Blog Feed: Governance Focus

8 practical recommendations against corruption

Published on 2012-05-26 03:55:00

In view of the upcoming parliamentary elections, Transparency International – Greece (TI-G) has put forward eight practical recommendations against corruption and calls the contending political parties to commit themselves on their implementation: Reform the Elections Committee that monitors campaign expenditures by: excluding MPs participation, developing a strong monitoring mechanism (i.e. cross-check with tax data), imposing stronger penalties with direct reference to the Electoral Court [..] > read more

Website Economist's View: "Game Over for the Climate" (via HootSuite for iPad)

Published on 2012-05-25 22:30:00

I think it would be faid to say that James Hanson is not a tar sands advocate: Game Over for the Climate, by James Hansen, Commentary, New York Times: Global warming isn’t a prediction. It is happening. That is why I was so troubled to read a recent interview with President Obama ... in which he said that Canada would exploit the oil in its vast tar sands reserves “regardless of what we do.” If Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate..., concentration [..] > read more

Pollution from traffic, planes and power stations 'killing 13,000 Britons a year' | Mail Online

Published on 2012-05-25 06:34:00

Power station emissions have bigger health impacts in northern England, where emissions from five major plants tend to congregatePollution from traffic, planes and power stations is killing almost 13,000 Britons a year, researchers claim.The alarming death toll is more than four times greater than the number killed on the roads.See full Article. > read more

Can Games Help Us Prep for Climate Change?

Published on 2012-05-25 03:29:00

It's a Friday morning, right before lunch, and the sixth day of a seven-day conference on human adaptation to climate change. It's a good conference, but the consensus among attendees is that another PowerPoint presentation might make them puke. Which is probably why Pablo Suarez's session on games and climate change is particularly well attended. Suarez, the associate director of programs at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Center, thinks that playing games will help us better prepare for a w [..] > read more

Can Real-Time Pricing Green the Grid?

Published on 2012-05-25 01:27:00

To address climate change, don't forget the largest, carbon-spewing machine on earth: the US electric grid.Unless you've been living off the grid, you've probably heard about President Obama's "all of the above" plan for America's energy future, which embraces everything from oil drilling and natural gas fracking to wind, solar, and even pond scum. In the last couple years the Obama administration has pumped billions into cutting-edge clean energy tech. But these all share a common problem: plug [..] > read more

Beyond aid numbers: accountability for human rights abuses

Published on 2012-05-24 22:24:00

In the lead-up to the federal government’s decision to delay the promised increase in the aid budget, a CARE Australia survey found strong public support for Australia’s international aid program.From the popular #dontcutaid Twitter hashtag, to the letter to the Prime Minister from over 100 prominent Australians including Geoffrey Rush, the debate over the delay has focused on the important issue of the quantity of aid spending.See full Article. > read more

Accelerating the pace and scale of sustainable development

Published on 2012-05-24 22:06:00

Breaking the cycle of business as usual will be central to finding solutions to the social, ecological and economic challenges facing the world but how can it be achieved?• Join us for a live discussion, Tuesday 29 May, 2- 4pm (BSTIt is difficult to envisage a world in which nine billion people prosper if we continue to extract resources from the natural world with little consideration for their true value. With increasingly unsustainable use of resources and the effects of climate change and [..] > read more

Corporate governance: Keep IT in the loop

Published on 2012-05-24 10:47:00

Governance remains high on the corporate agenda. And paying attention to ethical standards and a cohort of privacy laws requires that the IT department is kept firmly in the loop. So where does this leave companies that join the migration to the cloud?The insurance industry approaches the cloud from the perspective of risk says Sarah Goddard, chief executive of the Dublin International Insurance and Management Association (DIMA). And she believes that cloud providers “still have a lot of quest [..] > read more

Solar plane begins first flight from Europe to Africa

Published on 2012-05-24 09:55:00

Single-seater aircraft with 207ft wingspan aims to reach Morocco via Madrid and is being seen as a trial for a round-the-world flightAn experimental solar-powered airplane took off from Switzerland on its first transcontinental flight on Thursday, aiming to reach North Africa next week.Pilot Andre Borschberg will fly the jumbo jet-size Solar Impulse plane on its first leg to Madrid, Spain, by Friday. His colleague Bertrand Piccard will take the helm of the aircraft for the second stretch of its [..] > read more

Report 2012: No longer business as usual for tyranny and injustice

Published on 2012-05-23 22:37:00

Strong Arms Trade Treaty needed as UN Security Council looks unfit for purposeThe courage shown by protesters in the past 12 months has been matched by a failure of leadership that makes the UN Security Council seem tired, out of step and increasingly unfit for purpose, Amnesty International said as it launched its 50th global human rights report with a call for a strong global Arms Trade Treaty later this year.“Failed leadership has gone global in the last year, with politicians responding to [..] > read more

Corporate growth strategies are shifting

Published on 2012-05-23 09:46:00

Sustainability is becoming growth driven, with corporate leaders seeing it as vital to their long term success, according to new research from AccentureEurope's politicians are in a flap. With their economies teetering on the edge, they can't decide between growth and austerity. The world's CEOs are in no such doubt. For them, it's all about growth.See full Article. > read more

OECD launches updated version of Your Better Life Index

Published on 2012-05-23 09:10:00

The OECD today released a new version of its pioneering Your Better Life Index-- an online, interactive index that allows people to measure and compare their lives in a way that goes beyond traditional GDP numbers.Launched last year, Your Better Life Index (watch video in English) enables people to compare well-being based on 11 topics - housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance. The updated version, launched t [..] > read more

The race for second-generation bioethanol in Brazil

Published on 2012-05-23 02:16:00

An Italian company is attempting to break into Brazil’s expanding bioethanol market with an agreement to build what could be the country’s first second-generation plant to produce fuel from the residue of sugar cane on a commercial scale.Mossi & Ghilsofi (M&G), an engineering and chemicals group based in Tortona, northern Italy, said it would sign a €150m deal on Wednesday with Graal Bio, part of the Gradin family’s Graal Investimentos vehicle, in São Paulo.See full Article, paid subscr [..] > read more

Guest post: Blinded by the (solar) light

Published on 2012-05-23 02:14:00

The Obama Administration’s preliminary decision to impose a 31 per cent tariff on solar panels imported from China is short sighted. The move could cause a trade war, hurt the US economy, jeopardize US security interests, and put the world further off course in terms of meeting its global climate change goals.The decision opens the US up to a trade war in renewable energy, of all things. The US currently has a trade surplus with China in solar energy because of large US exports of poly-silicon [..] > read more

OECD Urban Roundtable for Mayors and Ministers: Cities and Green Growth

Published on 2012-05-23 02:08:00

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Good news for Africa

Published on 2012-05-19 09:51:00

Africa is experiencing some of the biggest falls in child mortality ever seenCHILD mortality in Africa has plummeted, belying the continent’s “hopeless” reputation. The chart below shows the change over the most recent five years in the number of deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births. It does so in 20 countries which have had demographic and health surveys (detailed surveys of living standards) since 2005. Sixteen of the 20 have seen falls, but the more impressive finding is [..] > read more

El mayor centro de captura y almacenaje de CO2 del mundoº

Published on 2012-05-16 03:31:00

Noruega inauguró recientemente la mayor planta del mundo de captura y almacenamiento de carbono. La instalación, en la que se han invertido US$1.000 millones, probará dos tecnologías de captura de carbono desarrolladas por dos compañías diferentes, que podrían llegar a usarse a escala industrial si se demuestra que son rentables y seguras. See full Article. > read more

Airlines 'are conforming' with EU rules on emissions

Published on 2012-05-16 03:21:00

The vast majority of airlines have conformed with EU rules on reporting carbon dioxide emissions, the European Commission has said.From next year, aircraft emissions will be included in the EU carbon market in an attempt to increase efficiency.See full Article. > read more

Rio+20 summit leaders 'must improve nature protection'

Published on 2012-05-15 03:21:00

Environmentalists say leaders at June's Rio+20 summit must urgently step up nature protection, as a report confirms a 30% decline in wildlife since 1970.The Living Planet Report combines data on more than 9,000 populations of animals across the world.Rio+20 is billed as a chance for world leaders to put global society on a sustainable path.See full Article. > read more

Género y Desarrollo

Published on 2012-05-11 03:22:00

El nivel de salud y educación de niñas y mujeres ha mejorado considerablemente durante las últimas décadas. Sin embargo, en todo el mundo sigue habiendo cifras alarmantes de mujeres que mueren durante el parto o que nunca llegan a nacer. Todavía se les niega la posibilidad de opinar y participar en las decisiones que las afectan directamente, a su familia y comunidad, y tienen muy poco acceso a oportunidades económicas. Ese tipo de desigualdad es evidentemente injusto. Pero tampoco tiene s [..] > read more

Crecimiento ecológico inclusivo: El camino hacia un desarrollo sostenible

Published on 2012-05-11 03:12:00

Panorama general El rápido crecimiento es necesario para satisfacer las necesidades urgentes de desarrollo de los pobres del mundo. Pero el crecimiento no será sostenible en el largo plazo a menos que sea socialmente inclusivo y ecológico. Para esto último hay que asegurar que los bienes naturales de la tierra pueden proveer adecuadamente los recursos y servicios ambientales de los que dependen los seres humanos. El crecimiento ecológico inclusivo requiere abordar las restricciones de [..] > read more

Getting to Inclusive Green Growth

Published on 2012-05-11 03:05:00

Inclusive green growth is the pathway to sustainable development. It is the only way to reconcile the rapid growth required to bring developing countries to the level of prosperity to which they aspire, meet the needs of the more than 1 billion people still living in poverty, and fulfill the global imperative of a better environment.Over the past 20 years, economic growth has lifted more than 660 million people out of poverty and raised the income levels of millions more, but growth has often co [..] > read more

'Save the planet', science leaders urge G8 governments

Published on 2012-05-11 01:38:00

Leaders of the global science community have issued joint statements to world leaders meeting at the G8 summit later this month in the US. National science academies from 15 countries have called on the leading industrialised economies to pay greater heed to science and technology. The academies include those from the US, China, India and the UK. See full Article. > read more

Lack of contact with nature 'increasing allergies'

Published on 2012-05-09 03:40:00

A lack of exposure to a "natural environment" could be resulting in more urban dwellers developing allergies and asthma, research has suggested.Finnish scientists say certain bacteria, shown to be beneficial for human health, are found in greater abundance in non-urban surroundings.The microbiota play an important role in the development and maintenance of the immune system, they add.See full Article. > read more

Microsoft promises to go carbon neutral from July

Published on 2012-05-08 15:41:00

Microsoft has pledged to help protect the environment by reducing its carbon footprint.From July 1st 2012 its data centres, software development labs and office buildings would all be carbon neutral, the firm announced.Environmental groups have called on the technology industry to adopt more renewable energy sources.See full Article. > read more

£365m wind farm between Neath and Aberdare backed

Published on 2012-05-08 12:00:00

The highest-generating onshore wind farm in England and Wales has been given the go-ahead in south Wales.The £365m Pen-y-Cymoedd development between Neath and Aberdare would generate power to 200,000 homes from 76 turbines, say developers.Swedish-based Vattenfall has promised a community benefits package potentially worth £55m over the site's lifetime.See full Article. > read more

World Press Freedom today

Published on 2012-05-03 06:06:00

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Journalists face increasing harassment in Sudan

Published on 2012-05-03 06:02:00

A raft of new tactics are being used to silence journalists in Sudan in a crackdown by Khartoum’s authorities dating from the start of uprisings in North Africa in January 2011, Amnesty International said in a new briefing released on World Press Freedom Day. Silencing Dissent: Restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression persist in Sudan explores how the authorities now censor journalists, including by confiscating newspapers after they have been printed; preventing vendors from distrib [..] > read more

Women’s work: entrepreneurs can revitalize the global economy

Published on 2012-05-03 04:42:00

Desperate to turn things around? Take a fresh look at women-owned businesses. Far from being a niche market, they could be the tipping point for a global economic comeback.The Center for Women’s Business Research study shows that there are about 8 million women-owned enterprises in the US. Those businesses have an annual impact of nearly US$3 trillion dollars and create or maintain more than 23 million jobs — 16% of all US employment. Worldwide, women own or operate 25% to 33% of all private [..] > read more

Women of Africa: a powerful untapped economic force

Published on 2012-05-02 04:38:00

Women make up just over 50% of Africa's growing population and their under-representation in social, political and economic spheres must be addressed if Africa is to leverage fully its promise and potential. Africa is on the cusp of a period of significant economic development. Over the past two decades improved regulatory reform, political stability and governance have led to increased investor confidence resulting in six African economies featuring amongst the 10 fastest growing economies in [..] > read more

Internal Audit: a 3D look at risk

Published on 2012-05-01 04:47:00

Summary: Senior executives should encourage their Internal Audit function to provide a three-dimensional perspective of risk that includes control ratings, inherent risk and management preparedness.When Gerry Dixon, Ernst & Young’s Global Risk Leader, visited one of his clients recently, he heard a familiar complaint. The CFO knew that his Internal Audit function was doing a good job overall, but it needed to place the information it was giving to members of the C-suite and the Audit Committee [..] > read more

The business response to climate change

Published on 2012-05-01 04:45:00

Climate change is a concern for both established global leaders and high growth companies. In a recent Ernst & Young survey of global organizations with greater than US$25b market capitalization, 73% had made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.1Leading organizations know the benefits of acting early. They have seized the opportunities and taken the risks and are now reaping the rewards. They are leveraging their climate change agenda to help generate revenue, reduce costs and [..] > read more

The corporate sponsor as hero - advancing women into leadership roles - The sponsorship shortage

Published on 2012-05-01 04:36:00

Although the business case for women's advancement has been proven time and time again, women currently make up 34% of senior management and comprise only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs, according to The Sponsor Effect, a research report published by the Center for Work-Life Policy (CWLP). The obstacle to senior management, as identified in that study and other research, is an absence of proactive support from senior leaders. In other words, there is a shortage of sponsorship. See full Article. > read more

Finance forte: the future of finance leadership

Published on 2012-04-30 04:52:00

No one expects the top finance job to be easy. When problems get to the CFO’s desk, they are inherently difficult ones — otherwise they would have been addressed earlier.Nevertheless, as organizations look ahead to an uncertain future, the responsibilities of the role will only increase.Finance forte provides insight on the future of the CFO role and what current CFOs, aspiring CFOs and boards need to do to keep up.See full Article. > read more

European Fraud Survey 2011

Published on 2012-04-30 04:49:00

Summary: In early 2011, our researchers conducted 2,365 interviews with employees in 25 European countries. The results suggest that while there has been an increased focus on compliance in the last five years, some companies still don’t see the benefits. As a result, the corporate response to fraud, bribery and corruption continues to face serious challenges.In 2006, Ernst & Young performed its first survey of European organizations to find out employees’ perceptions towards fraud risks and [..] > read more

Ernst and Young: IFRS update April, 2012

Published on 2012-04-29 05:36:00

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Why Don't Women Act More Like Men at Work?

Published on 2012-04-21 06:39:00

The office place has emerged from its pre-feminist past, but there are enduring differences in the way men and women conduct themselves professionally. And those differences have consequences.How quaintly old-fashioned it looks, the advertising agency depicted in television's Mad Men, circa 1963, when the men were men and the women were secretaries. But many of the gender conflicts common to the workplace since men and women started to work side by side still exist. And some new ones have been b [..] > read more

Los planes hidroeléctricos que pueden poner en riesgo a la Amazonia

Published on 2012-04-20 04:36:00

El gran número de represas que los gobiernos de Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador y Perú planean construir en los ríos tributarios del Amazonas podría tener un serio impacto ecológico para toda la región, según un nuevo estudio.La investigación fue dirigida por Matt Finer, del Centro para la Legislación Ambiental Internacional, Center for International Environmental Law, en Washington D.C., y evalúa el impacto conjunto de más de 150 embalses considerados por los gobiernos mencionados [..] > read more

Lo que saben los cerezos de Washington sobre el cambio climático

Published on 2012-04-20 02:07:00

El florecimiento de los cerezos en Washington D.C. es un evento que no sólo atrae a miles de turistas a la capital estadounidense sino que anuncia la llegada de la primavera con una explosión de rosa pálido de unas dos semanas de duración.En torno a este espectáculo de la naturaleza gira un festival primaveral de arte y cultura que vincula a incontables negocios y comunidades locales y genera millones de dólares para la ciudad.See full Article. > read more

'Huge' water resource exists under Africa

Published on 2012-04-20 01:45:00

Scientists say the notoriously dry continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater.They argue that the total volume of water in aquifers underground is 100 times the amount found on the surface.See full Article. > read more

making green growth deliver

Published on 2012-04-19 21:59:00

OECD Environment Ministers met on 29-30 March 2012 in Paris under the theme "Making Green Growth Deliver".They reviewed the implementation of the OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century that they adopted in 2001.They also discussed future priorities for action based on the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction, which makes a strong case for green growth policies.See full Details. > read more

Carbon capture 'viable with long-term support'

Published on 2012-04-19 09:45:00

Capturing and burying the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from power stations is viable - but long-term government support will be needed, a report says.Specialists in technology and economics spent two years researching the issue for the UK Energy Research Council.The government recently announced a £1bn fund to help carbon capture and storage (CCS) develop; but the report says wider support is needed.See full Article. > read more

Wind power: new poll finds 66% of UK public in favour

Published on 2012-04-19 09:05:00

Figures showing public support for wind energy published on the same day as the launch of a national anti-wind campaignTwo-thirds of the UK public are in favour of wind power according to a new poll, published on the same day as a national anti-wind campaign launches in parliament.Overall, 66% of Britons were in favour and just 8% against when asked: "to what extent are you in favour of or opposed to the use of wind power in the UK" in the Ipsos Mori poll, commissioned by wind trade body Renewab [..] > read more

The Future of Water

Published on 2012-04-19 08:51:00

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Tone-Deaf Boards in Sound-Proof Rooms

Published on 2012-04-19 03:46:00

As we enter into proxy season for corporations around the world, one of the key questions for boards and CEOs to answer is why executive pay seems so out of line with what inherently seems justified.Recent headlines have brought us news that Citigroup lost an advisory "say on pay" vote, that BP executives are being accused by shareholders of having their 'snouts in the trough', and that Barclays Bank is facing a major shareholder rebellion over Bob Diamond's £18m pay package.These are not excep [..] > read more

The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase ... What Exactly?

Published on 2012-04-19 03:44:00

You might disagree with Milton Friedman's famous claim that the sole social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. But you can't deny that it sounds simple and straightforward.Here's the full Friedman, as originally expressed in his 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom, then exposed to a larger audience in a 1970 New York Times Magazine article: There is one and only one social responsibility of business — to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its pr [..] > read more

Doing nothing, for sustainability

Published on 2012-04-18 07:15:00

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Is the EU 'juking the stats' of its carbon schemes?

Published on 2012-04-18 03:36:00

The EU's climate goal is the world's most ambitious, but how much of it is based on false accounting?The EU has earned a lot of credit on the international climate scene. It has pushed through a roadmap to a second Kyoto deal at the Durban climate change summit, and stood firm on tugging global airlines into a carbon-pricing scheme.More than anything it has demonstrated its good faith with a pioneering set of decarbonisation targets at home: the "20-20-20" goals. By 2020, the EU has pledged to c [..] > read more

You may be green, but you're full of germs

Published on 2012-04-18 03:25:00

TRYING to save the environment is having an impact none of us can see - the germs are loving it.Shunning paper towels and adopting green bags, low-impact household chemicals and cold wash cycles is leaving us awash with bacteria, with tests showing "clean" clothes now contain more germs than those worn by our grandparents.See full Article. > read more

'Coral reefs will survive ravages of warming'

Published on 2012-04-18 03:17:00

Sydney: Marine scientists in Australia undertaking the world's first large-scale investigation of the impact of climate change on coral reefs suggest that many of them would survive the ravages of warming."Coral reefs are sometimes regarded as canaries in the global climate coal mine - but it is now very clear than not all reef species will be affected equally," explains Terry Hughes, professor and director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, who led [..] > read more

Traffic pollution kills 5,000 a year in UK, says study

Published on 2012-04-18 03:08:00

Road pollution is more than twice as deadly as traffic accidents, according to a study of UK air quality.The analysis appears in Environmental Science and Technology, carried out by Steve Yim and Steven Barrett, pollution experts from MIT in Massachusetts.They estimate that combustion exhausts across the UK cause nearly 5,000 premature deaths each year.See full Article. > read more

Climate Canard No. 1: A ‘Crime Against Humanity’ (and the Central Fear About Global Warming)

Published on 2012-04-17 05:38:00

From today’s ‘Icehouse Earth’ back to ‘Greenhouse Earth’: Artificially triggering an otherwise natural cycle, and crocodiles at the prehistoric North Pole, are exactly the pointNature’s Edge Notebook #24Observation, Analysis, Reflection, New QuestionsCanard: noun 1. An unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story… [From the French Canard, Duck. Probably from the phrase vendre un canard moitié, to half-sell a duck, to swindle ... from Old French quanart, duck, from caner, to c [..] > read more

Women to rally for equal pay Tuesday at Daley Center

Published on 2012-04-17 05:22:00

This 108th day into 2012 marks how many days into the year a woman has to work to earn what a man earned the previous year, according to Chicago-based Women Employed and other women advocacy groups.With women in the spotlight of the presidential campaign, local women’s organizations and civil rights groups will hold a rally here Tuesday, Equal Pay Day, to call for support of national legislation to help eliminate the gender pay gap.See full Article. > read more

EU makes €50m pledge for clean energy schemes in developing countries

Published on 2012-04-17 03:48:00

EU commission president announces plans to provide access to sustainable energy services for 500 million people by 2030The European Union (EU) has announced a €50m initiative for clean energy projects in developing countries as part of an ambitious UN plan to provide sustainable energy for all by 2030.José Manuel Barroso, the EU commission president, said the EU will seek to mobilise additional support of up to several hundred million euros to support concrete new investments for developing c [..] > read more

Executive pay too high across top firms, not just banks, investors warn

Published on 2012-04-17 03:43:00

F&C Investments is calling for bonus awards to be linked to a company's financial strengthOne of the City's biggest fund managers is calling on the leading banks in Britain to reform their pay practices amid concerns of a regulatory backlash against bankers' pay.F&C Investments said it was contacting 50 banks to warn them of the risk to their reputation, not just from high pay of chief executives but across the organisation. It came as a study by the Share Centre found that 95% of institutional [..] > read more

Putting Women on the Agenda in Cartagena

Published on 2012-04-16 09:38:00

It’s the Americas’ largest reunion. Happening every three years, the Summit of the Americas brings together the heads-of-state of the region to talk about pressing concerns. Over the weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, the theme will be “Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity,” but some of the liveliest debates are likely to focus on discussions around decriminalization of personal drug use. Proponents of the plan suggest it will decrease the high levels of violence in some of the [..] > read more

Redesigning Your Employee Volunteer Programs for Value and Impact

Published on 2012-04-15 14:08:00

When & Where: May 23-23, 2012; Columbus, OHJune 6-6, 2012; Rosemead, CADescription:Are you concerned that your employee volunteer program isn’t delivering more value and impact? Frustrated that the program involves a minimal number of employees for just a few hours a year? If you are looking for more from your employee volunteer program, this workshop is for you.Redesigning Your Employee Volunteer Programs for Value and Impact is a one-day workshop designed to help you re-imagine what is poss [..] > read more

Nuestro México del Futuro

Published on 2012-04-15 10:04:00

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Chinese migration and its environmental impact

Published on 2012-04-15 09:24:00

“RETURN to your hometown to work and care for your family”, reads a red banner strung over the main street of Fuxing, a hillside town in the heart of China. Until recently, farmers in surrounding villages dreamt only of getting away from their pumpkin patches and earning good wages in factories on the coast more than 1,000km (625 miles) away. Officials were happy to be rid of them. Now they are desperate to get them to stay.Jintang county, to which Fuxing belongs, once enjoyed the dubious ho [..] > read more

FedEx wins Boston College 2012 Corporate Citizenship Film Festival

Published on 2012-04-15 06:24:00

FedEx's winning video tells the story of the partnership between FedEx and Orbis, the world’s only airborne eye training and surgical center. FedEx delivers medical supplies at no charge to Orbis clinics all over the world and has donated an MD-10-30 to Orbis that’s going to become the next generation Flying Eye Hospital.See winners and nominees Page. > read more

Follow the 2012 International Corporate Citizenship Conference

Published on 2012-04-15 03:21:00

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Where do the world's most entrepreneurial women live?

Published on 2012-04-15 01:44:00

This interactive visualizes female entrepreneurship around the world. Run your cursor over the spectrum to see the numbers of entrepreneurs in 40 countries, as well as entrepreneurs as a percentage of the working-age population. Much of the data is not what you'd expect: Countries like Mexico score highly, with ten times more female entrepreneurs than, say, Sweden. Expert analysis will pop up for the countries in color to help you make sense of the numbers.See full Interactive view. > read more

Good corporate citizenship helps keep talent at employee-friendly companies

Published on 2012-04-14 14:19:00

Takeaway: Corporations already judged to be outstanding employers can further reduce labor turnover by adopting social responsibility policies and practices. Up to half of the estimated impact of 3-3.5 percent on turnover can be attributed to adoption of labor-specific policies.In a study of 84 companies included in Fortune magazine’s ‘‘100 Best Employers’’ in 2006, the authors found that a company already judged to be a desirable employer, can reduce its turnover rate by 3 percent to [..] > read more

Developing a Community Involvement Strategy

Published on 2012-04-14 14:04:00

When & Where: April 18-20, 2012; Dallas, TX November 14-16, 2012; Miami, FL May 8-10, 2013; San Antonio, TXDescription:If strategy is about choice, what community involvement choices will your company make?Community involvement is a critical part of every company’s approach to corporate citizenship. Governments may issue permits critical to a company’s license to operate but it’s the community that issues permission. Moreover, you can’t run a healthy business in an unhealthy co [..] > read more

Companies boost market value with good brand affiliation and reputation

Published on 2012-04-14 11:15:00

Takeaway: There is a measurable difference in the market value of companies with good reputation and brand affiliation when compared to their actual book value. Brand and reputation have the potential to raise the market value of companies, over and above the book value of the company. Companies have the opportunity to improve their market value an average of seven times above their current book value with good brand and reputation ratings.This study examines the importance of brand and corporat [..] > read more

Worse evils exist than corruption

Published on 2012-04-14 05:58:00

Did you know that a global poll of business executives found two in five have been asked to pay a bribe when dealing with business institutions? Half of these estimated that corruption raised project costs by at least 10 per cent. One in five of the executives claimed to have lost business because of bribes by a competitor. More than a third felt that corruption was getting worse.Moreover, politicians and officials in emerging economies are estimated to receive bribes of between $20bn and $40bn [..] > read more

Frutas y verduras contra la dieta pobre de los latinos

Published on 2012-04-11 07:51:00

Según las estadísticas, la mala alimentación se hace sentir con más fuerza entre los hispanos en Estados Unidos.La tasa de obesidad en este grupo es 25% mayor que la de otras comunidades, y los casos de enfermedades asociadas como la diabetes son más del doble que entre los blancos no hispanos.Ver Artículo completo. > read more

Abu Dhabi sells stake in Tesla electric car firm

Published on 2012-04-09 07:41:00

State owned power supplier Abu Dhabi National Energy (TAQA) has sold its 7% stake in US electric carmaker Tesla.TAQA, three-quarter owned by the government, said it made a profit of $113m (£71m) on the sale.Tesla was founded in 2003 and is best known for the Tesla Roadster, which is sold in 32 countries. See full Article. > read more

Belief in Global Warming on the Rebound: National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change

Published on 2012-04-04 04:18:00

Next »Other highlights include: More Americans than ever are pointing to experiences with warmer temperatures as the main reason they believe global warming is occurring. For Americans who believe that climate change is occurring, factors beyond weather (such as: declining polar species) appear to be having the greatest effect on convincing an individual that the planet is warming. Nearly 80% of Democrats believe in global warming, while Republicans are almost evenly split with 47% see [..] > read more

I'm a lumberjack

Published on 2012-04-03 16:06:00

How much paper does a person use on average in a year?WHATEVER happened to the “paperless office”? Thirty years ago the rise of computers was hailed as the beginning of the paperless-office era. In a 1980 briefing in The Economist entitled “Towards the paperless office”, we recommended that businesses trying to improve productivity should “reduce the flow of paper, ultimately aiming to abolish it”. Since then, alas, global paper consumption has increased by half. See full Article. > read more

Climate scepticism is not just American

Published on 2012-04-03 13:08:00

CHRIS MOONEY has a new book out, "The Republican Mind" (here's a brief essay-length version of the thesis), that looks from a frankly liberal standpoint at evidence that conservatives and liberals tend to have different character types and different attitudinal approaches to reality. There's plenty such evidence, and, before half the people who read this blog go ballistic, it really shouldn't be considered offensive to point out the correlations between character types and political affiliation. [..] > read more

Report on the Implementation of SEC Organizational Reform Recommendations

Published on 2012-04-03 00:51:00

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SEC’s risk monitors home in on boards

Published on 2012-04-03 00:43:00

The Securities and Exchange Commission has held meetings about risk management with directors at Goldman Sachs and several other financial groups in an attempt to increase accountability at board level.Directors at Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Wedbush Securities and credit rating and clearing firms have met SEC examiners since last summer, said people familiar with the matter. Meetings with other companies are planned.See full Article, paid subscription required. > read more

Renewable Energy: A Resource If Well Thought Out

Published on 2012-04-02 08:21:00

Many policy makers and opinion leaders look to renewable energy sources as a major driver for economic development. Yet, looking at the evidence produced in the literature finds sparse results. For instance, much seems to depend on the final use of energy. According to Bowden and Payne (2010) commercial and industrial renewable energy consumption do not seem to have any connection to output, while residential renewable energy consumption seems to have a positive connection with output.Much could [..] > read more

BSkyB board shifts pose threat to Murdoch

Published on 2012-04-02 07:04:00

Two key independent directors at BSkyB are set to leave as the pay-TV company embarks on an overhaul of its board that could weaken its unanimous backing of James Murdoch as chairman.Dame Gail Rebuck, chief executive of Random House, the publisher, and Lord Wilson of Dinton, former cabinet secretary, are expected to step down within months to make way for two new independent directors after both serving on the board for nine years or longer.See full Article, paid subscription required. > read more

The Future of Brazilian Ethanol

Published on 2012-04-02 04:16:00

I am in Brazil this week, and met today with people from the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA). In Brazil this means they are active energy players, as over half of the crop in Brazil is used for ethanol. In recent years they have become an effective lobbying force not just in Brazil, but also in Washington (and in Brussels).They presented an ambitious future, with production and productivity increasing to meet both rising internal demand for biofuels and big jumps in projected ex [..] > read more

The female of the species is more scary than the male

Published on 2012-04-01 23:00:00

Last week I went to a party given by an old university friend. It was a jolly enough event, full of people I’ve known for more than 30 years. But as I left, I realised something strange: my successful female friends have started to scare me.I then thought about the men at the party, most of whom were thinning on top and thickening around the middle. Not one made me feel even slightly nervous, even the ones with big jobs and even bigger opinions of themselves.See full Article, paid subscription [..] > read more

Climate change tree test begins

Published on 2012-04-01 07:03:00

European forestry scientists have begun a multi-national field trial to identify trees that will thrive as predicted climate change develops.Thousands of trees are being planted in test plots from Portugal in the south to Scotland in the north.The trees will be measured and monitored as they grow in the diverse environments. See full Article. > read more

Do jobs trump environment? Bucolic Swedish town faces uranium dilemma

Published on 2012-04-01 01:11:00

The Swedish town of Oviken, whose pristine natural surroundings have made it popular with tourists, has the blessing – and burden – of uranium deposits below its soil.As the pine trees part at the end of the country road, they reveal an unassuming red cottage with a rocking chair on the porch. White roses in the kitchen window give the impression that its occupants are just out running errands.See full Article. > read more

Probe finds rights violations at Apple supplier

Published on 2012-03-31 23:17:00

An audit of three factories pumping out coveted Apple gadgets has found abuses of Chinese labour law, including employees working more than 76 hours a week and more than seven days straight without a required 24-hour break.Along with excessive overtime and not always compensating workers properly for extra hours that were put in, the nearly month-long investigation uncovered health and safety risks and "crucial communication gaps."See full Article. > read more

Can High-Achieving Women Succeed in Boys' Clubs? We Asked Geena Davis

Published on 2012-03-31 14:27:00

Yesterday, female leaders in entertainment, finance, education, law, and media joined a group of high school girls and college women to discuss the "status of women and girls" in California. Midway through the event, we learned that women in my state earn more associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees than our male peers. The crowd burst into applause. I didn't clap. I knew what was coming next.Only 62 percent of women are employed full-time, versus 72 percent of men. We earn 84 cen [..] > read more

Biggest Earth Hour ever begins

Published on 2012-03-30 23:12:00

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No surprise banks are being bashed over bribery

Published on 2012-03-30 11:57:00

Bank bosses who started their careers in the self-regulation era simply don't understand how modern banking works, says guest blogger Rob TaylorIt's not surprising to most of us who have run banks in the past to see so many City institutions being fined and warned about breaches in money-laundering rules and inadequate anti-bribery and corruption risk assessments.On the surface the regulations seem obvious and just an added step in the professionalisation of City working habits. Why wouldn't ban [..] > read more

The Future of Water

Published on 2012-03-30 07:00:00

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Apple hit by China Foxconn factory report

Published on 2012-03-30 03:38:00

An independent investigation has found "significant issues" among working practices at Chinese plants making Apple iPhones and iPads.The US Fair Labor Association (FLA) was asked by Apple to investigate working conditions at Foxconn after reports of long hours and poor safety.The FLA says it has now secured agreements to reduce hours, protect pay, and improve staff representation.See full Article. > read more

CO2 emissions at lowest level in 40 years

Published on 2012-03-30 00:24:00

UK emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, have plunged to their lowest levels since records began more than 40 years ago, according to the energy and climate change department.One of the biggest reasons for the fall to just 456m tonnes last year was greater use of nuclear power, according to the data – released on the same day two German companies announced they were dropping plans to build reactors in the UK.See full Article. > read more

Did the EPA Just Kill Big Coal?

Published on 2012-03-29 23:17:00

The Environmental Protection Agency's new greenhouse gas rules could hasten the decline of America's top source of electricity.Today, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a set of landmark greenhouse gas regulations that will surely have every coal country politician, from the hills to Appalachia to the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, sputtering mad. The rule will require new power plants to emit about 43 percent less carbon dioxide than today's coal-fired generators. Natural gas plants a [..] > read more

British greenhouse gas emissions down 7 percent in 2011

Published on 2012-03-29 22:01:00

Britain's greenhouse gas emissions fell 7 percent in 2011, putting one of the European Union's biggest emitters further ahead of its internationally binding target under the Kyoto Protocol, provisional government data showed on Thursday.While the country is ahead of the Kyoto timetable, the figures do not mean Britain has much scope to ease up its drive towards a low carbon economy as it also has ambitious, legally-binding domestic targets.See full Article. > read more

The Green Elite: The Top 10 States for Renewable Power

Published on 2012-03-29 12:09:00

Nationwide, renewable electricity makes up a tiny share of the economy. But one state generates a whopping 84 percent of its power from green sources.When you step back and look at the country as a whole, the United States only generates just small fraction of its electricity from renewable energy sources -- about 10.4 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That's the entire contribution of hydro power, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and the other assorted g [..] > read more

Water changes everything

Published on 2012-03-29 07:00:00

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Australia: conferencia sobre la pobreza creciente

Published on 2012-03-29 05:34:00

Activistas australianos están llevando a cabo una conferencia sobre lo que definen como creciente pobreza en su país.Los activistas afirman que los pagos del bienestar social para los desempleados australianos no han subido en términos reales desde la década de los noventa.Ver Artículo completo. > read more

El país que intenta evitar contrarreloj una hambruna

Published on 2012-03-28 01:29:00

En la sala pequeña de un hospital en el polvoriento pueblo de Ouallam, a una hora de la capital de Níger, 10 niños yacen en camas con signos de desnutrición severa.Los pequeños tienen la piel pegada a las costillas y presentan dificultades para respirar. Sus madres ansiosas se ciernen sobre ellos.Dauda Mahmoud, de tres años de edad, tiene un tubo en la nariz y una tos seca sacude su cuerpo frágil. Está aquejado de varias enfermedades y se sospecha que una de ellas es la tuberculosis. Hac [..] > read more

English planning shake-up being unveiled

Published on 2012-03-27 06:38:00

Planning Minister Greg Clark is unveiling changes to England's planning guidelines aimed at simplifying the system and boosting economic growth.The government is publishing a revised national planning policy framework, following a row with conservation groups over last year's draft plans.See full Article. > read more

Renewables industry in Scottish jobs claim

Published on 2012-03-27 04:49:00

The body representing the renewables industry has published research which claims it supports more than 11,000 full-time jobs in Scotland.Scottish Renewables predicted the total will increase as the sector develops.The survey indicated direct employment of 1,526 people, with a further 8,701 in the supply chain and 909 jobs in academia and the public sector.See full Article. > read more

Plan to force reporting of emissions stalls

Published on 2012-03-26 13:35:00

Plans to force companies to declare the size of their greenhouse gas emissions have been put on hold and could even be abolished, the environment minister will tell parliament this week, raising fresh questions over the government’s commitment to fighting climate change.Caroline Spelman will say she has not made a decision on whether to introduce mandatory reporting requirements on companies’ carbon emissions, missing a deadline that has been in place for the last four years.See full Article [..] > read more

UK carbon measuring centre 'to improve climate future'

Published on 2012-03-26 12:30:00

A new UK facility aimed at improving measurement of carbon emissions and boosting development of clean technology is due to open.The Centre for Carbon Measurement will be based at the National Physical Laboratory in south-west London.It will raise accuracy of climate data, support better emissions monitoring to ensure a fair carbon market, and verify claims made about low-carbon products.See full Article. > read more

Green walls create new urban jungles

Published on 2012-03-22 12:46:00

Vertical gardens are cropping up all over cities these days, transforming drab urban facades into vibrant jungles of color.These lush expanses have found their way onto the walls -- both inside and out -- on numerous sites in recent years revitalizing public buildings, hotels, offices and even a multi-storey car park in Netherlands.Aside from their pleasing aesthetic qualities, vertical gardens could also deliver more practical benefits says Mark Laurence, creative director at Biotecture, a UK c [..] > read more

Las mafias controlan el negocio multimillonario de la tala ilegal de bosques

Published on 2012-03-22 08:26:00

La tala ilegal genera entre US$ 10.000 y US$15.000 millones a nivel global, según un informe del Banco Mundial."La mayoría de las operaciones de deforestación de este tipo son realizadas por bandas de crimen organizado y las ganancias muchas veces acaban en los bolsillos de funcionarios corruptos", asegura el documento titulado "Justicia para los bosques", "Justice for forests".Contenido relacionadoLa lista de países afectados incluye a Indonesia, Madagascar y varias naciones en África y Am [..] > read more

Women’s Economic Opportunity Index 2012

Published on 2012-03-22 08:10:00

Women drive economic growth. In the second half of the 20th century, the entry of women into the workforce helped to propel most of the world’s developed economies. But women remain the world’s greatest pool of untapped labour: Nearly one-half of the world’s working age women are not currently active in the global economy. As governments worldwide seek short- and long-term fixes to waning economic performance, expanding opportunities for the 1.5bn women not employed in the formal sector wi [..] > read more

Business Blogging for a Sustainable Purpose

Published on 2012-03-22 06:19:00

How does the old adage go? Two aspirin a day keeps the doctor away? Well, we subscribe to the idea that blogging 2 posts a day, inspires eco action each day. Truth be told, as sustainability consultants, we like to lead by example. Within our business sustainability consulting practice, it's not uncommon to encounter those executives that say sustainability is too hard, too resource intensive, or that it's a passing trend. With big aspirations, 3 years ago Taiga Company set out with the int [..] > read more

Scottish Nature Photography Awards winners announced

Published on 2012-03-22 04:17:00

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ICC finds Congo warlord Thomas Lubanga guilty

Published on 2012-03-14 06:02:00

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, guilty of recruiting and using child soldiers between 2002 and 2003.It is the court's first verdict since it was set up 10 years ago. He will be sentenced at a later hearing.He headed a rebel group during an inter-ethnic conflict in a gold-rich region of Democratic Republic of Congo.See full Article. > read more

Gender Empowerment Still Lags Far Behind in Global Village

Published on 2012-03-14 00:01:00

When the United Nations concluded a two-week session highlighting the plight of rural women last week, the meetings singled out both the achievements and shortcomings of the ongoing relentless battle for gender equality in a world still dominated - and overwhelmingly ruled - by men.The 45-member Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the global policy-making body fighting for women's rights, focused its priorities on the empowerment of rural women, including ownership rights, gender disparitie [..] > read more

Bluefin Tuna Demand Lures Japanese Investors Chasing 7% Return

Published on 2012-03-13 15:24:00

The world’s appetite for Japanese tuna, Wagyu beef and other delicacies prized in restaurants as far away as New York’s Morimoto is attracting funds chasing 7 percent returns from investments in farms and fish ponds.Institutional investors and regional banks have poured at least 23 billion yen ($280 million) into about a dozen funds aimed at boosting exports of Japanese foods. Four are managed by Daisuke Mori, a former Citigroup Inc. (C) banker who has pooled 10 billion yen to invest in proj [..] > read more

