Builders. Nannies. Engineers. Fruit pickers. Hard working Poles have been earning pounds and providing extra labour since 2004. What if they all decide to leave?
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
The Mega-Cities Project - Innovations for Urban Life
The Mega-Cities Project is a transnational, non-profit network of leaders from government, business, non-profits, grassroots groups, academia and media, dedicated to sharing innovative solutions to the problems they face in common.
The Mega-Cities Project - Innovations for Urban Life
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Water and women in the Developing world
In 1992 the International Conference on Water and the Environment held in Dublin, Ireland, produced four key principles to guide policies for water and sustainable development. Known as the Dublin Principles, they represent the current international consensus on ‘best practices’ in the water sector:
EarthPortal » Environment In Focus
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Rat infestation hits Bangladesh
An infestation of rats is creating severe food shortages in the impoverished Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh, close to the borders of India and Burma.
BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Rat infestation hits Bangladesh
How the myth of food miles hurts the planet
Ethical shopping just got more complicated. The idea that only local produce is good is under attack. There is growing evidence to suggest that some air-freighted food is greener than food produced in the UK.
How the myth of food miles hurts the planet | Environment | The Observer
Saturday, 22 March 2008
A Graphic Look at the State of the World - Earth Web Site
- Global Ecology
Climate change, pollution, and deforestation are creating never before seen changes in Earth's living systems -- including a species extinction rate that is the highest in the planet's history. Learn about these changes, what's causing them, and what's likely to happen in the future. - Energy Supply
Modern civilization is dependent upon cheap and reliable fossil fuel energy. Learn where energy resources are located around the world, who uses them, how long they are likely to last, and which regions consume the most energy (and emit the most C02) per person. - Fresh Water
Only 2.5% of the world's water is fresh, and around 70% of fresh water is frozen in ice and permafrost. Find out what's happening to the remaining 0.75% of the world's water on which terrestrial life depends. - Development and Debt
How onerous are the debt burdens of poorer countries? Is loan based development effective? Are multilateral financial institutions (IMF and World Bank) helping or hindering sustainable development? Are poor countries catching up to rich ones? A brief series of graphs helps answer these questions. - Weapons
Charts and text on weapons spending, military manpower, nuclear arsenals, Depleted Uranium, and national arms exports (which countries produce most of the world's weapons).
- Human Conditions
Clear, factual information on the state of the world's people -- population, health, poverty, access to water and food, life expectancy, and the condition of cultural diversity worldwide. - Fishing and Aquaculture
Learn where the world's fish stocks are concentrated, which regions consume the most wild and farmed fish, how fish is used, what countries claim as Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and how heavily the world's fish stocks are being exploited. - Food and Soil
Farming techniques have changed dramatically in the past 100 years as increasing population and consumption put pressure on the world's food supply. Learn how these changes have effected the planet's soil, how food is supply is related to fossil fuels, and more. - Toxic Pollution
Learn about the history of toxic chemicals (including PCBs, DDT, Dioxin, PBDE, Lead, and Mercury), contamination levels, safety testing, and correlations between lead contamination levels and income in the United States. - Wealth
Over the past decades, wealth has become more concentrated worldwide, and the gap between rich and poor has widened. This page illustrates the distribution of wealth within countries, between countries, and between countries and large corporations.
A Graphic Look at the State of the World - Earth Web Site
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Monday, 10 March 2008
With help from you, we can reduce CO2 | ACT ON C02
All cars on the road today contribute to climate change because their engines burn fuel and therefore produce carbon dioxide (CO2) every time we drive. Yet you can easily reduce these emissions and save money too. By following a few simple tips and suggestions you can reduce your engine's workload, which means it will burn less fuel and produce less CO2.
With help from you, we can reduce CO2 | ACT ON C02
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Urban Age | Welcome
New York. Shanghai. London. Mexico City. Johannesburg. Berlin. Mumbai. São Paulo. Istanbul. These cities will provide the testing ground for our urban future.
The late 20th Century was the age of economic globalisation. The first part of the 21st Century will be the age of the city, the ‘Urban Age.’ For the first time in the history of humanity, more than half of the earth’s population lives in an urban area. In China, India, Africa, and Latin America, urban populations are exploding and cities are growing exponentially. At the same time, many developed cities are shrinking and being radically restructured as a result of shifting economic bases and new patterns of migration. With investment in urban real estate, infrastructure and renovation becoming the driving force behind economic growth, the physical and social landscapes of the city are being powerfully altered.
Urban Age | Welcome
Two time zones 'to save SA power'
South Africa could be split into two time zones to ease a crippling energy crisis, a top official has said.This would stagger peak demand across the country, the director of public enterprise told parliament. Portia Molefe said the move could lead to an energy saving of about 200 MW but that the idea needed further study. Last month Minerals and Energy Minister Bujelwa Sonjica said South Africans should consider going to bed early to save electricity.
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Two time zones 'to save SA power'
City of the future
It is one of the most seismic changes the world has ever seen. Across the globe there is an unstoppable march to the cities, powered by new economic realities. But what kind of lives are we creating? And will citizens - and cities - cope with the fierce pressures of this new urban age?
Deyan Sudjic on the city of the future | Art & Architecture | guardian.co.uk Arts
Locals driven out in the hunt for rural retreats
More than 300,000 Britons own second homes and in some areas they have forced prices so high that local people cannot afford to buy. As the search for affordable housing becomes more acute, Lisa Bachelor speaks to those affected by the housing crisis in the British countryside
Locals driven out in the hunt for rural retreats | UK news | The Observer
Friday, 7 March 2008
Monday, 3 March 2008
India to pay poor families to bring up girls
The Indian government today announced a scheme to pay poor families to give birth to and bring up girls in an attempt to stop families nationwide aborting an estimated half a million female foetuses a year.
Families in seven states are set to benefit from cash payments amounting to 15,500 rupees (£193) to keep and bring up their female children.
India to pay poor families to bring up girls | World news | guardian.co.uk
Poverty 'blights 1m rural homes'
Almost one million households in rural England live in poverty, a study says.The report, by the government's rural advocate, Stuart Burgess, says many people living and working in the countryside have prosperous lifestyles.
VIDEO CLIP Problems facing people in rural areas
PDF of report "Tackling Rural disadvantage"
LINK to The problem with rural Britain
BBC NEWS England Poverty 'blights 1m rural homes'
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Provinces pay price for green Olympics | World news | The Guardian
Millions of gallons of water are being diverted to Beijing from areas hit by drought
Provinces pay price for green Olympics | World news | The Guardian
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