Category Archives: d-sustainable

English bulletin August 1, 2018

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

Last month we reported on reforestation projects in Africa: the Great Green Wall that streteches from one side of Africa to the other; and the Million Tree Initiative in Zambia. And previously we reported on reforestation projects in China , Pakistan and Brazil.

This month we add reports on the Greentrees Sequester initiative in North Americ and the project Defenders of the Forest in Madagascar. The Greentrees initiative recerived an award from the American Carbon Registry “in recognition of exceptional implementation of the world’s largest reforestation project both in terms of volume of high-quality verified emissions reductions issued and number of participating landowners and acres.”

The Madagascar project is important because the island is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots with the vast majority of its species of fauna and flora endemic to the island. Much of Madagascar’s wildlife is under threat, particularly its humid forests.” The Mitsinjo Association, composed of the local conservationists, hires local youth to plant trees and conserve the animals that are in danger of extinction. The Association engages in a variety of education and capacity building programs for the communities they support, including schools.

Meanwhile the divestment from fossil fuels continues to gather force. We have previously reported on divestment initiatives by a wide variety of local and global organizations, including the World Bank, Catholic institutions, Norway and New York City. Go Fossil Free, a group that advocates for fossil fuel divestment, estimates that $6.15 trillion worth of fossil fuel assets have been sold off since the movement started in 2010.

In Japan, which has been one of the biggest financiers of coal technology in the world, Nippon Life Insurance, Japan’s largest life insurer, with assets of $667 billion, has announced that they will stop financing coal-fired power plants.

This month we report that the Parliament of Ireland has voted to sell off its estimated $370 million in fossil fuel investments “as soon as is practicable.” Ireland’s vote is particularly important because it reflects a major shift in the divestment movement, Originally, fossil fuel divestment was entirely driven by moral concerns—institutions pulled their money out of oil, gas, and coal companies because they didn’t want to be contributing to the destruction of a stable climate. Now, divestment is increasingly seen as a smart financial move for investors.

Perhaps most important of all, there continues to be progress in renewable energy that does not pollute the atmosphere. A few months ago, we reported on increased investment in solar power in China, Australia, Sweden, UK and Germany, including electric cars and a solar highway in China. And this month we see that India is making strides towards leadership in wind and solar power. Although renewable energy currently supplies only 20% of the country’s needs, this is beginning to change as a result of financial considerations. New renewable energy is less expensive to build than it costs to run most of the existing coal fired power in the nation—let alone construct new plants.

Finally, for a holistic approach, we can recommend that of Agroecology. In Brazil, the National Association of Agroecology has brought together several hundred farmers’, women’s, artists’ and activists’ organizations over the course of the last fifteen years to promote a new model of development based on farming and land use practices in an ecological and common good perspective centered around traditional and popular knowledge and culture. The very nature of agroecology is transversal and holistic. Considering the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, agroecology covers the majority of them: climate, water, the fight for gender equality, against poverty, hunger, decent work, etc.

      

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



India strides towards clean energy leadership

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY



Campaign Nonviolence National Convergence in Washington, DC this September 21-22, 2018

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



II World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace: Madrid, 5-8 November

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Peace Boat returns to Cuba with a message of peace and global solidarity

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



Women in school to promote a sustainable peace in Cameroon

HUMAN RIGHTS



9th International Conference on Human Rights Education

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY



USA: A call to resist immigrant concentration camps

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Peru: Law to promote the culture of peace and non-violence in basic education

When you cultivate plants, do you cultivate peace?

The initial articles on this subject were written by Marielza Cunha Horta about the The Eco Citizen project in Brazil, and she gave us the title: “Cultivate plants, Cultivate peace.” Since then, subsequent articles bear out this approach.

According to the CPNN article about the largest tropical reforestation effort in history that aims that aims to restore 73 million trees in the Brazilian Amazon, “The reforestation project fills an urgent need to develop the region’s economy without destroying its forests and ensuring the well-being of its people.”

When announcing a great tree-planting project in Zambia, the President emphasized that it would involve young people, especially school children so that “when our learners appreciate the importance of trees, it will in turn create a positive impact in families and the communities at large.”

And describing the Green Belt Project that will cross the entire African continent with trees, CPNN noted that “Although the project was conceived on a grand scale, continental in scope, the actions must take place at a local level. . . [so that] the populations of different villages, communities and cities will develop mutual understanding, respect and confidence.”

