Environment : Chile has medicine against desertification, but does not take it (PRIV)
(IPS, Ovalle)
The retention of rainwater wh ich otherwise is lost at sea could be an excellent medicine against the advance of the desert from northern to central Chile, but there is no political will to ta ke the necessary actions, according to experts and representatives of affected communities.

Africa : War, high tariffs and nationalisation - their cost to climate (PRIV)
(IPS, Kinshasa)
Africa's political instability, its armed conflicts and regulatory issues are placing at risk investment needed to ta ckle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the continent.

Environment : Bamboo, a sustainability powerhouse (PRIV)
(IPS, Vienna)
A landmark conference bringing more than 1,200 people from across the world together to promote and explain the importance of bamboo and rattan to global sustainable development and tackling climate ch ange ended recently with a raft of agreements and project launches.

South Asia : Despite progress, region faces challenges in water & sanitation (PRIV)
(IPS, New Delhi)
In 2030, when I would be turning sixty, I'd like to tell my grand-children the story of how - once upon a time - th e lives of poor people in South Asia were transformed: that leaders came together to b ring economic prosperity and social development to people that until then had li ved in an unequal and polluted world.

Opinion : Keep (unclean) water out of the reach of children (PRIV)
(IPS, Kigali)
To many of us, "keep out of the reach of children" is a phrase we see printed on labels for medicines and chemicals. To mothers in Rweru Sector, Rwanda, it's a daily principle to li ve by.