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December 30, 2002   JHU/CCP   Rwandans Now 8.16 Million.   The population of Rwanda has reached 8.16 million and had grown by just over one million, or 12% in the last 12 years. 52.3% of the population is female, 47.7% male. The population over the age of 16 years was 4.19 million, 53.5% female.     rw

December 28, 2002   Ralph Woodgate - opinion   Feast Or Famine?.   Headlines from Dec 2002: Persistent Drop in Fertility Reshapes Europe's Future .... Russia's Population Decline May Cause Shortage of Workers .... Hong Kong Population Aging; Number of Births Dwindles .... Lowering the Boom - Will the World's Population Plummet in the Next Century? .... Some of the recent headlines regarding the changes in the world population would suggest that a reduction in the birth rate would bring nothing but misery to the peoples of the world. For example, not enough of working age to support the older people, shortage of workers will reduce economic growth and so on. The writers have completely missed the point. If the world population continues to grow we will exceed the ability of the world’s resources to maintain life, as we know it and we will also suffer from the increasing pollution that man inevitably produces. We have no alternative but to control the birth rate or nature will do it for us and we will see more misery and pain than the world has ever known. Of course reducing the population growth guarantees that temporarily the proportion of older citizens will increase, just as the percentage of young people increases with a growing population. This is perfectly obvious and needs no explanation. But why is this written about as if it was an unexpected disaster? We have no option but to reduce the world’s population, the problem is doing so in a controlled and humane manner. Unfortunately we have become used to seeing growth as our ultimate objective and the profit motive our sole measure of success. We find it difficult to accept a reduction in our numbers and the subsequent economic slowdown as anything more than a failure of our system. Yet life in the smaller population of 50 years ago was in many respects much less controlled and freer than today. Stabilizing the population of the world will require many changes not only in our personal attitudes but also in our economic and social conditions. Reducing the population to a level that can be maintained with our replaceable resources will require even more dramatic changes. Consider just one aspect of the changes to our life style. Fewer people will cut the demand for housing and the constant increase in the cost of homes. Land values will fall dramatically. Until the "hump" of older people smoothes out we will be bound to see taxes rise until stability is achieved. There are bound to be industries that will suffer from a lack of workers until the tasks are automated or until the demand is reduced because of the lower population. But all of these are transient occurrences that will level out as the population stabilizes. If we are wise we will discuss these problems openly so that we can reduce to a minimum the effects on our life style. Of course reducing the population of the world will prove a traumatic experience. Unfortunately we have no other option.

December 27, 2002   Agence France Presse   Germany Promises 23.83 Million Euros in Aid to the Philippines.   Germany promised 23.83 million euros (dollars) in fresh aid to support poverty reduction efforts in the Philippines. A financial cooperation agreement was signed to support development over the next eight years. The package includes 23.83 million euros in fresh funds and 11.4 million euros in reprogrammed funds. The German aid would finance entrepreneurship centers, credit lines for small enterprises, urban family health services, and family planning and AIDS prevention projects.     rw

December 27, 2002   Philadelphia Inquirer   Uncle Sam's Hard Heart.   Most Bush pledges to help the disadvantaged have yet to be translated into action. Overseas, the gap between rhetoric and action is more glaring. The 30 nations represented in Bangkok wanted to focus on the spread of HIV/AIDS in Asia. Instead, the U.S. delegation fixed on three issues: changing the Cairo language, which it claimed advanced abortion, promoting "natural" family planning along with abstinence for youth. These proposals were rejected. The U.S. team seemed oblivious to population problems. Imagine a Pakistani Muslim peasant woman holding up a thermometer to her husband and saying, "Sorry, not tonight" Is the administration's compassion meant only to corral votes? They may be courting religious conservatives by crusading against contraception and women's rights abroad - rather than at home, which would offend Republican moderates. Perhaps the President is truly compassionate but doesn't understand the implications of his policies. Perhaps he doesn't realize that cuts in funds for the U.N. Family Planning Agency will increase abortions and AIDS cases. Think of South Africa, where older men force themselves on teenage virgins in the belief that this cures AIDS. Perhaps Bush doesn't know that his team in Bangkok wanted to cut the term reproductive rights from the Cairo document.     rw

December 27, 2002   NARAL release   U.S.: Death Warrant May Be Needed in Georgia to Get An Abortion.   In January a bill will be introduced that could require any woman seeking an abortion go to court to obtain a "death warrant." A guardian would be appointed for the fetus and a jury trial would be required, in which the rights of the fetus would be balanced against the "rights of the person seeking to have the execution performed." Doctors performing an abortion without such a death warrant could be subject to up to five years imprisonment and permanent revocation of his or her medical license.

December 24, 2002   Common Dreams   Why Vegans Were Right All Along: Famine Can Only Be Avoided If the Rich Give Up Meat, Fish and Dairy.   A humane concern for animal welfare and growing shortages of water and thus grain argue strongly for basing our diets more on vegetables and grains rather than on meat. "As the population rises, structural global famine will be avoided only if the rich start to eat less meat". Currently, 800 million people are malnourished or starving. Since 1950, the number of farm animals on earth has risen fivefold as increasing numbers of people in developing countries acquire a taste for meat rather than grains, so that they now outnumber humans by a factor of three and, more importantly, consume half of the world’s grain. But grain production is increasingly limited by finite sources of phosphate fertilizer and, more importantly, fresh water. The author notes that poultry convert grain to meat about three times more efficiently than do cattle, and that fish are even more efficient protein producers. But a complete switch to these species to supply protein in the human diet only delays the day of reckoning. In addition, current industrial conditions of poultry production are barbaric, and many marine fisheries are near collapse. These limits on global grain production along with the growth in the human population argue "that the only sustainable and socially just option is for the inhabitants of the rich world to become ... broadly vegan."   st

December 23, 2002   Xinhua General News Service   Hong Kong Population Ageing; Number of Births Dwindles.   The population of Hong Kong increased from 5.18 million in 1981 to 6.72 million in 2001, reflecting a average growth rate of 1.3%. The median age of the population rose from 26 years in 1981 to 37 years in 2001, attributable to declining fertility and mortality improvement. The fertility rate decreased by about 52% in the same period. The expectation of life for males increased from 72.3 years in 1981 to 78.4 years in 2001. The figures for females were 78.5 years and 84.6 years. In 2001, the median age at first marriage was 30 years for bridegrooms and 27 years for brides.     rw

December 23, 2002   Scripps Howard News Service   World Population: How Many Have Ever Lived.   An unknown writer claimed that "three-quarters of all the people who have ever been born are alive today". That erroneous statistic became accepted as fact. However, there is enough information to make a good guess as to how many people have ever lived on Earth. According to calculations a total of 106.4 billion people since man appeared about 50,000 B.C. That means that 5.8% of all the people who have ever been born are alive today. Every year, global population increases by about 78 million people. It is estimated that humanity is consuming the earth's resources 20% faster than they can be sustained. Until the modern era, world population grew slowly. During the next eight milleniums, population grew at .05% per year, reaching 300 million in 1 A.D. During the following 16 centuries, the annual growth rate fluctuated, partly because of the Black Death, which ravaged 14th century Europe. Today, there are six times as many people alive as at the start of the industrial revolution, 13 times more than when Columbus set sail and 20 times more than during the Roman Empire. There's an assumption that in pre- history women had as many babies as they could, so the birth rate would have been fairly high. Average life expectancy in Iron Age France have been pegged at only 10 or 12 years. There is considerable debate about when the human race actually came into existence.     rw

December 23, 2002   Contra Costa Times   California Woman Requests School District End Abstinence-Based Sex Education Program.   A California woman is requesting that the school district in Concord, Calif. end a sex education program promoting abstinence, alleging that the group running the program has given students "biased and graphic information" on abortions, the Contra Costa Times reports. Renee Walker complained to the Mt. Diablo school district after she learned that the program, called CryBabies, in her son's school is conducted by a Christian counseling service with centers that are antiabortion. She became concerned after her son was taught that seaweed is inserted into a woman before an abortion. "My expectation is that education is going to be based on educationally sound, research-based, age-appropriate information," she said. The program failed to provide information on preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. The program Director said it provides unbiased and factual information. State law says that the lessons must be "medically accurate, objective and stress abstinence." The Mt. Diablo school district plans to discuss its health curriculum.     rw

December 23, 2002   People Daily   China to Control Population Size Within 1.4 Billion by 2010.   China expects to keep its population size under 1.4 billion with a growth rate of 1.5% by 2010. By 2005, China's goal is for a population of 1.33 billion, and an annual average growth rate of 0.9 (??). Chinese expects to maintain the country's current low reproduction rate of 1.8 births per couple.

