Central to the achievement of the Agenda for Sustainable Development is an adequate, equitably distributed and fully supported health workforce. Nurses are the largest occupational group and represent an indispensable force with which to combat inequities in access to health services and progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while …
the prime minister of uk, Tony Blair, has announced a review of the country's energy policy in a written answer to the parliament on June 25. He announced the setting up of a review group under the Performance and Innovation Unit ( piu ) of the cabinet office that will …
When roads become an extension of living rooms When Hannes Linck moved in August 1999 to Quartier Vauban, a newly-built neighbourhood in the southern German city of Freiburg, he decided to sell off his car. Hannes lives with his wife and two children in a flat built by a housing …
Whereas European cities are making an effort to return to walking and cycling through innovative ways of pedestrianisation and car-restraint policies, the tradition of cycling and walking is being squeezed out of Asian cities. Only Japan and Singapore are making some efforts to revive these practices. In Chinese cities, where …
Latest NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) satellite maps reveal that most of the world's glaciers are shrinking. Rick Wessels of the US Geographical Survey, based in Arizona, compared thousands of satellite images to aerial photographs dating back 20 years and found almost every mountain glacier in Patagonia, the Himalayas, …
italy has wavered from its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, jeopardising Europe's commitment to fight global warming. Italian officials have urged the European Union ( eu ) to acknowledge the fact that Kyoto is effectively dead without the us support. "The us participation is essential to achieve the ultimate objective …
What are the dangers posed by detergents? The detergents contain phosphates which pose a threat to the environment. What are phosphates used for in detergents? Phosphates perform many functions in washing powders and detergents.They soften hard water by bonding with calcium ions. This way they prevent the lime included in …
some European countries and the us had plans to dump 29 million tonnes of toxic wastes in 11 African countries. But their plans were stalled in the wake of widespread protests from African communities. These are the findings of a new report, which was recently released by Oladele Osibajo, Nigeria's …
More than 500,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides are threatening the environment and the health of millions of people in almost all developing countries, warns the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Asia accounts for 200,000 tonnes of these pesticides, Africa for 100,000 tonnes and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent …
Clean Air for Europe (cafe), a programme recently launched by the European Commission, aims to disseminate information about air pollution and prepare the European Union for 2004, when many of the existing air quality directives will require revision. The programme is the first strategy announced as part of the commission's …
the European parliament has made amendments in a draft law making electronic equipment manufacturers responsible for recycling their products. The law will cover all electronic goods used in the European countries. It will encourage production of ecofriendly products that can be easily reused or recycled. "Manufacturers and consumers are going …
when a non-native species of plant or animal invades, some native species are threatened by the encroachment on their niches. Some loose the battle and go extinct. The time lapse between the introduction of the new species and the extinction of the natives can be so long that the loosing …
less than 50 people founded the entire population of Europe, according to a new and accurate way of reading history from the human genome. Scientists previously believed that the 500 million people living in Europe today are ancestors of about 10,000 people who left Africa around 100,000 years ago. Scientists …
fifty of the 69 rivers in Europe have poor ecological quality and most European countries have inadequate environmental monitoring systems, a new report states. Water and Wetland Index by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( wwf ) assessed the ability of freshwater systems in 16 European countries to meet …
the presence of illegal genetically modified ( gm ) material in seeds is unavoidable, an European Union ( eu ) scientific committee has stated. The Scientific Committee on Plants ( scp ) in its report Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Plants concerning the adventitious presence of gm seeds in …
japan and the European Union (eu) have legislated to make manufacturers responsible for recycling their products once they have reached the end of their useful life. In Japan it is the electrical appliance producers and in Europe the car manufacturers who will have to adhere to these regulations. In Japan, …
at least 37 major cities of Europe are discharging their waste without treating it, according to the European Commission (ec). The result is degraded habitats, including the eutrophication of the North, Baltic and Adriatic seas. One of the main culprits is Brussels, which did not have facilities to treat waste …
