Mostafa Kamal Majumder The other day a man in his early sixties was awaiting the arrival of a doctor for exercise tolerance test of his heart at a famous diagnostic centre in Dhaka. The doctor, very busy doing his shift…
Category: Green corner
The death of world heritage sites
Martin Wagner and Noni Austin San Francisco, California – Climate change has clai med another victim. Almost one-quarter of the coral in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area – one of the world’s richest and most complex ecosystems –…
Mission: Save the environment
Sean B. Carroll Chevy Chase, Maryland – Picture this. It is 1966. You are standing in a government office in Washington, DC, watching a uniformed official tell a man in business attire, “Your mission is to eradicate an enemy that…
From Brexit to the future
Joseph E. Stigliz New York – Digesting the full implications of the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” referendum will take Britain, Europe, and the world a long time. The most profound consequences will, of course, depend on the European Union’s response to…
Doubling down on european energy efficiency
Paul Hofheinz Brussels – At the COP21 conference in Paris last December, world leaders made a binding pledge to set national targets, including energy-efficiency benchmarks, for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Now, the European Commission is nearing a moment of truth: Will…
Microfinancing climate resilience
Mark Malloch Brown London – Vulnerable communities face the brunt of climate change – from rising sea levels and extreme weather events to prolonged severe droughts and flooding. According to the World Bank, without effective mitigation measures, climate change could…
Indian artist creates green version of elephant idol
When Indian artist Dattadri Kothur saw the pollution caused by an annual Hindu tradition of immersing elaborately decorated idols of the elephant-headed god Ganesha in the sea, he decided to do something about it. The 30-year-old has come up with…
‘Virtual’ battery storage power plant to ease electricity price spikes
By Andrew Spence A 5MW battery storage ‘virtual power plant’ will be established in South Australia in a bid to stabilise volatile power prices and support renewable energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has conditionally committed up to $5…
Excessive police force protested in Armenia
Yerevan – Armenian police used excessive force against peaceful protesters on July 29, 2016 and assaulted journalists reporting on the demonstrations, Human Rights Watch said today. Police used stun grenades, which wounded dozens of demonstrators and some journalists, some severely.…
Keraniganj prisoners feeling amenity pinch
Barley one week into their shifting from the old Dhaka Central Jail, the inmates of the newly-built Keraniganj Central Jail have started grappling with various problems, including incomplete amenities.Severe scarcity of water, delayed meals and inability to meet visitors are…
Infosys, Tata Motors among 10 top Indian firms ready for green pledge
Some of India’s top-listed companies are set to take the ‘green’ pledge by committing to source 100% of their electricity from renewable energy. At least 10 Indian blue chip firms, spanning a wide range of sectors, are in talks with…
A new breed of business for the SDGs
Imogen Mathers Global leaders from business, civil society and universities meet in New York, United States, today for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit. They will debate what the organisers call the “tremendous market opportunity for businesses … to invest,…
Natural cold storage effective for vegetable preservation
Natural cold storage is being adjudged as an effective means of long-term preservation of vegetables and some other seasonal fruits and green spices like garlic and green chili in organic way and its prospect is very much bright in the…
Strengthening agriculture-biodiversity linkages for food security
Since 1993, the Trondheim Conferences on Biodiversity have provided a valuable forum for dialogue amongst stakeholders on key issues relating to implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Against the backdrop of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020…
Who is talking about current world news and why
Find Out Who is Talking About Current World News and Why You Should Be Concerned Yet, there’s always some great news. You’ll eventually be presented with various current world news story thumbnails. You can refrain from being this kind of…
Greening alone not enough to protecting the environment
S Kunjabihari Singh Plantation could be only one important factor for reducing pollution, for helping sustaining the atmosphere and maintaining the eco-system. A host of other measures are called for to arrest the rise in global warming. Global warming is…
World Heritage meeting reveals emerging threats to European sites
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee on 14 July expressed concern over three sites facing severe pressures from harmful industrial activities, but failed to take bold action to protect them. At the meeting, WWF objected to a sharp logging increase in…
Biodiversity is below safe levels across over half of world’s land
Habitat destruction has reduced the variety of plants and animals to the point that ecological systems could become unable to function properly, with risks for agriculture and human health, say scientists.The variety of animals and plants has fallen to dangerous…
Agenda 2030 – a new start towards global sustainability?
Related Documents 2016_spotlight_ch1_1.pdf By Jens Martens on behalf of the Reflection Group on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted unanimously at the United Nations by world Heads of States and Governments in September…
Cities’ sustainability marred by destruction of forested carbon sinks.
Washington, D.C.- Urban centers lie at the root of an important—–and often neglected—–source of emissions: deforestation. According to Senior Researcher Tom Prugh in Can a City Be Sustainable?, the latest edition of the annual State of the World series from…
Seaweed gains ground as pillar of food security in South America
By Orlando Milesi Matanzas, Chile, (IPS) – Seaweed, a nutrient-rich foodstuff that was a regular part of the diet of several South American indigenous peoples, is emerging as a new pillar of food security in Latin America and is providing…
Changes in Russian law threaten world famous nature reserves: WWF
World Heritage sites and critical nature reserves in Russia will face new and expansive threats following a vote on Friday to reduce environmental protections across the country. The Russian parliament vote weakens protections for natural areas and favors the expansion…
The limits to green growth
Lili Fuhr , Thomas Fatheuer and Barbara Unmüßig Berlin – In recent years, the push to build a “green economy” that can deliver the world from continual environmental and economic crisis and usher in a new era of sustainable growth…
Green industry conf begins in S Korea Tuesday
The fourth green industry conference titled ‘Green Industry for Sustainable Cities’ begins in Ulsan, South Korea on Tuesday. Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu will attend the three-day conference representing Bangladesh. He left Dhaka for Korea on Saturday night, said an…
Keeping the woods lovely, dark and deep…
By S Gopikrishna Warrier India was the first country to develop a legislation for biodiversity. Yet, conserving this resource needs to be part of the national policy instead of it being seen as the goose which lays the golden eggs.…
Measure of food waste aims to put more on plates
A third of all food is spoiled or thrown away worldwide as it moves from where it is produced to where it is eaten. A new global standard for measuring food loss and waste will help countries and companies step…
Norway moves towards universal electric vehicles by 2025
Norwegian politicians have reportedly agreed on a policy to ban new fuel car sales after 2025, a move that will propel the world’s leading adopter of electric vehicles towards universal EV ownership. Is the country with the world’s highest adoption…
Wildlife trafficking should be policy priority
By Isabelle Louis and Jeremy Douglas BANGKOK, Jun 5 2016 (IPS) – This year’s World Environment Day on June 5 puts the spotlight on the illegal trade in wildlife. The problem has particular significance in Asia, which is the destination…
Green activists demand cancellation of plots allotted for tanners
Dhaka – Green activists here on Saturday demanded immediate cancellation of the plots allocated for tanners as they failed to relocate their factories from Hazaribagh to Savar within the stipulated time, Unb news agency reported. They also demanded penalising the…
The case for burning ivory
Chris Alden and Ross Harvey Jo’burg – Kenya is about to destroy its entire stockpile of elephant ivory. More than 100 metric tons of “white gold” – both illegally harvested (confiscated from poachers or traders) and naturally accruing (from natural…