IPS Special Issue - Earth Day 2016

2016/4/22	Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter
	Unsung Heroes of Rural Resilience Friday Phiri In scorching heat, Ellen Kacha, inspects her almost failed maize crop, which now looks promising after a rare occurrence this season -- normal rainfall for at least two weeks. Droughts have been a common feature in recent years. This El Nino-induced phenomenon that is sweeping across southern ... MORE > >
	Small Island States Urge Rapid Implementation of Climate Agreement Ahmed Sareer The Paris Climate Change Treaty represents an historic step forward in the international effort to address the crisis. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) played a key role in its adoption and were instrumental in winning the inclusion of the 1.5-degree temperature goal. Many islands ... MORE > >
	Climate: Africa’s Human Existence Is at Severe Risk Baher Kamal “Africa’s human existence and development is under threat from the adverse impacts of climate change – its population, ecosystems and unique biodiversity will all be the major victims of global climate change.” This is how clear the Nairobi-based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is ... MORE > >
	Opinion: Unnoticed, We Are Close to Destruction of Our Planet Roberto Savio On the 17th of April, Italians were called to vote in a national referendum, on the extension of licenses to extract petrol and gas from the seas. The government, the media and those in the economic circles, all took a position against the referendum, claiming that 2000 jobs were at a stake. The ... MORE > >
	Latin America to Redouble Its Climate Efforts in New York Diego Arguedas Ortiz The countries of Latin America will flock to sign the Paris Agreement, in what will be a simple act of protocol with huge political implications: it is the spark that will ignite actions to curb global warming. More than 160 countries have confirmed their attendance at the ceremony scheduled for ... MORE > >
	UN Chief Seeks Fast-Paced Ratifications for Climate Change Treaty Thalif Deen Over 150 countries are expected to sign the Paris climate change agreement on April 22 but the historic treaty will not come into force until it has been ratified by 55 countries. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has hailed the agreement as “a landmark of international cooperation on ... MORE > >
	Climate Change and the Middle East (II) No Water in the Kingdom of the Two Seas—Nor Elsewhere Baher Kamal There is an oil producing country situated in the Gulf region, made of a cluster of islands. It is small, surface and population wise. But it holds the dubious privilege of ranking top of the list out of the 33 countries most likely to be water-stressed in the year 2040. This country is the ... MORE > >
	Climate Change (I) Will the Middle East Become ‘Uninhabitable’? Baher Kamal This is not about any alarming header—it is the dramatic conclusion of several scientific studies about the on-going climate change impact on the Middle East region, particularly in the Gulf area. The examples are stark. “Within this century, parts of the Persian Gulf region could be hit with ... MORE > >
	Genetic Resources to Fight Climate Change Justus Wanzala With Kenya’s meteorological records over the last 50 years indicating increased irregularity and variability in precipitation, the effects of changing climate are hitting hard. Rising temperatures as well other forms of extreme weather events in form of droughts and floods are a common ... MORE > >
	Desert Locust Invading Yemen, More Arab States Kareem Ezzat Now that Yemenis begin to hope that their year-long armed conflict may come to an end as a result of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations sponsored round of talks between the parties in dispute, scheduled on 18 April in Kuwait, a new threat to their already desperate humanitarian ... MORE > >
	Climate Change Dries Up Nicaragua José Adán Silva A three-year drought, added to massive deforestation in the past few decades, has dried up most of Nicaragua’s water sources and has led to an increasingly severe water supply crisis. Since January, photos and videos showing dried-up streams, rivers and lakes have been all over the social ... MORE > >
	Papua New Guinea First to Finalize National Climate Plan Under Paris Agreement Eliza Northrop On March 29, Papua New Guinea became the first country to formally submit the final version of its national climate action plan (called a “Nationally Determined Contribution,” or NDC) under the Paris Agreement. The small Pacific nation’s plan to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 is ... MORE > >