WEA Ethics Conference

Published on 2012-03-12 16:04:00

Welcome to the WEA conference on Economics in Society: The Ethical Dimension. On behalf of everyone involved in putting the conference together I would like to thank all our contributors, as well as all those who submitted papers we had no room to include. The amount of thought represented here is very extensive and is testimony to the issue and to its need for a proper airing. I am especially pleased to see we have a number of contributions from outside the economics profession itself. That fre [..] > read more

Ozone pioneer Rowland dies at 84

Published on 2012-03-12 10:49:00

The death has been announced of Sherwood Rowland - the US chemistry professor who first suspected that the Earth's protective ozone layer was being depleted by man-made chemicals.Prof Rowland published a paper on the dangers of the then-popular chloroflourocarbons - CFCs - in 1974.His ideas were derided at the time by other scientists and especially the chemical industry. See full Article. > read more

Gender: Only one in ten board members of top companies are women, finds OECD

Published on 2012-03-10 10:01:00

Women are still under-represented in top corporate jobs, despite efforts in many countries to promote their participation on boards, according to new OECD data. The OECD’s new Gender Browser reveals that women occupied only one in ten board seats in listed companies in OECD countries in 2009, the most recent year for which comparable data are available.This percentage varies greatly across countries: it is highest in Norway, at close to 40%, as a result of a mandatory quota introduced in 2006. [..] > read more

Where to be female

Published on 2012-03-10 06:21:00

Where women have the most and least economic opportunitiesMARKING International Women's Day on March 8th, the Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist's sister company, has published its second Women's Economic Opportunity Index, assessing the environment for female employees and entrepreneurs across 128 countries. Nearly half the world’s women of working-age are not currently active in the formal labour market. As governments seek to revive ailing economies, welcoming these 1.5 billion wome [..] > read more

Hitting women

Published on 2012-03-09 22:17:00

In much of the world, international women's day is not much to celebrateTHE United Nations collects data on attitudes among women to domestic violence. The numbers are not drawn from the same surveys, so should be compared with that in mind. Also, some countries are not covered by these datasets. Unfortunately attitudes to domestic violence in some of the missing places may be even worse than they are in Jordan, which comes top of this (non-comprehensive) list of bad places to be female today.S [..] > read more

Poland resists EU push for deeper CO2 emission cuts

Published on 2012-03-09 09:54:00

Poland has signalled its opposition to an EU plan for deeper carbon emission cuts, which environment ministers will discuss on Friday.Denmark, currently steering EU negotiations, is backed by the UK in calling for a 25% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020. Previously the target was 20%.But Poland, reliant on coal for more than 90% of its electric power, fears the move would make energy more costly.See full Article. > read more

Women in parliaments: Contested geographies

Published on 2012-03-09 09:25:00

Examining female participation rates in parliaments reveals a new picture of women's rights across the globe.The war in the US over women's reproductive rights is appalling. The all-men panel at the congressional hearing that discussed female contraception was patently offensive as much as it was ironic. The pressure on women's health in the US is particularly disturbing because it takes place in broad day light, in a democratic context of a country that claims to be a world leader in individual [..] > read more

Terminator apuesta por lo ecológico

Published on 2012-03-09 05:11:00

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La FAO alerta sobre la subida del precio de los alimentos

Published on 2012-03-09 03:20:00

El precio global de los alimentos aumentó en febrero en relación con el mes anterior, una subida provocada por el aumento del grano, los aceites vegetales y el azúcar, informó la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO).En su último informe, el organismo asegura que la subida de un 1% en el precio de los alimentos en febrero es la segunda consecutiva en los últimos dos meses.See full Article. > read more

Oxfam warns of West Africa drought 'catastrophe'

Published on 2012-03-09 03:08:00

Urgent action is needed to stop drought in West Africa's Sahel region turning into a humanitarian disaster affecting 13 million people, Oxfam says.The charity says the international community waited too long to respond to famine in East Africa last year.Oxfam has launched a £23m ($36m) emergency appeal to help reach more than a million of the most vulnerable.See full Article. > read more

UN meets Millennium Development Goal on drinking water

Published on 2012-03-09 02:50:00

The Millennium Development Goal for access to clean water has been reached, ahead of the target date of 2015.Now 89% of the population of the world have access to improved water supplies, up from 76% in the base year of 1990.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon hailed the achievement of halving the number of people without access to improved drinking water.See full Article. > read more

Power in the boardroom: Women versus men

Published on 2012-03-08 09:22:00

Creator Matt Barringer, CNN. Producer Mairi Mackay, CNN. Source: GovernanceMetrics International -- Women on Boards Report 2012In the XXI Century and we are still where we are and yet there are those who still think the voluntary approach works.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee Article page:In 2011, for the first time in history, women held more than one in ten board seats globally. This interactive shows how power divides up between men and women in the world's boardrooms, using data from more than 4.30 [..] > read more

BRICs score well for women in business but one of them lags far behind…

Published on 2012-03-08 07:46:00

Which are the top 10 countries for employing women in top roles – and which are the 10 worst? Grant Thornton has been tracking the proportion of women in senior management across 40 economies since 2004. Now our 2012 survey figures, released to mark International Women’s Day (IWD), reveal which of the world’s economies are the most business-friendly for women.The latest figures from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) show women in senior management to be on the rise in [..] > read more

International Women's Day 2012

Published on 2012-03-08 01:10:00

GENDER INITIATIVES: Every day, everywhereEvery year on 8 March, the world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD).IWD provides a common day for globally recognising and applauding women’s achievements as well as for observing and highlighting gender inequalities and issues. But not just on IWD, but all year round, many organizations and individuals work tirelessly to support gender equality through a multitude of initiatives, causes and actions.This section of the website is dedicated to [..] > read more

ONU dedica el “Día Internacional de la Mujer” a la mujer rural

Published on 2012-03-08 01:00:00

Naciones Unidas dedica el “Día Internacional de la Mujer”, que se celebra hoy, a las mujeres que viven en las zonas rurales, las cuales representan el 25% de la población mundial, pero suelen ocupar los puestos más bajos en todos los indicadores socioeconómicos.En su mensaje, el Secretario General de la ONU, Ban Ki-moon, indicó que no tiene sentido que las campesinas, que suman casi 500 millones de trabajadoras sin tierra y constituyen una parte importante de la mano de obra de ese sect [..] > read more

Empowering rural women key to boosting welfare of societies, UN officials stress

Published on 2012-03-08 00:58:00

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today joined other senior United Nations officials on the eve of International Women’s Day in highlighting the potential of rural women to improve the well-being of entire societies if given equal access to resources and set free from the discrimination and exploitation that hold them back.“The plight of the world’s rural women and girls mirrors that of women and girls throughout society,” Mr. Ban told an event at UN Headquarters to commemorate the Day, whic [..] > read more

International Women's Day 2012

Published on 2012-03-07 23:48:00

The EP has dedicated this year's International Women's Day to the theme "equal pay for equal work" as women in the EU are still on average paid 17% less then men. Slovakian Christian-Democrat MEP Edit Bauer, author of a report on how to close the gender pay gap, said more needed to be done about this: "Progress is extremely slow".The report on equal pay said there were many reasons, often complex and related, why women continued to be paid less than men. Experts claim half of the difference is d [..] > read more

Skills for a low carbon economy: what next? OECD-Cedefop Green forum

Published on 2012-02-24 12:01:00

Cedefop and the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development Programme (LEED) are organising a joint Green Skills Forum to be held at OECD Headquarters in Paris on 27th February 2012.The aim of this international forum of researchers, government advisers, employment and policy analysts and social partners actively involved in skills development and training needs for a low carbon economy is to review and discuss new research and policy approaches to foster a greener, more sustainable future.It [..] > read more

EU aviation climate charge faces limited opposition

Published on 2012-02-23 16:47:00

Governments opposed to the EU climate levy on international aviation have agreed a limited package of counter-measures during a meeting in Moscow.But they will not immediately lodge a case against the EU for breach of UN rules, as had been proposed.See full Article. > read more

UK submarine data de-classified to aid climate science

Published on 2012-02-23 04:56:00

The UK Ministry of Defence is to de-classify submarine data to help shed light on climate change in the Arctic.Environmental data are routinely monitored by Navy vessels, but the measurements are highly sensitive because they could give away positions.A dataset from one submarine mission will be released to give a snapshot of conditions under the ice.It is hoped that further data could be released in future, yielding clues to how the Arctic is changing.See full Article. > read more

PIB: las "perversiones" del principal indicador económico

Published on 2012-02-23 02:59:00

El Producto Interno Bruto, PIB, el indicador utilizado tradicionalmente para medir la riqueza de los países, no refleja la gravedad de la crisis social y ambiental en nuestro planeta y debe ser sustituido.El cambio es una de las medidas propuestas por 20 ganadores del prestigioso galardón Blue Planet, considerado comunmente como el Nobel de medio ambiente.Ver Artículo completo. > read more

Una cámara revela el lado más sombrío de Apple

Published on 2012-02-23 00:05:00

Con más de 70 millones de iPhones vendidos el año pasado, además de 30 millones de iPads y 59 millones de otros productos, la manzana mordida de Apple se ha consolidado como una marca inconfundible por cualquier persona con interés en el mundo tecnológico.Pero especialmente en los últimos tiempos, Apple no ha estado en el centro de las miradas sólo por su diseño minimalista, sus rendimientos financieros o las características de sus productos, sino por un tema muy diferente -y mucho meno [..] > read more

Usar el poder de distribución de Coca-Cola para llevar medicinas a los más pobres del mundo

Published on 2012-02-22 23:50:00

Incluso en los confines más lejanos del mundo en desarrollo es posible comprar Coca-Cola. Sin embargo, muchas veces en esos mismos lugares, uno de cada siete niños muere por causas evitables, como la deshidratación causada por la diarrea, por ejemplo, antes de cumplir cinco años. ColaLife, una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Gran Bretaña, se propone llevar medicamentos vitales para los niños en situación de vulnerabilidad a través del mismo sistema de distribución usado por [..] > read more

Los informes sobre sostenibilidad en América Latina entran en una nueva etapa

Published on 2012-02-22 13:48:00

Ahora que en todo el mundo existe una mayor tendencia entre las empresas a rendir cuentas tanto en el plano medio ambiental como social, algunos expertos dicen que los informes sobre el rendimiento corporativo en esas áreas están a punto de cambiar. Donde se observa con mayor claridad ese cambio es en América Latina. Los informes de carácter no financiero están ganando mayor credibilidad entre las partes interesadas en el buen desempeño de las empresas, que ven en ellos un aliado para la c [..] > read more

Siete pasos para un consejo de administración de éxito en la era Facebook

Published on 2012-02-22 13:39:00

El anunció de la oferta pública de acciones de Facebook el 1 de febrero puso a la compañía en el candelero. La mimada del Valle del Silicio (con ingresos anuales de US$ 1.000 millones), junto con LinkedIn, Groupon y Twitter, nos recuerdo una vez más el impacto sorprendente que la revolución de los medios sociales, móviles y la computación en la nube está produciendo en los canales de comunicación con el cliente y en las expectativas de los accionistas. ¿Ha llegado el momento de que lo [..] > read more

Dolphins deserve same rights as humans, say scientists

Published on 2012-02-21 12:18:00

Dolphins should be treated as non-human "persons", with their rights to life and liberty respected, scientists meeting in Canada have been told.Experts in philosophy, conservation and animal behaviour want support for a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans.They believe dolphins and whales are sufficiently intelligent to justify the same ethical considerations as humans.See full Article. > read more

Countries rally against EU carbon tax on airlines

Published on 2012-02-21 09:26:00

That is what happens when they become accustomed to operating without paying all their costs, including environmental costs.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Delegates from 26 countries opposed to a new EU carbon tax on airlines are meeting in Moscow to consider possible retaliation, amid fears of a trade war.China, India, Russia and the US are among the countries opposed to the EU fee, which took effect on 1 January.See full Article. > read more

Published on 2012-02-21 09:10:00

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Proponen reservas naturales móviles para las especies marinas

Published on 2012-02-21 08:44:00

La idea de que solo áreas fijas del océano pueden ser designadas como reservas marinas quedó anticuada, ya que según los expertos no refleja el comportamiento dinámico de algunas de las criaturas oceánicas.Los científicos marinos llamaron la atención sobre esto en una conferencia de la AAAS, un festival dedicado a la ciencia en Vancouver, Canadá.Ver Artículo completo. > read more

Javier Bardem da a conocer en la Berlinale el conflicto de los saharauis

Published on 2012-02-21 04:39:00

Video: Javier Bardem da a conocer en la Berlinale el conflicto de los saharauis > read more

IASB and FASB to host a series of outreach meetings on revised revenue recognition proposals

Published on 2012-02-19 10:40:00

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) will host a series of outreach meetings in March, April and May 2012 on their revised joint proposals for the recognition of revenue that were published in November 2011.The meetings form an important part of the boards’ programme of outreach activities on this second set of the revenue recognition proposals and they reflect the importance of revenue to all companies. To date, the boards [..] > read more

The Sustainable Board

Published on 2012-02-18 16:57:00

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IPSAS and The Application of These Standards in the Swiss Federal Administration

Published on 2012-02-18 14:42:00

SeminarFriday, 18th May 2012, ZurichFriday, 16th July 2012 – Seminar Fully BOOKED –Friday, 14th Sebtember 2012 – Seminar Fully BOOKED – > read more

Global Accountancy Leaders Identify Key Issues for 2012

Published on 2012-02-18 10:38:00

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession with members and associates in 127 countries, today released the results of its 2011 IFAC Global Leadership Survey of the Accounting Profession.Respondents identified three issues of particular concern to the profession in 2012: the Difficult global financial climate, Enhancing the reputation/credibility of the profession, and Addressing the needs of SMPs and SMEs. Additional concerns for t [..] > read more

IPSAS Standards

Published on 2012-02-17 10:49:00

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Fixation on gender quotas is a distraction

Published on 2012-02-16 03:44:00

Following is a letter sent to the Editor of the Financial Times:Andrew Hill doesn't want us to be fixated on gender quotas in business. ("Fixation on gender quotas is a distraction" FT February 13, 2012). That sounds right, as does the idea of not wanting yet more regulation. The problem is that the voluntary approach has not worked! Women have had the vote for over a hundred years and have been in the labour market for decades and yet they are still low in the ranks and unequal in salary.CEO's [..] > read more

Co-op cuts emssions by 35%

Published on 2012-02-15 08:08:00

The group has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% on 2006 levels as part of environmental and social pledgesThe Co-operative has cut greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by more than a third as part of its "radical" ethical plan, it said today.A year ago the group pledged to undertake a series of environmental and social measures, including selling more Fairtrade products, cutting carbon emissions, investing £1bn in renewables and taking on thousands of apprentices.See full Article. > read more

The path to sustainable growth in the built environment

Published on 2012-02-15 03:10:00

There needs to be greater regulatory and fiscal emphasis on improving the performance of existing building stock and to stimulate innovation in new buildings, says Andrew RaingoldLast week, I hosted an event with Caroline Flint, shadow energy and climate change secretary of state, who told an audience of business leaders that it was "sad to see Michael Gove threatening to undermine the green building standard for schools".See full Article. > read more

What You Need to Know: Methodology Changes for ISS’ Governance Risk Indicators (GRId)

Published on 2012-02-15 02:23:00

Please join ISS on Feb. 14 at 1:00 pm EST for a Governance Exchange webinar led by Gary Hewitt, Executive Director and Subodh Mishra, Head of Governance Exchange. The webinar will review GRId 2.0, which is scheduled to launch on Feb. 24. GRId is meant to help investors better assess the level of governance-related risk at Russell 3,000 companies across four key areas: audit, board, compensation, and shareholder rights. GRId 2.0 expands on the original version of the ratings system to provide for [..] > read more

Organización caritativa advierte de los efectos de la desnutrición

Published on 2012-02-15 01:10:00

La agencia de ayuda británica, Save the Children, aseguró que 500 millones de niños pudieran crecer con impedimentos físicos y mentales en los próximos 15 años a causa de la falta de comida.La organización caritativa dice que aún queda mucho por hacer para enfrentar la desnutrición en los países más pobres del mundo.See full Article. > read more

Carbon monoxide in the cosmos mapped for the first time

Published on 2012-02-14 23:05:00

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Emissions trading: Cheap and dirty

Published on 2012-02-14 10:58:00

The linchpin of Europe’s effort to curb global warming is at risk of collapseWhen the European Union decided last month to press ahead with a plan to force foreign airlines to pay for the carbon pollution generated by each flight landing at its airports, Brussels policymakers justified their action as the only way to forge a global solution to one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions.See full Article, (paid subscription required). > read more

Carbon market: there’s still time

Published on 2012-02-14 06:36:00

A few little things separate a gold medal sprinter from an also-ran. The same applies to the European Union’s carbon emissions trading scheme. When it pioneered the idea of a fully fledged carbon trading market in 2005, the EU envisaged that a price of about €40 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emitted would encourage big polluters, such as power generators, to invest in clean energy. With the current price at under €8, that looks like seriously wishful thinking. Yet the market is no [..] > read more

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg accused of 'hubris' over float

Published on 2012-02-14 04:11:00

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been accused of "hubris" in a strongly worded attack by one of America's leading shareholder groups on the social network's plans for a multi-billion dollar flotation.ISS, which advises more than 1,500 institutional investors on corporate governance, criticised Mr Zuckerberg's plan to use a dual share structure to maintain control of voting rights at Facebook even after the flotation.The prospectus published last month by Facebook disclosed that the 27-year-o [..] > read more

Fixation on gender quotas is a distraction

Published on 2012-02-14 00:42:00

Gender fatigue is the secret lassitude that grips chief executives and directors when asked for the Nth time to discuss targets, quotas, audits and reports aimed at bringing more women into the boardroom.As this month’s first anniversary of the publication of Lord Davies’s report setting gender targets for UK companies approaches, businesses can expect a new assault.See full Article, (paid subscription required). > read more

U.S.: Climate Change May Pose Biggest Security Threat - IPS ipsnews.net

Published on 2011-07-05 03:48:00

As a budget battle rages on in the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama's military budget comes under increasingly harsh scrutiny, a report released here Thursday by the Institute for Policy Studies suggests that reallocating defence spending tow > read more

U.S. Stance on Plane Emissions Under Fire

Published on 2011-07-05 01:06:00

U.S. environmental groups are attacking the Obama administration's opposition to the European Union's plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes, arguing Washington is reneging on its commitment to fight global warming.American diplomat > read more

Q&A: "Africa Can Provide More Than Minerals in South-South Trade"

Published on 2011-07-04 22:17:00

South-South co-operation is firmly on Africa’s agenda. Leading the way is South Africa, which has recently joined up with Brazil, Russia, India and China’s BRIC formation to form a new global grouping of emerging markets, known as BRICS.IPS spoke > read more

Janet Walsh: Workplace Flexibility Breeds Contentment on all Sides

Published on 2011-07-04 16:14:00

Kimberley N., a senior manager of a non-profit organization, gave birth to a baby with a life-threatening illness. After years of stellar performance reviews, she received a scathing one immediately after returning from a short maternity leave. Her o > read more

INDIA: 'Seed-Mothers' Confront Climate Insecurity

Published on 2011-07-04 14:06:00

In eastern Orissa state’s tribal hinterlands about 200 ‘seed-mothers’ are on mission mode - identifying, collecting and conserving traditional seed varieties and motivating farming families to use them.The seed-mothers (bihana-maa in the local > read more

Why women in politics matter

Published on 2011-07-04 12:01:00

The Arab Spring created hope for democracy in which women would at least have a voice. But we're still waitingOf course, women's political participation and leadership are not the only necessary factors for general peace and prosperity. But they are > read more

China suppresses human rights lawyers, says Amnesty

Published on 2011-07-04 07:50:00

The UK-based human rights group Amnesty International has accused China of suppressing lawyers who become involved in politically sensitive cases.It says many have been threatened with suspension or criminal charges.If these measures fail, the lawyer > read more

They Know But Won't Admit: How Oil and Gas Companies are Adapting to Climate Change

Published on 2011-07-04 06:49:00

In one of most ironic flip-flops in environmental history, the oil and gas industry is beginning to adapt to climate change. And it's no wonder. The majority of industry's infrastructure is located in some of the most climate vulnerable regions on th > read more

Draft Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament

Published on 2011-07-04 04:36:00

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Slavery in the world

Published on 2011-07-03 22:21:00

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Resiliency and the Ethics of Public Health Preparedness and Adaptation to Climate Change

Published on 2011-07-03 02:10:00

RationaleThis project, newly launched in 2010, focuses on one of the most serious challenges now facing society in the United States and around the world. Climate change is resulting in risks to biodiversity and to human life and health. Disturbances > read more

New Frontiers in Environmental Ethics and Bioethics: Care and Place

Published on 2011-07-02 14:08:00

Rationale In moral philosophy, feminism, and bioethics, an ethic of care has become a well developed alternative to other ethical approaches based on utilitarianism, the concept of rights, and distributive justice principles. These latter frameworks > read more

Hype Aside, 'Green Jobs' Are For Real

Published on 2011-07-02 12:12:00

Experts may argue about what constitutes a "green job" or how many of them currently exist in the U.S. economy, but everyone seems to agree there will be many more of them in the coming decades.Growing support for energy independence and a cleaner en > read more

El despilfarro del ahorro energético

Published on 2011-07-02 11:10:00

La Comisión Europea se ha embarcado en una cruzada por el ahorro energético. De acuerdo con la política estrella de la UE, el famoso plan 20-20-20, en 2020 los países de la Unión deberán reducir un 20% la emisión de CO2 (con respecto a 1990), > read more

Does the Solar Industry Have a PR Problem?

Published on 2011-07-02 06:11:00

It’s considered the greenest of green technologies, completely renewable and the perfect solution to the threat of climate change. It helps alleviate fears about the dangers of nuclear energy, and there’s evidence that it increases home values. O > read more

Energy & You — Special Report — How To Cut Energy Costs For Your Home - CNBC

Published on 2011-07-02 04:11:00

Those costly winter heating bills might be out of sight momentarily, but they are never really out of mind.If the thought of opening an electric bill this summer has you sweating even more than the heat itself, consider some ways to cut costs while s > read more

Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

Published on 2011-07-02 02:06:00

Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time from Jeannine Richards on Vimeo.RationaleAldo Leopold is widely regarded as the 20th century’s most important conservationist and a central figure in the development of environmental ethics. H > read more

Carbon Hunters: The Word of Carbon Trading Explained

Published on 2011-07-02 00:12:00

As corporations, governments and consumers hunt for ways to reduce and offset their greenhouse gas emissions, a whole new breed of businessman has been born. Welcome to the world of the Carbon Hunters. They are scouring the planet in search of new wa > read more

Economics, Ecology, and Ethics

Published on 2011-07-01 14:03:00

RationaleOver the last two decades, ecological economics has emerged as a vital new arena for interdisciplinary research, building the conceptual foundations for a new paradigm of economics and development. While the field struggles to gain acceptan > read more

Advancing the Land Ethic

Published on 2011-07-01 12:13:00

RationaleThe emergence and evolution of an American land ethic, and a global “earth ethic,” has formed the core problematic of the conservation/environmental movement over the last century, especially in the decades since Aldo Leopold defined the > read more

Time for sustainable house design

Published on 2011-06-30 06:42:00

While the Federal Government is making half-hearted commitments to energy efficiency, trail-blazing architecture firms like G-O Logic Homes and Victoria’s own Sunpower Design are proving that sustainable housing need not cost an arm and a leg – n > read more

¿Cuáles son las marcas más verdes del mundo?

Published on 2011-06-30 05:02:00

Cuando las marcas toman la senda “verde”, deben hacer visible su respeto a la naturaleza en todas sus prácticas empresariales y mantener un constante feedback con sus clientes para dar forma a su política medioambiental. Un reciente estudio int > read more

Galápagos: a different kind of evolution

Published on 2011-06-30 04:54:00

Project funded by the IDB teaches locals how to protect the environment and produce better food and services for the tourism industryFor years tourism in the Galápagos archipelago seemed like a sure win for inhabitants of the remote islands.Cruise s > read more

El Calentamiento Global hace que Ballenas y y Plancton emigren desde Arctica

Published on 2011-06-30 00:34:00

Como resultado del calentamiento global las ballenas comienzan a desplazarse hacia otros hábitats y aparece plancton en el Atlántico Norte.El año pasado frente al poblado de Herzliya en Israel fue detectada una ballena gris de 13 metros de largo. > read more

Electric vehicles: will Australia miss its ride

Published on 2011-06-29 14:48:00

The future is looking bright for electric vehicles (EV) – and their investors.Last week, California-based EV infrastructure company Better Place Australia (BPA) signed a landmark deal with multi-utility company ActewAGL to the amount of $60 million > read more

Clearing the air on climate change

Published on 2011-06-29 09:45:00

The annual ‘Science meets Parliament’ (SMP) is underway this week. With debates raging over the carbon tax, representatives from The Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS) are highlighting and addressing the poor > read more

IDB to Promote Early Childhood Development Strategies

Published on 2011-06-29 06:50:00

IDB President and First Lady of Colombia to host debate on strategies to guarantee social protection, education, nutrition and health for childrenLuis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank, and Maria Clemencia Rodriguez de > read more

The World Food Prize - Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World - The 2011 World Food Prize Laureates

Published on 2011-06-29 04:20:00

John Agyekum Kufuor & Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaJohn Agyekum Kufuor and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have been chosen to jointly receive the 2011 World Food Prize for their personal commitment and visionary leadership while serving as the presidents of > read more

"Now is the Time to Be Bold: A Call for New Technology, Policy... and Thinking"

Published on 2011-06-29 02:31:00

"The last few years have not been kind to those who favor energy policy reform. First we had an economic recession that brought many renewable projects to a grinding halt. Simultaneously, oil prices shot up as high as $140 per barrel and dropped as l > read more

Sostenibilidad urbana en Latinoamérica y el Caribe

Published on 2011-06-29 00:55:00

IntroductionAmérica Latina y el Caribe (ALC) es la región en desarrollo que ha registrado la más rápida urbanización en el mundo. El porcentaje de población urbana pasó del 41% en 1950 al 80% en 2010. Simultáneamente, la región muestra una i > read more

Published on 2011-06-28 21:46:00

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Oxfam Calls for Global Governments to Help Fix "Broken Food System"

Published on 2011-06-28 14:07:00

Oxfam has launched a fresh campaign to pressure the world's governments to boost investment in agriculture and better manage food supply to create a fairer and more sustainable food system it says is currently "broken."Unless governments help suppor > read more

Fishing for Sustainable Practices to Conserve Fisheries

Published on 2011-06-28 12:29:00

Global fish production has reached an all-time high, according to research done by Nourishing the Planet (www.NourishingthePlanet.org) for the Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Signs Online publication. Aquaculture, or fish farming—once a minor contri > read more

Record carbon emissions mean 2 °C rise ever closer

Published on 2011-06-28 04:31:00

What's more, around 80 per cent of the predicted 2020 emissions from power stations are already "locked in" – from stations that are already built or under construction."This significant increase in CO2 emissions and the locking in of future emissi > read more

Verdict on G20 food summit? Dismal, please try harder

Published on 2011-06-28 04:04:00

Agriculture is a hot potato (sorry…) in most countries’ domestic politics. Think rioting French farmers, US agribiz lobbies or the long death-by-agriculture of the WTO Doha round. So perhaps the most notable thing about the G20 agriculture minist > read more

Water and sanitation initiative

Published on 2011-06-28 01:20:00

Executive SummaryThe relationship between poverty, health, and access to water and sanitation services is widely confirmed in technical literature and has been recognized by the international community. People who consume polluted water become trappe > read more

Ending the plague, improving lives - The end of Rinderpest today!

Published on 2011-06-27 19:51:00

Rinderpest, or cattle plague, is about to make history as the first animal disease to be eliminated thanks to human efforts, and only the second disease of any kind, after smallpox in humans. On June 28, during the 37th FAO Conference, the 192 Member > read more

Women Dominate The Global Market Place; Here Are 5 Keys To Reaching Them

Published on 2011-06-27 15:09:00

Here's what works (and what doesn't) when selling to this large, but surprisingly often ignored group of consumers.Women are the next global emerging market.Their economic power is truly revolutionary, representing the largest market opportunity in t > read more

Green Fighter: Germany's Renate Kunast

Published on 2011-06-27 12:09:00

Relaxing with her feet on her desk at the strikingly modern German parliamentary offices, the woman whose Green Party was once on the radical fringe talks about her mayoral campaign. Three months before the election, Renate Künast is within 5 percen > read more

Ban Ki-moon and the Age of Sustainable Development - Jeffrey D. Sachs - Project Syndicate

Published on 2011-06-27 10:28:00

The world can breathe easier with the reelection this month of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to a second term in office. In a fractious world, global unity is especially vital. During the past five years, Ban Ki-moon has embodied that > read more

The Future of Natural Gas

Published on 2011-06-27 06:40:00

Event SummaryAs the world economy attempts to balance burgeoning energy demand with lower carbon emissions, natural gas has become a central pillar of energy strategy in both the developed and developing world. Advances in exploration and production > read more

Gael García Bernal y Lula da Silva se suman al diálogo global sobre los alimentos

Published on 2011-06-27 06:35:00

Intermón Oxfam organiza un debate en directo y online con expertos de la FAOLula Da SilvaLa campaña CRECE de Oxfam, Intermón Oxfam en España, inicia hoy un diálogo global y online sobre cómo podemos cultivar y compartir mejor los alimentos ahor > read more

Pawlenty's Scam | The New Republic

Published on 2011-06-27 03:33:00

Coral Davenport has a thorough account of the very sad tale of Tim Pawlenty's embrace and subsequent abandonment of cap and trade. Pawlenty initially took up the cause with a fervor that was quite literally religious: Pawlenty also had a personal > read more

Conference: accelerating he shift towards a low carbon economy

Published on 2011-06-27 02:41:00

Over the past 20 years, the GLOBE™ Series has become the nexus for global networking and leadership on the business of the environment. Taking place in Vancouver, Canada every two years since 1990, the famed GLOBE bienniel conference series has ser > read more

Policy Recommendations for a Sustainable Copper Supply Chain: A Chinese perspective

Published on 2011-06-26 16:17:00

As the world's most important importer of copper ore, and the single most important producer of refined copper and key copper-based products, China fulfills a unique role in the global copper supply chain. China has already made rapid advances in red > read more

Drogas y crimen organizado amenazan paz mundial, alerta UNODC a Consejo de Seguridad

Published on 2011-06-26 13:58:00

Las drogas ilícitas y el crimen organizado transnacional amenazan la seguridad y el desarrollo de países y regiones enteras, afirmó hoy ante el Consejo de Seguridad el director ejecutivo de la Oficina de la ONU contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC). > read more

Estimating poverty

Published on 2011-06-26 09:15:00

Management guru Peter Drucker once said, “What gets measured gets managed.” He was referring to the management of organisations, private and public, in this dictum. But the saying is equally applicable to issues of national importance. Correct me > read more

India forces equity back on climate agenda

Published on 2011-06-26 06:12:00

India has got the issue of 'equity' – the bedrock of its climate stance -- back on the international agenda after it had been all but smacked out of discussions at the Cancun meet in 2010.The subject has now been put back on the provisional agenda > read more

Verdict on G20 food summit? Dismal, please try harder

Published on 2011-06-26 04:06:00

Agriculture is a hot potato (sorry…) in most countries’ domestic politics. Think rioting French farmers, US agribiz lobbies or the long death-by-agriculture of the WTO Doha round. So perhaps the most notable thing about the G20 agriculture minist > read more

How Western Environmental Policies Are Stunting Economic Growth in Developing Countries

Published on 2011-06-26 02:00:00

Abstract: Governments and large agribusinesses are increasingly using the environmentalist movement and its policy arm of green nongovernmental organizations to justify imposing protectionist non-tariff barriers on developing countries. Wrong-headed > read more

Biennial business of the environment event

Published on 2011-06-25 23:36:00

With an anticipated attendance of over 10,000, a new wave of international exhibitors and delegations from some of the world’s largest economies will be adding their voices to the vibrant, engaging and action-oriented conversation at the 12th editi > read more

Published on 2011-06-25 15:33:00

Asia’s most prestigious event on corporate social responsiblity, The Global CSR summit & The Global CSR Awards are back for the 3rd successive year. Based on popular feedback, we have selected the beautiful Cebu, Philippines as the venue for th > read more

Poverty and Hunger: Has the Narrative Changed Since the 1960s?

Published on 2011-06-25 11:46:00

I was recently in Paris for a conference called “To Abolish Hunger.” We grappled with the question I have been hearing for the past forty years: Have we made any progress in reducing hunger and poverty in the developing world?Take my country, Ind > read more

Published on 2011-06-25 06:39:00

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Is sustainable growth a contradiction in terms for the ethical company?

Published on 2011-06-25 04:28:00

Every ambitious small company wants the same thing – to grow. And small companies that produce a more sustainable product, or a healthier product, and does it with style can often find that the marketplace rewards them by giving the chance to grow > read more

SRI investors target lobby group members over climate change

Published on 2011-06-25 01:23:00

A number of socially responsible investor groups have criticised companies that have a progressive position on climate change but which remain members of the Board of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). According to the group, NAM lobbie > read more

The limits of sustainability reporting

Published on 2011-06-24 23:15:00

Last year, the oil and gas industry's associations IPIECA and OGP launched the revision of their sustainability reporting guidance for companies in their sector. For me, it highlighted how the most important and interesting stories are hard to captur > read more

C40 and World Bank Form Groundbreaking Climate Change Action Partnership

Published on 2011-06-24 22:33:00

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the World Bank today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will help cities accelerate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become more resilient to climate change. C40 Chair New York City M > read more

Argentina: Grain traders accused of criminal tax evasion

Published on 2011-06-24 16:18:00

The world's largest grain traders, ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus, will be taken to court by the government for allegedly avoiding the payment of tax.In an interview with the UK's Guardian newspaper, the head of the country's revenue service said th > read more

Appetite for Change

Published on 2011-06-24 11:39:00

Reinventing the Global Food SystemThe global food system is under scrutiny for environmental impacts including habitat degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater use. Half the world’s farmers go hungry, while around a billion people are c > read more

UK says Poland blocked EU deal on CO2 emissions

Published on 2011-06-23 02:58:00

The UK government has sharply criticised Poland for blocking an EU effort to set a higher target for cuts in CO2 emissions."I'm deeply disappointed that the only country in the EU that could not accept a good compromise on how we can move Europe to a > read more

We have a year to make a low-carbon future happen

Published on 2011-06-23 01:02:00

We are rapidly approaching a tipping point in the energy story of this country. Eight years ago, the UK was self-sufficient in gas. Today we're importing about 50pc of our needs and that proportion will rise to 75pc by 2020.In the power sector too, t > read more

CEOs pursue business opportunities where corporate and societal priorities converge

Published on 2011-06-22 14:22:00

CEOs pursue business opportunities where corporate and societal priorities convergeCECP and Accenture identify five imperatives for driving Sustainable Value CreationCan businesses sustain meaningful growth, drive innovation, and simultaneously addre > read more

New standard slaps £325m costs on finance sector

Published on 2011-06-22 12:18:00

FINANCE COMPANIES will be hit by as much as £325m of extra costs as a result of the new International Financial Reporting Standard IAS19, a new survey has found.FTSE350 finance companies told actuary and consultancy firm Barnett Waddingham their dis > read more

Director involvement in fraud climbs

Published on 2011-06-22 09:10:00

COMPANY bosses are committing an increasing proportion of frauds, with the volume of cases involving senior management increasing to a fifth of all cases.Globally it was board members who perpetrated fraud in 18% of the cases surveyed, an increase fr > read more

Green accounting 'to protect nature's bank'

Published on 2011-06-22 07:08:00

GREEN ACCOUNTS may be produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in order to show annual usage of natural resources, Public Finance reports.The idea stems from a Defra white paper entitled The natural choice: securing the valu > read more

The British Accountancy Awards are launched

Published on 2011-06-22 02:59:00

These new awards succeed the long-standing Accountancy Age Awards and follow a robust review involving some of the most respected members of the profession convened as a specialist advisory panel.The British Accountancy Awards, in partnership with AC > read more

PCAOB considers mandatory rotation and audit reports

Published on 2011-06-21 23:57:00

THE US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is to address the relevance and value of the audit report in a series of papers to be published in the coming months.Two projects will run simultaneously: the first will examine possible changes to the > read more

China Accounting Blogs. Because Accounting Matters

Published on 2011-06-21 20:43:00

I was on a panel of speakers yesterday at the Offshore Investment Conference 2011. We panelists were to give a statement enunciating "the one key point" from the talks we had given earlier in the day. Yongjun Peter Ni, who heads Zhong Lun's tax pract > read more

Latinoamérica: el 90% de las mujeres son víctimas de la violencia - Observador global

Published on 2011-06-21 14:59:00

La mayoría de las mujeres de América Latina son víctimas de la violencia de género; convirtiéndose en la principal causa de muerte en el mundo entre las mujeres de 15 a 45 años.El 90% de las mujeres en América Latina han sufrido algún tipo de > read more

The IASB has formally announced that it will be undertaking for the first time a public agenda consultation on its future work plan.

Published on 2011-06-21 10:41:00

In February 2010 the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation, the IASB's oversight body, announced enhancements to their governance arrangements, including the decision to undertake a three-yearly public consultation on the IASB's future technical agenda, in > read more

IASB releases two new standards to complete two agenda projects

Published on 2011-06-21 02:45:00

The IASB has amended two standards which are key planks in achieving its work plan, introducing new requirements on the presentation of comprehensive income and the accounting for employee benefits.The changes had their genesis in more extensive obje > read more

Systemic risk - the here and now versus the future

Published on 2011-06-21 02:36:00

In reading the press over the last few days, I'm reminded again of the critical interdependencies that underpin our daily lives. We've seen the difficulty and the unintended consequences that played out in Germany as officials tried to isolate the re > read more

Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management

Published on 2011-06-20 22:34:00

OverviewThe M.S. in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management is an interdisciplinary professional master’s program that prepares graduates to play valuable roles as planners, managers, policy analysts, and consultants in defining environm > read more

World Refugee Day: UNHCR report finds 80 per cent of world's refugees in developing countries

Published on 2011-06-20 14:52:00

A UNHCR report released today reveals deep imbalance in international support for the world's forcibly displaced, with a full four-fifths of the world's refugees being hosted by developing countries – and at a time of rising anti-refugee sentiment > read more

SEC Chief Accountant discusses convergence

Published on 2011-06-20 06:39:00

James L. Kroeker, Chief Accountant of the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided comment on the IFRS-US GAAP convergence process being undertaken by the IASB and FASB (the 'Boards').In a recent speech given to the University > read more

Cambio climático: soluciones tecnológicas y un poco disparatadas

Published on 2011-06-20 04:58:00

Ante el fracaso de la política a la hora de reducir las emisiones de dióxido de carbono y con eso frenar el calentamiento global, los científicos de la ONU apuestan a soluciones tecnológicas que en muchos casos suenan disparatadas. ¿Es posible q > read more

A critical system at risk

Published on 2011-06-20 04:35:00

Last week was the launch in London of a report entitled "Tomorrow’s Corporate Reporting - A critical system at risk". This report is the result of nine months of joint research by PwC with Tomorrow's Company and CIMA. I've attached a short speech t > read more

The mother of all scandals?

