By Jaya Ramachandran BONN (IDN) – The 28-nation European Union and 79 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group have reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, which entered into force on November 4, 2016. They also urged all member states to ensure concrete progress at the UN Climate […]
More Steps Forward on Human Rights than Backwards
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – When Donald Trump stretched his hand across our television screens on Sunday (November 12) to shake the hand of the Philippines’ president, Rodrigo Duterte, and then said he had “a great relationship” with him I felt my gorge contracting. Having tasted the great, if sometimes flawed, (remember the […]
Climate Scientists Warn of Unprecedented Risks to Humanity
By Jaya Ramachandran BONN (IDN) – Scientists are warning of a profound impact on human health and migration, leading to civil unrest and conflict. In a new statement to national representatives meeting in Bonn for the annual climate talks widely known as COP23, scientists said that Earth is approaching tipping points that threaten human security. […]
New Report Tells Business How It Can Help Build Just, Peaceful and Strong Institutions
By Santo D. Banerjee
NEW YORK (IDN) – Hundreds of millions of people in civil society contribute to peace and justice every day, by public service, supporting thousands of public and private organizations, solid citizenship or leadership, and perhaps most importantly of all, by simply practicing peaceful behaviour in all situations.
However, in an era dominated by large organizations, whether governmental or private, individual contributions to social stability have their limitations. A new report says that companies can play a critical role in helping achieve particularly Goal 16 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Financial and Economic System Reform Key to Achieving SDGs
By Jesse Griffiths*
BRUSSELS (IDN | INPS) – The Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious objectives; business as usual will not deliver them. Speaking on the recent International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the need for new thinking. “The pledge to leave no one behind will require innovative approaches, partnerships, and solutions,” he said.
But this new model will only come about if we radically reshape the national, regional, and global economies that lie behind many of the obstacles to achieving the SDGs. We must rethink the way we govern and manage the global financial and economic system.
Survival of Forests is Vital for Reaching Climate Change Goals
By Jutta Wolf*
BERLIN (IDN) – A key solution to saving tropical forests is to secure the land rights of the indigenous peoples and local communities, and to invest in them as an effective strategy for reducing deforestation and slowing climate change, according to the new findings released in Berlin on November 1.
It was no surprise therefore when Mina Setra, Deputy Secretary General of The Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said: “We are a proven solution to the long-term protection of forests, whose survival is vital for reaching our climate change goals. Yet in return, we face human rights violations, violence to our communities, criminalization of our peoples and the murder of our leaders.” The Alliance represents 17 million people in Indonesia.
Protecting Chimps is in Our Self-Interest, Says Eminent Conservationist
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK | MANILA (IDN) – Chimpanzees – which share some 99 per cent of their DNA with us – are in trouble, despite national protection efforts across Africa, says the world-renowned conservationist Ian Redmond.
“Although our zoological next of kin with the widest distribution of any ape apart from ourselves, they are an endangered species. Most are declining in number – victims of habitat loss and poaching – and have been extirpated in at least three, possibly five other countries,” he said.
Redmond – who is Ambassador to the Convention on Migratory Species – was speaking from the Philippines where he is participating in this year’s largest global wildlife summit. The triennial meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP12), which opened in Manila on October 23, has agreed to list Chimpanzees on both its Appendices to offer them much-needed trans-border protection.
Mayors, Innovators Explore Solutions for City Sustainability
By A.D. McKenzie
PARIS (IDN) – As thousands of Parisians headed to work on a recent Monday morning, an underground train in the Eiffel Tower area clanked to a halt, with the driver announcing an accident involving a member of the public on the tracks. Commuters had to quit the vehicle, scrambling to find alternative means of getting to their destinations.
The irritation and confusion were palpable, as streams of people exited the station. But for those who could cycle, Paris provides a public bike-sharing system, and dozens rushed to the bicycle stands, even as others headed to nearby bus stops or made the decision to walk.
Traditional Knowledge and Education Major Themes at Arctic Circle Assembly
By Lowana Veal
REYKJAVIK (IDN) – “Islanders have nothing to do with climate change though they may suffer the most,” Nainoa Thompson from the Polynesian Voyaging Society told an Arctic Circle seminar focusing on global perspectives on traditional knowledge, science and climate change. Thompson comes from Hawaii, but his co-speakers came from Thailand, Chad, Fiji, Kenya and Norwegian Lapland.
The plight of South Pacific islanders was one of the main themes of this year’s Arctic Circle Assembly, organised in Reykjavik for the fifth consecutive year. This year’s event (held from October 13 to 15) was particularly broad in scope, with a choice of 105 breakout sessions (seminars) as well as speeches and panel discussions.
Indoor Air Pollution Weighs Heavily on Developing Countries
By J W Jackie
RENO, Nevada, United States (IDN) – While there has been much focus on the consequences of pollution caused by vehicles and manufacturing, the effects of indoor air pollution have been neglected. Households are full of harmful chemicals including cleaning products, beauty products and gas stoves.
As these chemicals become trapped in enclosed spaces, the resultant air quality can be up to ten times worse inside than it is outside. Developing countries suffer low quality air more than wealthier nations, which is why tackling air pollution and poverty go hand in hand.