Environment and Sustainability

Under "Environment and Sustainability" you can find ....

Rapid rise in wildfires in large parts of Canada? — Last modified January 07, 2012 14:19

Large forest regions in Canada are apparently about to experience rapid change. Based on models, scientists can now show that there are threshold values for wildfires just like there are for epidemics. Large areas of Canada are apparently approaching this threshold value and may in future exceed it due to climate change.

Scarcity and degradation of land and water: growing threat to food security — Last modified December 01, 2011 09:15

Widespread degradation and deepening scarcity of land and water resources have placed a number of key food production systems around the globe at risk, posing a profound challenge to the task of feeding a world population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, according to a new FAO report published today.

How to feed 9 billion people without damaging the planet — Last modified November 28, 2011 09:28

By 2050 the Earth's population is projected to be more than 9 billion. Many people are concerned that we will not be able to feed everyone without seriously damaging the environment. But evidence gathered by a team of 21 researchers shows that it is possible to feed 9 billion people, as long as five key recommendations are met: halt farmland expansion in the tropics; close yield gaps on underperforming lands; use agricultural inputs more strategically; shift diets; and reduce food waste.

Green revolution bequeaths desert climate and desert farming — Last modified November 28, 2011 09:18

GREEN REVOLUTION BEQUEATHS DESERT CLIMATE AND DESERT FARMING. SHALL WE ADAPT TO THE DESERT CLIMATE/FARMING OR ROLL IT BACK? (THE AP SCENARIO, THE INDIAN CASE).

Life without electricity - Pursuing a pleasant, electricity-free lifestyle — Last modified October 03, 2011 09:10

Yasuyuki Fujimura, a doctor of engineering and an inventor, has been advocating a "Non-electric" lifestyle that intentionally avoids the use of electricity. The phrase, "Non-electric" may sound a little unfamiliar, but it is different from "anti-electrification" that condemns electricity on principle. The phrase "Non-electric" is meant to communicate the idea that it should be possible to live happily and richly while enjoying a moderate level of comfort and convenience without depending on electricity.

A New Approach to Feeding the World — Last modified September 27, 2011 10:16

A farmer in Keshem, Afghanistan, plows his field. Climate change, degradation of soils, and rising populations have led many to voice concerns about food security in the coming decades. A new approach to food production that also respects ecological limits is needed.

Background of the launch of the Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES) — Last modified September 07, 2011 10:09

It is commonly assumed that economic growth is essential for society. But we are beginning to better understand the connections between humanity's economic activities and environmental problems like global warming.

Time to tend the skyline: Madrid's hanging gardens — Last modified August 22, 2011 09:40

Looking up at the capital's imaginative solutions to a shortage of greenery. El Pais, Monday, August 22nd.

REDD ++ and mass amnesia? — Last modified June 01, 2011 11:07

Kees Stigter and Mohan Reddy Vishwavaram make a fair point in their article "A Plea for a REDD++ approach". Having said that it seems we, the environmentally conscious community-of-practice are either suffering from mass amnesia, or are determined to remain on the fringe of global development/environmental discourse or we are simply talking past one another.

A plea for a REDD plus plus approach — Last modified June 01, 2011 11:07

There has recently been quite some discussion on the REDD planning, with REDD the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. This also applies to Indonesia and India, where we live.