Residents of the middle-ish portion of North America often are accused of being ignorant or apathetic to events in the rest of the world. Here are a few stories from around the world to help remedy that problem.
Australia
BBC: The worst drought in a century has cut Australia’s key crop production by one-third.
EU
The Guardian: The U.S. contends that the EU has breached a 1947 international aviation agreement, by requiring that international flights to the EU should fall under the Emissions Trading System (ETS). The EU contends that the changes are necessary to curb total emissions, while the US worries that the plan will destroy aviation economics.
BBC: The European Commission, an advisory board to the EU ministers, has called for cuts in catches of various species of fish, but environmental groups say the reductions are not enough.
India
BBC: India has experienced double-digit declines in their staple rice crop since the 1980s, and researchers believe that pollution is to blame.
Iraq
BBC: Almost any good news from Iraq is a surprise and welcome, but mention of the recovery of Iraq marshland is extremely surprising. The marshlands were twice the size of the Florida everglades, until Saddam Hussein ordered them drained in the 1990s to punish a rebellion by the Marsh Arabs, leaving 1/10th of the marshlands intact. Water supplies have improved but remain a concern.
Italy
Agnezia Giornalistica Italia: In October, the Lazio council - which includes Rome - declared the region to be a GMO-free zone.
UK
The Guardian: Gordon Brown, Chancellor and likely the next Prime Minster of Britain, is under fire for tinkering rather than taking decisive steps to address climate change. Some are accusing him of “failing the green test.”
Kent News: The co-founder of Green and Black’s - makers of delicious organic chocolate - has opened a bakery in Kent and is looking for local oragnic fruit growers to supply the shop. She views local and organic foods as the logical choice for consumers.
The Guardian: More on Gordon Brown’s proposals and the reaction of green groups and the Tories to his tinkering.
Times of London: Choosing salmon continues to be a conundrum for UK consumers, with traditional Atlantic salmon stocks depleted, fish farms causing environmental problems, and “organic” still a wild card.
The Guardian: The East Anglian city of Norwich has earned the distinction of being the greenest city in England, due in part to the actions of a strong local Green Party. All is not well, however, and residents say that Norwich falls far short of the standard set by continental cities.
BBC: One reads commentaries on BBC’s Green Room, a series of environmental opinion pieces, and wonders where in the U.S. one might find an influential news outlet advocating environmental responsibility and holding an open forum on the topic.
The Global Tropics
The Guardian: Global warming is affecting creatures at the bottom of the food chain, reducing the productivity and causing a ripple effect up through the ocean food chain.
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