December 23, 2002   Patrick Burns   What Drives U.S. Population Growth?.   Between 1990 and 2000, 33 million people were added to the U.S. population, 40% from immigration. 67% of future U.S. population growth will be due to immigrants and their progeny. Differential mortality and fertility rates between Canada and the U.S. can be attributed to the Canadian health care system as folks are more likely to seek treatment in that country than they are in the U.S. The Canadian government prevents drug company price-gouging, so more women in Canada are likely to be using the Pill which costs half as much as in the U.S. and is used much more often in that nation. The U.S. will add 140 million people by 2050. The fertility rate in the U.S. was higher than that of 70 other countries, including China, Korea, Thailand, Iran, Cuba, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. The population of illegal immigrants is larger than the population of many states. In 1980, the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy proposed a cap on immigrants of 425,000 per year. Some conservative senators thought the numbers were too high and opposed an amnesty for illegal immigrants. In 1986, an amnesty was passed without a cap on legal immigrants. Legal immigration is over twice the level called for in the above-cited amendment. Population growth makes other environmental problems harder to solve. 33 million more people requires over 12 million housing units, 15.8 million more passenger cars that will consume about 825 million barrels of oil a year, all of the recoverable oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in less than four years. Over 75 million acres of forest will be needed to supply 33 million people with paper and wood, an area larger than that protected under the forest conservation rule.     rw

December 22, 2002     Proposed California Budget Cuts Threaten Services.   The state of California is expected to see a $21 billion state budget deficit, so California Governor Gray Davis has proposed health care (Medi-Cal) funding cuts threatening reproductive and primary medical services and education programs for low income clients. If Gray's plan succeeds, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte could lose $3.5 million this fiscal year.

December 22, 2002   Sacramento Bee   US California: Epic Drought Could Strike Again, Scientists Warn.   Ancient trees submerged beneath Lake Tahoe are remnants of epic droughts that lasted so long that Tahoe and other Sierra lakes dropped 20 feet or more, allowing forests to grow where there is now water. An epic drought might seem remote yet California remains vulnerable to an extended dry spell. California has added 6 million people and tens of thousands of yards, orchards, golf courses and other businesses dependent on water. Yet there are no new supplies; in fact there is less water available. The Imperial Irrigation District killed a water sale to San Diego that State officials had wanted so they could meet federal deadlines to cut the use of the Colorado River. The per capita water use has risen from 160 to 200 gallons daily. Coastal cities are recycling wastewater for parks and golf courses. Prior to 1994, scientists did not believe that a drought could last more than ten years. However, it is estimated from the water-logged stumps in the lakes that there were two droughts, one from the years 900 to 1110, and one from 1210 to 1350. Other analyses indicate that major droughts lasting six to 15 years have occurred every century. During the last drought in 1991, 27 counties declared emergencies, seven water districts ordered rationing, and San Joaquin Valley farmers stopped growing on 160,000 acres. The Sacramento region rode out those years and probably could do so again, but not families relying on wells unconnected to aqueducts. Several variables will determine the severity of the next drought. One is whether state and federal reservoirs are high when the dry spell hits. Another is whether the drought is localized in the Sierra, or spread across the Southwest. In 1987, reservoirs were flush, allowing urban areas to make it through the first few years unaffected. The Colorado River was running high, providing a cushion to southern California. To avoid shortfalls, the state must invest in new infrastructure. Farmers want governments to build new reservoirs but not environmentalists who prefer conservation. California needs to invest in new facilities that will insulate the state from water shortages. The next dry spell will skyrocket the value of water and that means more wheeling and dealing; schemes to ship water in ocean-going hefty bags; and more money being waved in the face of those who have water.   

December 20, 2002   New Scientist   Cities Eat Away at Earth's Best Land.   3% of U.S. land has been built on, and the loss in plant growth offsets the gains made by agriculture. Forests and cropland also absorb carbon dioxide and when that land is urbanized, carbon is released into the atmosphere. On clear, moonless nights, satellites can pick out city lights, oil flares, forest fires and lightning strikes. This information is used to map the states according to land use urban, urban periphery and non-urban. Satellites also map the frequencies reflected by the chlorophyll of photosynthetic plants and gives the amount of plant growth or in each region. Urban areas cost the US 40 million tonnes of carbon per year that cancel out the contribution made by agriculture. 29% of land area is devoted to agriculture, the urbanized areas that account for the decline occupy 3% of the land. Urbanization in the southeast US has risen to 6.4% above the average of 3.0% and is reducing the vegetation in the US by 91 million tonnes each year. The US has land to feed its people, but the same is not true of developing and heavily populated countries. Development should be shifted to lands that are less productive.     rw

December 19, 2002   Los Angeles Times   Politics Trumps Science in Condom Fact Sheet, Democrats Say; Lawmakers Accuse the Administration of Omitting Data Thatclash with Abstinence Policy..   Fourteen Democratic members of Congress accused the Bush administration of playing politics with a fact sheet on condom use. They claim that it omits instructions on how to properly use a condom and studies showing condom education does not promote earlier sexual activity. The apparent purpose is to remove information that conflicts with the administration's preference for abstinence-only. An official said the sheets present the most current scientific information and both sides of the debate. Waxman said that information used to be based on science but is being systemically removed from the public. AIDS advocates said the condom sheet does not contain inaccurate scientific information. Rather, it offers more information on sexually transmitted diseases than the previous version. Waxman and his colleagues also questioned why a second fact sheet about the alleged link between abortion and breast cancer was altered. The previous version said women who have abortions have the same risk as other women for developing breast cancer. The new fact sheet says the studies are inconsistent. Experts contend that the studies suggesting such a link are flawed.     rw

December 19, 2002   Paul Hunt   Thailand: Akha Hill People Mistreated.   The Akha hill people of South-East Asia are facing threats to their way of life. Their villages have become the scene of border disputes, land grabs by government departments, international drug traficking, overzealous missionary projects and tourist industry exploitation. The remoteness of the villages has provided some protection but the spread of consumerism, technological developments, increased state interference and building of roads have all combined to erode this defence. They are a self-sufficient people unable to deal with the alien civilization. They are not being informed of their rights they are being robbed, raped and rolled over. In poor village schools Akha children are taught Thai, while mission schools teach them English. They are covertly inculcated into thinking that everything Akha is of no value.     rw

December 18, 2002   New York Times*   U.N. Lists and Assails Users of Children in War.   The U.N. denounced governments and guerrilla groups that have recruited children, including factions in Afghanistan linked to the Northern Alliance, which was backed by the United States, as well as the Taliban that are trying to regroup. They included the government and factions in Congo; the government and one faction in Liberia; and the government and several factions in Somalia. The international community will hold groups responsible for what they do to children. In northern Uganda, a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, is using children as soldiers and also as sexual slaves. The group is estimated to have abducted more than 10,000 children. The leftist guerrillas and rightist paramilitary groups in Colombia are recruiters of children. Rebels in Chechnya have used children to plant land mines and explosives. But Uganda, Colombia and Chechnya were not on the list because conflicts have not been taken up by the Security Council. The conditions for children in Afghanistan are promising but some factions were still feuding and had drafted children.     rw

