Archive for May 2013

Water, Water Everywhere? Maybe Not for Long

May 28th, 2013 | By
[photo credit: www.africasti.com]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Another day, another warning by scientists that human beings are pushing the planet to a tipping point. At the “Water in the Anthropocene” conference last week in Germany, 500 leading water scientists declared that water is becoming one of the most serious factors that could limit human development this century, with
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Does Anyone Care that 500 Scientists Think the Earth is at a Tipping Point?

May 23rd, 2013 | By
[photo: news.stanford.edu]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org At a conference in Silicon Valley, a consensus statement signed by over 500 of the world’s top global scientists was publicly released.  It outlines the main environmental issues – from climate change to pollution and population growth – that policy makers must address immediately to avoid an approaching global tipping point.
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Ending the Shame for Women and Girls: The Effort to End Fistula

May 22nd, 2013 | By
Three young women patients wait to check-in for treatment of fistula in Sudan (photo credit: UN Photo/Fred Noy)

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org This May 23rd will mark the first-ever International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.  This is a treatable condition that sadly afflicts women and girls in developing nations that lack decent maternal care. It is hoped that this problem can finally be dealt with by focusing global attention on it, thereby helping
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False Bananas: The Potential for Food Security in Ethiopia

May 17th, 2013 | By
Ethiopia's false banana tree

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As climate change becomes more of a basic fact of life for many people around the world, one way to adapt is to tap into traditional and ancestral knowledge and practices, especially as it pertains to agriculture.  In Ethiopia, one crop with potential is the false banana. Officially called enset, this
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State of American Newborns: “We’re Number 30!?”

May 13th, 2013 | By
Newborn-Baby

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Mothers across the U.S. and many other countries were celebrated this past Mother’s Day.  Despite this special day, American women across the country face avoidable harms to their health and that of their babies when giving birth.  A newborn’s actual birth day is the most dangerous time for mothers and babies.
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Koalas: The Canary in Australia’s Coal Mine?

May 8th, 2013 | By
Koalas under threat (photo: fanpop.com)

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The news of late out of Australia has not been the most encouraging.   For starters, the country continues to mine coal at a rapid pace, upping its exports of the dirty fuel.  It is the world’s biggest coal exporter.  A recent report found that if the expected expansions of Australia’s
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400 Parts Per What? and Why You Should Care

May 2nd, 2013 | By
Tracking carbon emissions: the Keeling Curve

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org At some point in early May, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is expected to hit 400 parts per million (ppm).  It will fluctuate throughout the rest of the year, and for the next several years.  It is predicted to stabilize at the 400ppm mark by 2017, and
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