Environment and Climate Change
Elements of change
The Global Environment Facility was created to protect the global commons, and funds projects to address climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, sustainable forestry, international waters, and chemicals in more than 170 countries. Since 1991, it has provided $17.6 billion in grants and mobilized an additional $88.6 billion in financing for more than 4,453 projects.
Clearing the air
Humankind's future will largely be decided in cities. Half the world's population already lives in them, and by 2050 this will have risen to 70 per cent. Cities are where global challenges and problems are concentrated: they consume three quarters of the world's resources and generate three quarters of all emissions.
Time to act
The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 was an historic moment for our planet, producing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity in addition to the Rio Declaration. Bhutan, under the far-sighted leadership of our monarchs, was one of the early countries to welcome and support both agreements to help tackle the world's most pressing environmental problems. In the same year, the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation was established with contributions from the Global Environment Facility, World Wildlife Fund, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and the Royal of Government of Bhutan. It was the world's first environmental trust fund.
Keeping water fresh
Guaranteeing safely managed clean water and sanitation for everyone remains one of the biggest global challenges that are solvable in our lifetimes. But we must prioritize collaboration and monitoring.
Free of plastic bags
Kenya faces major challenges in waste management. Most urban centres lack basic waste management structures and open dumping is the most popular option. A close look at problematic waste at roadsides, rivers, dumpsites, and most public spaces revealed that polythene bags were most widespread. Scientists claim that polythene bags take over 1,000 years to decompose: hence the earliest ones are still with us somewhere in the environment.
Maximizing value
Many may think us an unlikely pair – a conservative Republican Representative from Nebraska, in the heartland of America, and a progressive Democratic Senator from Rhode Island, the Ocean State. However, we have come together as Co-Chairs in the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus because we share a conviction that good natural resource management is fundamental to building a strong economy, bolstering national security, and protecting public health.
Reflections
If pollution was simply about having to put up with a bad odour or some unsightly smog, it could be considered tolerable. The sad fact, however, is that it’s also sending millions to an early grave.
Global challenges
Since the Global Environment Facility was established more than 25 years ago, the global dimension of environmental challenges has become increasingly evident. Scientists tell us that our 'planetary boundaries', the biophysical processes that determine the stability and resilience of the Earth, are being pushed to their limit or overstepped, with high risks of severely jeopardizing the very base that has allowed our societies to thrive over the past 10,000 years. Especially in developing countries, environmental degradation is imperiling, if not sweeping away, development achievements.
A voice you can't see
Deprived of a physical image, listeners rely on the evocative power of the voice on the radio, to immerse themselves in the story — creating mental images that facilitate concentration on what is being said.
Mark Tully: A radio legend in India
For over a quarter of a century, one of the most recognized and trusted radio voices in India was that of Mark Tully. This British correspondent for the BBC has covered all the momentous events that marked the country's recent history, until the mid-1990s. He is a living witness of the time when radio was the main medium to reach the masses, telephone communications were unreliable, and radio recordings were made on magnetic tapes that had to be physically sent to the editorial offices.
No time to put climate science on ice
Nairobi, 5 February 2010 - The science of climate change has been on the defensive in recent weeks, owing to an error that dramatically overstated the rate at which the Himalayan glaciers could disappear.
L’écologie du recyclage
Bien que n’étant pas à l’avant–garde des solutions climatiques, le recyclage des déchets, des eaux usées et de l’énergie gaspillée est un moyen efficace, disponible localement pour réduire les gaz à effet de serre. L’un de ces gaz, le méthane issu des sites d’enfouissement et des eaux usées, représente environ 90 % des émissions de gaz à effet de serre dans le secteur des déchets. Selon le Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat1, 18 % des émissions de méthane sont imputables aux activités humaines dans le monde et environ 3 % aux émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre. Le détournement des déchets des sites d’enfouissement et leur utilisation est donc un moyen évident et avéré de conserver les terres et les ressources, comme nous le savions depuis longtemps. Nous pouvons désormais ajouter aux nombreuses études que ces pratiques améliorent également la protection de l’environnement.
Zoom: Powerful women
Naliapou, the doyenne of Tumai, a Kenyan village forbidden to men, prepares for a chanting ceremony to the spirits, by coating her face with red earth mixed with animal fat.
Reducing our ecological footprint
On June 5th of every year since 1972 the world celebrates World Environment Day (WED), an occasion for the UN and environmental organizations to spread awareness worldwide, celebrate positive environmental accomplishments, encourage political attention and stimulate green policies and action. Given that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, this year’s WED theme will be “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” Stressing the importance of conserving our planet’s precious biodiversity and the delicate interconnected “eco-librium” we all share.
Surveiller le changement climatique de l’espace
Pendant des siècles, les communautés rurales des hauts plateaux des Andes ont utilisé l’eau produite par la fonte des glaciers de cette étonnante chaîne de montagnes. Or, le recul de ces glaciers force les populations à modifier leurs moyens de subsistance et à chercher des façons de s’adapter. Dans une perspective plus vaste, la fonte des glaciers est une image emblématique du réchauffement climatique pour les plus grandes villes des Andes qui dépendent des glaciers pour leur approvisionnement en eau potable. Malheureusement pour ces populations, la source de ce problème particulier et les solutions possibles résident loin de leur sphère d’influence du fait que les actions locales contribuent très peu à résoudre ce problème.
Dans le contexte des changements climatiques
Les changements climatiques sont l’un des plus grands défis du XXIe siècle. Leurs effets varient selon les régions, les générations, l’âge, les classes sociales, les groupes de revenus et les sexes. D’après les résultats du Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat (giec), il est clair que les populations qui sont déjà les plus vulnérables et les plus marginalisées seront les plus touchées. Il est probable que les pauvres, principalement dans les pays en développement, seront touchés de manière disproportionnée et auront donc le plus besoin de stratégies d’adaptation pour faire face aux changements climatiques. Tant les hommes que les femmes qui travaillent dans le secteur des ressources naturelles, comme l’agriculture, en ressentiront les effets, mais à des degrés divers. Il est de plus en plus évident que les femmes sont plus vulnérables que les hommes, en grande partie parce qu’elles représentent la majorité des pauvres dans le monde et dépendent davantage des ressources naturelles menacées. La différence entre les hommes et les femmes est également notable en ce qui concerne leurs rôles, leurs responsabilités, la prise de décisions, l’accès à la terre et aux ressources naturelles, les opportunités et les besoins. Dans le monde entier, les femmes ont moins accès que les hommes aux ressources, telles que la terre, les crédits, les intrants agricoles, les structures de prise de décision, la technologie, la formation et les services de vulgarisation qui renforceraient leurs capacités à s’adapter aux changements climatiques.
Beyond carbon markets
The headlines generated by the carbon trading mechanisms at the heart of the Kyoto Protocol, most notably the Clean Development Mechanism (cdm), tell a story of a scheme in trouble. But why has it caused such controversy?
Burkina Faso: Addicted to radio
When it comes to listening to the radio, Burkina Faso is one of the champions of sub-Saharan Africa. The proliferation of stations and the popularity of programmes that give listeners a voice, reflect the enthusiasm of the Burkinabe people for this medium.