December 18, 2002   Billings Gazette   US Wyoming: Coal Bed Methane Gas Estimates Increased by 14 Times.   The U.S. Geological Survey announced that there is 14 times more methane gas in the Powder River Basin than thought, while the Rocky Mountain West contains 844 million barrels less oil than earlier estimates. The estimated 14.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Powder River Basin was technically recoverable but not necessarily economically recoverable according to Chris Mehl of the Wilderness Society. Environmental groups urge consideration of only "economically recoverable" energy sources when setting policy so that less land is opened for exploration and drilling. The assessment looked at the Green River Basin in Wyoming and the Montana Thrust Belt as well as the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and the Uinta-Piceance Basin in eastern Utah and western Colorado. There is more potential for natural gas in the Montana Thrust Belt but less in the Green River Basin. It will take two years for the USGS to determine how much of the oil and gas is economically recoverable. This could nudge bigger companies into action.     rw

December 18, 2002   New Scientist   U.S.: Cities Eat Away at Earth's Best Land.   Although previously measured in other ways, Marc Imhoff and his colleagues at the NASA Goddard Space Center have quantified the loss of prime agricultural land to urbanization which ultimately threatens food supplies and "carbon sinks". Using weather satellites to "pick out city lights, oil flares forest fires", he divided the mainland US states into "urban, urban periphery and non-urban" and determined the amount of vegetation in each region by measuring reflectance in the red and near-infrared frequencies due to the chlorophyll of green plants. Factoring in additional weather data (temperature, humidity and rainfall), he calculated the "amount of plant growth or ‘net primary productivity’ (NPP) in each region". "He found that ... urban areas [which occupy just 3% of the land] cost the US 40 million tons of carbon per year, or 1.6% of the country’s total pre-urban NPP". This cancels out the "1.8% contribution to NPP made by agriculture", which occupies 29% of the US landmass. That is, urbanization is consuming the best farmland. Imhoff calculated that urbanization reduces "the dry vegetation in the US by 91 million tons per year", enough to feed 450 million people, if it were all edible. The reduction of food productivity has particular importance to developing countries with rapidly growing populations, but enhanced carbon release affects both developing and developed countries.

December 18, 2002   Reuters   2002 Second Hottest Year as Global Warming Speeds.   In a report on the status of the global climate in 2002, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency, said that all of the 10 warmest years on record had occurred since 1987 and that 2002 was the second warmest, 1998 being the hottest year on record. Since 1900, the earth’s surface temperature has risen 0.6° C. Kenneth Davidson, director of WMO’s world climate program, noted that "the rate of increase [of warming] is unprecedented in the last 1,000 years" and that greenhouse gases are the "major influence affecting the climate". The scientific consensus seems to be that the emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases must be reduced to avoid "disastrous floods, droughts and a rise in sea levels in coming decades".   st

December 18, 2002   The Washington Times   Washington Times Examines High Maternal Mortality Rates in Developing Nations.   The U.S. maternal mortality rate has reached a "record low" of 7.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, yet 600,000 women worldwide die each year as a result of childbirth. Twenty-three nations have maternal mortality rates greater than 1,000 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the World Bank. Women in developing nations continue to die due to from massive blood loss, infection, dehydration, obstructed labor and lack of access to medical attention. Improved access to prenatal care, contraception, drugs and medical devices, as well as improved nutrition and sanitation, could reduce worldwide maternal mortality.     rw

December 18, 2002   Philadelphia Inquirer   U.S.: Teens, Adults Prefer Abstinence Over Contraception, Contraception Over Teen Pregnancy, Survey Says.   According to a survey teens are cautious about early sexual activity. 66% of adults and 56% of teens believe teenagers should not be sexually active but should have access to contraception. 66% of adults and 72% of teens do not believe that encouraging abstinence and contraceptive sends a confusing message and 66% of adults and 68% of teens report that they would place greater emphasis on sex education that includes abstinence and contraception. 69% of teens report it would be easier to postpone sexual activity if they could have more open conversations with their parents. 94% of adults and 93% of teens believe it is important that teens should not have sex until they are out of high school and 86% of adults and 84% of teens believe that teens should marry before they become pregnant. 79% of teens do not find it embarrassing to say they have not had sex, moral, and religious beliefs influence their decisions about sex more than any other factor. 57% of adults and 72% of teens report that the media has given more attention to teen pregnancy prevention in recent years; 80% of adults and teens want the media to focus more on teen sex and pregnancy. Adults and teens subscribe to the common sense view that abstinence is better than contraception, but contraception is better than pregnancy. A New Jersey law requires all classes dealing with contraception also to stress abstinence. It leaves curriculum decisions to the school districts. NJ is one of 22 states that require abstinence education to be coupled with sex education classes that discuss contraception. Critics call the law an intrusion that will lead to the elimination of discussion of safe sex and contraception and many districts already teach abstinence.     rw

December 18, 2002   The Washington Times   Maternal Mortality.   Maternal mortality and morbidity is the most neglected tragedy of our times, wrote editor Peter Adamson in a UNICEF report. Rwanda has a staggering 2,300 deaths per 100,000 births. 23 other countries have a maternal death rate greater than 1,000 per 100,000 births. In the 17th century New England poet Anne Bradstreet before the birth of one of her children said: "How soon, my Dear, death may my steps attend. How soon't may be thy lot to lose thy friend." One in eight mothers died in childbirth, frequently due to massive blood loss, infection, convulsions, obstructed labor and dehydration, says the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York City. There were 850 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Today, better sanitation, antibiotics, blood transfusions, prenatal monitoring, and other medical advancements have brought U.S. maternal mortality to a record low of 7.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. In the world, 600,000 women die each year, with 140,000 bleeding to death "violently pumping blood onto the floor." Birth attendants need to be trained to not touch mothers with unwashed hands or use unsterilized knives and to recognize warning signs in a pregnancy so women can be brought to medical centers in time to save them. Drugs to control seizures, bleeding and infection; forceps; and vacuum aspirators to aid birth and afterbirth could save "tens of thousands of lives each year. Alan Guttmacher Institute researchers said in a recent paper that limiting childbearing to ages 20 through early 30s, and provision of contraceptives that would reduce botched abortions would also reduce maternal morbidity.

December 18, 2002   Nature magazine   Prestige: One Month On Thousands of Oiled Birds, a Devastated Coastline - and the Ship's Still Leaking..   The devastation of beaches and wildlife in the sea and on land continues one month after the oil tanker Prestige sank. Simon Cripps of the Worldwide Fund for Nature called it "one of the worst spills ever" in terms of the quantity of "fuel oil released, its toxicity and the environmental" damage to the coastline. For every one of the 3,000 "dead or oil-covered birds" found thus far, at least 10 "have been damaged or killed at sea", and at least one endangered species may have been wiped out. Although difficult to measure, the damage to birds is only "the tip of the iceberg". Plankton, which forms the base of the marine food chain, presumably has been severely affected. Sardines and anchovies absorb the toxic oil from plankton and pass it up the food chain to porpoises, dolphins and birds in which the oil becomes increasingly concentrated in fatty tissues. In addition, "7,000 tons of oil has polluted nearly 200 beaches in the Galicia region of Spain ... on 2/3 of which virtually all shellfish have died". Although some beaches have been cleaned up, others have not been, resulting in seepage of oil into the ground. The cold of the seafloor has not solidified the half million tons of oil contained in the Prestige and "each day 125 tons of oil ... leaks from 14 holes in the wreck". Plugging up the holes would be only a temporary solution since the oil will be released when the ship rusts through.   st

