By Lisa Vives. Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — “Gold mining is one (of the) most destructive industries in the world. It can displace communities, contaminate drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments. It pollutes water and land with mercury and cyanide, endangering the health of people and ecosystems.” Those factors alone, cited […]
COP26: Final Communiqué Fails To Address Climate Change Impact On Food Security
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — About a third of global gas emissions come from agriculture and land use, yet, the final communiqué of COP26 failed to make any direct reference to the relationship between climate action and the world’s food systems. This is at a time, when the World Food Program (WFP) has […]
Indian Ocean Maritime Security and Regional Cooperation
Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira* COLOMBO (IDN) —Considering that half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments traverse through the Indian Ocean, the importance of the peace and security of the ocean cannot be overestimated. Furthermore, maritime transport and logistics are a […]
Oil and Water – Testing G20’s Faith in Private Creditors
By Alexander Kozul-Wright Alexander Kozul-Wright is a consultant for the Third World Network (TWN) based in Penang, Malaysia. GENEVA (IDN) — At the end of October, Glencore—the world’s largest commodities trader—revealed that core earnings were on course to top $3.2bn, eclipsing the company’s guidance expectations. For context, last year’s trading profits of US $3bn (before […]
Pacific Civil Society Concludes Regional Consultations on Climate-Related Mobility
Viewpoint by Sabira Coelho and Christopher Yee This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. FIJI (IDN) — In June 2021, the Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security (PCCMHS) programme hosted the regional civil society consultation on climate-related mobility. The online consultations were organised by the International […]
Found in Translation: New York Times Says Democrats Shouldn’t Challenge Oligarchy
By Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen* SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — A few days after the November 2 election, the New York Times published a vehement editorial calling for the Democratic Party to adopt “moderate” positions and avoid seeking “progressive policies at the expense of bipartisan ideas.” It was a statement by the Times editorial board, […]
As Political Leadership Falters, SGI Proposes Annual UN Youth Climate Summits
By Kurt Reynolds LONDON (IDN) — As the COP26 climate summit in Scotland was winding down, the long-term pledges and bountiful promises made by world leaders seemed never ending—stretching all the way to 2070. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a global roadmap to achieve a radical transformation of energy access and transition by 2030, while […]
Ardern Loses the Gloss as New Zealanders Protest About COVID Restrictions
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Last year, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was hailed by the western media as the heroine of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic because her country was able to weather the first onslaught of the pandemic, but today she is fighting to keep away thousands of protestors invading the parliament […]
UN’s New Work Style Generates 25 Per Cent Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations has long held the dubious distinction of not practicing at home what it preaches to the outside world—whether it is racism in the UN system, inequities in high-level appointments or gender inequalities in its staff. But it has proved its success at least in one […]
Food Insecurity At ‘Crisis’ Or ‘Emergency’ Levels Haunts More Than Half of Afghans
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — Forty years of war, recurrent natural disasters, chronic poverty, drought and the COVID-19 pandemic have devastated the people of Afghanistan. The recent upheaval has only exacerbated needs and further complicated an extremely challenging operational context, notes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its […]