By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org With all the media focus on the NSA spying scandal, you might have missed the news that Egypt and Ethiopia – the second and third most populous countries in Africa, respectively – are coming into a war of words over a proposed dam on the Nile.  Though tensions have eased somewhat,
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Interconnectedness.  Community.  Cooperation. Creating narratives.  Social justice.  Sustainability for all.  These are just some of the themes that came up over and over again at the recent U.S. Society for Ecological Economics 7th Biennial Conference. The official theme was “Building Local, Scaling Global: Implementing Solutions for Sustainability.”  For the most part,
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org World Oceans Day is June 8th, designated to raise global awareness on the state of oceans and the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.  Given increasing global problems – especially climate change – the urgency of protecting oceans is imperative. Our Vital Oceans A few
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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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