The number of people killed by a powerful earthquake off the southern coast of Mexico has risen to at least 61, officials say. A huge rescue operation is under way in the worst-hit states of Tabasco, Oaxaca and Chiapas where…
Category: Green corner
BD Food-output loss 23pc sans sustainable river flows
Dhaka, Sept 8 – If Bangladesh fails to maintain environmental flow requirements (EFRs) in river ecosystems, it will face a food production loss of up to 23 percent in the future, says an international study. It highlights that India, Bangladesh,…
Over 5m told to flee Florida coast Irma onslaught
Miami, Sep 09 (AP/UNB) — Irma trained its sights on Florida and officials warned more than 5 million people that time was running out Friday and ordered them to evacuate ahead of the deadly hurricane as it followed a path…
How bad will Brexit really be for the UK?
by Graham Gudgin The great majority of the economic forecasts have concluded that Brexit will damage the UK economy. In the case of ‘no deal’ between the UK and the EU, the majority view is that the loss of GDP…
Tribunal on Myanmar minorities in Kuala Lumpur Sept 18
An international tribunal on the situation of the Rohingyas, Kachins and other minorities in Myanmar will convene in Kuala Lumpur from the 18th to the 22nd of September 2017. The venue will be the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya.
Exploitation of global sand supply becoming a crisis
When people picture sand spread across idyllic beaches and endless deserts, they understandably think of it as an infinite resource. But as we discuss in a just published perspective in the journal Science, over-exploitation of global supplies of sand is…
Creeping climate collapse
At least a decade ago, a retired general at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies said to me that the rich countries will never take climate change seriously until some very big and apparently climate-related disaster happens in…
Scaling up development finance
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur (IPS) – The Business and Sustainable Development Commission has estimated that achievement of Agenda 2030 for the Sustainable Development Goals will require US$2-3 trillion of additional investments annually compared…
Eco-towns and sustainable lifestyles of the future
by Julia Whitney Sustainable business and consumption initiatives have traditionally been driven by compliance with regulations. Now times are changing, and we are seeing innovative businesses benefit from green investments and products promoting sustainable consumption and lifestyles.
Ministerial meet in Italy to scale-up geothermal energy
Government and private sector leaders assemble to unlock geothermal’s 200GW of potential Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. — Leaders and ministers from more than 25 governments will meet in Florence, Italy on 11 September, to accelerate the global adoption of geothermal energy.…
Small entrepreneurs backbone of BD rural economy
By Shahiduzzaman Banaripara (Barisal), Sep 4 (IPS) – She was born in the early 1950’s to an ultra-poor family in Kundihar, a remote village of Banaripara of Barisal division in Bangladesh. She was a beautiful baby and her father named…
Missing zoo Python found in Rajshahi Judge’ Bangalow
Rajshahi – A python that went missing for 2 years from the Shaheed A H M Kamruzzaman Zoo of Rajshahi has been recently rescued from residence of District Judge of Rajshahi on Monday night.
‘REUTER’s misleading report on Ken Betwa Project’
Posted on September 2 by SANDRP New Delhi – On Sept 1, 2017, Reuters published a report[i] about Interlinking of Rivers, with focus on Modi flagging off work on Ken Betwa Project. The report was carried VERY widely, including in local,…
Plan to re-excavate 921 canals, 1611 large ponds
Dhaka, Sept 01 -The government has taken steps to re- excavate 921 canals and 1,611 large and small ponds in the country’s 56 districts to encourage rural youths for fish and poultry farming.
Agreement on export of spent nuclear fuel inked
Moscow, August 30 – The Governments of the Russian Federation and Bangladesh have on Wednesday signed a collaboration agreement on the import of spent nuclear fuel of Rooppur NPP to Russia.
On climate finance, “The SIDS Can’t Wait”
By Desmond Brown Castries, St Lucia, Aug 28 (IPS) – Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Allen Chastanet warns that the clock is running out for small states such as those in the Caribbean as they struggle to develop the infrastructure capable…
UNEP Young Champions: Vote for Bangladesh’s Nazbin
Dhaka, Aug 27 – Bangladeshi youth Shougat Nazbin Khan has been selected as one the five finalists in the Asia Pacific Region for the Champions of the Earth Award 2017.
Mobile app to helps sustainable waste management
AKM Moinuddin, UNB Staff Writer Dhaka, Aug 27 – A Bangladeshi youth has come up with an innovative idea to ensure sustainable waste management the lack of which remains a major health and environmental concern in urban areas of the…
Building climate resilience in coastal communities of the Caribbean
By Zadie Neufville Negril, Jamaica, Aug 24 (IPS) – Ceylon Clayton is trying to revive a sea moss growing project he and friends started a few years ago to supplement their dwindling earnings as fishermen. This time, he has sought…
Green activists want Saudi-like animal waste management
Green activists at a discussion here on Saturday urged the government to introduce Saudi Arabia-like modern waste management system to deal with the wastes of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha. They said millions of animals are sacrificed during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha,…
L.A. jury hits Johnson & Johnson over cancer link to its talc
A Los Angeles jury issued a $417-million verdict Monday against Johnson & Johnson, finding the company liable for failing to warn a 63-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer about the risks of using its talcum products.
Mobile court imprisons 8 men in Rajshahi
Rashahi – A mobile court has sentenced 8 men to imprisonment for different terms in Rajshahi on Wednesday. The court of Executive Magistrate Hamidul Islam has given those imprisonments on different allegations.
Jordan abolishes law allowing rapists to avoid prosecution
By IPS World Desk Romw, Aug 22 (IPS) – In just three weeks time, two Arab countries adopted major steps to combat violence against women, with Jordan abolishing a law allowing rapists to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims, while…
China’s renewable-energy revolution
Jiang Kejun and Jonathan Woetzel Beijing – At the start of 2017, China announced that it would invest $360 billion in renewable energy by 2020 and scrap plans to build 85 coal-fired power plants. In March, Chinese authorities reported that…
Climate migrants might reach one billion by 2050
By Baher Kamal Rome, Aug 21 (IPS) – Imagine a world with as many as one billion people facing harsh climate change impacts resulting in devastating droughts and/or floods, extreme weather, destruction of natural resources, in particular lands, soils and…
Govt, AL to pay for going against SC verdict: Moudud
Dhaka – The BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed on Monday warned that the government and Awami League will have to pay a heavy price someday for taking a conflicting stance against the Supreme Court verdict that revoked the 16th amendment.
HC summons Health Secretary over toxic paracetamol episode
Dhaka – The High Court on Monday summoned health secretary to explain his position over the present status of taking action against two officials of the drug administration for negligence in dealing with a case filed for manufacturing toxic paracetamol…
The all-women morning kitchen market ‘Bou Bazaar’ of Chandpur
Dhaka, Aug 20 – If anyone visits Chandpur municipality, a district down on the bank of the mighty Meghna in the mid-eastern part of Bangladesh, one should not miss a unique kitchen market on its Mayor Road where all the…
Berlin confce on Rampal Power Plant and alternative energy held
Berlin – The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports in Bangladesh (NCBD), European Network has demanded the cancellation of Bangladesh Government’s ongoing heinous project of 1320 MW Rampal Coal based power plant situated near world…
ADB-GCF deal to scale up climate finance in Asia
Dhaka – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on Thursday signed an Accreditation Master Agreement (AMA) that will allow ADB to access and administer GCF funds and scale up the bank’s climate financing to its…