Will London G20 make a difference?

There is arguably no immediate remedy to rescue the failing world economy. But the forthcoming London G20 summit has drawn world attention, as it aims to make a mark in putting the global economy onto the road of recovery.

So will the London event meet up to expectations?

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

London G20 expected to strike a fair deal for Africa

Prior to the G20 summit, Britain has said, in several occassions, that without involving Africa, solutions cannot be found to deal with global economic, security and climate challenges.

Africa has drawn growing attention as a key supplier for global growth with its natural resources and potentially huge markets. However, issues facing Africa in sustainable development and combating poverty have intensified as the recession sweeps around the world.

And questions have been raised as to whether the G20 will bring substantial benefits to Africa and address issues facing the continent.

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Read other Africa-related articles:

Africa pivoted to setting its own agenda

China in Zambia: from comrades to capitalists?

British families feeling the pain of recession

A recent report by Citigroup reveals that British household wealth has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years. But while the statistics make grim reading, the reality for many ordinary families is even more uncomfortable.

From day to day ordinary Britons are struggling with increased worries and a rising cost of living as the recession deepens. One such case is the Webster family who live in Essex, southeast England.

For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Unsustainable consumption causes climate change

The real cause for climate change is not cities but the high-consumption lifestyles, says a new study released earlier this week in London by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

“The tendency to identify cities as major culprits in causing climate change diverts attention from the main driver of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, namely unsustainable consumption, especially in the world’s more affluent countries,” said the paper’s author Dr David Dodman with IIED’s Human Settlements and Climate Change Groups.

Unsustainable consumers are held accountable

“In many ways, it doesn’t matter whether the consumption takes place in a city or a rural area, or in a wealthy or low-income country,” says Dodman. “Wealthy consumers with unsustainable livelihoods are one of the main driving forces of climate change.”

After having examined existing reports of emissions from cities in Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe, the paper finds that GHG emissions of city dwellers are often far smaller than the national average.

London, for an example, emitted 44.3 millions tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2006, accounting for only 8 percent of Britain’s total emissions. As regards per capita emissions, Londoners have little more than half of the national average.

Brazil’s two largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, have less than one-third of the national per capita GHG emissions average.

Many cities have surprisingly low per capita emissions, but what is clear is that most emissions come from the world’s wealthier nations, Dodman said.

“High-income countries need to take the lead in showing how a high quality of life for all individuals can be achieved without placing an unsustainable load on environmental systems,” says Dodman.

Sound urban planning is the solution

To offer a remedy, the paper has strongly urged city authorities to make it possible for urban residents to live in a more climate-friendly manner.

“Effective urban governance, urban planning, and urban management can facilitate people to live a lower-carbon lifestyle, particularly through more energy efficient housing, and more widely-used public transportation,” says Dodman.

Wealth need not imply pollution, and rather than blaming cities for climate change, policymakers should see well-planned and effectively governed cities as potential solutions, he continued.

"Tokyo has considerably lower emissions per person than either Beijing or Shanghai and this shows clearly that prosperity does not lead inevitably to greater emissions," Dodman says. "Well designed and well governed cities can combine high living standards with much lower greenhouse gas emissions."

Supply chains need greening

The study also points out that emissions from manufacturing are currently allocated to the countries in which these greenhouse gases are produced, rather than to the locations in which the finished products are purchased and used.

This issue was also highlighted in a report on rich countries’ invisible emissions, which was published recently by the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo (CICERO).

Almost half of the increase in emissions in China is due to production of exports, most of which are for western countries, says the CICERO report, entitled “Journey to world top emitter”. Rich countries are contributing to the emission increases in developing nations, but this is not accounted for in international negotiations, the report says.

“Even without taking imports into account, consumers in high-income nations generate greater carbon footprints than those elsewhere in the world,” says Dodman, adding that “when ‘embedded carbon’ is taken into account, this is likely to be accentuated even further.”

In his opinion, solving the problem is likely to require a combination of voluntary actions and policy decisions that influence the pricing of products according to their impact on GHG emissions.

To deal with emissions produced during the globalisation, low-carbon researchers have been working on schemes on how to identify, calculate and cut CO2 emissions during every stage of global supply chains, in a bid to speed up the flow of goods across boundaries in a sustainable way.

Ethical climate crisis solution advocated

Many potential solutions to cut emissions and tackle the global climate crisis are under research, based on an ethical vision that each individual on this planet has an equal carbon-emitting right.

