Environment
Stories on environmental conservation and sustainable development

 

Moral issues of climate change stressed at Commission on Sustainable Development

UNITED NATIONS — As the scientific consensus on global warming grows, it’s time to look more closely at how to share the economic, social, and humanitarian burdens that climate change will likely bring. (October-December 2007)

 

Perspective: Climate change and the oneness of humanity

With the release in February of the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there remains little doubt about the reality of global warming. (January-March 2007)

 

collecting e-wasteIn the USA, collecting “e-waste” is an interfaith effort

MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN,USA — Just nine years old, Eve McCowen was dwarfed by the huge piles of unwanted electronic equipment that quickly accumulated in the parking lot of the Messiah Lutheran Church on Earth Day 2006. (April-July 2006)

Religions ponder new efforts to “educate” for sustainable development

Faith groups gear up for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development; how a seminar in Florida reflects the Bahá'í community's global approach. (October-December 2005)

In Swaziland, saving a “virtual forest” with an efficient new stove design

Setting out to design a new fuel efficient wood-burning stove for developing countries, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott started by imagining a “virtual forest.”

In Chad , a project to promote sustainable fishing yields extra dividends

APRODEPIT, a Bahá'í-inspired non-governmental organization, stresses participation and consultation in an effort to promote conservation and community development along the Chari River.

In Vanuatu, a proving ground for coconut oil as an alternative fuel

Entrepreneur Tony Deamer shows that pure coconut oil can be used as an alternative to petroleum in automotive diesel engines. The result is an environmentally friendly fuel that might also help the local economy. (April-June 2003)

In Fiji, a new approach to the restoration of coral reefs draws notice x

Marine scientist Austin Bowden-Kerby, inspired by Bahá'í principles on the relationship between humanity and nature, heads the innovative and successful Coral Gardens Initiative, which promotes a high level of community participation in the management of natural resources. (October-December 2002)

In India, a program for rural women emphasizes training as the key to effective use of solar cookers x

JHABUA DISTRICT, Madhya Pradesh, India - Ask women bout the benefits of using solar energy for cooking in the remote districts of this central Indian state, and "saving the environment" is not necessarily the first response that comes to mind. (October-December 2002)

Bahá'ís participate in interfaith celebration honoring Queen Elizabeth II

LONDON - At a special high-level interfaith gathering held in honor of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Bahá'í representatives joined with the leaders of nine other major world religions to celebrate the significant role that religions can play in caring for the environment. (October-December 2002)

In Johannesburg, a shift in emphasis on sustainable development

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, governments reaffirm the basic agenda of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio while stressing an urgent need to fight poverty; a new partnership with civil society is forged. (July-September 2002)

Ethical and spiritual dimensions of sustainable development stressed by Bahá'ís at Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG - Representatives of the worldwide Bahá'í community were active in virtually all venues of the Johannesburg Summit, from the inter-governmental sessions at Sandton Center to informal workshops at the Civil Society Forum. But their message was nevertheless quite focused: recognize and incorporate the moral, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of sustainable development. (July-September 2002)

Looking ahead to "Rio Plus 10," the UN begins to assess progress since the Earth Summit

UNITED NATIONS - Of the major United Nations conferences in the 1990s, none captured the world's imagination like the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. (April-June 2001 /OC 13.1)

xReshaping "God's holy mountain" to create a vision of peace and beauty for all humanity

After sacrificially contributing some $250 million over a decade, the worldwide Bahá'í community is set to open in May 2001 a series of monumental garden terraces that some are calling the "eighth wonder" of the world.

At the UN, civil society representatives gather for the Millennium Forum

Issuing a lengthy Declaration to world leaders at the Millennium Summit, participants find they have much to say about globalization - even if they don't always agree about its impact.

Earth Charter final draft issued

PARIS - After eight years of deliberations, involving more than 100,000 people in at least 50 countries, the Earth Charter Commission issued a final version of the Earth Charter after a meeting here 12-14 March 2000.

Earth Charter process offers a model for global consensus building

As others consider how to achieve consensus on international issues, the process used by the drafters of the Earth Charter offers an example of how to solicit and incorporate ideas from civil society groups and prominent individuals worldwide.

In Kenya, consultation and partnership are factors for success in developmentx

In the semi-arid Kitui District, traditional women's groups are proving to be effective catalysts for sustainable development when they collaborate with knowledgeable NGOs and focus on appropriate technology. (April-June 1999 / OC 11.1)

In Mongolia, community-grown vegetables fill a big nutritional gap

Old traditions and erstwhile dependence on a centralized economy force an unhealthy reliance on milk and meat; a national campaign to grow more vegetables finds resonance in a grassroots gardening project. (January-March 1999 / OC 10.4)

In Greece, NGOs organize a diplomatic event to protect forests

A diplomatic gathering shows how the role of NGOs working in partnership at the local and national levels can work effectively to promote environmental principles. (April-June 1997 / OC 9.1)

x Earth Summit + 5, down beat in it assessment of progress since Rio, sends NGOs home with new energy

UNITED NATIONS - Five years ago, after some 118 world leaders at the first "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro adopted Agenda 21, a global program for environmental protection and economic development, it was greeted with banner headlines and diplomatic congratulations. (April-June 1997 / OC 9.1)

Rio +5 "Benchmark" draft of Earth Charter emerges at Rio + 5.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Looking ahead to the upcoming "Earth Summit II," scheduled for June in New York, NGOs meeting in Rio de Janeiro call for an emphasis on values, issuing a new draft of the long-discussed Earth Charter. (January-March 1997 / OC 8.4)

Brazilian Parliament honors leading Bahá'í Dignitary

In a special session, the Federal Chamber of Deputies honors Madame Mary Rabbani as an environmentalist and promoter of peace. (July-September 1996 / OC 8.2)

The Importance of Agriculture

Civilization began with agriculture. When our nomadic ancestors began to settle and grow their own food, human society was forever changed. Not only did villages, towns and cities begin to flourish, but so did knowledge, the arts and the technological sciences. (July-September 1996 / OC82)

Sustainable communities in an integrating world

Perspective: In the long term, community-building efforts will succeed only to the extent that they link material progress to fundamental spiritual aspirations, respond to the increasing interdependence among the peoples and nations of the planet, and establish a framework within which all people can become active participants in the governance of their societies. (April-June 1996 / OC81)

Perspective: Creating sustainable communities

Around the world, human settlements, especially the largest ones, seem instead to be incubators of crime, poverty, ill health, social alienation, and environmental pollution. The main question before the upcoming United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), then, is this: how do we go about creating sustainable human settlements? (January-March 1996 /OC74)

x Reforesting a mountain desert on Bolivia's altiplano

Graduates of the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center from four communities in Tapacari Province have organized their friends and neighbors to help build more than 2,000 small check dams during 1994 and 1995 -- dams which promise to improve the harsh environment here. (October-December 1995 / OC 7.3)

x Religions vow a new alliance for conservation

WINDSOR CASTLE, England - Leaders from nine major world religions, meeting in London to discuss conservation projects, agree to higher levels of cooperation . (April-June 1995 / OC 7.1)