GLOBAL TRENDS IN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY INVESTMENT 2007, UNEP/SEFI, 2007, 54 pages. The subtitle is: Analysis of Trends and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in OECD and Developing Countries. From the foreword: "Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment includes data showing that investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency industries set a new record of more than $100 billion worth of transactions in 2006. In 2007, the upward trend continues, with capital investments occurring in sectors and regions previously considered too risky and too illiquid to merit the attention of the institutional investment community. The OECD still dominates, but there is now rapidly emerging activity from companies in China, India and Brazil. Indeed, Chinese companies were the second largest recipient of venture capital in 2006 after the United States. In the same year, India was the largest net buyer of companies abroad, mostly in the more established European markets. This is more than just interesting data, however. It is a powerful market signal to the arrival of an alternative future for today’s fossil-fuel dominated energy markets. Signals move markets, and the signal these investment numbers make is that markets are becoming more liquid, more globalised and more mainstream."

STATE OF THE WORLD POPULATION 2007, UNFPA, 27 June 2007. From the announcement: "This is the 30th State of World Population report and, this year, our topic is urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s people will be living in towns and cities. That’s half of all people on Earth. And by 2030, urban population is expected to swell to almost 5 billion–-60 per cent of world population. Globally, all future population growth will be in cities, and nearly all in today’s developing countries. Many of these cities already have pressing concerns, including poverty, crime, lack of clean water and sanitation, and sprawling slums. But these problems pale in comparison with those that could be raised by future growth.

"Today, a billion people live in slums, 90 per cent of whom are in developing countries. The battle to reach the Millennium Development Goals, and cut extreme poverty in half by 2015, will be waged in the world’s slums. To win it, policymakers need to be proactive and start working with the urban poor so they can lift themselves out of poverty. The State of World Population also dispels a common myth. Contrary to popular belief, most urban growth is the result of natural increase rather than migration. With a few exceptions, including in China and Viet Nam, most cities are growing from within. In response to this, policymakers should shift the emphasis from stemming migration to delivering social services and investing in women. Investments in education and health, including reproductive health and voluntary family planning, and the empowerment of women are the best way to address urban population growth."

THE GENEVA GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING, Geneva Guide to Sustainable Living, 2007, 50 pages (free download). From the announcement: "Changing patterns of consumption and production was defined as a primary objective and an absolute condition for sustainable development during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. To this end, and within the framework of its Agenda 21 initiative, the Canton of Geneva published in 2005 a guide, in French, entitled “Pour une consommation responsable" (Towards Sustainable Consumption).

"The Geneva State Service of Sustainable Development conceived the sheets as practical tools for readers, to help them make good choices in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Geneva Climate Action has joined with the Geneva State Service of Sustainable Development to translate into English these 25 leaflets on how to be a responsible consumer. "The Geneva Guide to Sustainable Living" was published in June 2007 for the benefit of the estimated 40,000 Anglophones in the Geneva region. Becoming a sustainable consumer is no easy task. Trying to think of all possible implications at once, every time you make a purchase, can be challenging. The information sheets in the Guide were designed to be read independently of each other, according to any special purchases you might be considering or general questions you might be asking.

"The complexity of the arguments that have to be weighed when making a purchase reflects the complexity of the global economy. The only realistic approach is one based on individual choice. However, this should be an informed, responsible choice, which respects the choices of others. “Sustainable” living means making respect central to our actions: respect for others, whether they belong to current or future generations, whether they live here or somewhere else; respect for difference and diversity; and respect for the environment and the resources of our planet."

WORLD HEALTH STATISTICS 2007, WHO, May 2007 (free download). From the website: "World health statistics 2007 presents the most recent health statistics for WHO’s 193 Member States. This third edition includes a section with 10 highlights of global health statistics for the past year as well as an expanded set of 50 health statistics. The core set of indicators was selected on the basis of their relevance to global health, the availability and quality of the data, and the accuracy and comparability of estimates."

IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON HEALTH, WHO, 13 June 2007 (free download). From the anouncement: "The World Health Organization (WHO) is today releasing the first ever country-by-country analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The data show huge inequalities but also demonstrate that in every country, people's health could be improved by reducing environmental risks including pollution, hazards in the work environment, UV radiation, noise, agricultural risks, climate and ecosystem change. The new data show that 13 million deaths worldwide could be prevented every year by making environments healthier. In some countries, more than one third of the disease burden could be prevented through environmental improvements. Related links: Environmental health and Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profiles

OECD EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK 2007, OECD, 2007, 281 pages. The document starts with a very instructive editorial entitled Addressing the globalisation paradox, by John P. Martin, Director, OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. The editorial serves as a frame of reference for the following chapters:

• Chapter 1. Labour Markets in Brazil, China, India and Russia and Recent Labour Market Developments and Prospects in OECD countries
• Chapter 2. More Jobs but Less Productive? The Impact of Labour Market Policies on Productivity
• Chapter 3. OECD Workers in the Global Economy: Increasingly Vulnerable?
• Chapter 4. Financing Social Protection: The Employment Effect
• Chapter 5. Activating the Unemployed: What Countries Do

These are followed by a very comprehensive Statistical Annex. The core message of the book is that globalization could lead to better living standards worldwide and should not be summarily dismissed as a plot of big business to improve their bottom line at the expense of the poor nations: "The debate about the social impact of globalisation is characterized by a paradox. On the one hand, most economists highlight the lessons from economic history, namely that more open markets tend to be associated with greater prosperity. Indeed, freer trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) help realize the welfare gains associated with exploiting comparative advantage. They also intensify competitive pressures, thereby encouraging firms to innovate and adopt new technology – which, in turn, spurs economic growth and supports job creation. In sum, globalisation is a win-win process for OECD and non-OECD trading partners alike. On the other hand, however, there is concern in the public opinion in many OECD countries about the risks that globalisation may entail in terms of jobs and wages."

VIDEO ON GIFT ECONOMY ~ MALIAN GIFT ECONOMY, Bev Bell, Other Worlds, 2007 (free viewing). This is a video about "dama," the traditional gift economy in West Africa, as it is practiced in Mali, one of the poorest nations in the world. Africa comes alive in this video. African poverty, even more so. The "dama" practice of sharing gifts, received and passed on to others in greater need, reveals the greatness of the human spirit when liberated from the triple addiction to wealth, power, and prestige. Thanks to Mary Condren for posting this information in her "Institute for Feminism and Religion" listserv.

CORRELATES FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM IN THE MUSLIM WORLD, Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, USIP, 17 May 2007, 52 pages (free download). From the abstract: "This report examines the correlates of individual-level support for terrorism in fourteen Muslim countries. I identify a variety of factors that are correlated with support for terrorism. These factors can be divided into a several categories: attitudes toward Islam, attitudes toward the United States, attitudes toward politics and economics in the home countries, and demographic factors. The analysis uses individual-level data collected by the Pew Research Center in their survey, What the World Thinks 2002: How Global Publics View Their Lives, Their Countries, The World, America. These data are augmented with national-level data on the economy, the size of the Muslim population, governance, and the level of terrorism. I find that support for terrorism is positively correlated with anti-Americanism, the belief that Islam should play a significant role in politics, the belief that the United States poses a threat to Islam, and, surprisingly, the perception of free expression. Moreover, education, perceived state of the economy, and support for democracy are not found to have any significant relationship to support for terrorism."

CAN GLOBALIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY COEXIST?, Skoll Foundation and SustainAbility, GreenBiz, Berlin, 7 June 2007, 72 pages, free download. From the Executive Summary: "Interactions between the complexities of globalization and the evolving sustainability agenda will define markets and politics in the 21st century. This report reviews some of the key recent trends driving — and driven by — globalization. It looks at where these processes are likely to take us over the next two decades, and their implications for the corporate responsibility and sustainable development agendas. [...] The report concludes with seven recommendations to business and the wider sustainability movement: [1] Plan for the unexpected, [2] Find true South, [3] Don’t expect ‘nice’ companies to come first, [4] Co-evolve Earth’s immune system, [5] Think opportunity and innovation, [6] S-t-r-e-t-c-h, [7] Do the politics.

