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UN Establishes a Committee on Global Geospatial Information

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Matt Ball
UN Establishes a Committee on Global Geospatial Information
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The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to establish a committee on global geospatial information management in order to enhance international dialogue and cooperation on spatial data infrastructures. The UN recognizes the benefits of geospatial information for application to humanitarian, peace and security, environmental and development challenges as well as to responses to climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, famines, population displacement, and food and economic crises.

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Water rights trade to help quench world thirst

Water rights trade to help quench world thirst
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LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Markets in water rights are likely to evolve as a rising population leads to shortages and climate change causes drought and famine.

But they will be based on regional and ethical trading practices and will differ from the bulk of commodity trade.

Detractors argue trading water is unethical or even a breach of human rights, but already water rights are bought and sold in arid areas of the globe from Oman to Australia.

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Stockpiling seeds today saves plants for the future: A quarter of the world's plant species may be headed toward extinction. Seed banks aim to prevent that.

Stockpiling seeds today saves plants for the future
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According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a quarter of the world’s known plant species – some 60,000 to 100,000 species – are threatened with extinction.

And even though plants may not receive as much attention as endangered animals, like polar bears or tigers, they’re extremely important. Plants are a vital source of food, they can help stabilize the climate, and they also provide shelter, medicines, and fuel.

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Miniature lab can diagnose disease in the field

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ALEXIS FLYNN, WILL CONNORS
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People who live in the poorest and remotest parts of the developing world often have their lives cut short by disease -- preventable or curable disease. The first essential step to fighting these diseases is correctly identifying them. But in the developing world, disease detection is often prohibitively expensive.

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Ecological Footprint Quiz

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Ecological footprints measure humanity's demands on nature.  Everything we do has consequences.

Ever wondered how much "nature" your lifestyle requires?  You're abount to find out.  The Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain your consumption patterns and absorb your wastes on an annual basis.  After answering 27 easy questions you'll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to others' and learn how to reduce your impact on the Earth.

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Pathways to Sustainabaility WBCSD

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Vision 2050:  The new agenda for business

Under the WBCSD's Vsion 2050 Project, twenty-nice WBCDSD member companies developed a vision of a world well on the way to sustainablility by 2050 and the pathways leading to that world.

This mural is a basis for visualizing the possible pathways.  The mural is meant to provide a tool for strategic planning, prioritizing, and monitoring progeress to help countires, businesses, NGOs , international organization and individuals assess the degree to which we are on track to accomplishing the vision.

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The Global Food Crisis, Mapped

Author: 

JUSTIN GILLIS
The Global Food Crisis, Mapped
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Oxfam, the antihunger group, has been running a campaign to call attention to the global food crisis, its consequences and its potential solutions. The Times outlined the challenge of future food security on a warming planet in this article several weeks ago, and this week my colleague Jeffrey Gettleman described the appalling famine unfolding in Somalia.

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