Published on 2011-06-20 02:16:00

A once-revered human-rights group runs into a controversyONE of Néstor Kirchner’s most popular ideas as Argentina’s president in 2003-07 was having members of the country’s 1976-83 military dictatorship retried for human-rights abuses. Among h > read more

Putting microfinance money into Africa’s women still works

Published on 2011-06-19 22:21:00

Inclusion was the big theme of the African Development Bank annual meeting in Lisbon last week, an acknowledgment that impressive economic growth numbers don’t tell the whole story.As the president of the AfDB, Donald Kaberuka, acknowledged at the > read more

Published on 2011-06-19 20:43:00

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Brasil: asesinatos de ecologistas y tala indiscriminada de bosques

Published on 2011-06-19 11:57:00

Luego de que Diputados aprobara días atrás la modificación del Código Forestal, crecieron los asesinatos contra campesinos y ecologistas que se opusieron. Esto implica que no sólo el poder de los terratenientes agrarios y madereros se encuentra > read more

Distributional impacts of carbon pricing

Published on 2011-06-19 09:29:00

Many policy proposals to limit greenhouse-gas emissions revolve around efforts to tax carbon emissions. But many studies point out that such energy taxes are regressive. This column models the distributional impacts of carbon pricing on over 15,000 U > read more

Putting Children in Harms Way

Published on 2011-06-19 06:57:00

It is late afternoon and the lone figure of nine-year-old Nancy Chepkemboi trudges home. To keep her head dry from the heavy rains, Chepkemboi has placed her books inside her shirt and used the polythene bag that is her school bag to cover her head.T > read more

Los cuatro corredores que emiten más CO2 que un coche híbrido

Published on 2011-06-19 04:34:00

¿Cómo emiten menos CO2 cuatro amigos que vayan a cruzar la ciudad: haciendo jogging o juntos dentro de un coche híbrido? De forma reciente, la revista Scientific American se ha hecho eco de un trabajo de un investigador italiano que concluye que h > read more

Endangered species: Beastly tales

Published on 2011-06-19 03:50:00

The latest estimates on endangered speciesOVER 19,000 species of animal and plant are in danger of extinction, up from just over 11,000 in 2000, according to the latest "Red List of Threatened Species" from the International Union for Conservation of > read more

Climate Trends and Global Crop Production Since 1980

Published on 2011-06-17 09:21:00

AbstractEfforts to anticipate how climate change will affect future food availability can benefit from understanding the impacts of changes to date. Here, we show that in the cropping regions and growing seasons of most countries, with the important > read more

Developing countries pledge bigger climate emissions cuts than world's richest nations

Published on 2011-06-17 09:10:00

At the end of May the International Energy Agency announced new figures, which showed that greenhouse gas emissions from energy use increased by a record amount last year, contributing to the highest carbon output in history. Last week, the top UN cl > read more

How to Cut Child Poverty in Half

Published on 2011-06-17 07:09:00

Cutting child poverty in half sounds like a magician’s trick, or some miracle of rapid economic growth. But Britain has used standard policy tools to reduce its child-poverty rate by more than half since 1994 and has effectively defended this progr > read more

ICC Urged to Accept 'Ecocide' as an International Crime

Published on 2011-06-17 00:33:00

Images of the immense, dark stain of oil covering the waters of the Gulf of Mexico made their way across the globe last year as one of the largest oil spills in history unfolded. Other images - of the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, a gigantic pil > read more

El transporte debe cambiar con la crisis

Published on 2011-06-16 10:14:00

El auditorio del CaixaForum acogió el pasado 9 de junio la jornada por los 25 años de vida del Consorcio Regional de Transportes. En el foro, organizado por Madridiario, los máximos responsables del transporte público regional anunciaron los impo > read more

A New Online Weapon to Fight Corruption in India

Published on 2011-06-16 09:11:00

IPaidABribe.com tracks the exchange of bribes in India, and takes a hard swing at widespread corruption in that country. Two Bangalore anti-corruption activists have founded a website that tracks bribes exchanged in India--the amount paid, reason > read more

Why India is Losing its War on Hunger

Published on 2011-06-16 08:40:00

India is home to a quarter of the world’s hungry people. Since the Green Revolution, the country has produced enough food to feed itself, but it has not yet been able to wipe out mass hunger. Currently, 40 per cent of the population is malnourished > read more

New dawn for an anti-corruption policy in the EU

Published on 2011-06-16 06:58:00

This is the result of a 16 year-long process. For an overview of the developments in the anti-corruption area at EU-level, see here:1995 Transparency International‘s first memorandum on ´The fight against international corruption: what the Europe > read more

Countries with the worst Misery Index

Published on 2011-06-16 03:42:00

The stars are as follows:VenezuelaSouth AfricaVietmanSpainEgyptLithuaniaIndiaGreeceOmanPakistanTurkeyJordanLatviaIrelandArgentinaSee full Article. > read more

What's the big idea? Managing diversity

Published on 2011-06-16 03:27:00

Forget the PC overtones - diversity really does need to be managed. But what kind of diversity and who's to manage it - more white men in blue shirts?The topic is, of course, code for race and gender. 'Race' is often literally only skin deep; at othe > read more

Europe's forests 'vital for climate goal'

Published on 2011-06-16 02:35:00

Europe's forests can play a key role in helping mitigate the impact of climate change, a report described as the most comprehensive of its kind concludes.Europe is home to 25% of the world's forests, which absorb about 10% of the EU's annual emission > read more

Where are women in the food system?

Published on 2011-06-15 15:37:00

As we explore the elements of the new GROW campaign, we’re asking, where are the women?Women who struggle daily to grow, process, sell, and cook food for their families are painfully aware that the current food system is failing millions of people. > read more

INDIA: Gandhism Returns to Fight Corruption

Published on 2011-06-15 13:19:00

Almost 65 years after Mahatma Gandhi used "satyagraha" or "truth force" to lead a movement against British rule in India, Gandhism is back, this time facing an enemy more pernicious than colonialism: corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen s > read more

Argentina and U.S. Launch Climate Observatory into Orbit

Published on 2011-06-15 10:29:00

Argentina and the United States have launched a jointly developed satellite observatory that will provide real-time information critical to understanding two major components of the earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation.Equipp > read more

Oxfam America: Corn should be food, not fuel.

Published on 2011-06-15 08:39:00

925 million people feel the pangs of hunger every day. And yet, forty percent of US corn is going to ethanol production, most of which goes straight to our gas tanks.Something is seriously wrong with this picture.The Senate votes this week on legisla > read more

Archbishop Desmond Tutu: World hunger is man-made and only we can end it | Oxfam International

Published on 2011-06-15 07:23:00

There are some problems so big and so entrenched it is easy to believe they will never be solved. Hunger is one of these problems.I doubt if there is a single moment in our history when all human beings have had enough to eat. Even today, in a world > read more

World Challenge 2011 - Nominate

Published on 2011-06-15 00:45:00

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EU-China deadlock over CO2

Published on 2011-06-14 17:30:00

"The trade war between China and Europe will not break out over manufacturing industry, customs duties, dumping or the yuan exchange rate, but on a front that no one expected: in the sky," writes La Stampa, in the wake of a threat voiced by the Beiji > read more

When a woman should act like a man

Published on 2011-06-14 15:16:00

Tilia Wong worked in construction management before going to business school and got used to thinking of herself as a businesswoman who knew how to keep assertive behavior under wraps."I'm a 24-year-old Asian girl telling a 55-year-old white guy what > read more

Solar energy potential underestimated

Published on 2011-06-14 12:04:00

The UK overlooks the benefits and overestimates the costs of solar, according to the energy and climate ministerBritain has underestimated the potential of solar energy and the government needs to reappraise the technology because of rapidly falling > read more

Measuring The Human Cost Of An IPad Made In China

Published on 2011-06-14 09:25:00

Lower standards in workplace protections in China, along with the ample supply of low-cost labor, minimize manufacturing costs for Apple and other technology firms. Consumers demand low prices, companies pursue profits and the Chinese want jobs and e > read more

On the origins of gender roles: women and the plough

Published on 2011-06-14 04:42:00

Why do levels of female participation in the labour force vary so extremely around the world? The authors of CEPR DP8418 test the hypothesis that cultural notions of 'a woman's place' originated with agricultural practices. They find evidence that th > read more

To avoid power shortage, consumers search for energy-saving home appliances

Published on 2011-06-14 01:44:00

Consumers are flocking to electronics shops in droves to curb utility costs by replacing existing air conditioners, refrigerators and the like with new, more electricity-efficient products. Consumer electronics companies are making all-out efforts to > read more

Airbus Unveils Transparent Plane

Published on 2011-06-13 23:07:00

Ever wanted a panoramic view while on a plane? Airbus unveiled plans for a transparent plane, set to debut sometime around 2050, that would allow passengers to have a panoramic view while in the sky. “Our research shows that the passengers of 2050 > read more

Why Charity Boards Should Not Be Filled With Rich People

Published on 2011-06-13 17:18:00

In recent years the United States has developed into an increasingly pronounced class society.We see it in the growing inequality of income and wealth; we witness it in the expansion of corporate power and influence, at a time when blue-collar job st > read more

Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation

Published on 2011-06-13 13:54:00

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Oxfam reaction to the FAO's report on climate change, water and food security | Oxfam International

Published on 2011-06-13 13:06:00

In response to the Food and Agriculture Organization's report, "Climate Change, Water and Food Security", Oxfam's international climate adviser Tim Gore said:"This is a comprehensive report with frightening conclusions. Climate change is already maki > read more

Global warming since 1995 'now significant'

Published on 2011-06-13 12:09:00

Climate warming since 1995 is now statistically significant, according to Phil Jones, the UK scientist targeted in the "ClimateGate" affair.Last year, he told BBC News that post-1995 warming was not significant - a statement still seen on blogs criti > read more

State of the World's Forests 2011

Published on 2011-06-13 12:03:00

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Global warming since 1995 'now significant'

Published on 2011-06-13 02:10:00

Climate warming since 1995 is now statistically significant, according to Phil Jones, the UK scientist targeted in the "ClimateGate" affair.Last year, he told BBC News that post-1995 warming was not significant - a statement still seen on blogs criti > read more

India: Keep Promises on Human Rights | Human Rights Watch

Published on 2011-06-13 01:46:00

Joining UN Council, Show Leadership at Home, AbroadIndia should immediately implement its laws and policies to strengthen its human rights protections as a new member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said last week in a > read more

Turkey: Backward Step for Women’s Rights

Published on 2011-06-12 22:13:00

The Turkish government's changes to the current Ministry for Women and Family is a step backward in its struggle to combat gender inequality and violence against women, Human Rights Watch said today. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced tha > read more

Día Mundial contra el trabajo infantil

Published on 2011-06-12 16:13:00

En este Día Mundial contra el trabajo infantil la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) nos trae un análisis de los problemas que continúan, con 115 millones de niños todavía trabajando cuando no deben o trabajando en condiciones inacept > read more

The state of food and agriculture 2010-2011

Published on 2011-06-12 12:07:00

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El impacto del cambio climático sobre la seguridad futura de la alimentación y el agua

Published on 2011-06-12 11:24:00

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO en sus siglas en inglés), nos trae un Estudio (PDF) importante que analiza el impacto del cambio climático sobre la seguridad futura de la alimentación y el agua. > read more

How Fifa might fare under the UK Corporate Governance Code

Published on 2011-06-12 04:11:00

Fifa is facing some tough times, but when it comes to corporate governance, it should be glad it falls under the auspices of the Swiss system. Financial News looks at how football’s governing body might stack up under the stricter UK Corporate Gove > read more

China threatens trade war over EU emissions trading scheme

Published on 2011-06-11 23:12:00

European Union 'stands firm' on plans to include foreign airlines in its ETS as International Airlines Group boss Willie Walsh calls for a 'plan B'China has threatened a damaging trade war with the European Union if Brussels pushes ahead with plans t > read more

Published on 2011-06-11 21:20:00

The ILO’s most recent global estimate is that 115 million children are involved in hazardous work. This is work that by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm children’s health, safety or morals. Children wo > read more

Día mundial - 12 de junio de 2011: ¡Atención! Niños en trabajos peligrosos - Erradiquemos el trabajo infantil - Día mundial contra el trabajo infantil - 12 de junio - Campaña y sensibilización

Published on 2011-06-11 19:02:00

La más reciente estimación mundial de la OIT revela que 115 millones de niños están involucrados en trabajo peligroso. Se trata de trabajo que, por su naturaleza o por las condiciones en que se lleva a cabo, es probable que dañe la salud, la seg > read more

Turning Toward the Sun for Energy

Published on 2011-06-11 08:13:00

One key component of the Plan B climate stabilisation strategy is solar energy. Solar is even more ubiquitous than wind energy and can be harnessed with both solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal collectors.Solar PV - both silicon-based and thin > read more

Are you willing to pay $7 per month to reduce pollution related deaths and asthma incidence?

Published on 2011-06-11 06:04:00

I know the title is an ill-formed question, but that's the essence of the question facing federal regulators right now: Proposed federal clean-air rules could have a profound impact on American Electric Power, leading to an increase in electricity > read more

McDonald’s to Serve Sustainable Fish in Europe

Published on 2011-06-11 02:59:00

McDonald’s, the world’s biggest fast-food company, said Wednesday that it had reached a deal under which a nonprofit organization would certify as sustainable the catch used for each of the 100 million fish sandwiches the chain sells in Europe ev > read more

Brave New World: IFRS and Consolidation

Published on 2011-06-10 23:18:00

Under IFRS 10, companies with SPEs and other interests would be forced to do some homework in the fast-changing world of international accounting standards.The International Accounting Standards Board’s IFRS 10 -- which covers consolidation -- is > read more

Philippines: Keep Human Rights Promises | Human Rights Watch

Published on 2011-06-10 21:18:00

The Philippines should take meaningful steps to protect human rights and promote accountability at home as a new member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to President Benigno Aquino, III released today. H > read more

Climate sceptics flirt with intelligent design and Islamophobic group

Published on 2011-06-10 21:06:00

American Freedom Alliance invites prominent climate sceptics to Los Angeles to debate 'green tyranny'Here we go again: prominent climate sceptics gathering together to meet under the welcoming awning of a right-wing, libertarian thinktank. And some p > read more

Observer ethical awards 2011 - video

Published on 2011-06-10 18:04:00

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European airlines fear trade war with US over carbon emissions levy

Published on 2011-06-10 11:55:00

From January airlines flying through the EU will have to acquire credits to account for carbon emissions generated by their flightsEuropean airlines have warned of a damaging trade war with the US, Russia and China if Brussels pushes ahead with plans > read more

SEC Lets Whistleblowers Use External Approach

Published on 2011-06-10 09:17:00

Ruling allows them to collect up to 30% of penalties, even when they go outside the company’s own complaint system.The Securities and Exchange Commission will let corporate whistleblowers collect as much as 30 percent of penalties when they report > read more

Obama’s Environmental Capitulation. | The New Republic

Published on 2011-06-10 08:56:00

From the day he took office, Barack Obama had a unified theory of how the United States could recover and prosper. At the center of his plan—which he voiced in an address to a joint session of Congress in February 2009—was the need to reduce the > read more

Goodwill Reigns in Finance as FASB Revises Rules

Published on 2011-06-10 06:14:00

Okay, so it’s not Peace on Earth, but CFOs are a contented lot because of a proposed goodwill impairment testing standard.The comment deadline just closed on a proposed FASB accounting standards update designed to lessen the burden of goodwill impa > read more

Drastic cuts for large-scale solar power subsidies

Published on 2011-06-09 13:28:00

Feed-in tariff review confirms expectations of renewables industry as funding to large-scale installations is restrictedSubsidies for large-scale solar power installations are to be cut drastically, in a move that ministers said would preserve funds > read more

Latin America's former first ladies bid to break macho presidential mould

Published on 2011-06-09 11:27:00

Supporters of female candidates in Guatemala, Honduras and Argentina hail successes but critics fear entrenched dynastiesHillary Clinton failed to make the transition, but former first ladies across Latin America are following in her footsteps and ca > read more

Environment white paper unveils plans for England's 'natural assets'

Published on 2011-06-09 08:32:00

The government's vision for the natural environment over the next 50 years could lead to conflict with planning authoritiesA dozen new large-scale conservation areas, more business and community involvement and putting a value on nature are needed to > read more

Climate change in the mobile brand ecosystem

Published on 2011-06-09 06:55:00

Nokia was long the dominant brand in the mobile world, but in the past five years times have changed, with iPhone and Android now holding the trump cards.This change to the climate of our mobile ‘ecosystem’ occurred the day Apple popularised the > read more

Environment white paper is a step in the right direction

Published on 2011-06-09 04:32:00

The government is beginning to respond to the environmental crisis but the real test will be its wider green policiesIt shows what can happen when you keep the pressure up. Stung by the reaction to its efforts to sell off the public forest estate and > read more

The Deloitte CFO Survey: 2011 Q1 results

Published on 2011-06-09 03:13:00

Optimism down, risk appetite up The mood of optimism with which CFOs entered 2011 has weakened in the 2011 Q1 Deloitte CFO Survey. CFOs remain, on balance, positive, but our optimism indicator has dropped back to the lowest level in more than two yea > read more

Indian activist Anna Hazare condemns police crackdown

Published on 2011-06-09 00:42:00

Veteran Indian activist Anna Hazare has condemned a police crackdown on an anti-corruption fast at the weekend.Hundreds of people gathered in Delhi to hear Mr Hazare denounce police for using force to break up the protest by yoga guru Baba Ramdev's s > read more

BinCam makes students recycle through Facebook photos

Published on 2011-06-08 14:40:00

A bin that photographs rubbish is shaming Newcastle students into recycling.Images of their discarded packaging are being posted automatically on social networking site Facebook.See full Summary. > read more

Tropical forests 'better managed'

Published on 2011-06-08 12:25:00

The world's tropical forests are better managed now than five years ago, concludes a survey by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).The area under some form of sustainable management plan increased by about 50% over the period; but a > read more

N.Y. Ethics Bill May Lack Some Teeth

Published on 2011-06-08 07:48:00

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office unveiled legislation to improve ethics enforcement on Tuesday, revealing details that raised questions about whether the reforms would be weaker than expected.RelatedWhen Mr. Cuomo and legislative leaders announced an > read more

The Price of Clean Air

Published on 2011-06-08 04:51:00

Does the Clean Air Act hurt or help the U.S. economy? It's not nearly as hard to calculate as you might think. Neither is acting on the dataThe Fisk Generating Station in the working-class Pilsen neighborhood on Chicago's Lower West Side once symboli > read more

The Cost of Renewable Energy Sources

Published on 2011-06-08 03:50:00

IN April, Gov. Jerry Brown made headlines by signing into law an ambitious mandate that requires California to obtain one-third of its electricity from renewable energy sources like sunlight and wind by 2020. Twenty-nine states and the District of Co > read more

Canadian companies among world's most ethical

Published on 2011-06-08 00:57:00

The Ethisphere Institute, a New York City think tank, has just announced its fifth annual list of the World's Most Ethical Companies. The selection, open to every company in every industry around the globe, gives its winners an opportunity to trumpet > read more

Carbon Market Shrinks for First Time in Record Hot Year

Published on 2011-06-07 22:35:00

The global carbon market shrank for the first time in 2010, snapping five years of growth as a lack of clarity about the future climate framework hurt investment in the hottest year on record, a World Bank report showed.The value of the market for gr > read more

Three Levers Define the Route to Sustainable Success in the Booming Mining Sector

Published on 2011-06-07 14:59:00

Commodity price increases accounted for more than half of the shareholder value generated by the mining sector from 1999 through 2009, but price increases do not account for the sharp variations in the performance of different companies within the se > read more

Does social responsibility protect the company name?

Published on 2011-06-07 10:58:00

Negative information about businesses is omnipresent. Even much-admired businesses, such as Apple Inc., must deal with negative information, as Apple discovered when consumer complaints surfaced in 2010 about the antenna design of its iPhone 4. Negat > read more

La reputación de las marcas de la Fórmula 1 supera las criticas a la sostenibilidad

Published on 2011-06-07 09:38:00

Las discusiones entre grupos medioambentales con empresas de productos y servicios que descartan en su plan estratégico la ayuda al medioambiente, han desatado un cambio radical dentro de las compañías internacionales. Sin embargo, aún existen e > read more

India urged to release environmental activists

Published on 2011-06-07 08:40:00

Indian authorities must immediately release two activists arrested apparently for their work to protect local communities from industrial pollution, Amnesty International said today, after one of the men was found chained to a hospital bed while in c > read more

Why Not Pollution Taxes?

Published on 2011-06-07 04:56:00

Brad Plumer hints at a change in the politics of a carbon tax: If we need taxes, why not pollution taxes?, by Brad Plumer: Let's start with the obvious: Most Democrats (and, for that matter, most of the bipartisan deficit panels that are churning > read more

Bill Clinton Urges Cities to Curb Methane, Charcoal Burning

Published on 2011-06-07 02:35:00

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton urged cities and the World Bank to work on restraining methane emissions and the burning of charcoal, saying those steps would buy time in the fight against global warming.Clinton, speaking in Sao Paulo as World Ban > read more

Climate adviser blasts business lobby over carbon tax

Published on 2011-06-06 23:51:00

THE climate adviser, Ross Garnaut, has lashed Australian business for playing a ''spoiler'' role in the carbon price debate, saying it is putting short-sighted ''self-interest'' ahead of the national interest.He singled out the Business Council of Au > read more

Carbon levels hit new peak, research shows

Published on 2011-06-06 15:38:00

Preliminary data from the US government shows that carbon dioxide levels peaked last week at the highest levels on recordCarbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have reached a new peak despite the economic recession in western countries and assurance > read more

Future in gas, not nuclear power: Shell

Published on 2011-06-06 10:32:00

EMERGING forms of gas are more likely to be the ''game-changers'' of the global energy sector than nuclear power, according to 40-year scenario planning by energy giant Shell.Shell's bullish stance on the future of ''unconventional gas'' came as cont > read more

'Invest to cut carbon emissions'

Published on 2011-06-06 06:31:00

FUNDS managers must put their money where their mouths are and shift investment towards reducing carbon emissions, according to superannuation guru Garry Weaven.In a speech delivered on Monday night, Mr Weaven blasted ''a lethal core of entrenched ve > read more

Tropical Forest Summit Opens

Published on 2011-06-06 04:03:00

Heads of state from the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong basins are meeting in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville: leaders hope to reach an accord on sound management of valuable rainforest ecoystems, but civil society actors believe the problems face > read more

Worst Ever Carbon Emissions Leave Climate On The Brink

Published on 2011-06-06 03:31:00

Record levels of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2010, as estimated by the International Energy Agency, could dash hopes of controlling climate change, reports Fiona Harvey for the Guardian. The IEA also notes that global recession did little to dent re > read more

Siddhartha Deb: Feast and Famine (India, food crisis)

Published on 2011-06-06 02:51:00

India Is Growing, But Indians Are Still Starving Siddhartha DebIn the summer of 2009, New Delhi’s Lalit hotel, a 1980s monstrosity that had recently been remodeled, hosted the “Second Food Technology Summit,” sponsored by the Ministry of Food P > read more

Carbon fantasy a $30b-a-year reality

Published on 2011-06-05 22:28:00

THERE'S an old joke that neurotics build castles in the air; psychotics move into them; and psychiatrists collect the rent.Yesterday we were told the rent: $11.5 billion a year rising to $30 billion or more a year. That would be the equivalent of a 5 > read more

Own goal, FIFA needs to reform now

Published on 2011-06-03 12:37:00

Football is the world’s most popular game with a global fan base in the billions. It is a role model for the youth everywhere and is an important vehicle for delivering a message of fair play, integrity and respect for the rule of law. Football’s > read more

Land Grabs

Published on 2011-06-03 09:42:00

The recent growth of 'land grabs' are leading to disastrous consequences for poor communities.It's not necessarily a problem when wealthy companies invest in agricultural land in poor countries for commercial use. But when families are kicked off the > read more

IASB Update

Published on 2011-06-03 06:14:00

This IASB Update is a staff summary of the tentative decisions reached by the Board at a public meeting. As a project progresses, the Board can, and sometimes does, modify its earlier tentative decisions. Tentative decisions do not change existing re > read more

Ernst & Young - Making the most of your capital and transactions

Published on 2011-06-02 22:53:00

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The business case for climate change

Published on 2011-06-02 15:49:00

Climate change is a concern for both established global leaders and high growth companies. In a recent Ernst & Young survey of global organizations with greater than US$25b market capitalization, 73% had made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas (G > read more

Women’s work: entrepreneurs can revitalize the global economy

Published on 2011-06-02 13:47:00

Desperate to turn things around? Take a fresh look at women-owned businesses. Far from being a niche market, they could be the tipping point for a global economic comeback.The Center for Women’s Business Research study shows that there are about 8 > read more

The New Weather Is Going To Make Food Prices Soar

Published on 2011-06-02 10:37:00

Climate change will cause the price of staple foods like corn, rice, and wheat to more than double over the next 20 years. It's already starting in China.Climate change does more than just wreak havoc on the weather; an unpredicatable climate makes i > read more

Unlocking the value of Internal Audit - Three-steps-to-transformation

Published on 2011-06-02 09:39:00

In recent years, Internal Audit has been focused on control and compliance efforts to address internal control requirements. Now senior executives and audit committees are looking for more.Executives and audit committee members want to broaden the ro > read more

European Commission Green Paper, Audit Policy: Lessons from the Crisis - Ernst & Young point of view

Published on 2011-06-02 05:38:00

Ernst & Young believes that in the wake of the financial crisis there is an opportunity to take a fresh look at whether auditors could do more to contribute to investor confidence and enhance financial stability. We therefore welcome the recent E > read more

European fraud survey 2011: recovery, regulation and integrity - Ernst & Young - Global

Published on 2011-06-02 04:46:00

Summary: In early 2011, our researchers conducted 2,365 interviews with employees in 25 European countries. The results suggest that while there has been an increased focus on compliance in the last five years, some companies still don’t see the be > read more

Invest In China To Make Money On Renewables: Report

Published on 2011-06-02 04:33:00

A new survey determines that China is the most attractive country for renewable energy installations based on the size of its national renewable energy markets, renewable energy infrastructures, and suitability for individual technologies.In a resour > read more

Climate change demands we re-engineer the world economy now

Published on 2011-06-01 15:20:00

To break the link between growth and carbon emissions, we must adopt a top-down approach of binding climate goalsAs an alarm call, the surge in emissions revealed by the International Energy Association is deafening. After the banking crisis of 2008, > read more

Small Business Are Attractive Target for Fraudsters

Published on 2011-06-01 08:56:00

A new Javelin Strategy & Research report, 2011 Small Business Owners (SMBO) Identity Fraud Report: How SMBO Fraud Rates Impact FI Revenues and Retention,” describes the higher rates of fraud faced by small business owners (SMBOs) today, including u > read more

Green Websites See Second Consecutive Month Of Strong Growth

Published on 2011-06-01 07:49:00

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, has released its monthly analysis of US Web activity at the top online properties for April 2011 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Green sites saw their second consecutive > read more

Clean Power For China Is The Opportunity of a Lifetime | Fast Company

Published on 2011-06-01 06:30:00

China needs energy for growth--no matter what the source. If we sell them clean energy, it will mean booming profits and saving the planet.Year after year, China’s economy keeps racing forward at a blistering pace, brewing immense environmental cha > read more

Yale Governance Forum 2011

Published on 2011-06-01 03:13:00

Our theme for 2011 is "Governance Fit for the Long Term." We are planning speakers and panels who can contribute to the growing international debate over whether boards, investors and executives can move corporations to succeed over time, not just qu > read more

It's all hot air from the jet-setting eco brigade

Published on 2011-06-01 01:56:00

Those that are coming down hard on Cate Blanchett should look inside and see what they have done for the environment lately. Hopefully she is above all these 'heroes' and keeps it up.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The Sunday Telegraph's "Carbon Cat > read more

Las emisiones de gases contaminantes alcanzaron niveles récord en 2010 | Ciencia | elmundo.es

Published on 2011-06-01 00:39:00

Los combustibles fósiles han sido los principales responsables del aumentoLa Agencia Internacional de Energía pide a los Gobiernos medidas valientesConsidera una "utopía" el objetivo de que la temperatura no suba más de 2ºLas emisiones de gases > read more

Green Lifestyles Top-of-Mind for Many Americans in March

Published on 2011-05-31 10:47:00

comScore, Inc. a leader in measuring the digital world, has released its monthly analysis of US Web activity at the top online properties for March 2011 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Green lifestyles were top of mind for many > read more

Australia falls out of love with 'Carbon Cate' over starring role in tax advert

Published on 2011-05-31 07:04:00

In the eyes of her fellow Australians, Cate Blanchett – Oscar-winning actor, theatre director and icon of female beauty – can usually do no wrong. Yesterday, though, she was branded "Carbon Cate" for taking part in a television advertising campai > read more

Why must UK have to choose between nuclear and renewable energy?

Published on 2011-05-31 06:48:00

The environment movement is needlessly polarised over nuclear power, with Jonathon Porritt only encouraging this tribalism. Can he explain why he thinks nuclear and renewables can't co-exist?I know that others don't share my puzzlement, but I don't u > read more

Melting of the Arctic 'will accelerate climate change within 20 years'

Published on 2011-05-31 05:01:00

An irreversible climate "tipping point" could occur within the next 20 years as a result of the release of huge quantities of organic carbon locked away as frozen plant matter in the vast permafrost region of the Arctic, scientists have found.Warming > read more

Ten ways to save the world

Published on 2011-05-31 04:15:00

We get the message. The planet's doomed unless we get our act together PDQ. We even know some of the measures needed to give ourselves a chance. But which less orthodox proposals could stave off disastrous climate change? Environment editor Geoffrey > read more

Worst ever carbon emissions leave climate on the brink

Published on 2011-05-31 04:09:00

Greenhouse gas emissions increased by a record amount last year, to the highest carbon output in history, putting hopes of holding global warming to safe levels all but out of reach, according to unpublished estimates from the International Energy Ag > read more

How the 'ecosystem' myth has been used for sinister means

Published on 2011-05-30 04:56:00

When, in the 1920s, a botanist and a field marshal dreamed up rival theories of nature and society, no one could have guessed their ideas would influence the worldview of 70s hippies and 21st-century protest movements. But their faith in self-regulat > read more

Promoting Revenue Transparency: 2011 Report on Oil and Gas Companies

Published on 2011-05-30 04:03:00

The Promoting Revenue Transparency: 2011 Report on Oil and Gas Companies, published by Transparency International in partnership with Revenue Watch, rates 44 companies on their levels of transparency. Representing 60 per cent of global oil and gas pr > read more

Bravo for nimbyism. What else will keep us from turbines and pylons?

Published on 2011-05-30 00:53:00

Too much faith – and subsidy – is ploughed into wind power when there are alternatives to butchering BritainWe know all about life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness, but what of beauty? This week hundreds of marchers have converged > read more

Brazil risks protection record by proposing changes to forest code

Published on 2011-05-29 14:50:00

If the president fails to keep the current forest laws intact she will break the very promises which saw her electedLess than one year ago, the Brazilian government stood proudly on the world stage as a country that would not allow development to des > read more

Understanding Your FBAR Reporting Requirements

Published on 2011-05-29 13:05:00

Individuals and organizations who have a financial interest in or signature or other authority over a foreign financial account are required to file an annual Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts -- known as an FBAR -- with the Treasury Depa > read more

Green groups take EU to court over biofuels - again

Published on 2011-05-29 07:46:00

BusinessGreen: Campaigners say the European Commission is failing to meet its legal commitment to transparency regarding the sustainability of Europe's biofuels policyGreen groups are suing the European Commission over what they see as a failure to m > read more

Efforts to curb foreign bribery remain inadequate

Published on 2011-05-29 01:27:00

New report shows the need to improve enforcementThe number of countries enforcing a ban on foreign bribery has shown continuous progress in the last six years, with countries representing more than half of world exports taking action, according to a > read more

Cate Blanchett to front carbon tax campaign

Published on 2011-05-29 00:13:00

HOLLYWOOD actress Cate Blanchett will star in a new television campaign urging Australians to support a carbon tax.The campaign fronted by Blanchett and fellow Australian actor Michael Caton calls on the public to “Say Yes” to cutting carbon poll > read more

Amnesty International marks 50 years of fighting for free speech

Published on 2011-05-28 21:49:00

Amnesty International: campaigning organisation started by Peter Benenson to free prisoners of conscience celebrates evolution from first protestWhen she was young, Manya Benenson's dad told her a story of two frogs that fall into a bucket of cream a > read more

Corruption in Indonesia: Slow to shame | The Economist

Published on 2011-05-28 20:21:00

SOME societies are controlled by guilt, others by shame. Then there’s Indonesia, which is rarely controlled by either. At least among the political elite, there is an insuperable ability to avoid accepting responsibility for one’s actions. While > read more

The pursuit of happiness

Published on 2011-05-28 13:59:00

A correlation between well-being and wealthFOR more than 70 years, economists have been fixated with measuring economic ouput. Their chosen measure, gross domestic product, has limitations—it takes no account of natural-resource depletion and exclu > read more

OECD Anti-Bribery Convention Progress Report 2011

Published on 2011-05-28 11:52:00

In 1999 leaders from OECD countries took a big step. They committed to holding their companies to account for their behaviour abroad. Until then, bribing abroad to win contracts had been a tax deductible expense in at least 14 OECD countries.Twelve y > read more

Women CEOs Just 3% of 500 Largest Companies

Published on 2011-05-28 04:11:00

Bain & Company has released a new study explaining why women aren't making it to the C-suite. No surprises that while most respondents believe in the benefits of gender parity, very few companies are able to put it into practice. The study cites mo > read more

Dear G8: Please keep your promises at your 2011 Summit in Deauville, France

Published on 2011-05-28 00:34:00

On May 27th and 28th the leaders of the top eight economies in the world will meet in Deauville, France for the G8 Summit. The G8 leaders made a promise to the world’s poorest people to halve poverty by 2015 and to put people first. With only four > read more

Female quotas 'against Deutsche principles', says Ackermann

Published on 2011-05-27 23:51:00

Deutsche Bank chief executive Josef Ackermann has again stoked the debate over female representation on boards by dismissing gender quotas as being against the German bank’s principles.Speaking at Deutsche Bank’s annual general meeting, Ackermann > read more

We’re 50! | Amnesty International

Published on 2011-05-27 23:50:00

> read more

S.E.C. Adopts Final Rules for Whistle-Blowers

Published on 2011-05-26 08:26:00

A divided Securities and Exchange Commission narrowly approved rules on Wednesday to create a $300 million whistle-blower program.Supporters of the program said it would help the agency crack down on wrongdoing, but opponents contend it would actuall > read more

The Wilson Quarterly: Agents for Change

Published on 2011-05-26 06:54:00

PARADISE BENEATH HER FEET: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East. By Isobel Coleman. Random House. 309 pp. $26As the United States continues its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, promises to broaden women’s rights in these two predominantly Muslim > read more

New OECD guidelines to protect human rights and social development

Published on 2011-05-26 03:56:00

Ministers from OECD and developing economies will today agree new guidelines to promote more responsible business conduct by multinational enterprises, and a second set of guidance to limit the use of conflict minerals.Forty-two countries will commit > read more

What Is a Tree Worth?

Published on 2011-05-26 02:41:00

Trees brighten city streets and delight nature-starved urbanites. Now scientists are learning that they also play a crucial role in the green infrastructure of America’s cities.On April 8, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt, attired in a dark suit > read more

The doomed planet - The idiocy continues

Published on 2011-05-26 01:17:00

Since humans began to farm several thousand years ago, we’ve become increasingly better off. With progress comes problems, and one of the pesky problems that accompanies “easy food” is active imaginations and an insatiable desire for entertainm > read more

Anna Bligh warns of 'radical' Greens

Published on 2011-05-25 20:10:00

VIDEO: Greens and Labor tensions showQUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has urged Julia Gillard to avoid "radical and extreme politics", warning that Greens' proposals to ban new coalmines would cause "a social and economic catastrophe" for her state.Atta > read more

Diversity Dismantled

Published on 2011-05-25 16:38:00

THE SOURCE: "Affirmative Inaction” by William M. Chace, in The American Scholar, Winter 2011.American colleges and universities have long been governed by two competing ideals: They aim to be both meritocratic centers of intellectual excellence and > read more

A Link Between Climate Change And Joplin Tornadoes? Never!

Published on 2011-05-25 12:45:00

The US government and media are like children who have joined a strange cult, and environmentalists take on the role of frustrated parents trying to show connections between behavior and consequences. Many in the US stubbornly resist connecting extre > read more

Environment: Green and growth go together

Published on 2011-05-25 11:49:00

Governments must look to the green economy to find new sources of growth and jobs. They should put in place policies that tap into the innovation, investment and entrepreneurship driving the shift towards a greener economy.Green growth makes economic > read more

A Dozen Global Warming Slogans

Published on 2011-05-25 11:29:00

For many years now, our media outlets have been awash with commentary about dangerous human-caused global warming. The coverage tends to move in spasms relating to events such as meetings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) or, as > read more

Blue goo sucks up toxic waste

Published on 2011-05-25 11:04:00

Mopping up radioactive waste is messy work. Ever since an earthquake and a tsunami crippled Japanese nuclear power plants in March, cleanup crews have been struggling to decontaminate the area. Typically, this kind of work is performed with low-tech > read more

20 Alternative Jobs For Law School Grads

Published on 2011-05-24 11:58:00

Law school is a grind, and surviving it can take every last ounce of your energy. What’s more, upon graduation, even if you still want to be a lawyer, the job market has more JD holders than open positions, thus causing a tooth-and-nail fight for t > read more

FASB, IASB Issue “Largely Identical” Guidance on Fair Value

Published on 2011-05-23 12:59:00

FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on Thursday issued guidance on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements that the boards said in a press release is “largely identical” across IFRS and U.S. GAAP. The guidance, > read more

ASB webcast on recently issued standards

Published on 2011-05-23 00:58:00

The IASB will introduce the four new International Financial Reporting Standards in two sets of live webcasts, each comprising of morning and afternoon sessions.Monday, 23 May 2011 – Introducing IFRS 13Webcasts will be held at 11am and 4pm, London > read more

Climate change targets: Bold in theory

Published on 2011-05-22 14:45:00

Whatever other challenges he faces, the energy minister can be pleased by the outcome of cabinet talks on carbon reductionFast lane or slow lane, Chris Huhne has been driving climate change policy in the right direction. Whatever else is going on in > read more

The New Geopolitics of Food - By Lester R. Brown | Foreign Policy

Published on 2011-05-22 13:21:00

From the Middle East to Madagascar, high prices are spawning land grabs and ousting dictators. Welcome to the 21st-century food wars.In the United States, when world wheat prices rise by 75 percent, as they have over the last year, it means the diffe > read more

Bribery in Mexico: Contrasting corruption | The Economist

Published on 2011-05-22 09:35:00

Bribery in varies greatly across MexicoON MAY 10th Transparency International, an anti-corruption outfit, published a survey of 15,000 Mexican homes on bribery. It found wide regional variations. Overall, Transparency reckons Mexicans paid 32 billion > read more

The G20 gets interesting on biofuels and food security

Published on 2011-05-22 08:21:00

This year’s French-chaired G20 has food security as one of its key priorities. Agriculture ministers will be meeting for a summit in mid-June, and their sous-sherpas have been meeting in Paris this week to figure out an action plan to take to the s > read more

Where's the money for UN Women? | Life and style | The Guardian

Published on 2011-05-22 06:56:00

The government is full of praise for the new gender-equality organisation, so why the delay in helping to fund it?Theresa May, the home secretary, said there were few better investments than investing in women last night at a cheery launch party for > read more

Caring for the Earth will help advance economic growth, not hinder it, says Migiro

Published on 2011-05-22 04:10:00

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today called on countries to embrace a low-carbon, resource-efficient, pro-poor economic model, which will ensure progress while also promoting harmony with nature.Ms. Migiro said in her remarks to a General > read more

The Appeal of Fair Trade Bananas

Published on 2011-05-21 22:19:00

Following Fair Trade: Even the most locally minded eaters tend to consume some foods and beverages that only grow in distant regions—usually the hot and tropical ones—and many of those areas are also home to some of the world’s poorest populati > read more

Climate change - driving forces

Published on 2011-05-21 12:28:00

Main findingsConsumption of energy grew by 5.2 % while GHG emissions from overall energy use decreased by 1.3 %.Out of that, the energy industries showed an increase of emissions by 3.9 %.The 5 % rise of emissions from transport can be explained by i > read more

Hector Sants: High stakes for former City watchdog as he prepares to take on banks | Business | The Guardian

Published on 2011-05-21 06:43:00

The FSA believed in 'market discipline' and failed to get its message across. The PRA will be different, its boss promisesHector Sants is preparing to go eyeball to eyeball with top City bankers to see if they are taking on too much risk – and thre > read more

The gadgets for disaster zones

Published on 2011-05-21 04:59:00

This year has seen a string of natural disasters and violent conflicts. But for those whose lives are in jeopardy - which recent inventions could prove significant?Japan is recovering from a massive tsunami, Ivory Coast is reeling from a bloody power > read more

Superb Idea: Buildings that Eat Smog

Published on 2011-05-20 10:19:00

Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of America's energy use, and until we line the coast with wind turbines, a lot of that energy is going to come from coal plants and other dirty sources. So wouldn't it be nice if buildings themeselves could hel > read more

Un 90% de los ejecutivos españoles acepta la corrupción para hacer negocios

Published on 2011-05-20 07:55:00

Los sobornos y las prácticas corruptas están más asentadas en España que en Europa. Un 90% de los directivos está de acuerdo que es justificable "cortar caminos" para alcanzar los objetivos corporativos, según Ernst & Young.El soborno y las pr > read more

Environment: Norway should do more to improve climate and biodiversity

Published on 2011-05-20 07:29:00

Norway’s record of environmental protection and sustainable development is good. It has improved air and water quality and wildlife protection, spearheaded international initiatives to combat climate change, deforestation and illegal fishing and do > read more

New solar product captures up to 95 percent of light energy

Published on 2011-05-20 06:57:00

MU engineer plans to make solar panels more effective in collecting energyEfficiency is a problem with today's solar panels; they only collect about 20 percent of available light. Now, a University of Missouri engineer has developed a flexible solar > read more

Climate Change Scientists Face Inconvenient Truths

Published on 2011-05-20 03:08:00

Two different climate change scientists at opposite ends of the political spectrum have backtracked on their positions in the last couple of days, indicating that Al Gore's method of simultaneously scaring and inspiring everybody with graphs, while e > read more

Brazil: Amazon rainforest deforestation rises sharply

Published on 2011-05-20 02:53:00

Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has increased almost sixfold, new data suggests.New satellite images show deforestation has increased from 103 sq km in March and April 2010 to 593 sq km (229 sq miles) in the same period of 2011, Braz > read more

Published on 2011-05-19 22:21:00

La deforestación de la selva amazónica de Brasil se ha multiplicado por seis desde el año pasado, según revelan las imágenes satelitales del gobierno brasileño.Esas fotografías muestran que entre marzo y abril del 2011 se destruyeron 593 kiló > read more

Energy Is Much More Expensive Than We Think

Published on 2011-05-19 13:48:00

Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney, economists at The Hamilton Project, are releasing a new paper Wednesday on the costs of American energy policy. They argue:… our energy choices are based on the visible costs that appear on utility bills and at t > read more

Encuesta europea sobre el fráude 2011

Published on 2011-05-19 10:21:00

La empresa auditora, Ernst & Young, nos trae su última Encuesta titulado “European fraud survey 2011“ (Encuesta europea sobre el fráude 2011), donde encuestaron a 2.365, entre empleados y directivos de empresas en 25 países europeos para evalu > read more

European fraud survey 2011 - Board role

Published on 2011-05-19 09:55:00

The necessary audit committee and board level management responseThere are a number of ways in which companies can reinvigorate the push for integrity. The leadership of the organization must:Make ethical behavior a priority for the business and demo > read more

The Myth of Green Energy Security

Published on 2011-05-19 04:44:00

Turmoil across the Middle East and Northern Africa has refocused attention on the impact that political tensions or interference can have on the price and availability of energy imports. Against consumer fears of gas-price hikes, energy security rank > read more

Organic farming – India's future perfect?

