Let's Put Away the News of the World

A message of Hope and Cheer from school children in Alaska.

www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LyviyF-N23A

(Turn on your sound.)

 

Youth Responds to the Durban Climate Change Conference

Please be patient and listen to a short appeal for donations from "Democracy Now" followed by a dynamic speech from a member of UN Youth.

http://www.commondreams.org/video/2011/12/09-0

Meet Annie Leonard, who will tell us why we are broke - as a tax paying country.

If you have met Annie Leonard, you might also know her "Story of Stuff".  In that story she wondered where a junk pile started and went to find an answer.  She is now wondering why tax payers see so little results from the taxes that they pay. Enjoy the "Story of Broke". Do you agree with her conclusions? 

http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-broke/

Why fight commumerism?

(From politicsofwellbeing.com)

(From www.CartoonStock.com)

With the Durban Convention on Climate Change attempting to bring the world together on a program to reduce green house gases, each person can do their part by living sustainably.

The High Price of Materialism

Information at what is going on at the Durban, South Africa, Climate Change Conference

 

 Web sites of UN organizations have information on all aspects of the work they are involved in.  The UN also has a large number of NGO's (Non-Government Organizations carrying out the work of the UN at the grassroots. The Stakeholder Forum is one of these NGO groups.  OUT REACH is edited in preparation for Rio+20 (or The World Earth Summit) taking place this summer. OUTREACH covers a variety of issues being discussed. Take time to read at least one article. (NB. The list on the left, opens to other editions of this publication.)

UN Durban Climate Change Conference Conference, Nov. 28 to Dec. 8, 2011

The Durban Conference is beginning in South Africa. This is the last major meeting before the World Earth Summit Meeting on Climate Change in June also called Rio+20.  An important topic for the Durban meeting is keeping the Kyoto Protocol, negotiated in 1997 and activated in 2004. The United States did not sign this agreement to reduce green house gases.

Listen to Pablo Solon tell us why we must have hope.

Pablo Solon at the UN Climate Talks in Durban: Occupy Movement Is a Source of Hope

A YouTube Song To Enjoy

You have head about Climate Change, for this US holiday, listen to a potential theme song of Climate Change, The Denial Tango. (Turn on the sound.)

Maude Barlow

Blue Covenant excerpt

I would be remiss not introducing Maude Barlow, who is a nationally known authority on WATER and the many issues related to water.

Water Corporations

This is the last in this series on WATER, but I might bring some issues up again. Here is another look at the tensions between public and private control of WATER. 

(Note the other YouTube  films that share this page.You might be interested in "The Water Wars in Bolivia" and why after having a private water system, they took to the streets to get their water back.)

Click on this next link.

Next we will move into the variety of issues related to SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Thank you all for your interest in this blog.  Please let me know if you want information on other United Nations issues.

Cities and Their Water Supply

What is the future for our cities?

 

Click below for:

Water and Cities Facts and Figures

Water is a HUMAN RIGHT

Let me introduce THE UN-NGO, UNANIMA INTERNATIONAL, of which I am a member, and our efforts regarding water issues.

UNANIMA International collaborated with Food and Water Watch in mid September  to present a joint letter to bring fracking to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. This effort is focused on informing the work of Caterina De Albuquerque, the UN special rapporteur on human right to water and sanitation.

Now that the human right to water has been officially recognized by the UN General Assembly, and De Albuquerque has determined that fracking could further imperil the human right to water in the U.S., UNANIMA believes that all states should stand behind a commitment to safeguard this right to our precious water and ban fracking.  In an assessment of the situation in the U.S., De Albuquerque reported on water contamination found there from fracking and recommended “a holistic consideration of the right to water by factoring it into policies having an impact on water quality, ranging from agriculture to chemical use in products to energy production activities.”

The joint letter pointed out to the UN Human Rights Commission that fracking isn’t only a problem in the U.S. The oil and gas industry has its sights set on fracking in Europe, with the U.S. energy information administration forecasting 187 trillion cubic feet of gas resources available in Poland, followed closely by France at 180 trillion cubic feet. France, however, following strong civil society protests, currently has a moratorium against fracking.

Join UNANIMA International, Food and Water Watch and many other organizations to follow France’s example and stop Fracking.

The History of the Commons

Why did The Commons disappear?  Can the Commons be brought back again?

 

Focus on the tensions between the corporations and the community.

Time For Another Creative Three Minutes From YouTube

Understanding THE COMMONS is important in understanding the commodification of natural resources. Watch and make the connections.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7jaSjkd0jM