By Stephen Leahy

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 15 (TerraViva) – Poor countries that green their economies will lift millions of their citizens out of poverty and generate higher incomes while protecting invaluable natural ecosystems, says a report released here in Rio Thursday. Continue Reading

By Thalif Deen

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 14 (TerraViva) When a reluctant George H.W. Bush, Sr., then U.S. president, changed his mind and decided at the eleventh hour to address the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, he sounded defensive in his strong response to charges that the United States was one of the major powers responsible for the some of the world’s worst environmental ills – from greenhouse gases to conspicuous consumption. Continue Reading

By Zofeen Ebrahim

KARACHI, Jun 14 (IPS/TerraViva) – In the summer heat, fresh mangos are the fruit of choice for politicians seeking to exchange favours with foreign dignitaries. But when it comes to global trade, the prospects of the so-called king of fruit are limited. Continue Reading

Rousbeh Legatis interviews NAVANETHEM PILLAY, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 14 (IPS/TerraViva) – Human rights should be explicitly recognised as an indispensable ingredient of sustainable development at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil, says Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Continue Reading

Mario Osava, enviado especial

Jeremoabo, Brasil, 14/6/2012 (IPS/TerraViva) Muitos cultivam alface, tomate, cenoura, beterraba e outros vegetais, mas é o coentro a decoração constante nas hortas que ajudam famílias camponesas a suportarem a prolongada seca que novamente afeta a região Nordeste do Brasil. Continue Reading

IPS U.N. Bureau Chief Thalif Deen Interviews FLAVIA PANSIERI, Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 (IPS/TerraViva) – When the Rio+20 summit gets underway in Brazil next week, the estimated 50,000 to 60,000 participants will not only include world leaders, government delegates and U.N. staffers but also a staggering array of activists from the far corners of the world. Continue Reading

Isabelle de Grave interviews MICHELE BACHELET, Executive Director of UN Women

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 (IPS/TerraViva) Unlocking women’s energies and allowing them to become drivers of change could fuel the motor of sustainable development. Continue Reading

Sabina Zaccaro interviews CARLOS SERÉ of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 13 (TerraViva) Over the centuries, smallholders have learned to adjust to environmental changes and climate variability. But the climate is now changing too fast and intensely for farmers’ capacity to adapt. Continue Reading

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 (IPS/TerraViva) – The thematic battle at the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Brazil next week will be primarily around the new concept of a “green economy” – and how best to define it. Continue Reading

Rousbeh Legatis interviews JOAN CLOS, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12, 2012 (IPS/TerraViva) – Building the cities of the future requires not only smarter planning but a profound shift toward greater equity and social justice, says Joan Clos, executive director of the U.N. Human Settlements Programme, or UN-HABITAT. Continue Reading