Here are the CPNN articles on this subject:

Faces Of Africa – Defenders of the Forest [Madagascar]

Greentrees Sequesters Another 1 Million+ Tons of Carbon via Reforestation; Wins Award

‘Billion Tree Tsunami’ transforms arid Pakistan region into green gold

Great Green Wall Brings Hope, Greener Pastures to Africa’s Sahel

Leading from the Front: Zambia Launches Plant a Million Trees Initiative

China Reassigns 60,000 Soldiers to Plant Trees

World’s Largest Tropical Reforestation to Plant 73 Million Trees in Brazilian Amazon

Trees talk to each other and recognize their offspring

African women organize to reclaim agriculture against corporate takeover

This new initiative out of Paris will help fight climate change with trees

A Great Green Wall Across the African Continent

Une muraille verte transcontinentale

Eco Cidadão commemorates the International Day of Peace

Eco Cidadão comemora Dia Mundial da Paz

The Eco Citizen project: Cultivate plants, Cultivate peace

Eco-Citizen Programme : Urban Agriculture for Vulnerable Youth

What is the relation between the environment and peace?

One way to understand the relation between environment and peace is to turn the question on its head and ask what is the relation between the environment and the culture of war.  Here is what I say in my book The History of the Culture of War :

The exploitation of the culture of war involves not only exploitation of people, but also exploitation of the environment. In recent years everyone has become more aware of the dangers of environmental pollution, with special attention to carbon emissions which have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and resulted in global warming. This is also related to the loss of the world’s forests which redress the problem by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Insufficient attention has been paid, however, to the great environmental destruction and pollution caused by military activity.

Historically, military-related activity has been one of the primary causes of deforestation. This was already evident in ancient times as described above in the case of Greece and Rome. More recently, the British Empire was a major destroyer of forests, as described for India in an article by Budholai (available on the Internet) :

“The early days of British rule in India were days of plunder of natural resources. They started exploiting the rich resources present in India by employing the policy of imperialism. By around 1860, Britain had emerged as the world leader in deforestation, devastation its own woods and the forests in Ireland, South Africa and northeastern United States to draw timber for shipbuilding, iron-smelting and farming. Upon occasion, the destruction of forests was used by the British to symbolize political victory. Thus, the early nineteenth century, and following its defeat of the Marathas, the East India Company razed to the ground teak plantation in Ratnagiri nurtured and grown by the legendary Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre. There was a total indifference to the needs of the forest conservancy. They caused a fierce onslaught on Indian Forests. The onslaught on the forests was primarily because of the increasing demand for military purposes, for British navy, for local construction (such as roads and railways), supply of teak and sandalwood for export trade and extension of agriculture in order to supplement revenue.”

I have not been able to find precise evidence of the environmental damage caused by the contemporary American Empire, but the following description of military pollution by Schmidt (2004) gives some idea of the problem which includes contamination of the land by poisonous chemicals as well as air pollution:

“Preparing for war is a heavily industrialized mission that generates fuel spills, hazardous waste, and air pollution. The DOD owns more than 10% of the 1,240 sites currently on the National Priorities List, and has estimated the cost of cleaning up these sites at approximately $9.7 billion. In addition to lead and a variety of solvents, training facilities release munitions constituents including perchlorate (a thyroid toxicant), RDX (an explosive compound and neurotoxicant), and TNT (an explosive compound linked to anemia and altered liver function).

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans live within 10 miles of a DOD Superfund site – a sometimes perilous proximity. The Massachusetts Military Reservation, for instance, a 34-square-mile multi-use training facility in Cape Cod, is slowly leaching solvents, jet fuel, RDX, and perchlorate into the area’s sole aquifer, a drinking water source for up to 500,000 people at the height of tourist season.

Military aircraft from DOD facilities also generate noise and air pollution. For instance, in 1996, the most recent year for which data are available, more than 50,000 military flights contributed to the heavy air traffic over Washington, D.C. According to the Democratic Committee on Energy and Commerce, these flights emitted 75 tons of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, which generate smog. In 1999, the Sierra Army Depot, located 55 miles northeast of Reno, was California’s leading air polluter, according to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. The base released some 5.4 million pounds of toxic chemicals that year, including aluminum, copper, and zinc fumes.”

