Global warming could double food prices

Source: Charles J Hanley, MNN Even if we stopped spewing global warming gases today, the world would face a steady rise in food prices this century. But on our current emissions path, climate change becomes the “threat multiplier” that could double grain prices by 2050 and leave millions more children malnourished, global food experts reported Wednesday. Beyond 2050, when climate scientists project temperatures might rise to as much as 6.4 degrees C (11.5 degrees... Read More

World AIDS Day 2010 – Universal Access and Human Rights

Source: Mark Cichocki, About.com The first World AIDS Day was in 1988 and was started as a method of raising awareness of HIV and AIDS. Every December 1 since that first year, people around the world observe World AIDS Day not only to raise awareness but also to raise much needed funding for costly HIV care and prevention around the world. World AIDS Day 2010 will be held as it is every year on December 1; the theme ”Universal Access and Human Rights”. Leaders... Read More

Bangladesh okays strict law to protect endangered animals

Source: Reuters Bangladesh has approved a law that sets jail terms of up to 12 years for deliberately killing tigers and other wild animals endangered in the South Asian country, officials said on Saturday. A recent cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also agreed to provide reparations to the families of victims killed or maimed by the animals that range between 100,000 taka ($1,415) and 50,000 taka. Each family will also get 25,000 taka as compensation if... Read More

UN study finds most people worldwide have no social security

Source: UN News Centre Basic social security remains out of reach for most people across the world, especially in poorer countries, despite the crucial role it plays in cushioning people from the consequences of economic crises, according to a United Nations report unveiled today. The “World Social Security Report 2010-2011: Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond,” prepared by the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), examines the gaps in access to social security... Read More

Agriculture must become ‘climate-smart,’ says UN agency

Source: UN News Centre A new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report calls for agriculture in developing countries to become ‘climate-smart’ to cope with the twin challenges of climate change and population growth. Climate change is expected to curb agricultural productivity, stability and incomes in many areas already coping with high levels of food insecurity, but the new publication says world farming production must soar by 70 per cent in the next... Read More

In Haiti, cholera could heighten earthquake misery

Source: Associated Press A cholera outbreak that already has left 250 people dead and more than 3,000 sickened is at the doorstep of an enormous potential breeding ground: the squalid camps in Port-au-Prince where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live. Health authorities and aid workers are scrambling to keep the tragedies from merging and the deaths from multiplying. Five cholera patients have been reported in Haiti’s capital, heightening worries that the disease could... Read More

BP attorney suggests that the oil giant might seek to cap spill claims at $75 million

Source: Brett Michael Dykes, Yahoo! News In a seemingly never-ending parade of radio, television, print and web ads, in addition to numerous official statements, BP officials have repeatedly insisted that the company intends to make the Gulf Coast and its residents “whole” again. In the latest such PR blitz, BP employee and New Orleans native Iris Cross reiterates that the company will do everything it has to do in order to “make this right.” But yesterday... Read More

Ending Hunger in Africa

Source: Danielle Nierenberg, Worldwatch As hunger and drought spread across Africa, there’s a huge focus on increasing yields of staple crops, such as maize, wheat, cassava, and rice. Although these crops are important for improving food security, they cannot cure malnutrition alone. There is no one-size fits all or single crop solution to solving global hunger, alleviating poverty, or protecting the environment and mitigating climate change. But the good news is that there... Read More

Flood-affected Pakistanis in need of continued assistance

Source: UN News Centre The United Nations refugee agency today cautioned that 11 weeks since the first floods struck Pakistan, large numbers of those affected are still in critical need of continued humanitarian assistance, including many needy people the agency was supporting even before the flood emergency. In Sindh province in the south, flooding is still occurring, Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva, with... Read More

3 Reasons Why Mother Nature Wants You To Eat Less Meat

Source: Beth Buczynski, Care2 Today is World Vegetarian Day and it is the kick-off event for World Vegetarian Awareness Month. You’ll probably see a lot of posts about why consuming animal products is cruel, and for those who feel passionately about animal rights, this is an important argument. But is it the most compelling reason for reducing the amount of meat we eat? Of the handful of reasons I’ve experimented with a vegetarian diet over the past decade, animal... Read More