In a world of higher electricity demand growth, clean electricity is stepping up to the challenge. Spearheaded by exponential solar expansion, clean power is set to grow faster than demand, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. 2024 both clarified and consolidated the shape of the global …
Picking up from the outcome of the Copehagen talks last year, which left most countries bruised or confused, climate talks are set to kickstart this year again, with the first formal negotiations beginning on June 1 in Bonn, Germany. The atmosphere in Bonn, however, will be decidedly colder, as some …
EMMA GRAHAM-HARRISON and LANGI CHIANG BEIJING A senior Chinese climate official said that negotiators aim to seal a binding global pact on warming by the end of 2011, a blow to any lingering hopes the world could reach a deal at talks this year in Mexico A senior Chinese climate …
In 2006 seven foreign ministers from Brazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, and Thailand initiated a dialogue on the inter-linkages between health and foreign policy, with a focus on how health matters to foreign policy and whether foreign policy can make a difference to health. What brought the ministers …
A globally consistent methodology using satellite imagery was implemented to quantify gross forest cover loss (GFCL) from 2000 to 2005 and to compare GFCL among biomes, continents, and countries. GFCL is defined as the area of forest cover removed because of any disturbance, including both natural and human-induced causes. GFCL …
To achieve sustainable development and to ensure water availability in hydrological basins, water managers need tools to determine the actual evapotranspiration (ET) on a large scale. Field energy balances from irrigated and natural ecosystems together with a net of agro-meteorological stations were used to develop two models for ET quantification …
Environmental protection is critical to maintain ecosystem services essential for human well-being. It is important to be able to rank countries by their environmental impact so that poor performers as well as policy ‘models’ can be identified. We provide novel metrics of country-specific environmental impact ranks – one proportional to …
India figures among the world's worst 10 countries causing environmental damage, according to a new study which lists Brazil as the most polluting country. The research led by professor Corey Bradshaw, of the University of Adelaide's environment institute, has placed India at seventh position while ranking the US and China …
A recent evaluation of relative environmental impact of countries published in PLoS ONE. Finds that 10 countries with the worst global footprint are Brazil, US, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Australia & Peru. Environmental protection is critical to maintain ecosystem services essential for human well-being. It is important to …
The Copenhagen Climate Conference and its Copenhagen Accord have generally been regarded by the press as a failure. I think this is a very unfortunate mischaracterization. The conference was a failure only in not achieving binding commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emission levels sufficient to meet the requirements identified …
Brazil and the US are locked in hot competition over ethanol trade, with the former seeking more market access and the latter determined to protect its domestic producers.
Access to safe water is necessary for lives and livelihoods. In India, a mid-term assessment reveals that the country has already met its MDG (Millennium Development Goal) in terms of expanding access to water infrastructure although in the parallel subsector of sanitation progress is falling far short of the mark. …
In December 2009, an important United Nations climate change conference (COP15) took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. This conference resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, which forms the basis for further negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, later this year. As part of the Copenhagen Accord, industrialised countries have submitted greenhouse gas emission reduction …
TAWANA WILLIAMS types, eats and braids hair with her feet. She does not have a choice. She entered the world without arms. Williams, born in Wilson, USA, was one of the 12, 000 babies around the world who either died or were born with severe limb defects in the early …
The favelas, or shanty to - wns of Brazil, are a uniform red ochre of unplaster - ed brick walls. But two artists from the Netherlands want to paint them every colour under the sun to showcase their colourful soul. In Feb ruary, Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn started with …
Customary land rightsPalm oil firm loses to Kayans A native community in Malaysia won a 12-year legal battle against the Sarawak state government and palm oil giant ioi Pelita after the state’s apex court recognized their customary land rights. The court ruled that the government had unconstitutionally granted the native …
Arguments over which type of farming will best meet growing food demands are ignoring the most critical factor - water availability - say analysts from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Agriculture currently uses 70 per cent of the freshwater available for human use and, according to the IWMI, unless …
Environment ministers of the BASIC bloc -- Brazil, South Africa, India and China -- have said that a legally binding global agreement to limit climate change needed to be completed by 2011, noting that the world could not wait indefinitely for the US to finalise its legislation on the issue. …
Environment ministers of India and three other key developing nations will meet on Monday in Cape Town to discuss climate strategy in the run up to the Cancun conference at the end of the year. This is the second ministerial meeting among Basic group comprising India, South Africa, Brazil and …
