Growing Together
The new publication “Growing Together: Youth and the Work of the United Nations” was launched on International Youth Day. The UN Programme on Youth coordinated this inter-agency effort which shows how the United Nations system as a whole, supports youth development through a diverse range of programmes and activities. The publication demonstrates that the work...
Green is the New Black
Green is the new black. No buzz-phrase better sums up both the excitement many of us feel about the blooming environmental and social consciousness around us and the essential hollowness of the answers being promoted by many newly-minted eco-pundits. The flood of environmental magazine cover stories, documentaries and advertisements has pushed us over a public-opinion...
Happiness
Are you in a happy mood? Take a look at this World Database of Happiness, a great scientific & inspirational directory for everything from a selection on valid measurement to a state happiness ranking. Heard about Bhutan’s policy to measure ‘Gross National Happiness‘ instead of the traditional economic measure of GDP? Or watch Goldfrapp’s ‘Happiness’,...
International Youth Day 2008
YOUTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE: TIME FOR ACTION Today is World Youth Day, a day that youth organisations and movements worldwide gather to take action and stand up on climate change. A major focus of the Day is practical action to further encourage the empowerment and participation of youth in the processes and decisions that affect...
Actuality / Climate & Energy / Earth & Environment / Globalization & Global Culture / Sustainable Development / War & Terrorism / World
The final countdown
Usually I’m quite an optimist when talking about future-related trends, how to act on climate change etc. But this article in The Guardian struck me quite a lot… Time is fast running out to stop irreversible climate change, a group of global warming experts warns today. We have only 100 months to avoid disaster. Andrew...
Could Globalization Be Going In Reverse?
For the last three decades, it’s been more or less assumed that globalization was a force that moved in only one direction — towards ever-greater integration. And due to the logic of global trade, the assumption of ever greater integration led to the prediction that manufacturing would continue to move from countries with low labor...
Actuality / Architecture / Asia / Developing Countries / Globalization & Global Culture / Politics & International Relations / Society / World
080808: Let the Games Beijng
The Biggest and probably most controversial games in history. It’s a big day for China today. With its opening ceremony of the Beijng Olympics, it hopes to definitely settle its desired image of superpower in a world of shifting power, scarce resources, diverging trends of democracy and varying definitions of human rights. While several world...
Al Gore: A Generational Challenge to Repower America
Al Gore takes the opportunity to address one of the key challenges of this time: he calls upon bold action to make a 100% reduction in non-renewable energy commitment within 10 years, in the US. Can this be called one of the defining moments of the beginning of the 21st century? Would other leaders in...
2008 most liveable cities
The Monocle Global Quality of Life Index may one day graduate to adopt a scientific methodology that considers a larger spectrum of cities around the world, but I’m happy to settle for their current coverage and play the my-city-is-better-than-yours game, using the tidbits of quick facts they’ve compiled. For those who don’t buy the magazine...
Imagine What Comes After Green
The greatest opportunity of our generation: that’s what could be waiting for us, after we leave “green” behind. Saving the biosphere and spreading sustainable prosperity is going to take a lot more than doing things in a more environmentally-conscious manner; it’s going to demand we remake much of our material civilization. Read more at Worldchanging.com…...
Climate & Energy / Developing Countries / Earth & Environment / Politics & International Relations / Sustainable Development / War & Terrorism / World
Land, Water And Conflict
As drylands get drier and violence grows, new crises resembling Darfur will arise. By Jeffrey Sachs | NEWSWEEK. July 7-14, 2008 issue. The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million people, with most of the increase in...
The world’s water future
The problems of water management are at the heart of an integrated crisis of global development that includes climate change and food insecurity, says Mike Muller. The global food crisis of 2007-08 has propelled governments and international agencies into a series of emergency responses, designed both to meet the needs of desperate citizens in many...