Military testing and seeding with anti-personnel mines and unexploded or spent ammunition such as cluster bombs and depleted uranium have rendered large tracts of land around the world uninhabitable and unapproachable. I have not been able to find any full accounting of this. However, we know that many people, often children, are still being injured by anti-personnel mines, cluster bomb fragments and other ammunition around the world. Furthermore, any seasoned traveler will have encountered zones that are “off limits” because of military use, often because they have been used for target practice and weapons testing and still contain live ammunition. In addition, does anyone know how much of the world’s land is now contaminated with so much radiation from the disposal of radioactive waste or from accident nuclear explosions such as that of Chernobyl that the land will not be habitable for hundreds or thousands of years?

Of course, the above damage is dwarfed by what would happen to the environment if even a small fraction of today’s nuclear weapons were used in a nuclear war. At the height of the Cold War, scientific calculations were made showing that the world would enter a “nuclear winter” caused by the clouds from such war, not to mention the lethal levels of radioactivity that would result. It is frightening to realize how close we have come to such a nuclear war. Several years ago, a CPNN article described how a Soviet colonel saved the world from a nuclear holocaust when all the signals required him to fire the Soviet nuclear arsenal. Until recently, this topic was rarely mentioned in the media despite the fact that the same potential for nuclear destruction remains on attack-alert ready for deployment. However, the recent adoption of a UN resolution and Nobel Prize for Peace has brought back attention to the danger.

This question pertains to the following articles

UN Women : Five young women on the forefront of climate action across Europe and Central Asia

Central Africa : Safeguarding the Lake Chad basin, a major regional challenge

Mouvement de la Paix Appeals for the French to Contribute to the Success of the Global Day of Action on Climate Change

Dalaba, Guinea: launch of the APAC Project of Didhèrè Foulah in Kaala

The Páramo de Sumapaz, will be the scene of Colombian cinema festival

In Central Africa, Villages Join an Experiment To Save the World’s Second-Largest Rainforest

Russia: Ambassadors of Specially Protected Natural Territories

International Peace Bureau: the ‘carbon boot-print’

World animal protextion: Five amazing Sea Warrior women tackling ghost gear on a global scale

Greenpeace: Great news for the Arctic AND the Antarctic!

Ghana: WANEP builds capacity of front line Peace Actors

Kenya: Construction of Wangari Maathai institute starts

Africa: Sustainable development: The future of the land is in green energy

On Earth Day, Commit To The Great Turning

Mozambique: Maputo Declaration of African Civil Society on Climate Justice

Book review: War, peace, and ecology. The risks of sustainable militarization

Livre: Guerre et paix… et écologie. Les risques de militarisation durable

Reflection on the Life of Wangari Maathai
Sumak Kawasay: Full Life

Sumak Kewesay: Vida Plena

PROYECTO plantea crear la Defensoría de Madre Tierra (Bolivia)

Bolivian Project Proposes to Create a Defense of Mother Earth

Earth Hour, March 23: Uniting people to protect the planet

Pangolins, elephants win big protections at United Nations wildlife gathering

Kenya: Construction of Wangari Maathai institute starts

Initial count from Amboseli is good news for elephants

Big Win for Species at Risk (Canada)

Governments commit to tackling wildlife crime in major declaration

Life-Link Friendship Schools in Iran

World Heritage Site a Haven for African Wildlife

Environmental Sustainability as a Tool for Peace Building

International Conference on Environmental Diplomacy and Security

The Law of Mother Earth: Behind Bolivia’s Historic Bill

Water for Peace

Global Balance Sheet

Nobel Peace Prizewinner Calls for Culture of Peace

2004 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Wangari Maathi

Indigenous peoples, Are they the true guardians of nature?

Here are the CPNN articles on this subject:

Indigenous trade unionists from around the world call for more inclusion and solidarity: “We are not just there to sing the songs and do the opening prayer”

Lula demarcates six indigenous territories in Brazil, the first in five years

Greenpeace on COP15: A bandage for biodiversity protection

United States: Flathead Indian Reservation Expanded to Include National Bison Range

Brazil’s indigenous tribes protest Bolsonaro assimilation plan

Meet the Trailblazing Maasai Women Protecting Amboseli’s Wildlife

Canadian police block journalists from covering indigenous pipeline protest

First Indigenous woman is elected Federal Deputy in Brazil

Indigenous Peoples Link Their Development to Clean Energies

16 Days of Activism: Meet Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres, Honduras

16 Days of Activism: Meet Anne Marie Sam, Canada

Colombia: When indigenous knowledge heals and prevents the wounds of war

USA: Update from Standing Rock

IUCN Congress boosts support for Indigenous peoples’ rights

El Congreso de la UICN refuerza el apoyo a los derechos de los pueblos indígenas

Le Congrès de l’UICN stimule les droits des peuples autochtones

USA: Standoff at Standing Rock: Even Attack Dogs Can’t Stop the Native American Resistance