GLOBAL PEACE INDEX (GPI), Global Peace Index (GPI), Australia, 2007, 44 pages (free download). From the Vision of Humanity website: "Peace and sustainability are the cornerstones of humanity’s survival in the 21st century. The major challenges facing humanity today are global – climate change, accessible fresh water, ever decreasing bio-diversity and over population. Problems that call for global solutions and these solutions will require co-operation on a global scale unparalleled in history. Peace is the essential prerequisite, for, without peace, how can the major nations of the world co-operate to solve these issues?" From the Executive Summary: "The Global Peace Index is composed of 24 indicators, ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighboring countries and the level of respect for human rights. The index has been tested against a range of potential “drivers” or determinants of peace - including levels of democracy and transparency, education and material wellbeing. The team has used the latest available figures (mainly 2004-06) from a wide range of respected sources, including the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the World Bank, and various UN offices and Peace Institutes. Steve Killelea and his team hope that this project will contribute significantly to the public debate on peace. For more information on the Global Peace Index, including more detail on the results, methodology and potential uses, please visit Vision of Humanity."

CLIMATE CHANGE: A GUIDE TO INFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION, Society of Environmental Journalists, April 2007. Climate Change: A Guide to the Information and Disinformation is a special reporters' online resource section devoted to climate. It is drawn from the Rolodexes, notebooks, and background files of some of the top reporters in the business. The guide is, and will remain, a work in progress. As of 14 June 07, the guide includes sections on

Simple Introductions Basic Science Federal Government Programs and Labs International Agencies Research and Academic Institutions Environmental Groups

Deniers, Dissenters, and "Skeptics" "Creation Care" and Evangelical Views Sifting Disinformation from Information Expert Rolodex: Who Ya Gonna Call? Outstanding Coverage Further Information

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2007: THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S HUMAN RIGHTS, AI, 2007. From the Summary: "The Amnesty International Report 2007 The Amnesty International Report 2007 documents human rights issues of concern to The Amnesty International Report 2007 documents human rights issues of concern to Amnesty International (AI) during 2006. AI's approach to tackling human rights abuses is informed by both the challenges and opportunities for change in a given country or region. The strategic goals that AI identifies in a country or region determine AI's work. As a result, AI addresses particular issues in specific countries. Its coverage of individual issues, as reflected in the content of this report, is focused rather than comprehensive. If an issue is not covered in a country entry, this should not be taken as a statement by AI that abuses within this category did not occur. Nor can the absence of an entry on a particular country or territory be taken to imply that no human rights abuses of concern to AI took place there during 2006. In particular, the length of individual entries cannot be used as the basis for a comparison of the extent and depth of AI's concerns. Regional maps have been included in this report to indicate the location of countries and territories, and each individual country entry begins with some basic information about the country. Neither the maps nor the country information may be interpreted as AI's view on questions such as the status of disputed territory."

THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON THE WORLD'S POOR, Development Gateway, 11 June 2007, 361 pages. From the Overview: "Over recent decades, the world economy has experienced not only a quantitative leap in the volume and value of international trade and financial transactions, but also a qualitative transformation in the way different nation states interact with each other. National economies are increasingly linked through international markets for products and factor markets, leading to increased cross-border flows of goods, capital, labour and, through flows of information, technology and management know-how. The world economy is becoming increasingly integrated. This process of globalization is one of the most critical developments affecting the evolution of national economies. Globalization offers participating countries new opportunities to accelerate growth and development but, at the same time, it also poses challenges to, and imposes constraints on, policy-makers in the management of national, regional and global economic systems. While the opportunities offered by globalization can be great, a question is often raised as to whether the distribution of gains is fair and, in particular, whether the poor benefit proportionately less from globalization – and might under some circumstances in fact be damaged by it. The risks and costs brought about by globalization can be significant for fragile developing economies and the world’s poor."

IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON HEALTH (COUNTRY BY COUNTRY), WHO, 13 June 2007. From the announcement: "The World Health Organization (WHO) is today releasing the first ever country-by-country analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The data show huge inequalities but also demonstrate that in every country, people's health could be improved by reducing environmental risks including pollution, hazards in the work environment, UV radiation, noise, agricultural risks, climate and ecosystem change. The new data show that 13 million deaths worldwide could be prevented every year by making environments healthier. In some countries, more than one third of the disease burden could be prevented through environmental improvements. The worst affected countries include Angola, Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as Afghanistan. In 23 countries worldwide, more than 10% of deaths are due to just two environmental risk factors: unsafe water, including poor sanitation and hygiene; and indoor air pollution due to solid fuel use for cooking. Around the world, children under five are the main victims and make up 74% of deaths due to diarrhea disease and lower respiratory infections."

