June 2007 Blog Posts (46)

In a consumerist system, money is the only standard for measuring value. The maximized return of money becomes society's central aspiration. Antagonism,

individualism and rapacity are fostered as privileged cultural values. Bank

balance, share stocks, purchase power, gross domestic product (GDP) and

recently gross national income (GNI), etc are the accepted…

Some critics argue that the Western countries are pushing Africa to check on the change of climate, like global warming, green house effect among others just for their own interest. They say the West wants Africa to provide the best conditions for them as they enjoy life. Even the push for Africans to grow organic foods is for them to have the best life on…

From 4th-6th June 2007 Journalists from 16 African countries (East and Central Africa) gathered in Kigali Rwanda to address environmental challenges in their respectve countries and to forge a way forward. The international conference for African network For Environmental Journalists ANEJ was organised by UNEP and funded by EU. Pius Sawa Murefu, attended the…

There seems to be a lot of debate and a growing number of empirical studies on how climate change is reported in the prestige press. What I am wondering, however, is if climate scientists and journalists have failed to see the importance of targeting popular media sources (e.g The Sun in the UK) in order to expand the climate change discussion.

G8 is done and now researchers and policy makers are busy getting the tone set right for the Bali meeting in December for Climate Policy Negotiations.

So far, adaptation was used (or so some says) as an excuse for not discussing about mitigations. Now the post Kyoto decision has to be made by the end of 2008. What are the options? Which country supports what ideas? Who comes up with an brilliant idea that all 190+ countries could agree on?

Any news on the beyond Kyoto…

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Panos will provide media activities and support to journalists before, during and after

the UN climate change summit, COP13, in Bali, Indonesia, on 3-14 December 2007.

"A major achievement of the COP12…

My work is in integrated resources management and conservation. Some of the work is at the policy level and some is very "on the ground" dealing with the livelihoods of communities and poverty reduction. A number of outputs and findings from these projects are as important as the findings of pure science and social science.…

[Interview] Vladimir Dzhanibekov, member of the Russian Academy of Science

Dambaru Ballab Kattel (Dambaru)

Published 2007-05-30

Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov, 65, is distinguished for having traveled five times in space, each for a different research objective. In total he spent 145 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes in space.…

Indonesian tropical rainforests are bursting with life. Not only do millions of species of plants and animals live in rainforests, but also many indigenous people or natives still live as their ancestors did many years before them in the rainforests for thousands of years harmoniously. They call the rainforest their home.…

Aside from the very professional entries in the community blog, I find myself writing something of a personal note.

I've never traveled. Never. I have been to Hawaii, yes. I've even driven to Fresno. I have been to San Francisco. But see the world? No. For me, the wax and wane…

Golam Mustofa Sarowar,…

It's 4:05 a.m., Pacific time. I am sitting, staring at my computer screen, trying to assemble the last bits of the newspaper for which I work. My deadline: 8 a.m.-- a mere four hours away from freedom.

Mark Twain once said, "I am not the editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one."

Twain is as correct now as he was in 1870.

-Ryan Rose