Stories about Environment from February, 2012
China: Online Protest Against the Bear Bile Business
Since early 2011, Gui Zhentang, China's largest bear bile medicine producer, has been trying to apply for stock market launch on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Last year, the application was turned down as a result of netizens' protests. Oiwan Lam updates the issue.
China: Migratory Birds Poisoned and Served in Dining Table
Ministry of Tofu translated a local reports about the poisoning of migratory birds in Hubei province. The dead birds are then headed for dining table in local restaurants.
Hong Kong, China: Cross-border Self-drive Tour Instigates Fear and Anger
Tension between Hong Kong and mainland China has mushroomed in recent months. While small conflicts, such as a train scuffle, have ignited fury, the recent introduction of a cross-border self-drive tour scheme, signed by the Hong Kong and Guangdong governments without public consultation, has instigated a new round of social...
Southeast Asia: Climate Change and Smallholder Farmers
The World Agroforestry Centre has released a study on the climate change adaptation options for small farmers in Southeast Asia.
Peru: The Water March Approaches Lima
The Water March, that left Cajamarca on February 1, is already approaching Lima, its final destination. In the previous post we left the Water March on its fifth day, leaving Chimbote for the city of Casma and then Huarmey. In this post we revisit the reports, videos and photos from the following days and the preparations for the arrival in Lima on February 9.
France: A Drone Campaigning… for President
Dédé l'Abeillaud (another name for a drone – a male bee in a colony of social bees, which inspires his costume) is the self-proclaimed candidate of biodiversity for the French presidential election of 2012. He boasts of winning over 300 promised votes for local officials, as much as the National...
Macedonia: Coping With Ice and Snow in Skopje
GV Author Filip Stojanovski posts pictures of Skopje's snowy and icy streets and reports on his blog: “[…] the pavements and the side streets in the municipality of Centar remain icy. Some are covered by layers of ice or re-frozen slush, by old frozen snow, or an unevenly hardened mash...
Brazil: Is the Weather Wacky?
Talking about the weather may be mere elevator chit-chat but, come rain or shine, there is no honest conversation that does not make some reference to the weather. Obviously the online community could not remain silent on the issue. Especially not in the face of Brazil's readying for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.
Cuba: Collapsing Capital?
“For Rogelio, 49, the need for housing is stronger than his fear of losing his life due to a collapse”: Iván's File Cabinet discusses the conundrum many inhabitants of Havana face.
Trinidad & Tobago: Cocoyea Craftiness
The cocoyea (pronounced Ko-ki-ye) is “the mid rib of the coconut leaf that is stripped with a knife” and has many uses, from bird-catching to kite-flying; in this post, Simply Trini Cooking explains how to make a broom out of it, which he calls “an integral part of our culture.”
Macedonia: Problems With Transparent Online Reporting of Air Pollution in Skopje
The city-owned "Skopje Breathing" online system, which informed residents of air pollution levels, stopped functioning in early January 2011. Filip Stojanovski translates a local NGO's explanation of why this important tool is unlikely to be fixed.
Panama: Government and Indigenous Peoples Reach Agreement After Clashes Over Mining
The anti-mining protest which had paralysed the country for five days was violently suppressed by the national police, provoking serious confrontations with the indigenous people. Finally, on Tuesday, February 7, the government ceded to the demands of the Ngäbe Buglé, prohibiting the use of the region for the exploitation of minerals or water.
Peru: Following the Great Water March
It has been seven days since the Great Water March set off, on February 1, from the heights of Celendín, Cajamarca, where the lakes threatened by the Conga mining project are located. Netizens can follow the march's progress through citizen videos, photos and reports.
Bulgaria: Severe Flooding Emergency
GV Author Ruslan Trad is tweeting – here, here, here, and here – about the severe flooding in southern Bulgaria, which was caused by heavy rainfall of the past few days and has killed at least eight people in the village of Bisser. The latest tweet came about an hour...
Iran: Beautiful nature
Here is a blog publishing the photos about Iran's northern province, Gilan. It lies along the Caspian Sea.
Panama: Indigenous Mining Protest Blocks Pan-American Highway
Indigenous tribes of Ngäbes Buglé in Panama have closed the Pan-American Highway to demand that the government fulfills what was agreed upon in the negotiations regarding mining in the area. On social networks, President Martinelli's position has been repudiated, but so has the selfish attitude of the protesters.
Peru: Preparing for the Great Water March
As part of the protests against the Conga mining project in Cajamarca, a "Great Water March" left Cajamarca on February 1. On social networks netizens share itineraries, videos, photos, posters, and reactions.
Mongolia: The Mining Projects Leaving Herders Without Livelihoods
Mining projects in Mongolia promise development of social and economic infrastructure and a way to alleviate poverty, but on the wayside, local communities near the mines are feeling the negative impact as their environment and traditional livelihoods are affected.
Malaysia: Biofuels and Deforestation
Shreeya Sinha of Asia Society interviews James Whitlow Delano who has been documenting the impact of bio-fuels and deforestation in Malaysia