December 17, 2002   The Washington Post   Afghan Women Are Still Policed; Special Morals Guard Holds Sway in Herat.   Under the control of Ismail Khan, the former Islamic militia leader who governs Herat province, women and girls are living with restrictions similar to those imposed by the Taliban. They are subject to harassment and arrest if they do not cover themselves with a veil, enter a taxi driven by a man who is not a close relative, drive a car or speak with a man on the street. Khan has defended his record pointing out that he has reopened girls' schools and welcomed women into the workforce. But Khan has become more extreme and women are not allowed to express themselves, they cannot object to anything Khan says or does. The report of women in Herat being forced to undergo medical chastity exams might be exaggerated, but the International Human Rights Law Group, confirmed it had occurred. It quoted unnamed hospital workers describing the humiliating treatment of women and girls dragged into Herat Hospital for such tests. An investigative team said they were detained by armed men and questioned about their activities. A group issued a report on human rights in Herat, describing widespread intimidation, arrests, beatings and torture by police and security forces under Khan's control.     rw

December 17, 2002   Xinhua General News Service   Asia Makes Progress in Promoting Family Planning.   Family planning has been gaining acceptance in the Asia-Pacific region. 66% of Asian couples practice family planning while East Asia has the highest level of contraceptive use in the world at 83%. Iran, Myanmar and Vietnam have been showing remarkable progress, registering the highest rates of increase in the use of contraceptive methods at 2% annually. The Asia-Pacific region is highly diverse and some countries still have contraceptive use below 20% while contraceptive use among adolescent females in most countries of the region is very low. The lack of contraceptive service has led to unsafe abortions in many places. In Asia, unsafe abortion accounts for 12% of maternal deaths. Faily planning needs to be incorporated into all countries' primary social health plans.     rw

December 17, 2002   Agence France Presse   Egyptian Divorce Law Gives Women Hope Despite Obstacles.   Three years after Egypt cleared the way for wives to divorce their husbands, advocates of women's rights have praised the legislation but say more needs to be done. Under the law, women can file for divorce if they renounce their rights to the couple's finances and return the dowry. In sharp contrast, the man could divorce his wife without any consequences. Rights advocates charge divorce is fraught with delays before the court will rule. In cases of couples with children, the judge is obligated to try to reconcile them. Many women from poverty-stricken backgrounds have sued for divorce but implementation of the law was uneven. The problems are a reflection of Arab society where a woman's right to a divorce is not accepted. The law is in conformity with Islamic jurisprudence, which gives women equal status with men. It had been obstructed due to the influence of Islamist groups. However it has made a difference in women's lives.     rw

December 16, 2002   The Times of Zambia   New Era Dawns for Zambia Women Entrepreneurs?.   Attempts by Zambian women to expand businesses or embark on new ventures have been suppressed by a maze of barriers. The Cabinet Office co-hosted a conference on womens' development in Zambia. It attracted 100 participants from women associations, labour and employers, Government and the media. Phase one involved the review of available literature such, as research reports, and phase two involved interviews. 76% of women involved have child care responsibilities that competete with the demands of businesses. 90% can read and write English and have relevant skills from previous employment. The participants identified major barriers including lack of capital, training,and negative attitudes to women. Many did not even know where to find services and information. Lending institutions demand collateral which women do not have. Women have to consult their husbands, which restricts initiative. Participants spoke freely and came up with their own recommendations. Incentives should be introduced and more interaction among associations to share information. There should be affordable training in local languages and more networking among associations. Service providers should be more accessible. Donor aid should go directly to recipient organisations. Women-friendly banks should address the needs of women, while women should speak with one voice. Associations should form a fund to help members start new enterprises or expand existing ones. The recommendations would be implemented because the Irish government had provided the money. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is working on an ambitious programme that is expected to give women entrepreneurs an opportunity to make a noticeable contribution to national development.     rw

December 16, 2002   Washington Post   EPA Issues New Rules on Livestock Waste; Permits Required for Major Producers; Critics Say Regulation Favors Industry.   Major animal feeding operations will have to obtain permits that regulate water contamination by animal waste. 15,500 livestock operations across the country are responsible for 60% of the waste runoff. Critics say the regulation, drafted during the Clinton administration, has been weakened, reducing the number of companies affected, also the new rule doesn't require industry to adopt modern technology or monitor ground water. Large animal feeding operations produce 220 billion gallons of livestock manure each year which they routinely deposit on land, where it runs off into surface water and emits toxic fumes. The regulations will draw thousands more farms into the regulatory process, but they will not be held liable for the waste. The regulation drafted in the Clinton era would have made growers and poultry companies jointly liable, the new regulation does not. The American Farm Bureau said the new rules are workable and compatible with the environmental initiatives in the 2002 farm bill. The National Pork Producers said that it will add costs, and legal risks to pork producers. They are likely to add $335 million per year to the farm industry's costs but are likely to be offset by subsidies. The new rule will reduce by 25% the phosphorus, nitrogen and metals released into the environment by animal factories.     rw

December 15, 2002   Atlanta Journal-Constitution   Health: Alternative Offered to Tubal Ligation.   The Essure System, gives women a new option for permanent contraception. The Essure procedure can be performed in a doctor's office, with no incisions. A tiny camera is placed into the uterus. A coil that expands after placement is inserted into each fallopian tube. The procedure takes 15 minutes. Most women go home within 45 minutes after the procedure is completed. Mild cramping may last a few days, and most women spot. 99% are back to work within three days. There were no pregnancies in 700 volunteers studied for one to two years. The procedure is difficult to perform in some women and it takes 3 to 6 months for scar tissue to block the tube. Contraception is required until X-rays confirm that the tubes are blocked. Once the coil is inserted in the tube, it may not be possible to remove and should be considered only for permanent sterilization.     rw

December 14, 2002   British Medical Journal   BMJ Study Examines Young Women's Reasons for Using, Not Using Emergency Contraception.   Concerns about the health risks and asking for emergency contraception all contribute to young women's decisions not to use EC. 30 sexually active women ages 16 to 25, including women from inner city areas with high teenage pregnancy rates were interviewed. Those who felt that their sexual behavior was not risky and those with a sense of personal invulnerability did not use EC. Those who did were more concerned about becoming pregnant. Some women did not use EC because of perceived harmful effects or difficulty in obtaining EC. Programs geared toward increasing EC use, should aim to promote the attitudes and personal skills needed to obtain emergency contraception.     rw

December 14, 2002   Associated Press   Contraceptive Coverage Debate Gaining Momentum in States, Remains Stalled at Federal Level.   State legislatures have been considering bills to provide coverage for contraceptive devices, but congressional efforts have stalled. More than 60 bills have been introduced in 19 states and New York, Arizona and Massachusetts signed them into law. Bills to create national guidelines have sat in Congress since the 1990s. The Senate last year debated a bill that would require any insurance provider that offers prescription drug coverage to provide coverage for FDA-approved contraceptives and a similar measure was introduced in the House (HR 1111). The bill would bar insurers from charging higher copayments or deductibles for contraceptives. The push for coverage began in the late 1990s, when some employees became outraged that health plans covered Viagra but not contraceptives. Opponents say that employers should be able to choose health care plans. A national law is not needed because most employers voluntarily offer prescription coverage for contraceptives.     rw

December 12, 2002   Financial Times (London)   Action Urged on Water Shortages.   By 2025 two-thirds of the world's population could be facing a water shortage and it is likely to become a source of tension and competition between nations. 147 countries were graded according to five measures - resources, access, capacity, use and environmental impact - to show countries have the best and worst water situations. The countries lowest on the index - Haiti, Niger, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi, Djibouti, Chad, Benin, Rwanda and Burundi are in the developing world. But some of the world's richest countries, including the US and Japan, scored poorly, while Guyana and Surinam, were among the top 10. The US received a low ranking because it has the highest per capita consumption. The highest-ranking countries were Finland, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Guyana, Surinam, Austria, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. The agricultural sector accounts for 70% of water and has the largest potential to reduce demand.     rw

December 12, 2002   Push newsfeed   Risk of Recession, Says World Bank as Recovery Falters.   Downgrading its forecasts of six months ago, the World Bank said volatility and the weakness of investment had held back growth, hitting poor countries hard. It had estimated economic growth of 3.6% for next year, but now expecting 2.5%. Developing economies are projected to expand 3.9%, the previous estimate was 4.9%. Growth in 2003 will be weaker for developing regions than we anticipated. The World Bank is concerned that a downturn could send recovery into reverse. In this financial environment, it is crucial to maintain progress in dismantling barriers to international trade.     rw