On remote Philippine island, female forest rangers are a force to be reckoned with

15 Indigenous Rights Victories That You Didn’t Hear About in 2015

Indigenous Elders Send Stern Message to UN Paris Delegates: Preventing 2°C Is Not Nearly Enough

Terrace Farming – an Ancient Indigenous Model for Food Security

Mayan People’s Movement Defeats Monsanto Law in Guatemala

Mining interests in Guatemala challenged by indigenous direct democracy

Brazilian Indians secure nationwide land victory

Los indígenas de Brasil consiguen una victoria territorial a escala nacional

Canada: Kinder Morgan leaves Burnaby Mountain in win for pipeline protesters

People’s Summit in Peru: “The Earth is burning, let´s change the system!”

Confederación Campesina del Perú presente en marcha de Cumbre de Pueblos

United, We Will Never Be Defeated: Guatemala’s Victory Over Monsanto

Unidos, Jamas Seremos Vencidos: La Victoria de de Guatemala En Contra de Monsanto

Colombia: The Indigenous of Cauca: “We are a people with a culture of peace”

Indígenas del Cauca: “Somos pueblos de cultura de paz”

English bulletin May 1, 2017

. MARCHING TO SAVE OUR PLANET .

Two major mobiliztions to preserve the planet took place this month in the United States and Canada. Close to a million people turned out across the United States and Canada for the March for Science on April 22. A week later, at least a quarter of a million turned out for the Peoples Climate March.

At the main March for Science in Washington, D.C., the American scientist Bill Nye, an honorary co-chair of the event, delivered a speech to a crowd of tens of thousands in pouring rain. ‘Show the world that science is for all. Our lawmakers must know and accept that science serves every one of us,’ Nye said before shouting out, ‘Save the world!’

For the Peoples Climate March a week later, over 200,000 people took part in the Washington, D.C. march and another 50,000 or so in 370 sister marches across the country. According to its national coordinator, ““This march grew out of the relationship building among some of the country’s most important progressive organizations and movements. . . . to pressure global leaders to act on climate change. There was a simple demand – act . . . act on climate while creating family-sustaining jobs, investing in frontline and indigenous communities and protecting workers who will be impacted by the transition to a new clean and renewable energy economy.””

If one were to map the largest turnouts, it would look almost the same as the map we published back in January for the women’s marches against the inauguration of President Trump, which, in turn was almost the same as the map for the election results.

The marches for science were appropriately set for April 22, which is recognized by the United Nations as Mother Earth Day.

The UN initiative came from Latin America, and, indeed, it was celebrated this year in most Latin American countries, including statements from the Presidents of Bolivia and Venezuela that linked it to the culture of peace and to socialism. In addition to Bolivia and Venezuela, we gave some details from celebrations in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Argentina.

For example, in Honduras, public and private environmental organizations planted thousands of trees in urban and rural areas to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the planet, while in Argentina there were workshops, ecological activities and even the country’s first “bio festival” of music, held in the city of Rosario.

In addition to the science marches, there were many other celebrations of Earth Day across the United States and Canada. These included Earthday fairs with educational activities, tree planting and community environmental cleanups. Especially unique and appropriate was the earthday event in North Dakota, where the horseback riders of the Dakota Exile Healing Ride celebrated the “Sweet Corn Treaty” that occurred in 1870 with the Chippewa and Sioux tribes. They called for “sharing our homelands and responsibilities to the lands, and water as well as respect for each other’s cultures and traditions by sharing once again as Dakota did”.

One would have hoped that Earth Day would be celebrated around the world and would indicate a growing consciousness for the culture of peace, given that sustainable development is one of its eight program areas. Indeed, some claim that these celebrations involved “a billion people.” in “195 countries.” Unfortunately, our survey of Earth Day activities around the world failed to confirm any large participation outside of North and South America.

Certainly, there is a growing consciousness around the world that we must act to save our planet, a consciousness that complements the anti-war consciousness that we have seen on the UN International Day of Peace. Although the consciousness is worldwide, perhaps it is appropriate that the largest mobilizations at this time are taking place in the United States, since it is the American empire that poses the greatest threat to the environment.

