Climate Action

Photo: Sinharaja Forest Reserve © Ko Hon Chiu Vincent

The Destruction of the World Heritage Sinharaja Forest

An OPEN LETTER to UNESCO, IUCN and WCPA

By Somar Wijayadasa*

NEW YORK (IDN) — As a former staff member of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 1978 to 1995, and as a Sri Lankan, I write this OPEN LETTER to UNESCO, to the International Union for the Conservation of Forests (IUCN) and to the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to point out the plight of the Sinharaja Forest in Sri Lanka—declared as a World Heritage site.

Sri Lankans are grateful to UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre (WHC) for including six of our cultural sites and two natural sites in the World Heritage list—in accordance with the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

: Somar Wijayadasa; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 08 April 2021

Image: Ecological economics views the economy as a subset of the larger ecological environment. Source: ResearchGate

ECOLOGY & ECONOMICS: Humanity Has Reached A Critical Decade

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*

COPENHAGEN (IDN) — A new report, published on March 14, 2021 in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' journal Ambio [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-021-01544-8] points out that humanity is hurtling towards destruction unless we have the collective wisdom to change course quickly.

The article was written as part of the preparation of a meeting of Nobel Prize winners to discuss the state of the planet. The virtual meeting will be held on April 26-28, 2021.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 07 April 2021

Photo: Dr Wim Naudé, Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics with the Cork University Business School in Ireland with the image of AfCFTA from African Union website.

African Free Trade Area Expected to Lift Millions out of Extreme Poverty and Boost Growth

By Busani Bafana

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (IDN) — The long-awaited African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—set to be the world’s biggest free trade zone by size—which entered into force on January 1, 2021, promises a new era for African trade.

An Africa-wide free-trade pact could bolster the region’s income by $450 billion and lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035, if accompanied by significant policy reforms and trade-facilitation measures, according to the World Bank. When fully operational, the Free Trade area will create a market of 1.2 billion and drive a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 April 2021

Photo: Sri Lanka Sinharaja Forest Preserve. CC BY-SA 2.0

‘Human Rights’ and Ecological Crisis in Sri Lanka

Viewpoint by Dr Asoka Bandarage

The writer, a scholar and practitioner, has taught at Yale, Brandeis, Mount Holyoke (where she received tenure), Georgetown, American and other universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad

COLOMBO (IDN) — The recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 of March 16 has brought extensive charges against Sri Lanka over alleged human rights violations but is arguably seriously flawed.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 03 April 2021

Photo credit: China Global Television Network, or CGTN.

Internal Conflict Over Carbon Neutral China by 2060

Viewpoint by Alexander Kallweit

Last year, President Xi Jinping announced ambitious climate targets. But China's reluctant state apparatus struggles to reconcile high growth and climate policy, writes Dr Alexander Kallweit, who heads the office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Beijing. Previously, he led the foundation's International Dialogue Department in Berlin. This article first appeared in the International Politics & Society Journal.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 March 2021

Photo: Fire rips through Sierra Leone. Source: International Centre for Investigative Reporting

Fire Through Sierra Leone Leaves Thousands Without Shelter

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — A scorching blaze that turned a crowded neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital city into rubble and ashes has left an estimated 4,500 residents homeless with many searching for missing family.

The inferno which broke out on March 24 between 7 and 10 p.m. in Susan's Bay, devastated a community of struggling families, mostly fishermen and petty traders, according to Save the Children in a report.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 29 March 2021

Photo: The UN joins landmarks around the world by turning off the lights at its New York headquarters in observance of Earth Jour (file). Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Make Peace with Nature — India's COVID-19 Vaccines for UN Helmets — UNDP Preparing for Disaster in Nepal

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) — Earth Hour, India's donation of 200,000 vaccines to protect UN blue helmets against the coronavirus, and the UN is scaling up its efforts to help Nepal, which faces numerous natural threats, are some of the notable events in the last days.

On March 27, the world began to ripple to darkness as countries globally dimmed their lights at 8:30 pm local time for Earth Hour—an event that, according to the UN, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour.

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 28 March 2021

Asia-Pacific Needs Transformative Change Towards a Sustainable Future

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

The writer is United Nations-Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) — The COVID-19 crisis poses an unprecedented threat to development in the Asia-Pacific region that could reverse much of the hard-earned progress made in recent years. The good news is we know how to tackle this challenge. Recovery from the pandemic and our global efforts to deliver the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 must go hand-in-hand. The Goals provide a compass to navigate this crisis, faster and greener, everywhere and for everyone.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 16 March 2021

Image: Cover of a publication 'What does living in harmony with nature mean to you? OEWG #Biodoversity 2020

Human Civilisation on a Collision Course with the Laws of Ecology

Viewpoint by Tom Pegram and Julia Kreienkamp*

LONDON (IDN) — As governments around the world roll out COVID-19 vaccine programmes and seek to kickstart their economies back to life, recovery seems to be within reach. However, hard questions must not be sidestepped. How did this pandemic happen? And how resilient are we to future global risks, including the possibility of deadlier pandemics?

Importantly, COVID-19 was not a ‘black swan’ event – an event that cannot be reasonably anticipated.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 09 March 2021

Photo: Fishers retain a cultural memory of wildlife and habitats that has accrued over generations. Credit: Alastair Cole/Tongue Tied Films, author provided

Gaelic Helping Preserve Scotland’s Marine Environment

Viewpoint by Magnus Course and Alastair Cole*

EDINBURGH | NEWCASTLE (IDN) — Regulations brought in following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union have delayed the export of live shellfish to Europe, causing entire lorry loads of lobsters and langoustines to expire in Scotland’s ports.

Fishing is a relatively small part of the UK’s economy, but fishing rights dominated much of the Brexit negotiations with the European Union. And with the UK free of the EU’s environmental protections, fishing is once more a battleground for competing ideas in marine conservation.