December 12, 2002   Common Dreams   Shareholders Press Car Makers to Cut Greenhouse Gases.   The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) which represents "more than 275 faith based institutional investors with 120 billion dollars in ... investment assets" has filed resolutions with General Motors (GM) and Ford to be considered at their shareholder meetings in the spring. CALPERS, California’s largest public employee pension fund with 150 billion dollars in assets, will back the resolutions. In terms of percent of companies shares, "institutional investors’ support for resolutions on global warming" increased from 3% in 1999 to 18% in 2002. According to Sister Patricia Daly, head of ICCR, the failure of GM and Ford to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which cause global warming, undermines the companies’ competitive position globally and places at risk not only the environment but also the companies’ shareholders. This view is in sharp contrast to that of the Bush administration, which refused to sign the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the grounds that to sign it would harm the US economy. This administration has also eased the "existing laws and regulations designed to curb emissions" and is aggressively looking for new sources of fossil fuels both here and abroad. Thus automotive companies are given no incentives to improve fuel efficiency or develop renewable fuel sources. Kevin Knobloch, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists believes that Ford and GM vehicles could average 40 mpg by 2012. The use of the power of massive investors’ funds to alter company behavior was effective in 1998 when shareholder resolutions forced both companies to withdraw from the Global Climate Coalition (GCC) which had lobbied against the Kyoto protocol. Their withdrawal led to the collapse of the GCC.   st

December 12, 2002   Audubon population listserv   U.S.: Still Not Pulling Our Weight.   Follow the link to see which 20 nations donate to external international family planning assistance. If the U.S. were to give the per capita average of the 20 donor countries listed, our contribution would have to rise from $2.09 per person per year to $2.83 cents per year (still less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks). To put it another way, the U.S. donation for international family planning for FY 2003 would have to rise to over $816 million.

December 12, 2002   AP/Eugene Register-Guard   Oregon Planned Parenthood Affiliate to Begin Online Emergency Contraception Service.   Planned Parenthood of Columbia/Willamette, Oregon, began offering emergency contraception over the Internet. Women seeking emergency contraception can receive a prescription without visiting a practitioner. The service is available in several regions including Greater Indiana, Atlanta and St. Louis. Planned Parenthood Chicago, has had more than 3,000 EC prescriptions filled over the Internet. Although some people have been concerned that EC would become a routine form of contraception, those claims are "unfounded. The cost of $20 to $40 for a one-time supply may prohibit its use as a preventive measure.     rw

December 12, 2002   Catholics for a Free Choice   Most Catholic Hospitals Do Not Offer Emergency Contraception.   A survey found that only 5% of U.S. Catholic hospitals offer Emergency Contraception upon request, and another 23% provide EC only in rape cases. A majority surveyed (55%) do not offer EC under any circumstances. Hospitals are straying from compassionate care when they deny reproductive health services and do little to refer women to a place they can receive it. More than half of the referrals offered were dead ends.     rw

December 11, 2002   Reuters Health   U.S. Women Waiting Longer to Have First Child.   U.S. women on average wait until 25 to have their first child. The average age at first delivery in 1970 was 21.4 years, compared to 24.9 years in 2000. The rise is attributed to the increase in the number of women attending college and in the labor force. The number of women who finished college in 2000 is three times higher than in 1970 and the number of women working outside of the home increased nearly 40%. A decline in teen births, delays in marriage, the use of birth control and an increase in women in their 30s and 40s having children have affected the average age at first delivery. This varied regionally, women in Arkansas and Mississippi giving birth for the first time at 22, in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey at 27. Minority women should be provided them with the same opportunities that other groups enjoy if we want them to postpone childbearing.     rw

December 10, 2002   Population Resource Center   U.S.: No Child Left Behind.   More than 11 million children in the U.S. live in poverty, more than a third under the age of six. The welfare rolls have declined more than 50%, child poverty to about 16%. But indications are that the gains overshadow the distress of hundreds of thousands of families who are worse off. For example the requirement that mothers of small children work, with no increase in the support for childcare.     rw

December 10, 2002   The New York Times   Quest for Male 'Pill' is Gaining Momentum.   By giving a male hormone it is possible to trick the body into halting production of its own sperm cells. Finding the effective dose and limiting side effects have been delayed by skepticism that men will use a hormonal contraceptive. Efforts to develop a male contraceptive are gaining momentum. In one study, 1,000 men are receiving monthly testosterone injections. Once their sperm counts drop low enough, they begin having unprotected sex. The side effects include acne and weight gain. Long-term effects are unknown. Another study involves 400 men in Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States. The men will receive testosterone with progestin which seems to lower the dose and temper its effects on the prostate. Another company, is conducting a study combining testosterone with progestin implants. Another is examining the effects of an androgen derivative called MENT, that is 10 times as active as testosterone without over-stimulating the prostate. Schering AG is experimenting with MENT as hormone therapy for men with low levels of testosterone. Fertile women produce a single egg a month but men produce tens of millions of sperm every day. It takes 75 days for sperm cells to become capable of fertilizing an egg so any contraceptive aimed at sperm needs two and a half months to work. Chinese scientists thought they had an answer with gossypol, the derived from cottonseed oil. The gossypol pills suppressed fertility by damaging the testes but it caused irreversible infertility in some men and was then tried as a vaginal cream. That was effective but failed in the market because the compound caused intense color stained bed sheets.     rw

December 09, 2002   India Times   Planning for Growth in India.   India will be the fourth largest economy in 2020, and if the country sustains a GDP growth of 8.5-9% over the next 18 years and a population growth rate of 1.6%, it will join the upper middle income countries and may be ahead of China. The per capita income is expected to quadruple by '20, and the number below the poverty line is expected to halve to 13%. India would add 300 million to the population of 1,330 million by the end of the second decade. Birth rate may slow down, thus the under-15 population would be the same as today. During the same period the number of people over 60 will double to 120m. The age group 15 to 64 years will see a 46% expansion and be 66% of the population. The work force would increase by 160-170 million, and the country would need 160-200 million additional jobs. While agriculture may decline to 40%, the small scale sector will play a role in creating jobs. Urban population will rise to 40% and is likely to centre around 60-70 large cities. Ownership of computers to rise to 52 per 1,000 people and fixed line telephones to 203 per 1,000 people. The country would augment its roads and highways. Total demand for power to increase by 3.5 times or more and the demand for oil and gas will triple. Water could require more efficient use of resources, as demand for water will rise between 20% and 40%. Another Green Revolution will be spurred by rising agricultural productivity and diversification into value added crops.     rw

December 09, 2002   United Press International   Male Contraceptive Found by Accident.   A drug approved to treat a rare genetic disorder may work as a birth control pill for men. This compound has been through all the toxicology studies and it would not take long to go through development. The drugs closest to market in the U.S. and Europe stop sperm production by blocking testosterone. However there are side effects of weight gain and mood changes and most need to be injected or given as implants. The medicine was approved in Europe to treat a rare disorder in which the body cannot break down sugary fats. The "glycolipids" build up in the liver, spleen and at times brain for potentially fatal results. NB-DNJ hampers the biochemicals that add sugar to these fats. Drug-treated mice did not reproduce. After three weeks on the drug male mice were infertile with no effect on sexual behavior or hormone levels. The sperm of mice treated with the drug had abnormally shaped nuclei but it had no effect on female fertility. The contraceptive effect was reversed four weeks after males were taken off the sugar mimic. The only side effect is diarrhea, since the drug inhibits sugar-sensitive proteins in the bowels. The researchers do not yet understand how NB- DNJ affects sperm formation.     rw

