By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Perhaps it’s telling that the UN climate meeting (officially known as COP 20) is being held in Lima, Peru.  It is an arid city of more than 8 million people and growing that receives less than an inch of rain annually.  With droughts increasing here and in many cities and regions
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org For several years now, the topic that water would be the next oil has been bandied about, implying that water would be as valuable as fossil fuels. That day of reckoning may be coming sooner than many people think.  Last week, Reuters reported that the city of São Paulo – South
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The theme of this past weekend’s Bioneers Summit Conference was “revolution from the heart of nature,” but more than that, it was also that land and life are sacred. If you aren’t familiar with Bioneers, it is an annual conference that just celebrated its 25th year. Attendees are referred to as
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By Anjie Cai, guest youth blogger for www.howmany.org Capitalism as we know it today came into force around the early 1700s when Adam Smith laid the groundwork for the free market system in his famous book The Wealth of Nations. It quickly gave power to corporations, allowing them to control much of our lives. In
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org World Water Day, recognized on March 22nd, should mark not only appreciation of this  most precious of resources, but also emphasize how global society can better conserve it during a time of erratic climate changes. But let’s take this a step further and talk about how the current economic system of
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The governor of California has declared that the state is experiencing a drought emergency and is urging water rationing.  Governor Jerry Brown called it “perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago.” This came shortly after the release of a MIT study this
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It’s time for a fresh start on the year.  Which makes it a good time to take a hard look at how the global economy is structured, and how that is working for people (the 99%, not the 1%) and the environment. There is an obsession with economic growth that flies
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org A recent report by scientists from the National Research Council states that climate change is occurring gradually over the century and that its worst effects can be avoided by keeping emissions below a critical threshold. Due to the burning of fossil fuels, industrial activity and deforestation, the scientists say the accelerating
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Everywhere you turn today there is talk of economic growth.  A growing economy is the gold standard and main policy goal of just about every nation. There is not much talk about growth in sustainable livelihoods or well-being.  Yet a mantra of continued economic growth is what we hear from mainstream
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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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