MILLENNIUM VILLAGES: A NEW APPROACH TO FIGHTING POVERTY, UN Millennium Project and UNDP, 2006. From the website: "The first Millennium Village was started in Sauri, Kenya in August 2004 and saw remarkable results in just two years. For example, the villagers went from chronic hunger to a tripling of their crop production. Also, for the first time in years, they were able to sell their produce in nearby markets. The second Millennium Village was launched in Koraro, Ethiopia in February 2005 and also saw tremendous progress early on." FAQ: "Millennium Villages are designed to demonstrate how the eight Millennium Development Goals can be met in rural Africa within five years through community-led development. By working in 12 sites located in 10 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda), the Millennium Village initiative works directly with the respective communities, non-governmental organizations and national governments to show how rural African communities can lift themselves out of poverty and achieve the Goals if they have access to proven and powerful technologies that can enhance their farm productivity, health, education, and access to markets – while operating within the budget constraints established by international agreements for official development assistance. Each of the 12 clusters of villages is located in a distinct agro-ecological zone—arid or humid, highland or lowland, grain producing or pastoral—to reflect the range of farming, water, and disease challenges facing the continent and to show how tailored strategies can overcome each one of them."

A DAY FULL OF LIGHT: ENDING COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOTATION, ILO, 10 May 2007. "The growth of human trafficking linked to sexual exploitation is of worldwide concern. Those who suffer sexism, racism, poverty, and homelessness, or who have been victims of domestic violence, rape, or incest, both domestically and globally, are terribly vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE)." See also THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN: A Working Guide to the Empirical Literature, Richard Estes, University of Pennsylvania, 2001.

THE CHALLENGE OF INEQUALITY, IPC/UNDP, Brasilia, June 2007, 28 pages (free download). Summary: "Inequality is a major challenge for poverty reduction and a crucial obstacle for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. There are both intrinsic and instrumental reasons why inequality matters, such as social justice and morality, putting the poor first, growth and efficiency, political legitimacy, and public policy goals. This issue of IPC’s journal Poverty in Focus presents 12 articles summarising some of the most important recent research results on the extent of inequality in the distribution of wealth and incomes at both the global and national levels, on analytical aspects of causes and patterns, and on policy conclusions and recommendations." This is a high quality and very informative publication with excellent charts and graphics. See a list of other IPC publications.

EQUALITY AT WORK: TACKING THE CHALLENGE, ILO, 2007, 141 pages (Free download). From the Summary: "The global report, Equality at work: Tackling the challenge Provides a global picture of job-related discrimination, citing both progress and failures in the struggle to fight discrimination ranging from traditional forms such as sex, race or religion, to newer forms based on age, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status and disability. Also available in Arab, French, Spanish, German, Russian. Part I is on the definition and measurement of discrimination. Part II is on patterns of discrimination at work, and identifies currently emerging news forms of discrimination. Part III is the institutional dimension of job discrimination, the policies being formulated, and the actions being taken by national governments and other organizations. Part IV reviews the ILO’s assistance to member States for the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunities."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DATABASE. This is a database of best practices for sustainable development in state and local government. It was open only to government officials until just recently, when it became open to the general public. Journalists, researchers, and citizen activist groups will find useful information in this repository. There are more than 105 best practice documents and a secure directory of participating government officials from over 400 cities, counties and states. Documents can be searched under the following categories:

Climate Change Policy Economic Development Energy/Energy Efficiency Food/Agriculture Forestry/Street Greening Green Building/Development Land Use/Planning

Parks/Open Space/ Habitat Purchasing/Investing Sustainability Management Transportation/Fleets Waste Management Water/Wastewater

SCITALKS DATABASE: SMART PEOPLE ON COOL TOPICS. The SciTalks database contains 1000+ science lectures available online, both text and videos. Included are lectures on the following sciences:

Aeronautical Engineering Archaeology Astronomy Astrophysics Biochemistry Bioengineering Biology Botany Chemistry Cognitive Science Economics

Engineering Environment General Interest Geology and Geophysics History of Science Humor Information Technology Kids Linguistics Material Science Mathematics

Mechanical Engineering Medicine Neuroscience Oceanography Philosophy of Science Physics Psychology Public Health Robotics Sociology Space Science

Similar "talks" databases are in preparation