Published on 2011-05-19 02:06:00

A budding interest in organic food offers farmers soaring incomes and higher yields, but critics say it's not the answer to India's fast-rising food demandsIndia's struggling farmers are starting to profit from a budding interest in organic living. N > read more

The ultimate climate change FAQ – and we're off

Published on 2011-05-18 23:44:00

Hundreds of you have suggested questions for our climate FAQ, and the first answers are already starting to appearA couple of weeks ago we launched The ultimate climate change FAQ and invited readers to submit questions. We had an amazing response an > read more

World Cup officials 'took bribes from host bidders'

Published on 2011-05-18 21:28:00

EXPLOSIVE new allegations have emerged to suggest Australia threw away $45 million on a soccer World Cup bid that it never had a chance of winning.Claims of corruption in FIFA's 2018 and 2022 bidding processes have been aired in a British parliamenta > read more

The Renewable Future

Published on 2011-05-18 12:16:00

Renewable energy triggers sharply polarized views. For some, it is a costly white elephant; for others, it is humanity’s savior, promising to emancipate us (and our environment) from the “folly” of fossil fuels. So a hardheaded, credible, and, > read more

Podcast: What should the European Union do about corruption in climate change? : space for transparency

Published on 2011-05-18 08:10:00

Following the launch of the Global Corruption Report: Climate Change two weeks ago, this Wednesday Transparency International is holding an event in Brussels on the importance of climate governance in the EU.Some of the questions to be discussed at t > read more

European fraud survey 2011: recovery, regulation and integrity

Published on 2011-05-18 07:57:00

Summary: In early 2011, our researchers conducted 2,365 interviews with employees in 25 European countries. The results suggest that while there has been an increased focus on compliance in the last five years, some companies still don’t see the be > read more

Global Development Horizons 2011

Published on 2011-05-18 06:37:00

Multipolarity: The New Global EconomyBy 2025, six major emerging economies—Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Russia—will account for more than half of all global growth and the international monetary system will no longer be domin > read more

In the fight against corruption, Germany falls behind

Published on 2011-05-18 06:16:00

Embarrassing isolation. Germany is one of just three EU, three G20 and four OECD countries that has not ratified UNCAC. Click map for full version.With India’s ratification of UNCAC this month, Germany is one of the last three G20-countries to have > read more

The ultimate climate change FAQ – and we're off

Published on 2011-05-18 04:29:00

Hundreds of you have suggested questions for our climate FAQ, and the first answers are already starting to appearA couple of weeks ago we launched The ultimate climate change FAQ and invited readers to submit questions. We had an amazing response an > read more

Lifting the floor for the Least Developed Countries

Published on 2011-05-18 00:55:00

Amidst the jubilation over higher dairy prices that are boosting New Zealand's flagging economy, spare a thought for those who are suffering. It has been a bad year for the 44 million people in poor countries who slipped into hunger since the surge o > read more

"Reasons to be Cheerful" about Climate Change

Published on 2011-05-17 15:39:00

John Quiggin says the arrival of "peak gasoline" is good news:Reasons to be cheerful, Part I, by John Quiggin: There are plenty of reasons to be gloomy about the prospects of stabilizing the global climate. ... But there’s also some striking good n > read more

EEF warns against higher emission cuts

Published on 2011-05-17 13:07:00

The EEF, the organisation that represents the UK manufacturing industry, will today urge the Government to reject the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee, which it says would saddle the country with unrealistic targets that are much more > read more

Leaders Meet on Progress for Poorest Countries

Published on 2011-05-17 12:44:00

Fourth U.N. Conference on Least Developed Countries convenes next week in Istanbul,Two-thirds of developing countries are on track to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); for others, challenges remain.Despite setbacks due to conflict, Nepal, Sol > read more

Meat is murder? More like suicide, argues Planeat film

Published on 2011-05-17 11:05:00

Eating animals and their products is bad for our health and our planet, according to a subtle new polemicCan a polemic be subtle? If so, the new documentary Planeat, is almost that rare beast.The polemic is against eating meat. Cleverly interspersed > read more

Pay gap widening to Victorian levels

Published on 2011-05-17 07:02:00

High pay commission forecasts top earners' slice of national income will rise from current 5% to 14% by 2030Wage disparity between the UK's top earners and the rest of the working population will soon return to the levels of the Victorian era unless > read more

Coalition 'losing way' on green policies

Published on 2011-05-17 03:08:00

The heads of 15 green campaign groups have written to the prime minister warning the government is in danger of losing its way on environmental policy.The letter says the coalition should promote a green economy with "urgency and resolve" if it is to > read more

The Truth About Investing in Renewable Energy in 2011

Published on 2011-05-16 23:01:00

Here's a sample of what you'll discover:The 3 criteria of a reforestation project that will richen the environment and its Offshore wind power or onshore wind power? Which has more potential to create affordable renewable energy? The answer will shoc > read more

The Renewable Future

Published on 2011-05-16 14:08:00

Renewable energy triggers sharply polarized views. For some, it is a costly white elephant; for others, it is humanity’s savior, promising to emancipate us (and our environment) from the “folly” of fossil fuels. So a hardheaded, credible, and, > read more

How can small and large farmers co-exist?

Published on 2011-05-16 09:13:00

The discussion on ‘Who will feed the World’ goes on. To achieve global food security food must be redistributed such that it reaches the current mass of undernourished people (925 million people worldwide), food systems must be made resilient to > read more

Climate change bringing infection, hunger, illness

Published on 2011-05-16 07:30:00

Climate change threatens far more than our environment. It's already led to the spread of infectious diseases and respiratory ailments across the globe and contributed to thousands of deaths through heat waves and other extreme weather events. It's e > read more

Politics Plays Part in Achieving Rich-Nation Status

Published on 2011-05-16 05:38:00

China is making great progress in lifting its people from the ranks of the world's poorest. But if the experience of other countries is any indicator, it will need a revolution to achieve rich-nation status.Uprisings throughout the Middle East, and C > read more

We need a whole new kind of capitalism as we aim for sustainability

Published on 2011-05-16 04:27:00

It's time to have a broader vision.Photo: MorBCNToday we stand at the crossroads. In one direction lies business as usual, the road we've traveled for decades. Down that path, we'd forgo serious measures to rein in our oil consumption, we'd continue > read more

Carbon accounting system is mad as a hatter

Published on 2011-05-16 02:25:00

By not having to account for emissions caused by imported goods, rich nations are living in Alice's wonderlandIf there was a pub where you could drink your fill and leave the hangover with the landlord, would you go there? Idle dreaming, but this is > read more

Corruption must be cut to protect climate: report

Published on 2011-05-16 00:13:00

Mechanisms to fight climate change need to be strengthened and made more transparent to reduce increasing risks of corruption, Transparency International (TI) said.The watchdog group released a report on Saturday, entitled "Global Corruption: Climate > read more

Mongol Invasion in 1200 Altered Carbon Dioxide Levels

Published on 2011-05-15 13:10:00

The Mongol invasion of Asia in the 1200s took enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to offset a year's worth of the world's gasoline demand today, according to a new study. But even Genghis Khan couldn't create more than a blip in atmospheric c > read more

Published on 2011-05-15 10:07:00

Bulgaria is on the verge of becoming the world's leading solar power producer with large international solar projects and significant solar potential equal to that of Northern Spain and exceeding Germany by 10 – 15%. Currently foreign investors are > read more

Cleaning the air would limit short-term climate warming

Published on 2011-05-15 09:50:00

An assessment report to be released this week by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization shows that reducing emissions of two common air pollutants — black carbon and gases integral to the production of grou > read more

Just 5 questions: Talking the talk

Published on 2011-05-15 06:46:00

NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt, from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, has become one of the oft-heard voices in the public discussion about climate change. With colleagues, he launched the blog RealClimate about six years ago. I > read more

America's Climate Choices Final Report

Published on 2011-05-15 02:35:00

The National Research Council has released the final report of America's Climate Choices. The report is available now through the National Academies Press. It includes a CD of the four panel reports of the America's Climate Choices series as well as > read more

Global Climate Change Affects Tropical as well as Polar Regions

Published on 2011-05-14 23:06:00

The most often heard victims of climate change are the polar bears in the far north losing their hunting grounds to the melting polar ice. Maps show the greatest area of warming temperatures are at the north and south poles. However, equally importan > read more

Lifting the floor for the Least Developed Countries | Oxfam International Blogs

Published on 2011-05-13 06:52:00

Amidst the jubilation over higher dairy prices that are boosting New Zealand's flagging economy, spare a thought for those who are suffering. It has been a bad year for the 44 million people in poor countries who slipped into hunger since the surge o > read more

Organic farming – India's future perfect?

Published on 2011-05-13 03:33:00

A budding interest in organic food offers farmers soaring incomes and higher yields, but critics say it's not the answer to India's fast-rising food demandsIndia's struggling farmers are starting to profit from a budding interest in organic living. N > read more

The ultimate climate change FAQ – and we're off

Published on 2011-05-13 01:32:00

Hundreds of you have suggested questions for our climate FAQ, and the first answers are already starting to appearA couple of weeks ago we launched The ultimate climate change FAQ and invited readers to submit questions. We had an amazing response an > read more

World Cup officials 'took bribes from host bidders'

Published on 2011-05-12 23:17:00

EXPLOSIVE new allegations have emerged to suggest Australia threw away $45 million on a soccer World Cup bid that it never had a chance of winning.Claims of corruption in FIFA's 2018 and 2022 bidding processes have been aired in a British parliamenta > read more

Published on 2011-05-12 14:04:00

The recession has done its worst and the economy is showing signs of recovery. Accountancy firms should no longer be in survival mode but pushing at full throttle for growth and development. The task is not easy however.The big firms in the professio > read more

Financial crisis-inspired standards released

Published on 2011-05-12 13:55:00

NEW INTERNATIONAL International Financial Reporting Standards released today offer guidance on off-balance sheet activities, joint arrangements and disclosure of interests in other entities.IFRS 10, 11 and 12 form a significant part of the Internatio > read more

Governance and accountability 'weak' in public audit

Published on 2011-05-12 13:50:00

LOCAL GOVERNMENT audit committees are weak in terms of public accountability and promoting good governance, a new survey has found.Public finance institute CIPFA questioned heads of local government audit and found their confidence was lacking in the > read more

Fair value in focus for new accounting standard

Published on 2011-05-12 13:46:00

A FOURTH new standard has been published by the International Accounting Standards Board, in collaboration with its US equivalent the FASB.IFRS 13 does not extend the use of fair value accounting, but rather, helps companies decide how it should be a > read more

IFRS Disclosure checklist: Interim financial statements

Published on 2011-05-12 13:44:00

This publication helps users prepare interim financial statements, including for first-time adopters, in accordance with IFRSs by identifying the minimum disclosures required. We reflect IFRSs in issue at 1 April 2011 that must be applied by an entit > read more

Clarified fair value measurement guidance for IFRS

Published on 2011-05-12 13:42:00

KPMG provides reaction to the new accounting standard on fair value measurement published by the IASB.The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) today issued IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement. IFRS 13 replaces the fair value measurement guidanc > read more

IASB publishes final standard on fair value measurement

Published on 2011-05-12 13:38:00

The IASB has issued IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement which replaces the guidance on fair value measurement in existing IFRS accounting literature with a single standard.The IFRS is the result of joint efforts by the IASB and FASB to develop a converged > read more

BBC News - Renewables can fuel society, say world climate advisers

Published on 2011-05-11 09:06:00

Renewable technologies could supply 80% of the world's energy needs by mid-century, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).In a report, it says that almost half of current investment in electricity generation is going into renewabl > read more

Ship sails in search of sustainable tuna

Published on 2011-05-11 06:04:00

Scientists are embarking on a two-month expedition in the Pacific aimed at finding ways to reduce the damaging accidental toll of tuna fishing.They want to find techniques that help fishermen find the abundant skipjack tuna without also catching shar > read more

FAO Media Centre: Los precios mundiales de los alimentos permanecen estables

Published on 2011-05-11 05:06:00

Los precios alimentos permanecieron prácticamente sin cambios en abril tras un descenso en marzo que interrumpió un periodo de ocho meses de incrementos sucesivos, según anunció hoy la FAO.Sin embargo, si bien el Índice de la FAO para los precio > read more

Shale gas drilling 'contaminates drinking water'

Published on 2011-05-11 03:02:00

Shale gas drilling operations increase the risk of nearby drinking water becoming contaminated with methane, a study has suggested.Researchers found, on average, methane concentrations 17 times above normal in samples taken near drilling sites.Growin > read more

Nobel laureates have figured out the eight investments that will help the planet most

Published on 2011-05-10 23:38:00

Nobel laureates have figured out the eight investments that will help the planet most. No. 1: micronutrients.On the eastern edge of Kolkata, India, Dulu Bibi, a 25-year-old mother of four, worries about the cost of treating her two sick boys. Her hus > read more

Mary Robinson speech in Belfast: "Human Rights Vision for World as relevant today as ever"

Published on 2011-05-10 14:46:00

Former Irish President Mary Robinson will say this evening (Friday 6 May) that the Arab Spring uprisings are a reminder that human rights are as relevant and necessary today as they have ever been.The former United Nations High Commissioner for Human > read more

Las causas de las subidas de los precios de la alimentación

Published on 2011-05-10 07:36:00

Hace poco hablé en estas páginas de los consejos que nos dió la organización no gubernamental (ONG), Oxfam, para aliviar la crisis alimentaria, ya que la falta de suministro y el incremento importante de los precios está impactando a los que men > read more

Food Fears Return

Published on 2011-05-10 00:14:00

Lack of food is rarely the reason that people go hungry. The world today produces enough food to feed everyone. The problem is that more and more people simply cannot afford to buy the food they need. Even before the recent food-price increases, a bi > read more

Why Women's Leadership Initiatives Fail

Published on 2011-05-09 15:16:00

We all know the grim statistics. Women in C-Suites are still as rare as icicles in July. Companies often express their concern with a so-called "women's leadership initiative." They are often well-intentioned. So why do so many initiatives produce so > read more

European Court of Auditors - follow-up of Special Report no. 1/2005 concerning the management of the European Anti-Fraud Office

Published on 2011-05-09 14:49:00

> read more

The Renewable Future

Published on 2011-05-09 12:12:00

Renewable energy triggers sharply polarized views. For some, it is a costly white elephant; for others, it is humanity’s savior, promising to emancipate us (and our environment) from the “folly” of fossil fuels. So a hardheaded, credible, and, > read more

Oxfam calls for action to lift the world’s Least Developed Countries

Published on 2011-05-09 09:38:00

At a time when one in seven people face a daily struggle to get enough food, Oxfam is calling on world leaders gathering in Turkey May 9-13 to seize the opportunity and help lift the most vulnerable nations out of poverty.Istanbul is hosting the Four > read more

When a woman should act like a man

Published on 2011-05-09 07:38:00

Tilia Wong worked in construction management before going to business school and got used to thinking of herself as a businesswoman who knew how to keep assertive behavior under wraps."I'm a 24-year-old Asian girl telling a 55-year-old white guy what > read more

Integrating Ethics Into The Core Of Your Startups

Published on 2011-05-09 05:10:00

Why And How Integrating Ethics Into The Core Of Your Startups: Why And HowWhen I came to the U.S. in 1980, I was young and naïve. I used to think that corruption and ethical lapses were just a third-world ill. Eventually, I became a tech CEO and lea > read more

Africa’s growing attractiveness

Published on 2011-05-09 04:50:00

Assessing attractiveness can be a subjective undertaking.However, an international company has used objective data to examine Africa’s “attractiveness” as a place to do business.Ernst and Young launched its “Africa attractiveness survey” at > read more

Jaguar unveils hybrid supercar

Published on 2011-05-09 04:37:00

When I walked into the Jaguar super secret press conference Friday morning, I was stunned to see Frank Williams and Adam Parr, the Chairman of Williams F1, on the podium next to a Jaguar muscle car.You can forgive me in the mean time if I thought Jag > read more

IJ-8 Conference: Program Innovation

Published on 2011-05-08 23:24:00

See full Details. > read more

FASB Chair Answers Push for Private-Company GAAP - - CFO.com

Published on 2011-05-08 21:28:00

Leslie Seidman hopes the accounting standards board will continue to oversee rulemaking for nonpublic companies.Prompted by a proposal earlier this year by a blue-ribbon panel on the future of private-company accounting standards — a proposal that > read more

Economist's View: "Climate Change Stunts Growth of Global Crop Yields"

Published on 2011-05-08 13:37:00

The other day, I posted a graph showing delining crop yields from Michael Roberts and wondered what is behind the growth slowdown. Here's one answer (also discussed by Michael Roberts in a follow-up post): Cereal Killer: Climate Change Stunts Grow > read more

Telling Auditors How to Audit Themselves

Published on 2011-05-08 11:30:00

The PCAOB will consider proposing a new standard for audit firms' internal evaluations.The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board could soon move forward on one of its long-standing projects: how the audit firms should conduct their internal revie > read more

The Four "I's" of Talent Management - Careers - CFO.com

Published on 2011-05-08 06:29:00

Intellectual skills, integrity, intensity, and interpersonal savvy are all prized in finance staffers — but not necessarily in that order, according to a panel of CFOs.As is true in many other professions, finance staffers climb the corporate ladde > read more

The sun sets on the solar bonus scheme | thetelegraph.com.au

Published on 2011-05-08 03:59:00

THE State Government is considering clawing back money from Solar Bonus Scheme customers in an attempt to balance the books.Trade and Investment Department deputy director-general Mark Duffy said they were looking at a number of options to pay off a > read more

Vivek Wadhwa: My Ethics

Published on 2011-05-08 03:48:00

Several people have asked about my views on controversy swirling around the blogosphere about journalists/blogger ethics. Given the subjects that I research, and the controversial topics that I write about, I thought it best to document my own situat > read more

Food prices: a looming crisis?

Published on 2011-05-07 10:09:00

The cost of food is of constant concern for many of the world’s poorest people. Food prices are once again on the rise, passing the levels reached during the crisis of 2007-08 that pushed the number of hungry people in the world over 1 billion.We a > read more

Climate shifts 'hit global wheat yields'

Published on 2011-05-07 06:52:00

Shifts in the climate over the past three decades have been linked to a 5.5% decline in global wheat production, a study has suggested.A team of US scientists assessed the impact of changes to rainfall and temperature on four major food crops: wheat, > read more

PM's pledge of greenest government 'vanishingly remote'

Published on 2011-05-07 05:15:00

The government's chance of being the "greenest ever" - as the prime minister has claimed - is "vanishingly remote", a former adviser has said.Jonathon Porritt, former head of the Sustainable Development Commission, carried out the review which was fu > read more

Climate e-mail reviews 'leave science sound'

Published on 2011-05-07 04:51:00

Successive reviews into the University of East Anglia (UEA) climate e-mail hack cast no doubt on the basic picture of global warming, the government says.In its response to an inquiry by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, t > read more

The mancession is over: Women are the economy's new losers

Published on 2011-05-06 22:27:00

Now it's women who are the economy's big losers.The Great Recession is often called a "mancession" because most of the jobs that the economy shed were lost by men. Between December 2007 and June 2009—the recession's official timeframe, according to > read more

The "green energy" myth: More efficient energy won't create more jobs

Published on 2011-05-06 14:43:00

Supporters of "green energy" like to say it will create more jobs. They're wrong.Phil Tussing installing Phil Tussing installs photovoltaic solar panels. Click image to epxand.Green initiatives might create jobs, but they kill othersPolitical rhetori > read more

Danielle Nierenberg: Getting "More Crop Per Drop" to Strengthen Global Food Security

Published on 2011-05-06 12:30:00

Increasing demand for water continues to put a strain on available water sources, threatening the livelihood of millions of small-scale farmers who depend on water for their crops. At a time when one in eight people lack access to safe water, Nourish > read more

Arctic Ice Melting Faster Than Previously Thought: Report

Published on 2011-05-06 10:01:00

A new assessment of climate change in the Arctic shows the region's ice and snow are melting faster than previously thought and sharply raises projections of global sea level rise this century.The report by the international Arctic Monitoring and Ass > read more

Oxfam reaction to Hillary Clinton’s Speech at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome

Published on 2011-05-06 08:03:00

In response to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Speech at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Eric Munoz, Policy Advisor for Oxfam said:“Secretary Clinton has shown strong leadership in focusing world attention on the problem > read more

The Bad Things About Solar Energy

Published on 2011-05-06 04:39:00

Solar energy can be made usable in three different ways. Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity. Solar thermal systems use the sun's energy to heat water. Concentrating solar power focuses sunlight to heat water. The resulting steam dri > read more

10 common body language traps for women in the workplace

Published on 2011-05-05 06:48:00

A female executive was having problems dealing with her male colleagues. "They like me, but they never take me seriously," she complained. "It's as if they think I'm flirting with them. Which I definitely am not!"After watching her interact with vari > read more

Bangladesh court dismisses Nobel laureate Yunus’ last appeal to stay at bank he founded

Published on 2011-05-05 03:34:00

Bangladesh’s highest court on Thursday upheld the government’s decision to remove Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus from his pioneering microfinance agency Grameen Bank. The ruling ends his decades of leadership at the bank he set up to lend money to > read more

In their prime, but do some accounting standards face the chop?

Published on 2011-05-04 16:00:00

Financial Reporting Standards for Small Entities (FRSSE) apply to businesses that meet at least two of three criteria: Turnover of less than £6.5m net; a balance sheet total under £3.26m; and 50 employees or fewer.Currently, these businesses are ha > read more

Arctic warming to boost rise of sea levels

Published on 2011-05-04 15:42:00

Global sea levels will rise faster than expected this century, partly because of quickening climate change in the Arctic and a thaw of Greenland’s ice, an international report said Tuesday.The rise would add to threats to coasts from Bangladesh to > read more

ICAEW struggles with modernity?

Published on 2011-05-04 14:00:00

Early in the session, chief executive Michael Izza was at pains to stress support for the coalition's anti-tax-avoidance principles. He pointed to "some areas of tax planning that are no longer regarded as legitimate", saying the situation has change > read more

Engineering gender parity

Published on 2011-05-04 10:37:00

Despite small gains, few disciplines continue to scream “man’s world” quite as much as engineering. It registers a noticeable shortage of female talent both on the job and in the pipeline. In 2008, for example, women made up more than half of > read more

Accountants would give up £11,000 for long weekend

Published on 2011-05-04 04:06:00

Marks Sattin's findings show that the majority of accountancy and financial service professionals would give up £11,000 a year to receive longer weekends.Dave Way, managing director of Marks Sattin, said: "Since the recession, people have had to knu > read more

Guide to corporate ecosystem valuation released

Published on 2011-05-04 02:59:00

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has launched a Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV) Guide.The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (TEEB) introduced the concept of ecosystem valuation as a practical and influen > read more

The 4-Part Plan to Manage Climate Change

Published on 2011-05-03 23:43:00

Dave Roberts writes over at Grist: "We are not going to solve climate change. That's not pessimism -- it's just not the kind of thing that can be "solved." It's already underway." So, he suggests we figure out how to 'manage it' -- via a combination > read more

Quiet Proxy Season Means Fewer Fights in the Boardroom

Published on 2011-05-03 14:14:00

Shareholder activism intended to spur change in the boardroom is down significantly so far this year. At the same time, activism by hedge funds to oppose takeover transactions is rising. It appears that hedge funds prefer to battle takeover titans ra > read more

‘The Big Thirst’: The Future of Water

Published on 2011-05-03 11:20:00

Charles Fishman, a longtime writer for Fast Company magazine, is the author of “The Big Thirst,” a new book on water. He previously wrote “The Wal-Mart Effect,” which was an Economist “book of the year” in 2006 and a finalist in The Finan > read more

Test Driving the Nissan Leaf Electric Car

Published on 2011-05-03 11:19:00

Feeling a sharp pain as you pump the contents of your wallet into your fuel tank? Gasoline prices are headed to $4 a gallon, and some experts are predicting $5 a gallon before the end of this year.Getting better mileage can help cut costs, but the an > read more

David Prosser: The Government needs to firm up its energy policy to support solar

Published on 2011-05-03 09:35:00

Outlook: To get a solar industry with critical mass, restricting meaningful incentives to families who put a solar panel on their roof just isn't going to cut itThere is certainly no accusing the Government of inconsistency on energy policy. Having s > read more

Ten ways to save the world

Published on 2011-05-03 07:37:00

We get the message. The planet's doomed unless we get our act together PDQ. We even know some of the measures needed to give ourselves a chance. But which less orthodox proposals could stave off disastrous climate change? Environment editor Geoffrey > read more

Are You CEO Material?

Published on 2011-05-03 05:00:00

Ask yourself...Sooner or later, every growing company reaches a point at which the entrepreneur behind it should start wondering whether he or she is the right person to be CEO. The answer has a lot to do with the company’s stage of development. Th > read more

World Press Freedom 2011

Published on 2011-05-02 19:26:00

> read more

Dos ONG acusan a una empresa china abastecedora de Apple de explotación laboral

Published on 2011-05-02 06:14:00

Las organizaciones denuncian que los trabajadores de dos plantas que fabrican el iPhone y el iPad cobran un sueldo demasiado bajo que les obliga a hacer excesivas horas extra Una investigación hecha por dos ONG y publicada por el diario The Guardian > read more

Climate Change Adaptation Demonstration Project (CCAP) News Briefs

Published on 2011-05-02 03:53:00

Agusan del Norte is now among the few provinces in the Philippines well-equipped for Climate Information Monitoring and Early Warning. Three (3) new Automatic Weather Stations were installed by the Department of Science of Technology-Caraga Regional > read more

Window of opportunity for Asia to improve gender equality at work

Published on 2011-05-02 03:37:00

Asian countries have a window of opportunity to tackle gender inequality in their labour markets and support sustainable crisis recovery, according to a new report prepared jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Developm > read more

Carbon emissions 'hidden' in imported goods revealed

Published on 2011-05-02 03:04:00

The extent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions "hidden" in imported goods is growing, according to two studies.Official data do not include emissions from making imported goods but both sets of researchers say they should.The Proceedings of the Nationa > read more

Training better supervisors means better business for Cambodia’s factories

Published on 2011-05-01 14:51:00

Better Factories, ILO Cambodia. Good supervisors help workers become more efficient and productive, bad ones affect morale and competitiveness. But when ordinary workers are promoted they often find it difficult to acquire the necessary skills. In Ca > read more

Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge

Published on 2011-05-01 09:34:00

Despite the UN General Assembly declaring that access to safe water is a human right, thousands die each day because of water-related diseases, and many countries are not expected to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals on water. World Water Day > read more

ILO training keeps Fiji green and clean

Published on 2011-05-01 07:29:00

April 28th is observed globally as World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Waste collectors in Fiji have reason to celebrate this day, because, thanks to a new ILO programme combining ‘green’ environmental support measures with occupational safe > read more

Automakers promote hydrogen cars; Obama administration remains skeptical

Published on 2011-05-01 04:49:00

Major foreign and domestic automakers that have invested billions in developing a hydrogen fuel cell car say the possibilities are near at hand and that by as early as 2015, the vehicles could begin appearing in showrooms.“We feel like the technolo > read more

The New Geopolitics of Food

Published on 2011-05-01 03:45:00

From the Middle East to Madagascar, high prices are spawning land grabs and ousting dictators. Welcome to the 21st-century food wars. In the United States, when world wheat prices rise by 75 percent, as they have over the last year, it means the diff > read more

May Day 2011

Published on 2011-04-30 18:47:00

> read more

Gambling with the Planet

Published on 2011-04-30 15:54:00

The consequences of the Japanese earthquake – especially the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant – resonate grimly for observers of the American financial crash that precipitated the Great Recession. Both events provide stark less > read more

Youth join green jobs push in China

Published on 2011-04-30 15:27:00

Yang Shumbo, a Chinese electronic sciences student invented a device to save electricity. He developed this into a business under a pilot project of the Greener Business Option (GBO), an ILO Green Jobs Programme initiative. GBO aims to encourage entr > read more

The Global Economy’s Corporate Crime Wave

Published on 2011-04-30 12:52:00

The world is drowning in corporate fraud, and the problems are probably greatest in rich countries – those with supposedly “good governance.” Poor-country governments probably accept more bribes and commit more offenses, but it is rich countrie > read more

Indigenous women break traditional barriers by becoming entrepreneurs

Published on 2011-04-30 12:23:00

An ILO/UNDP project to help women in Jayawijay, Lani Jaya and Yahukomo regencies of Papua, Indonesia become entrepreneurs to help lift them out of the poverty line.There is an old proverb in Papua; Nyeki Awa Loh Halok, Nyape Awalok Hat, or “If the > read more

Conventional gas-powered cars starting to match hybrids in fuel efficiency

Published on 2011-04-30 11:48:00

The new Chevrolet Cruze Eco can reach eye-popping fuel economy levels of more than 50 miles per gallon on the highway, which even in this era of hybrid-electric cars stands among the best.But here’s the real trick: The Cruze Eco is neither a hybrid > read more

Seven Steps to Prevent Recurring Food Crises

Published on 2011-04-29 23:08:00

Extreme weather events that disrupt harvests lead to rising food prices, hitting hard the world’s poor who spend the majority of their incomes on food. The poor often work in agriculture, but rising costs of inputs and consumer resistance against r > read more

Energy saving now on the front burner: carbon trading

Published on 2011-04-29 23:06:00

SPIRALLING energy prices, new regulations and a coming price on carbon are forcing property owners, managers and listed property trusts to look seriously at their energy usage and levels of investment into energy efficiency solutions.The central ques > read more

Main purpose of carbon tax lost in the politics

Published on 2011-04-29 15:03:00

THE government's proposed carbon tax is being asked to do a lot.It's supposed to: (1) reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (2) include "compensation" for some trade-exposed industries; and (3) finance compensation for households. Ross Garnaut also (4) wa > read more

Boom and bust signals ecosystem collapse

Published on 2011-04-29 13:19:00

An experiment in a US lake suggests that ecosystem collapses could be predicted, given the right monitoring.Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, by adding predatory fish.Within three years, the fish had taken > read more

UN Women's head Michelle Bachelet: A new superhero?

Published on 2011-04-29 05:31:00

She wants more female peacekeepers and an end to violence against women. Meet Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president and now head of the UN's new women's rights bodyLet it not be said that those wags at the United Nations don't have a sense > read more

U.K. Bribery Act Requires New Precautions for Global Companies

Published on 2011-04-29 04:41:00

The U.K. Bribery Act 2010 taking effect July 1 represents one of the biggest changes in global anticorruption law since the USA Patriot Act in 2001, but awareness of its provisions remains very low, according to a Deloitte webcast poll.While 78% of r > read more

Democracy and Good Governance in the Black Sea Regions

Published on 2011-04-29 03:33:00

About this reportThe Black Sea region is increasingly becoming a priority on the international agenda. In fact, a regional approach is emerging as actors understand that common problems need to be addressed jointly. Nevertheless, cooperation efforts > read more

Japan's winds of change

Published on 2011-04-28 23:23:00

ONE reason for Japan’s reliance on nuclear power—with all its attendant difficulties of building reactors safely in an earthquake zone—is its lack of indigenous energy sources. Yet it does have one that seems under-exploited, namely the wind. A > read more

Powerful savings

Published on 2011-04-28 12:26:00

JAPAN has been dreading a major energy shortage in the north-east, after a quarter of the region's power-generation capacity was damaged by the quake, tsunami and crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. But a summer of rolling blackouts may be a > read more

How Do I Know If My Company Is Compliant If I Don’t Know Every Applicable Law and Regulation?

Published on 2011-04-28 11:36:00

This is one of the hardest questions to answer since you just don’t know what you don’t know. Knowing all of the laws and regulations that an organization must comply with is a basic tenet of an ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System > read more

Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008

Published on 2011-04-28 10:32:00

AbstractDespite the emergence of regional climate policies, growth in global CO2 emissions has remained strong. From 1990 to 2008 CO2 emissions in developed countries (defined as countries with emission-reduction commitments in the Kyoto Protocol, An > read more

The Power of Effective Leadership

Published on 2011-04-28 02:25:00

As leaders and managers in the compliance and ethics field, we spend our days tackling the challenges of building a more “effective” compliance and ethics program. We share lessons learned and best practices at conferences, support research, deve > read more

Concern About Corruption Liability Leads Companies to Abandon Business Partners in Foreign Markets

Published on 2011-04-27 23:16:00

Survey Finds that More Than 55% of Companies Delay or Avoid Working with Global Business Partners; More Than 40% of Companies Have Lost Business to Competitors That Won Contracts UnethicallyMore than half of the companies doing business international > read more

So You Want to Become a Whistleblower? 5 Things to Consider Before Doing So

Published on 2011-04-27 20:22:00

Society owes much to whistleblowers. Whistleblowers – herein meaning persons who allege to government authorities (either to civil or law-enforcement agencies or in qui tam lawsuits) specific wrongdoing by or within a private company – play a key > read more

What Behavioral Ethics Means for Compliance and Ethics Programs

Published on 2011-04-27 18:27:00

“The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right,” Judge Learned Hand once said, and the same may be true (at least in part) for the spirit of compliance and ethics (C&E). That is but one lesson that might be drawn > read more

Evolution of carbon sinks in a changing climate

Published on 2011-04-27 10:32:00

AbstractClimate change is expected to influence the capacities of the land and oceans to act as repositories for anthropogenic CO2 and hence provide a feedback to climate change. A series of experiments with the National Center for Atmospheric Resear > read more

The cost of trade

Published on 2011-04-27 10:19:00

Rich countries are outsourcing carbon-dioxide emissionsWHEN a country reports its carbon emissions to the United Nations, it is the carbon dioxide that goes out of chimneys, exhaust pipes and forest fires of the country’s own territory that gets co > read more

Sustainable Insight

Published on 2011-04-27 06:44:00

The financial crisis has changed the way mainstream investors think about long-term value creation and has renewed their attention towards corporate responsibility and behaviour. Although the majority of public companies issue Sustainability reports, > read more

SEC Forum to Address Benefits, Challenges of IFRS for U.S.

Published on 2011-04-27 04:39:00

The SEC on Wednesday said it is hosting a round-table meeting July 7 to discuss benefits or challenges in potentially incorporating IFRS into the financial reporting system for U.S. issuers. The SEC said in a press release that the meeting will inclu > read more

10 Most Corrupt State Governments

Published on 2011-04-27 04:19:00

It seems that political corruption is influenced by several intrinsic factors that are almost impossible to change. Some states have struggled with the same issues of embezzlement, extortion and bribery for centuries, and have done little to change f > read more

6 Ways Companies Can Avoid the Regulatory Microscope

Published on 2011-04-27 03:57:00

Blame it on the difficult economy — or the Internet — or maybe even the media. Private sector workplace discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) hit another all-time high during the 2010 fiscal year.Agen > read more

SEC announces roundtable on IFRS

Published on 2011-04-26 15:33:00

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hold a roundtable on 7 July in Washington to discuss benefits and challenges in incorporating International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) into the financial reporting system for U.S. issue > read more

Unsure about nuclear power? Here's the five questions you must answer

Published on 2011-04-26 14:52:00

Twenty five years on from Chernobyl, the heated debate on nuclear power remains resistant to cold facts: simply too few are known. But making your own judgements on five key questions will lead to your answerContaining the elemental forces that rage > read more

Future of Financial Reporting Council up for debate

Published on 2011-04-26 13:49:00

Roger Marshall, chairman of sub-body the Accounting Standards Board, said the process started in late 2010, when the regulator began considering whether it needs a different focus, and how to make the group work better."I think everyone has started t > read more

The Threat to Africa's Fledgling Democracy

Published on 2011-04-26 13:02:00

The yearning for democracy is not enough. Citizens must set high standards for elections – ensuring secret ballots, secure polling places and fair rules – Kofi Annan argues in an opinion essay for the Financial Times. Candidates, too, must accept > read more

Brussels revamps code of conduct

Published on 2011-04-26 10:45:00

The European Commission has tightened up its code of conduct banning spouses from commissioners' offices and extending the period EU executive members must request approval from Brussels before taking up new jobs once out of office to a year and a ha > read more

Kingdom of the Netherlands-Netherlands: Report on Observance of Standards and Codes-FATF Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism

Published on 2011-04-26 02:59:00

See full Press Release. > read more

Climate change to reduce US West water supply - report

Published on 2011-04-25 23:55:00

Scarce water supplies in the western US will probably dwindle further as a result of climate change, causing problems for millions in the region, a government report has said.Climate change could cut water flow in several of the American West's large > read more

Carbon emissions 'hidden' in imported goods revealed

Published on 2011-04-25 13:00:00

The extent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions "hidden" in imported goods is growing, according to two studies.Official statistics do not include emissions created by making imported goods but researchers say they should.It comes as the Proceedings of > read more

London accounting companies battle to be the greenest

Published on 2011-04-25 12:52:00

"We're seeing a green arms race between various companies in a whole host of sectors - to be the greenest," says architect Richard Buckingham.The latest evidence of this race to the top of the eco-league table comes in the form of two new sustainable > read more

Kingdom of the Netherlands-Netherlands: Detailed Assessment Report on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism

Published on 2011-04-25 08:59:00

See full Press Release. > read more

Reclamation Climate Change and Water 2011

Published on 2011-04-25 06:56:00

See full Report, in pdf format. > read more

A vueltas con la RSE

Published on 2011-04-25 02:48:00

Debatía hace unos días con algunos colegas sobre la paradoja de que los mayores avances sociales y laborales se consiguieron cuando la RSE ni siquiera se había "inventado". Y justamente cuando surge y se consagra como la nueva religión que todos > read more

How the antiwar movement inspired world's largest green campaign

Published on 2011-04-24 12:16:00

Earth Day was launched 41 years ago today by a US senator who was alarmed by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and inspired by the student antiwar movement.In the 1960s, student activists seemed more concerned with foreign conflicts such as the Vietna > read more

Why No Warnings? Investors Press Audit Regulator

Published on 2011-04-24 07:52:00

U.S. investors have finally joined shareholders, regulators, and legislators in the UK to demand one more crisis question be answered:Where were the auditors during the financial crisis?The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the U.S. > read more

Businesses warned over rise in cyber crime

Published on 2011-04-24 05:32:00

New research reveals online criminals cost UK business £21bn a yearBusinesses are warned today to protect themselves against the rising risk of cyber crime as new research shows the true cost of this 21st century economic threat.The warning comes fr > read more

US consults on international accounting standards

Published on 2011-04-24 04:13:00

THE US SECURITIES and Exchange Commission is to hold a roundtable discussion on International Financial Reporting Standards in July.Representatives from regulators, investors and smaller public companies will be present, and discussions will cover th > read more

London accounting companies battle to be the greenest

Published on 2011-04-24 03:47:00

"We're seeing a green arms race between various companies in a whole host of sectors - to be the greenest," says architect Richard Buckingham.The latest evidence of this race to the top of the eco-league table comes in the form of two new sustainable > read more

10 reasons you should still be angry about the BP oil spill

Published on 2011-04-24 02:54:00

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SME accounting standards poised for international revamp

Published on 2011-04-23 22:59:00

THE CONSULTATION on international financial reporting standards for SMEs concludes at the end of April, and the signs point to change on the horizon.Stakeholders were first invited to comment on the Accounting Standards Board's consultation document > read more

New Greenpeace report digs up the dirt on Internet data centres

Published on 2011-04-23 14:34:00

For most of us, when we think about our environmental footprint, the first things that spring to mind are how to commute to work, the kind of bags we use for grocery shopping, or the detergents we wash our clothes with. But how often do we consider t > read more

Apple named 'least green' tech company

Published on 2011-04-23 12:26:00

Greenpeace report puts Apple at bottom of green league table due to reliance on coal at data centresApple has come bottom of the most comprehensive green league table of technology companies because of its heavy reliance on "dirty data" centres.The l > read more

Shams 1 Solar Power Project Financing Shines A Light On Renewable Energy In The Gulf

Published on 2011-04-23 06:39:00

The signing of the Shams 1 solar power project financing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month has opened the way for a burgeoning in renewable energy in the Gulf, in Standard & Poor's Ratings Services view.Three companies, France's To > read more

Google is on a Roll with Renewable Energy

Published on 2011-04-23 06:30:00

Since the beginning of 2010, we’ve watched Google turn into an increasingly regular investor in renewable energy technologies. This month alone, the search giant has had three major announcements that will lead to more clean megawatts on the grid.W > read more

London 2012 Olympics team publishes first green report

Published on 2011-04-23 02:40:00

London 2012 Olympic organisers have published the first environment report for next year's Games.The report says it is on target to cut the carbon footprint by 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in the procurement of materials and venue construction. > read more

Why an oil spill in Arctic waters would be devastating

Published on 2011-04-23 00:27:00

As oil companies move further north, many say it's only a matter of time before a big spill. The consequences would be catastrophicAs sea ice disappears and open water seasons last longer, the High North – that vast area above the Arctic circle – > read more

Apple es la empresa de tecnología menos sostenible en consumo de energía

Published on 2011-04-22 23:49:00

En estas páginas hablamos de la importancia de la responsabilidad social de las empresas (RSE) y sus responsabilidades en consumo energético es parte muy importante de esta RSE. La ONG, Greenpeace nos trae un Estudio (en inglés) sobre el consumo d > read more

Top 5 Millennium Development Goal success stories

Published on 2011-04-22 14:55:00

Ten years ago, at the crack of a new millennium, the United Nations gave the world's poorest countries 15 years to halve their poverty rates, reverse the spread of AIDS, enroll 100 percent of their children in elementary schools, and give 100 percent > read more

Risk retention

Published on 2011-04-22 12:00:00

Chairman Garrett, Ranking Member Waters, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the risk retention requirements of section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ( > read more

Green Investing Report Examines Ways to Reduce the Financing Cost for Clean Energy

Published on 2011-04-22 05:27:00

The clean energy sector has remained surprisingly resilient despite the economic crisis, attracting nearly a quarter trillion dollars of new investment in 2010.Clean energy technologies are becoming more cost competitive due to sharp declines in equi > read more

Airline Carbon Costs Take Off As EU Emissions Regulations Reach For The Skies

Published on 2011-04-22 04:42:00

Airlines worldwide are bracing themselves for the start, in 2012, of a new phase of Europe's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading scheme (the EU ETS). Besides curbing the industry's projected growth in emissions, the scheme will likely increase cos > read more

Ozone hole has dried Australia, scientists find

Published on 2011-04-22 03:17:00

The Antarctic ozone hole is about one-third to blame for Australia's recent series of droughts, scientists say.Writing in the journal Science, they conclude that the hole has shifted wind and rainfall patterns right across the Southern Hemisphere, ev > read more

London 2012 Sustainability Report: A blueprint for change

Published on 2011-04-22 01:15:00

This is the first of three London 2012 Sustainability Reports designed to chart delivery against the London 2012 Sustainability Plan. The next two reports will be released in the spring of 2012 and the winter of 2012/13.See full Details. > read more

Earth Day today - What will you do?