      

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Earth Day around the World – 2017

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY



Beirut Declaration enhances role of religions in promoting human rights

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Paraná, Brazil: Draft Law for Culture of Peace as public policy

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



USA: Peoples Climate March a Huge Success: Final Count: 200,000+ March in D.C. for Climate, Jobs and Justice

WOMEN’S EQUALITY


Togo: Women’s groups in the Plateaux region sensitized on social cohesion and the culture of peace in Atakpamé

HUMAN RIGHTS


Sanctuary city leaders vow to remain firm, despite threats from U.S. attorney general

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY



The Inside Story on Our UN Report Calling Israel an Apartheid State

EDUCATION FOR PEACE


Mexico, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur: Theater show celebrated on Theater Day

Opposing tax havens and corruption: part of the culture of peace?

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .


In drafting the United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace, we included the following:

“It is increasingly recognized that in the long term, everyone gains from the implementation of sustainable human development for all. The poverty and exclusion of some increases the vulnerability of all. This represents a major change in the concept of economic growth which, in the past, could be considered as benefitting from military supremacy and structural violence and achieved at the expense of the vanquished and the weak. . . . Special consideration should be given to the reduction of sharp economic inequalities among nations and peoples so as to avoid potential sources of violent conflict.”

It turns out that tax havens are a major method of structural violence achieved at the expense of the poor countries and leading to more and more inequality between the rich (exploiting) North and the poor (exploited) South. The key data are kept secret, but have been unmasked recently by a team of academics at the US-based Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and the Centre for Applied Research at the Norwegian School of Economics and published by the Guardian.

“Multinational companies also steal money from developing countries through “same-invoice faking”, shifting profits illegally between their own subsidiaries by mutually faking trade invoice prices on both sides. For example, a subsidiary in Nigeria might dodge local taxes by shifting money to a related subsidiary in the British Virgin Islands, where the tax rate is effectively zero and where stolen funds can’t be traced. GFI doesn’t include same-invoice faking in its headline figures because it is very difficult to detect, but they estimate that it amounts to another $700bn per year. And these figures only cover theft through trade in goods. If we add theft through trade in services to the mix, it brings total net resource outflows to about $3tn per year. That’s 24 times more than the aid budget. In other words, for every $1 of aid that developing countries receive, they lose $24 in net outflows. These outflows strip developing countries of an important source of revenue and finance for development. The GFI report finds that increasingly large net outflows have caused economic growth rates in developing countries to decline, and are directly responsible for falling living standards.”

Hence, the answer would seem to be, “Yes, opposition to tax havens and corruption is a key part of the culture of peace!”

See the following CPNN articles on this subject:

Three large South American economies sign an agreement in Cartagena to tighten tax policies against “ghost companies”

‘Historic Win’: UN Members to Start Talks on ‘Inclusive and Effective’ Global Tax Standards

The “Fihavanana” of Madagascar: corruption or culture of peace?

Global Alliance for Tax Justice: #EndTaxHavens campaign update: (6 April)

Can UN agencies help eradicate poverty in the world?


This question applies to the following CPNN articles:

United Nations: Guterres urges countries to recommit to achieving SDGs by 2030 deadline

United Nations: Debt-laden countries at risk, as financial markets screech to a halt

Global Solutions Lab: Eliminating Urban Poverty

Latin America and the Caribbean could be first developing region to eradicate hunger

Amérique latine et Caraïbes: première région en développement susceptible d’éradiquer la faim

América Latina y el Caribe podría ser la primera región en desarrollo en erradicar el hambre

Developing Nations Seek Tax Body to Curb Illicit Financial Flows

UN: Consensus Reached on New Sustainable Development Agenda to be adopted by World Leaders in September

Les Etats membres de l’ONU s’accordent sur le nouveau programme de développement

ONU: Líderes mundiales logran consenso sobre la nueva Agenda para el Desarrollo Sostenible

WFP Launches Major Study Into Brazil's Success In Buying From Smallholder Farmers

Oxfam agrees with IMF on 'Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth'

Tackling Economic Poverty in Afghanistan

Report on the UN Millennium Development Goals: we can eliminate world poverty by 2030

The Hungry Know No Peace

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

Here are remarks by Liliana Mota on October, 2013 in response to this question:

Why tourism?

Can tourism be seen as an instrument to achieve complicity between people’s minds?

