Non-governmental organization

Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Democracy, National Democratic Institute, Survival, Attack, Non-governmental organization, International development, LGBTQ, Kremlin, Family, Human

The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being “under foreign influence” if they receive funding from abroad.

Key Points:

The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being “under foreign influence” if they receive funding from abroad.
This type of funding is a lifeline for most non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on human rights as they often receive scant domestic support.
The Georgian government, which is led by the Russian-leaning Georgian Dream Party, was forced to withdraw its bill after mass protests broke out.

Foreign agents law

From November 2012, any NGO that received foreign funding and engaged in political activities would have to self-report as a “foreign agent”.
These laws became even tougher in 2014 when the justice ministry was given the power to register groups as foreign agents without their consent.
Under the leadership of Viktor Orban, Hungary passed its first foreign agent law in 2017 – a huge blow for its own democracy.
Hungary has more recently passed a new sovereignty protection law, creating an investigative body with sweeping powers to gather information on groups or individuals that receive foreign funding and may try to influence public debate.

Abandoning democracy

Georgia’s former president and current de facto leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has tried to play on people’s fears that western-style democracy brings challenges to the traditional family, arguing that the country must rid itself of values alien to Georgia.
This is in line with the Kremlin’s crackdown on LGBTQ people, particularly since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Georgians are also becoming increasingly dismayed that the ruling party is abandoning even a minimal commitment to democracy.
Though these laws are passed in defence of sovereignty, they represent a clear assault on democracy.

Natasha Lindstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

A global plastics treaty is being negotiated in Ottawa this week – here’s the latest

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Negotiation, Climate change, Waste management, Environment, Recycling, Non-governmental organization, Risk, Left–right political spectrum, Reuse, Sale, Food, Plastic, Restaurant, Cosmetics, Collection

To make matters worse, the global trade in plastic waste tends to push waste to parts of the world with the least capacity to manage it.

Key Points:

To make matters worse, the global trade in plastic waste tends to push waste to parts of the world with the least capacity to manage it.
The global plastics treaty focuses on ending plastic pollution, not eliminating the use of plastics.

Divisive positions

Negotiators must make rapid and significant progress this week towards a comprehensive treaty.
There is a broad division between countries, ranging from “low-ambition” countries which have hindered progress to a high-ambition coalition (led by Rwanda and Norway).
Or will it be a weaker treaty, with voluntary and country-led measures that focus mainly on waste management and pollution prevention (the “downstream” stages)?

Voices in the room

There is ongoing dialogue regarding which voices are in attendance and influencing governments.
If industry has such a large presence, there is considerable work to be done to amplify the voices of civil rights groups, NGOs and evidence-based contributions from academics.

Financing implementation

Without financial support, there is a significant risk that even well-intentioned measures could falter.
A well-structured financial framework could ensure transparency and accountability through a mixture of private and public finance or novel mechanisms such as plastic pollution fees.

Shifting away from waste management

There is a strong argument by the petrochemical and fossil fuel industry and some lower-ambition countries that the treaty should focus on waste management, improved collection, recycling and removal technologies.
But plastic production is so great that solutions to prevent or manage plastic waste and pollution cannot keep up, and will only reduce global plastic pollution by 7% in the long term.

Reuse as a potential early victory

Not to be confused with recycling or refill, reuse emphasises the repeated use of items in their current form, curtailing the demand for new plastic production for single-use products or packaging.
Reuse would be relatively agreeable for most countries, especially when compared to divisive measures such as caps on production or outright bans on certain items or materials.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
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Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme. Cressida Bowyer receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Steve Fletcher receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Flotilla Foundation, the UK Government and the United Nations Environment Programme. He currently serves as the NERC Agenda Setting Fellow for Plastic Pollution.

Roads of destruction: we found vast numbers of illegal ‘ghost roads’ used to crack open pristine rainforest

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Survival, Amazon, Non-governmental organization, Intelligence, Natural Resources, Rainforest, History, News, AI, Doctor of Philosophy, Volunteering, Deforestation, OpenStreetMap, Index, Miner, Work, Satellite navigation device

In an article published today in Nature, my colleagues and I show that illicit, often out-of-control road building is imperilling forests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Key Points:

In an article published today in Nature, my colleagues and I show that illicit, often out-of-control road building is imperilling forests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
Once roads are bulldozed into rainforests, illegal loggers, miners, poachers and landgrabbers arrive.
Once they get access, they can destroy forests, harm native ecosystems and even drive out or kill indigenous peoples.
All nations have some unmapped or unofficial roads, but the situation is especially bad in biodiversity-rich developing nations, where roads are proliferating at the fastest pace in human history.

