'Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian.
The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body.'
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'What are the impacts of the increasing spread of biofuels on access to land in producer countries, particularly for poorer rural people? Biofuels could revitalise rural agriculture and livelihoods – or, where there are competing claims on land – exclude poorer land and resource users. This study documents current knowledge on current and potential impacts of commercial biofuel production for access to land in Africa, Latin America and Asia, charting both negative experiences and promising a more...
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This research began with a study of pesticide residues in agricultural crops imported into the US, primarily from Latin American countries, and as reported by the US Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program. The results suggest that farmers and consumers in developing countries are exposed to higher levels of toxic pesticides compared to higher income countries. The following research then explored the determinants of pesticide use in Brazil using municipal-level agricultural censu more...
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'Domestic wastewater management, including sewage treatment, requires support from government, the public and the private sector. Sewage treatment has been seen as an internal household issue. If each house has a latrine, sewage treatment must be adequate. If the latrine is connected to a septic tank, so much the better. Yet data tell a disturbing story of large numbers of people suffering from diarrhea, and polluted groundwater. Research shows that the root cause of these problems is sewage. De more...
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'A destructive combination of earthquakes, floods, droughts and other hazards make South Asia the world's most disaster-prone region. The effects are aggravated by climate change, unsuitable social and development policies, and environmental degradation. The effect is to slow or block development and keep millions trapped in poverty.
Oxfam's experience shows that successful disaster risk reduction policies, integrated into development work, save lives and money, making vulnerable communities more...
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'The world of business does not bear the sole responsibility for the environmental problems confronting us - every single member of society does, meaning that private persons and the authorities and everyone else are summoned to change ecological course. However, in the world of political reality it is the impact of industry on the environment - with varying emphasis, depending on the field of activity - that occupies most often the foreground of public attention.'
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Achim Steiner, Achim STEINERDirector Ejecutivo del PNUMA, escribió en el blog 'Ideas para el desarrollo' : «Imágenes del panorama urbano de la ciudad de Beijing aparentemente inmersa en un caldo de humo y niebla han conformado un espectáculo común en las pantallas de televisión del mundo en los últimos días y semanas. Periodistas extranjeros con detectores portátiles de contaminación ambiental han venido apareciendo en las esquinas verificando los niveles de hollín y polvo... »
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