News headlines in August 2019, page 7

BONN, Aug 09 (IPS) - Ibrahim Thiaw is UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

We have known for over 25 years that poor land use and management are major drivers of climate change, but have never mustered the political will to act.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 09 (IPS) - A new United Nations report has described farming, land degradation and desertification as critical frontlines in the battle to keep the global rise in temperatures below the benchmark figure of 2 degrees Celsius.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 09 (IPS) - There are several initiatives in place to foster sustainable development-- and the Global Geodetic Reference governance frame is one that has proved effective.

NEW YORK, Aug 09 (IPS) - What if current fertility rates of countries remain constant for the rest of the 21st century? Under this assumption, the populations of high fertility countries skyrocket while those of most low fertility countries plummet and world population nearly triples in size by the century's close. 

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 08 (IPS) - In 2019 a female scientist created an algorithm that gave the world the first ever images of a black hole. Working with a team of astronomers, physicists, mathematicians and engineers, a young woman led the development of a computer program that in her own words enabled them to "achieve something once thought impossible."

GENEVA, Aug 08 (IPS) - What matters more: ethics or profit?"I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster." ¹

These were the words of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 22 May 1940 when he learned of individuals profiting because of the booming arms trade industry during the Second World War.

Seven decades down the line, President Roosevelt's warning against the rise of the military-industrial complex and war profiteers is more relevant than ever and a telling testimony that for many in safe places war means profit. But, should the pursuit of economic profit be allowed to supplant ethical considerations, especially when weapons often end up in the hands of terrorists, human rights violators and criminal governments?

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 08 (IPS) - A crisis that has threatened to undermine the future of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is expected to have a devastating impact—not only on the credibility of the United Nations-- but also on the lives of over five million Palestinian refugees whose very survival depends on the humanitarian services provided by the beleaguered UN agency based in Amman and Gaza.

STOCKHOLM / ROME, Aug 08 (IPS) - Trying to teach and inspire youngsters is a daunting task. Many teachers tend to suffer from a harrowing, bad conscience, obliged as they are to follow routines, rules, and regulations set down by their employers while knowing that these are difficult to apply and provide with desired results. Worst is a nagging feeling of inability to reach out to the students. Most teachers want their pupils to be good learners, critically thinking individuals who feel gratified and keen to change things for the better.

WASHINGTON DC, Aug 08 (IPS) - For the family of indigenous Guatemalan activist Jorge Juc, the announcement last week by US President Donald Trump of an agreement declaring Guatemala a "safe third country" could not be more bitterly ironic.

TURKANA COUNTY, Kenya, Aug 08 (IPS) - Extreme rainfall and heavy flooding, often amplified by climate change, causes devastation among communities. But new research published on Aug. 7 in the scientific journal Nature reveals that these dangerous events are extremely significant in recharging groundwater aquifers in drylands across sub-Saharan Africa, making them important for climate change adaptation.