“There is nothing better that connects two people’s mind than a good conversation” The above quote could be used to describe the effect which tourism has on people. Like a great conversation, tourism could be said to play a vital role amongst people all over the world. It fosters communication in all its senses, intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.

In today’s world it is evident that there is a shortage of moral or ethical values amongst people across the different nations in this world, resulting in a globalised world lacking these morals and ethical values. Ignorance, the failure to consider the needs of others, and selfishness are a few of the ways which hinder us from embracing diversity and a common human perspective, which would result informal empathy, internal moral compassion, tolerance of differences, historical consciousness and interpretation. The above mentioned features are intrinsic, inherent and can be found in the practice of tourism.

Tourism has been emphasized as one of the most effective instruments which continue to tackle to tackle social and economical poverty, as well as encourage the culture of peace practice amongst people. In looking at the UN architecture, one is able to see the growing implications which the tourism sector has on the world and world policies. The touristic phenomenon has achieved a world record of 5% of world’s GDP contribution and is responsible for 235 millions jobs, according to the UNWTO’s data. Often the tourism sector counts more than 20% of the countries’ GDP.

On the negative side of this, it is evident that tourism focuses on economical matters, depriving any focus on the global implications of the constant interaction tourism encourages.

In the literal sense, tourism is nothing more or less than people meeting with the willingness to understand each other’s differences and point of view and simultaneously creating the opportunity for dialogue, mutual understanding and peace to take place.

Apart from tourism, various factors could be seen to play a role in encouraging integration and diversity amongst societies across the world. For example, the cultural segment has played an essential source of people’s integration and inclusiveness in developing countries.

Education has also played a significant role in encouraging integration, and incorporation amongst people all over the world. Education has been reconsidered and proposed to being the catalyst for exchange between countries, cultures and sectors, and most importantly for enhancing the lives of people by granting them the opportunity to leave their poverty stricken lives and societies in exchange a for better future which includes job and exchange opportunities.

In the tourism world, differences play the most essential role, differences among people represents the added-value. Being different is always a positive factor that usually motivates and encourages people to get to move and engage with each other and embrace the differences with the use of spiritual, religious and cultural meanings.

This notion of tourism needs to be addressed in multilateral governance discussions, where all the main actors, the international community, the ministerial and experts, private sector, local institutions and civil society engages are all present, and are all willing to work together in combined efforts and initiatives (from poverty alleviation to the promotion of awareness of sustainable development addressing special needs like regional development, urban planning and protection of natural and cultural landscapes). This combined approach of working at the local level within communities and at the national and international level, in order to reach and engage the poor, has been considered as potentially being the “one possible and effective answer” and effective approach towards the world’s poorest areas where it can make a difference.

This discussion question pertains to the following articles

Colombia: With the “Tourism for a culture of peace” strategy, the Government of Change will invest $8.2 billion to boost tourism in 88 territories

Peace Through Tourism had a Family Meeting with You included

Cameroon: A radio station for the protection of the Waza biosphere reserve

Colombia: Impulse Travel – Sustainable tourism committed to Peace

Kazakh capital to host 2019 UNWTO Urban Tourism Global Summit on SDGs

Peace through Tourism: Celebrating Her Awards

African Union: Tourism sector supports about 21 million jobs in Africa

China Pu’er Sun River National Park dedicated as IIPT Peace Park

UNESCO and UNWTO Sign Muscat Declaration on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development

Puebla, Mexico: Cultural tourism needs more spaces and collectivity

Nigeria: Tourism, way out of recession

Colombia: Tourism in post-conflict zones, another contribution to peace

Colombia: Turismo en zonas de posconflicto, otra apuesta a favor de la paz

2017 Año Internacional del Turismo Sostenible para el Desarrollo

2017 Année Internationale du Tourisme Durable pour le Développement

2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

Angola protects wildlife, turns to ecotourism to diversify economy

Spain: World Summit on Sustainable Tourism

India: New Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT)

First UN conference on tourism and culture opens in Cambodia, seeks to build partnerships

The Contribution of Transfrontier Peace Parks to Peace in Southern Africa

Peace Through Tourism by Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of UNWTO

Peace through Tourism by David Scowsill, President and CEO of WTTC

Sudan Celebrates World Tourism Day in Support of Culture of Peace, Unity

International Alliance of Indigenous Tourism Leaders

IIPT and UNWTO to partner in peace through tourism

UN agency welcomes General Assembly’s adoption of resolution on ecotourism

Culture of Peace though Tourism in Kosovo

Re-dedication of IIPT Peace Park Featured Opening Day of UNWTO General Assembly (Zambia)

Middfest International: Promotes Peace & Understanding

The International Institute for Peace through Tourism 25th Anniversary at World Travel Market

UNESCO strengthens cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

International Institute for Peace through Tourism: Collaborating Universities

National Geographic rates the Abraham Path the #1 New Walking Trail in the World!