Mapping ghost roads

This workforce then spent some 7,000 hours hand-mapping roads, using fine-scale satellite images from Google Earth.
For starters, unmapped ghost roads seemed to be nearly everywhere.
In fact, when comparing our findings to two leading road databases, OpenStreetMap and the Global Roads Inventory Project, we found ghost roads in these regions to be 3 to 6.6 times longer than all mapped roads put together.

When ghost roads appear, local deforestation soars – usually immediately after the roads are built.
We found the density of roads was by far the most important predictor of forest loss, outstripping 38 other variables.

Roads and protected areas

In protected areas, we found only one-third as many roads compared with nearby unprotected lands.
The bad news is that when people do build roads inside protected areas, it leads to about the same level of forest destruction compared to roads outside them.
Keeping existing protected areas intact is especially urgent, given more than 3,000 protected areas have already been downsized or degraded globally for new roads, mines and local land-use pressures.

Hidden roads and the human footprint

To gauge how much impact we’re having, researchers use the human footprint index, which brings together data on human activities such as roads and other infrastructure, land-uses, illumination at night from electrified settlements and so on.
When ghost roads are included in mapping the human impact on eastern Borneo, areas with “very high” human disturbance double in size, while the areas of “low” disturbance are halved.

Artificial intelligence

Worse, these roads can be actively encouraged by aggressive infrastructure-expansion schemes — most notably China’s Belt and Road Initiative, now active in more than 150 nations.
You might think AI could do this better, but that’s not yet true – human eyes can still outperform image-recognition AI software for mapping roads.
Once we have this information, we can make it public that so authorities, NGOs and researchers involved in forest protection can see what’s happening.

Distinguished Professor Bill Laurance receives funding from the Australian Research Council and other scientific and philanthropic bodies. He is a former Australian Laureate and director of the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at James Cook University.

Taking stock of existing barriers to sexual and reproductive health of girls and women in SSA and how collaboration and innovation can help shape the future

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

For years, women and girls have been failed by a fragmented, under-resourced health system that is not built to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs.

Key Points:

For years, women and girls have been failed by a fragmented, under-resourced health system that is not built to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Coupled with HIV, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 years.
"Tiko" which provides access to free reproductive health services that can change the course of many lives offering youth-friendly care and comprehensive information.
Achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights by 2030 will require close collaboration by stakeholders in developing innovative solutions that can dismantle barriers to access among women and girls.

H1 Launches New Solution Empowering Doctors to Find Global Health Opportunities

Retrieved on:

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Organization, Database, NGO, Non-governmental organization, Medical missions, Physician, Global health, Connect, Save the Children, Hospital, Politics, Herzog Hospital, Pleasure, Mouth, Harvard University, EHU, Nursing

With a renewed focus on building a robust global health network, H1 Connect leverages H1’s extensive network of 250+ life sciences companies, healthcare entities, and NGOs to connect doctors with various global health opportunities worldwide.

Key Points:

With a renewed focus on building a robust global health network, H1 Connect leverages H1’s extensive network of 250+ life sciences companies, healthcare entities, and NGOs to connect doctors with various global health opportunities worldwide.
The solution enables doctors to build their own profiles, access global health training and resources through H1’s partners, collaborate with like-minded medical peers, and apply to join NGO “ready reserve” rosters or specific medical missions via a marketplace of global health opportunities.
Doctors often want to get involved during times of crisis, but finding volunteer opportunities that match their skill sets and interests takes significant effort.
H1 Connect simplifies the process by allowing doctors to create a profile in less than five minutes and automatically find and connect with volunteer initiatives.

EverWind Fuels Announces Completion of FEED for its 1st Phase 240,000 Tonne per Annum Green Hydrogen-to-Green Ammonia Plant

Retrieved on:

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The first phase of EverWind’s project is designed to produce approximately 240,000 tonnes per annum of green ammonia.

