The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
to have or not to have a legally binding convention to manage the world's forests has once again taken the centre-stage in global environmental negotiations. The issue of a forest convention, as this proposed legal instrument is known for managing the world's forests, was the most contentious and divisive item …
The benefits of green rating are: l Increased voluntary improvement and disclosure by industry l Increased public awareness l Empowerment of investors and consumers l Competitive advantage l Move towards sustainable industrial growth
The UN has urged governments to promote sales of technology to control pollution, in a series of studies commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). One of the studies underlines the need to spread information about investment opportunities in the environmental field and better enforcement of environmental laws. Another of …
Sustainable development is the bottomline of a new package by the UN Development programme's (UNDP) Country Cooperation Framework for Bhutan. The US $33 million-package will be used in programmes for sustainable livelihoods, governance and environment between the years 1997 and 2001. Under these programmes, UNDP will focus on management and …
THE stability of the ecosystem on a global scale has become a central concern in the post-Cold War era. This crisis cannot be resolved by wishing away endemic consumerism or expecting governments to intervene sensibly. The current emphasis on sustainability by development agencies reflects the sense of urgency underlying core …
it is ironical that the degree of environmental degradation is yet unmeasured in many countries. This is despite the fact that with just a few years to go for this millennium's end, issues on environment have apparently constituted a particularly relevant agenda in the world. The latter development, undoubtedly, is …
The number of institutions trying to integrate environmental concerns with economics is still small in India, especially given the size of the country and the diversity of its environmental problems and challenges, but a small beginning has already been made. This volume presents the proceedings of the national environment and …
IT is beyond dispute that the pattern of economic development has substantially altered the relationship between humans and nature. But never has the underlying sociological, political and environmental impact of such economic development been called into question. Consequently, this monistic view of development has linked economic productivity to an energy-intensive …
scores of books have been penned on sustainable development, but David Wallace's study provides a short and critical appraisal of global approaches to sustainable development. The structure of industrialisation lies at the root of sustainability. Without finding new modes of industrial organisation, it would be impossible to bring about a …
an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation is what it has been all about; proponents of modern transportation and the growing global environmental movement are the protagonists. While the former see personal mobility (read modern means of transport) as an expression of freedom and essential to economic progress, the latter view the same as …
• Rail, as a medium of transport, is often much more energy-efficient and less polluting per tonne- or passenger-km than automobiles. • It can almost always expand its capacity with little further pre-emption of space. Two sets of rail tracks can carry the same number of people as 16 lanes …
With the multiplying numbers of vehicles on European roads, sustainability in road transportation has become the keyword. Participants at the recent annual conference of the Royal Geographical Society in Glasgow, UK, have gone so far as to propose a ban on private cars, suggesting that cars be phased out over …
traffic accidents: Every year, over 500,000 people die in road accidents in the world; 70 per cent of these fatalities occur in developing nations, where the traffic victims are usually pedestrians
Bicycle ownership in Asia, currently more than 400 million, is growing rapidly. In India, bicycles account for 30-50 per cent of traffic on primary urban roads. The advantages of biking are as follows: • It is highly cost-effective and fast. • Bicycles require little parking space, occupying about one sq …
Liuminying, a small village south-west of Beijing, is an environmentalist's dreamland. It has emerged as a world-famous model of a perfect ecological village. The United Nations Environmental Programme (unep) has recognised the farm's leader Zhang Zhanlin as one of the 500 global environment specialists. Recently, journalists from several countries visited …
Meeting the needs of today... economic needs: access to adequate livelihood; economic security when unemployed, ill, disabled or otherwise unable to secure a livelihood. social, cultural and health needs: a shelter which is healthy, safe, affordable and secure, within a neighbourhood with provision for piped water, sanitation, drainage, transport, health …
