By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org At long last, a bill in Congress that addresses climate change and women’s empowerment!  If you are looking for something positive to get behind, then read on. A resolution has been re-introduced in Congress by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) which recognizes the disproportionate impact that climate change has on women.  H.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org With over 7 billion people on the planet, demand for water for household, agricultural, and industrial use is increasing even faster than population growth.  Many areas, such as the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, are already experiencing competing demands on water in a region heavily reliant on this most precious of
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It’s a subject that few want to discuss, but one of paramount importance.  It is the topic of violence and discrimination against girls (including child marriage), which is occurring with increasing frequency. In India, the past few months have brought increased attention to gender violence, based on some horrific, yet sadly
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