Tuesday, September 09, 2008   20:28 GMT    
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"For the global South, and especially Africa, environmental issues are not a luxury. Arresting the world's warming and protecting and restoring our natural systems are issues of life and death for much of the world's population"
2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai
(Kenya's Business Daily, Dec. 14, 2007)

IPS is intensifying its coverage of both global and local environmental challenges. We look at them from the perspective of the people for whom the ecosphere matters in a direct way: rural dwellers who have little means to protect themselves against adverse conditions; communities that need to switch to sustainable development in order to survive; poor women and children, always the most vulnerable in harsh times.

IPS has entered into cooperation with the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) - a partnership within the Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development, COM+ - and Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), and is building new alliances in order to expand its independent coverage of the issues that will determine our future and that of our children. IPS also created the award-winning Tierramérica, a specialised information service on environment and development, sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and The World Bank (WB).


Winners of the 2008 Friends of the Earth International Dreams,
Hopes and Possibilities for a Better Future photo competition

Best Reporting on Environment of 2008 Prem Bhatia Award

Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development
Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development

World Conservation Union
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP Ozone Secretariat
UNDP Energy for Sustainable Development
Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council
Water Environment Federation (WEF)
Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
CITES-Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Friends of the Earth

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News in RSS
CLIMATE CHANGE: WE NEED A PROACTIVE MEDIA
by Mario Lubetkin
There is no moderately well-informed person who does not believe that climate change is, if not the gravest threat facing humanity, at least one of the top two or three. It is therefore worth asking whether the performance of the media in this regard rises to the challenge, writes Mario Lubetkin, Director-General of Inter Press Service (IPS).
more >>
BIOFUELS AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A CURE THAT MAKES THE DISEASE WORSE
by Vandana Shiva
False solutions to the climate crisis, like biofuels, will actually aggravate the problem while exacerbating inequality, hunger, and poverty, writes Vandana Shiva, author and international campaigner for women and the environment.
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ARE WE REALLY RUNNING OUT OF OIL?
by Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero
Are we running short of oil? Far from it, writes Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero, a fellow at the Oakland Institute, a Puerto Rican author, investigative reporter, and environmental educator.
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WATERS ARE RISING: CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION MUST COME FAST
by Anote Tong
You can be sure that if rising sea levels forced the evacuation of the White House in Washington DC, the attitude towards global warming would be very different, writes Anote Tong, President of Kiribati since 2003.
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EU: TIGHTER EMISSIONS FOR TRANSPORT A CLEAR WIN-WIN STRATEGY
by Jos Dings
HOW TRADE RULES CAN SERVE THE ENVIRONMENT
by Pascal Lamy
BALI: FIRST STEPS ON A ROUGH ROAD
by Maurice Strong
GLOBALISATION, EQUITY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE
by Vandana Shiva
SUBSIDIES DRIVE US CORN ETHANOL BOOM DESPITE MAJOR DRAWBACKS
by Mark Sommer
BIOFUELS: NO SILVER BULLET AGAINST FOSSIL FUELS
by Vicente Paolo Yu III
AFRICA MUST BE HEARD ON CLIMATE CHANGE
by Wangari Maathai
THE ALIGNMENT OF FORCES IN THE ETHANOL WAR
by Alberto Garrido
2008 Award for Communicating the Food Crisis
Kyoto on the Horizon
Biodiversity - One Planet - 1.4 million species
Oil, Gas and Minerals: Mixed Blessings
Feedin the Future
Troubled Waters
The Creeping Desert
Energy Crunch
Subsidies
Sustainable Development
Agriculture
Tierramérica - Environment & Development
News in RSS
DEVELOPMENT-ETHIOPIA: Understanding Poverty's Impact on Children
THAILAND: Court Tells PM to Step Down for Playing TV Chef
CUBA: "Ike" Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Danger
MIDEAST: Israel Moves to Judaise East Jerusalem
TRADE-KENYA: A Woman Navigating the Obstacles to the ‘Big Money’
ECONOMY: Increased Nuclear Energy Demand Boosts Namibia
SRI LANKA: Troops Surround Rebel Hq - NGOs Ordered Out
AUSTRALIA: Winning 'Hearts and Minds' in Afghanistan?
LAOS: Questions Rise With Worst Floods in Decades
RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: NGO Activity Still Limited
More >>
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
 