December 09, 2002   Alternet.org   Canada's Kyoto Debate.   In Canada, as in the US, opposition to the Kyoto accords has taken many forms. The initial opposition was scientific, revolving around the questions of whether global warming was really occurring and, if it was, whether it resulted from human consumption of fossil fuels. Both were answered in the affirmative by the intensive work of over 2000 scientists from all over the world brought together by the UN as the International Panel on Climate Change who concluded that "global warming ... was largely man-made and required urgent worldwide action." Recently, Kyoto opponents in Canada, primarily the oil and gas industry, have argued reducing fossil fuel use would endanger jobs. Curiously, "the entire organized labor movement -- including the union which represents workers in the oil and gas sector – supports Kyoto." Of the "1200 delegates to the recent national convention of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, 35,000 energy workers across the country", only ONE delegate opposed Kyoto; all the rest supported it. The union believes that "other factors, like corporate downsizing and mergers" will result in more job loss than Kyoto.   st

December 09, 2002   Nature magazine   Asian Emissions Level Off; Economic Downturn Curbs Ill Winds Across Pacific.   Because of the industrial expansion which China has been undergoing, it was expected that its contribution to air pollution "wafting across the Pacific" would contribute to the deterioration of air quality in California. The 30% increase in ozone levels reaching the California cost between 1984 and 2000 gave credence to this idea. Thus is was a surprise to Daniel Jacob, an atmospheric chemist at Harvard University, who reported that levels of carbon monoxide (CO)leaving Asia remained constant between 1997 and 2000. The leveling off is attributed to Asia’s economic slowdown. Nevertheless, it should be noted that Asia is not the sole culprit; "emissions from North America ... are just as large". The significance of CO arises from several factors: it is an important greenhouse gas, it usually signifies the presence of nitrogen and sulphur oxides and it may, under certain conditions, convert to ozone.   st

December 08, 2002   New York Times*   Wind Turbines Are Sprouting Off Europe's Shores.   Europe’s use of energy from wind has been increasing by 40% per year. The efficiency of turbines today greatly exceeds those of 20 years ago, and turbines currently in use supply 28 million Europeans with electricity. Germany now produces the lion’s share of wind energy (10,650 megawatts - MW), far greater than Spain (3,337 MW), Denmark (2,515 MW), Netherlands (563 MW), and Britain (530 MW), although Denmark obtains 18% of its electricity from wind, the world’s highest per capita consumption. The US, in contrast, has only one fifth of Europe’s wind capacity. The EU, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, wants to produce 20% of its electricity and 12% of its total energy, from renewable sources by 2010 in line with the Kyoto treaty. It hopes to increase its use of wind power from 20,000 MW, primarily from land based turbines, to 60,000 MW in six years. "Much of that growth come from sea-based turbines" from the "shores of Ireland to the Baltic Sea" and, as in the past, will be encouraged with tax credits and guaranteed rates. Wind power does have some problems. It is not yet cost-efficient, although its defenders "argue that traditional fossil fuels and nuclear energy" are subsidized with billions of dollars per year. Building and maintenance costs of offshore turbines tends to be higher than those on land, and some environmental groups worry about disturbance to fishing and spawning grounds and dangers to flocks of birds. Despite this, the growth of wind power from offshore turbines is likely to continue.   st

December 08, 2002   New York Times*   Use of Renewable Energy Took a Big Fall in 2001.   The Department of Energy (DOE) reported that energy consumption from renewables dropped sharply in 2001 by "12%, the lowest level in more than 12 years", so that renewables accounted "for only 6% of the energy consumed in the country". "Of the renewables, biomass accounted for 50.4% of the total and hydroelectric for 41.9%", the rest "was from the sun, wind and geothermal sources". It attributed this decline to a drought which lowered hydroelectric power by 23% and to the aging of old solar equipment which was not replaced. However, data from analysts and the DOE itself suggest that sales of equipment for the collection of solar energy have increased over the same time period. The sale of solar collectors increased by 34% in 2001, and installations of photovoltaic cells increased by 80% in the same period. "Exports of solar cells declined in 2001" apparently because the producers "expanded production capacity in other countries." Despite their cost, solar cells are used in areas where "connecting to the ‘electric’ grid would be costly". A spokesman for the DOE said that in contrast to the late 70s and early 80s, the support programs for renewables had declined.   st

December 08, 2002   New York Times*   Arctic Ice is Melting at Record Level, Scientists Say.   Scientists have reported enhanced melting of Greenland and Arctic Ocean glaciers this September, extending over 2 million square miles before resuming its growth. The minimum extent since 1978 has been 2.4 million square miles. Although the ice break up resulted in part from the "unusually warm and stormy" weather, it is consistent with an effect of global warming. Diminished ice cover in the Arctic has been noted previously during air flights. If the current rate of glacial melting continues, " the Arctic may be almost ice-free during summer". "Melting permafrost and the northward spread of trees" is further evidence of recent rapid warming. Glacial melting will alter deep ocean currents vital to the well being of the planet and also increases water temperature since ice reflects a significant percent of incident sunlight whereas water absorbs the sun’s energy. Satellite instruments also have documented more extensive glacial melting of the Greenland ice sheet than had been previously seen and at higher altitudes. Such melting facilitates the movement of glaciers into the ocean.   st

December 08, 2002   Agence France Presse   Eastern Europe's Falling Birth Rates Spell Problems for An Ageing EU.   The ex-communist eastern European countries have large, young workforces but falling birth rates. Poland has lost one million inhabitants in four years. Estonia's population will drop by 36% and Hungary by 20%. All the countries have birth rates of less than 1.5 children per woman. At the end of the 1990s Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Latvia had the lowest birth rates in the world, a drop of more than 30%. The average age of the Slovakian population will climb from 36 in 2001 to nearly 48 in 2050. In these countries children have a high risk of poverty. Under communism homes were distributed according to the number of children, women's employment was guaranteed, and there were plenty of creches and nursery schools. The ageing population will cause problems for pension systems and social security. The crumbling population is not of general concern except in Hungary where the Socialist government increased family grants by 20% and doubled grants to help families with children build their own homes. Poland's Catholic Church blames western ways for the decline. Slovakia has tried in vain to ban voluntary abortions. The drop in workforce numbers and economic growth in eastern Europe will cause labour shortages forcing a return to immigration.   I guess the writer would like to go back to the communist system.  rw

December 07, 2002   The Economist;   Does Population Matter?.   If all countries had cut fertility by five births per thousand women, poverty would have been reduced by a third says a UN report. People are living longer, fertility rates are falling, leading to a higher ratio of adults to dependants. As family size declines, more women enter the market and production per head will increase creating growth, higher savings and investment. Parents with fewer children invest more in health and education, creating a productive workforce. So population growth and its timing are important. When the youngest and oldest age-groups are growing the fastest, growth suffers. Low fertility leads to a rising proportion of older people, raising the dependency ratio. A flexible labour market, investment and saving incentives, provision of high-quality health care and education make the working-age population productive and then a change in the age structure will promote growth. A drop in the birth rate affects the supply of workers, which can increase employment and wages. In 1950, East Asian women had six children, today two. The working-age group rose from 57% to over 65%, increasing four times faster than the number of dependants. Income in Latin Americaper grew by only 0.7%, compared with 6.8% for East Asia. South Asia will reach its peak ratio of workers to dependants between 2015 and 2025. Richer Latin American countries have completed the transition, but poorer ones continue to lag. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, only 11 countries are expected to reach that stage before 2050. The rapid rise in AIDS will frustrate changes that would otherwise occur. Once the transition is over countries will face the challenge of how to care for the old.     rw

