The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
That was the question written across many tired and desperate faces after CoP-6 was suspended. The prospects for future agreement look particularly bleak in light of domestic us politics. If Republican George Bush becomes president, many fear that the chances of the us ever ratifying the convention will be lost …
During the second week of the meeting, it became clear that there were four main areas of contention. In climate jargon, these were: sinks, supplementarity, compliance, and funding for adaptation. A note by Pronk to address these issues in what he considered a balanced manner, presented two days before the …
With falling sales, lawsuits and stringent measures in developed countries, tobacco companies have shifted their focus to developing countries. In 1998, tobacco firms spent US $10 billion in advertising outside the US. Today, 80 per cent of the world's smokers live in developing countries. By 2020, one out of three …
earlier this year, the science and technology committee of Britain's House of Lords produced a long-awaited report on the relationship between science and society. The very first paragraph sets the scene for why such a report was considered necessary. "Society's relationship with science is in a critical phase,' it says. …
the Southern perspective on the linkage between trade and environment, which has resulted in some conflicts between developed and developing countries, is moving from mere protests to more proactive proposals. Several South Asian countries are making serious attempts to consolidate their positions on how the link between environment and trade …
to highlight the health hazards posed by environmental and occupational exposure to pollutants, the Lucknow- based Industrial Toxicology Research Centre ( itrc ) recently organised a five-day
Children, in developing nations, face grave risk from air pollution. These are the findings of a report published by, the Washington-based, World Resources Institute ( wri ) . The report studies the risks to children from air pollution in urban outdoors. Nearly a year after the publication of the study, …
"There is a need to realise that ecological neglect is a weapon of mass destruction,' said Jaswant Singh, Union minister of external affairs, during a discussion organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation. The discussion focused on the low level of environmental awareness …
Sometimes it is wonderful to have an opportunity to say, "we told you so." Particularly you feel strongly about the issue. A recent issue of Science (September 29, 2000) carries a comment from nine eminent us scientists and economists who argue that "equal per capita emission rights to the atmosphere" …
Disgruntled truckdrivers may have taken to the streets. Farmers, ambulance and taxidrivers may have joined them, too. But by relenting to their demands to reduce the tax on fuel oil following a sudden jump in the price of crude, the French government has set a harmful precedent. The rise in …
western civil society, it seems, has decided to go global and represent the world without any effort to understand what constitutes democracy and fairness from the point of view of poorer countries. Several Northern groups are now urging their governments to use their influence on international financial institutions, and stop …
For many developing countries, the un represents half a chance at fair play in an increasingly globalised world. Many see it as their only chance of countering the World Trade Organisation's obsession with free trade. Many of them prefer to strengthen the un rather than create an altogether new World …
the World Bank along with Conservation International (ci), a global non-profit organisation and the Global Environment Facility (gef), the main funder of biodiversity conservation programmes, have jointly taken the initiative for conservation of biodiversity of threatened areas in some developing countries. A sum of us $150 million have been granted …
Rights come with responsibilities. This is a lesson the Indian government, if there is such a homogenous entity, needs to learn. Relevant ministries recently refused to issue a clear statement opposing or supporting the transfer of nuclear energy technology from industrialised countries to developing countries under the global climate convention …
The destruction of the world's forests is continuing, but evidence shows that the rate of deforestation is slowing down, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (fao). The agency reported that its preliminary analysis of more than 300 satellite images shows that the rate of deforestation in tropical …
cement and steel production may be more energy efficient in many developing countries than in the us , according to a recent study published in Europe. Among the six countries studied, iron and steel production is reported to be the most energy efficient in South Korea, while Brazil, Mexico, India …
The international community's goal to reduce half of the world's food availability problem by 2015 will not be achieved as per schedule, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). "Progress towards meeting the 1996 World Food Summit's target has been so far very slow, and at the current pace …
According to a new report by the Washington, DC-based Worldwatch Institute, coal and nuclear power plants do not provide high-quality and reliable electricity and are second-rate compared to the environment-friendly micropower technologies. As one-third of the world's carbon dioxide emissions come from electricity generation, new sustainable solutions have to be …
a group of developing countries, headed by India, is compiling the world's first digital library on traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and systems. It will become operational within a year. The library is being jointly set up by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ( csir ), two Union …