The contents of this news coverage, including any funded by the European Union, are the sole responsibility of IPS and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

CUBA: "Ike" Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Danger
By Dalia Acosta
HAVANA - Even before the ravages caused by Hurricane Gustav in the western part of Cuba have been fully assessed, Hurricane Ike made landfall on the northeastern shore of the island on Sunday, swept westwards out to sea on Monday, and is showing signs of powering up before slamming Cuban territory again.
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ECONOMY: Increased Nuclear Energy Demand Boosts Namibia
By Brigitte Weidlich
WINDHOEK - The worldwide scramble for energy sources due to dwindling fossil fuel reserves has placed renewed emphasis on nuclear energy as solution for future needs. As a result, Namibia in south-western Africa is experiencing a uranium boom.
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LAOS: Questions Rise With Worst Floods in Decades
By Ounkeo Souksavanh*
VIENTIANE - When local people in Laos talk about floods, they always look back to 1966 -- the year the Mekong River burst its banks so fast that no one was prepared.
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CLIMATE CHANGE: Arctic Oil and Gas Rush Alarms Scientists
By Stephen Leahy
UXBRIDGE, Canada - As greenhouse gas pollution destroys Arctic ecosystems, countries like Canada are spending millions not to halt the destruction but to exploit it.
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ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Click Here to Plant a Tree
By Mario Osava*
RIO DE JANEIRO - It has become fashionable in Latin America to pursue initiatives towards "zero carbon", neutralising the climate-changing greenhouse gases produced by industry, commercial aviation and even the football World Cup -- and along with it, atoning for the environmental sins of polluters.
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DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Why The Richest Continent Is Also The Poorest
By Miriam Mannak
ACCRA - The ecological impact of natural resource exploitation on the lives of the poor in Africa and other regions is not being addressed sufficiently in aid effectiveness and development discussions, aid experts say.
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CLIMATE CHANGE: Arctic Meltdown Signals Long-Term Trend
By Stephen Leahy
UXBRIDGE, Canada - Soaring temperatures have led to the collapse of several huge ice shelves in the Canadian Arctic over the past few weeks.
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ENVIRONMENT: EU Takes a Weak Step Against Logging
By David Cronin
BRUSSELS - The European Union has reached a new agreement aimed at preventing import of illegal timber from Africa, but environmental campaigners believe bolder action is needed to curb deforestation across the globe.
MORE >>
 

VIETNAM: Paying for Ecosystems
By Helen Clark
HANOI - Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), an environmental scheme now being trialled in this South-east Asian country, may serve as a model for the region, if found successful.
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CHILE: Salmon Farm Workers Left Out in the Cold
By Daniela Estrada
SANTIAGO - While non-governmental organisations appreciate the Chilean government's efforts to improve hygiene and environmental conditions in the salmon industry, they are calling for an end to the expansion of salmon farming and solutions for thousands of workers who lost their jobs because of a crisis in the sector.
MORE >>
 

POLITICS-US: Canada's Tar Sands Lobbyists Focus on Democrats
By Chris Arsenault
VANCOUVER - As the U.S. election campaign kicks into overdrive, Canadian politicians and oil executives are stepping up lobbying efforts to make sure whoever controls the White House keeps purchasing notoriously dirty oil from the Alberta tar sands.
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SOUTH PACIFIC: Climate Change Refugees Look to Australia, N.Z.
By Stephen de Tarczynski
MELBOURNE - With the apparent effects of global warming already being felt among Pacific island nations, Australia and New Zealand are being urged to do more to prepare for ‘climate change refugees’.
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MEXICO: Peasants Seek Ways to Block Canadian-Run Mine
By Diego Cevallos*
MEXICO CITY - The Canadian mining corporation Minefinders has explored a rural area of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua for 14 years. But as it gets ready to begin mining gold and silver there, its plans are threatened by peasant farmers' protests.
MORE >>
 

