By Baher Kamal Rome, Apr 25 (IPS) – It all happened on the very same day—4 April. That day, indigenous peoples were simultaneously characterised as fundamental allies in the world’s war on hunger and poverty, while being declared as collective…
Category: Green corner
Bamboo gaining traction in Caribbean as climate savior
By Desmond Brown Kingston, Jamaica, Apr 24 (IPS) – Keen to tap its natural resources as a way to boost its struggling economy, Guyana struck a multi-million-dollar deal with Norway in 2009. Under the deal, Norway agreed to pay up…
Amari Dhaka observes Earth Day
Dhaka – To fight for climate solutions on April 22, 2017 Amari Dhaka has celebrated Earth day by taking some environment friendly measures. Earth Day is a global reminder of our responsibility to preserve our home for generations to come.…
Save the Ganga – Sully the Ganga
On March 20, the Uttarakhand High Court declared the Ganga river as a “legal person”, creating many hopes, but also leading to many complex questions. What does the declaration mean? How could one now use this opportunity to empathise with…
Environmentalists slam power plant near Sundarban
Mumbai. More than 70 environmental groups have warned the construction of power plants near the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, a mangrove forest that is home to the Bengal tiger, would damage the environment and affect the livelihoods of millions. The coal-fired…
‘The ocean is not a dumping ground’
By Nasseem Ackbarally Port-Louis, Mauritius, Apr (IPS) – An internationally renowned scientist, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim became Mauritius’s sixth president on June 5, 2015 – and one of the few Muslim women heads of state in the world. Her nomination constituted a major…
Journalism as propaganda
by Simon Wren-Lewis A few days ago I took part in a Royal Economic Conference session on the implications of the Brexit vote. There is no need for me to describe how it went, as there is a good write…
Google Doodle celebrates Earth Day with important message
Google today celebrates Earth Day with a doodle, with the objective of encouraging people across the world to be more environmentally friendly.
Snowfall at springtime in Germany
Stutgurt, Germany – As the first spring rays of sun come out the German people like to soaking up the sun in the gardens, parks and outdoor cafes and enjoying eagerly anticipated beginning of the warm season. But Polar air…
Sustainability train has already well and truly left the station
Climate change and risks to fossil fuel industry: sustainability train has left the station Dhaka – Commercial activity in fossil fuels is increasingly at odds with global actions to reduce the threat of climate change. Burning coal, oil, and natural…
Caribbean pursues green growth despite uncertain times
By Desmond Brown Bridgetown, Barbados, Apr 14 (IPS) – Barbados and its Caribbean neighbours are continuing to press ahead with their climate change agenda and push the concept of renewable energy despite the new position taken by the United States.…
Malala Yousafzai becomes UN’s youngest messenger of peace
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Apr 10 (IPS) – Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai has become the youngest UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls’ education. During a designation ceremony, UN Secretary-General António Guterres selected and honoured Yousafzai…
Tomatoes, limes and sex-selective abortions
By Lyndal Rowlands The United States is withdrawing all of its funding from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) after claiming without evidence that the agency supports coercive abortions in China. UNFPA, which does not provide support for abortions anywhere, says…
Brazilian firm back to nature to meet fluctuating water demand
Timm Kroeger and Claudio Klemz Balneário Camboriú is both a famous Brazilian beach destination and a water supply management puzzle. The resident population of the city is just 170,000, but swells to over 800,000 during the tourist season. Like many…
Green power: Wave of the future
By Françoise d’Estais, Angus McCrone & Ulf Moslener Paris/Frankfurt/London, Apr 6 (IPS) – The price of renewable energy — especially solar power — continues to tumble, and the result is more green power generating capacity for fewer dollars. That’s the…
Supreme Court in focus as Sayedee conviction up for review
Dhaka – They people once again have their eyes on the top judiciary as it brought the two review petitions filed by war crimes convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee and the government against its verdict in the war crimes case.
Backing for UK councils to reduce grass-cutting to save bees
London, April 6 – Over 80 per cent (81%) of the public back calls for councils to help Britain’s under-threat bees by cutting areas of grass less often in parks and roadside verges to allow wild flowers to grow, a…
Can the SDGs be financed?
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, Mar (IPS) – Investment in the least developed countries (LDCs) will need to rise by at least 11 per cent annually through 2030, a little more than the 8.9…
Indonesian farmers weather climate change with conservation agri
By Kanis Dursin Jakarta, Mar (IPS) – Fifty-two-year-old farmer Theresia Loda was effusive when asked how conservation agriculture has changed her economic situation. “My corn harvest has increased fourfold per season since I started practicing conservation agriculture,” Loda told IPS…
Dredging fails to restore Ganges distributary in BD
M Mamun Sagor & Rafiqul Islam Dhaka, Apr 2 – The Gorai River Restoration Project (Phase-II), initiated in 2009 in Bangladesh part of the Ganges under Kushtia district, has failed to restore the natural flow of the distributary river and…
Autism in Bangladesh: Reducing discrimination thru innovation
By Saima Wazed Hossain Dhaka, Mar 30 (IPS) – Within the last 5 years, thanks to political support and national education, autism awareness in Bangladesh has grown immensely. Due to a lack of funds and resources, providing full comprehensive evidence…
Unjela Kaleem joins WSSCC as head of external affairs
Geneva, 30 March – The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is pleased to announce Ms. Unjela Kaleem as its new Head of External Affairs, Communications and Coordination.
Pruitt and the pesticide threat
Mojisola Ojebode Ibadan, Nigeria – A new report issued by the United Nations (UN) takes a controversial stance on synthetic pesticides. The conventional wisdom is that they are essential to feed the world’s growing population, which is expected to hit…
Waste company blasts off for the Red Planet
Yorkshire-based refuse and recycling company BusinessWaste.co.uk is proud to announce that its unique agreement to handle the waste for entrepreneur Elon Musk’s manned mission to Mars is to blast off today [1st April]. Britain’s fastest-growing waste company will now be…
Pesticides can be reduced without hurting productivity
A new study has found that low pesticide use rarely decreased productivity and profitability on arable farms. Researchers from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research assessed whether herbicides, fungicides and insecticides were associated with productivity or profitability in 946…
A carbon law to protect the climate
By Stephen Leahy Uxbridge, Canada, Mar 24 (IPS) – The Carbon Law says human carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced by half each decade starting in 2020. By following this “law” humanity can achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by mid-century…
Discrimination compounds global inequality: UN report
By Lyndal Rowlands UN, Mar 22 (IPS) – Despite 25 years of impressive global development, many people are not benefiting from progress due to persistent discrimination, according to a UN report released Tuesday.
Illegal buildings on St Martin’s: HC issues contempt rule
Dhaka – The High Court on Tuesday issued a contempt rule against 11 government officials including four secretaries for not complying with its 2011 order asking to demolish illegal structures at St Martin’s Island.
Can India and Pakistan bridge differences over river pact?
By Juliet Perry and Sugam Pokharel, CNN (CNN)For years, it’s been held up as a rare diplomatic success story between rivals India and Pakistan. But last year a long-standing river pact that governs how the two countries share crucial water…
Wintry breeze rules BD after winter officially ends
GW news desk with Abdur Rahman Jahangir, UNB Staff Writer Dhaka, Mar 19 – When the residents in the capital are feeling the pinch of summer heat and pleasant cold coming in a rotation for several weeks people in the…