HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS SITE

Poverty in Africa can be made history if the region’s wealth of natural resources is effectively, fairly and sustainably harnessed, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says. Outstanding issues like rapid rates of deforestation, high levels of land degradation, wasteful water use in agriculture and climate change remain and need to be urgently addressed.

There were cars of all colours at the British International Motor Show in London on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 but just one unifying hue -- green.

Nearly all manufacturers touted their environmental awareness ranging from fully-electric vehicles through to hybrids and conventional cars boasting better fuel consumption and lower carbon emissions.

"The motor industry is investing millions each year to improve its green credentials," said Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Fresh from the global success of the world’s first humanitarian video game designed to arouse children’s interests in the challenges of fighting hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on June 8^th the launch of a blog, an interactive internet chat site, that allows youngsters to talk directly to aid workers on the battle’s frontlines.         

A growing portion of U.S. states’ electricity is being provided by renewable energy, according to a report released on June 14 by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. States are using increasingly aggressive and ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in order to spur economic development and create a reliable and diversified supply of electricity, as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conventional pollutants.

Sophisticated images of water and life, of desert biodiversity and of deforestation and environmental degradation dominate this year's International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment. Winners were announced on World Environment Day.

The 2006 Global Winner of the UNEP International Children’s Painting Competition is 9-year-old Lau Tsun Ming from China. 

The new funding scheme is the first of its kind. A new partnership aimed at restoring depleted fisheries and reducing poverty in Africa was launched today, May 16, 2006, by the African Union (AU), the World Bank, WWF – the Global Conservation Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

“The challenge is to enhance the data exchange and sharing between the organizations to avoid duplication, increase the cooperation and coordination of efforts in collecting data and make them available to benefit everybody, saving resources and at the same time preserving data and information ownership,” according to GeoNetwork opensource.