Think green

by Carlos Lopes Cape Town – Earlier this year, Tropical Cyclone Idai tore through southern Africa, killing hundreds, injuring thousands, and displacing even more. In Mozambique, as much as half of all annual crops and critical infrastructure were destroyed. In total, over three million people in the region were affected. It was a stark reminder of Africa’s vulnerability to the ... Read More »

By Govind Kelkar and Sudeshna Sengupta PWESCR is happy to present BRICS Feminist Watch’s position paper, Women and the Green Economy: Engaging with New Development Bank. The concept of Green Economy has been operationalized for the last 10 years. Politically, the concept became prevalent from the negotiation in Environmental Summit of 1992. Rio 20 became the platform where the idea ... Read More »

By Dr Natalia Kanem UN, Jul 11 2019 (IPS) – Every year on World Population Day (July 11), UNFPA receives queries from journalists about the total number of people around the world. Numbers are indeed important because they help governments develop policies that respond to evolving needs for services such as education and health. Read More »

Songdo, 11 July (Indrajit Bose) — The Board of the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) adopted a key decision on how the Board will make decisions in the event consensus could not be reached at its 23rd meeting in Songdo, South Korea from 6-8 July. In what several Board members termed as a “historic” decision, the Board adopted the decision ... Read More »

New York, 8 July 2019: “The world is off-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Most governments have failed to turn the transformational vision of the 2030 Agenda into real transformational policies. Even worse, xenophobia and authoritarianism are on the rise in a growing number of countries.” “The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is not just a matter of ... Read More »

Dhaka, June 19 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has laid emphasis on investment in the countries which are hosting refugees despite struggle with their own economic challenges and security concerns. “I want to recognise the humanity of countries that host refugees even as they struggle with their own economic challenges and security concerns. We must match their hospitality with development ... Read More »

If 2018 was the year of the reusable coffee cup and paper straws, where next for the ethical high street consumer? BusinessWaste.co.uk research takes a closer look at the areas to watch in 2019 as well as a look back at the progress so far. Packaging-free stores Selling produce without excessive packaging is less a new idea and more a ... Read More »

by Stan De Spiegelaere Democracy at work has many benefits but above all, it is a matter of human dignity. My normal bike commute to work was interrupted by red flags. No revolution (yet) but industrial action blocked access to an energy company (and my bike path). Asked about their complaints, one of the strikers said: ‘Management ignores the rules ... Read More »

Dhaka, May 16 – The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed graved concerned against a High Court bench for giving an unprecedented order relating to a civil case. The seven members bench of the Appellate Division head by chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain expressed concerned while attorney general Mahbubey Alam took part hearing on a civil case of National Bank Limited ... Read More »

Forests are vitally important for sustaining life on Earth, and play a major role in the fight against climate change. With the 2019 session of the United Nations Forum on Forests wrapping up on Friday in New York, we delve deeper into the subject, and find out what the UN is doing to safeguard and protect them. The forests in ... Read More »

Stuttgart, Germany – It looks just beautiful. A beauty does not need to be explained in so many words. The Blue Raintree makes one happy at the first look. At the Stuttgart Garden exhibition held from 25-28, April 2019, I saw this tree once again and wondered how beautiful nature is? I took a seat with my friend to enjoy ... Read More »

‘Hacking’ Charges Could Expand to Standard Investigative Reporting Practices The extradition of Julian Assange from the United Kingdom to the United States for alleged computer-related crimes could have dangerous implications for journalists in the digital age. London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed Assange’s arrest on April 11, 2019 “on behalf of the United States authorities” under an extradition warrant. He was found ... Read More »

“Integrating Green and Gray – Creating Next Generation Infrastructure” is a joint report from the World Bank and the World Resources Institute (WRI) that aims to advance the integration of green and gray infrastructure solutions on the ground. It places a spotlight on the world’s growing infrastructure crisis, driven by climate change and growing populations. It proposes insights, solutions and ... Read More »

