Mir Lutful Kabir Saadi Secondhand smoke is simply other people’s tobacco smoke. Wherever people smoke, there is secondhand smoke in the air. There is no doubt breathing second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is dreadfully dangerous to health. It causes cancer, as…
In a free market economy the incentive to externalize costs is so huge that the seller and the buyer get into an unapologetic understanding to get away with it. Cheaper products are a marketing gimmick. Enticing nonetheless, deep discounts on…
On December 12, 2014, the first ever Universal Health Coverage Day was observed throughout the world. The United Nations in its 67th General Assembly unanimously endorsed Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as an important step in the global fight against health…
Green activists from separate demonstrations in the capital and Barisal on Friday demanded that the government take immediate steps to remove oil spilled across a vast area of the Sundarbans from an oil tanker. In the capital, Sundarbans Rakkha Jatiya…
The authorities’ plan to clean up the spilled oil of ‘OT Southern Star 7’ by local people using foam and other oil-sucking materials got poor response as the furnace oil collection has become difficult due to its continuous spread to…
Washington, DC – The US Senate Intelligence Committee’s report summary on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) detention and interrogation program is a powerful denunciation of the agency’s extensive and systematic use of torture, Human Rights Watch said today. The 525-page…
Ronny Jumeau, Seychelles Ambassador for Climate Change and SIDS Issues For islanders, the ocean is never an afterthought. The ocean is at the core of every part of our lives; we are shaped by it and in turn the way…
Maika Müller, Global Water Partnership (GWP) Water is the common medium through which a changing climate impacts us, but it is also the bloodstream of our universal wellbeing. The impacts of climate change through water are revealed in extreme weather…
Soscha de la Fuente, Dutch Youth Representative on Sustainable Development to the UN One of the big surprises for youth at this COP has been the Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising, put forward by Peru and Poland. COP19 President…
Jessica Olson, Sierra Student Coalition As countries are called upon to raise ambitions regarding emissions targets, Gender Day stands as a reminder that ambition must encompass more cross-cutting issues. Gender Day emerged at COP18 in Doha and has since become…
Washington DC – The region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is already a global low-carbon leader in terms of power generation from hydrological and biomass resources. Declining costs, maturing technologies, and vast untapped potentials including geothermal, solar, and…
Soil is a vital contributor to human well-being. Soil is a key element of agriculture on which crops are being grown for the consumption of humans and animals as food. According to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 95% of…
The 12th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Bangladesh Water Partnership held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium on Saturday decided to highlight in detail in its secretary general’s report the activities of the local area water partnerships,…
Civil society leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America have urged government delegates attending the UNFCCC Cop-20 in Lima to consider the urgency of a legally binding climate deal while super typhoon Ruby is about to thrash on the Philippines.…
Shalini Sharma All major cities in India are now witnessing major infrastructure growth and expansion of their boundaries. With this massive infrastructure construction underway, the resources of cities are put under stress. Energy requirements are skyrocketing, which places a huge…
By Jagoda Munic LIMA,(IPS) – In November, the world’s top climate scientists issued their latest warning that the climate crisis is rapidly worsening on a number of fronts, and that we must stop our climate-polluting way of producing energy if…
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The sad demise of eminent journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury on Saturday night has come as a shock to all not only because of the suddenness with which the end came to the glorious career of a gentleman…
Optimum aquifer recharge in the Hard Barind area is very important to protect its overall public health alongside the existing agricultural ecosystem by managing a groundwater basin efficiently and effectively, scientists and researchers at a workshop here said Saturday. They…
President Barack Obama recently pledged $3 billion for Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change which include tasks like helping vulnerable communities with early-warning systems, stronger defenses against storm surges, and climate-resilient…
Robert J. Burrowes In a recent article, full of insight, Professor Bill Quigley identified ten different illegal actions police often take ‘to prevent people from exercising their constitutional rights’ to take nonviolent action to address a grievance. He noted that…
By Stephen Leahy Uxbridge, Canada (IPS) – This December, 195 nations plus the European Union will meet in Lima for two weeks for the crucial U.N. Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, known as COP 20. The hope in…
By Vaidehi Shah Former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday told 450 business leaders at the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development that green growth is a “no-brainer” and urged them to put it into practice. “Governments must demonstrate…
By Grace Chua Singapore’s Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu on Tuesday urged businesses to be aware of their responsibility to the environment, observing that being sustainable can also open up business opportunities. Addressing 450 business…
Washington D.C- Haiti’s electricity sector stands at a crossroads. Haiti depends on imported petroleum for 85% of its electricity generation, diverting 7 percent of its annual gross domestic product to importing fuel. Still, only 25% of the Haitian population has…
by Danielle Nierenberg, Sarah Small, and Kathleen Murphy Thanksgiving is a good time to remember to be grateful for farmers, farm laborers, cooks, and food service workers. Unfortunately, while we are giving thanks for the harvest, we are also wasting…
Sushovan Dhar This region is termed ‘poor’ not because it lacks any potential –natural or human – but it has not been able to guarantee accountable democracy In a few days from now, the 18th Saarc summit will be held…
Sudhirendar Sharma With online retailers in fierce competition to lure internet-savvy consumers, markets are abuzz with a wide range of cheap products on offer. The convenience of online shopping has helped consumers throw caution during economic slowdown to the winds.…
Mostafa Kamal Majumder Nobel Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus has called for redesigning the economy to redesign the world. His short write-up published in the news media on Monday has been received by readers across the globe with praise for his…
Recently a cat show was held at National Press Club Dhaka organised by Cat Concern, an affiliate of Animal Concern of Bangladesh to express love and concern for the animals, especially the pets. It was stated to be the first…
Muhammad Yunus Will the present economic system be able to establish appropriate level of moral, social, and material balance in the world? I don’t think it can. The present system is like an impersonal sucking machine which thrives on continuously…