Environment

Hydrofluorocarbons, which replaced ozone-depleting CFCs, proved disastrous for climate change. Countries have now agreed to ban HFCs – but that may not bring as big a climate benefit as was hoped. It’s a historic achievement in the fight against global…

Neonicotinoids, a widely used class of insecticide, are suspected of harming honeybee populations. But there is growing evidence that they might also have detrimental effects on other important pollinators. Researchers believe neonicotinoids might at least in part be responsible for…

Environmental problems don’t queue politely waiting for their passports to be checked. By Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion for OpenDemocracy There are many good reasons for Britain to remain a member of the European Union. In a fast-changing…

Costa Rica has reached an extraordinary milestone in the history of green energy, with the country operating solely on renewable energy for nearly 3 months. The strong rains in the region have allowed the country to completely give up fossil…

Human Wrongs Watch Despite public funding of climate change adaptation measures reaching as high as $26 billion in 2012-2013, a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report issued on 5 December 2014 predicts a significant funding gap after 2020 unless…

Human Wrongs Watch From the contamination of land to the plundering of natural resources, the environment has long been a “silent casualty” of war, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 6 November 2014 affirmed as he warned that the fast-changing…

Human Wrongs Watch This week, UN Women marks three UN observances that reflect women’s key role in development, beginning with International Day for Rural Women on 15 October, World Food Day on 16 October and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October.*  …

  Human Wrongs Watch The global economy could be losing as much as $1 trillion annually by the end of the century if countries do not take urgent steps to stop ocean acidification, says a United Nations report launched on 8…

Human Wrongs Watch By Johan Galtung*, 29 Sep 2014 – TRANSCEND Media Service – “Trees won’t save the planet” is the title of an article in INYT (21-22 Sep 2014) by Nadine Unger, professor of atmospheric chemistry at Yale University. Her thesis: The…

The concentration of public health issues and adverse environmental circumstances in slums are increasingly important concerns for developing countries like Bangladesh. This country has experienced a steady growth in its urban population, most particularly in the capital city, Dhaka, ever…