December 07, 2002   The Economist   Does Population Matter?.   To overcome poverty, countries must fight unwanted fertility, illiteracy and discrimination against women. The 1960s favoured the view that high fertility hindered development. In the 1980s, the revisionists argued that population has little impact on growth. Over the past years economists agree that population does matter. The important thing is the age structure. People are living longer, children have better chances of survival, fertility rates are falling, leading to a higher ratio of working-age adults to dependants. If the labour market can absorb more workers, production per head will increase. Parents with fewer children can invest more in health and education, creating a more productive workforce. Low fertility leads to more older people, raising the dependency ratio. Investment and saving, provision of health care and education are essential to making the population more productive. A change in the age structure, due to a drop in mortality and fertility, will promote growth. Having fewer babies also changes the distribution of consumption in favour of the poor as it eventually affects the supply of workers which help increase employment and wages. Between 1965 and 1990, the working-age group in Asia rose from around 57% to over 65%, increasing four times faster than the number of dependants, accounting for around a third of the growth in income per head. In Latin America income per head grew by only 0.7% per year between 1975 and 1995, compared with 6.8% for East Asia. Studies suggest that had the region been more open to trade, average growth would have doubled. South Asia will reach its peak of workers to dependants between 2015 and 2025. Poor Latin American countries peak in 2020-30. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 11 countries are expected to reach that stage before 2050, and a lot has to be done to reduce fertility. The rapid rise in AIDS deaths will frustrate changes in age structure that would otherwise occur.     rw

December 05, 2002   Christian Science Monitor   Fueling War.   Increasingly wars are being fought over scarce natural resources rather than for the geopolitical reasons as in the past. According to Michael Renner of the Worldwatch Institute, about 12 of the 50 armed conflicts in 2001 had "a strong resource dimension" which "triggered or exacerbated violent conflict, or financed its continuation". Overall during the 1990s, resource wars resulted in the deaths of 5 million people, the forced emigration of 6 million and the displacement of 11 – 15 million within their own countries. In addition, the destruction of wildlife and the environment was considerable. The frequency of such wars is expected to increase as world population grows and as global warming accentuates shortages of resources, especially of water. Some examples of resource wars include that in the Congo, which began as a political conflict but soon was dominated by the desire to control the "enormous resource wealth of the country". Israel and Lebanon are in conflict over the waters of the Jordan River, and Egypt will experience severe water shortages if Ethiopia and Sudan dam the sources of the Nile River. Many observers believe that the true interest of the US in the Middle East is to assure a dependable source of oil, which will become increasingly scarce in coming years. In an acknowledgement of the growing importance of resource wars, The World Bank and the French Development Agency, with the backing of the IMF, the OECD and the Group of Eight major industrial powers, will meet in Paris to "explore what be done to break the connections between resources and corrupt regimes and civil war." Possible solutions include 1. Certifying goods from areas of conflict to prevent their sale, e.g. "blood diamonds"; 2. Establishing "transparency rules" to guarantee that companies investing in developing nations make known what they pay for access to resources so that diversion of these funds can be identified; 3 International sanctions and embargoes and 4. Judicial action. and 5. Subsidizing investment by reputable companies to ensure the ethical development of resources.   st

December 05, 2002   Environmental News Service   Almost Half the Earth is Still Wilderness.   37 wilderness areas represent 46% of the Earth's land surface, and are occupied by 2.4% of the world's population. They range from the Amazon rainforest, to the deserts of the Sahara. Only areas greater than 10,000 square kilometers with 70% of their original vegetation are included. In most cases, they have less than five people per square kilometer. They are threatened by population growth, encroaching agriculture and extraction activities. Learning about these areas offers an opportunity to protect these regions. The Americas have 16 unique regions from Patagonia to the Arctic tundra. Africa has eight wilderness areas, Australia and New Guinea share six, Europe has three areas and Asia two. Wilderness areas provide ecosystem services to the planet, including watershed maintenance, pollination and carbon sequestration. The largest wilderness area is the boreal forest, which forms a 16 million square kilometer ring just beneath the Arctic Circle.     rw

December 04, 2002   Associated Press   U.N. Official Says Bangladesh Must Control Rising Population to Reduce Poverty.   Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated and poorest countries, needs to control its population to reduce poverty. Most of its 130 million people live on less than a dollar day yet the population is increasing by 2.1 percent each year. Despite an increase in the use of contraceptives to an estimated 54%, the average number of children per woman has remained at 3.3 since 1994. The rate has not decreased partly because contraceptives are not consistently used. Social traditions in the Muslim-majority country make it difficult to talk about contraception among young people. Many believe that reproductive services and information will encourage promiscuity, but the reverse is true and information can bring down unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.     rw

December 04, 2002   ABCNews.com   U.S.: Buy, Use, Dispose; A Spike in Disposable Products Has Environmentalists Worried.   The number of disposable products has doubled since 1995. Disposable mobile phones, videos and DVDs are becoming available. By 2004, the life of a computer will be two years. It takes 25 pounds of garbage to make a pound of product so there's waste we never even see. Computers and televisions are troublesome since the components contribute about 4 to 8 pounds of lead per unit that can leak into water. The state of California considered adding a recycling fee onto the cost of every computer but Governor Davis vetoed the bill. Representatives from electronics groups are working to devise a computer recycling plan. The Japanese PC maker NEC introduced a "green" computer made with a lead-free solder and 100% recyclable plastic. Sony Electronics has begun making computers with lead-free solder. But alternative solders are not as dependable. Disposable DVDs are designed to black out the movie three days after the disc is removed from its package. Regardless of the efforts of companies to create reusable or recyclable products, customers ultimately decide how much they will reuse and throw out.     rw

December 04, 2002   The Washington Post   U.S.: Group Meets on Global Warming; Bush Officials Say Uncertainties Remain on Cause, Effects.   Senior officials at a climate-change policy conference said uncertainties remain about global warming and urged caution in committing to long-term solutions that might hurt the economy. President Bush has called for research before the government commits to more than voluntary measures to stem greenhouse gas emissions. Human activity has contributed to the amount of CO2, and we need more information to have regulatory policy that is practical, affordable and doesn't put the economy at risk. The sessions were designed to review updated research and proposals for combating global warming. Some environmentalists say there is more than enough scientific data. Over a decade of research has been done to make the case for climate change action, so we don't need to wait for further science. The U.N. has produced three studies on the cause and effect of global warming including reductions in the Greenland and Antarctic ice and a slowing of the circulation of warm water in the North Atlantic. There are a lot of data out there but they are not always data that are useful in making the kinds of decisions that have to be made     rw

December 03, 2002   The Washington Post   Court Blocks Offshore Oil Leases in Calif.; U.S. Appeals Judges Uphold State's Right to Prevent Drilling in Federal Waters.   A federal appeals court blocked an attempt to revive old oil leases off the California. The judges gave California broad power to prevent any new exploration or drilling in waters near the coastline. This has become a political issue in California, whose residents oppose more drilling. The leases were signed before the ban on oil drilling and are the last hope oil companies have to expand operations near Santa Barbara that has significant quantities of oil. Administration officials say they went to court because they do not believe California should have a role in deciding whether leases, which have expired several times, should be extended while political debate continues. The issue is that extending the life of these leases didn't have any effect on the coastline the oil industry, contends. Only a few new rigs would be necessary, operated to protect marine life and beaches. About two dozen oil rigs in place before the ban on drilling, operate off the California coast. For the past year, environmental groups have been waging a fierce campaign to nullify the old leases and guarantee that no more drilling occurs. An accident in 1969 spewed 3 million gallons of oil.     rw

December 03, 2002   Los Angeles Times   Groups Ask Court to Block U.S. From Opening Roads to Mexican Truckers; Coalition claims that the move, part of NAFTA compliance, would worsen air quality..   President Bush ended restrictions on Mexican trucks in the U.S. but U.S. truckers fear that this will hurt business. Environmentalists are worried about diesel emissions from Mexican trucks and legislators and a trucking association in Mexico said regulations were tougher than on trucks from Canada. Small operators in Mexico argued against the change, fearing that U.S.-based corporations would consolidate the industry, turning them from independent operators to employees. Unions and US truckers face competition for jobs and contracts, environmentalists fear pollution. They filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals arguing that Mexican trucks pollute more than U.S. rigs because of less stringent standards. Proponents counter that Mexican trucks are subject to the same regulations as U.S. trucks. 130 Mexican firms have applied for permits and 60 have been approved pending audits. Mexican truckers agreed that few would take advantage of the opening because of restrictions imposed by Congress last summer. Only about 30,000 trucks meet U.S. standards for hauling cargo north of the border.     rw

