Michael Donoghue writes in this issue that Pacific Islanders are responsible for only a tiny fraction of GHG emissions, yet they are suffering the worst effects of global warming. This unjust situation should be at the heart of the climate debate but was overshadowed in Paris by the much-acclaimed progress made elsewhere. We would question how much progress can truly be made ...

Chinese-owned mining company exporting to Dubai gave armed groups AK-47s for access to gold, alleges Global Witness, an international NGO that works to break links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses  Armed groups in Shabunda territory, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, received gifts of arms and cash from a Chinese mining company and made up to $25,000 per month extorted ...

The NASA spacecraft Juno successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit on Monday, marking what seems like a huge achievement in a five-year and $1.8 billion journey to investigate the largest planet in our solar system Braving intense radiation, a NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter on Monday after a five-year voyage to begin exploring the king of the planets. Ground controllers at the NASA ...

The Ogun State Government has concluded plans to distribute free seedlings of teak, gmelina and other species of trees to individuals and residents of the state in order to curb the effects of climate change as well as environmental degradation. Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal, made this known recently while addressing stakeholders during an official visit to Sagamu, Iperu, ...

More than 30 countries have formally deposited their instruments of adherence with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to enforce the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, globally. Adopted by FAO members in 2009, the treaty marks a big step beyond self-regulation ...

Uganda, a country renowned for its rich biodiversity, is taking strides to integrate gender considerations into its national policies, plans and programmes to implement its obligations under the Convention and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The efforts by Uganda are said to be contributing to the ongoing global effort to achieve gender equity and equality, as reflected in the ...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture through national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), and thereby contribute towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The technical guidance document, titled: ...

When on that black Tuesday, May 31, 2016 the sad news of Dr. Femi Olomola’s demise was made public by the matriarch of his nuclear family, his wife of many years, Mrs Kunbi Olomola, a palpable cloud of dejection and sadness enveloped the entire members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) throughout Nigeria. Dr. Olomola until his death ...

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned motorists and the general public against taking laws into their hands by assaulting its officials while on duty. Sector Commander of the FRSC, Lagos Sector Command, Hyginus Omeje, who made this submission in a statement issued on Monday and made available to EnviroNews, spoke against the backdrop of assault on some Marshals ...

The auditors examined the European Commission’s humanitarian support in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania for the period between 2011 and 2015, which amounted to about €300 million EU humanitarian aid to refugees from conflicts in the African Great Lakes area is responding to the challenges faced but may be costing too much to deliver, according ...