Athletes from 88 countries have gathered in Sochi to compete. As a long-time runner, triathlete, and bike racer, I appreciate the spirit of competitiveness these individuals bring with them. But the Olympics are about more than competition. They’re about building understanding between people of different cultures and countries – understanding that must be based on respect for human rights.
Gardening columnist Henry Mitchell once wrote: “No gardener needs reminding that life depends on plants. No plants, no life. Very simple.” Yet it is very easy for biodiversity and ecosystems to get lost in the debate about eliminating poverty and reducing inequity.
Last fall, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a comprehensive and authoritative report on the science of climate change. The key takeaway: Scientists are more certain than ever that climate change is real and is caused by human activities – mostly the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.
A recent image making its rounds on social media demonstrates that the occurrence of regional cold blasts does not discount human-driven climate change and global warming.
“In 2014, we must turn the greatest collective challenge facing humankind today – climate change – into the greatest opportunity for common progress towards a sustainable future. Next year is the year from climate action.”
When the sun sets tonight around the world, more than 400 maternity clinics that long labored in darkness will have light. Reliable, robust, and easy to use ?Solar Suitcases? will provide light and power for midwives and doctors to deliver babies, conduct c/sections, treat pregnancy complications, and care for newborn babies in 25 countries. For many mothers and babies, that light may mean life.
If you care about environmental issues, health issues, economic issues, or development issues – or if you just care about the future – then you should know about today’s report from Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Today, 1.3 billion people in the world don’t have access to electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, more than four-fifths of these people live in rural areas and more than 95 percent live in sub-Saharan African or developing areas in Asia.
Power Africa builds on the great leadership shown by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative two years ago, with the objective of ensuring universal access to modern energy services – not just electricity, but clean fuels for cooking and heating – by 2030.
President Obama explained why it’s so important to cut the pollution that causes global warming.
