Global narcotics market “thriving” – range of available drugs diversifying at alarming pace – UN

22 June 2017 (United Nations) – Of the quarter of a billion people who used drugs in 2015, about 29.5 million – or 0.6 per cent of the global adult population – were engaged in “problematic use” and suffered from drug use disorders, including dependence, according to report out today from the United Nations drugs […]

Brazil: Increase in number indigenous activists killed as political crisis threatens Amazon – “The situation in the country is deteriorating”

By Joe Sandler Clarke and Sam Cowie 5 June 2017(Energydesk) – There has been a significant increase in the number of indigenous people and environmental activists killed over land disputes in Brazil, as human rights experts warn of a dangerous political mood in the nation. New research shared with Energydesk by Brazilian human rights NGO […]

Brazil’s Temer vetoes opening up Amazon rainforest for development, but changes likely

By Renata Brito 19 June 2017 RIO DE JANEIRO (Associated Press) – President Michel Temer has vetoed legislation that would have reduced the size of Brazil’s protected environmental reserves, most of them in the Amazon region. Temer tweeted the news of his vetoes on Monday in exchanges with supermodel Gisele Bundchen and the World Wildlife […]

Help preserve land – our “home and future” – UN urges on World Day to Combat Desertification

17 June 2017 (United Nations) – With hundreds of millions of people around the globe directly affected by desertification – the degradation of land ecosystems due to unsustainable farming or mining practices, or climate change – United Nations agencies have called for better management of land so that it can provide a place where individuals […]

Where global warming is most likely to induce food violence – “A capable government is even more important to keeping the peace than good weather”

By Jeff Grabmeier 8 June  2017 COLUMBUS, Ohio (OSU) – While climate change is expected to lead to more violence related to food scarcity, new research suggests that the strength of a country’s government plays a vital role in preventing uprisings.“A capable government is even more important to keeping the peace than good weather,” said […]

Indigenous and environmental rights under attack in Brazil, UN rights experts warn

8 June 2017 (United Nations) – Human rights experts from the United Nations and an inter-American organization have denounced attacks on indigenous and environmental rights in Brazil, expressing concern over a Congressional report that accuses the UN of being “a confederation of non-governmental organizations influencing Brazilian policy.”“The rights of indigenous peoples and environmental rights are […]

Ongoing forest destruction has put Asia-Pacific at risk of missing global development targets – “Forests continue to be degraded and lost at a rate of 3.3 million hectares per year”

15 May 2017 (United Nations) – The destruction of forests in many Asian countries continues apace, threatening the realization of global sustainable development goals by the 2030 deadline, according to the United Nations agricultural agency.“While forests are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they continue to be degraded and lost at a rate […]

Global warming is catching up with gardeners: just look at the Chelsea flower show

By Robbie Blackhall-Miles 9 June 2017 (The Guardian) – It hit me like a smack in the face. This year’s RHS Chelsea flower show was quite blatant in showcasing the effects of climate change; you may not have noticed though. Most people visiting the show or tuning into the BBC coverage were homed in on […]

Peatlands, already dwindling, could face further losses – “There is a tremendous amount of peatland in Southeast Asia, but almost all of it has been deforested”

By David Chandler 12 June 2017 (MIT News) – Tropical peat swamp forests, which once occupied large swaths of Southeast Asia and other areas, provided a significant “sink” that helped remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But such forests have been disappearing fast due to clear-cutting and drainage projects making way for plantations. Now, research […]

Catastrophe of Aral Sea shows “men can destroy the planet”, warns UN chief Guterres

10 June 2017 (United Nations) – Continuing his visit to Central Asia, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today visited the Aral Sea – once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, that has now shrunk to about a quarter of its original size due to human mismanagement – where he urged the world to take lesson […]

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