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Image: Tree planting is one of the initiatives in the context of energy and climate change by KEPA in Greece.

Nature Contributes to Economic Prosperity and Well-Being

By Ramu Damodaran

The author is Senior Fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) and serves as its honorary non-resident representative in New York.

NEW YORK (IDN) — I was in Athens three years ago this week, on what was to be my last trip outside New York, where I am based, before the pandemic; I have not travelled after that. My journey was to attend the International Conference on Energy and Climate Change, which the Energy and Policy Centre (KEPA) at the National and Kapodistrian University had organized.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 September 2022

Photo: The "Good Defeats Evil" sculpture, located at UN Headquarters in New York, depicts an allegorical St. George slaying a double-headed dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 and United States Pershing nuclear missiles. Photo: UN Photo/Milton Grant

The Era of Nuclear Blackmail Must End

By Thalif Deen*

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — When the United Nations commemorated the annual International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26, the President of the General Assembly (GA) Csaba Kőrösi reminded delegates of the statue of Saint—"found in the ruins of Nagasaki, charred and mottled from the atomic blast"—and which now stands at the centre of UN’s permanent collection of memorable anti-nuclear artefacts in the Secretariat building.

: Thalif Deen; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 29 September 2022

Image: Eternal Flame in Belgrade, memorial to the military and civilian victims of the NATO bombing. (Taken on 9 November 2015) CC BY 3.0

The Great Game in Ukraine is Spinning out of Control

Viewpoint by Jeffrey D. Sachs

This article was published in Other News and is being republished with the author's permission.

NEW YORK (IDN) — Former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski famously described Ukraine as a “geopolitical pivot” of Eurasia, central to both US and Russian power. Since Russia views its vital security interests to be at stake in the current conflict, the war in Ukraine is rapidly escalating to a nuclear showdown. It’s urgent for both the US and Russia to exercise restraint before disaster hits.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 29 September 2022

Photo: Researchers aim at mitigating environmental issues in Cerrón Grande, the largest water body in El Salvador. Credit: UCA.

University Scientists in El Salvador Research to Protect Biodiversity

By J. Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Cerrón Grande reservoir, the largest water body in El Salvador—and home to over fifteen species of fish and a wide variety of submerged and floating flora—is currently threatened by the accumulation of solid waste, erosion, eutrophication, pollution, and the presence of invasive species. To mitigate these environmental issues, a multidisciplinary group of scientists from the “José Simeón Cañas” Central American University, a member institution of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in El Salvador, has stepped in.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 28 September 2022

Photo: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly stressing the need to abide by the UN Charter. Source: The Astana Times.

Kazakhstan Could Become “The Switzerland of the 21st Century"

Viewpoint by Dmitry Babich*

This article was issued by The Astana Times.

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (IDN) — The 77th General Assembly of the United Nations was characterized by a general feeling of anxiety and alarmism. Some speakers limited themselves to accusations, blaming other members of the “community of nations” for the generally accepted fact that the world’s security situation and economic perspectives are visibly worsening.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 28 September 2022

Photo: Former President Lula at a campaign rally in Nova Iguaçu on September 8,2022. Ricardo Stuckert/Reproduction, Lula campaign website. Source: Americas Quarterly.

Brazil Has the Potential to Moving to the First World

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Brazil has long lived out its personal fantasy as the archetypal relaxed, tolerant and gregarious country with Copacabana beach, the samba, the carnival and a great deal of sexual freedom. But, as it was often said when Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva came to power in 2003, it had yet to live its societal dream, an economic-cum-social revolution.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 27 September 2022

Photo: The church of St. Mary’s in Nchang burned on 16.09.2022. Source: YouTube

Pope Appeals for Release of Catholics Kidnapped in Cameroon

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Pope Francis has added his voice to calls by the bishops of Cameroon for the release of five priests, a religious sister, a cook, a catechist and a 15-year-old girl kidnapped in southwest Cameroon, where a civil war has been raging between the French and English-speaking communities for years.

on September 25, the pope said he was praying for peace in Cameroon. “I join in the appeal of the bishops of Cameroon for the liberation of people kidnapped in the diocese of Mamfe,” reported the Catholic News Agency.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 27 September 2022

Possible Deployment of North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: "Automatically and Immediately"

Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf

This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

BONN (IDN) — In the shadow of the Ukraine war and the extraordinary media attention, the conflict over North Korea's nuclear ambitions is currently receding into the background. For years, the government in Pyongyang has been continuously advancing its program. After numerous missile tests earlier this year, according to the English-language state news agency KCNA, the Supreme People's Assembly passed a law on September 8, "On Policy of the Nuclear Force of DPRK".

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 27 September 2022

Photo: Kenyan youth protest against Global North's failure to reduce CO2 emissions.

Kenyan Youth Seek Compensation from Rich Countries Responsible for Climate Change

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Nairobi on September 24 to demand that wealthy countries pay more in the fight against climate change.

"We need the Global North to pay for the damages they are causing," said Duncan Omwami, an activist who joined the protest.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 26 September 2022

Photo: Rev. Mpho Tutu van Furth, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Washington, DC, married with the Dutch academic Marceline.

Late Archbishop Tutu's Daughter Barred from Godfather's Funeral

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — The daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said she was “stunned” by the Church of England when they denied her the right to officiate at her godfather’s funeral because she is married to a woman.

According to the Rev. Mpho Tutu van Furth, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Washington, DC, the Church barred her from officiating despite her late godfather’s personal wish that she lead the ceremony at his funeral.