Key Points:

The first phase of EverWind’s project is designed to produce approximately 240,000 tonnes per annum of green ammonia.
The Project meets the strictest global requirements for green fuels set by the European Renewable Energy Directive and has been pre-certified by CertifHy™.
The Project, which is part of EverWind's larger initiative to develop an Atlantic Canadian green fuels hub, will bring significant economic and environmental benefits to the region.
Completion of FEED and Construction Permitting: engineering works began in Q1 2022, advancing over two years to completion of FEED in March 2024.

Euro Manganese Receives Approval of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for Chvaletice Manganese Project and Appoints Project Director

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt: E06) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce it has received approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") for the Chvaletice Manganese Project ("Chvaletice Project" or the "Project") from the Czech Ministry of Environment.

Key Points:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt: E06) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce it has received approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") for the Chvaletice Manganese Project ("Chvaletice Project" or the "Project") from the Czech Ministry of Environment.
In addition, the Company is pleased to appoint Mr. Tim Kindred, an experienced, large-scale project delivery professional, as Project Director for the Chvaletice Project.
Mr. Tim Kindred recently joined the Company as Project Director for the Chvaletice Project.
Dr. Matthew James, President & CEO of Euro Manganese, commented:
“Approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Chvaletice Project is a major permitting and project milestone.

Two Anglo American mines are first African iron ore operations audited against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Attention, Responsibility, Initiative, Learning, Non-governmental organization, Kumba Iron Ore, Private sector, Social responsibility, Water resources, Biodiversity, Responsible mining, Safety, Public sector, Standard, Self-assessment, Mining, Audit

SEATTLE, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA) released the audits of Kumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela and Sishen iron ore operations against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining.

Key Points:

SEATTLE, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA) released the audits of Kumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela and Sishen iron ore operations against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining.
Independent audit firm ERM-CVS assessed both operations at IRMA 75 when measuring their performance against the Standard’s best practice social and environmental criteria.
The full audit reports are available on the Kolomela and Sishen audit pages on the IRMA website .
“This report demonstrates that mines can point to transparent, independent evaluations of their environmental and social performance,” said Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director of IRMA.

VITAMIN ANGELS ADVANCES TOWARDS GOAL TO REACH 50% OF UNDERSERVED PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES BY END OF 2024

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Pregnancy, Health, Non-governmental organization, MMS, Capri pants, Mineral, Woman, Dietary supplement

GOLETA, Calif., April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitamin Angels celebrated its 30th anniversary by hosting an event in Anaheim, California on March 13th, the first evening of the Natural Products Expo West trade show. The event was sponsored by Nordic Naturals. Their contribution per attendee will help Vitamin Angels to reach 400,000 women and children in need. Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels Founder & President, gave an empowering speech that commemorated the organization's 30 years of impact and key goals for the public health nonprofit, including its advancement towards reaching 50% of underserved pregnant women in the United States with prenatal vitamins and minerals by the end of 2024.

Key Points:

Their contribution per attendee will help Vitamin Angels to reach 400,000 women and children in need.
"For 30 years, we have been committed to improving the health and nutrition for women, infants and children worldwide.
Vitamin Angels is collaborating with national governments, academic institutions, and other NGOs to strengthen health systems at scale.
Here in the U.S., we're on track to reach 500,000 women in need in every U.S. state with essential nutrition.

California Nevada Cement Association Applauds Cement Sector Emissions Reduction Bill

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Non-governmental organization, Legislation, Electricity, Carbon, Tietz, CNCA, Renewable energy

ANAHEIM, Calif., April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Nevada Cement Association (CNCA) commends the introduction of AB 2109 by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo as a vital step forward in decarbonizing the state's cement production by 2045.

Key Points:

California cement sector commends Assemblymember Juan Carrillo's introduction of AB 2109, which would permit capture and reuse of excess heat to generate emission-free electricity to be used on-site at cement plants
ANAHEIM, Calif., April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Nevada Cement Association (CNCA) commends the introduction of AB 2109 by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo as a vital step forward in decarbonizing the state's cement production by 2045.
The bill would permit cement producers in California to capture heat emitted during the manufacturing process and use it to create electricity they can then use on-site, giving cement plants access to carbon-free power.
Tom Tietz, Executive Director of CNCA, said, "California's cement producers have long been part of the decarbonization solution, working with environmental groups and legislators on landmark bills that guide the cement sector to net zero.
CNCA's work, together with legislators, environmental NGOs, and additional stakeholders has made California a national leader in decarbonizing the cement sector while growing the economy.