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 …
Brazil's last hunter-gatherer Indian tribe, the Awa, recently won legal recognition for its land after 20 years of hard struggle. Helped by pressure group Survival International, the 300 surviving tribal people cleared their land of illegal ranchers and settlers and demarcated their territory. The ruthless encroachers had earlier forced the …
the recent discussions on world trade-related issues in Tokyo progressed along expected lines: they came a cropper. Ministers from Australia, Canada, Brazil, India, Kenya, South Korea, the us and the uk could not reconcile their differences over contentious agricultural trade issues during the three-day informal talks in February. The immediate …
Brazil has struck the largest carbon trading deal to date with the Dutch government. Brazil has sold 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions to the Dutch government as part of a project, which will help reduce over 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the next …
a trend towards smaller households is threatening biodiversity around the world, a new study finds. Both in developed and developing countries, multi-generational living arrangements are disintegrating, with couples moving out. Rising divorce rates mean families that used to live in one dwelling now occupy two. Even where the human population …
A person's skin or hair colour is a very poor indicator of genetic ancestry, says a study conducted by scientists at the University of Minas Gerais in Brazil and the University of Porto in Portugal. Persons who appear to be white could genetically be of African descent, while people who …
A new seed policy is on the anvil in Brazil. Why is it controversial? Farming communities and non-governmental organisations (ngos) working closely with farmers in Brazil are worried about the set of new seed laws the government is considering. The bill (Production, Marketing and Control of Seeds), proposed about two …
a curtain merely treated with insecticide can help save your life. A recent study shows that using curtains treated with insecticide can reduce the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl)
Languages are like oysters holding pearls of wisdom. Tove shares one such: "Pekka Aikio, the President of the Saami Parliament told me this in 2001. Finnish fish biologists have just
Is scientific research in India on a downslide? The diminishing number of scientific papers published by Indian scientists seems to point that way. The Indian scientific community, getting ready for yet another edition of the Indian Science Congress
The din over individual species nearly drowned the debate on the sustainable use of natural resources at the recently concluded 12th Conference of Parties (cop-12) of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (cites). The latter issue
Greenhouse gas emissions from developing countries will likely surpass those from developed countries within the first half of this century, highlighting the need for developing country efforts to reduce the risk of climate change. While developing nations have been reluctant to accept binding emissions targets, asking that richer nations take …
ANTI-MCDONALD'S DAY . October 16, 2002 October 16, 2002 is UN World Food Day. It is also the 18th annual worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day. A day of protest against the promotion of junk food, the unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, environment damage and the global domination of …
The online exploits of a us couple have landed them in trouble. The husband and wife team of Donald and Mary Davis was selling "public' tracts in the Amazon on the Internet. They enlisted the support of Brazilian-born Joao da Cruz Veloso, a naturalised American, to allegedly sell bonds worth …
It covers 3.8 million hectares (ha) of virgin rainforest, is chock-a-block with primates, birds and reptiles, and is expected to yield hitherto unknown species. These are the vital statistics of the world's largest tropical national park, located in Brazil and beating its closest competitor
Brazil is going global with its highly potent anti-aids programme. It will share its know-how in combating the disease with other countries. That the nation has succeeded in cutting its aids-related deaths by half over the past eight years is a measure of the campaign's success. Recently, leaders from Portuguese-speaking …
There's bad news for illegal loggers, diamond miners and drug runners. A huge radar system called System for the Vigilance of the Amazon or sivam would scan 5.2 million square kilometres of the dense Amazon rainforest and keep track of the activities going on inside it. A labyrinth of 25 …
The Brazilian government will provide about us $2 million to support research in areas such as therapeutic cloning, which involves using cells and tissues from cloned human embryos to replace those damaged by cancer, heart attacks, car accidents, burns and other kinds of mishaps. The new fund known as the …
two new monkey species that are about the size of small cats have been recently discovered in Brazil's central Amazon. The discovery was made by Marc Van Roosmalen, a scientist working at Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research. Full scientific descriptions of the monkeys, Callicebus bernardi and Callicebus stephennashi , …
