The Week with IPS 12/12/2014

2014/12/12	Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter
	Want Economic Growth? Lessen Inequality A. D. McKenzie For years, many policy makers, including economists, have clung to the belief that if states do nothing to boost income equality, market forces will cause wealth to trickle down to the poorest citizens and contribute to overall growth. That theory is now being increasingly debunked as experts ... MORE > >
	U.S. Faulted for Undermining Torture Convention Thalif Deen The timing was inadvertently impeccable as two stinging reports on harsh interrogation techniques - by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States and former military regimes in Brazil - were released on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the U.N. Convention Against Torture. Not ... MORE > >
	Pushing for Gender Equity at COP20 Diego Arguedas Ortiz Despite international acknowledgement that women are disproportionately affected by climate change, the Lima climate negotiations have been slow to deliver progress on recognising their importance, while threats of pushback loom on the horizon. “There are references to gender in those documents, ... MORE > >
	The Rapid Rise of Green Bonds Desmond Brown Most countries joining the growing list of nations pursuing clean geothermal power have been confronted with a huge financial challenge. But the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Adnan Z. Amin, said efforts by his organisation to “double renewable energy” and ... MORE > >
	Nuclear States Face Barrage of Criticism in Vienna Jamshed Baruah Sarcastic laughter erupted when a civil society representative expressed his “admiration for the delegate of the United States, who with one insensitive, ill-timed, inappropriate and diplomatically inept intervention” had “managed to dispel the considerable goodwill the U.S. had garnered by its ... MORE > >
	Latin America Faces the Novelty and Challenge of Ageing Fabiana Frayssinet The eternally young Latin America is also ageing, due to the rise in life expectancy and the drop in birth rates - a demographic revolution that poses new challenges in a region that has begun to move slowly away from its status as the most unequal part of the world. The report "The New ... MORE > >
	Civil Society Support for Marshall Islands Against Nuclear Weapons Julia Rainer Ahead of the Dec. 8-9 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, activists from all over the world came together in the Austrian capital to participate in a civil society forum organised by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on Dec. 6 and 7. One ... MORE > >
	Divestment Campaign Aims to Bleed Dry the Fossil Fuel Industry Leehi Yona and Diego Arguedas Ortiz Even as the presence of major oil and gas corporations is nearly ubiquitous at the U.N. climate talks in the Peruvian capital known as COP20, fossil fuel divestment campaigns have gained ground in various countries and are moving to counter the influence of the "dirty energy" lobby here. As the ... MORE > >
	Climate Neutrality – the Lifeboat Launched by Lima Diego Arguedas Ortiz Packed into stifling meeting rooms in the Peruvian capital, delegates from 195 countries are trying to find a path that would make it possible for the planet to reach climate neutrality in the second half of this century – the only way to avoid irreversible damage, scientists warn. Climate ... MORE > >
	OPINION: Addressing Climate Change Requires Real Solutions, Not Blind Faith in the Magic of Markets Kristen Lyons Norwegians know something of life in a climate change world. Migratory birds arrive earlier in spring, trees come into leaf before previously expected, and palsa mires (wetlands) are being lost as permafrost thaws. Norwegians are currently waiting while geologists try to predict if, and when, ... MORE > >
	“Indigenous Peoples Are the Owners of the Land” Say Activists at COP20 Milagros Salazar The clamor of indigenous peoples for recognition of their ancestral lands resounded among the delegates of 195 countries at the climate summit taking place in the Peruvian capital. “I want my land…that’s where I live and eat, and it’s where my saintly grandparents lie,” Diana Ríos shouted with ... MORE > >
	War Knocks on Door of Youth Centre in Zwara Karlos Zurutuza It could be a squat house anywhere: music is playing non-stop and there is also a radio station and an art exhibition. However, weapons are also on display among the instruments, and most here wear camouflage uniform. "The house belonged to a former member of the secret services of Gaddafi so ... MORE > >