Published on 2011-04-21 19:31:00

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Conventional gas-powered cars starting to match hybrids in fuel efficiency

Published on 2011-04-21 11:41:00

The new Chevrolet Cruze Eco can reach eye-popping fuel economy levels of more than 50 miles per gallon on the highway, which even in this era of hybrid-electric cars stands among the best.But here’s the real trick: The Cruze Eco is neither a hybrid > read more

Accurate information on climate science

Published on 2011-04-21 10:50:00

Many people have asked the Commission about where they can find information on climate change science.There are many reports produced by credible climate science experts.A good starting point is the Australian Academy of Science’s 2010 publication > read more

Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' : Will CBS report harm aid work?

Published on 2011-04-21 09:51:00

A '60 Minutes' report alleges that Greg Mortenson, author of 'Three Cups of Tea,' may have fabricated some elements of his memoir about building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mortenson is defending his work.A "60 Minutes” report Sunday alleg > read more

Green power forcing prices up

Published on 2011-04-21 06:29:00

JULIA Gillard is under pressure to compensate households for the impact of the federal government's renewable energy programs after another independent tribunal found they had contributed to rising electricity prices.Amid the broader debate over the > read more

Cutting-edge energy promises just hot air

Published on 2011-04-21 04:33:00

THE state that sold itself as the heartland of sustainability has been exposed as falling hopelessly behind its own renewable energy targets for most of the past decade.Victoria's renewable energy record was savaged yesterday by the state's auditor-g > read more

Poor information and sense of irritation hamper climate change science

Published on 2011-04-21 00:35:00

A LACK of "credible information" is one of the main reasons that 40 per cent of Australians do not believe that humans have a role in global warming, according to the head of the federal government's Climate Commission, Tim Flannery.And the fact that > read more

Who can force utilities to cut greenhouse gases? Supreme Court to decide

Published on 2011-04-20 23:44:00

The Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday about greenhouse gases and global warming. Case could open the way for states and citizen groups to battle the threat of global warming via judicial order.Fed up with the slow pace of government efforts to addre > read more

Relax biofuel laws to help ease the food crisis, World Bank says

Published on 2011-04-20 15:30:00

THE World Bank has called for the relaxation of laws requiring crops to be blended into petrol, saying that they are contributing to the global food price crisis.Robert Zoellick, the President of the Bank, said that a "toxic brew" of higher food and > read more

Automakers promote hydrogen cars; Obama administration remains skeptical

Published on 2011-04-20 11:47:00

Major foreign and domestic automakers that have invested billions in developing a hydrogen fuel cell car say the possibilities are near at hand and that by as early as 2015, the vehicles could begin appearing in showrooms.“We feel like the technolo > read more

CBD, Chinese plan wind projects

Published on 2011-04-20 09:27:00

CBD Energy has teamed up with two Chinese power companies in a venture targeting Australian wind projects worth $6 billion over eight years.Sydney-based CBD Energy said it had signed binding agreements with China Datang Corp Renewable Power -- a clea > read more

Greenhouse gas levels increase

Published on 2011-04-20 06:24:00

AUSTRALIA'S greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.5 per cent last year, driven in part by a large jump in iron and steel production as the nation shrugged off the effects of the global financial crisis.National Greenhouse Gas accounts released yesterday sh > read more

US wind power markets and strategies:  2011‐2025

Published on 2011-04-20 04:23:00

Through in-depth market analysis, IHS EER's 2011 US Wind study answers the following questions and more:Given the uncertainty within the US wind market, what is the projected growth trajectory over the coming years?Which regions show the strongest po > read more

Fears over carbon monoxide poisoning figures

Published on 2011-04-20 02:44:00

The number of deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning could be significantly higher than official figures show, the BBC has been told.Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show reported deaths to be lower than a decade ago.But research > read more

On climate change, the GOP is lost in never-never land

Published on 2011-04-20 00:29:00

No surprise there, we all knew that. The surprise is to read that headline over a piece by Fred Hiatt (last seen defending George Will’s right to his own facts) in the Washington Post. And the article is actually better than the headline.Hiatt slam > read more

he Psychology of Cheating

Published on 2011-04-19 14:21:00

To some it was a fitting end to a pointless witch hunt. On Wednesday, after weeks of graphic testimony about steroid use, a jury in San Francisco cleared the former baseball slugger Barry Bonds of all charges but one, obstruction of justice. And even > read more

"Home-Grown" CEO

Published on 2011-04-19 10:48:00

One key to superior long-term financial performance is managing leadership successionThe fact that two-thirds of non-financial S&P 500 companies did not survive during the 20-year period from 1988 through 2007 attests to the rapidly changing nature o > read more

Global food crisis "one shock away", says World Bank chief

Published on 2011-04-19 08:38:00

The global economy is “one shock away” from a crisis in food supplies and prices, says World Bank President Robert Zoellick.Zoellick estimated 44 million people have fallen into poverty due to rising food prices in the past year, and a 10 per cen > read more

"Green" Winners

Published on 2011-04-19 04:58:00

:The performance of sustainability-focused companies during the financial crisisAs companies cut costs to get through the current global economic slowdown, there is often a temptation to abandon recent forays into sustainability. Yet a new A.T. Kearn > read more

Sustainability—A Product Life-Cycle Approach

Published on 2011-04-19 00:56:00

Turning corporate sustainability pledges into real business targetsThere is a lot more to measuring a company’s total environmental impact than merely examining internal processes. It requires a product life-cycle approach to sustainability--from g > read more

Distilling the Wisdom of C.E.O.’s

Published on 2011-04-19 00:16:00

IMAGINE 100 people working at a large company. They’re all middle managers, around 35 years old. They’re all smart. All collegial. All hard-working. They all have positive attitudes. They’re all good communicators.So what will determine who get > read more

El Banco Mundial avisa de una inminente crisis alimentaria, una más

Published on 2011-04-18 23:43:00

El Presidente del Banco Mundial nos acaba de advertir que las continuadas subidas en los precios de los alimentos están llevando al borde de la crisis a los que menos pueden hacer frente a estas subidas. No hablo de la crisis financiera, que es lo > read more

U.S. Foreign Assistance and Corruption: It’s All Relative

Published on 2011-04-18 15:14:00

Corruption remains a major concern of foreign aid policymakers. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was created, in part, to address this concern by working with well-governed, poor countries that must pass a control of corruption indicator. T > read more

Government accounting: awash on a sea of money

Published on 2011-04-18 13:08:00

EXPERIENCE of public sector accounting has left me with the view that governments show a systematic, pervasive, though possibly not deliberate, ignorance of the critical value and importance of good accounting to their own management. What will it ta > read more

Financial Director Summit 2011

Published on 2011-04-18 11:03:00

When: 16th June, 2011Where: London, UKSir Martin Sorrell confirmed as the keynote speaker for the Financial Director Summit 2011View Sir Martin's profile hereIn its seventh year, the Summit will become a one-day event packing in the very freshest, va > read more

Join the Virgin Social Marathon

Published on 2011-04-18 07:42:00

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Los bosques y el cambio climático en el Mediterráneo

Published on 2011-04-18 04:04:00

Nace una nueva alianza frente a las amenazas a los bosquesLa defensa de los bosques mediterráneos frente a sus principales amenazas, agravadas por el impacto del cambio climático, es el objetivo de una nueva alianza cuyo establecimiento fue anuncia > read more

At Semi-Annual Meeting, World Bank/IMF Governors Focus on Food Prices

Published on 2011-04-18 02:53:00

Development Committee discusses economic overheating, development in conflict-affected states, situation in the Middle East.Communiqué calls on Bank to expand role in agricultural development and research.Ministers say 2011 World Development Report > read more

World Bank Announces Winners of First “Apps for Development” Competition

Published on 2011-04-17 05:48:00

Using World Bank Data, Developers from 36 Countries Harness Technology to Improve People’s LivesAn app that allows users to visualize development indicators using powerful charts and maps, a web-based tool to measure the impact of global events on > read more

Carbon emissions linked to Europe's hay fever rise

Published on 2011-04-16 14:41:00

Carbon dioxide emissions may be raising pollen counts in European cities, according to a continent-wide study.Researchers from 13 EU nations analysed pollen levels for more than 20 species of tree and plant.They found that many, including several tha > read more

Nitrogen pollution 'costs EU up to £280bn a year'

Published on 2011-04-16 12:36:00

Nitrogen pollution from farms, vehicles, industry and waste treatment is costing the EU up to £280bn (320bn euros) a year, a report says.The study by 200 European experts says reactive nitrogen contributes to air pollution, fuels climate change and > read more

Consejeros independientes, los mejores aliados de los accionistas

Published on 2011-04-16 10:48:00

Que un CEO acumule demasiado poder y no sea bien supervisado por el consejo puede acarrear efectos no deseados, como los observados en algunos escándalos financieros recientes. De ahí la importancia de los consejeros independientes.En el documento > read more

Development: Aid increases, but with worrying trends

Published on 2011-04-16 08:06:00

Aid flows from OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donor countries totalled USD 129 billion in 2010, the highest level ever, and an increase of 6.5% over 2009. This represents about 0.32% of the combined gross national income (GNI) of DAC mem > read more

Procuring Green in the Public Sector: A checklist for setting started

Published on 2011-04-16 06:31:00

This checklist provides procurers and policy-makers with a comprehensive outline of the necessary conditions for designing and implementing successful public procurement policies. It touches on the necessary legal and institutional governance structu > read more

Why Sustainability Is Winning Over CEOs

Published on 2011-04-16 03:28:00

ong a cause célèbre of the eco crowd, sustainable business practices are yielding big savings at companies like PepsiCo and Wal-MartAt PepsiCo's (PEP) Walkers potato chip plant in Leicester, England, steam from the fryers rises through exhaust stac > read more

Enriching Executives, at the Expense of Many

Published on 2011-04-16 02:32:00

SOME people say it doesn’t really matter how much companies pay their executives, at least as far as the shareholders are concerned. Whether investors prosper depends on the executives’ management skill, not on penny-ante items like pay, this arg > read more

US-Australia joint venture for energy efficiency

Published on 2011-04-15 15:03:00

US-based smart-grid energy company MicroPlanet has established a Joint Venture (JV) with Australia’s SmartGrid Partners (SGP) to pursue strategic energy efficiency opportunities in Australia and New Zealand.SGP will be the main distributor of Micro > read more

Las historias de talleres notorios más llamativos

Published on 2011-04-15 12:43:00

No es la primera vez que hablo en estas páginas de la importancia de la responsabilidad social empresarial (RSE) y de la importancia de aplicar la RSE en las operaciones globales. Las empresas que salen fuera deben seguir los mismos pasos y práctic > read more

La contaminación en las ciudades

Published on 2011-04-15 03:28:00

Me parece indecente que la sociedad actual acepte como un signo de calidad de vida la presencia del coche privado sin sopesar las enfermedades que a largo plazo provoca su contaminación en las grandes ciudades cuando no son accidentes o atropellos d > read more

Fostering good citizenship through ethical leadership

Published on 2011-04-15 03:18:00

Exploring the moderating role of gender and organizational politics.AbstractConsidering the implications of social exchange theory as a context for social role behavior, we tested relations between ethical leadership and both person- and task-focused > read more

The shareholder awakens

Published on 2011-04-15 03:07:00

Companies’ owners are slowly beginning to hold bosses to account, starting with closer scrutiny of their payTHE nuns who are challenging Goldman Sachs’s claim to be doing “God’s work”, by bringing a shareholder resolution questioning the ba > read more

Real Men Don't Buy Girls

Published on 2011-04-15 00:42:00

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Biofuels targets are 'unethical'

Published on 2011-04-14 23:38:00

EU biofuels targets are unethical, according to a report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.Its authors recommend the targets should be lifted temporarily until new safeguards are put in place for biofuels grown in Europe or imported.But they stop > read more

Succession planning should extend beyond the C-suite

Published on 2011-04-14 13:26:00

Top leadership turnover and shake-ups have been all over the news lately, affecting everyone from AMD to Google to Apple to HP. The turbulence in the big business world underscores the need for companies of all sizes to look at their strategy and pla > read more

Glaciers in Chile 'melt at fastest rate in 350 years'

Published on 2011-04-14 12:14:00

Melting mountain glaciers are making sea levels rise faster now than at any time in the last 350 years, according to new research.Universities at Aberystwyth, Exeter and Stockholm looked at longer timescales than usual for their study.They mapped cha > read more

Google drops $5M in German solar plant

Published on 2011-04-14 11:34:00

Google has invested €3.5 million (roughly $5 million) in a German 18.7-megawatt solar power plant in a small town near Berlin.It’s Google’s first investment in clean technology outside of the United States, and it’s made the investment with G > read more

Amnesty International Report 2010

Published on 2011-04-14 08:28:00

Pursuing justice: For all rights, for all people Between January and May 2009, some 300,000 Sri Lankans were trapped on a narrow strip of land between the retreating Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the advancing Sri Lankan military. As re > read more

The 15 Most Notorious Sweatshops of All Time

Published on 2011-04-14 07:17:00

From the Industrial Revolution onwards, people have toiled for too little money in cramped conditions, often under abusive conditions. The phenomenon has expanded worldwide and products made in sweatshops have expanded from mere clothes to all manner > read more

Diez cosas que han cambiado para siempre en el Ártico

Published on 2011-04-14 04:16:00

El mes de febrero acaba de dejar otro mínimo histórico en la extensión del hielo ártico, según las últimas mediciones por satélite. El aumento de la temperatura está modificando la región y afectando a su fauna y sus habitantes. Estos son al > read more

Las renovables generan ya un tercio de la electricidad

Published on 2011-04-14 01:52:00

Se convierten por primera vez en la fuente principal del 'mix' energético español, cerca ya de los objetivos marcados por el Gobierno para el año 2020.La producción a partir de energías renovables experimentó durante 2010 un "fuerte incremento" > read more

75% of international corporations say they’ll invest more in cleantech

Published on 2011-04-13 13:37:00

Around 75 percent of international companies plan to increase their investments in clean technology ventures, according to a new report by Ernst & Young that polled 300 companies across all sectors.Just under half of the companies said they would spe > read more

Should We Feed Hungry People, Even If It's Bad For The Environment?

Published on 2011-04-13 12:25:00

The only ethical solution is to save and promote humanity at all costs."When it comes to saving human life or destroying the environment, I pick saving human life."That seemingly innocuous comment I gave at an informal talk elicited a few gasps from > read more

UN Climate Chief Dismisses US Threat to Abandon Negotiations

Published on 2011-04-13 07:00:00

The United Nations’s new climate chief issued a stinging response this morning to U.S. threats to abandon the 15-year effort to forge an international agreement on climate change.The UN is the only venue capable of executing such an agreement, argu > read more

EBRD/LSE study unveils roadmap to low carbon economies in emerging Europe

Published on 2011-04-13 04:28:00

Carbon pricing key element in market-driven push to lower carbon footprintDate: 06 April 2011Effective carbon pricing is key to a market-driven “green revolution” that could cut the carbon intensity of eastern European economies still grappling w > read more

New warning on Arctic ice melt

Published on 2011-04-13 04:22:00

Scientists who predicted a few years ago that Arctic summers could be ice-free by 2013 now say summer ice will probably be gone within this decade.The original prediction, made in 2007, gained Wieslaw Maslowski's team a deal of criticism from some of > read more

U.K. Bribery Act Raises More Questions Than It Answers

Published on 2011-04-13 03:18:00

The U.K. Bribery Act should be a concern for the nearly half a dozen Russian companies entering or preparing to enter the British stock market, experts said.The main source of uneasiness from the act, slated to come into effect July 1, is jurisdictio > read more

Galicia cubriría con la energía de sus olas su consumo eléctrico

Published on 2011-04-13 01:51:00

Con las revueltas en el mundo árabe, y especialmente en el caso de Libia, llegan, entre otras muchísimas lecciones, la gran dependencia que España tiene del petróleo en su dieta energética y la hipersensibilidad de la economía a los ajustes del > read more

Carbon Offsets To Alleviate Poverty (Cotap) - an interesting project

Published on 2011-04-12 13:54:00

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Gender Differences in the Boardroom

Published on 2011-04-12 12:22:00

In a Q&A, Susan Stautberg of Women Corporate Directors discusses a new study about how men and women approach their roles as directors—and why the percentage of female directors remains lowFrance's recent dictum that boards of directors of native c > read more

Governments face climate test of resolve at Bangkok talks

Published on 2011-04-12 12:02:00

Governments face a test of their pledges to fight climate change next week when almost 200 nations meet in Bangkok to try to build on a modest deal reached last year that includes a new green fund and rising aid.The April 3-8 talks are the first sinc > read more

McKinsey defends its climate costs slide rule

Published on 2011-04-12 07:19:00

Global consulting firm McKinsey on Thursday played down suggestions that it had underestimated the costs to farmers and industry of making cuts in carbon emissions.Governments around the world want to know the cost of low-carbon technologies to choos > read more

EBRD/LSE study unveils roadmap to low carbon economies in emerging Europe

Published on 2011-04-12 04:36:00

Climate expert Nicholas Stern and EBRD Chief Economist explore energy and carbon in the regionAt a time when the world is once again grappling with the challenge of reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, the EBRD, together with the Grantham Researc > read more

How Corporate Governance Changed From 1986 to 2010

Published on 2011-04-12 00:23:00

Spencer Stuart's annual study of boards traces how corporate board practices—and membership—have evolved over the past 25 yearsWhen looking at a snapshot of corporate boards today vs. one from 25 years ago, it's surprising to see how much has cha > read more

This Week in Forest Carbon: Leaping Forward!...Or Not

Published on 2011-04-12 00:05:00

Over the past two weeks in forest carbon news Africa and China made big leaps, California assumed a holding pattern, Indonesia is (still) debating internally whether and how to move, and a handful of major international policy and finance meetings co > read more

Prospects look bleak for UK solar power industry

Published on 2011-04-11 12:35:00

There’s a dreadful sense of inevitability about the chaos surrounding the current status of the feed-in-tariff (FIT) for solar power. Two weeks ago, ministers in DECC announced that they would be reviewing all schemes of 50 kW and upwards – presu > read more

America's Most And Least Reputable Big Companies

Published on 2011-04-11 10:24:00

Here are the businesses consumers like and dislike more than any others.Are you more likely to buy from Amazon or eBay? Fill up at Chevron or Exxon Mobil? Fly Southwest or Delta? Chances are, when you chose one of these brands over another, you're in > read more

Amnesty International Report 2010

Published on 2011-04-11 08:40:00

El estado de los derechos humanos en el mundoEl Informe 2010 de Amnistía Internacional documenta los abusos cometidos en 159 países y pone de manifiesto que gobiernos poderosos están bloqueando los avances que se han hecho en la justicia internaci > read more

Empresas sociales y solidarias: otra forma de emprender

Published on 2011-04-11 07:40:00

Con frecuencia, la imagen del empresario está ligada a la figura de un señor mayor, sin sentimientos, explotador de trabajadores, con una enfermiza obsesión por el dinero y cuya incipiente codicia le hará pasar por encima de quien sea con tal de > read more

What next for audits?

Published on 2011-04-11 05:33:00

Stuart Bell, Director of Policy at Ergon Associates, looks at some of the shortcomings of conventional audits as a tool and how companies are increasingly taking a different tack. As ETI's corporate members prepare to submit their annual reports, > read more

Talking trash for sustainability

Published on 2011-04-11 05:22:00

Taking out the trash has a whole new meaning when it comes to large businesses and government institutions such as the University of the Fraser Valley. The amount of waste generated is substantial and when it comes to finding a system that is environ > read more

Las empresas del Ibex 35 avanzan en RSE, pero no miden su retorno

Published on 2011-04-11 02:14:00

Las compañías que forman parte del selectivo español han mejorado en los últimos años en la práctica de las políticas de responsabilidad social de la empresa (RSE), aunque todavía no están en "posiciones avanzadas", según se desprende del i > read more

Understanding timing of environmental change using grains of sand

Published on 2011-04-10 15:18:00

The poet William Blake mused about seeing all the world in a grain of sand. For University of the Fraser Valley geography professor Dr. Olav Lian and his student research assistants, it’s more a case of seeing how aspects of the physical world have > read more

Top 20 Green Tech Ideas

Published on 2011-04-10 13:27:00

Recycling e-WasteAlgae BiofuelAlgae foodThin-film SolarMolten Salt StorageSolar TowerCustom BiofuelsElectric CarsSmart MetersLithium-ion BatteriesFuel CellsRooftop Wind PowerTidal PowerGreen ITGreen ConcreteGreen Building MaterialsModular Nuclear Pow > read more

Raising Government Revenue in Africa: A Road out of Poverty

Published on 2011-04-10 06:43:00

Governments in Africa have a prime objective—to reduce poverty. To improve living standards and create jobs, they need to provide their citizens with better health care, better education, more infrastructure. They need to build hospitals, schools, > read more

Global Aid Transparency Movement: A Call for Action?

Published on 2011-04-10 04:39:00

A global aid transparency movement, bringing together several initiatives with a shared vision[1], has received increasing interest and attention since the 2005 Paris Declaration for Aid Effectiveness. The main thrust of the movement is to make infor > read more

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Development

Published on 2011-04-10 04:28:00

Entrepreneurship and innovation are two of the most pervasive concepts of our times, yet there are still gaps in our understanding of the interactions between entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in developing countries. This book is an atte > read more

Has feminism blocked social mobility for men?

Published on 2011-04-10 03:28:00

Feminism provided an obstacle to social mobility for working-class men, Cabinet minister David Willetts has controversially argued. But is he right?They were meant to welcome a new era of fairness and opportunity for all. Instead, a minister's remark > read more

Partnership to tackle Mediterranean forest threats

Published on 2011-04-10 03:18:00

A partnership has been established to tackle the range of threats facing forests in the Mediterranean region, such as water scarcity and fires.Each year, wildfires in the region claim up to 1m hectares of forests, at an estimated cost of 1bn euros ( > read more

Lessons from the boardroom: Seven succession planning missteps boards should avoid

Published on 2011-04-09 12:37:00

Succession planning for the CEO role is a key responsibility of single-tier boards, just as responsibility for the succession of the entire executive committee is the supervisory board’s obligation in a two-tier system. The days of boards waiting u > read more

5 Myths About Nuclear Energy

Published on 2011-04-09 11:20:00

More than 30 years after Three Mile Island, the unfolding crisis in Japan has brought back some of the worst nightmares surrounding nuclear power — and restarted a major debate about the merits and the drawbacks of this energy source. Does nuclear > read more

What Happens When Solar Power Is as Cheap as Coal

Published on 2011-04-09 04:54:00

It's a horrible paradox that bad things are generally cheaper: Like Big Macs. Or H&M. Top of this list, of course, is coal power, which is really quite horrible for the planet but is also deliciously cheap to produce. We are, if nothing else, a botto > read more

Towards “Fair Trade Microfinance”

Published on 2011-04-09 04:41:00

Creating a standard to recognize MFIs that are serving the poorThe Microcredit Summit Campaign recently announced development of a proposed new Seal of Excellence for Poverty Outreach and Transformation in Microfinance. Intended as a sort of “fair > read more

Climate 'technical fix' may yield warming, not cooling

Published on 2011-04-09 03:15:00

Whitening clouds by spraying them with seawater, proposed as a "technical fix" for climate change, could do more harm than good, according to research.Whiter clouds reflect more solar energy back into space, cooling the Earth.But a study presented at > read more

Presentación de la Agenda Estratégica de Investigación en el Sector de la Biomasa

Published on 2011-04-09 02:15:00

Los principales representantes del sector de la biomasa se dieron cita ayer en Pamplona durante la presentación de la Agenda Estratégica de Investigación en el Sector de la Biomasa. Esta Agenda se encuadra dentro de la segunda fase del proyecto eu > read more

Solar Power May Already Rival Coal, Prompting Installation Surge

Published on 2011-04-09 01:56:00

Solar panel installations may surge in the next two years as the cost of generating electricity from the sun rivals coal-fueled plants, industry executives and analysts said.Large photovoltaic projects will cost $1.45 a watt to build by 2020, half th > read more

China and EU share climate vision

Published on 2011-04-08 14:25:00

China and the European Union are setting out plans for changing energy use and curbing carbon emissions within a space of a few days.As one of them is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases while the other would be third in the global list i > read more

The next big thing in cleantech

Published on 2011-04-08 12:45:00

What’s next for cleantech? Sunil Paul, founding director of Spring Ventures, thinks it will be the “CleanWeb,” or technologies that leverage the capabilities of the Internet, social media and mobile technologies to address resource constraints. > read more

Nutriendo al Planeta: La Evaluación de Soluciones Sostenibles - Ambientales para Reducir el Hambre Global y la Pobreza Rural

Published on 2011-04-08 06:51:00

Un proyecto del Instituto Worldwatch apoyado por la Fundación de Bill & Melinda GatesEl desarrollo agricultural ha llegado a un cruce de caminos. Cerca de medio siglo después de la Revolución Verde—el primer intento sistemático de gran escala p > read more

Nuclear Energy and Oil Dependence

Published on 2011-04-08 06:27:00

I have a new essay up at the Washington Post that challenges five myths about nuclear power and provides some basic facts. (It will be published in print on Sunday.) I discussed it in an online chat on Tuesday; you can find the transcript here.The my > read more

C'mon creatives, we need you to get on board and inspire us to choose a sustainable future

Published on 2011-04-08 03:38:00

Finishing this project does not feel like we’re at the end of something, more that we’re at an exciting junction of opportunity – at the tipping point of the groundswell of activity on sustainability from creatives in the UK.The first part of t > read more

Don't get hysterical – taking an extra biscuit won't get you arrested under the Bribery Act

Published on 2011-04-08 02:22:00

The business community has overreacted in a genuinely spectacular fashion to the incoming anti-corruption legislationRather like the All Blacks performing the haka, a full-scale tantrum by Britain's business elite can be majestic in its fury. So it w > read more

Powering the Low-Carbon Economy: The Once and Future Roles of Renewable Energy and Natural Gas

Published on 2011-04-07 23:55:00

SummaryOver the past decade, renewable energy and natural gas have emerged as potential cornerstones of a low-carbon power sector. Wind and solar resources are abundant and can be converted into electricity using technologies that emit no greenhouse > read more

Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

Published on 2011-04-07 14:29:00

Promoting private sector development and entrepreneurship in particular, has become a defining feature of development policy in recent years. At a time when global development is being jeopardized by man-made and natural disasters, including financia > read more

Could China's gain become its workers' loss?

Published on 2011-04-07 10:32:00

As Chinese workers return to work after Chinese New Year, Abi Rushton reflects on the implications for workers' rights of the migration of business from China to Latin America.Rising wages in China are pushing businesses towards Latin America - what > read more

China and EU share climate vision

Published on 2011-04-07 09:45:00

China and the European Union are setting out plans for changing energy use and curbing carbon emissions within a space of a few days.As one of them is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases while the other would be third in the global list i > read more

Ethical trade champions call for government to take ‘moral lead’ on ethical procurement

Published on 2011-04-07 06:31:00

Champions of ethical trade from companies, health bodies, trade unions and public sector organisations have called on the government to play a much stronger role in driving ethical purchasing across the public sector.At a staggering £125bn, public s > read more

Sustainable development RIP

Published on 2011-04-07 04:39:00

First they axe the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), now they are trying to kill off sustainable development (SD) itself.Mrs Spelman put out a paper on Monday under the compelling title ‘Mainstreaming Sustainable Development: The Government > read more

What will a typical 2050s home be like?

Published on 2011-04-07 01:40:00

The home of the future is unlikely to be the curvy white pod of science fiction. On the outside, most houses in the UK will still look 19th century – partly because the public are profoundly conservative in their architectural tastes, but largely b > read more

Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative

Published on 2011-04-06 23:54:00

Worldwatch's Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative is designed to explore and communicate the potential of natural gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency to work together to build a low-carbon economy. The project provides a forum to ex > read more

Urban Disasters - Lessons from Haiti

Published on 2011-04-06 16:45:00

The ten lessons on responding to urban disasters identified by the report are:Work with and through municipalities wherever possible.Find and use neighbourhood networks and capacities.Work with the local private sector and don’t compete unfairly.Fo > read more

EU billions to keep burning fossil fuels - the battle to secure EU funding for carbon capture and storage

Published on 2011-04-06 10:25:00

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been promoted by industry as the solution to tackling climate change. Why stop burning fossil fuels when instead you can capture the carbon dioxide and store it in a hole in the ground?Defying objections on the gr > read more

Arctic ozone levels in never-before-seen plunge

Published on 2011-04-06 03:27:00

The ozone layer has seen unprecedented damage in the Arctic this winter due to cold weather in the upper atmosphere.By the end of March, 40% of the ozone in the stratosphere had been destroyed, against a previous record of 30%.See full Article. > read more

Nourishing the Planet: Project Summary

Published on 2011-04-06 02:50:00

Evaluating Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Reduce Global Hunger and Rural PovertyAgricultural development has come to a crossroads. Nearly a half-century after the Green Revolution—the first systematic, large-scale attempt to reduce povert > read more

Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

Published on 2011-04-06 02:30:00

Focusing on four broad sets of issues:What is the nature of economic development and its relationship with various concepts of entrepreneurship?What are the main concerns and issues in the measurement of entrepreneurship in relation to development?Wh > read more

Population, Climate Change, and Women’s Lives

Published on 2011-04-06 01:48:00

SummaryThe growth of population is a major factor behind climate change today. Human-caused climate change is fundamentally an imbalance of scale, as people release heat-trapping gases into Earth’s atmosphere faster than the oceans and living thing > read more

Can Small Lifestyle Changes Lead to Huge CO2 Cuts?

Published on 2011-04-06 01:29:00

The summit will explore the role and influence of emerging energy technologies on climate change, on business, on infrastructure and, of course, on the environmentA couple of weeks ago President Barack Obama stopped by OPOWER, a small Arlington-based > read more

Turn Food Into Fuel - The Global Warming Survival Guide

Published on 2011-04-05 13:33:00

Can one person slow global warming? Actually, yes. You—along with scientists, businesses and governments—can create paths to cut carbon emissions. Here is our guide to some of the planet's best ideas.Are corn husks better than corn for producing > read more

How to Reduce Carbon Emissions: Capture and Store It?

Published on 2011-04-05 11:30:00

In the push to cut the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere, solutions usually focus on how to reduce our power use (drive less, insulate our houses better) or how to replace our carbon fuels (coal, oil) with renewable sources (solar, wind > read more

China tops global clean energy table

Published on 2011-04-05 10:30:00

China remains the world's leading investor in low-carbon energy technology, a global study has shown.The table, published by the US Pew Environment Group, showed that the Chinese invested $54.4bn (£34.1bn) in 2010, up from $39.1bn in 2009.While the > read more

Poverty Will Dictate Nuclear Power Play

Published on 2011-04-05 04:31:00

Those who believe that economics, rather than individuals or events, is the driving force behind history are going to have their faith sorely tested in the coming weeks.Emotion and experience say the revival of nuclear power can not and should not co > read more

Oil and Gas Company Ethics Requirements When Doing Business with Government

Published on 2011-04-05 03:13:00

On June 17, 2010, the Department of Interior Inspector General Mary Kendall testified before the House Committee on Natural Resource’s Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources regarding the proposed reorganization of the Minerals Management Ser > read more

Global Energy: The Future of Global Oil Supply: Understanding the Building Blocks

Published on 2011-04-05 03:03:00

The controversy surrounding future oil supply can be divided into two components: a determination of the factors that will drive the much-debated future of oil supply and then, longer term, a consideration of consequences and the actions required whe > read more

Cities ignore climate change at their peril

Published on 2011-04-05 01:29:00

Urban areas are set to become the battleground in the global effort to curb climate change, the UN has warned.The assessment by UN-Habitat said that the world's cities were responsible for about 70% of emissions, yet only occupied 2% of the planet's > read more

Microfinance Banana Skins 2011 - Losing its fairy dust

Published on 2011-04-04 14:20:00

The report measures the risk perceptions of more than 500 practitioners and close observers of microfinance in 86 countries. According to the rankings, reputation risk has risen from 17th place in the last survey conducted in 2009 to second place in > read more

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change blog proposal

Published on 2011-04-04 12:51:00

The sixteenth session of the AWG-KP (AWG-KP 16) and the fourteenth session of the AWG-LCA (AWG-LCA 14), as well as workshops pursuant to the Cancun Agreements, are taking place from Sunday, 3 April through Friday, 8 April at the United Nations Confer > read more

The Six Principles of a Best Practices Anti-Corruption Program Under the UK Bribery Act Guidance – Part I

Published on 2011-04-04 10:11:00

Last week the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice released its “Consultation on guidance about commercial organisations preventing bribery (section 9 of the Bribery Act 2010)”. The stated purpose of this document is to provide guidance, as req > read more

What will aid look like in 2031?

Published on 2011-04-04 06:11:00

Will the web and the growth of China, Brazil and India change aid forever? Or will climate change, conflict and corruption bring development fatigue and more celebrity campaigners?Does aid go on forever? Does global inequality carry on deepening? Cry > read more

Bill Gates Turns Attention Toward Teacher Improvement

Published on 2011-04-04 04:16:00

Bill Gates shook up the battle against AIDS in Africa by applying results-oriented business metrics to the effort. Now, he is trying to do the same in the tricky world of evaluating and compensating teachers.The Microsoft Corp. co-founder has moved o > read more

Want less, use less, share more – a roadmap to 21st century global equality

Published on 2011-04-04 04:10:00

We need a revolution in our expectations to place equality at the heart of a new development paradigmIn the 20th century, increased production was a fairly successful response to absolute poverty, which had been the lot of most of the human race for > read more

NIGER: Chasing food security

Published on 2011-04-03 12:28:00

Six months before the start of the 2009 rainy season the government of Niger was warned the rains would fail. In the drought that followed, more than half the population - 7.8 million people - faced food shortages. It was the third food crisis in sev > read more

Learn from Failure

Published on 2011-04-03 11:53:00

See Video. > read more

Growth in India – the state of the trickle-down debate

Published on 2011-04-03 10:12:00

As India's economy roars ahead, economists, academics and politicians are asking: who does growth really benefit?A debate is raging in the newspapers between reputed economists over growth and development in India.The cheerleaders for growth are, as > read more

Spain's financial crisis claims another victim: the solar power industry

Published on 2011-04-03 06:02:00

The Spanish government has slashed its solar power subsidiesSpain had one of the world's most ambitious – and generous – plans to boost the amount of electricity it generates from the sun. That dream, for the solar industry at least, has turned s > read more

Korn Ferry - The view from the Boardroom

Published on 2011-04-03 05:32:00

ForewordThe events of the last two years put risk-related issues squarely on corporate boards’ front burner, and the flame remains on high. Board members are proactively rethinking their approach to risk, asking: How does risk inform our corporate > read more

Germany's biggest companies promise to promote more women

Published on 2011-04-03 04:59:00

Germany's top industrial companies have promised to recruit and promote more women, especially into executive management positions.The 30 companies listed on Frankfurt's Dax index of leading shares said after meeting ministers on Wednesday that they > read more

Ask-a-Recruiter: How to Get Back on Track After a Career Break

Published on 2011-04-03 02:58:00

How can you get your resume to the top of the stack when you’ve taken a break from your career to care for children or aging parents?You’re punctual, smart, determined, qualified. You’ve had great experience and have at least 3 years of tenure > read more

Africa rhinos face 'worst poaching crisis for decades

Published on 2011-04-02 13:07:00

Rhino populations in Africa are facing the "worst poaching crisis for decades," say conservationists.Over the past three years, gangs are said to have killed more than 800 rhinos for their horns, which can fetch £22,000 per kilo on the black market. > read more

What drives women out of entrepreneurship? The joint role of testosterone and culture

Published on 2011-04-02 05:53:00

Why are women so under-represented among entrepreneurs? Are women intrinsically ill-suited to the risk-taking and competition of entrepreneurship? Or is it social norms that impede them? The authors of CEPR DP8204 test these theories and argue that s > read more

Time's Running Out For New Disclosure

Published on 2011-04-02 04:52:00

A new type of disclosure brochure is due at the SEC by March 31 for most registered investment advisers. Dow Jones columnist Suzanne Barlyn speaks with Guy Talarico, chief executive of Alaric Compliance Services about finishing the task during the fi > read more

IKEA firma su primer Plan de Igualdad que persigue llegar al 50% de mujeres directivas en 2015

Published on 2011-04-02 04:35:00

¡Muy buena iniciativa! Ahora, ¿cómo está el resto del grupo, incluyendo el consejo de dirección?Onésimo Alvarez-MoroVer artículo:IKEA Ibérica ha firmado con los representantes sindicales su primer Plan de Igualdad en el que se recogen una ser > read more

Oil Spike: Back to the Future?

Published on 2011-04-02 02:53:00

Political risks, such as social upheavals in the Persian Gulf, terrorism, and future wars have the potential to significantly affect the global supply of oil and drive prices up. Ongoing events in the Middle East; rising demand for oil in developing > read more

UK solar panel subsidies slashed

Published on 2011-04-02 01:01:00

The UK government has proposed cuts of up to 70% to the feed in tariff for large scale solar energy production.The proposal would be implemented on the 1 August, reducing payments to farmers or owners of large commercial buildings.The industry has re > read more

How wiring the developing world can help save the planet

Published on 2011-04-01 17:37:00

Like most equatorial countries, Tanzania is feeling the impacts of climate change. Malaria is spreading to areas at ever-higher altitudes. Lake Victoria, which feeds the Nile, is retreating. The rainy season is starting later and getting shorter -- l > read more

Debunking myths about free-market environmentalism

Published on 2011-04-01 07:36:00

A recent post on Grist attempted to dismantle the intellectual foundations of free-market environmentalism -- the application of markets and property rights to solve environmental problems. But far from toppling a burgeoning movement within modern en > read more

Trust Barometer 2011

Published on 2011-04-01 06:53:00

On Tuesday 25 January 2011, Edelman launched its annual Trust Barometer, in Partnership with the Financial Times, on the eve of the official unveiling at the World Economic Forum in Davos.Richard Edelman, President & CEO, and Robert Phillips, CEO EME > read more

Climate Action Summit 2011

Published on 2011-04-01 04:40:00

When: Saturday 9th to Monday 11th AprilWhere: Melbourne, AustraliaClimate summit heads to Melbourne!Posted on 6 February 2011 by climatesummit2011The national Community Climate Network is holding its third summit for grassroots climate action groups > read more

Debunking myths about free-market environmentalism

Published on 2011-04-01 04:26:00

A recent post on Grist attempted to dismantle the intellectual foundations of free-market environmentalism -- the application of markets and property rights to solve environmental problems. But far from toppling a burgeoning movement within modern en > read more

Women and climate change

Published on 2011-04-01 03:31:00

A video from Gender CC, exploring why it is that women are worst affected by climate change.See Video page. > read more

Germany’s solar panels produce more power than Japan’s entire Fukushima complex 165

Published on 2011-04-01 03:16:00

Germany is the world leader in installed solar photovoltaic panels -- and they also just shut down seven of their oldest nuclear reactors. Coincidence? Maaaaybe ... Anyway, it's worth noting that just today, total power output of Germany's installed > read more

Giving clean energy developers cash works better than tax credits, stupid US policy notwithstanding

Published on 2011-04-01 00:38:00

One of the great undercovered aspects of U.S. energy policy is the fact that most of it happens through the tax code. That's one reason it's so unbearably lame.Why do we do energy policy this way? There are many reasons, but a big one is that decades > read more

Corn Ethanol: Who Pays? Who Benefits?

