Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

We Need Biodiversity-Based Agriculture to Solve the Climate Crisis Vandana Shiva The Earth is living, and also creates life. Over 4 billion years the Earth has evolved a rich biodiversity — an abundance of different living organisms and ecosystems — that can meet all our needs and sustain life. Through biodiversity and the living functions of the biosphere, the Earth ... MORE > >

In Southern Brazil, Need Becomes an Environmental Virtue Mario Osava The state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil is the largest national producer and exporter of pork and this year it also leads in exports of chicken, of which it is the second-biggest producer in the country. Economic and productive success, as is often the case, brought serious environmental ... MORE > >

World’s Hard Fought Battle Against Climate Change Thalif Deen UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describes the ongoing crisis as a “climate emergency”-- as the world continues its hard fought battle against devastating droughts, floods, hurricanes and rising sea levels that threaten the very existence of small island developing states located in low-lying ... MORE > >

A Brief Guide to the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Production Daisy Simmons Food may be a universal language – but in these record-breaking hot days, so too is climate change. With July clocking in as the hottest month on Earth in recorded history and extreme weather ramping up globally, farmers are facing the brunt of climate change in croplands and pastures around the ... MORE > >

'I Want my Kids to Know What a Rhino and Turtle Are' - #ClimateStrike Kids Say Crystal Orderson From Nigeria, to Kenya to the Democratic Republic of Congo, to South Africa, thousands of African climate campaigners have taken to the streets joining millions around the world for the global Climate Strike ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, which starts in New York next ... MORE > >

Rural Bangladesh Families Spend 2.0 Billion Dollars on Climate Change ― Dwarfing Government & International Finance Andrew Norton In an alarming imbalance struggling families in rural Bangladesh spend almost US billion a year on preventing climate-related disasters or repairing damage caused by climate change ― far more than either the Bangladesh government or international bodies. In the first report to measure ... MORE > >

Biogas Makes Pig Farming More Sustainable in Southern Brazil Mario Osava Biogas has the potential to provide 36 percent of the electricity consumed in Brazil or replace 70 percent of diesel if purified as biomethane, according to the Brazilian Association of Biogas and Biomethane (Abiogas). This new source of energy is only recently gaining a foothold in this ... MORE > >

Not Enough Good Information About Africa's Climate for Adaptation Isaiah Esipisu "We don't have a good appreciation of our local weather systems," says Dr James Kinyangi head of the African Development Bank's climate and development Africa special fund, which supports investments in climate and weather observations networks in Africa. "If you go to the United States you can ... MORE > >

Community Management, Outmigration Help Nepal Double Forest Area Peter Gill New analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates that Nepal’s forest area has nearly doubled, from 26% of land area in 1992 to 45% in 2016. The midhills have experienced the strongest resurgence, although forests have also expanded in the Tarai and in the mountains. This makes Nepal an ... MORE > >

World is in Crisis-- & Multilateral Approach is the Key Abby Maxman As the UN General Assembly begins, we are once again ringing the alarm on the urgent issues of climate and development that demand our global attention and action. And I worry yet again leaders will not heed the warnings and not act with the clarity and at the scale the issues we’re here to tackle ... MORE > >

As Climate Crisis Worsens & Poverty Rises, UN Appears Off-Track on Development Agenda Thalif Deen The two key goals in the UN’s development agenda are the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2030. But most of the world’s developing nations, currently fighting a losing battle against rising poverty and hunger –and suffering from the devastating impact of climate change-- are likely ... MORE > >

Key Changes in International Agriculture and Rural Development Issues: Three Priority Areas in the Context of the 2030 Development Agenda Karim Hussein Transformations in international agricultural and rural development issues Some major changes in international agricultural and rural development over the last 30-40 years need to be taken into account in efforts to promote sustainable development and an inclusive rural transformation (IFAD ... MORE > >

UN Chief Calls for Action, Not “Beautiful Speeches” Thalif Deen UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has offered an unsolicited piece of advice to the 190-plus speakers, including heads of state and heads of government, who will address an unprecedented six high level plenary meetings during the General Assembly sessions September 23-27. "I am asking ... MORE > >

Leaders Must Start Taking Science Seriously - U.N. James Reinl World leaders attending this month’s United Nations General Assembly should listen harder to scientists if they want to tackle climate change and meet global anti-poverty targets, U.N. experts warned this week. Shantanu Mukherjee, from the U.N.’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ... MORE > >

Translating Ambition to Action: High Hopes for United Nations Action Week Cameron Diver In less than 10 days, countries from around the planet will come together in New York for the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit. I look forward to representing the Pacific Community (SPC) at this important event, and throughout “Action Week” during the upcoming UN General ... MORE > >