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12 December was a tipping point in the struggle for climate justice
14 Dec 2009 12:35:00 GMT
Author: Saleemul Huq

I have been working on climate change for many years, first as a researcher in my native Bangladesh and later as head of the climate change group at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

I have seen first-hand the threats climate change poses in places such as the drylands of Africa, the mountains of the Himalayas and the vast low-lying deltas of Asia. I have observed years of inaction at UN climate change summits that have failed to deliver the response needed because negotiators have chosen to protect narrow national and economic interests instead of rising to the challenge of protecting future generations.

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China: Another elite's suicide - the story of Yang Yuanyuan
14 Dec 2009 08:39:37 GMT
Author: Global Voices

YANG Yuanyuan, a 30-year-old postgraduate at Shanghai Maritime University, hanged herself in her bathroom on November 25. She told her mother that knowledge cannot change destinyon the day before she committed suicide.

Recent years have seen an increasing number of suicides committed by Chinese university students, in particular among postgraduates and doctors. In Shanghai city 2008, there were 23 college student suicide cases, resulted in 19 deaths. In Guangdong 2008, there were 26 suicide cases, resulted in 21 deaths. What are the reasons behind all these suicide cases? Yangs case may shed some lights on the problem faced by our social elites.

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Low-lying islands fighting to preserve their way of life
14 Dec 2009 00:18:00 GMT
Author: Meaghan Daly

Here in Copenhagen, the majority of the negotiations have revolved around the technical policies that will shape the future of the planet's climate. But beneath the veneer of diplomacy and politics, a grim struggle for basic human rights is taking place.

With sea-levels rising at unprecedented rates, the people of low lying islands, such as Kiribati in the Central Pacific, are fighting to preserve their home and way of life.

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Equitable access to funding will be key to climate change adaptation
12 Dec 2009 23:54:00 GMT
Author: Meaghan Daly

Topping the Global Climate Risk Index, which lists the countries most vulnerable to an increase in extreme events associated with climate change, Bangladesh has an urgent need to consider how to adapt.

With an average annual toll of 8,241 lives lost due to natural disasters in the country, the stakes are high - and getting higher.

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Dowry deaths - when will it end?
11 Dec 2009 19:55:55 GMT
Author: Global Voices

Reflecting on a case of recent dowry death in Bangladesh, Basira wonders if dowry deaths will ever be a thing of the past.

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