Mapping project seeks to secure ‘invisible’ Indigenous lands
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation An online project mapping all of the world’s indigenous lands will help secure legal rights, and alert communities to the potential threats of illegal logging and mining, land and Indigenous rights groups said on Friday. LandMark is compiling maps from dozens of Indigenous organisations for its website – which it claims to […]
Water bankruptcy looms for one in four people worldwide, researchers warn
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation A quarter of the world’s people are just a few dry spells away from facing dangerous water shortages, a US thinktank warned on Tuesday, with India home to the bulk at risk of running dry. Seventeen countries face “extremely high water stress” because they consume 80 per cent of […]
Planning a BBQ? Not if you want to save the planet
RomeThomson Reuters Foundation Meat sizzling on the barbecue might be synonymous with summer, but consumers should re-think their menus to save the planet, a US-based research group said last week. If the biggest beef and lamb consumers reduced their weekly intake to 1.5 burgers by 2050, it could cut greenhouse gas emissions and save forests […]
In a jam: how traffic slows urban economies
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Spiralling traffic and poor urban planning could rob developing countries of opportunities and jam economic progress in fast-growing cities, a study published on Thursday found. As more people flock to cities, congested roads, expensive commutes and a lack of reliable transport options are disrupting urban economies and affecting quality of life, said a report […]
World’s forests “in emergency room” after years of losses
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation The world lost 12 million hectares of tropical tree cover last year – the equivalent of 30 football pitches a minute – researchers said on Thursday, warning the planet’s health was at stake. It was the fourth highest annual decline since records began in 2001, according to new data from Global Forest […]
Road traffic charity paves way to safer cities for African children
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Tanzania’s main city Dar es Salaam did not have traffic signs, speed bumps or footpaths outside many schools, although children walking to class were being hit by cars on a regular basis. So SARSAI, a small non-profit program in Africa, got the government’s permission to install these features itself, reducing child […]