jul 12 (IPS) – According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 31.1 percent or about 337,000 hectares of Jamaica is forested. Of this, 26.1 percent or 88,000 is classified as primary forest,…
GCF discuss funding forestry sector projects
New Delhi, 13 July (Indrajit Bose) — The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) discussed matters related to funding activities in the forestry sector aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD-plus) in developing countries during its…
3-zone biosecurity offers new hope to Indonesian farmers
By Kanis Dursin Jakarta, Indonesia, Jul 10 (IPS) – Poultry farmer Bambang Sutrisno Setiawan had long heard about biosecurity but never gave serious thought to it, even when the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 forced him to cull thousands of…
GM crops to meet 50% increase of food demand by 2050
Dhaka – Agricultural scientists attending a seminar here today said introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops would help meet 50 per cent increase in food demand by 2050. “Traditional technology is not enough for solving future problems in agricultural production…
Unesco nod for Rampal with consent of countries: PM’s Adviser
Prime Minister’s Energy Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury on Sunday said Unesco has given its nod to Rampal coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans after getting consent from 12 countries without vote in this regard. “The statement issued by the Foreign…
Unesco withdraws objection from Rampal power project
Dhaka, Jul 6 – The World Heritage Committee of Unesco has withdrawn its earlier objection over the construction of Rampal power plant project at its current location. It has also spared the Sundarbans from being relegated to the List of…
Stop Rampal project: NCPS, BAPA ask govt
Dhaka – National Committee to Protect Sundarbans (NCPS) and Bangladeah Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) on Sunday renewed its call to the government to cancel the Rampal coal-fired power plant project for the sake of saving the Sundarbans. -UNB
Sustainability strategies – lessons learnt
by Jocelyn Ho Back in the 1970s Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman stated that the exclusive purpose of business is to increase its returns to stakeholders. He argued that companies adopting CSR would be faced with more binding constraints than…
Aquaculture main driver of mangrove losses
Jakarta – Expanding aquaculture in South-East Asia over the last two decades has been the main driver of mangrove loss in the world, says a study published in PLOS One this month (June). The study, conducted by a team of…
Manipur oil survey hits wall of opposition
Tamenglong June 21: People of Tamenglong have been suffering with the construction of railway tracks for the past 10 years. Now they are going to face another problem – oil exploration. To understand likely impact of oil exploration people gathered…
MEPs reject move to curtail ban on neonicotinoid pesticides
Members of European Parliament MEPs have overwhelmingly rejected an attempt by a UK Conservative MEP to oppose a full ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to bee decline.
Industrial waste destroys Narsingdi Rivers
Narsingdi – Industrial chemicals and wastes have destroyed most of the rivers including Shitalakhkha, Brahmaputra and Harikhola Rivers in the district, inflicting acute damage on the entire ecosystem of the locality. UNB news agency reported
Re-connect with nature now… before it is too late!
By Baher Kamal Rome, Jun 5 (IPS) – Now that president Donald Trump has announced the withdrawal of the world’s largest polluter in history—the United States, from the Paris Accord, perhaps one of the most specific warnings is what a…
Bangladesh suspends Chinese-Taiwanese Bonsai ficus planting
The government has suspended a decision to plant imported 500 Chinese and Taiwanese bonsai Ficus (Bot) as part of the beautification along the six-km stretch of road between Banani Level Crossing and airport intersection after criticism by naturalists.
10 ways to connect people to nature
Danielle Nierenberg The United Nations’ World Environment Day (WED) is a day dedicated to focusing attention and taking positive action on issues related to the environment. The theme is “Connecting People to Nature,” and is meant to encourage people around…
Tiger response team wins BB award for wildlife conservation
The Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), a community volunteer group supported by local conservation organisation WildTeam, has been awarded the ‘Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation 2017’ for its outstanding contributions to protecting critically endangered Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans. Prime…
Country exists for Sundarbans: PM
Dhaka – Highlighting the importance of the Sundarbans for the country’s existence, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said whatever project the government takes for development it does that keeping this mangrove forest in mind so that it does not…
Village Tiger Response Team wins ‘Bangabandhu Award’
Dhaka – The Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), a community volunteer group supported by local conservation organisation WildTeam, has been awarded the ‘Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation 2017’ for its outstanding contributions to protecting critically endangered Bengal tigers in the…
Country exists for Sundarbans: PM
Dhaka – Highlighting the importance of the Sundarbans for the country’s existence, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said whatever project the government takes for development it does that keeping this mangrove forest in mind so that it does not…
Lightning kills two cousins in Sandwip
Dhaka, Jun 2, – Two young cousins were killed in a lightning strike at Moghdhora of Sandwip upazila in the district of Chittagong on Thursday night.
After the march against monsano
On Saturday, May 20, activists took to the streets, all over the world, for the sixth annual March Against Monsanto protests. News reports like those from Switzerland, Bangladesh, Toronto and, here in the U.S., Denver and Miami painted a picture…
In Sylhet, court orders come a cropper against illegal stone mining
Sylhet – An influential syndicate continues to extract stone from some 14 acres of privately owned land at Kandubasti in Chailakhal, adjacent to the Piain River in Sylhet’s Gowainghat, in violation of court orders. UNB news agency reported
The great British bee count: foe, UK
TV presenters *Michaela Strachan* and *Ellie Harrison* are urging people to take part in Friends of the Earth’s Great British Bee Count, which begins today (Friday, 19 May 2017) and runs until 30 June. The Bee Count is also being…
Agony of mother earth world’s forests depleted for fuel
By Baher Kamal This is the second of a two-part series on how humankind has been systematically destroying world’s forests—the real lungs of Mother Earth. Part I dealt with the relentless destruction of forests. ROME, May 19 2017 (IPS) –…