Working with a local telecommunications company, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed a program in the Ivory Coast to facilitate cash transfers that can be used by thousands of Ivorians to by food despite a climate of political violence. WFP provides $75.00 per month to households, benefiting 54,000 people in the Ivory Coast. However, […]
I went down across the street from the United Nations in New York a couple of Saturdays ago and took part in a medium-sized but interesting demonstration of concern about climate change. It was part of the “Moving Planet” series of demonstrations all over the world, organized by 350.org, that produced over 2,000 events in […]
Last week’s edition of The New York Times Magazine was the annual Food & Drink issue, with articles and features dedicated to subjects including health, policy, drinks, cooking, etiquette, curiosities and more. Perspectives on food security issues could be found among the answers to policy questions, including: “What’s an abundant food source that we haven’t […]
The battle between environmental conservation and business development continues in Alaska where voters sent in ballots on Tuesday October 4th to decide whether to prevent a mine from being built near the headwaters of Bristol Bay – one of the world’s premier salmon fisheries, according to the Associated Press (AP). “Supporters [of the mine] say […]
Feeding America created an interactive map of food insecurity in the United States in order to assist with its food aid efforts at the local community level. The Mapping the Meal Gap project also serves the general public with a useful illustration of hunger statistics by state and county, including: a piechart of the food […]
The earth has lost a very, very good friend: Dr. Wangari Maathai. She was a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, environmental activist, human rights campaigner, and a wonderful voice for reason in the face of the madness we so often do to our planet and ourselves. She died this week at the age of 71 from […]
Can you imagine a world without oil? I can. Even with all the oil in which we’re swimming today – as pictured by this excellent graphic from the latest issue of Momentum from the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota – I can see a world powered by renewables, generating electricity […]
This coming Saturday, September 24th, there will be events all over the world, in 170 countries, to demand that the transition from fossil fuels, the move toward a greener planet take place at a faster pace and with more focus. Sustainability is – to tell you the honest truth – the only way we’re going […]
Siemens, the German industrial giant, is, like the installation they created, picture above, a superstar. Peter Löscher, recently reappointed as CEO, has been driving the renewables end of their business relentlessly, seeing nothing but upside. Siemens has made a big move in announcing its total withdrawal from the nuclear power business. Siemens Abandoning Nuclear Power […]
Monday’s opening of the 66th United Nations General Assembly will feature two high-level meetings on issues that will affect international cooperation on food security and development issues. The first, taking place on September 19th and 20th, will address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which include cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, conditions which can develop or worsen depending on […]
Al Gore has added to his portfolio of projects relative to saving the climate system: The Climate Reality Project. It’s meant to further enlighten people, all around the world, about the threat we’re experiencing now and the implications for the future. It’s characteristically ambitious. Here’s the Nobel Peace Laureate, former Next President of the United […]
The natural disaster at the root of the famine striking Somalia, which has been worsened by interference by al Shabab militants and a failure to deliver aid, will only see a break when the October 2012 harvest yields its crops. In the meantime, the United Nations has declared a sixth area of southern Somalia as […]
You don’t have to tell me it’s the tenth anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the US. I was there, thank you. There is plenty to be said on the subject, and politicians, pundits and the population at large are saying it. My only comment today on this is to consider the cost. According […]
Vladimir Putin was at a ceremony a few days ago at which he pressed the button that began the process of delivering natural gas to Germany through the Nord Stream pipeline. According to Gazprom, Nord Stream is the first direct link between Russia and the European gas transmission system. It runs under the Baltic Sea, […]
14.5% of American households were food insecure for at least some time in 2010, according to an annual study released by the United States Department of Agriculture. This is essentially unchanged from 2008 and 2009, but is higher than 2007 when 11.1% of American households were food insecure. For most of the decade starting in […]