SUSTAINABILITY – Page 178 – IDN-InDepthNews

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.

DEVNET2016-02-032023-07-10

Geothermal Energy for the Future – “Geo-Max”

This advertorial is part of IDN’s media project jointly with Global Cooperation Council and DEVNET Japan.

TOKYO – The increased occurrence of severe hot weather and record heat waves is creating disastrous situations for many people, but in some areas they do not possess sufficient resources – such as air-conditioning facilities and electricity to run those facilities – for protecting themselves. Solving the lack of access to air-conditioning systems will help thousands of people cope with global warming.

Gender Equality2016-01-222023-07-10

UN Acts To Achieve Complete Gender Equality Ahead Of 2133

BERLIN | DAVOS (IDN) – Declaring that the empowerment of the world’s women is “a global imperative”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the first-ever High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

The establishment of the Panel, backed by the United Kingdom, the World Bank Group and UN Women, was proclaimed in Davos, Switzerland, the venue of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), on January 21.

Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture2016-01-202023-07-10

Connecting Small Holder Farmers to Global Markets for Food Security

DAVOS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on January 20 an important agreement which is the next step towards unlocking opportunities for smallholder farmers in the developing world.

Climate Action2016-01-182023-07-10

UNFCCC Chief Praises UAE Founder’s Vision at Crown Prince’s Court

ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has abundant opportunities to diversify its economy away from oil as a result of the impulse of the Paris Agreement, the head of the UN climate convention said to a distinguished audience at the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Addressing the Court, Christiana Figueres said opportunities ranged from displacing coal on world markets via low cost gas supplies to ramping up the global deployment of renewable energy.

DEVNET2016-01-112023-07-10

A Practical Way Out of Chronic Poverty

TOKYO (IDN) – Poverty alleviation has been on the agenda of development cooperation since the early 1970s: Robert McNamara declared in 1973 that the World Bank’s mission is to eradicate poverty by 2000, and three years later the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), comprising world’s major donors, adopted the Basic Needs Approach. But the major challenge for the development community has been to find an effective method to provide substantial relief to the poor and deprived.

For some time, this issue was considered ideological, of a choice between growth and distribution. The last attempt at establishing a policy framework from an ideological perspective was the DAC’s policy declaration of 1996: Shaping the 21st Century; the Contribution of Development Cooperation. SPANISH | GERMAN | HINDI | JAPANESE

DEVNET2015-12-242023-07-10

UN Sees Key Role for Women in Post-2015 Development Agenda

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The United Nations, which has launched an intense world-wide campaign to ensure the full implementation of its post-2015 development agenda, is unequivocal in asserting that gender equality and women’s empowerment are indispensable to the realization of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders last September.

And Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is emphatic in his resounding political message: the world will never achieve 100 percent of its development goals until and unless 50 percent of its people — namely women—are treated “as full and equal participants in all realms.”

Reaffirming this message, Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri, deputy executive director of UN Women, told IPS gender equality and women’s empowerment are indispensable to the realization of sustainable development. SPANISH | GERMAN | HINDI | JAPANESE

DEVNET2015-12-222023-07-10

Helping Achieve Sustainable Development Goals

TOKYO (IDN) – In March 2013, I established DEVNET Tokyo, now DEVNET Japan, as this East Asian country’s sole branch of Devnet International, which enjoys since 1995 a Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Before launching Devnet Tokyo, I was engaged as an entrepreneur in manufacturing, processing, sales and distribution with focus on agriculture, fisheries, livestock and forest industries. Based in my hometown in the Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan, I had expanded my business and built a huge distribution network worth more than 55 billion yen (approximately $4.5 billion) annual turnover at the peak time. SPANISH | GERMAN | HINDI | JAPANESE

SUSTAINABILITY2015-12-172023-07-10

Trillions Needed to Help Countries Deliver on Climate Commitments

WASHINGTON (IDN) – Trillions, not billions, are required to transition to a low carbon and resilient economy and to prevent more than 100 million people, particularly in Africa and South Asia, being pushed back into poverty over the next 15 years, says the World Bank.

The World Bank Group has committed to increasing the share of its portfolio devoted to climate finance, from the current 21 percent, to 28 percent, over the next five years. “When including financing generated from other partners and associated private sector financing, such financing would amount to a potential $29 billion a year by 2020.”