Published on 2011-03-31 10:42:00

In the first decade of the 21st Century, both the Bush and Obama Administrations, along with Congress, have been enamored of an energy policy that relies on federal mandates and production subsidies to promote ethanol use as a cure-all for a host of > read more

Energías alternativas: un negocio en alza en India

Published on 2011-03-31 09:51:00

Entre 2011 y 2012, el Gobierno indio invertirá 5.000 millones de euros en el desarrollo de las energías renovablesMientras el mundo entero se preocupa por el impacto que puede tener la guerra civil en Libia en los precios del crudo, el gasto del Go > read more

Madeleine Albright on Women and Leadership

Published on 2011-03-31 05:10:00

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speaks with Kelsey Hubbard about her path to the White House and the current state of women leaders.See Video page. > read more

Winning Support for Flexible Work

Published on 2011-03-31 04:52:00

Management experts have long predicted the demise of the standard 9-to-5 workday. Thanks to internet and mobile technology, we can now work where and when we want, they argue. So, why are so many people still sticking to those traditional hours, or m > read more

Chaves en Santander en el Foro sobre Igualdad

Published on 2011-03-31 01:22:00

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Benefits of Leaders Bringing in Their Social Values

Published on 2011-03-31 00:57:00

Leaders bringing their social values into the workplace are actually beneficial. This is the result of a study of chief executive officers (CEOs) and middle managers that was conducted in China.According to the study, employees were found to be happi > read more

Climate scientists battle brutal Arctic - CNN.com

Published on 2011-03-30 12:43:00

An elite group of scientists is heading to one of the coldest places on Earth to carry out vital research on global warming.The Arctic Circle that rings the North Pole is known as ground zero for climate change. It also has brutal weather that will b > read more

Sudáfrica y el reto de seguir creciendo en el sector de las energías renovables

Published on 2011-03-30 09:51:00

Según la consultora internacional Frost & Sullivan (F&S), el mercado de energías 'limpias' y, en especial, el segmento de paneles solares para el calentamiento de agua, ha aumentado significativamente en el sur de África en los últimos cuatro añ > read more

Fighting tax evasion

Published on 2011-03-30 07:19:00

Tax avoidance and tax evasion threaten government revenues. The US Senate estimates revenue losses from tax evasion by U.S.-based firms and individuals at around 100 billion dollars a year. In many other countries, the sums run into billions of euros > read more

Australia To Introduce Carbon Legislation By Year-End

Published on 2011-03-30 06:48:00

Australia will introduce legislation for a planned new carbon tax before the end of the year, setting the scene for a major test of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's minority Labor government.If Gillard succeeds in winning lawmaker approval for a fixed > read more

Fill the fund: Send your climate messages to the UN

Published on 2011-03-30 04:41:00

Help us ask the International Maritime Organisation to take bold action on climate change. Tweet your message to the IMO using #FilltheFund or post your comments below, and we’ll give the best messages to delegates meeting in March. Cancun saw the > read more

The full global warming solution: How the world can stabilize at 350 to 450 ppm

Published on 2011-03-30 02:09:00

This post is an update of a 2008 analysis I revised in 2009. A report by the International Energy Agency came to almost exactly the same conclusion as I did, and has relatively similar wedges, so I view that as a vindication of this overall analysis > read more

México lamenta incumplimiento de acuerdos de COP16 para crear el Fondo Verde

Published on 2011-03-29 23:47:00

El Gobierno mexicano lamentó hoy que las naciones desarrolladas no hayan cumplido algunos de los acuerdos de Cancún en la COP16 en diciembre pasado, en particular el de crear un Fondo Verde para fortalecer los programas contra el cambio climático. > read more

An SEC Rule on Global Pay Could Embarrass Companies

Published on 2011-03-29 11:24:00

Some are fighting a plan requiring companies to report the ratio between executive and median employee pay, including wages of overseas workersEvery year an insurer called Protective Life (PL) crunches the numbers for its shareholders to show the cos > read more

Women work to gain larger foothold in tech industry

Published on 2011-03-29 10:45:00

Historically, the tech industry has not been especially hospitable to women.In 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor released a list of the 20 leading occupations of employed women. None of them was in the technical field. That same year, only 3% of the > read more

Taxation, Innovation and the Environment

Published on 2011-03-29 07:20:00

Solving the world’s environmental problems could take a significant toll on economic growth if only today’s technologies are available. We know that innovation – the creation and adoption of new technologies and know-how – provides a means to > read more

Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus Says Borrowers Are Core of Grameen Bank

Published on 2011-03-29 06:55:00

Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is facing challenging times.On March 2, Bangladesh's central bank ruled that he must step down as managing director of Grameen Bank, the institution he founded in the 1970s to get small loans to poor farmers > read more

Introduction to climate economics: Why even strong climate action has such a low total cost

Published on 2011-03-29 02:10:00

In its definitive 2007 synthesis report of the scientific literature, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded:In 2050, global average macro-economic costs for mitigation towards stabilisation between 710 and 445ppm CO2-eq are b > read more

Business 'should lead' on global warming, says U.N. climate secretary

Published on 2011-03-29 01:44:00

Private businesses are better placed than governments to tackle global warming because they can act faster, according to panelists at CNN's climate change debate.High profile figures in the private sector and the United Nations agreed the urgency to > read more

Save our skins

Published on 2011-03-29 00:55:00

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17th Annual Directors’ College 2011

Published on 2011-03-28 15:07:00

Start: June 19, 2011, 7:00 AM End: June 21, 2011, 6:00 PM Where: Stanford Law School, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford CA 94305, USADIRECTORS’ COLLEGE is the nation’s premier executive education program for directors and senior executives of publi > read more

Green fuel tax angers cabbies

Published on 2011-03-28 07:50:00

TAXI fares will rise by up to 10 per cent if the federal government continues with a plan to tax the environmentally friendly alternative fuel LPG, the industry warns.Taxing alternative fuels - ethanol and LPG - has been the federal government's inte > read more

Tiny feet, small carbon footprints

Published on 2011-03-28 05:50:00

Catherine Lee, the People's Choice winner in the Earth Hour Awards, writes about the children learning to tread lightly on the planet.FROM outside the gates of The Point Preschool you can hear laughter and sounds of young children playing and delight > read more

Published on 2011-03-28 04:59:00

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OECD: Farmers should go 'Green'

Published on 2011-03-28 04:53:00

Farming accounts for 70 percent of water used in the world today. Kevin Parris, agriculture expert at the OECD, says climate change and water scarcity will mean farmers have be more efficient - use less water to produce the same amount of food at the > read more

Diez cosas que han cambiado para siempre en el Ártico

Published on 2011-03-28 04:38:00

El mes de febrero acaba de dejar otro mínimo histórico en la extensión del hielo ártico, según las últimas mediciones por satélite. El aumento de la temperatura está modificando la región y afectando a su fauna y sus habitantes. Estos son al > read more

Indian Globalization: How It Could Happen and How the U.S. Can Help

Published on 2011-03-28 03:15:00

Abstract:India has almost unmatched economic potential, but neither its prosperity nor its globalization are assured. India will realize one of four basic scenarios depending chiefly on the extent to which it reforms property rights and improves prim > read more

White House releases first comprehensive federal report on the status of american women in almost 50 years

Published on 2011-03-27 13:19:00

The White House released a new report entitled Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being, a statistical portrait showing how women are faring in the United States today and how their lives have changed over time. This is the fir > read more

Towards a green growth strategy

Published on 2011-03-27 12:06:00

Last month, Nathalie Girouard, the OECD Green Growth Strategy Coordinator, gave us an overview of the issues to be discussed at the Green Growth Strategy Workshop. We asked her to tell us about the discussions and the next steps towards defining the > read more

Better Policies to Support Eco-innovation

Published on 2011-03-27 08:03:00

How can governments support eco-innovation when technological options proliferate? How and why policies to support Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or Combined Heat and Power (CHP) in Canada, France and Germany differ?This report discusses policies t > read more

IFC promotes gender equality and inclusive development

Published on 2011-03-27 06:06:00

IFC, member of the World Bank group, is promoting gender equality and together with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a reception to recognize the efforts that IFC clients and partners in Europe, Balkans, Turkey, and Central Asia underta > read more

Trade Freedom Continues to Advance—Barely

Published on 2011-03-27 06:03:00

Abstract:The Heritage Foundation began ranking trade freedom around the world in 1995. The newest rankings (to appear in the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom) show global trade freedom as high as it has ever been. That is encouraging: Countries with hi > read more

Published on 2011-03-27 04:55:00

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La mayoría de las empresas no cuentan con programas para mujeres

Published on 2011-03-27 01:31:00

"El liderazgo de la mujer es un tema que aparece cada vez más en el mundo de los negocios y poco a poco se va afianzando en la agenda estratégica de los directores generales", opina Yolanda Gutiérrez, socia de Mercer, autores del reciente estudio > read more

Mercer capofila di uno studio congiunto

Published on 2011-03-26 16:27:00

Nei prossimi 20 anni la voce cambiamento climatico potrebbe incidere sul portfolio risk fino al 10%Gli investitori potranno approfittare della maggiore allocazione di risorse nel settore immobiliare, in quello delle infrastrutture, nel private equity > read more

Most employers in Canada without a strategy for developing women leaders, new Mercer survey shows

Published on 2011-03-26 14:24:00

Despite efforts among Canadian public and private sector organizations to achieve a diverse workforce, the overwhelming majority of them – 82 per cent – do not have a clear strategy or philosophy for the development of women into leadership roles > read more

Climate change - innovative solutions from Thailand

Published on 2011-03-26 11:23:00

Around the world, people are fighting climate change in extraordinary ways. In Thailand, Oxfam is working with rice farming communities. Innovative water pumps and new farming techniques are just two of the ways in which people are adapting.Rich coun > read more

Women - A work never done

Published on 2011-03-26 11:08:00

How women fare across different sectors of societyA CENTURY ago, women were scarcely allowed to vote, let alone stand for election. Today women hold seats in parliaments across the world, and in one case are even in a majority. This is one of many ac > read more

Innovation: How can governments boost green technologies?

Published on 2011-03-26 08:10:00

Governments looking to boost their economies, create jobs and meet environmental targets see eco-innovation as part of the solution. Some subsidise research and development. Others stimulate demand by labelling energy efficient appliances and regulat > read more

Published on 2011-03-26 00:50:00

La 13ª Edición de TEKTÓNICA ocupa al 100% el área de exposiciones de la FIL, con más sectores y todavia más actividades. Internacionalización, innovación y grandes debates con y para el sector, marcan la diferencia en la feria líder del sect > read more

Earth Hour begins today at 08:30 AM local time, what will you be doing? It is just one hour!

Published on 2011-03-25 19:30:00

Visit Earth Hour website. > read more

Better Policies to Support Eco-innovation

Published on 2011-03-25 08:13:00

How can governments support eco-innovation when technological options proliferate? How and why policies to support Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or Combined Heat and Power (CHP) in Canada, France and Germany differ?This report discusses policies t > read more

FRC to explore best practice by UK company boards in determining and managing their level of risk

Published on 2011-03-25 07:49:00

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), is to bring together company directors, investors and others to explore how companies are responding to the new UK Corporate Governance Code provision on Board’s responsibilities for risk. The FRC will conside > read more

La estrategia de crecimiento verde de la OCDE

Published on 2011-03-25 07:48:00

La Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) está preparando su Green Growth Strategy (La estrategia de crecimiento verde), donde elaboran planes para que el crecimiento futuro de los países y las políticas económicas > read more

OECD: For a better world economy

Published on 2011-03-25 07:36:00

Restoring stability, confidence and sustainable growth is the priority. The OECD is working with governments and international organisations to cut short the crisis and lay the foundations of a stronger, cleaner and fairer global economy.See Webcast. > read more

Ruled by Regulation

Published on 2011-03-25 03:58:00

How much fuel your car burns. What type of light bulb you buy. How much energy your appliances use. What kind of health plan you have. What do they have in common? Meet your hidden master: regulations.The devil’s in the details, the saying goes. An > read more

Women on Boards Report 2011

Published on 2011-03-25 02:52:00

Executive summary In 2010 women made up only 12.5% of the members of the corporate boards of FTSE 100 companies. This was up from 9.4% in 2004. But the rate of increase is too slow.The business case for increasing the number of women on corporate boa > read more

How Western Environmental Policies Are Stunting Economic Growth in Developing Countries

Published on 2011-03-25 01:01:00

Abstract:Governments and large agribusinesses are increasingly using the environmentalist movement and its policy arm of green nongovernmental organizations to justify imposing protectionist non-tariff barriers on developing countries. Wrong-headed e > read more

Women on Corporate Boards ‘Makes Good Business Sense’

Published on 2011-03-24 14:58:00

With few exceptions, corporate boards of directors have historically been composed of white men.That is changing, although slowly, as more companies — publicly-owned and private — come to the realization that it makes good business sense to invol > read more

The World Bank’s Role in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Multi-Donor Trust Fund

Published on 2011-03-24 13:44:00

The World Bank’s Role in the Extractive Industries - Transparency Initiative Multi-Donor Trust FundOverviewThe World Bank works to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the use of oil, gas, and mining revenues in resource-ric > read more

Climate Change Scenarios: Implications for Strategic Asset Allocation

Published on 2011-03-24 11:08:00

A continued delay in policy action and a lack of international coordination to tackle climate change could cost institutional investors trillions of dollars over the coming decades, finds a new report supported by IFC. The report, Climate Change Scen > read more

Published on 2011-03-24 06:01:00

The aim of this conference is to identify novel policy approaches to raise and sustain economic growth while strengthening social cohesion in mature, emerging-market and developing economies. The conference will allow participants to learn from each > read more

Financial Reporting Council publishes New Guidance on Board Effectiveness

Published on 2011-03-24 05:48:00

FRC PN 323The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today published new guidance to encourage the boards of listed companies to consider how they can lead their companies most effectively.‘Guidance on Board Effectiveness’ is one of a series of gu > read more

What bosses can learn from India's business leaders

Published on 2011-03-24 03:53:00

With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7.5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from their Indian counterparts.While Western economies continue to stutter, a report forecasts India will soon ret > read more

New World Bank Plan of Support for Africa

Published on 2011-03-24 01:48:00

With Africa facing an unprecedented opportunity to transform itself and improve the lives of its people, the World Bank is responding with a new, ambitious strategy which could help African economies take off, the way the economies of Asia did 30 yea > read more

How can more women land spots on company boards?

Published on 2011-03-23 15:58:00

A dearth of women in top executive positions has contributed to the lack of women on corporate boards. But new pathways to the boardroom are opening.It's a vicious cycle. A dearth of women in top executive positions has contributed to a lack of women > read more

Advancing Food Security in a Changing Climate

Published on 2011-03-23 13:41:00

Agricultural production needs to increase by 70% by 2050 to feed a world population of 9 billion.In the next 40 years, agricultural land will be lost to urbanization, desertification, sea level rise and increasingly salty water.Bangladesh, Kenya eye > read more

Can shareholders and management make it together?

Published on 2011-03-23 05:17:00

Like the farmer and the cowboy, shareholders and management can be friends too -- maybe not close friends. Signs of newfound respect are percolating between the two, often quarrelsome, parties.Informal polls of corporate board directors find that abo > read more

Leaders' social values drive staff loyalty, study finds

Published on 2011-03-23 03:48:00

New research shows that managers can benefit from bringing values into the workplace, as long as they do it right.A study of CEOs and their middle management in China found that employees were happier, and more likely to stay at a company, if their l > read more

Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective

Published on 2011-03-23 03:38:00

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) has released a report from the Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance titled, “Women in the boardroom: A global perspective.” The report, among the most comprehensive conducted on boardroom diversi > read more

Telling right from wrong starts at the top

Published on 2011-03-23 00:50:00

Managers say they want their employees to behave ethically. Yet corporate scandals occur with all the regularity of the seasons. If it's not cooking the books, it's fixing prices or selling tainted products. And these are just the scandals that make > read more

Corporate Governance in Chile

Published on 2011-03-22 07:26:00

This review of corporate governance in Chile describes the corporate governance setting including the structure and ownership concentration of listed companies and the structure and operation of the state-owned sector. It then examines the legal and > read more

Climate change and agriculture: Implications for the world’s poor

Published on 2011-03-22 05:31:00

Those who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods are among the most vulnerable to climate change – they also happen to be among the world’s poorest. This column argues that policymakers have a duty to help them adapt. It adds that the near-ter > read more

Complacent attitude to climate change must be stamped out

Published on 2011-03-22 04:46:00

There is a need to intensify global efforts ahead of the next UN summit in DurbanTwo internationally renowned economists have raised concerns over the current complacency about the scale of global efforts needed to combat climate change.Writing in th > read more

Sailing into the future

Published on 2011-03-22 04:31:00

Innovation is not just about new gadgets, but also about using old technologies in new and improved ways. Sails are a case in point, as SkySails GmbH & Co. KG explains.Consider this simple fact: wind is cheaper than oil and the most economic and envi > read more

Reaching Out to the Poorest

Published on 2011-03-22 03:00:00

In the spring of 1987, Alex Counts, a student at Cornell University, wrote to Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, and expressed his interest in working with one of the world’s first microfinance institutions.“God bless him, he wrote me back, > read more

Atomausstieg: Stuttgart will auf Ökostrom umstellen - Stuttgarter Zeitung

Published on 2011-03-22 01:58:00

Stuttgart - Mehr als die Hälfte aller Deutschen will nach der Katastrophe in Fukushima, dass die deutschen Atomkraftwerke schnell abgeschaltet werden - ihren persönlichen Atomausstieg haben bisher aber nur wenige Menschen vollzogen. Seit der Libera > read more

White Paper on Strengthening the Role of Institutional Investors in Latin American Corporate Governance

Published on 2011-03-21 14:31:00

Active and Informed Ownership to Support Better Corporate Governance in Latin America1. This White Paper on Strengthening the Role of Institutional Investors in Latin American Corporate Governance reflects the priority of the Latin American Roundt > read more

Responsible Business Summit USA

Published on 2011-03-21 14:14:00

When: 1-2 June, 2011Where: New York City, NY, USALearn how sustainability drives REAL business value for leading global companies.Get practical advice and best practice from the leading corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioners in the > read more

Transparency squared: the effects of aid transparency on recipients' corruption levels

Published on 2011-03-21 13:44:00

This article evaluates the hypothesis that increased donor transparency leads to lower levels of corruption. The authors explore the relationship between aid transparency (quantified by the breadth of project information provided by donors) and level > read more

The Second Corporate Governance Wave in the Middle East and North Africa

Published on 2011-03-21 10:28:00

The first wave of corporate governance awareness occurred in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) about a decade ago. It was propelled by a few specific trends. One of them was the drive to attract foreign investment, particularly by countries wit > read more

Keeping forests green

Published on 2011-03-21 10:16:00

Everyone knows that forests are our planets’ lungs. However pressure on forests is unrelenting and they are being cut down at a rate much faster then they can recover. Such deforestation produces over 17 per cent of the world’s annual carbon emis > read more

OECD guidelines for multinational companies

Published on 2011-03-21 04:14:00

The OECD works with business, unions and civil society to make sure that global companies act responsibly wherever they operate.See Webcast page. > read more

Where is microfinance headed? Essma Ben Hamida interview

Published on 2011-03-21 02:03:00

Why do so many capable people put their lives into building the microfinance industry? What do they hope to accomplish? What motivates them? Why do they think microfinance is a solution? Are they pleased with the results? The Center for Financial Inc > read more

Is transparency an effective anti-curruption strategy? Experimental research, single country analysis

Published on 2011-03-20 14:10:00

This paper by Leonid Peisakhin and Paul Pinto details an experimental study conducted in Delhi, India, to assess the effectiveness of transparency and access to information as anti-corruption tools. The writers provide empirical evidence to support t > read more

Corruption in India - A rotten state

Published on 2011-03-20 05:38:00

Graft is becoming a bigger problem—and the government should tackle it INDIANS’ anger over rising corruption has reached feverish levels. What people are calling a “season of scams” includes the alleged theft of billions by officials behind l > read more

Energy efficiency is an essential part of efforts to slash global CO2 emissions

Published on 2011-03-20 04:58:00

Improving energy efficiency and decarbonising the power and transportation sectors are essential steps which must be introduced to achieve a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, emphasised Ambassador Jones in his speech on 5 March at the Windsor E > read more

Africa: A source of 21st century growth?

Published on 2011-03-20 04:12:00

Is Africa finally on the move? The signs are promising.Rich in natural resources and with more than one billion people, it achieved five consecutive years of economic growth averaging more than 5% over 2004-08. In fact, private investment rose every > read more

Accountability and Transparency: a Guide for State Ownership

Published on 2011-03-20 02:24:00

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) play an important role in the ownership landscape and in global markets. How well these state-owned enterprises are governed has a significant impact on their performance and value, as well as on public finances, econom > read more

Microfinance Leaders Strive to Walk the Walk

Published on 2011-03-20 02:20:00

Beth Rhyne’s latest contribution to the Huffington Post examines specific steps that microfinance leaders are taking to respond to a legion of new challenges facing the industry.Vijay Mahajan, founder of the microfinance institution BASIX, and wide > read more

Environment: Households Going Green

Published on 2011-03-19 23:22:00

Mexicans and Koreans worry more about their environment than people in the Netherlands. And many Australians and Norwegians say their own actions can make a difference. These are some of the findings of a survey of 10 000 people across 10 countries > read more

Ecological agriculture = Romantic vision?

Published on 2011-03-19 13:22:00

Agriculture is facing numerous important problems: food supply, social justice, ecology, climate change. We are told by the agrochemical industry there is only one, simple, solution: the next level of the so-called “green revolution”. The story > read more

Passive smoking increases risk to unborn babies

Published on 2011-03-19 12:20:00

Pregnant non-smokers who breathe in the second-hand smoke of other people are at an increased risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects, a study led by researchers at The University of Nottingham has found.The study, published in the > read more

Proyecto pionero en México para reducir las emisiones de CO2

Published on 2011-03-19 12:06:00

En los refrigeradores de una pequeña cadena de restaurantes en México podría estar la clave para el éxito de un nuevo esquema que intenta reducir las emisiones de carbono entre pequeñas y medianas empresas en ese país.La cadena, cuyo nombre aú > read more

OECD announces new transparency and anti-corruption initiative

Published on 2011-03-19 08:21:00

The OECD is developing a new initiative to improve coordination of anti-corruption and transparency initiatives - first within its member countries, and then with all other relevant players, including governments, international organisations, NGOs an > read more

Diez cosas que han cambiado para siempre en el Ártico

Published on 2011-03-19 03:53:00

El mes de febrero acaba de dejar otro mínimo histórico en la extensión del hielo ártico, según las últimas mediciones por satélite. El aumento de la temperatura está modificando la región y afectando a su fauna y sus habitantes. Estos son al > read more

Microfinance for Bankers and Investors: Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of the Market at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Published on 2011-03-19 02:58:00

The microfinance industry has become a model of responsible finance that remains resilient and growing amidst a steep economic down-turn. The growth and increasing purchasing power of the vast global market of low-income people is attracting private > read more

Gender’s development dimension

Published on 2011-03-19 02:50:00

In ten years, China will have more boys than girls. SkeweCould action on gender help jumpstart efforts to make the Millennium Development Goals deadline by 2015? The third goal already explicitly aims to “promote gender equality and empower women > read more

The good, the bad and the 'green' — harnessing the potential of bacteria

Published on 2011-03-18 15:12:00

A diverse family of bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal illness in humans but could offer a greener alternative to petrol to power our cars will be the subject of a talk by a University of Nottingham academic at an international conference.Pr > read more

Women need more support to beat menopause 'taboo' in the workplace

Published on 2011-03-18 14:17:00

Working through the menopause presents a major challenge for millions of women as they struggle to deal with symptoms, according to new research.A study by The University of Nottingham found that the menopause is still treated as a ‘taboo’ subjec > read more

Energy poverty: The missing Millennium Development Goal?

Published on 2011-03-18 09:55:00

Over 1.4 billion people around the world do not have access to electricity, according to IEA analysisFollowing the UN General Assembly’s recent announcement that 2012 will be the 'International Year of Sustainable Energy for All’, the Internation > read more

Your tips for a greener 2011

Published on 2011-03-18 08:17:00

Over the last couple of weeks on Twitter we’ve been giving away some of the vintage jumpers we had left over from Turn Up The Style, Turn Down The Heat. One of the things we asked people to do for a chance to win one was tell us one thing they’ve > read more

The world's rubbish dump: a tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan

Published on 2011-03-18 07:47:00

A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish d > read more

Crude arguments

Published on 2011-03-18 05:11:00

Are taxes or crude oil prices to blame for expensive petrol?PETROL prices have risen steeply in rich countries, triggering heated arguments about whom or what is to blame. America’s energy department recently blamed a jump in petrol prices of 3.1 c > read more

Aligning Interests: Addressing Management and Stakeholder Incentives During Microfinance Institution Transformations

Published on 2011-03-18 02:56:00

There are numerous examples of transforming microfinance institutions in which the alignment or misalignment between the personal interests of key decision makers and the long-term interests of the institution affected the ultimate outcome and future > read more

Oh, Mr Porter

Published on 2011-03-17 16:28:00

The new big idea from business’s greatest living guru seems a bit undercookedHE HAS been one of the world’s leading business thinkers for three decades. His work on strategy forms the foundation-stone of business-school courses the world over. Bu > read more

The Sustainable Business Summit 2011

Published on 2011-03-17 09:08:00

The case for environmentally and socially sustainable business grows ever stronger. Consumers are more vocal, governments more strict, pressure groups more powerful and competitors more savvy, meaning that corporate social responsibility has moved fr > read more

Corruption in India A million rupees now

Published on 2011-03-17 07:27:00

Congress drags its feet over tackling graft. It may pay a high price THE prime minister’s loyalty to his friends looks to be ever more a fault. This week parliament grilled Manmohan Singh over his latest failure to fight corruption and his habit of > read more

A rotten state

Published on 2011-03-17 04:25:00

Graft is becoming a bigger problem—and the government should tackle itINDIANS’ anger over rising corruption has reached feverish levels. What people are calling a “season of scams” includes the alleged theft of billions by officials behind la > read more

Environmental Fallout from the Japanese Earthquake

Published on 2011-03-17 02:41:00

I've had a recurring thought today, among the many others jostling for my attention as I follow events in Japan: the earthquake there could have serious, substantial, unexpected long-term environmental consequences across the globe.My thinking is thi > read more

Wind and solar power are leaving nuclear in the dust

Published on 2011-03-17 01:41:00

We often hear that wind and solar power are nice, but they can’t deliver the power that we need. So there were probably a few raised eyebrows last week when I was quoted (here and here) saying that “Wind and solar energy are the new Niagara Falls > read more

Child brides - For poorer, most of the time

Published on 2011-03-17 00:04:00

In some parts of the world marrying young is a social normIN SOUTH Asia and sub-Saharan Africa 38% of women marry before they are 18 years old. Child marriages, as defined by UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, are those undertaken by > read more

Greater transparency in oil and gas sector is essential to stop corruption in resource rich countries

Published on 2011-03-16 15:19:00

Oil and gas companies have improved the transparency of how they report revenues and information about anti-corruption programmes but should take bolder actions to stop corruption, according to a new report by Transparency International (TI) and Reve > read more

How can better models of change sharpen up our work on development?

Published on 2011-03-16 12:35:00

Regular visitors to this blog will know that I’ve been doing quite a lot of floundering about thinking on different models of change (e.g. what triggered the revolution in Egypt? What does complexity theory add to/subtract from our thinking about d > read more

Reforming Quality of Global Food Aid Critical to Fight Childhood Malnutrition

Published on 2011-03-16 12:01:00

Top Donor Countries Must End Double Standard of Supplying Nutritionally Substandard Foods to Young Children in Malnutrition ‘Hotspots'The world’s top food aid donors, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Union, continue to > read more

Greater gender equality - a moral and economic imperative, says OECD’s Gurría

Published on 2011-03-16 08:16:00

Greater gender equality would lead to stronger and fairer economic growth, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said.Speaking at an OECD event to mark International Women’s Day Mr Gurría said achieving gender equality was a moral imperative as wel > read more

Creating low carbon communities

Published on 2011-03-16 07:40:00

When: Monday 21st March 9.30am - 5.30pmWhere: The Guildhall, Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HH, UKCreating Low Carbon Communities, being held on the first day of Climate Week, is the first national event bringing together community-based low-carbon pro > read more

Promoting Revenue Transparency - 2011 Report on oil and gas companies

Published on 2011-03-16 05:10:00

Many countries home to great resource wealth are also home to some of the world’s poorest communities. If companies were more transparent about payments made to governments to exploit oil and gas resources, there would be less room for corruption a > read more

What’s China doing in Africa (including Libya) and to the climate?

Published on 2011-03-16 02:42:00

China may now be the world’s second-biggest economy, but some of its provinces by themselves would rank fairly high in the global league. This map from a recent Economist shows the nearest equivalent country. For example, Guangdong’s GDP (at mark > read more

Emission reduction target won't be met: TruEnergy

Published on 2011-03-15 14:44:00

NSW power utilities should invest in efficient technology, new LNG developments in Queensland are certain to push up domestic gas prices, and a carbon price alone won't be enough to get Australia "anywhere near" the 2020 emission reduction target, ac > read more

MSF Treats Women with Fistulas And Works to Prevent Them

Published on 2011-03-15 11:51:00

Obstetric fistulas are one of the most serious consequences of obstructed laborDespite this proverb, labor can often last many days in Africa, where a majority of women give birth at home. When a woman with obstructed labor is finally brought to the > read more

What holds women back at work?

Published on 2011-03-15 11:46:00

Childcare, lack of role models and stereotyping and preconceptions of abilities...According to new research the biggest barrier to women getting senior jobs is the need to balance work and family responsibilities, 82% of female managers and 54% of ma > read more

The basics of bankruptcy laws

Published on 2011-03-15 09:16:00

In every aspect of life, there seem to be people who try to cheat the system, even when it comes to bankruptcy. These people who are filing bankruptcy are living in a fancy house and driving a nice car. To prevent such fraud, bankruptcy laws have bee > read more

Responsible Business 2011

Published on 2011-03-15 06:48:00

When: Thursday 17th & Friday 18th MarchWhere: Business Design Centre, London, UKA two day not for profit convention and exhibition for corporate and voluntary sector professionals. The convention will focus on encouraging long-term responsible bu > read more

El gobierno debe subir los impuestos sobre la gasolina

Published on 2011-03-15 04:50:00

La semana pasada, el gobierno de España anunció una serie de medidas que tienen el objetivo de reducir el consumo de energía, comentado en estas páginas por Fran, con el más llamativo, por no decir el más criticado incluyendo por Remo en estas > read more

World biofuels markets conference

Published on 2011-03-15 03:40:00

Scaling up production of algal biofuelsAlgae have real potential to become an economically viable feedstock for third generation biofuels. Breakthroughs are being made in research and technology, investors are interested and pioneering companies are > read more

Good Intentions

Published on 2011-03-14 14:21:00

The credit crisis has compelled companies to take a more holistic view of social responsibilityWhen the going gets tough, costly good intentions can go out the window. Company spending has been squeezed by the global recession and budgets for corpora > read more

Awards for Excellence - 2011

Published on 2011-03-14 08:24:00

The Awards for Excellence are independent and peer assessed corporate responsibility awards. Run in association with the Financial Times, the awards recognise and celebrate those companies who have shown innovation, creativity and a sustained commitm > read more

Singaporean TV Personality and Earth Hour Ambassador Nadya Hutagalung shares her tips for going beyond the hour

Published on 2011-03-14 08:12:00

I am just one person, what can I do to make a meaningful difference? These are the words I hear all too often.The thing is, it's really easy and important to make positive change as an individual. I am going to share with you one easy thing you can d > read more

Published on 2011-03-14 04:54:00

The UBM Responsible Partnerships Exhibition will feature over 150 exhibitors from selected charities, voluntary organisations and social programmes. Visitors will have plenty of opportunities to explore and develop the strategic alliances and busines > read more

Ensure that your staff keep in touch

Published on 2011-03-14 04:14:00

Any wise entrepreneur is well advised in taking the trouble to equip each employee with the means to keep in contact by purchasing business cell phones. There are several factors to consider when making a decision about buying this invaluable asset f > read more

BBC - Climate Change Experiment Results

Published on 2011-03-14 02:45:00

> read more

El concepto de desarrollo humano según las Naciones Unidas

Published on 2011-03-14 00:05:00

Esta semana en nuestra sección de Economistas Notables, hablamos del gran economista el Nobel Amartya Sen y, en ese resumen de su vida y de su pensamiento también comentamos su importante contribución a las organizaciones multilaterales y su impul > read more

Melting ice sheets fuelling sea-level rise, warns Nasa

Published on 2011-03-13 16:44:00

Melting ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland could overtake mountain glaciers as the main contributors to rising sea levels, US scientists say.A study lasting nearly 20 years has revealed that huge amounts of melted ice are pouring into the oceans. > read more

Conservative uprising targets carbon tax

Published on 2011-03-13 16:35:00

The Gillard carbon tax is under attack from groups using the internet to rally opposition. Some of them have links to the Liberal Party, but others are not aligned with any political organisation. There's even talk of an American Tea Party-style peop > read more

6th Annual Sustainable Development UK Conference

Published on 2011-03-13 13:56:00

When: Thursday 17th March 2011Where: QE11 Conference Centre, London, UKSDUK 2011 prides itself on being the leading event for those at the forefront of sustainable development in the UK. Over the past five years, SDUK has established itself as the le > read more

World's sixth mass extinction may be underway - study

Published on 2011-03-13 13:38:00

Mankind may have unleashed the sixth known mass extinction in Earth's history, according to a paper released on Wednesday by the science journal Nature.Over the past 540 million years, five mega-wipeouts of species have occurred through naturally-ind > read more

The World Bank gender team responds; lessons from successful women’s rights coalitions; male attitudes to violence against women: some reading for International Women’s Day

Published on 2011-03-13 12:38:00

Some International Women’s Day reading at the wonky end of the spectrum.Firstly, an excellent response from its co-directors (Ana Ravenga and Sudhir Shetty) to my earlier post on this year’s World Development Report on Gender Equality, whose webs > read more

Climate change threatens poverty fight, report warns

Published on 2011-03-13 07:35:00

Climate change threatens to undo years of work to tackle poverty in developing countries, a report warned today.The study by Forum for the Future and supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) said strong, urgent action was need > read more

Corruption: the stuff of entertaining movies

Published on 2011-03-13 04:13:00

Government corruption often involves big power plays and causes pain to many individuals and groups—that’s why corruption stories are so compelling. Hollywood has used this theme in a number of films.The money-making scheme that brought down seve > read more

Woman to woman, a commitment

Published on 2011-03-12 11:32:00

Take a few minutes to read what these celebrities have to say. And then follow their advice and take action in support of women worldwide.As you may have read in my colleague Bob Ferguson’s latest blog, Oxfam has a lot of really cool friends. Music > read more

Responsible Business Convention 2011

Published on 2011-03-12 07:40:00

Moving towards a sustainable business model: global opportunities and challengesAs we enter 2011, there is growing evidence that virtually every CEO worth their salt sees sustainability as vital to future business success. This is not just the case w > read more

Renewable heating subsidy scheme to be unveiled

Published on 2011-03-12 06:46:00

Subsidies for renewable heating systems in England, Scotland and Wales will be announced later by the government.Money will be given to those who choose technologies such as wood chip burners instead of cheaper but more polluting fossil fuel heating > read more

Greens' support for a sovereign wealth fund to quarantine mining proceeds deserves praise

Published on 2011-03-12 06:43:00

MANY business leaders are naturally sceptical of the policy positions the Greens adopt.From advocating carbon pollution reduction while also railing against nuclear power, to pushing a social rights agenda despite a narrow party name like "the Greens > read more

Bottled it! Jennifer Aniston’s dirty dancing babies “sex tape” is a bad move

Published on 2011-03-12 02:08:00

There is no harm in seeing the video but buying the water, where it has nothing to do with the matter, is something else.Spending millions on an ad for a personality to tell us something is good does not make it so.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Je > read more

Rebuilding Trust after Government Corruption and Scandals come to light

Published on 2011-03-11 23:09:00

It’s no secret that young people are cynical when it comes to the political process and government institutions. This cynicism manifests itself in the abysmally low turnout statistics for young voters. One main cause of this pessimism is government > read more

How to organize an event for Earth Hour (by doing more than turning off your lights)

Published on 2011-03-11 21:49:00

On March 26 at 8:30 pm local time, individuals, businesses and landmarks will turn off their lights for 60 minutes in a coordinated effort to raise awareness of climate change.The annual international event, organized by environmental group WWF, bega > read more

Empowering Women: What's the Best Method?

Published on 2011-03-11 11:03:00

Yesterday was the 100th International Women's Day and we asked our loyal social media followers what the best method to empower women is. We recieved a ton of great responses and we wanted to share them with you. Below is a "Storify" summary of the o > read more

Uniting Business and Communities Through CSR

Published on 2011-03-11 10:01:00

I constantly work with corporate responsibility executives and directors of human resources to create programs that impact the communities they want to serve as well as the employees whose lives they want to enrich outside of work. I connected with L > read more

Business concerned on gender equality

Published on 2011-03-11 04:36:00

The federal government says it won't do business with companies not engaging in gender equality but the opposition says some industries that employ more men than women will be unfairly penalised.The warning's come from opposition spokeswoman for the > read more

Madrid: Jornadas en defensa de lo común

Published on 2011-03-11 03:26:00

Fecha: 11 y 12 de marzo de 2011Lugar: Lugar: Tabacalera (C/ Embajadores, 2), Madrid, EspañaPrograma Jornadas Madrid sin EspperanzaJornadas Madrid sin Espperanza. En defensa de lo común18:30 pm-21:00 pm. Mesa “Madrid: 15 años de laboratorio neoli > read more

Tackling Corruption State by State with Legislation

Published on 2011-03-11 03:11:00

State governments in the United States have looked at various ways to reduce corruption and influence-peddling. While it’s difficult to anticipate every scheme or trick that unscrupulous public officials or lobbyists might try, having the right sa > read more

Breakthrough in Biofuels? Maybe

Published on 2011-03-11 01:53:00

Scientists have pioneered a process for producing isobutanol directly from cellulose, according to research published in the online journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.“Unlike ethanol, isobutanol can be blended at any ratio with gasoline > read more

Wind turbines bad for health: US doctor

Published on 2011-03-10 23:39:00

THE American doctor who pioneered controversial research into the health effects of living near wind turbines will be the first witness at a Senate inquiry into the issue.Nina Pierpont, who uses the term Wind Turbine Syndrome, will appear by teleconf > read more

Carbon deadline likely to be missed: the government will struggle to gain business good will

Published on 2011-03-10 14:44:00

WHILE a countdown to a carbon tax in 2012 has started, many factors could cause the launch to be deferred.Thanks to the landmark agreement between the government and the Greens, we now know the government proposes a carbon tax to start on July 1, 201 > read more

The Trouble With Focusing on Women and Girls

Published on 2011-03-10 12:01:00

It may come as a surprise that International Women’s Day was met with lukewarm enthusiasm at ForbesWoman headquarters. Feelings ranged from “but we cover women everyday,” to “what the heck is international women’s day?” to “yawn.”Call > read more

Can Algae Biofuel Get America To Kick Its Foreign Oil Addiction?