IPT World Symposium: Cultivating Sustainable and Peaceful Communities and Nations Through Tourism, Culture and Sports

Culture of Peace Tourism in Africa

The Abraham Path

Fourth African Conference of International Institute of Peace through Tourism

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?


Despite the fact that the climate accord negotiated by the Member States of the UN in Paris does not promise to solve the problem of global warming, the growing progress in renewable energy may ultimately solve much of the problem.

Below are articles since 2015 in CPNN on this question:

The heat is on: We must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures, urges UN chief

The Summit of the Future

Earth Day founder Denis Hayes says young climate activists carry the spirit of his generation

Greta Thunberg, 40+ Other Climate Activists Block Entrance to Swedish Parliament

Greenpeace: Here are the REAL culprits of the agricultural crisis in France

‘End Fossil Fuels’ Protests Kick Off Worldwide Ahead of UN Climate Ambition Summit

France: “You are, we are, Earth Uprisings”

The Elders welcome historic breakthrough on loss and damage at COP27, but call on G20 leaders to phase out fossil fuels faster

UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right

Australia: On our “frightening” future: how this election shows young people are taking back their voice

Berta Cáceres has been declared a national heroine by the National Congress of Honduras

From LA to Bogotá to London, global mayors unite to deliver critical city momentum to world leaders tasked with keeping 1.5 degree hopes alive at Glasgow’s COP26

Amid rain and wind, Catholics join 100,000 demonstrators at COP26 climate march

COP26: Thousands of young people take over Glasgow streets demanding climate action

Our future, our decisions: young activists call for seat at climate table

Netherlands: Court orders Shell to cut carbon emissions 45% by 2030

France: March for the Climate: Thousands Demonstrate in Paris

Emails Reveal: U.S. Officials Sided With Agrochemical Giant Bayer to Overturn Mexico’s Glyphosate Ban

New UNEP synthesis provides blueprint to urgently solve planetary emergencies and secure humanity’s future

13 Years Is Too Long for Victims of Shell’s Oil Spills in Nigeria to Wait for Justice

France: The Affair of the Century and the March of the Century: Historic Victory for the Climate!

Broken societies put people and planet on collision course, says UNDP

Montreal: Demonstration for “climate justice”

‘Incredible Green Wave’ in French Elections Celebrated as ‘Mandate to Act for Climate and Social Justice’

Work: Democratize, Decommodify, Remediate

Could COVID-19 give rise to a greener global future?

Greta Thunberg Addresses Global Elite at Davos: Our House Is Still on Fire

International Peace Bureau: the ‘carbon boot-print’

At Major March in Madrid, Indigenous & Youth Activists Slam Global Leaders for Climate Inaction

The U.S. is trying to get out of paying climate damages to poor countries

Nepal urges concrete plans to tackle climate emergency

December Climate Strikes: Getting Started

A Worldwide Revolution Is Underway

International Day of Peace: PAYNCoP Gabon helps protect the environment

Global climate strike: When, where and how you can join and take action

Youth for climate: 130 scientists support the youth climate strike

New UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration offers unparalleled opportunity for job creation, food security and addressing climate change

Students are striking around the world to protest against the lack of action to stop global warming

United Nations: Guterres underlines climate action urgency, as UN weather agency confirms record global warming

Greta Thunberg: My Message to Davos Elites: Act As If Our House Is on Fire. Because It Is.

‘Morally Unacceptable’: Final Deal Out of COP24 Sorely Lacking in Urgency and Action, Climate Campaigners Say

‘We Have Not Come Here to Beg World Leaders to Care,’ 15-Year-Old Greta Thunberg Tells COP24. ‘We Have Come to Let Them Know Change Is Coming’

Inter-Parliamentary Union: 139 parliaments demand immediate action on climate change

France: Marches for the climate, we repeat !

France: Several thousand students have signed a manifesto in which they pledge not to work for companies that disagree with their values

Peoples Climate Movement Launches Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice September 8th

Greentrees Sequesters Another 1 Million+ Tons of Carbon via Reforestation; Wins Award

What’s the G7’s ‘Charlevoix Blueprint’ all about?

