By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Published: April 16, 2009
For at least 3,000 years, a drumbeat of potent droughts, far longer and more severe than any experienced recently, have seared a belt of sub-Saharan Africa that is now home to tens of millions of the world’s poorest people, climate researchers report in a new study.

The scientists warned that more such mega-droughts are inevitable, although there is no way to predict when the next one could unfold.

Talk on Evaluation and Social Entrepreneurship and how to affect profound social change

http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/events/podcast/video_SEC1.html

The MIDIR project

William Jelani Cobb says Somalia's piracy problem was fueled by environmental and political events.

For more information than the excerpt below, go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/19/cobb.somalia.piracy/index.html

By Javier Blas in Cison di Valmarino, Italy

Published: April 20 2009 14:03 | Last updated: April 20 2009 14:03
The Group of Eight leading nations called on Monday “for increasing public and private investment” in agriculture, but their communiqué after the first meeting on the subject acknowledged that efforts to tackle hunger were lagging.

Organized by UNICEF CEE/CIS, and Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO
April 15th, 2009

Good practices in using DevInfo: Recorded Knowledge Sharing Event

Call for interest to be a member of a new :
WHO SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE GROUP ON HEALTH EQUITY ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH

Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights
World Health Organization

Website: http://www.who.int/eth/en/

Nominate yourself or someone else by 15 May 2009: equity@who.int

“……The World Health Organization (WHO) is establishing a Scientific Resource Group (SRG) on Health Equity Analysis and Research to support WHO on its programme of work on equity and health.

Osvaldo Larrañaga, University of Chile, Chile
No. 85, 08/04/2009, English, 34 pages, doi: 10.1787/224516554144
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD

PDF Available online: http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2009doc.nsf/linkto/delsa-elsa-wd-sem(2009)13

Abstract:
http://www.oecd.org/LongAbstract/0,3425,en_2649_33933_42545457_119684_1_1_1,00.html

This report aims to outline the main trends in income distribution and poverty in Chile, as well as the role of social policy in these areas.
The report includes five sections:

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - April 19, 2009

Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain
Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability

Final Declaration of the Commitment of Port of Spain 4/19/2009
Available online the Final Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain:

1. English Declaration
2. Spanish Declaration
3. French Declaration
4. Portuguese Declaration

Website: http://www.fifthsummitoftheamericas.org/home.aspx

[Extracts below]

KOHLUA, India — “It’s hard to believe that this is what’s melting the glaciers,” said Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, as he weaved through a warren of mud brick huts, each containing a mud cookstove pouring soot into the atmosphere.

Black Carbon
This is the first in a series of articles about stopgap measures that could limit global warming. Future articles will address appliance-efficiency standards, reducing global-warming gases other than carbon dioxide and other efforts.

Listen Now [44 min 39 sec] add to playlist

Fresh Air from WHYY, April 15, 2009 · Former International Monetary Fund chief economist Simon Johnson has advised many countries in financial crisis. When it comes to America's current economic woes, Johnson says that U.S. suffers from "financial oligarchies" — government officials and elite members of the financial sector that run the country like a profit-seeking company.