SUSTAINABILITY Archives - Page 167 of 170

Peace & Security2016-03-222023-07-10

Empower Refugees to Become Agents of Their Own integration

News Insight by Inge Missmahl*

BERLIN (IDN) – One dark night in Aleppo, Alima decided to flee. For months, she had been worrying about her two children being wounded, raped, or killed. This was not home anymore, there was only destruction around her, and she had to protect that space within herself, which was still alive and gave her meaning: to be a mother and enable a future for her children.

Alima saw no other option than leaving behind everything she had ever known to seek safety from the bombs and the violence around her – in another country where she was determined to build a new life.

Alima arrived in a new country, which was surprisingly different from the one she had imagined – from the color of the sky to the smell of food. Furthermore, she found herself suddenly living together with many other strangers, squeezed into a tight facility where opportunities for privacy were basically non-existing. This was especially unsettling for someone coming from a culture that strictly separates private and public life.

Affordable Clean Energy2016-03-182023-07-10

Doubling Renewables by 2030 Can Save Trillions

BERLIN (IDN | INPS) – Doubling renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 is not only feasible, but cheaper than not doing so. It can save up to USD 4.2 trillion annually by 2030 – 15 times more than the costs, says a new report. Under existing national plans, the global renewables share would only reach 21 per cent by 2030. The report recommends options to boost the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix from just over 18 per cent today, to as much as 36 per cent by 2030.

Achieving this would increase the cost of the global energy system by roughly USD 290 billion per year in 2030, but the savings achieved through this doubling – thanks to avoided expenditures on air pollution and climate change – are up to 15 times higher than this cost, says the report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) REmap: Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Future, released on March 17 at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue.

Responsible Consumption & Production2016-03-152023-07-10

Thai Youth Learn to Develop a ‘Mindful’ Economic Behaviour

This article is the fourth in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

CHIANG MAI (IDN | Lotus News Features*) – The Mindfulness fad sweeping across the West today may be the new money-spinner for those “gurus” who charge hundreds of dollars for each session to teach its applications, often to improve one’s ability to navigate the global capitalist system to make more money for yourself. But, for the Thais it’s a 2500-year old philosophy taught by Gautama the Buddha to encourage moderation, self-reliance and contentment in your daily life.

Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol introduced mindful economic philosophy known as Sufficiency Economics to his subjects in 1997 when Thailand faced a severe economic crisis that led to many people committing suicide. In 1999 this concept became the guiding principles of Thailand’s national development policies. It has also been introduced to the national education curriculum both at primary and secondary level eight years ago.

Decent Work & Economic Growth2016-03-112023-07-10

Dutch Govt. Supports Sustainable Garment Production & Textile Industry

THE HAGUE (IDN) – A broad coalition of industry organizations, trade unions, civil society organizations and the Dutch government have tabled an agreement on international responsible business conduct in the garment and textile sector.

The parties to the agreement join forces in an effort to achieve practical improvements in and ensure the sustainability of the international garment and textile supply chain. For example, they want to address problems such as dangerous working conditions and environmental pollution.

Gender Equality2016-03-082023-07-10

OECD Countries to Improve Gender Equality in Public Leadership

PARIS (INPS | OECD) – The 34 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have strengthened their determination to work towards greater gender equality in public life – including in governments, parliaments and judiciaries – with concrete measures to improve women’s access to leadership and decision-making roles and integrate more of a gender perspective into public policies.

The OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life, launched on International Women’s Day and in the spirit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, calls on member countries to ensure fair pay and equal opportunities for women and men at all levels of government, in parliaments, judiciaries and other public bodies, enacting pay equality laws where necessary.

Gender Equality2016-03-082023-07-10

Rome UN Agencies Vow to Achieve Gender Equality Worldwide

ROME – Leaders of international organizations based in Rome gathered on March 8 to highlight the achievements and the real prospects for achieving gender equality. The speakers all agreed accelerating the empowerment of women everywhere is fundamental to achieving a zero hunger world and reaching the world’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The dialogue, ‘Planet 50:50: Step It Up for Gender Equality & Zero Hunger’, was jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

Gender Equality2016-03-072023-07-10

‘Step Up Action to Protect Refugee Women & Children from Violence’

BERLIN | NEW YORK | HAMBURG (INPS | World Future Council) – In a powerful joint statement, members of the World Future Council have urged governments, international organizations, humanitarian actors and civil society to step up action to protect refugee women, children and unaccompanied minors from violence.

Signatories including former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador María Fernanda Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Combating Desertification, Monique Barbut, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Scilla Elworthy, former Member of Parliament Tony Colman and Co-Founder of ‘Rising Women Rising World’ Rama Mani, called on world leaders to introduce comprehensive legal measures and services to ensure women’s and children’s safety in transit and reception facilities.

Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture2016-02-252023-07-10

Scientists Deal with a Silent Killer of Productive Lands

BEIRUT (INPS) – Salinity is one of the most severe environmental factors limiting agricultural productivity. According to the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), rising salinity is fast becoming a silent killer of productive lands in areas like the Indo-Gangetic Basin, Euphrates River Basin, Nile Delta, and Aral Sea Basin.

The global cost of salinity-afflicted loss in crop yields is roughly 27.3 billion USD per year, according to a recent study, ‘Economics of Salt-induced Land Degradation and Restoration’, published by the Research Program on Water and Land Ecosystems of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Moreover, the salinized areas are increasing at a rate of 10% annually for various reasons.

Oceans, seas and marine resources2016-02-232023-07-10

Scientists Warn of the Perils of Sea-level Rise

BERLIN (IDN) – During the past millennia sea level has never risen nearly as fast as during the last century, says a new study. It warns that even if ambitious climate policy follows the 2015 Paris Agreement, sea levels would rise by 20 to 60 centimetres by 2100 and stresses the importance of coastal protection.

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has in fact come to the conclusion that sea levels worldwide might rise by 50 to 130 centimetres by the end of this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced rapidly. For the first time it combines the two most important estimation methods for future sea level rise and yields a more robust risk range.

Peace & Security2016-02-142023-07-10

Countering Religious Hardliners Through Dialogue

TOKYO (IDN) – Religious identity, which in a broader context is perceived as belonging to a certain faith, is a topic of heated debate these days, mainly because a religious sense of belonging is directed toward achieving a certain goal by inflicting harm on others. The ongoing debate has been intensified in recent years with the concept of a clash of civilizations winning support among a group of Western academics and intellectuals.