News Archives » Ecology
World Youth Conference in Mexico: August 23-28, 2010 August 23rd, 2010
The World Youth Conference opened today in Mexico City. It is an initiative of the Government of Mexico, in partnership with the United Nations system and civil society organizations designed to bring together government representatives and civil society organizations to identify priorities of action on youth to be addressed in the international development agenda beyond 2015. With five years to go before the deadline set by the international community to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Mexico, in partnership with the United Nations system, has invited all countries to participate in the World Youth Conference 2010.
For more information please visit: http://www.youth2010.org/
Act Now for Responsible Finance and Debt Cancellation July 23rd, 2010
Please take action to press for responsible lending and desperately needed debt cancellation for poor countries – Click here for our Action Alert.
This Alert also includes an action to Make Mercury Pollution a Thing of the Past.
Ease Up on Mother Earth – Reuse! July 20th, 2010
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle… We’ve all heard this mantra many times, but how often do we really think about it?
Hard economic times have many of us reducing our purchasing, and we are finding that perhaps we don’t need as much as we thought we did. But we also have much that can be re-used – both for the good of the planet and to help out those in need.
How can we encourage Reuse?
Start a re-use project in your church. Maybe you can have collection boxes for winter coats or kids’ clothing that is worth passing on. Books and DVDs are other items that are good to swap. Are there a lot of gardeners in your community? Swap seeds and gardening magazines. The possibilities are endless once you start thinking about it.
If you really want to inspire re-use in your community, organize a swap meet. Set up a few tables and get a group of people to bring their perfectly good items that others can take home for free in exchange for a trade. A variation on the old rummage sale…
More and more people – especially young people – are trading on-line. For the low-down on Craig’s List, Freecycle and other internet trade sites, read the Care2.com blog entry – “Not Buying It? How to Trade the Stuff You Already Have”.
Re-use this post – share it with others!
Millennium Development Goals: Report 2010 July 13th, 2010
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 is now available on the UN MDG website. The report, which presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, warns that while some progress has been made, it is uneven. And it pinpoints the areas where the accelerated efforts are needed to meet MDGs by 2015.
“…….The Millennium Declaration represents the most important promise ever made to the world’s most vulnerable people. The MDG framework for accountability derived from the Declaration has generated an unprecedented level of commitment and partnership in building decent, healthier lives for billions of people and in creating an environment that contributes to peace and security.”
“The Millennium Development Goals are still attainable. The critical question today is how to transform the pace of change from what we have seen over the last decade into dramatically faster progress. The experience of these last ten years offers ample evidence of what works and has provided tools that can help us achieve the MDGs by 2015. The Millennium Development Goals summit in September will be an opportunity for world leaders to translate this evidence into a concrete agenda for action….”
This report is based on a master set of data that has been compiled by an Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators led by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, in response to the wishes of the General Assembly for periodic assessment of progress towards the MDGs. The Group comprises representatives of the international organizations whose activities include the preparation of one or more of the series of statistical indicators that were identified as appropriate for monitoring progress towards the MDGs,
The Report is available in PDF form [80pp]. Download PDF
The report is available in PDF form in all UN languages, including: English, French, and Spanish
Law to Protect Philippine Environment from Destructive Mining Operations July 6th, 2010
On June 29, 2010, Governor Avance-Fuentes of South Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines signed into law Resolution No. 84 “Enacting the Environment Code of the Province of South Cotabato”. This code bans open pit mining. It talks about the need for genuine consultation with affected indigenous people as well as for protection of the environment, particularly of local water supplies. Multiple concerns about the damaging effects of open pit mining underlay the Governor’s decision to sign the law. This was a courageous decision as she was under serious political pressure from a powerful politician with mining interests not to do so.
The Governor, in her signing statement, said: “When the rivers dry up, the aquifers no longer supply clean water, and pollution contaminate our waters, can we, in conscience, face the future generation? Is it not that we duty bound to actively ensure the sustainability of our natural resources for the next generation’s survival?”