One of these systems is the Cap and Share, which is being developed by the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability (Feasta) in Ireland.

The Cap and Share scheme seeks to provide a simple, workable and ethical economic framework to deal with climate change, on the belief that every human being has a right to an equal share of the fees that fossil fuel users would be prepared to pay for the right to discharge greenhouse gases into the global atmosphere.

Commenting on similar schemes, Dodman said that from an ethical perspective, this is clearly an appealing prospect.

“However, the existing international frameworks for measuring and reducing carbon emissions are already highly complicated, and to replicate these for individual ‘carbon-emitting rights’ is likely to be logistically impossible,” says Dodman.

But the concepts behind these suggestions ought to be taken more seriously in influencing individuals and governments to reduce GHG emissions, he added.

Copyright Dongying Wang

For reproduction of this article, please contact wdy21century@gmail.com

Reality TV star death pushes G20 out of news

Flowers being left at Jade Goody's house in Upshire, SE England
Pictured: Jade Goody [inset] has been dubbed the "Essex Princess"

Despite the publicity for the upcoming G20 summit, there is little excitement amongst ordinary Britons. Even the gloom of the recession is not the top of people’s minds. Instead, the talk on many people’s lips is the passing of reality TV celebrity Jade Goody.

The 27-year-old woman, who was born in Bermondsey in South London, died last Sunday after a battle with cervical cancer. Although many people die of cancer daily, her plight has captured the hearts of many British people.

Rise to fame

Born to a broken family, she started her career as a dental nurse. But it was her appearance on the British reality TV programme Big Brother that changed her life. She courted controversy last year after making racist remarks directed towards another competitor, Indian actress Shilpa Shetty.

Following her diagnosis of terminal cancer, she announced her intention to marry boyfriend Jack Tweed. She sold the wedding picture rights to the celebrity Magazine OK! for a reported 700,000 pounds (around 1 million U.S. dollars), which she said was to help give her two boys a good future.

Her story has dominated the news in many British newspapers. Even the more serious news media have covered the story extensively. She has often been cited as a person who became famous just for being famous.

Tributes pour in

Flowers were soon laid outside the star’s house in Essex, southeast England, after her death was announced, with fans and admirers turning up to show their respects.

Within 24 hours the dozens of bouquets had grown to several hundred. Amongst the tributes were teddy bears, balloons and cards. One card, adorning a small bear, referred to Jade Goody as “our Essex princess”. It was a sentiment expressed by many who called radio chat shows on Monday.

British actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry also elevated Goody’s celebrity status. Commenting on the micro-blogging service Twitter, Fry said, “I suppose she was a kind of Princess Diana from the wrong side of the tracks...”.

Tributes came from far and wide with many other celebrities paying their respects to the reality star. Prince Azim, the son of the Sultan of Brunei, described Jade as a “warm and lovely lady”. Even the British Prime Minister made a statement following the announcement of her death, and said he was “deeply saddened” to hear about her passing.

“She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her and her family can be extremely proud of the work she has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer which will benefit thousands of women across the UK,” the Prime Minister said.

The publicity and media circus that has followed Goody to her grave has indeed increased people’s awareness of the risks of cervical cancer. In fact health clinics have even reported an increase in women demanding smear tests, an important precursor to early diagnosis.

Controversy

However, not everyone has been so adoring of Jade Goody. Her courting of the media while dying of cancer has been described as sick by some. And others have commented on her coarse and apparent racist behaviour that was seen in the television show Big Brother.

But both the criticism and the praise for Goody has only helped make her front page news for the last few weeks in many of Britain’s newspapers. “You can’t get away from it,” said one caller to BBC Essex, who ran a long phone-in programme on Monday. But many expressed the opinion that it was “tragic” whatever one thought of Jade Goody personally.

Some papers have printed supplements stretching to 16 pages, something not seen since the death of Princess Diana. As one radio commentator, Sadie Nine, said, “I don’t think even the Queen Mother had this much coverage”.

Many callers described Jade as a “lovable character” and a “nobody who made good”. One young caller told the radio station, “Jade was normal. We could all relate to her in some way or another.”

But some were cynical as to how much publicity had been given to the story. “If it hadn’t been for publicist Max Clifford we wouldn’t have seen so much coverage,” one caller said.

One pensioner thought the whole affair was not in a good taste. “The media have made too much out of it and I think she milked the media for all it was worth,” says she.

