Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

A team of researchers in collaboration with the WHO has identified a set of interventions for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that are cost-effective in two developing regions—sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2012.42

This review is an updated and expanded version of the three prior reviews that were published in this journal in 1997, 2003, and 2007. In the case of all approved therapeutic agents, the time frame has been extended to cover the 30 years from January 1, 1981, to December 31, 2010, for all diseases worldwide, [...]

It is shown that without binding commitments for Developing Countries, the warming target of 2 °C will be exceeded with a probability above 50%, even if Annex B countries eliminate their emissions. However, moderate commitments of DCs (when they reach sufficient economic development), make the 2 °C scenario feasible. Technology Treansfer Protocols combined with binding [...]

“We could have been the first nuclear country in Southeast Asia, but we were not able to do it,” said Mauro Marcelo, a nuclear engineer at the National Power Corporation, the state-owned utility. “There are several dates when we could have become a nuclear country, but every time a catastrophic event happened. We don’t need [...]

The Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF) — has announced its first beneficiary: a projectexploring Panama’s natural resources for use in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. The Nagoya Protocol was agreed in October 2010 by 193 countries to tackle biopiracy and share the benefits of research into natural resources in an equitable manner. The NPIF was set [...]

About half of the rural population of Cambodia lacks access to improved water; an even higher percentage lacks access to latrines. More than 35,000 concrete BioSand Water filters (BSF) have been installed in the country. However, the concrete BSF takes time to produce and weighs hundreds of pounds. A plastic BSF has been developed but [...]

A report released in December has warned that global companies, positioning themselves for a post-petrochemical future, may use the idea as a pretext for gaining control over biomass resources, which would eventually replace petroleum as the feedstock for energy and for industrial products.The report, published by an international nongovernmental organisation Action Group on Erosion, Technology [...]