Stories about Environment from April, 2011
Brazil: Friends and Advocates of a Street Full of Trees
The Amigos da Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho‘s blog (Friends of Gonçalo Carvalho Street) [pt] explains how a group of people in Porto Alegre, Brazil, mobilized an advocacy campaign against the plan for a new development construction in that street. Gonçalo de Carvalho Street is nowadays considered historical, cultural, ecological and...
Ukraine: “Chernobyl Tourism: Time to Put an End”
Leopolis writes about the negative effect of “Chernobyl tourism”: “It has been branded as extreme tourism. The only problem is that as opposed to jumping off a cliff, you see the site that caused, and continues to cause, lots and lots of suffering.”
Costa Rica: Climate Change Affecting the Cloud Forest
The Monteverde Now project documents the stories of 11 members of the Monteverde Community through short video interviews where they explain how their life has been transformed and how they are adapting to sustaining their diverse and delicate ecosystem in the face of climate change.
Ukraine: “Crumbs From the Table”
Foreign Notes reports that a Ukrainian MP Rinat Akhmetov has bought a penthouse in London for £136 million ($222 million), and intends to donate $1 million for the construction of the new containment structure at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; Akhmetov's fellow Party of Regions MP Mykola Lisin died in...
Laos: Protest against Xayaburi dam
Activists held a picket in front of the Laos Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to protest against the planned Xayaburi dam in Mekong River in Laos. The big dam, according to protesters, would affect fish supply and inundate villages in the region.
North Korea: Starving People Welcome Big Forest Fires
A recent NASA satellite photo showed a number of forest fires in North Korea. Free North Korea Radio, an internet-based news media founded and runs by North Korean defectors, reported [ko] that starving North Koreans welcome the news since the fire will clear land for farming. (Read translation here)
North Korea: Biggest Magic Show Ever
North Korea staged its biggest magic show ever on April 18. It is believed to be a highlight in a week of festivities surrounding Kim Il Sung’s April 15 birthday, Robert Koehler commented about it in the Marmot’s Hole blog. The country's lavish spending on the show, rather than on...
Ukraine: Kyiv Post Editorial Staff on Strike
Democratist writes about the situation with Kyiv Post, an English-language newspaper whose staff went on strike last week to protest the publisher's decision to fire the editor-in-chief over the publication of an interview with the Ukrainian minister of agriculture.
Bangladesh: Approval Of A Coal Mine Threatens Displacement And Destruction
ShahidulNews reports that “a massively destructive coal mine could be approved in northwest Bangladesh that would displace tens of thousands of families, destroy vital farmland, and devastate mangrove forests that protect the climate-fragile country from rising sea levels”.
Philippines: Solar lighting project
Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), is a “sustainable lighting project in the Philippines which aims to bring the eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb to underprivileged communities nationwide”
Laos: Controversial Xayaburi Dam
Amraapali writes about the planned Xayaburi Dam along the Lower Mekong in Laos. The controversial dam project is opposed by some groups which warned of “reduced fisheries, inundation of riverbank gardens, and loss of nutrients for floodplain agriculture” if the dam becomes operational.
Japan: “Nuclear Power Mafia”
An anoymous user published on Nichannel (2ch) some pages from the manga titled Hakuryu Legend – Nuclear Power Mafia [ja] (by Tennoji Dai and Watanabe Michio), whose publication was suspended [en] after the earthquake. The story is about a journalist who conducts an investigation on a power company called Toto...
France, Japan: Debating President Sarkozy's Visit to Japan
When French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Japan on March 31, 2011, less than three weeks after the earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear emergency, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is reported to have said: "When it rains, a friend who comes is a true friend". Bloggers ask if Nicolas Sarkozy really came to visit out of friendship alone.
Ukraine: Chernobyl Charity Walk on April 22
On April 22, a group of volunteers from the British and French embassies in Ukraine will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe and fundraise for the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund (CCRDF) and the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA) by walking 63 miles (110 km)...
Ukraine: Natural History Museum; Farmers’ Markets
A walk through Kyiv's Natural History Museum – at Uncataloged Museum; a look at Kyiv's farmers’ markets (here and here), as well as a traditional Ukrainian recipe for a viburnum (kalyna) drink, “delicious and nourishing” – at The Pickle Project.
Japan: Living near a nuclear reactor
Photographer and blogger Buddhika Weerasinghe published some pictures of people who live in proximity of a nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture.
Is Empowering Women Key to Eradicating Global Hunger?
As global food prices continue to remain high, with potential increases on the horizon because of soaring oil prices and supply concerns, experts says that there is one often-overlooked solution for fighting hunger: women.
Gabon: Movement in the Petroleum sector
While the rest of the world searches for alternatives to petrol, it is the basis of almost the entire economy of countries like Gabon. Several months ago the country was rocked by revolts that went widely unreported yet which by the end of January saw the leader of the political opposition declare himself as the new President. The issues are now extending beyond politics and are now impacting Gabon's petroleum sector, which provides 60% of the national revenues.
Qatar: Enjoying a Drop of Rain
There’s nothing like a change in weather to get people talking, and in a desert country, what’s more exciting than rain? Residents of Qatar got a bit of rain. Reactions on Twitter was a mix of shock, awe, confusion, and wishes for more to come.
Gabon: Issues in the Oil industry Sector
On Monday, April 8, oil industry workers returned to work following an announcement made to AFP by Arnauld Engandji, spokes-person for ONEP (the National Organization for Petrol Industry Workers), stating "the demands have been met. We do not want to cause chaos". ONEP, an organisation of between 4000 and 5000 members, went out on strike (fr) to obtain new regulations relating to the employment of foreign workers within the sector, who "they accuse of taking the place of Gabonese workers".
Suriname: Mickey Mouse Art
Mickey Mouse as “a customized symbol for progress”? Srananart's Blog explains.