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RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Mass Evictions May Follow Lake Grab
By Andrew Nette
PHNOM PENH - A plan to redevelop Phnom Penh’s largest remaining natural lake into a residential and shopping precinct has ignited a storm of protests and claims that it could result in the largest eviction in Cambodia’s post-war history.
MORE >>
 

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SRI LANKA: ‘Animal Tracks’ Lead Villagers Out of Poverty
By Feizal Samath
KOULARA, Sri Lanka - An impoverished village in southern Sri Lanka is slowly pulling out of poverty by churning out terra cotta moulds of animal footprints for tea connoisseurs all over the world.
MORE >>
 

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ENVIRONMENT: Amazon Increasingly Oily
By Milagros Salazar*
LIMA - More than 180 oil and natural gas fields extend across the western Amazon, shared by five South American countries and threatening biodiversity and indigenous lands, warns a study by U.S.-based organisations.
MORE >>
 

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ICELAND: Filling Up on Hydrogen
By Lowana Veal
REYKJAVIK - Earlier this year, the Icelandic whale-watching boat Elding was fitted with a hydrogen-powered generator that fuels its lighting system, electric equipment and navigation machinery. It is the first of its kind in the world.
MORE >>
 

DEVELOPMENT: Africa Still Hampered by Lack of Geographical Data
By Miriam Mannak
CAPE TOWN - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) could play a vital role in improving agriculture and boosting food security in Africa. However, only a few African countries are capable of developing such systems, partly because of a lack of basic geographical data.
MORE >>
 

SIERRA LEONE: Activists Cry Foul Over Mining Policy
By Lansana Fofana
FREETOWN - In December 2007, unrest broke out in the diamond mining region of Kono in the east, between kimberlite mining corporation Koidu Holdings and locals in the lease area. The company had promised to relocate hundreds of community residents to make way for its mining operation but the slow pace of implementation of this pledge, coupled with the repeated blasts of dynamite in underground mining sites set the company and its hosts on a collision course.
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BRAZIL: Producing Guitars and Luthiers in the Rainforest
By Mario Osava
MANAUS, Brazil - Cuban instrument-maker or luthier Raúl Lage came for six months, but has already spent seven and a half years in Manaus, the city in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. "The project is really fantastic," he says, explaining why he plans to renew his work contract again in September.
MORE >>
 

ENVIRONMENT-ARGENTINA: Scarce Water Threatened by Gold Mine
By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES - For nearly a year and a half, local residents in the northwestern Argentine province of La Rioja have been blocking the road that climbs up to the Nevados de Famatina mountain to protest a gold mining project that they say will pollute the water in the country’s driest district.
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ENVIRONMENT: Conservation as Artists' Muse
By Enrique Gili
SAN DIEGO, California - Pulled-together socialites and not-so-sloppy artists recently gathered for an atypical art exhibition in San Diego that combines art with wilderness conservation, using contemporary art to investigate vanishing worlds and the people that inhabit them.
MORE >>
 

CHINA: The Air Hasn't Quite Cleared
By Tarjei Kidd Olsen
OSLO - While China's dramatic last-minute measures to cut pollution during the Beijing Olympics grabbed headlines, a little publicised Norwegian project in Guizhou province shows just how difficult it will be to make lasting changes.
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INDIA : Mining Boom Affecting Tribals, Environment
By Keya Acharya
BANGALORE - While India has been steadily attracting foreign investment into its booming mining sector, the fact that the best prospects lie in tribal-dominated and heavily forested areas is cause for concern.
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Q&A;: "Amazonas State Is in the Environmental Vanguard"
Interview with Nadia D'Ávila Ferreira, Amazonas Environment Secretary*
MANAOS, Brazil - The Brazilian state of Amazonas is "a quarry of ideas and creativity" and is in the vanguard for having preserved 98 percent of its native forests, paying for environmental services, and enacting the pioneering Climate Change Act, says Nadia D'Ávila Ferreira, the state's secretary for the environment and sustainable development.
MORE >>
 

 

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