Earth Day 2018 Events Popping Up Worldwide

Snapshots of March for Science Signs Across the Globe

Washington activists launch ‘Climate Countdown’ to push lawmakers for urgent action

Greenpeace: Great news for the Arctic AND the Antarctic!

World’s Largest Tropical Reforestation to Plant 73 Million Trees in Brazilian Amazon

The Climate Movement Charges On, Even without the USA

Peoples Climate March Draws ‘One Hell of A Lot of People’ [in USA]

Climate Change and Nepal

REPORT: Fossil Fuel Divestment Doubles in Size as Institutions Representing $5 Trillion Commit to Divest

Laureates and scientists call on Nobel Prize Foundation to divest fossil fuels

Countries Adopt Kigali Amendment to Phase Down HFCs

Tens of Thousands Take Part in Global Actions Targeting World’s Most Dangerous Fossil Fuel Projects

James Hansen, father of climate change awareness, calls Paris talks ‘a fraud’

Kumi Naidoo: let the youth be our climate leaders!

Naomi Klein: We are going backwards, COP21 is the opposite of progress

COP21 vue par Naomi Klein : « Le changement climatique génère des conflits »

For articles prior to 2015 on this question, click here.

English bulletin November 1, 2016

RENEWABLE ENERGY IS ON THE MOVE!

Renewable sources of electricity overtook coal last year to become the largest source of installed capacity in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.

A recent graph is spectacular showing how the cost of solar energy has come down while the volume deployed has gone up. In 1975 a silicon solar energy module cost over $50 per watt, while now it is less than $1 per watt. The milliwatts installed have risen from 1 to 115,000! Since 2000 the deployment of solar has doubled seven times.

And the trend promises to continue. Dubai recently received a bid for solar installations that would produce electricity at 3 cents per kilowatt hour, four times less than the average price paid for residential electricity in the United States. And the Middle East is not alone. Projects with similar low rates are reported from Mexico and China.

Last year, for the first time, global investment in renewable energy surpassed investment in fossil fuels. This year’s graph shows $286 billion dollar investment in renewable energy (mostly solar panels and wind mills) compared to $130 billion for fossil fuels. Developing as well as developed countries are involved, including China (over $100 billion), India (over $10 billion), South Africa, Mexico, Chile, Morocco, Turkey and Uruguay (all over $1 billion).

To some extent the change is simply driven by the profit motive of investors. Presumably that is the case for the great investment by China. The Chinese are not only making the largest investment in the world (by far!) but they are advancing renewable energy in other regions besides their own, for example, in Latin America.

At the same time, sometimes the investment comes from small startup companies such as the Spanish Renewable Energy Cooperative
Also the change is due to political decisions of investors. For example, Roman Catholic institutions around the world have recently decided to divest from fossil fuel extraction, joining a large list of religious institutions that have made the same decision.

In some cases, the political decision is national. Switzerland has just adopted a new law which phases out nuclear power and puts the emphasis on cutting energy consumption and increasing the production of renewable energy. The generation of non-hydro renewable power is to grow from 1.7 TWh last year to 11.4 TWh by 2035 (nearly tenfold).

Cities are also involved. This is especially important since, according to the International Renewable Energy Association, cities accounting for 65 per cent of global energy use and 70 per cent of man-made carbon emissions. In the United States, Boulder, Colorado, announced that the community will move to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, while Utah’s Park City has committed to to the same target by 2032. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ City Council has directed its staff to develop a plan for 100% renewable energy.

There are some surprising technical advances involved in the shift to renewable energy. For example, the government of France has decided to invest in 1000 kilometers of autoroutes composed of solar panels!

Despite the fact that the climate accord negotiated by the Member States of the UN in Paris does not promise to solve the problem of global warming, the growing progress in renewable energy may ultimately solve much of the problem.

      

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

renewable

Urban leadership in the US for renewable energy

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



India: Buddhist nuns bike Himalayas to oppose human trafficking

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



El Salvador: March rejects ongoing violence and calls for a culture of peace

HUMAN RIGHTS



40,000 Create Human Chains to Protest Violence in Honduras

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY



Greece: Union pushes for access to education for all refugee children

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo: The commemoration of the International Day of Peace

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY



March of Hope gathers 20,000 in historic Jerusalem rally

EDUCATION FOR PEACE


From pacifism to nonviolence in Berlin