InFocus
Equator Initiative
While politians debate on sustainable development, communities around the world organize themselves and act to improve their lives in a sustainable manner. The Equator Initiative announced early this month the names of twenty-five community groups to receive the Equator Prize 2012. These communities are giving exceptional contributions to sustainable development. Winners were selected among 113 countries through out the developing world. The initiative is a partnership that brings together the UN, governments, civil society, businesses and regional organizations to undertake sustainable development [...]
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Everybody has a voice…
His name is Cole Raseberger. At just 8-years, Cole organized with schoolmates to protect North Carolina Coastal Forest. Cole loves the forest and the animals that live there, and was not afraid to take the first step to change things. On second grade, Cole didn’t wait to act. Cole first asked MacDonald’s “to change their [...]
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UNEP News 02/11: A group of the world’s leading scientists and experts in sustainable development today called for urgent changes to policies and institutions to enable humanity to tackle environmental crises and improve human wellbeing. The group is formed by all past winners of the Blue Planet Prize . They have gathered in London to finalise [...]
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2020 – Ultimate deadline of a promise
COP 17 in Durban ends with a promise: to sign a global treaty to reduce carbon emissions. The deadline to enforce the treaty is 2020. It has taken two weeks of intensive talks and overtime to produce a document that postpones the problem for the future: the Durban Platform. The document includes the continuation of the previous Kyoto Protocol agreement and the creation of the [...]
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COP 17 – Climate Change Conference 2011
COP 17 is happening in Durban, South Africa, “with a call to world leaders to save tomorrow today”. The meeting aims to discuss climate change. These changes are predominantly occurring due to global warming caused by greenhouse gases. In the last two COP conferences, in Copenhagen (COP 15) and Cancun(COP 16), there has not been a global agreement to reduce emission of greenhouse gases. This [...]
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Brazilian Arbor Day
Setemper 21st is Arbor Day in Brazil. Good reason to know more about the first trees that appeared on earth and made life possible on our planet. The first tree or one among the first was Archaeopteris. It absorbed carbon dioxide (CO ²) from the atmosphere and with its strong roots dug it into the soil, over millions of years ago . The Archaepteris prepared the ground for smaller plants. The leaves protected the newley formed soil [...]
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Powerful forests
Scientists say that forests can play an even more important role in combating climate change than previously thought, according to the most comprehensive study on forests and how they absorb carbon from the air. Everybody knows that trees need large quantities of greenhouse gas CO ² to grow, storing the gas in their trunks and [...]
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More than 1.000 have been found in Papua New Guinea!
A true treasure of biodiversity was found in the forests and wetlands of the New Guinea over a period of just 10 years. More than 1.000 species have been identified of animal, bird, fish, insect and plant. The WWF report Final Frontier: Newly Discovered species of New Guinea (1998-2008) shows that 218 new kinds of plants, [...]
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Forests at your service
. The UNEP report is about Forests in the Green Economy. Forests are one of the 10 sectors that make a change to low carbon economy with sustainably exploit its natural resources and create future jobs in this sector The good news in the report is that deforestation is slowing and in some areas such as Asia, the Caribbean [...]
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World Environment Day
WED / World Environment Day 2011 features an exciting , high-profile challenge between the UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors, Don Cheadle and GiseleBundchen. They are both committed to make a difference in the International Year of Forests. To participate, we must choose Gisele or Don and register your action for the World Environment Day. Gisele pledges to plant one tree for each activity registered in her name, if she wins the challenge. Don Cheadle ups the ante with a [...]
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