Celebrity culture

Despite calls for privacy by Jade’s family, the media were still in presence outside the Goody house and that of her newly wed husband Jack Tweed.

One photographer commented that he found it difficult to explain to his seven- year-old daughter why he was covering the story about a woman who had died. “I was lost for words,” he said, adding, “I guess it sells papers.”

It’s not just British media that have followed the story with such interest. Outside Jack Tweed’s home a German television crew was amongst the group of photographers. And at the Goody home, satellite trucks and photographer’s cars lined the narrow road while police directed traffic.

There was a constant stream of well wishers laying flowers some of which were greeted by Jade’s mother, Jackiey Budden, who came out and thanked them. As she embraced a few friends there was the rapid firing of camera shutters as fans looked on silently.

The story is likely to continue as her widowed husband Jack faces jail for assault, and a funeral scheduled for April 4th approaches. There will also be continued focus on her two young sons and their natural father Jeff Brazier. All this depicts the nature of British celebrity culture.

The G20 summit may feature highly in the serious press, but for the tabloids and in the minds of many Britons, the topic of conversation will be Jade Goody’s untimely exit after her fight with cancer.

Copyright Dongying Wang

For reproduction of this article, please contact wdy21century@gmail.com

British catering business struggling in recession

A British pub before the smoking ban

The catering business in Britain is feeling the effect of what economists called "a pretty bad recession" that has consumers tending to spend less that in previous times.

Amidst the economic predicament, some sectors are suffering heavy losses, while others are remaining strong in the global downturn.

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Is recession slowing down climate change action?

The global climate change efforts have not been compromised by the current economic downturn, and political signals so far have been encouraging at the ongoing negotiations for a new climate change regime, said a senior UN official.

The implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, the first commitment period of which will expire in 2012, is not yet a concern at this moment, and is proceeding well, said Feng Gao, director of the Legal Affairs Programme of the UNFCCC secretariat.

Referring to negotiations for the new post-2012 climate agreement, which is due to be signed in Copenhagen this December, he said, “political signals so far we have received have been encouraging.”

The climate change policies and measures proposed as part of efforts to deal with the downturn may be more practical, he added.

However, many NGOs have felt that the meltdown has slowed down sustainable development.

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.


Photo by ecstaticist

Britain expects low-carbon industrial revolution to end recession

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a national effort to create a low carbon economy, meanwhile stressing that green recovery is the very option for the economy to walk out of the current recession.

To achieve the green recovery, Britain needs to win a very big share of a fast expanding global market for low carbon goods and services, Brown said.

Britain expects to become the first country to finish the transition to a low-carbon economy by increasing use of clean energy and technologies, such as carbon capture and storage.

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Britons have doubts about "quantitative easing" plan

To step up the efforts to rescue the British economy, the Bank of England once again cut its interest rate to a new all time low and has planned to pump a huge amount of money into the banking system.

However, the public seems to have less confidence about the effectiveness of these government measures, especially the “quantitative easing,” commonly referred to as “printing more money”.

Some people asked, “Is it a brave or barmy move?”

For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Experts warn mounting impact of British recession on mental health

The economic downturn may not currently be seeing its affects on the health of the population in Britain, but there are fears that as the recession deepens the Nation Health Service (NHS) will see a rise in admissions, especially during the coming winter.

Britain has been warned of a staggering 26 percent increase in the number of people experiencing mental health problems by 2010 as a direct result of Britain’s economic crisis.

To date, there have been no official reports on the recession’s impact on health. However, mounting levels of unemployment, increasing debt and housing insecurity has prompted some health service charities to sound the alarm.

As regards the death rate, both the British Humanist Association and the National Funeral Directors Association has said that the economic crisis has not yet had a visible impact upon the number of deaths.

They said that the rise in deaths in some areas in Britain cannot be generalized nationally and it is still too early to assess whether the recession would create an increased death rate in the country.


For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

Photo by crashmaster007

Royal Mail privatisation deal faces mixed reception

British people, from postal workers to union leaders, from politicians to the general public, have expressed mixed feelings towards the proposal to partially privatise Britain’s national postal service, the Royal Mail.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has insisted that the plan is the only way to ensure the future of Britain’s postal service. However, the plan to sell off some 30 percent of Royal Mail has angered those who see it as a loss of their heritage.

For the full story, by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also please return to the blog to post your comment.