Petra Kjell reflects on the importance of water and the daily struggle to find it.
Today is World Water Day. It’s celebrated around the world to remind ourselves of the importance of water.
I’ve heard many people in the poor communities where we work say, ‘water is life’, so what could be more appropriate than having a dedicated day to reflect on this fundamental resource and its vital role in our very existence?
Catholics are urged to add their voices to the nationwide campaign to
tell the Government to set ambitious targets for UK carbon reduction
ahead of a crucial decision next week, says Catholic development
agency Progressio.
The Climate Change Act compels the Government to set so-called carbon
budgets which constrain the amount of carbon the country can emit in
any one year. The independent Committee on Climate Change has made
three key recommendations which Progressio wants to see adopted.
How do the impacts of climate change affect women? Cindy Krose, a Development Worker at CEPES, a Progressio partner in Peru, explores the issue. Click 'CC' under the video for English subtitles.
Cindy Krose writes from Huancavelica, Peru:
For a video on this topic by Cindy in Huancavelicas, click here.
Women in the rural district of Huancavelica prepare the food for the family, do the domestic tasks, take care of the animals, and on top of this (together with the men) are in charge of many of the agricultural practices that sustain the family.
Having returned and digested the climate change negotiations (COP16) held in December in Cancún, Mexico, Maggie Von Vogt is back at UNES (Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña), and immersed in vision, strategy, media messaging, and planning activities for 2011 and beyond...
What next?
People from the communities and organizations that are part of the Climate Justice Campaign have been asking me about the COP. They are asking: "What happened? How did it go? How's it looking for us? What do we need to work on? What’s next?"
Mélida Tróchez, who has rebuilt her house four times following severe floods in Honduras, tells Progressio development worker Nuria Zayas her story of perseverance against the odds.
Headlines in Honduran newspapers have been catching my eye this month: “More intense cyclone activity expected this year”, ”Heaviest ‘La Niña’ in decades will affect Central America in mid-2011”, “At least 9 hurricanes expected in 2011…” I’d usually think of anonymous victims when reading these kinds of headlines. But nowadays, my first immediate thoughts are for Mélida Tróchez.
Progressio environment policy officer, Petra Kjell, reflects on last week's UN climate summit in Cancún, Mexico.
It was certainly a change of scenery. From the cold and darkness of Copenhagen to the warm and sunny Mexican Riviera, delegates were mingling amongst air-conditioned buildings, many, apart from the poorest delegations, staying in all-inclusive beach resorts. While most of us struggled with long bus journeys to get around, some didn’t even have to leave the building because of the five star accommodation on site.
Progressio has welcomed the outcome of the Cancun climate change summit as ‘a much needed boost’ for the negotiation process, but recognised that what had been achieved was a ‘compromise agreement.’ Ambitions need to be significantly raised to ensure the world stays below at the very least 2ºC, as climate change is already having a significant impact on the world’s poor.
Campaigners march for climate justice in Cancún
“Central America demands a climate where peace, social justice, and environmental sustainability flourish,” states the most recent document from the Mesoamerican Climate Justice Campaign. And now is their chance to bring this demand to the global negotiating tables all the way from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
