This paper presents a status report of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) on two crucial development parameters—inequality and poverty—that have a significant bearing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; especially SDG-1 and SDG-10). The paper tracks the origins and movements of absolute and relative poverty, …
In a startling revelation, a new study has found significant increase in rates of obesity and overweight in both adults (28 per cent increase) and children (up by 47 per cent) in the past 33 years, with the number of overweight and obese people rising from 857 million in 1980 …
Almost a third of the world is now overweight, and no country has been able to curb obesity rates in the last three decades, according to a new global analysis. Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese, up from 857 million 33 years ago. …
Efforts to put a value on greenhouse- gas emissions to contain global warming are being hurt as countries from Australia to Russia and Japan pull back from carbon-reduction commitments, according to the World Bank. "While some nations are taking concrete steps forward on carbon pricing, recent developments in others are …
Efforts to put a value on greenhouse-gas emissions to contain global warming are being hurt as countries from Australia to Russia and Japan pull back from carbon-reduction commitments, according to the World Bank. “While some nations are taking concrete steps forward on carbon pricing, recent developments in others are a …
Beijing and Moscow failed to clinch an agreement to pipe Russian gas to China on the first day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Chinese state visit, signaling that price disagreements remain an obstacle to the long-stalled deal. Mr. Putin has made the multi-billion-dollar deal the top item of his two-day …
The death toll in Serbia from the worst flooding seen in 1,000 years has risen to 17 as the capital Belgrade braces itself for a “flood wave.” Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said today 12 bodies were discovered in the town of Obrenovac, 25 kilometers southwest of the capital, amid concern …
Renewable energy sources could reduce EU dependence on imported fossil fuels, often supplied from conflict-ridden countries If we needed a reminder of how politics and energy are inextricably linked, the Ukraine crisis has done us all a timely service. The price and supply of gas is rapidly becoming a major …
Russia has lifted its opposition to marine reserves proposed for the Antarctic, with Moscow for the first time laying down its demands to agree to the giant areas being protected. Opposition by Russia and a handful of other nations stymied two reserve proposals when they were put before Antarctic nations …
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday he was hopeful that a goal of limiting global temperature rises to a maximum 2 degrees Celsius could be achieved, but urged governments to take practical action before it was too late. "We have to ask the leaders to commit to bold …
Environmental activist Ramesh Agrawal, who helped villagers stop a massive coal mining project, is among six people around the world to be awarded the prestigious Goldman Environment Prize, the organisation said. The annual prize honours outstanding grassroots environmentalists for their sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural …
An Indian who helped villagers fight a large coal mine is among six environmental activists from around the world who have won the Goldman Prize. Ramesh Agrawal organised villagers in the central state of Chhattisgarh and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest planned coal mines in the area. …
Six environmental advocates from India, Peru, Russia and three other nations have won this year's Goldman Prize, which is awarded annually for grass-roots activism. India's Ramesh Agrawal received the prize for helping villagers fight a large coal mine in Chhattisgarh state, the San Francisco-based Goldman Environmental Foundation said Monday. Peru's …
Industrialized nations' greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.3 percent in 2012, led by a U.S. decline to the lowest in almost two decades with a shift to natural gas from dirtier coal, official statistics show. Emissions from more than 40 nations were 10 percent below 1990 levels in 2012, according …
Six environmental advocates from India, Peru, Russia and three other countries have won this year’s Goldman Prize, which is awarded for grass-roots activism. The Goldman Environmental Foundation said India’s Ramesh Agrawal received the prize for helping villagers fight coal mining in Chhattisgarh. Peru’s Ruth Buendia was recognised for helping to …
Apple is offering free recycling of all its used products and vowing to power all of its stores, offices and data centres with renewable energy to reduce the pollution caused by its devices and online services. The iPhone and iPad maker is detailing its efforts to cultivate a greener Apple …
Both Dhaka and Moscow have failed to complete negotiations to initial a deal which both sides termed the ‘third and final contract’ for the construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project, reports UNB According to official sources, the deal was scheduled to be inked by both sides on Wednesday …
Latest estimates announced on Friday have revealed some worrying findings about the growing burden of cancer in India. The latest figures published in the British medical journal The Lancet show that around one million new cancer cases are being diagnosed in India each year, projected to nearly double to 1.7 …
Over 1 in 10 deaths globally caused by Ischaemic Stroke (IS) due to tobacco was reported in India. The revelation is part of a study by Oxford University which was released on Friday. Out of 187 countries, the number of people dying of stroke is third highest in India. Only …
Almost a quarter of Europe's bumblebees are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitats and climate change, threatening pollination of crops worth billions of dollars, a study showed on Wednesday. Sixteen of 68 bumblebee species in Europe are at risk, the Red List of the International Union for …
As IPCC report warns of climate impact on food security, researchers are looking at whether talking about food could break political deadlock on global warming Reframing climate change as a food issue as the world's leading scientists did this week could provide an opportunity to mobilise people, experts say. Academics …
