Aid agencies working in Somalia responded to a report alleging that more than half of the aid provided to Somalis through local World Food Programme (WFP) contractors was not reaching the needy. Mark Bowden, the UN’s aid chief in Somalia disputed the report of the UN Monitoring Group in Somalia, saying that the evidence cited […]
I’ve written about the environmentally catastrophic, greenhouse gas intensive, and, of course, hugely profitable Alberta tar sands a number of times. We don’t seem to shine as bright a spotlight on this boondoggle here as they do in Europe. There is a new report out from a coalition of investor groups based in Europe, the […]
The Japanese government has pledged $10 million USD worth of food aid to help improve Mozambique’s food security situation. An agreement for this aid was signed in Maputo this past Friday by Mozambique’s Deputy Foreign Minister Henrique Banze and the Japanese ambassador Susumu Segawa. The aid will buy 600 tons of rice grown in Japan […]
I was disappointed to not be able to make this important conference this past Thursday. (Too many other balls up in the air.) I went two years ago and found it a most satisfying experience. Here is Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs introducing the event, along with video of the whole conference. Panelists took part […]
As online games go, this one not only fills players’ free time, it fills empty stomachs too. FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) featuring a game in which users match selected words to their dictionary definitions. For each answer selected correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated […]
Should the U.S. government create a White House office for coordinating the fight against global hunger? According to William Lambers from the Blogcritic’s “Ending Global Hunger” blog, the answer is yes. Lambers recently wrote about the Roadmap to End Global Hunger, legislation which is intended to provide the U.S. government with the commitment and tools […]
Okay, the Obama Administration is gathering up the laurel wreaths for its landmark victory on health care reform. Nancy Pelosi, my all-time personal favorite Speaker of the House, deserves a lioness’s share of the credit as well. Here’s a happy picture at the bill signing today. Nancy looks pretty darn jazzed! But this blog is […]
At the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit last week, part of the discussion turned to China’s food security and how food availability in China might affect global demand. Experts discussed how China’s growth has led to increasing urbanization, personal wealth and therefore, changing eating habits. A rise in meat consumption means that China will need […]
It was announced on Monday that the European Union (EU) has given the government of Malawi $12 million to secure its food supply. The funds were given in support of Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme, with specific regards to the program’s seed components. In a statement, the EU said: “The EU’s assistance enables. The raising […]
Today is World Water Day. There are events going on all over the world to mark this year’s theme: Clean Water for a Healthy World. You can find some excellent reading here, and you might want to view this video, Water: The Drop of Life. UNDP notes here that, worldwide, 2.6 billion people lack proper […]
In the wake of the recent UN Security Council Report on corruption in humanitarian aid to Somalia, CFR’s Isobel Coleman wrote an op-ed describing how local solutions could prevent such scandals while ensuring the delivery of much-needed food aid. Coleman describes how local Somali women had been successfully deployed in the 1990s at small communal […]
As the move toward energy conservation takes hold, lithium for use in ion batteries is destined to play a significant role in the energy equation of the next generation. From 2003-2007, global demand for lithium carbonate doubled, and realizing current hybrid car technologies will require access to massive stocks of lithium, which is largely harvested […]
First of all, I have to apologize for not being so much in evidence here over the past couple of weeks. It’s been busy: Last weekend had three – count ’em – three birthday parties, including a big (successful) surprise for my wife with many old friends, followed the next day by a museum extravaganza […]
Allegations that “as much as half” of UN food aid for Somalia was diverted to militias, local power brokers and even UN staff based in Somalia, were detailed in a recent UN Security Council report. The New York Times, which initially presented details of the report last week, has reported today that some of the […]