News
Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul Battle Triggers Environmental Damage
Nov 3, 2016
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Environment News Service
Civilians in Northern Iraq are suffering suffocation and respiratory illnesses due to what appears to be a scorched-earth policy employed by retreating ISIL militants following…
Conflict Minerals: RSN Reveals Annual Conflict Minerals Rankings in Highly Anticipated Webinar Hosted by Source Intelligence & Ropes & Gray
Nov 3, 2016
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JustMeans
While leading brands proactively monitor and mitigate risk, laggards provide little evidence of good faith efforts. Berkshire Hathaway faulted suppliers for weak reporting and declined…
Myanmar: Myanmar's Farmers Face Criminal Charges over Land Rights
Nov 3, 2016
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Associated Press
Despite the process of democratic transition, farmers in Myanmar's Karen state are being pushed off their land and face arrest and prison for standing up…
Conflict Minerals: US Trade Body Calls for Reexamination of Conflict Mineral Reporting
Nov 3, 2016
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Chemical Watch
The National Association of Manufacturers (Nam) has called for the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Congress to reexamine conflict mineral reporting requirements. Its…
Colombia: Colombia Court Orders Top Companies to Return Stolen Lands
Nov 3, 2016
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teleSUR
A Colombian court has ordered 19 companies, including the country’s largest bank, Bancolombia, to return land that was stolen and ended up in private hands…
Impact of Conflict Minerals Ruling Begins to be Seen
Nov 2, 2016
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Celia Taylor
Perhaps the most important result of the long and tortured legal proceedings in Nat'l Ass'n of Mfrs. v. SEC ("NAM") is the ultimate finding that…
Myanmar: Pyin Oo Lwin Farmers Ask Government about Arrested Protesters
Nov 2, 2016
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Htay Hla Aung, Eleven
Farmers in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Region, asked government about the prosecution of farmers who staged a ploughing protest on their seized farmland. Pyin…
Colombia: Analysis of the Conflict and Impact of the Referendum on Agriculture
Nov 2, 2016
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Luis Alfonso Moreno Ayala, Government of Colombia
The Colombian Government, in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace, managed to reach an agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia…
South Sudan: South Sudan Directs Oil Companies to Reinstate Former Employees
Nov 1, 2016
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan’s ministry of Petroleum has directed the Joint Operating Companies, a consortium of oil companies operating in the oil sector in the country, to…
China/India: China and India's Slow-Moving Path to 'Water Wars'
Nov 1, 2016
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Satu Limaye, Joel Wuthnow, and Nilanthi Samaranayake, National Interest
China’s September 30 announcement that it would temporarily divert the Xiabuqu—a domestic river that feeds into the mighty Brahmaputra running from Tibet through Northeast India…
Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War
Oct 31, 2016
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The Video Project
The award winning documentary Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War and five companion shorts are now available at no charge. Visit…
Invitation: Environmental Peacebuilding Lecture with Ambassador Marie Jacobsson
Oct 31, 2016
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Britta Sjöstedt
At the event, to be held on 3 November in Washington, Ambassador Marie Jacobsson will receive the prominent Al-Moumin Award for her exceptional contributions to…
Myanmar: Myanmar Seizes over 27,000 Tons Illegal Timber in 7 Months
Oct 31, 2016
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Xinhua
Myanmar authorities seized over 27,000 tons of illegal logs and timber in the first seven months of the 2016-17 fiscal year, the the Ministry of…
Rising Water Wars between Indian States
Oct 30, 2016
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Dr. Yogesh Sharma
India has been facing friction over the sharing of river waters. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting like two warring nations over sharing of…
In Palm Oil, Liberia Sees Economic Boom — but Forests May Lose
Oct 28, 2016
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Sophie Bertazzo
Liberia views palm oil development as a huge opportunity for economic growth and international trade. But embracing the booming industry is not without its costs. Without proper…
Liberia's Land Bill in Limbo
Oct 28, 2016
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Sumit Galhotra
A narrow window is quickly drawing shut for Liberia to enact a landmark law that would guarantee millions of its people the right to formally…
Water Wars: Sifting through the Tea Leaves in the South China Sea
Oct 28, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing last week precipitated a busy news week as commentators and government officials tried to discern how closer Philippine-Chinese cooperation would…
ICC Expands Remit to Environmental Crimes: Is This What the People of Cambodia Have Been Waiting for?
