"Blessed" Rains Become a Curse in Antigua
By Desmond BrownJONAS ROAD, Antigua , Feb 17 2014 (IPS) - Antigua is one of the most drought-prone countries in the Caribbean. So whenever it rains, the inhabitants generally regard the weather as "showers of blessing". But that is starting to change. Many farmers now see the rains as a curse and are now fighting an uphill battle to save their crops, vital for both the […]
Obama to Tighten Fuel and Emissions Rules
By Bryant HarrisWASHINGTON, Feb 19 2014 (IPS) - In an effort to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, President Barack Obama on Tuesday directed his administration to develop new fuel efficiency and emissions standards for trucks within the year. The new directives follow a previous mandate to set tightened emissions standards for cars and smaller vehicles and encompass the president's next step […]
Saving the Tiny Island of Petite Martinique
By Peter RichardsSANCHEZ, Petite Martinique, Feb 4 2014 (IPS) - Sanchez is a small central business district in Petite Martinique, the tiny island that forms part of the tri-nation state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Petite Martinique's 586 acres are dominated by communal, recreational, artisanal and industrial land in close proximity to each other and in some cases sharing the same space. The beachfront […]
Higher Food Prices Can Help to End Hunger, Malnutrition and Food Waste
By Andrew MacMillanROME, Jun 24 2014 (IPS) - In this column, Andrew MacMillan, former director of the Field Operations Division of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and joint author with Ignacio Trueba of ‘How to End Hunger in Times of Crises', counters conventional wisdom – which holds that low food prices are a "good thing" and can reduce hunger – with a call for higher food prices backed by targeted social protection programmes.
Legislation Alone Will Not Address Africa's Climate Challenges
By Ignatius BandaBULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Jun 1 2014 (IPS) - Despite a raft of legislation dealing with the environment, African countries are still falling short when it comes to enforcing the legal instruments that respond to challenges posed by climate change, researchers say. "Most African countries have robust legislations on environment; good on paper as they are, they fall far short of implementation," Samuel Ogalla, […]