Published on 2011-03-10 09:48:00

The Future Will Be Paved With Pond ScumWith oil prices reaching $105 a gallon for the first time since 2008, the biofuel industry is looking more attractive every day. As global demand rises and petroleum supplies diminish, countries are turning to a > read more

North Korea Goes Green

Published on 2011-03-10 06:00:00

North Korea said it plans to sell carbon offsets from a series of hydropower projects if it can find anyone stupid enough to buy them. Apparently, the United Nations, which is responsible for approving carbon offsets, has expressed interest in appro > read more

Showcasing Successes in “Banking Beyond Branches”

Published on 2011-03-10 04:19:00

Around the world, banks, mobile network operators and others are using innovative ways to make financial services more accessible and affordable for the poor.These new banking services, what we call “banking beyond branches,” are built by leverag > read more

Sir Richard Branson - the force of good

Published on 2011-03-10 02:57:00

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Ronald Reagan: The Father of CSR

Published on 2011-03-09 23:19:00

As bizarre as it may seem, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher conceived a love child. Today the demanding adolescent goes by a number of aliases, but most business people call it Corporate Social Responsibility.Before you start protesting, hear me o > read more

When Energy Efficiency Sullies the Environment

Published on 2011-03-09 10:40:00

This is not a simple question, but then, nothing about dirty laundry is simple anymore. We’ve come far since the carefree days of 1996, when Consumer Reports tested some midpriced top-loaders and reported that “any washing machine will get clothe > read more

Audit industry faces major overhaul

Published on 2011-03-09 06:55:00

THE BUSINESS SECRETARY has pledged to remove the need for accounts filing and audits for tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.Vince Cable said under the proposals, which the government is consulting on, small companies would no long > read more

Goldman, State Dept. team up to help women

Published on 2011-03-09 06:12:00

A woman in a developing country running her own small business can face any number of obstacles: discrimination, limited access to funding and little education on how to manage the balance sheet of her company or win more customers.To give these wome > read more

Africa's Future and the World Bank's Support to it

Published on 2011-03-09 02:15:00

With Africa facing an unprecedented opportunity to transform itself and improve the lives of its people, the World Bank is responding with a new, ambitious strategy which could help African economies take off.KEY AREASCompetitiveness and employmentVu > read more

Para que la transparencia cuente

Published on 2011-03-09 00:34:00

Aproximadamente 3500 millomes de personas viven en países ricos en petróleo, gas y minerales, pero muchas de esas personas sufren de pobreza, corrupción y conflictos derivados por la débil aplicación de las leyes.En al menos 35 países con rique > read more

Microfinance struggles to restore its reputation

Published on 2011-03-08 23:08:00

Long heralded as a way to lift the downtrodden out of poverty, microfinance has come under a cloud.The stories of lives being changed by a $27 microloan and picture perfect scenes of smiling women with colorful handlooms, empowered by affordable cred > read more

Transforming Climate Challenges into Growth Opportunities

Published on 2011-03-08 18:19:00

Kenyans are set to reap the rewards of a new initiative to help local companies develop and deploy climate friendly technologies that will create thousands of new green jobs.The world’s first Climate Innovation Center (CIC) will be established in N > read more

Las mujeres son menos que los hombres en la empresa

Published on 2011-03-08 16:41:00

Como muchos sabemos, hoy es el Día Internacional de la Mujer y el debate continúa sobre la situación de la mujer en el mundo empresarial. Bueno, el debate continúa para los que no les gusta las estadísticas y los estudios que demuestran claramen > read more

The World Bank’s Role in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Multi-Donor Trust Fund

Published on 2011-03-08 09:13:00

OverviewThe World Bank works to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the use of oil, gas, and mining revenues in resource-rich countries through the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). From an initial seven cou > read more

Call for Partners to Join Global Green Growth Platform

Published on 2011-03-08 04:08:00

“A new way of thinking needed” says World Bank Vice PresidentPointing to the “inherently unsustainable development path we are on,” World Bank Vice President Inger Andersen today called on governments, international aid agencies, and other de > read more

Día Internacional de la Mujer 2011

Published on 2011-03-08 02:41:00

Este año se celebra el centésimo aniversario del Día Internacional de la Mujer. El día se celebró por primera vez el 19 de marzo de 1911 en Austria, Dinamarca, Alemania y Suiza, después de que fuera creado, el año precedente, durante la reuni > read more

Accountancy Age best practices conference 2011

Published on 2011-03-08 00:58:00

The recession has done its worst and the economy is showing signs of recovery. Accountancy firms should no longer be in survival mode but pushing at full throttle for growth and development. The task is not easy however.The big firms in the professio > read more

International Women's Day

Published on 2011-03-07 22:42:00

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Día Internacional de la mujer

Published on 2011-03-07 21:39:00

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World Economic Forum report focusses on sustainable investing

Published on 2011-03-07 15:47:00

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released Accelerating the Transition towards Sustainable Investing – Strategic Options for Investors, Corporations and other Key Stakeholders.The paper asks 'What are key pathways for investors, corporations and o > read more

UK ASB issues Financial Reporting Exposure Draft: Amendments to FRS 29

Published on 2011-03-07 14:44:00

The UK Accounting Standards Board (ASB) of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published Financial Reporting Exposure Draft: Proposed Amendments to FRS 29 (IFRS) 'Financial Instruments: Disclosures': Disclosures — Transfers of Financial Asset > read more

Europe’s Missing Green Vision by Jules Kortenhorst

Published on 2011-03-07 07:45:00

European heads of state, energy ministers, and the European Union are actively debating climate and energy policy at a series of summits in the coming weeks. If the decisions they take are to matter, the leaders must work to understand the changing n > read more

India finalises IFRS-converged standards, implementation date yet to be announced

Published on 2011-03-07 06:00:00

The Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued 35 Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) that are converged with International Financial Reporting Standards and announced their 'phased implementation' once certain Indian tax and other issues > read more

Carbon tax 'may not reduce CO2'

Published on 2011-03-07 05:33:00

When the government changed the terms of a new tax on the carbon emissions of large companies in last year's Spending Review, it was accused of hitting firms with a "green stealth tax".Money raised through the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) will n > read more

Maximising the efficiency of the CRC

Published on 2011-03-07 03:37:00

A proposal to ensure energy efficiencies translate into genuine emissions reductionsExecutive summaryThe Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) was introduced by the Government to encourage organisations using more than 6,000MWh e > read more

Economía verde ¿cómo construir un modelo ecológico?

Published on 2011-03-06 23:31:00

El índice Planeta Vivo Global del World Wide Fund of Nature (WWF) estableció una duplicación en la demanda humana sobre la biosfera en los últimos 46 años.En un sentido similar, denunció una disminución en la población de vertebrados cercana > read more

Meet Adam Farkas: Europe's most important man in banking regulation

Published on 2011-03-06 14:52:00

A Hungarian professor of economics – who held the position of head of his country’s market watchdog for just over a year – has been awarded one of the most important regulatory roles in Europe.Dr Adam Farkas, the ex-head of Hungary’s capital > read more

Board diversity key to avoiding groupthink: Financial Reporting Council

Published on 2011-03-06 13:51:00

The UK's Financial Reporting Council has stressed again the importance of diversification at company board level, in new guidance published today to accompany its corporate governance code.Its report comes a week after Lord Davies said that FTSE100 c > read more

Human Development Reports (HDR) | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Published on 2011-03-06 06:45:00

Some of the issues and themes currently considered most central to human development include:Social progress - greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services.Economics – the importance of economic growth as a means to reduce ineq > read more

Why development needs to reimagine the future

Published on 2011-03-06 04:40:00

As globalism and technology proceed rapidly, and as we run out of natural resources, international development must invest in thinking about the futureI am a touch obsessed with the future. And others are too. For a real "report from the future" you > read more

¿Qué hacer para aliviar la crisis alimentaria?

Published on 2011-03-06 02:49:00

Hace unos días mi compañero, Lucerito, nos comentó que el incremento de los precios de los alimentos han batido registros históricos. Basándose en información de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FA > read more

UN agency publishes first in series of books on ‘green economy’ for development

Published on 2011-03-06 01:27:00

The United Nations agency tasked with promoting the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy has published the first in a series of books focusing on “green” economic growth, which entails a low-carbon, reso > read more

Food prices: a looming crisis?

Published on 2011-03-05 23:48:00

The cost of food is of constant concern for many of the world’s poorest people. Food prices are once again on the rise, passing the levels reached during the crisis of 2007-08 that pushed the number of hungry people in the world over 1 billion.We a > read more

Glaciares argentinos calientan pelea entre gobierno, oposición y ambientalistas

Published on 2011-03-05 15:52:00

Hace cinco meses el Senado argentino aprobó por abrumadora mayoría una legislación para proteger a los glaciares del país de los efectos negativos de la minería.Hoy en día, sin embargo, la oposición y grupos ambientalistas acusan al gobierno d > read more

The People Reloaded: The Green Movement And The Struggle For Iran’s Future

Published on 2011-03-05 15:02:00

Protesters against oppression and corruption often look to historical movements, relying on tales from other lands and periods for inspiration or even borrowing specific techniques. In Iran, such a citizen movement emerged after the 12 June 2009 ele > read more

'People's watchdog' touted to keep UK green

Published on 2011-03-05 13:04:00

Sustainability experts are planning to set up a people's watchdog on green government when the spending axe falls on the official body next month.The proposal was aired on Tuesday at a meeting of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) whose 10- > read more

'Unethical' fish discards must end, says EU commission

Published on 2011-03-05 06:47:00

The European Commission has set out ideas for ending fish discards.Currently, EU boats in the North Sea have to throw away up to half of what they catch to stay within their quotas.Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki proposes instead to regulate fl > read more

EU backs away from 30% emissions target, leak shows

Published on 2011-03-05 04:04:00

The European Commission will not call for tougher targets on carbon emmissions despite analysis showing doing so would be cost-effective.On Tuesday the commission will unveil a road-map on climate and energy policy.Its own analysis said that an EU ta > read more

US climate cuts threaten isolation

Published on 2011-03-05 02:50:00

The latest flirtations of the US political right with "climate denial" look set to marginalise the country even further within the global community of nations - at least when it comes to climate change.The key to all this is the advance made by the R > read more

Control Arms Coalition: Time to get serious on the Arms Trade Treaty

Published on 2011-03-04 23:45:00

International humanitarian organization Oxfam joins today campaigners calling on governments meeting at the United Nations to ensure no weapons or munitions are sold to human rights abusers. The call comes as delegates meet this week to resume negoti > read more

Gendercide: The World Wide War On Baby Girls

Published on 2011-03-04 13:04:00

In ten years, China will have more boys than girls. Skewed sex ratios, a result of infanticide and sex-selective abortions, have become a huge problem not only in China, but also in India, South Korea, Singapore, and even some ex-Soviet states. Reaso > read more

Los buenos jefes sintonizan con sus trabajadores

Published on 2011-03-04 12:35:00

La actuación de nuestros jefes es importante, ya que fijan el camino a seguir en la empresa y son determinantes en el desarrollo de sus organizaciones, no sólo por los recursos que dedican, pero por el ambiente que crean y que permiten crearse. El > read more

EU call to step up energy efficiency seen as weak

Published on 2011-03-04 10:38:00

EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week are set to call for the region's internal energy market to be completed by 2014, together with greater efforts to achieve a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020.Draft conclusions for the special en > read more

Commission concedes EU emission target is too small

Published on 2011-03-04 06:36:00

Europe needs to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25 percent over the next decade, rather than the currently agreed 20 percent, if the bloc is to meet a longer-term goal for 2050, a communication to be published by the European Commission next month is set > read more

EU moots link between resource efficiency and budgetary targets

Published on 2011-03-04 04:37:00

The European Commission is preparing to publish a set of resource efficiency targets in a paper this summer, potentially forcing member states to limit their consumption of fuels, minerals and water, amongst other items.Presenting the commission's se > read more

Hot, Flat And Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution And How It Can Renew America

Published on 2011-03-04 02:02:00

Over the past decade, I have traveled with Glenn to some of the world's biodiversity hot spots and other endangered regions where CI is working - from the Pantanal wetlands in southwestern Brazil to the Atlantic rain forest on Brazil's coast, from th > read more

Oil and gas companies tarnish EU reputation

Published on 2011-03-03 23:19:00

EU leaders are being criticised for lacking a strong voice in north Africa. If they want to have a positive influence in the region, they would do well to look at the impact of their national corporate reporting rules, or lack of them.It is no coinci > read more

Los precios de la alimentación han subido mucho y siguen subiendo

Published on 2011-03-03 13:37:00

Los precios a nivel mundial siguen subiendo. Llaman la atención los productos estrella, como son el petroleo y el gas e, incluso, los metales estrella como el oro. Si añadimos el fuerte incremento de las otras materias primas y de la alimentación, > read more

Working to prove benefits of more women at the top

Published on 2011-03-03 09:51:00

Helena Morrissey is sometimes hesitant to voice her opinion. She frequently finds herself the only woman in a group of powerful businessmen. And the chief executive of London-based money manager Newton Investment Management Ltd., with roughly $71 bil > read more

EU ministers blow cold on tougher energy efficiency targets

Published on 2011-03-03 06:33:00

EU energy ministers faced criticism on Monday (28 February) over a decision to ease up on tougher EU energy efficiency targets, even as turmoil in Libya kept oil prices hovering around the $100-a-barrel mark.Speaking at a hearing in the European Parl > read more

Banks and Risk: The Rocky Relationship Persists

Published on 2011-03-03 04:17:00

We’ve all heard the dutiful dictates: If a bank is serious about risk management, then it will be serious from the top down. Surprisingly—or maybe not—the framework for risk management in a bank is fundamentally no different today than it was p > read more

Muhammad Yunus court case against sacking

Published on 2011-03-03 02:58:00

Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has launched a legal battle, one day after he was sacked from the Grameen microfinance bank he founded.Prof Yunus lodged a case in Bangladesh's High Court challenging his dismissal from the post, lawyers said > read more

Lord Stern: West must end hesitation over climate change

Published on 2011-03-03 00:36:00

Prince Charles and Lord Stern were among the prominent speakers in the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (9 February) who warned Europe and its Western allies against a slowdown in the fight against climate change.Current economic difficul > read more

India anti-corruption chief PJ Thomas forced to resign

Published on 2011-03-02 23:02:00

The head of India's anti-corruption watchdog has been forced to resign by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he himself faces corruption charges.PJ Thomas was appointed by the government last year.But the court overturned the appointment because o > read more

Commissioner Hedegaard Keynotes 2011 Eco-Innovation Summit

Published on 2011-03-02 13:22:00

The 2011 Eco-Innovation Summit convened under the timely theme of Cancún and Beyond: Europe’s Next Steps on the Road to a Low-Carbon Economy and Sustainable Future. At the occasion of her first major speech after the COP16, Connie Hedegaard, Europ > read more

El "banquero de los pobres" se niega a aceptar la destitución de su propio banco

Published on 2011-03-02 06:24:00

El premio Nobel de la Paz de 2006, el bangladeshí Mohamed Yunus, se negó hoy a aceptar la destitución ordenada por el Banco de Bangladesh como director ejecutivo del Grameen Bank, la entidad concesionaria de microcréditos que le valió el apelati > read more

Climate, Energy and Competitiveness: An Eight-Point Programme

Published on 2011-03-02 06:16:00

On the eve of the European Council on energy and innovation policy, Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and co-chair of the Lisbon Council's Eco-Innovators Network, issues a far-reaching Eight-Point Programme for addressing the > read more

The High Cost of the "Water Gap"

Published on 2011-03-02 04:00:00

The causes are many, but the outcome is the same: A global water shortage is becoming a serious threat as a growing population and global industrialization in many countries increases the demand for water. Water security, therefore, is a crucial issu > read more

Corruption Threatens India's Growth

Published on 2011-03-02 03:16:00

A spate of high-profile corruption scandals has rocked the Indian government in the last few months and is threatening foreign investor confidence. The scams include allegations of graft against officials responsible for last year's Commonwealth game > read more

Save the Planet, Feed the Planet

Published on 2011-03-02 01:02:00

Reducing waste and achieving a zero-landfill goal are admirable goals for any corporate sustainability project. Going further by reducing food waste and redirecting the excess to feed the hungry is a truly extraordinary achievement. Our work on such > read more

Sustainability—A Product Life-Cycle Approach

Published on 2011-03-01 21:54:00

Turning corporate sustainability pledges into real business targetsThere is a lot more to measuring a company’s total environmental impact than merely examining internal processes. It requires a product life-cycle approach to sustainability--from g > read more

"Green" Winners

Published on 2011-03-01 15:50:00

The performance of sustainability-focused companies during the financial crisisAs companies cut costs to get through the current global economic slowdown, there is often a temptation to abandon recent forays into sustainability. Yet a new A.T. Kearne > read more

Combet stands by 5pc emissions target

Published on 2011-03-01 11:19:00

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has poured cold water on suggestions Australia should lift its emissions reduction target, saying conditions required by the Federal Government to do so have not been met.The current commitment is to reduce greenho > read more

A guide to 'How-to' Guides on Corporate Responsibility

Published on 2011-03-01 04:10:00

This latest guide; reviews over 60 practical, relevant and timely guides for practitioners in the field of corporate responsibility (CR).For inclusion in the review, guides had to achieve the following criteria: Is it practical and relevant?; Is it e > read more

Brasil: prohíben la construcción de megarepresa en Amazonas

Published on 2011-03-01 03:49:00

Un tribunal de Brasil suspendió los planes de construcción del gran proyecto hidroeléctrico en la selva amazónica -la megarepresa de Belo Monte- por razones ambientales.El juez federal, Ronaldo Desterro, señaló que la agencia de Medio Ambiente > read more

Pearson chief Marjorie Scardino questions fixation with female board

Published on 2011-03-01 02:38:00

Dame Marjorie Scardino, one of the FTSE 100's most high-profile female executives, has said business should not become too fixated with gender in the boardroom."I have a hard time believing there's a generic female impact on anything," said the chief > read more

Kroll Releases Top Ten Data Security Trends for 2011

Published on 2011-03-01 01:38:00

The 2010 calendar year brought with it an onslaught of new regulatory requirements, technological advances and increased scrutiny in data privacy and security matters that have laid the groundwork for a significant shift in how businesses handle data > read more

Measuring Happiness – is it Good for Your Organisation?

Published on 2011-02-28 23:55:00

The UK government recently announced that it will, in the near future introduce a so-called happiness survey’. Are such surveys of any real benefit to the country, and in particular, could organisations gain from their use? This article contends > read more

The Future of Cities 2011

Published on 2011-02-28 13:43:00

Centres of innovation for urban solutionsWhen: 28 February - 1 March 2011Where: Chatham House, London, UKCities face many challenges - economic, climate, resources, infrastructure and demographic.As centres of innovation, can cities produce the solut > read more

Global wind capacity increases by 22% in 2010 - Asia leads growth

Published on 2011-02-28 12:15:00

Global wind power installations increased by 35.8 GW in 2010, according to figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council today. This brings total installed wind energy capacity up to 194.4 GW, a 22.5% increase on the 158.7 GW installed at the en > read more

Energy saving among consumers - Difficult but doable

Published on 2011-02-28 06:36:00

In the framework of the Changing Behaviour project, the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) developed a toolkit to enhance the success of energy saving programmes among consumers. Currently, such programmes seldom lead to permanent saving > read more

Renewable energy share in European Union increased to 11,6% in 2009

Published on 2011-02-28 04:32:00

The new EurObserv'ER report "The state of renewable energy in Europe" presents an estimate for the share of renewable energy in overall energy consumption in Europe. This share is estimated at 11.6% for 2009, compared to 10.4% in 2008. EurObserv'ER i > read more

Corporate Responsibility Champions Network: A 'How to' Guide

Published on 2011-02-28 02:11:00

This guide aims to show the what, why, and how of a CR champion and related networks. CR champions are emerging as a powerful tool available for embedding CR philosophy into an organisation, proving critical in the process of embedding CR. They play > read more

Emerging Powers and the International Development Agenda

Published on 2011-02-28 01:42:00

When: Tuesday 15 February 2011 13:30 to 14:30Where: Chatham House, London, UKParticipantsRt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, UK Secretary of State for International DevelopmentChair: Dr Robin Niblett, Director, Chatham HouseThe countries that compose the emer > read more

Wind Energy Finance Forum

Published on 2011-02-28 00:59:00

Despite nagging uncertainty in European financial sector, 2010 saw creative solutions for financing clean energy projects.The Wind Energy Finance Forum at Europe’s premier wind energy event will give you the latest information on a wide range of fi > read more

Tackling Corruption in Defence and Security

Published on 2011-02-27 12:47:00

Transparency International Defence Handbook LaunchWhen: Tuesday 8 March 2011 17:30 to 18:45Where: Chatham House, London, UKParticipantsSir Ian Andrews, Chairman of the Serious Organised Crime AgencySir Stewart Eldon, former UK Permanent Representativ > read more

Chatham House Prize 2011 – Nominees Announced

Published on 2011-02-27 10:39:00

Chatham House is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2011 Chatham House Prize.The nominees are:Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Representative for Climate Change, MexicoDr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor, Central Bank of MalaysiaAzim Premji, > read more

2011 1st International Electric Vehicle Pilot City and Industry Development Forum: Better Electric Vehicles, Better City Life

Published on 2011-02-27 06:51:00

Location and date(s) of workshop: Shanghai, China: 21-22 April 2011Organiser(s): Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST), IEA and Shanghai Municipal GovernmentBackground:At the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) held in Washington D.C. on July > read more

Renewable Energy – from Analysis to Action - Short-term renewable energy market forecasts and relevant policies to encourage investment now

Published on 2011-02-27 04:45:00

Location and date(s) of workshop: OECD Headquarters, Paris, 15-16 March 2011 Organiser(s): IEA Renewable Energy Working Party (REWP) and the Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (RETD) Implementing Agreement Background:This is an invitations-on > read more

ECN report on Renewable Energy Action Plans of all 27 European Member States

Published on 2011-02-27 03:34:00

On 31 January 2011, the European Commission presented its ‘Communication on the progress of renewable energy in the European Union’. Among others it shows that the 2020 renewable energy policy goals are likely to be met and even exceeded if Membe > read more

Wind power to provide a fifth of world’s electricity by 2030

Published on 2011-02-27 02:22:00

Wind could meet 12% of global power demand by 2020, and up to 22% by 2030, according to a study published today by the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace International.The ‘Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010’ (GWEO 2010) (1) finds that wind p > read more

Climate reformists challenge old economic models

Published on 2011-02-27 02:11:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about the seemingly different futures foretold by climate science and climate economics. The former is filled with peril and haunted by the unthinkable, the latter blithely assured of continued prosperity. Most economic modeli > read more

Mexico: Cracking Down

Published on 2011-02-27 01:36:00

Over the last four years, Mexicans have learnt that waging a war against organised crime not only takes a toll on human life at home, but also impacts on the complex and sometimes ambivalent relationship with their northern neighbour.There have been > read more

The irony of the tragedy of the commons

Published on 2011-02-26 14:13:00

THE American Economic Review just turned 100. It turns out that the original issue in 1911 featured an article by Professor Katharine Coman of Wellesley College entitled “Some Unsettled Problems of Irrigation”, and in the anniversary issue, Rob > read more

Yale Sustainability Microloan Fund Will Promote Financial and Environmental Prosperity

Published on 2011-02-26 13:30:00

Innovative ideas that save money and resources are the focus of the new Yale Sustainability Microloan Fund, announced today by the Yale Office of Sustainability. The fund will encourage Yale students, staff, and faculty to come up with creative ideas > read more

Report Outlines Effective Practices for Chair-CEO Relationship as Split Roles Rise in U.S.

Published on 2011-02-26 07:36:00

The number of U.S. companies that separate the chairman and CEO roles is at a historic high: 40% of the S&P 500 now separate the roles, up from 23% a decade ago, according to Spencer Stuart. A new report published by the Millstein Center for Corporat > read more

Carbon Forum North America 2011

Published on 2011-02-26 04:41:00

This panel will discuss the most contentious issues hamstringing the REDD debate today, aimed at the fundamental question: how do we can get the market started saving the rainforests?See full Details. > read more

Leadership secrets from the ancients

Published on 2011-02-26 02:59:00

There are certain elements of leadership that survive the centuries -- that are classical, says John Prevas, co-author of "Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today."And while these features are > read more

Brown Bag Lunch with Tom Delreux: the EU and Climate Change Negotiations

Published on 2011-02-26 01:33:00

The European Union as international environmental negotiator: EU decision-making and representation in climate change negotiations Tuesday, March 1, 2011; 12:00 NoonRoom 319, Kroon Hall195 Prospect StreetJoin us Tuesday, March 1, for a brown bag lunc > read more

West 'facilitates corruption in Africa' says top economist

Published on 2011-02-26 00:56:00

Industrialized countries have been enabling corruption in Africa by providing crooked officials with a haven for their money, according to Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz.The former World Bank chief economist, one of the few economists to fo > read more

All aboard the 'road train?'

Published on 2011-02-25 15:04:00

Spending hours on end stuck behind a lorry would send most sane drivers completely round the bend.But the man behind the wheel of the car in this picture is pretty relaxed, sipping coffee from one hand and thumbing through his newspaper with the othe > read more

Africa's heritage sites under threat

Published on 2011-02-25 12:50:00

Many of Africa's natural and cultural sites are under threat from uncontrolled development, poaching and civil unrest, UNESCO has warned.While less than 10 percent of all sites on the World Heritage List are in Africa, the continent has more than 40 > read more

Do electric cars have enough drive to go mainstream?

Published on 2011-02-25 09:48:00

Major car manufacturers are poised to launch their electric vehicles and expectations are so high Nissan says it has closed its U.S. waiting list with 20,000 pre-orders.It's no wonder people are excited, with promises of zero carbon emissions, runnin > read more

Solar power enters the plastic age

Published on 2011-02-25 06:44:00

Cheaper and lighter compared to its more expensive, cumbersome silicon cousin, plastic photovoltaics (PV) could herald a revolution in the solar power market, according to a UK solar panel expert."Plastics are much cheaper to process than silicon. In > read more

Green is a way of life in Europe's eco capital

Published on 2011-02-25 03:42:00

With its winding canals and large public parks sitting alongside a busy port and bustling business district, Hamburg is a city that contradicts itself.But by combining its industrial strength with a commitment to reduce its impact on the environment, > read more

Measuring transaction costs one charitable donation at a time

Published on 2011-02-25 02:31:00

A concerted effort is being made by institutions like the World Bank to quantify various types of transaction costs incurred by businesses (Doing Business, Enterprise Surveys). The rationale for focusing on transaction costs (and reducing them) is us > read more

Rate the Raters

Published on 2011-02-25 00:15:00

Corporate sustainability ratings are going mainstream, but how they work in practice remains somewhat of a mystery. For phase three of Rate the Raters we conducted in-depth evaluations of 21 ratings, in an attempt to shed light on this important area > read more

Ventures in Energy Technology

Published on 2011-02-24 12:16:00

A few days ago, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy and GE Capital announced a new joint venture. The three companies are putting up $300 million into a fund called Energy Technology Ventures which will “invest in, and offer commercial collaboration opportu > read more

Banks and Twitter: Compliance issues

Published on 2011-02-24 09:09:00

Bank of America and Wells Fargo are among the big banks just now starting to experiment with Twitter and other social networking media. All in all, lots of other banks are moving similarly. A CNBC reporter spent some time monitoring the tweets and ha > read more

FREE EthicsPoint Webinar: Current FCPA Compliance Program Best Practices: Lessons Learned from Recent DPAs

Published on 2011-02-24 06:05:00

Event title: FREE webinar: Current FCPA Compliance Program Best Practices: Lessons Learned from Recent DPAsDate: February 23, 2011Time: 10am PST/1pm ESTDuration: one hourShort Description:If you are a compliance department professional, in-house coun > read more

Closing the Gap: Big Business and Poverty

Published on 2011-02-24 04:09:00

Four or five years ago, all you had to do to get someone excited about poverty alleviation was to mention the words “Prahalad” or “Yunus” and you had his or her full attention. These two South Asian gurus, the late business professor C.K. Pra > read more

Workplace Investigations: 3 Things Every Investigator Must Do

Published on 2011-02-24 04:03:00

With employees reporting more incidents of workplace misconduct than ever before, employers need to shape up and realize that these complaints can’t be ignored. If employers are going to encourage employees to report misconduct internally, they bet > read more

Six challenges of governance, risk management, compliance

Published on 2011-02-24 01:55:00

Corporate governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance (GRC) are no longer the exclusive province of Sarbanes-Oxley. Powerful market forces - globalisation, increased mergers and acquisition activity, heightened regulatory scrutiny, tight o > read more

Green economies for growth, urges UN

Published on 2011-02-23 01:43:00

Investing $1.3 trillion (£800bn) each year in green sectors would deliver long-term stability in the global economy, a UN report has suggested.Spending about 2% of global GDP in 10 key areas would kick-start a "low carbon, resource efficient green e > read more

Tropical forests 're-shaped' by climate changes

Published on 2011-02-22 23:41:00

Future climate change could change the profile of tropical forests, with possible consequences for carbon storage and biodiversity, a study says.It suggests that if current trends continued, the drier conditions would favour deciduous, canopy species > read more

AccountAbility hits back at 'untenable' standards board

Published on 2011-02-22 15:04:00

The management of embattled standards organisation AccountAbility has issued a letter to stakeholders attacking the actions of its own AA1000 Standards Board following the collective resignation of that group earlier this week.The letter said that th > read more

Is sustainable growth a contradiction in terms for the ethical company?

Published on 2011-02-22 13:54:00

Every ambitious small company wants the same thing – to grow. And small companies that produce a more sustainable product, or a healthier product, and does it with style can often find that the marketplace rewards them by giving the chance to grow > read more

How women can help you beat the competition

Published on 2011-02-22 09:53:00

Are you looking for your next growth area? What are your plans to beat your competition? Come to think of it, what business exactly are you in? If your answer to any of these questions isn’t talent, then you are running the risk of being left behin > read more

Altos precios de los alimentos llevaron a 44 millones de personas a la pobreza

Published on 2011-02-22 08:51:00

El aumento del precio de los alimentos ha llevado a cerca de 44 millones de personas a la pobreza en los países en desarrollo desde junio pasado, mientras el costo de los alimentos continúa en ascenso y se aproxima a los niveles de 2008, según nue > read more

Agenda for the IASB/FASB joint special meeting

Published on 2011-02-22 03:09:00

The IASB and FAS will hold a joint special meeting at the IASB offices in London from 1 to 2 March 2011. Presented below is the agenda for the meeting.See full Press Release. > read more

How Well Does Compliance and Ethics Training Actually Reduce Risk?

Published on 2011-02-22 01:42:00

According to papers filed by the government in an FCPA prosecution late last year, the defendant company (RAE Systems) had learned of a practice of bribery in its joint venture in China but also concluded that “implementing an effective compliance > read more

Chemicals: Sector climate change responses

Published on 2011-02-22 01:10:00

El informe Chemicals: Sector climate change reponses, suplemento de la serie Different shades of green? The outlook for Industrial Products companies post-Copenhagen, analiza con detalle las respuestas específicas para reducir la huella de carbono e > read more

How We Make the Next Generation of Compliance Leaders

Published on 2011-02-21 16:28:00

Does this sound familiar? You have an entry-level opening in your department. You place a help wanted ad on a job board. You’re overwhelmed with resumes from recent college graduates. You pluck a few that look promising. You complete a few weeks of > read more

Electric Vehicle Rollouts Challenged by Cost of Charging Infrastructure and Grid Management

Published on 2011-02-21 14:25:00

Service providers called on to stimulate demand and manage consumer charging preferencesLONDON; Feb. 17, 2011 – The large scale roll out of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will be hindered unless investors stimulate demand, lower the cost of publi > read more

India likely to delay IFRS introduction

Published on 2011-02-21 12:15:00

INDIA looks likely to miss its self-imposed deadline of April 1 to implement international financial reporting standards (IFRS), with government officials admitting at an open forum in New Delhi that the timetable could be too tight.Just six weeks ah > read more

The Gender Dividend – Transforming business through the leadership of women

Published on 2011-02-21 09:49:00

As we begin the second decade of the 21st Century, businesses need to make the most of their resources, especially those with a proven track record in boosting performance. That makes now the time for many more women to take on greater leadership rol > read more

Red tape burden causing businesses to breach regulations

Published on 2011-02-21 07:12:00

UK BUSINESSES often breach government regulations because they do not know which of the vast array of rules apply to them, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).On average, a British business has to comply with 60 different regulations from a > read more

EU formally adopts May 2010 annual improvements

Published on 2011-02-21 05:06:00

The European Union has published the Commission Regulation (EC) No 149/2011 endorsing the annual improvements published by the IASB on 6 May 2010. The IASB uses the annual improvements project to make necessary, but non-urgent, amendments to IFRSs th > read more

Metals: Sector climate change responses

Published on 2011-02-21 01:09:00

El informe Metals: Sector climate change reponses, suplemento de la serie Different shades of green? The outlook for Industrial Products companies post-Copenhagen, analiza con detalle las respuestas específicas para reducir la huella de carbono en e > read more

World Bank warns that food crisis has reached "dangerous levels"

Published on 2011-02-20 06:38:00

The global food crisis reaches new extremes with the Washington Post reporting that World Bank President Robert Zoellick has warned that rising food prices had pushed tens of millions of people into extreme poverty last year and were reaching "danger > read more

Proyecto Quetzalcóatl. Las energías renovables en México

Published on 2011-02-19 23:44:00

El potencial de desarrollo de las energías renovables en una región depende de sus recursos naturales, de su desarrollo y estabilidad política, jurídica y económica y del compromiso de sus dirigentes para impulsarlas. En este contexto, México p > read more

Why Isn’t the Brain Green?

Published on 2011-02-19 23:26:00

Two days after Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the United States, the Pew Research Center released a poll ranking the issues that Americans said were the most important priorities for this year. At the top of the list were several concerns > read more

A 'Coming Out' For Internal Audit

Published on 2011-02-19 16:35:00

Before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 -- the government's response to the infamous years of Enron, WorldCom and Adelphia -- the internal audit function focused largely on financial reporting and compliance. "It wasn't surprising," says Paul Sobel, ch > read more

Sustainable Investing: Principles and Practices

Published on 2011-02-19 13:11:00

Sustainable Investing: Principles and PracticesIn this paper we draw upon the findings of two recent works, Sustainable Investing Principles by Roger Urwin and Claire Woods, and Sustainable Investing Practice: Simplified Complexity by Urwin in consid > read more

John Holdren relishing Congress climate opportunity

Published on 2011-02-19 12:05:00

The US president's chief science adviser says the nation's current efforts to tackle climate change are insufficient in the long-term.Speaking to BBC News at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Washington DC, Pro > read more

Taking Better Control: Opportunities to Build Governance

Published on 2011-02-19 11:11:00

Taking Better Control: Opportunities to Build GovernanceIn institutional investment, ‘governance’ describes the system of decision making and oversight used to invest the assets of a fund. Previously published research has shown that the competit > read more

Advancing women in government

Published on 2011-02-19 09:43:00

Debates on the value of diversity and the empowerment and advancement of women have raged for centuries, but when it comes to gender equality, few achievements can compare with the rising role of women in government. The public sector's openness to w > read more

Democratizing Development Economics

Published on 2011-02-19 03:01:00

Robert B. ZoellickPresidentThe World Bank GroupI. Introduction: From hubris to humilityGeorge Bernard Shaw once famously said: “If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.”Considering the causes and course > read more

Food Price Hike Drives 44 Million People into Poverty

Published on 2011-02-18 23:58:00

Rising food prices have driven an estimated 44 million people into poverty in developing countries since last June as food costs continue to rise to near 2008 levels, according to new World Bank Group numbers released ahead of the G20 Meeting of Fina > read more

Wind Energy Leads Renewables in Journey to a Sustainable Future, but Still a Long Way to Go

Published on 2011-02-18 16:04:00

Among the new sources of renewable energy that will be central to powering a sustainable future, wind is leading the pack, with nearly 160 gigawatts (GW) of global capacity in 2009. The wind power industry is growing fast, with China first among deve > read more

West Africa Eyes Entrepreneurial Future

Published on 2011-02-18 09:55:00

* 16 West African countries amend business and lending regulations to draw thousands of entrepreneurs into the formal economy. * $250 million in credit expected to become available to the private sector * Female entrepreneurs may be the most li > read more

Food Price Watch

Published on 2011-02-18 06:51:00

Global food prices continue to rise. The World Bank’s food price index increased by 15% between October 2010 and January 2011 and is only 3% below its 2008 peak. The last six months have seen sharp increases in the global prices of wheat, maize, su > read more

La crisis reduce las emisiones de CO2

Published on 2011-02-18 04:08:00

La empresa auditora, PricewaterhouseCoopers, nos trae su primer Low Carbon Economy Achievement Index (Indice de Economía Baja en Carbono 2010) que mide el nivel de carbonización de las economías y concluye que España ha mejorado su situación en > read more

Deloitte launches "Women in the boardroom: Global perspective" report

Published on 2011-02-18 03:46:00

While fulfilling increased regulatory requirements continues to preoccupy corporate boardrooms, the ongoing disparity between the relative proportion of female and male board members is also a rising concern—for organizations as well as legislators > read more

Integrating food and energy crops can help reduce poverty, new UN study finds

Published on 2011-02-18 03:23:00

Farming systems that combine crops that can be used for food and fuel can help reduce poverty and boost food and energy security, says a new report published today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The report, entitled “ > read more

La crisis reduce las emisiones de CO2 pero aleja de sus objetivos medioambientales a los países desarrollados.

Published on 2011-02-18 01:47:00

* España, aunque ha rebajado sus emisiones durante el último ejercicio debido a la caída de la actividad económica, tiene todavía un largo trecho por recorrer y, entre el 2010 y el 2050, debe decarbonizar su economía a un ritmo anual del 3,4%.M > read more

The Gender Dividend – Transforming business through the leadership of women

Published on 2011-02-17 14:51:00

Woman_pointing_at_symbolsAs we begin the second decade of the 21st Century, businesses need to make the most of their resources, especially those with a proven track record in boosting performance. That makes now the time for many more women to take > read more

Why America's Sputnik Moment Should Include

Published on 2011-02-16 06:25:00

Last week the President unveiled his “Strategy for American Innovation” which details his approach to jumpstarting the American economy by investing in important areas such as clean energy, health care technology, and education. This week he hit > read more

Impact of IFRS: Banking

Published on 2011-02-16 03:12:00

Impact of IFRS: Banking, focuses on providing assistance to those who are considering conversions to IFRS in the banking sector. Whether you are starting a project or considering the impact, the broad overview of topics contained within this publicat > read more

'Audit must change'

Published on 2011-02-15 23:10:00

INTERNAL markets commissoner Michel Barnier (pictured) left the audit profession in no doubt that reform was on the way when he spoke at a Brussels conference on the subject and said: "One can no longer say ‘Move on, there is nothing to see' on aud > read more

FSA and BoE outline code to improve bank audit oversight

Published on 2011-02-15 14:03:00

A CODE OF PRACTICE designed to improve communication between companies, auditors and regulators has been announced by the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England.The proposals are aimed at ensuring that regulators are better informed abo > read more

US accounting could reach Europe through NYSE merger

Published on 2011-02-15 12:01:00

EUROPEAN COMPANIES will be pushed down the US accounting rules route through the merger of the New York Stock Exchange and the Deutsche Boerse, said New York mayor Michael Bloomberg."This will force a common set of accounting standards on the world; > read more

IASB must modernise, says incoming chief

Published on 2011-02-15 08:59:00

THE INCOMING HEAD of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has said that the standard setter needs to become more open and better represent the interests of all its country members.Speaking on the opening of a two-day European Commissio > read more

Smart Grids Explained | World Economic Forum-Smart Grids Explained

Published on 2011-02-15 06:03:00

Most of the world relies on 50-year old energy systems. Smart grids could be the next step. They are digitized energy networks, delivering electricity in an optimal way from source to consumption.Visit Video page. > read more

Realizing a New Vision for Agriculture: A roadmap for stakeholders | World Economic Forum-Realizing a New Vision for Agriculture: A roadmap for stakeholders

Published on 2011-02-15 04:06:00

The world economic forum is excited to present this roadmap to realizing a New Vision for Agriculture. This strategy urges increased investment in agriculture to boost food security and spur economic growth. It spotlights innovative models for collab > read more

As One collective leadership

Published on 2011-02-15 02:53:00

As One is a pioneering approach to leadership that can give leaders greater control over the success of rolling out business strategies and conducting large scale transformation. It comprises an analytics-based methodology, a management discipline, a > read more

Three Secrets of Safe Microfinance

Published on 2011-02-15 02:05:00

Like sex, microfinance can be safe if practiced responsibly. Recently, however, we've seen that not all participants in the microfinance industry are practicing safe microfinance. As happens with that other risky activity, the players in microfinance > read more

Accelerating the Transition towards Sustainable Investing

Published on 2011-02-14 06:05:00

Financial markets have great transformational power to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable business practices and value creation. Recognizing this pivotal role of financial markets, the World Economic Forum has embarked upon a cross-in > read more

Global Risks

Published on 2011-02-14 04:20:00

We are living in a new world of risk. Globalization, shifting demographics, rapidly accelerating technological change, increased connectivity, economic uncertainty, a growing multiplicity of actors and shifting power structures combine to make operat > read more

United States and Japan discuss convergence

Published on 2011-02-14 03:13:00

Representatives of the Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) met on February 7 and 8, 2011, in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the latest a series of discussions between the ASBJ and the FASB designed > read more

India's Micro-Finance Suicide Epidemic

Published on 2011-02-14 02:04:00

More than 80 people have taken their own lives in the last few months after defaulting on micro-loans, according to the government.This has triggered the worst ever crisis in India's booming micro-finance industry.See full Article. > read more

Michel Barnier calls for worldwide adoption of IFRSs

Published on 2011-02-14 01:11:00

In a speech given at the European Commission conference on financial reporting and auditing, Michel Barnier, current European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services into whose remit accounting and auditing in Europe fall, gave first glimpses o > read more

FRC wants to bring audit closer to investor needs

Published on 2011-02-13 16:08:00

In a speech given at the European Commission conference on financial reporting and auditing today, Stephen Haddrill, chief executive of the UK Financial Reporting Council, said, that it is high time to close the gap between what audit does and what u > read more

Directors urged to go "beyond compliance" in 2011

Published on 2011-02-13 14:57:00

The need for directors to seize the opportunities in regulatory change, such as IFRS, has been highlighted as a key consideration for 2011.A new publication, Directors' Alert: 11 Issues for 2011 – Ever-increasing demands, discusses boards' responsi > read more

Accenture Survey Finds Scope of Responsibilities Expanding for CFOs

Published on 2011-02-13 12:09:00

Finance Requires More Flexible Operations Supported by New Processes, Content or Data and Technology SystemsIn the wake of the economic downturn, 80 percent of senior finance executives said their scope of responsibilities has expanded, with finance > read more

Banking Sector Will Be Pivotal to Financing Europe’s €2.9 trillion Low Carbon Transition, Finds Accenture and Barclays Report

Published on 2011-02-13 10:54:00

Long-term public policy and increased capital markets financing needed to bridge carbon capital chasm through 2020 across EuropeThe banking sector will be pivotal to Europe’s low carbon transition, and will finance and intermediate the vast majorit > read more

The state of the world's forests

Published on 2011-02-13 06:47:00

THE Food & Agriculture Organisation, a UN body, estimates that the world's forests covered 4.03 billion hectares in 2010. Although the world as a whole continues to lose forests, the annual rate of deforestation in the past decade has fallen to 5.2m > read more

Dr. Tinus Pulles talks about climate change - Part 1 of 3

Published on 2011-02-13 03:57:00

Dr. Tinus Pulles of TNO explains the difficulties to find solutions for the climate change problem.One of these is the remaining uncertainty in climate science, reflected in the recent controversy triggered by errors in the IPCC-reports. For many thi > read more

Microfinance -- The Backlash Begins

Published on 2011-02-13 02:03:00

International aid work is always coming up with new models to end world poverty. ("It's so simple! Why didn't we think of it before?!") Simple mechanisms for water purification or cleaner latrines, to odd sounding notions like child-centered schools, > read more

2011 Global Ethics Summit Agenda

Published on 2011-02-12 10:43:00

Benefits of Attending:Candid insights on keeping global, multi-national corporations in compliance and out of troubleMultiple and varying perspectives from multinational legal, corporate and government expertsThe event presents "the business case" fo > read more

Scaling Microfinance: An Economic Imperative

Published on 2011-02-12 06:57:00

These are troubling times, as the spotlight on microfinance has recently led to unfortunate mischaracterizations and a rush to judgment.Emotions have been confused for facts and character assassination is used to negate the very real contributions in > read more

Burning ambitions

Published on 2011-02-12 03:49:00

What is good news for miners is bad news for the environment IN RICH countries, where people worry about air quality and debate ways of pricing carbon emissions, coal is deeply unfashionable. Elsewhere demand for the dirty rocks has never been strong > read more

The Shoe Thrower's index

Published on 2011-02-12 02:01:00

An index of unrest in the Arab worldIN THIS week's print edition we ran a table showing a number of indicators for members of the Arab League. By adding a few more and ascribing different weights to them we have come up with the Shoe Thrower's index, > read more

Cómo hacer las ayudas humanitarias más efectivas

Published on 2011-02-12 01:55:00

En estas páginas he criticado varias veces las ayudas humanitarias y la forma de que se han utilizado, ya que hemos visto muchos años de ayudas y muchos miles de millones transferidos pero todavía tenemos demasiadas lagunas de necesidad en el mund > read more

Why don't Americans believe in global warming?