Oct 28, 2016
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Hannah Gerber
Cambodia’s land reforms in 2001 have led to over 10 years of violent and coercive land grabs, damaging the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 Cambodian citizens.…
Afghanistan: How Opium Fuels the Taliban’s War Machine in Afghanistan
Oct 28, 2016
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Hashim Wahdatyar, Diplomat
The nexus between the Taliban and opium cultivation stems from the establishment of its regime. In 1997, only Pakistan and Saudi Arabia recognized the Taliban…
Myanmar: From Secret Meetings to Public Exhibitions: A New Era of Environmental Activism
Oct 28, 2016
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Samuel Schlaefli, Myanmar Times
Environmental activists have enjoyed more freedom since the “opening up” of the country five years ago, but challenges remain – especially regarding access to information.…
EU Regulation on Conflict Minerals Has Low Potential to Trigger Dynamic Changes in Supply Chains
Oct 27, 2016
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Chiara Macchi
The first version of the EU draft Regulation on conflict minerals came as a disappointment to the many civil society actors. EU institutions were split,…
Colombia: Colombia’s Coca Growers Fear New Peace Accord
Oct 27, 2016
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Erika Piñeros, IRIN
In the wake of the shock referendum result earlier this month that derailed the peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul Battle Shows Link between War and Environmental Degradation, Says UN agency
Oct 27, 2016
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Chris Mooney, Washington Post
The United Nations Environment Programme is highlighting the battle by Iraqi forces to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State as the latest instance in the complex but very…
South Sudan: Following the Herd: How Cows Fuelled the War in South Sudan, and How They Can Consolidate the Peace
Oct 27, 2016
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Simon Allison, Daily Maverick
As South Sudan struggles with the aftermath of its bloody civil war, the fate of its estimated 12-million cattle will be crucial in helping the…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Sulfur Dioxide Plume Moving Across Iraq, Satellite Images Show
Oct 27, 2016
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Elizabeth McLaughlin, ABC News
New images released by NASA show a dangerous sulfur plume moving across northern Iraq in the wake of the battle to retake Mosul. As the…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul Battle Brings Environmental Damage, with Serious Impacts on Health, Prospects of Recovery
Oct 27, 2016
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UNEP
Civilians in Northern Iraq are falling victim to additional suffering - including near suffocation and respiratory illnesses - due to what appears to be a…
How to Make Peace with the Forest: Development and War in Colombia
Oct 26, 2016
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Hannah Meszaros Martin
On September 26, the Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP was signed with a pen made from a bullet, while the Air…
Colombia: Environmental Peacebuilding Training for Executives from Colombia
Oct 26, 2016
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Meredith Smith, Earth Institute
With colleagues at the Center for Information and Earth Sciences Information Network, AC4 designed and offered a one-week intensive executive training program in Environmental Peacebuilding. Fifteen professionals,…
Myanmar: Myanmar to Consider Becoming Full Member of Mekong River Commission: President
Oct 26, 2016
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Xinhua
Visiting Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw said Wednesday that his country agreed to consider becoming full member of the Mekong River Commission (MRC). U Htin…
Nigeria: Nigerian Militants Say They Bomb Chevron Oil Export Pipeline
Oct 26, 2016
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Hilary Uguru and Michelle Faul, Associated Press
Nigerian militants have bombed an oil export pipeline operated by U.S.-based multinational Chevron, according to the attackers and residents, and the militants are warning companies…