UNEP

Asia Pacific has surpassed the rest of the world in its consumption of materials and will continue to dominate world material flows, according to a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released today. The region’s trade balance indicates that the current rate of exploitation of its resource base is no longer sufficient to support the region’s fast-growing economies and changing lifestyles. From 1970-2008, consumption of construction minerals increased 13.4 times, metal ores and industrial minerals consumption 8.6, fossil fuels 5.4, and biomass 2.7 times.

Shanghai plans to promote wildlife protection, a green economy ethos and youth engagement with environmental conservation following the signing of landmark agreement with the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

Kids leaving their school lunches uneaten beware! The Chinese government has been advised to criminalize the wasting of food. Yuan Longping, described by Xinhua as China’s most famous agricultural scientist, made the proposal on China Central Television last week. “I am proposing that the government make (regulations and policies) to encourage people to despise the waste of food and to treat it like a crime,” said Yuan.

Doha. Despite the evident energy, generosity and reasonable success of recent Qatari diplomatic efforts, their capital city remains synonymous with international diplomatic failure and national intransigence. Eleven years ago the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched a new round of multinational negotiations for which there has been no agreement to date. The latest news headline on the WTO web page about The Doha Round says it all: “Chair reports no ‘no’ but also no ‘yes’ for farm talks proposal”.

Read Full Story The key role that rapidly diminishing wetlands play in supporting human life and biodiversity needs to be recognized and integrated into decision-making as a vital component of the transition to a resource-efficient, sustainable world economy, according to a new report by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).