Published on 2011-02-11 23:52:00

FIRST of all, I apologise for the slightly inflammatory headline of this post. The fact is that a majority of Americans (58%) do think climate change is a serious problem, according to the January 2011 Rasmussen Energy Update, and fully one-third, 33 > read more

Whose Aid Is It Anyway?

Published on 2011-02-11 15:32:00

Politicizing Aid in Conflicts and CrisesThe effectiveness of international aid, both in meeting urgent needs and in tackling entrenched poverty, is being undermined in some of the world’s poorest places.While effective aid has helped save lives, pr > read more

Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2000-2009

Published on 2011-02-11 12:04:00

A January 2011 Report from Global Financial Integrity Primary FindingsIllicit outflows increased from $1.06 trillion in 2006 to approximately $1.26 trillion in 2008, with average annual illicit outflows from developing countries averaging $725 billio > read more

Oxfam warns against trend in using aid for political & military purposes

Published on 2011-02-11 11:17:00

Relief agency calls on donors to allocate life-saving aid based on need not on short-term political or military gainsDonor governments are now spending proportionately more aid on countries they consider politically and militarily important while ove > read more

Medio ambiente enfría la idea de que los coches contaminantes paguen más

Published on 2011-02-11 06:58:00

La ministra de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, Rosa Aguilar, dejó este jueves en un segundo plano la posibilidad de que se eleve la fiscalidad de los vehículos más contaminantes, concretamente el impuesto de circulación, para mejorar la ca > read more

Phillip Adams on the Worldwatch Institute State of the World report 2011

Published on 2011-02-11 05:58:00

Agriculture in sub-Saharan AfricaThe Worldwatch Institute has released its annual State of the World report for 2011. This year the report focusses on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, and a range of small but groundbreaking projects to raise yields > read more

It’s time to discuss the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office!

Published on 2011-02-11 05:27:00

The trans-national dimension of organised crime in the EU is ever increasing and “law enforcement authorities are increasingly confronted with cases of cross-border observation and surveillance which create issues at both legal and operational leve > read more

El cambio climático se adentra en el Índico

Published on 2011-02-11 01:11:00

El proyecto Malaspina será la primera expedición que analice los efectos del cambio climático en el alejado océano Índico Está muy alejado de la presencia y actividad humanas. Quizá por ello el estudio sobre el impacto del calentamiento climá > read more

Germany Sells Vision for “Green Toys” to World

Published on 2011-02-10 14:23:00

Germany leads the world in developing a range of renewable-energy products – and its toymakers ready products to prepare children for a future requiring new energy sources. Designed to direct children’s focus on energy conservation and sustainabi > read more

Microfinance brings cheer to Gurgaon villages

Published on 2011-02-10 11:31:00

GURGAON: The microfinance bubble, with all its ambitious promises of economic emancipation for the poorest of poor, might have burst in most parts of the country, but the villages around Gurgaon seem to be benefitting immensely with the formation of > read more

Companies Bank on Trust

Published on 2011-02-10 08:03:00

This is the second of two articles on corporate reputation and social responsibility.When the heads of major U.S. financial companies testified before a congressional committee in February 2009, angry lawmakers did not pull punches. The executives of > read more

Saving Mothers’ Lives

Published on 2011-02-10 05:28:00

ONE of the best pieces of news I’ve heard this year is that the bleak maternal health statistics we’ve been puzzling over for so many years appear to have been wrong.Until the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) released a new repo > read more

La hipocresía alemana sobre la igualdad de las mujeres en el trabajo

Published on 2011-02-10 04:40:00

En estas páginas hemos hablado muchas veces de la falta de igualdad de las mujeres en el trabajo. Vemos la falta de igualdad de los sueldos que reciben las mujeres para el mismo puesto que los hombres. Aunque muchos de nuestros comentaristas lo nieg > read more

UK is 'lazy man of Europe' when it comes to organics

Published on 2011-02-10 02:37:00

The UK government is not doing enough to support and promote organic food and farming, a report says.The Soil Association said sales continued to grow in other European nations during the recession, while UK sales fell by 13.6% in 2009.See full Artic > read more

Brazil: Indigenous tribes protest against Amazon dam

Published on 2011-02-09 23:37:00

Hundreds of indigenous Brazilians have been protesting in the capital, Brasilia, against the construction of what will be the world's third biggest hydro-electric dam.An indigenous leader delivered a petition opposing the project signed by more than > read more

Here's Who's Going Hungry In The Global Wheat Price Spike

Published on 2011-02-09 15:15:00

The global wheat price spike is like a punch in the gut for the world's hungry. And while they were high as a result of last summer's Russian wildfires, they've now gone even higher based on rising demand and damaged crops around the world.While whea > read more

Solar Panels Versus Trees

Published on 2011-02-09 11:38:00

Americans love their trees. As a growing number of homeowners in leafy neighborhoods install solar panels, however, an awkward debate has emerged.What is more important for the environment and for humans in the long run: clean energy or trees?See ful > read more

World Social Forum denounces land grabbing in Africa

Published on 2011-02-09 09:45:00

The leftist World Social Forum on Monday denounced land grabbing in Africa by foreign groups as a form of neo-colonialism in a day devoted to debates on the continent.A rush to buy up land in cash-starved Africa and other developing countries amid a > read more

Corporate Reputation Matters, Experts Say

Published on 2011-02-09 06:02:00

This article is the first in a two-part series on corporate reputation and social responsibility.A few years back, David Frishkorn had to deal with what he calls “perceived accounting shenanigans.”His employer’s business model was based on its > read more

Time for a Rethink

Published on 2011-02-09 05:27:00

It is hard to object to the Millennium Development Goals, but that doesn’t mean they lay out an effective blueprint for developmentAT the start of what became known as the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, many proposed it be named the > read more

Corruption blew the lid off North Africa

Published on 2011-02-09 03:11:00

When people take to the streets to protest against their governments, the list of grievances is usually long and complex, but corruption is always at the top.We see this now in the wave of protests spreading across Tunisia and Egypt. We saw it in Ivo > read more

Three Cheers for the Father of Microfinance

Published on 2011-02-09 02:25:00

In the mid-1990s, I was introduced to Muhammad Yunus, whose micro-credit movement in Bangladesh was just beginning to attract attention. The concept was brilliantly simple: small loans, mainly to women, enable people to create money streams of their > read more

Regaining Momentum

Published on 2011-02-08 14:15:00

Progress on the Millennium Development Goals has been slowed by the crisis. The rest of the world has to helpLOW-INCOME countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, did relatively well during the recent global economic crisis, and developing countr > read more

Social Protection Floor Initiative

Published on 2011-02-08 12:11:00

The Social Protection Floor is a global social policy approach promoting integrated strategies for providing access to essential social services and income security for all.Recognizing the importance of ensuring social protection for all, the United > read more

La lucha contra el trabajo infantil

Published on 2011-02-08 09:05:00

La legislación mexicana no sólo prohíbe el trabajo de los menores de 14 años, sino también de los mayores de esta edad pero menores de 16 que no hayan terminado su educación obligatoria. A pesar de estas restricciones legales, y en contravenci > read more

Solar power farms face cash cut, government warns

Published on 2011-02-08 04:54:00

The government is acting to stop a proliferation of solar power farms.It says they threaten to use up too much of the money set aside to fund the new system of "feed-in tariffs".These tariffs are the cash subsidies given to people who generate electr > read more

Preparing for climate change 'will boost economy'

Published on 2011-02-08 03:56:00

Early preparation for climate change impacts would bring economic benefits to the UK, say engineers in a report commissioned by the government.Engineering the Future - an alliance of professional engineering bodies - says companies will be more likel > read more

No, clean energy is not a substitute for climate change

Published on 2011-02-08 02:21:00

Grist: President Obama talked about clean energy in his state of the union address, but avoided climate change. That strategy won't work in tackling the climate challenge, says David RobertsI was going to let this go after my last post, but it keeps > read more

Ethical ideas: Ten ways to change the way we live

Published on 2011-02-07 23:18:00

The economy is in trouble, the NHS is under siege and the bees are disappearing – our world needs solutions. Here we present 10 of the most innovative – some simple, some complex – and how you can get involved in achieving themAs we've heard re > read more

Windfarm nimbyism says no at a time when we need to say yes

Published on 2011-02-07 16:02:00

Nimbyism neglects the demands of energy security, economic growth and climate change in favour of a narrow self interestLast week, Alexander Chancellor declared himself in favour of nimbyism. In the debate on windfarms, this acronym, derived from "no > read more

Government Funding for Clean Tech Spurs Private Investment

Published on 2011-02-07 11:39:00

The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) funding program for "moonshot" green technologies has brought attention to companies working on everything from cryogenic carbon capture to kites outfitted with wind t > read more

Nepal climate loan hit by opposition storm

Published on 2011-02-07 04:08:00

A loan to be provided by multilateral banks to help Nepal fight the impacts of climate change has kicked off a controversy after it invited criticism from civil societies and non-government organisations.They say it is not fair to burden an already c > read more

Los retos, los peligros y las oportunidades de la India

Published on 2011-02-07 03:28:00

Como lo normal en las económicas internacionales es oír hablar de China y de su impacto internacional, también me gusta dirigir la mirada en otras direcciones para evaluar otros que también tienen y, más importante, tendrán cada vez más impact > read more

Are we facing a hungry future?

Published on 2011-02-07 03:01:00

As food prices reach a record high, a panel of experts discuss the challenge of feeding the world's growing population.Can the world produce enough food to sustain its growing population?Even today one billion people are said to be starving. So, what > read more

New Zealand scientists record 'biodiversity breakdown'

Published on 2011-02-07 01:02:00

Scientists in New Zealand say they have linked the modern-day decline of a common forest shrub with the local extinction of two pollinating birds over a century ago.They say the disappearance of two birds - the bellbird and stitchbird - from the uppe > read more

Gulf of Mexico 'to recover from BP spill by end 2012'

Published on 2011-02-06 23:07:00

The Gulf of Mexico will have largely recovered from the BP oil spill by the end of 2012, the administrator of the $20bn (£12bn) pay-outs fund has said.Attorney Kenneth Feinberg said that compensation to those who lost revenue from the disaster would > read more

How digital media is changing the way we respond to disasters

Published on 2011-02-06 13:03:00

This was the advice I remember receiving a couple of years ago at a communications conference with a speaker from a respected PR company.But as the current situation in Egypt demonstrates; social media is fast changing the way we engage with each oth > read more

Green Energy’s Big Challenge: The Daunting Task of Scaling Up

Published on 2011-02-06 12:17:00

To shift the global economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy will require the construction of wind, solar, nuclear, and other installations on a vast scale, significantly altering the face of the planet. Can these new forms of energy approach th > read more

10 Wild Materials That Could Help Save the Earth

Published on 2011-02-06 11:40:00

We take the stuff that makes up our world for granted. Plastic is plastic, right? And wood is wood? Absolutely not: Materials are still a hotbed of innovation, often involving ideas to help save the planet in imperceptible ways that mask their huge i > read more

Consejos para mejorar las posibilidades en la carrera

Published on 2011-02-06 10:27:00

Como hemos hablado muchas veces en estas páginas, para avanzar en la carrera, es importante ser activo en el desarrollo personal. No es suficiente hacer tu trabajo y esperar que tus jefes lo reconozcan y te asciendan y suban el sueldo. Puede que lo > read more

Green Roofs are Starting To Sprout in American Cities

Published on 2011-02-06 07:14:00

Long a proven technology in Europe, green roofs are becoming increasingly common in U.S. cities, with major initiatives in Chicago, Portland, and Washington, D.C. While initially more expensive than standard coverings, green roofs offer some major en > read more

When The Water Ends: Africa’s Climate Conflicts

Published on 2011-02-06 01:14:00

For thousands of years, nomadic herdsmen have roamed the harsh, semi-arid lowlands that stretch across 80 percent of Kenya and 60 percent of Ethiopia. Descendants of the oldest tribal societies in the world, they survive thanks to the animals they ra > read more

Calculating the True Cost Of Global Climate Change

Published on 2011-02-06 01:10:00

Researchers disagree about what the economic costs of climate change will be over the coming decades. But the answer to that question is fundamental in deciding how urgent it is to take action to reduce emissions.When climate legislation died last su > read more

Cost of regulatory security compliance? On average, $3.5M

Published on 2011-02-05 12:45:00

The cost of achieving regulatory security compliance is on average $3.5 million each year, according to a survey of 160 individuals leading the IT, privacy and audit efforts at 46 multinational organizations."The True Cost of Compliance," a research > read more

More than Just the FCPA and Bribery Act – The Local Battle against Corruption

Published on 2011-02-05 11:18:00

Many Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FPCA) and UK Bribery Act practitioners are well aware of the oratory of the US and UK governments on the evils of bribery and corruption. However, such a fight is not just being made by the US Department of Justice > read more

10 Work Strategies to Help Develop Your Career (Part II)

Published on 2011-02-05 11:08:00

This is the second installment of 10 Strategies to Help Develop Your Career. Click to view Part 1, which discusses the first five strategies to help develop your career.See full Article. > read more

IMF Raises Spectre of Civil Wars as Global Inequalities Worsen

Published on 2011-02-05 08:51:00

Reports of global economic recovery could be misleading. Indicators showing steady rises – in income, trade, stock markets or employment – focus on averages and mask growing divides between rich and poor both between and inside nations. Recovery > read more

Global food prices in 2011: Questions & Answers

Published on 2011-02-05 06:38:00

World food prices reached a new historic peak in January 2011, exceeding prices reached during the food crisis of 2007-08. The spike in prices in 2007-08 took the total number of hungry people to over a billion - a sixth of the world’s population. > read more

China Takes Lead In Race For Clean Nuclear Power

Published on 2011-02-05 03:03:00

In the race to develop new sources of green energy, China pursues research on thorium – more abundant than uranium – for nuclear power. “While nearly all current nuclear reactors run on uranium, the radioactive element thorium is recognized as > read more

Merkel Leads on Climate Change

Published on 2011-02-05 00:02:00

The vast majority of climate researchers contend that failing to take immediate steps to control emissions could ruin the world as we know it. They urge today’s generations to sacrifice, sharing the cost burden with future generations. But preventi > read more

China’s Green Ambition, US Sees Red

Published on 2011-02-04 15:54:00

As factory to the world, China is hungry for energy. The nation secures traditional sources of energy – as the largest producer and consumer of coal, ranking second in oil consumption and imports, fifth for oil production – and is also intent on > read more

10 Work Strategies to Help Develop Your Career (Part I)

Published on 2011-02-04 11:15:00

This is the first of a two-part series on Work Strategies that will further your career development. We will cover 5 in this eTip and the remainder in a later post.See full Article. > read more

Can We Trust Climate Models? Increasingly, the Answer is ‘Yes’

Published on 2011-02-04 07:20:00

Forecasting what the Earth’s climate might look like a century from now has long presented a huge challenge to climate scientists. But better understanding of the climate system, improved observations of the current climate, and rapidly improving c > read more

Report: Noncompliance Much More Costly Than Compliance

Published on 2011-02-04 06:06:00

If you're wondering whether the cost of complying with security regulations is really worth it financially, think again, according to a new report: Noncompliance costs organizations, on average, 2.65 times more than meeting compliance rules does.The > read more

El Henry R. Kravis Premio en Liderazgo Adjudicado a Vicky Colbert

Published on 2011-02-04 02:21:00

Una visionaria comprometida a mejorar la educación en los países en desarrolloLa universidad de Claremont McKenna (CMC) anunció que concedió a Vicky Colbert el sexto premio anual de Henry R. Kravis de Liderazgo. El Premio Kravis otorga $250.000 d > read more

A Look Back And A Peek Ahead at Ethics and Compliance Trends

Published on 2011-02-04 01:55:00

The first of the new year is typically the time to look forward at trends and general thoughts of what’s to come. This year, the Expert Advisors at Global Compliance, the leading provider of comprehensive, integrated ethics and compliance solution > read more

Microfinance Faces Changing Risks: Banana Skins 2011

Published on 2011-02-03 22:39:00

With growth in some markets moving at a fast pace, the microfinance sector faces changing risks. The latest Microfinance Banana Skins 2011 report shows that microfinance institutions must confront new realities to sustain the good reputation the micr > read more

Older Workers Most Likely to Experience Very Long-Term Unemployment

Published on 2011-02-03 15:46:00

Extended Struggle to Find Work Threatens Millions of Older Americans' Economic Security, Ability to RetireOnce they have lost a job, older Americans are more likely than any other age group to remain out of work for 99 weeks or more, as calculated in > read more

Tougher compliance rules will force data security improvements

Published on 2011-02-03 14:43:00

Businesses need to raise their game on the security of their web sites, as regulators and industry bodies begin to take a tougher line on compliance, a leading analyst has warned.Graham Titterington, principal analyst at Ovum, said that businesses fa > read more

"Women's Work Is Real Work"

Published on 2011-02-03 10:37:00

Congratulations to Domestic Workers United member Christine Yvette Lewis, who was interviewed on "The Colbert Report" recently.Domestic Workers United is a grantee partner with Ms. Foundation for Women, a member of Women's Funding Network. We are thr > read more

The Bribery Act 2010: The SFO's Approach to Enforcement

Published on 2011-02-03 06:05:00

Date: 2/16/2011 Start Time: 11:00:00 AM Eastern (8:00:00 AM Pacific) Duration: 1 hourWith enforcement of the Bribery Act of 2010 expected to begin in April 2011, there remain questions with regard to a number of key areas within the legislation. The > read more

Being a Great Compliance Leader

Published on 2011-02-03 04:00:00

In a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review, writers Linda Hill and Kent Lineback posed the question, “Are You a Good Boss – Or a Great One?”In this article they explore what they believe to be some of the imperatives of going from a good > read more

It Takes More Than Good Intentions to Be an Ethical Leader

Published on 2011-02-03 01:53:00

In the summer of 1998, in a Witco Corporation chemical plant in Bergkamen, Germany a worker in the container cleaning department had a problem. A pressure vessel used to transport aluminum alkyls had been returned by a customer for a routine cleanin > read more

Food prices: a looming crisis?

Published on 2011-02-02 18:09:00

The cost of food is of constant concern for many of the world’s poorest people. Food prices are once again on the rise, passing the levels reached during the crisis of 2007-08 that pushed the number of hungry people in the world over 1 billion.We a > read more

The Necessity of FSA Compliance

Published on 2011-02-02 06:02:00

All financial advisers need to demonstrate FSA Compliance in order to help maintain the four objectives crucial to the financial services industry: 1. to consistently promote and support market confidence 2. to assist the public in their understa > read more

Free EthicsPoint Webinar: The Bribery Act 2010 – The SFO’s Approach to Enforcement

Published on 2011-02-02 03:56:00

Date: February 16, 2011Time: 8am PST/11am ESTDuration: one hourWith enforcement of the Bribery Act of 2010 expected to begin in April 2011, there remain questions with regard to a number of key areas within the legislation. The head of UK’s Serious > read more

Compliance and Risk Management in 2011: Key Concerns for Business

Published on 2011-02-02 01:53:00

Since President Obama’s selection of Jon Leibowitz as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Chairman Leibowitz’ selection of David Vladeck as the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, the FTC’s consumer protection > read more

Top Five Corporate Compliance Challenges in 2011 for Telecommunications Companies

Published on 2011-02-01 23:50:00

For companies in the telecommunications industry, 2010 has proved to be an eventful year in the regulatory context with the release of the National Broadband Plan by the FCC. Congress intended the Plan to be a long-reaching analysis of what the gove > read more

Training Managers to be Compliance and Ethics “Risk Sentinels”

Published on 2011-02-01 13:47:00

What does it mean for a manager to be ethical? At a minimum, of course, he or she must obey relevant laws and other standards of conduct herself, but in an age of maximum consequences for violations presumably the minimum in ethicality is only the > read more

Impact of IFRS: Automotive

Published on 2011-02-01 07:26:00

This publication is aimed at the CFO and serves as a conversation starter during KPMG’s first meeting with clients and targets. It provides a high level introduction to the key technical accounting matters across original equipment manufacturers (O > read more

Organised crime and carbon theft

Published on 2011-02-01 06:32:00

It was only a matter of time before the carbon market, one of the fastest growing and most lucrative in Europe, was hit by organised crime. Now we have reports that crooks have stolen almost €30 million of carbon permits in Europe and they did it b > read more

Genghis Khan, the environmental champion

Published on 2011-02-01 04:28:00

Just in case you don't think humans don't have an impact on the environment, check out the story of Genghis Khan.According to a new study reported here, Genghis Khan will probably go down as the greenest-ever invader. Julia Pongratz of the Carnegie I > read more

Standard setters work to 'align' balance sheet approach

Published on 2011-02-01 02:23:00

US AND INTERNATIONAL accounting standards are to bring together the way financial assets are presented on the balance sheet.The international standard setter (IASB) and its US counterpart have agreed to find a common to approach to offsetting - the w > read more

EFRAG and UK ASB issue discussion paper on accounting standards

Published on 2011-02-01 00:19:00

The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) and the UK Accounting Standards Board (ASB) have issued a Discussion Paper Considering the Effects of Accounting Standards. The purpose of the Discussion Paper is noted as "to put forward, for p > read more

The Application of IFRS: Technology companies

Published on 2011-01-31 06:36:00

The application of IFRS: Technologies focuses on providing an understanding of the approaches taken by technology companies in dealing with some of the industry-specific accounting issues that they face; and to illustrate disclosures made by these co > read more

Why should sustainable finance be given priority?

Published on 2011-01-31 02:53:00

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the relatively new concept of sustainable finance, although very apt and timely, needs to address many major issues for it to be meaningful and if it is to achieve its desired obj > read more

Creating the environment for progressive innovation

Published on 2011-01-31 00:51:00

The New Year is always the time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. Unfortunately few of us have a clean sheet on which to pen an entirely new future, but it's always useful to think the unthinkable before we jump back on the tread mill o > read more

FASB scales back fair value proposal

Published on 2011-01-30 22:40:00

The US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has relented on its previous plans to require companies to report all of their financial instruments at fair value. Yesterday, the FASB tentatively decided to permit accounting for financial assets f > read more

National Trust enters English forest sell-off row

Published on 2011-01-30 12:18:00

The National Trust is promising to "play its part" in protecting England's ancient woodlands if a planned sell-off of publicly-owned forests goes ahead.Up to 2,500 sq km could enter private hands, but critics say that would damage nature and restrict > read more

Richard Black's Earth Watch: Real world of climate: How scary?

Published on 2011-01-30 00:18:00

+Earlier this week I posted on uncertainty in climate model projections, raising the question of whether lack of certainty made the future more or less "scary" - and what it should mean for policymaking.As would have been expected, I guess, your resp > read more

Building a Robust Case for Microsavings

Published on 2011-01-29 14:45:00

Editor's Note: The following post was submitted jointly by Jake Kendall and Ignacio Mas of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.At the Financial Services for the Poor team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we have made a deliberate choice to fo > read more

El número de consejeras en empresas del IBEX creció el 23,2 % en 2010

Published on 2011-01-29 12:58:00

El número de puestos en los consejos de administración de las empresas del IBEX 35 ocupados por mujeres creció el 23,2 % en 2010 respecto al año anterior, y se situó en 53, según el VI informe sobre gobierno corporativo publicado hoy por la esc > read more

Quantifying informality in Latin America

Published on 2011-01-29 10:02:00

In a series of earlier posts, I discussed a number of findings about informal (unregistered) firms in 6 African countries, including Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Madagascar and Mauritius. These findings were based on Informali > read more

FACT SHEET: The World Bank, Transparency and Anti-Corruption

Published on 2011-01-29 09:35:00

Issue: Stepping up the game in anti-corruption.Fact: The World Bank has been leading anti-corruption efforts for over a decade and has closed down projects and whole country programs where there is evidence of corruption. Governance and anti-corru > read more

Does efficient corruption pay?

Published on 2011-01-29 07:04:00

Buying and selling a product or service involves a number of costs, including time spent searching for the best prices, negotiating for good discounts, researching product quality and writing contracts where applicable. Broadly, these are called the > read more

25th Annual ICGFM International Conference

Published on 2011-01-29 02:18:00

When: May 15 - May 20, 2011Where: Miami, Florida, USAAchieving Real Accountability: a Balancing Act Among StakeholdersLearn how governments are meeting the demands of its citizens, civil society, the media, and donors for greater impact on the shape > read more

Cleanequity Monaco 2011

Published on 2011-01-28 22:25:00

CleanEquity Monaco, now in its 4th year, is the ultimate forum for emerging cleantech companies of all nationalities to present their credentials to financial investors, strategic investors, world media, government & other end users.CleanEquity Monac > read more

Accountability Results from a Broad Range of Stakeholders: ICGFM Issues Call for Speakers at its 25th International Conference

Published on 2011-01-28 15:28:00

In this era of social media, rapidly expanding access to a variety of information outlets, greater activism by civil society groups, and a greater demand for results, public sector accountability has grown beyond the traditional institutions that exe > read more

India plans Asian tidal power

Published on 2011-01-28 10:25:00

The Indian state of Gujarat is planning to host Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station.The company Atlantis Resources is to install a 50MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction starting early in 2012.The > read more

Case for man-made warming increased in 2010, scientists say

Published on 2011-01-28 03:18:00

Evidence of man-made warming has increased in the past year, according to one of the world's leading climate research centers.The UK's Met Office Hadley Center says data from a range of climate indicators continues to make an "overwhelming" case for > read more

UN defends Ban Ki-moon against rights 'cowardice' claim

Published on 2011-01-28 01:45:00

The UN has defended its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over accusations that he has failed to speak out over human rights issues.Mr Ban has been singled out for harsh criticism by Human Rights Watch in its annual report.The group said he had been "not > read more

Transparency in the financing of Europarties

Published on 2011-01-27 22:59:00

Yesterday, we – the Transparency International EU Office – were invited to speak at a hearing of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament about the need for transparency of political parties at European level (“Europartie > read more

Climate Change Practice Areas

Published on 2011-01-27 13:43:00

Holland & Hart has joined the small but growing ranks of law firms with a dedicated practice group focused on legal issues surrounding climate change / global warming. This according to an article in the Denver Business Journal. I haven't time to sea > read more

2.4 billion extra people, no more land: how will we feed the world in 2050?

Published on 2011-01-27 13:28:00

The finite resources of the Earth will be be stretched as never before in the coming 40 years because of the unprecedented challenge of feeding the world in 2050, leading scientists have concluded in a report to be published next week.Food production > read more

Apple Ranks Last for Environmental Response

Published on 2011-01-27 06:55:00

A coalition of 36 environmental groups has accused Apple of ignoring unhealthy conditions at the Chinese factories of its suppliers.A report (Chinese only) by the Beijing-based non-profit Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) ranked App > read more

Para evitar hambre global, científicos piden actuar ya

Published on 2011-01-27 04:39:00

Un informe exhaustivo sobre la producción de alimentos y el estado del sector agropecuario global advierte que garantizar la seguridad alimentaria es un reto que se debe afrontar a la par de la lucha contra el cambio climático.El estudio publicado > read more

Apple, cómo no organizar una sucesion

Published on 2011-01-27 03:45:00

Estos días hemos visto el anuncio de Apple que uno de sus fundadores originales y actual Presidente, Steve Jobs, se apartará de sus funciones directas en la empresa por razones médicas. Este anuncio tuvo un impacto negativo importante sobre el val > read more

El Banco Mundial introduce nuevas herramientas para promover soluciones innovadoras a los desafíos del desarrollo

Published on 2011-01-27 02:12:00

El Grupo del Banco Mundial está dando a conocer una amplia gama de herramientas y aplicaciones de tecnología para promover soluciones innovadoras basadas en mayor medida en la colaboración y más eficaces frente a desafíos mundiales, como parte d > read more

Follow a family's effort to reduce their carbon emissions by six tonnes

Published on 2011-01-26 16:32:00

Follow the Lindell family's progress online as they participate in the "One Tonne Life" project and attempt to reduce their carbon footprint from seven tonnes per person per year to a mere one tonne.In order to prevent climate change, it is estimated > read more

Price negotiations with a dentist

Published on 2011-01-26 13:46:00

> read more

Biodiversity Conservation and Child Malaria: Microeconomic Evidence from Flores, Indonesia

Published on 2011-01-26 12:13:00

Abstract: In remote areas of developing countries, people's health and livelihoods are closely intertwined with the condition of the natural environment. Unfortunately, claims regarding the role of ecosystem degradation on disease outcomes rest > read more

Celebrities voice forest privatisation fears

Published on 2011-01-26 08:26:00

Famous names ranging from Annie Lennox and Dame Judi Dench to the Archbishop of Canterbury have implored the Government not to sell off the country's publicly-owned forests.Almost 90 prominent figures signed a letter claiming that such a sale would b > read more

Hackers target carbon emissions trading market

Published on 2011-01-26 05:07:00

In a digital heist reminiscent of a John le Carré novel, more than $9 million worth of greenhouse-gas emissions permits were stolen from the Czech Republic electricity and carbon trading registry this week and transferred to accounts in other countr > read more

Las iniciativas medioambientales del Banco Mundial con la India

Published on 2011-01-26 03:50:00

Una de las iniciativas del Banco Mundial que está tomando cada vez más importancia es el fomento del desarrollo sostenible, con mucho más énfasis en la segunda palabra, y la protección del medio ambiente. Como parte de su labor, está trabajando > read more

Electric cars you can buy

Published on 2011-01-26 00:11:00

The time for talk is over; electric cars are hitting the streets. Over the next few years, at least 14 electric car models are slated for mass production. Although Tesla took an early lead with its Roadster in 2008, the risky move by Nissan to put th > read more

Launch of our Quantitative Ratings

Published on 2011-01-25 12:34:00

These ratings are purely based on quantitative aspects - at no point do they involve the personal interpretation of an analyst who must read through text or survey responses. We believe that numbers in large volumes speak for themselves and can serve > read more

Less Fuel Also Means Less Revenue

Published on 2011-01-25 12:27:00

For environmentalists and others eager to reduce reliance on foreign oil, the advent of electric cars and other fuel-efficient vehicles is cause for celebration.Yet for governments, the trend has a distinct downside: their fuel-tax receipts will dwin > read more

BP and makers of iPod in line for 'shame' awards

Published on 2011-01-25 11:12:00

Swiss environmentalists hope this week's prizes will force 'rogue' companies to mend their waysThe award for what environmentalists regard as the world's "most evil corporation of the year" will be presented this week to a reluctant winner, with fina > read more

S.E.C. Study Recommends More Oversight of Brokers

Published on 2011-01-25 10:22:00

Investment advisers and stockbrokers should be subject to the same fiduciary standard of conduct — putting a customer’s interests above their own — rather than the different governance regimes that currently apply to the two groups, the Securit > read more

A Point of View: Has our relationship with nature changed?

Published on 2011-01-25 06:07:00

The environmental dangers that now face mankind put non-scientific philosophical types like me in an awkward situation. We have to acknowledge that we can have precisely nothing interesting to say on the two most important questions in the air right > read more

Empresarios sociales: hacer dinero para el bien de todos

Published on 2011-01-25 03:58:00

Hacer dinero y donarlo son dos acciones que generalmente son consideradas distintas.Primero hay que facturar y hacer dinero para que luego la vena filantrópica inspire la generosidad, mucha o poca.Pero ¿y si se pudiera combinar el espíritu emprend > read more

Greentech Media’s 2011 Solar Summit

Published on 2011-01-25 02:42:00

When: MARCH 14 – 15, 2011Where: Palm Springs, CA, USAFor the fourth consecutive year, Greentech Media presents its successful Solar Summit. Bringing together leading solar companies, influential regulators and policymakers, forward-thinking utiliti > read more

La importancia de la educación continua

Published on 2011-01-24 23:49:00

Un Estudio de la Bertelsmann Stiftung (la Fundación Bertelsmann) nos trae el European Lifelong Learning Index (la ELLI) un índice que analiza y de hace tangible, medible y comparable el estado de la educación continua en los distintos países.La E > read more

Climate scientists targeted for fraud

Published on 2011-01-24 14:06:00

Online fraudsters are targeting climate scientists through invitations to fake conferences, often at fictional five-star London hotels.Scientists are sent e-mails directing them to fake conference websites - often imitating the style of real ones.Typ > read more

Harvesting energy: body heat to warm buildings

Published on 2011-01-24 06:36:00

Body heat is not an energy source that normally springs to mind when companies want to keep down soaring energy costs.But it did spring to the mind of one Swedish company, which decided the warmth that everybody generates naturally was in fact a reso > read more

The Energy Diet

Published on 2011-01-24 03:39:00

Trimming your energy use is a lot like taking off extra pounds. You’ve heard all the advice, but the thought of starting a diet can be daunting. Will you feel deprived? Can you stick to all the changes you’ll need to make? And where do you begin? > read more

Focus Electric, el primer coche eléctrico de Ford

Published on 2011-01-24 01:52:00

Focus Electric, el primer coche eléctrico de Ford. Mañana comienza el Salón de Detroit, el evento norteamericano más importante en materia de novedades automovilísticas, y en él la compañía Ford presentará su más nueva -y ecológica- apuest > read more

Governance: Everything to Play for at the IASB

Published on 2011-01-23 19:21:00

Back in the early days of the International Accounting Standards Board, (IASB), its Chairman, Sir David Tweedie, knew what represented the frontline in protecting the independence of the Board. It was a person, a very large person, six foot seven inc > read more

The Effect Of Shariah Principles on Accounting Methods for Islamic Banks

Published on 2011-01-23 15:20:00

Further to our story published yesterday, we make available a presentation by Daud Vicary Abdullah, Deloitte's Global Islamic Finance Leader. The Effect Of Shariah Principles on Accounting Methods for Islamic Banks points out the rapid acceptance of > read more

Progress on tablet computer for developing nations

Published on 2011-01-23 12:21:00

Everybody is trying to grab a piece of the tablet action at the gadget geekfest known as the Consumer Electronics Show.Among them, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, whose mission is to bring low-powered, low-cost devices to the developing worl > read more

Creating serendipity: Using knowledge transfer networks

Published on 2011-01-23 07:53:00

In the 1960s, small machines suddenly started appearing by the streams and rivers in some of the remotest parts of Nepal.These micro-hydro machines resembled small pumps, and used the flow of the water coming down from the hills to generate cheap and > read more

FRC proposes enhancements to company reporting and audit

Published on 2011-01-23 06:19:00

The UK's Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published recommendations aimed at improving the dialogue between company boards and their shareholders. The FRC's report, 'Effective Company Stewardship: Enhancing Corporate Reporting and Audit', contai > read more

Evaluating Limits on Participation and Transactions in Markets for Emissions Allowances

Published on 2011-01-23 06:14:00

AbstractIn response to concerns that the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could have serious and costly effects, the Congress has considered creating a nationwide cap-and-trade program that would limit emissions of those gases below > read more

Pentagon Must ‘Buy American,’ Barring Chinese Solar Panels

Published on 2011-01-23 04:56:00

The military appropriations law signed by President Obama on Friday contains a little-noticed “Buy American” provision for the Defense Department purchases of solar panels — a provision that is likely to dismay Chinese officials as President Hu > read more

Oil Spill Panel Calls for Strict New Rules and New Spending

Published on 2011-01-22 12:47:00

The presidential panel investigating the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico recommended on Tuesday that Congress approve substantial new spending and sweeping new regulations for offshore oil operations at a time when the appetite for both is low.R > read more

Goldman Sachs: Report of the Business Standards Committee

Published on 2011-01-22 11:40:00

See full Report, in pdf format. > read more

Energy for the future – finding the right direction

Published on 2011-01-22 09:56:00

Speaker: Steve Westwell, executive vice president, strategy and integrationVenue: Science and technology in society forum, Kyoto, JapanGood morning and thank you for the invitation to join today’s discussion. I want to begin by referring to the Dee > read more

Maker of WeatherBug to Collect Greenhouse Gas Data

Published on 2011-01-22 06:49:00

The company behind one of the largest networks of weather monitoring stations on the planet — and the purveyor of the ubiquitous WeatherBug application and Web site — is betting that providing greenhouse gas data will also prove to be a lucrative > read more

Vietnam Acknowledges Corruption Holds Back Country

Published on 2011-01-22 06:45:00

Communist Party leaders acknowledged that rampant abuse of power is holding Vietnam back, telling delegates during the opening of a key meeting Wednesday that cleaning up corruption would help solve the country's economic woes.Propaganda was prominen > read more

David Cameron 'must act to green Whitehall', say MPs

Published on 2011-01-22 06:36:00

David Cameron must take the environment to the heart of Whitehall if he wants to make the coalition the greenest government ever, say MPs.The environment department (Defra) is currently responsible for ensuring the environment is considered in the go > read more

Scales of justice

Published on 2011-01-22 02:30:00

Europe’s biggest economy scores poorly in a ranking of fairnessGERMANY'S federal statistics office is expected to announce on Wednesday January 12th that its economy grew by 3.7% in 2010. The country's position in a ranking of countries by social j > read more

FEI notes IFRS as one of its 'Top 10' challenges for finance executives in 2011

Published on 2011-01-21 14:14:00

Financial Executives International (FEI), an association for CFOs and other senior finance executives based in North America, has published FEI CEO's 2011 Top Challenges for Financial Executives, which includes discussion of the possible convergence > read more

BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2010

Published on 2011-01-21 10:00:00

Speaker: Christof Rühl1. Introduction2009 was a year of recession, and of tentative recovery. Global energy demand fell sharply.Individual fuel markets each have a story to tell. But underneath these market-by-market developments, there is a bigger > read more

Clean energy infrastructure: an exciting new investment thesis

Published on 2011-01-21 09:38:00

Many investors in private equity are looking for additional ways to diversify their portfolios, especially in light of the post-crisis changes in the market. David Scaysbrook and Katharina Lichtner of Capital Dynamics explain why clean energy infrast > read more

"Africa Must Make Tough Choices to Build Democracy"

Published on 2011-01-21 08:35:00

Below are my comments, knowing that in the end we will get most of it wrong anyway. The future always has the last laugh.Governance: Contrary to Mr Haddad's views, I do not think governance went away. It was just done badly, at least in Africa where > read more

The IoS Green List: Britain's top 100 environmentalists

Published on 2011-01-21 07:23:00

Britain's most successful transport campaigner has come top of the first comprehensive list of the country's most effective greens, compiled by The Independent on Sunday.The little-known John Stewart, who leads the onslaught against a third runway at > read more

Do Public Subsidies Sell Green Cars?

Published on 2011-01-21 05:32:00

INTRODUCTIONAnnounced at a difficult time for consumers and automakers, the U.S. "Cash for Clunkers" program attracted significantly more attention than anticipated. The program offered up to a $4,500 rebate on the purchase of a fuel-efficient vehicl > read more