Caribbean News: Guyana’s President is incoming UNASUR Chairman
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana will take over chairmanship of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2010 President Bharrat Jagdeo announced on Saturday after returning from the 3rd Heads …
Celebration in Sherwood Content
Image via Wikipedia Tashieka Mair, Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: Showers of blessings literally poured down on Sherwood Content, Trelawny, yesterday, as the community’s hero, Usain Bolt, powered to record win …
Climate Change Introduction
Ocean acidification is a potentially large problem directly related to climate change resulting from ocean waters reacting with more carbon dioxide. Amongst other things, it seems to negatively affect certain plankton that help in absorbing carbon dioxide. Some of the affected sea creatures are also crucial to the food chain, so the implications could be big. Some further information, including a couple of short videos, have been added to explain this.
Why Is Biodiversity Important?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters. This update includes additional illustrations and notes on these aspects, including an illustration of the nitrogen cycle and updates on the declining bee population and their importance to agriculture.
Foreign aid: shortfall reaches $3.6 trillion; greater than aid given
Almost 40 years ago, rich country governments agreed to give 0.7% of their GNI (Gross National Income) as official aid to poor countries for development assistance. The average aid delivered each year has actually been between 0.2 to 0.4%. The shortfall has therefore accumulated to over $3.6 trillion dollars at 2007 prices, while total aid delivered in that same time frame has reached $2.7 trillion. This update includes updated charts and graphs that look into this further.
Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss and species extinction is on the increase. It is generally understood that the high species loss rate is in large part due to human activity. This update includes notes on whaling and its impacts on ocean biodiversity (such as reducing fish populations, rather than increasing them for fishermen) and a video looking at the link between human rights and environmental rights.
Foreign aid: highest levels ever but still way below promised amounts
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) recently published new preliminary figures for aid in 2008. It showed official development assistance (ODA) aid from wealthy governments had increased to $119.8 billion, the highest ever. This is roughly 0.3% of GNI of the donor nations. Yet, almost 40 years ago nations promised to reach 0.7% of their GNI. While each year the amount of aid falls quite short of that 0.7% target, the quality and effectiveness of that aid is often questionable, sometimes benefiting the donor more than the recipient due to the types of conditions attached to this aid. This update includes a number of new and updated charts and graphs.
Animal and Nature Conservation: Rhinos still being killed for their horns
The conservation organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), notes that rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns. The update to this page describes this further.
The Banana Trade
A handful of fruit companies dominate the global banana trade. Combined with supermarkets on the consumer side, both end up squeezing workers who are often exploited or work under terrible conditions. Fair trade offers promise of some relief, but an entire region such as the Caribbean has had an almost unhealthy reliance and dependency on banana exports. This update provides some additional background information and links.
Global Financial Crisis
The global financial crisis section has been updated to include more information about how Asian and African nations are faring and includes a new part on human rights and the effect this crisis has had on rights around the world. Such a crisis may also be an opportunity for reform, though those who benefit from the current system have typically resisted more fundamental reforms in the past. Brief updates have also been added to the sections that look at this aspect further.
Global Financial Crisis: Rich countries resisting meaningful reform
A number of global forums have taken place to address various aspects of the global financial crisis, from immediate measures to discussion on long-term reforms and changes. However, it appears that rich nations are blocking meaningful reform and resisting calls from developing countries for fundamental changes that would democratize the international order and give more voice to developing countries to have a say in their own economic affairs. This update includes a description of this in further detail.
AIDS in Africa
AIDS in Africa is said to be killing more people than conflicts. It causes social disruption as children become orphaned. It affects already-struggling economies as workforces are reduced. As an enormous continent, various regions are seeing different results as they attempt to tackle the problem. Numerous local, regional and global initiatives are slowly helping, despite significant obstacles (such as poverty, local social and cultural norms/taboos, concerns from drug companies about providing affordable medicines, and limited health resources of many countries that are now also caught up in the global financial crisis). This update includes a couple of videos on different aspects off this issue as well as some further background information on how the issue is being addressed and what problems are being faced.