By Massimiliano Santini and Fabrizio Tassinari Florence – Earlier last month, Jim Yong Kim abruptly resigned from his post as World Bank president, leaving a pillar of the international financial order without leadership or direction. Kim will join a private equity firm, where he believes he can “make the largest impact on major global issues like climate change.” True, the ... Read More »

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is among more than 39 media organizations from across the world that have come together to form a Global SDG Media Compact aimed at advancing awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). United Nations the SDG Media Compact aimed to scale up engagement on the Goals as a founding SDG Media ... Read More »

Dhaka, Feb 9 – Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said time has come to think globally and work together on how to deal with fake news and rumours on social media platforms through establishing an ‘Internet Ombudsman’ because freedom of media and accountability are equally important. “We need to discuss it deeply. Together, we’ll work out how the ... Read More »

Danielle Nierenberg Dear Mostafa, Greetings Food Tank family! This week I’m reflecting on the wonderful people I met in Melbourne last week at festival21, where we were out until nearly 11pm each night discussing the wonderful potential of Australia’s food system. While I’m exhausted, I’m even more excited about the hard work being done by groups and individuals in the ... Read More »

Colombo, 30 January 2019 We, members of civil society networks of South Asia gathered in Colombo to deliberate on a South Asian Regional Agenda for Collective Advocacy on Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, have resolved to re-energise collaborations across South Asian frontiers for peace, democracy and human rights. Distressed by the progressive weakening of the inter-governmental SAARC organisation, we resolved ... Read More »

From Danielle Nierenberg Greetings from Melbourne, where I’m speaking at festival21—a celebration of the potential for change in Australia’s future food system, joining food experts like Fabrice DeClerck, Science Director at EAT; David Nabarro, Strategic Director of 4SD and recipient of the 2018 World Food Prize; Kaitlin Yarnall, Senior Vice President of Media Innovation for the National Geographic Society; Linda ... Read More »

Dhaka, Jan 30 – Land-use policy needs to be finalised very quickly to completely stop the use of agricultural lands in non-farm activities, said experts on Wednesday. They said, it is necessary to take measures to rescue the agricultural land which has already gone to non- agricultural sector. Besides, we have to ensure that the farmers can buy and sell ... Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder A world summit on disaster management is being held in Mumbai the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra from 29th of January to the 1st of February. It will have a special media session to share experiences of leading media practitioners specializing in environment and disaster management. I was invited from Bangladesh but am not sure ... Read More »

by Håvard Halland, Justin Yifu Lin Beijing – A recent report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that to avoid the direct consequences of global warming, societies must make social and economic changes on a scale with “no documented historic precedent.” As we have noted previously, only institutional investors – like pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, ... Read More »

Savar, Jan 11, 2019 (BSS) – The Bird Fair-2019 was held today on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus amid festive mood. Read More »

Dhaka, Jan 11 – Dhaka awaits financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to a 50MW floating solar project in the Kaptai Lake in the Rangamati Hill District on Southeast Bangladesh, official sources say. Read More »

C40’s global competition celebrates women innovators and helps accelerate technological solutions to climate change. Winners will see their solution implemented in Paris and Tel Aviv. Read More »

Black plastic pipes, readily available on the mainly empty shelves of Cuba’s shops, distribute biogas to homes in the rural town of La Macuca, buried under the ground or running through the grass and stones in people’s yards. Read More »

By Rafiqul Islam Dhaka, Jan 4 – The Bangladesh Forest Department has started forming dolphin conservation teams involving community people to protect the endangered aquatic species in the rivers of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Read More »

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners have been turning to green and non-polluting technology, including solar power, to help provide safe and clean water to Rohingyas living in the crowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar district. Read More »

Danielle Nierenberg It’s been an incredible year at Food Tank in terms of our ability to incite, inspire, and spotlight change happening across the food system. Read More »

Dhaka, Dec 25 – The International Farakka Committee (IFC) New York has noted with satisfaction that almost all the parties contesting the upcoming national election in Bangladesh have made mention of river-water and environment in their election manifestos. The commitments made in the manifestos would in future help these parties and alliances to decide on their plans in this vital ... Read More »