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 …
Just what is sustainable development for Arunachal Pradesh? For the 865,000 people who live in Arunachal Pradesh, this is indeed a very important question. It came up recently at a seminar, jointly organised by the United Nations Development Programme and the Arunachal Pradesh government in Itanagar, to mark the release …
As Parties to the Climate Convention EU Member States have opted for a joint fulfilment of post-2000 greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations. No agreement could be reached on a joint EU target before the distribution of the burden of emission reductions among Member States had been agreed upon. This paper …
"Fifty per cent of the malaria cases are human made. Government spreads malaria by policy" V PSharma Former director of Malaria Research Centre, Delhi "Plague will erupt in small pockets along the Indira Gandhi canal (in the Thar desert). I hope it does not happen" Ishwar Prakash Rodent expert, with …
What does environmental deterioration lead to? It leads to changes in the planet's life support systems. When these systems become weak, their ability to support life deteriorates. Consequently, the health of individuals living in that ecosphere is bound to be affected. Some species profit by these changes and others lose …
Our bodies exist in the environment and we carry a soup of chemicals within us and we cannot stay insulated from the changes taking place in the environment. If the environment degrades, so does the state of our health. The key to good health is therefore in many ways a …
Scientists worldwide now accept that along with industrialisation and urbanisation, there has been a steady destruction of nature. Cities and industries have both affected clean air and clean water. Industries produce a lot of hazardous wastes; and cities produce a lot of garbage. Hazardous wastes pollute the groundwater. Accumulation of …
Taking the lead Developing countries must take the lead in proposing a system of entitlements, and North-South trading, which is both ecologically effective and socially just THE KEY ISSUES PREVENTlNG, global warming raises a very serious question for the world"s nations. It means putting a cap or a limit on …
What should be the future vision of the GEF? What are the areas that it should focus on? There are two things. The first is the issue of land degradation. I am not satisfied with the compromise formulation (in the assembly statement) defining the linkages between land degradation and gef …
For about a billion people in Africa and some of the Asian countries, land degradation and subsequent desertification means one more step to hunger. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), 1994, is the only environmental convention that addresses the issue of poverty head on. Still, desertification never became a …
President, Global Village of Beijing, an NGO promoting public involvement in environmental protection "The NGO movement needs to be strengthened" • The ngo movement has been growing in China, especially in the last year. The Chinese government is changing its attitude towards ngo s. They now think that ngo s …
Vice-chairperson of the GEF Assembly and minister for development cooperation, Denmark "Developed countries should pay more towards environment protection" • We think that the world needs more progressive policies in the rich countries. The kind of conflicts that are threatening world stability and regional stability in the world today are …
Chairperson of the Climate Institute, Washington, DC " This is a need for tough measures to check artifically induced climate change" • The biggest emitters must make the biggest reductions to induce others to follow suit. • Governments must take difficult decisions. They must use economic incentives (to reduce emission …
- The GEF should be at the cutting edge, being "innovative, flexible and responsive' to the needs of the recipients - Country-driven efforts: - Based on national priorities - Greater outreach with targets, better consultations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local communities - Promote country ownership of GEF projects - …
nations of the North and the South met at the first-ever assembly of the Global Environment Facility ( gef ) in New Delhi from April 1 to 3 with an ambitious agenda
On the state of Russia today: Russia is today facing economic degradation, environmental deterioration and human suffering. These environmental problems are due to natural resource degradation and neglect of arable land. Capital investment at present is less than one third of what it was in 1990, production has halved, investment …
At a recently concluded Kerala Science Congress in Calicut, 275 papers on various subjects were presented by young scientists. Only men below the age of 35 and women below 40 years are allowed to present papers. The scientists urged to strike a balance between development and environment with a view …
More than 35 senior officials from various leading insurance firms recently came together in Zurich, Switzerland, to found, in association with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Insurance Industry Initiative. The lead comes from the realisation within the insurance industry that protecting human life and property, preventing catastrophic events …
