Jul 11
There are currently one billion people around the world who are hungry. With inefficient farming practices, poor distribution, record high food prices, and a global population that’s expected to reach over nine billion by 2050, food security is a huge challenge worldwide. Plain and simple: current methods aren’t working, and changes must be made in …
Jul 07
Al-Shabaab’s decision to allow non-Muslim aid organizations to once again work in Somalia is great news – but will the good news last? Every morning when I wake up, I fire up my laptop and check out the BBC’s news homepage. More often than not, the headlines are full of discouraging events, sometimes leading me …
Jul 05
Where to go when researching developments in South Sudan In case you haven’t noticed from my previous posts, I’m a little excited about South Sudan’s independence, scheduled for July 9th. As I’ve been researching and posting about influences, wildlife, organizations, violence, and general aid related to South Sudan, I’ve come across a variety of resources. …
Jul 05
A few weeks ago I was walking in New York City without direction nor destination. By a series of fortunate events, I unexpectedly came across a really good conference held at the New York Center for Architecture. The conferece was discussing the winner of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (from the Buckminster Institute). The Buckminster Fuller …
Jul 04
In September 2000, the United Nations established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in hopes of improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. The MDGs have caused governments around the world to rally together in a global partnership to make significant progress in some of the most challenging areas in the developing world. The …
Jun 30
Currently, the Eastern part of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record. More than ten million people are affected in countries such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. With increasing food prices, dry land, failing crops and dying livestock, many Africans in these countries simply don’t have access to food. Malnutrition …
Jun 30
President Hu Jintao’s pledge to continue investing heavily into Sudan raises a few cautionary flags In my post on Sudan’s wildlife, I briefly mentioned how countries that rely on Sudan’s oil reserves will continue to be among the country’s strongest supporters. I cited China as a key example of this, seeing as how 2/3rds of …
Jun 29
Beyond the tragedy of the commons Very often the countries with abundant resources are the poorest and the least developed. Common wisdom assumes that development requires exploitation of these resources. But is there an alternative? In recent years, there has been an increase in sustainable and eco-friendly businesses that challenge this assumption. Eco-tourism is one …
Jun 22
The University of Oregon and the Global Oregon Initiative recently announced an interesting—and controversial—partnership: a partnership with the government of Gabon. This one-of-a-kind cooperative agreement has a noble purpose: to establish joint research centers in Eugene and Libreville in order to study sustainability, economic development, and natural resource management. However, the union is problematic because of …
Jun 21
Southern Sudan’s wildlife could provide it with an opportunity to develop a vibrant tourism industry July 9th is fast approaching. This is the day when south Sudan is scheduled to secede from the north and become an independent nation – something many of us have been eagerly waiting for. Violence has plagued the build up …
