OPINION

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 Organization for Migration (IOM) and provided an opportunity for civil society representatives from around the Pacific to review the human security implications of climate change-related migration, displacement and planned relocation, share experiences about how climate-related mobility is impacting communities and talk towards the development of a regional based solution.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 13 November 2021

Descending From Sugar Pyramids to Pounds of Bitters, Fruits and Vegetables

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — The cold blast of the air conditioner from the room hit me by surprise as I opened the door. I wasn’t expecting a draught from inside at eight on a damp morning. But there was my cousin under the duvet, hugging what seemed like a pillow as he snuggled diagonally across the bed, deeply asleep.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 11 November 2021

"The grim reality of climate change, especially for many Small Island Developing States like my beloved Cook Islands, is evidently clear." Coastal flooding in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Image: Creative Commons

It’s Time to Deliver on Pacific Climate Financing

Viewpoint by the Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown

Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, is also the Pacific Political Champion for Climate Finance at COP26. While not attending the COP this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Prime Minister Brown is providing support and undertaking this role remotely. This article is republished with permission from Radio New Zealand and Asia Pacific Report.

AVARUA DISTRICT (IDN) — After years of empty promises by major emitters, it’s time to deliver on climate financing.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 10 November 2021

We Should Start A World-Wide One Tree Movement

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Belem is the Brazilian city at the mouth of the Amazon. Unlike its slummy counterpart, Kinshasa, at the mouth of the Congo, it’s full of resplendent streets with stylish nineteenth century houses. It has squares and marketplaces replete with variegated cafes, pluming fountains and the bustle of an interesting, cosmopolitan, life.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 09 November 2021

Muslims Must Speak Out

Viewpoint by Rahul Singh

The writer is a former Editor of Reader's Digest, Indian Express and Khaleej Times (Dubai). He is presently a columnist for the Tribune, and a freelance writer.

NEW DELHI (IDN) — Two persons have been in the news lately, both connected to films: Actor Naseeruddin Shah, and lyricist Javed Akhtar. I don’t know them personally, except that I once played tennis with Naseeruddin and interviewed Javed for a major Indian daily. But that was many years ago.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 08 November 2021

Photo: More than 300 houses and two churches in Thantlang, Chin state, burned down by junta troops, according to a report on October 30. Credit: mizzima.com

Myanmar Junta Becomes Internationally Isolated but More And More Bloodthirsty Against Its Own People

Viewpoint by Jan Servaes

The author was UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change (2011-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands, and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of the 2020 Handbook on Communication for Development and Social Change.

BRUSSELS (IDN) — Since the February 1 coup in Myanmar, analysts have been anticipating a protracted civil war scenario, citing the example of Syria.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 06 November 2021

Photo: Livestock management is key in adapting to climate change. Credit: Busani Bafana

In Saving the Planet, What Should We Keep, Cows or Cars?

By Busani Bafana

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (IDN) — Livestock has been vilified as one key sources of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which has contributed to global warming.

There have been global calls for a shift in livestock production and even removing meat off the menu in favour of plant-based diets to save the planet.

But there is greater need to differentiate livestock production systems because not all milk and meat are the same, according to a new report by the PASTRES research programme published ahead of the COP26 climate conference.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 04 November 2021

Photo: A leaked copy of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on political victimization being handed over. Source: Colombo Telegraph

Murders Sans Murderers in “The Land Like No Other”

Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa*

“The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them—Lois McMaster Bujold.

NEW YORK (IDN) — The phrase “the land like no other” justifiably portrays Sri Lanka—the resplendent island to attract tourists but the country is also condemned for its murders, abductions, tortures, and disappearances of thousands of its citizens—without justice.

Justice is still pending in the April 2019 gruesome Easter Sunday suicide attacks on three churches and luxury hotels that killed almost 300 and injured at least 500 persons.

: Somar Wijayadasa; OPINION; 04 November 2021

Photo: Greta Thunberg leads protests in Italy ahead of COP26. Credit: Radio Habana Cuba.

COP 26: Can a Singing, Dancing Rebellion Save the World?

Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies*

NEW YORK (IDN) — COP Twenty-six! That is how many times the UN has assembled world leaders to try to tackle the climate crisis. But the United States is producing more oil and natural gas than ever; the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere and global temperatures are both still rising; and we are already experiencing the extreme weather and climate chaos that scientists have warned us about for forty years, and which will only get worse and worse without serious climate action.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 03 November 2021

Photo credit: Outflow_Designs/Shutterstock

UN Role in Restraining the Dark Side of Emerging Technology

Viewpoint by Denise Garcia

This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

BOSTON (IDN) — In May 2021, the United Nations Security Council met for the first time to discuss the role of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), in peace and security. In the following month, the Security Council met to discuss how to keep peace in cyberspace, also for the first time, ushering emerging technologies to the highest level of diplomatic efforts at the United Nations (UN).