December 03, 2002   Agence France Presse   UN Urges Investment in Women to Boost Economic Growth.   The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) urged developing countries to take advantage of a decreasing number of younger children and older people. UNFPA provides six billion dollars a year to care for pregnant women and newborn babies, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and family planning. Addressing population concerns was crucial to meeting the UN's goals of halving global poverty and arresting the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Editor Alex Marshall said at a London news conference: "The countries of South Asia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka: they have this opportunity, if they make those necessary investments -- investing in women is what it comes down to -- we can do this now." 500,000 women die each year through pregnancy. Countries that have invested in family planning, have achieved higher productivity, more savings and more productive investment. Health services and education, enable choice and choice leads to slower population growth. The world's population is rising from just over six billion to 9.3 billion by mid-century due to growth in the poorest countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, fertility is high and half the population is under 17.6 years old. Change will depend on the availability of reproductive health services including family planning.     rw

December 02, 2002   San Bernadino Sun   $1 Can Make a Difference.   The Thirty-four Million Friends Campaign encourages Americans to send $1 each to the United Nations Population Fund to make up for the fact that President Bush canceled the entire $34 million U.S. contribution to UNFPA, the funding which had been approved by both houses of Congress. The $34 million is 12.5% of the UNFPA budget and without it, there will be cutbacks in family planning, reduction in the number of safe-birth kits distributed in rural areas of poor countries, and generally more misery the world's most vulnerable women and children. Without it, the resulting population growth will cause even more conflicts over resources, particularly water, and more environmental stress. The total received is now above $100,000, and at least $2,000 is arriving every day in hundreds of envelopes. The grass-roots effort to raise money was independently conceived by Jane Roberts and Lois Abraham. Ms. Roberts said: "Population stabilization is the most effective way to leave a peaceful world to our grandchildren." Send $1 to the United Nations Population Fund, in care of the U.S. Committee for UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd St., Suite 2800, New York, NY, 10017.

December 02, 2002   New Scientist   Fertility Decline is Economic 'Window of Opportunity'.   In The State of the World 2002, the UN Population Fund reports that family-planning services reduces population growth and thereby enhances economic growth and reduces poverty. In East Asia, reduced fertility "accounted for 20% of the economic growth" from 1960 to 1995, and in Brazil increased economic growth by 0.7% of GDP per person per year. Although these economic benefits last only as long the number of workers greatly exceeds the number of young and old dependents, it could be a "window of opportunity" for developing countries which, taken together, will disproportionately contribute to the 50% rise in the world’s population growth by 2050. Improved family planning services will require a doubling of funding to $5.7 billion per year to provide "universal access to ... programmes, information on STDs such as HIV". The full report can be obtained at: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2002/pdf/index.htm   st

December 01, 2002   Earth Policy Institute   Fish Catch Indicator.   The world fish catch measures the health of the oceanic ecosystem. World demand is outrunning the sustainable yield as shown by declining catches, and collapsing fisheries. Three fourths of oceanic fisheries are fished at or beyond their sustainable yields. In one third of fisheries stocks are declining.     rw

December 2002   The Washington Times/Catholics for a Free Choice   Catholic Bishops Share Responsibility for Spread of HIV/AIDS.   All 100,000 Catholic hospitals and 200,000 Catholic schools and social service agencies are prohibited by local bishops and Vatican policy from providing condoms to HIV/AIDS patients, clients or students. 10 million people with HIV/AIDS who are "treated" by the Church have no access to condoms from their caregiver. This unnecessary transmission of HIV/AIDS is caused by a church that neither educates HIV/AIDS patients about how to save lives nor provides them with the means to do so. Even our priests and bishops have difficulty following church teaching on abstinence. For such people to tell ordinary people in desperate circumstances that they cannot use condoms to prevent the spread of a deadly disease is to preach a culture of death.     rw

December 2002     Germany Funds Safe Motherhood Project in Afghanistan.   Germany has contributed 500,000 euros to the U.N. Children's Fund in Afghanistan. It will procure obstetric supplies, equipment, medicine and the rehabilitation of the Malalai maternity hospital which is a teaching institute for doctors and midwives and the main facility for Kabul and nearby provinces. The funding will also support the translation of a reference manual for training doctors and midwives in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Nangarhar provinces. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the province of Badakhshan, was 6,500 per 100,000 - the highest in the world. By comparison, the MMR in Germany is 12 per 100,000 live births.     rw

December 2002     The Desperate Bachelors; India's Growing Population Imbalance Means Would-be Brides Are Far Fewer Byline: John Lancaster, Washington Post Foreign Service Dateline: Bhali Anandpur, India.   In India, the state of Haryana is running out of girls. It produces a smaller share of girls, than anywhere else in India. Just 820 girls for every 1,000 boys. This reflects the spread of ultrasound exams, which allow couples to abort unwanted girls. The situation in Haryana has become so desperate that parents are dropping their demands for wedding dowries, and offering a "bride price" to families of prospective mates for their sons, up to 25,000 rupees $520. Haryana is an extreme case, but the trend is visible at the national level. The number of girls in the state under 6 declined from 945 for every 1,000 boys in 1991 to 927 in 2001. Some of the sharpest declines in India have occurred in the the wealthy neighborhoods in New Delhi where couples have the money for sex-selective abortion. Previously a bride had to be from the right caste, the right family, the right state but now no one cares as long as there's a girl to marry. Medical tests to determine the sex of a fetus is illegal in India, but the law is easily circumvented. But the bride shortage is not going to change things in the society. The literate will always find ways to get rid of the girl fetus.     rw

December 2002   Push newsfeed   Philippines: $2 Million in USAID Grants to Fund Health Programs in the ARMM.   Four organizations implementing health programs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were awarded $2 million to help local governments, the private sector and communities improve the family planning and health services. The grantees have experience in conflict-affected communities, working with the local government in delivering health services. Mindanao has the poorest health and family planning in the country, intervention is needed to improve the situation. ARMM has the highest population growth of 3.86% against the national rate of 2.36%, lowest contraceptive use of 8.1%, and infant mortality rate of 55 out of 1,000, it has the poorest provinces in the country. USAID supports Vitamin A supplementation in 14 cities in Mindanao. For almost ten years now, USAID has been working with the Philippine Government to bring peace and development in Mindanao. USAID also provides economic, energy and environmental assistance.     rw

December 2002   National Institute of Health (NIH)   Emergency Contraception In Mexico City: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices.   Emergency contraception (EC) can reduce unwanted pregnancy in Mexico as elsewhere. A three-year program of training for health care providers and a campaign for the general public, included a national toll-free hotline and website. In 2000, EC awareness increased to 32% of clients and support jumped from to 83%. Providers at study clinics improved method recognition from 88% to 100%.     rw

December 2002   Associated Press   World Bank Gives Tanzania US$136 Million Grant.   For the first time the World Bank has given Tanzania a grant of US$136 million. Half of the money will be used against AIDS and the balance on reducing poverty. An estimated 2 million of Tanzania's 32 million people are infected with the HIV virus. 35% live below the poverty line. Tanzania owes the World Bank $2.6 billion in loans and the country's total debt is $6.56 billion. Last year the International Monetary Fund approved debt relief of $3.3 billion spread over 20 years.     rw

December 2002   Panos Institute   Farmers ‘Eat Away’ Kenyan Mountain Forests.   Farming in the Mount Kenya region is causing deforestation and water sources to dry up. There are no clear environmental policies and local officers turn a blind eye for a small bribe. Forest land is cleared for cultivation under a system known as shamba. After three years of farming farmers must plant trees and move to a fresh plot of land. But over 75% of the plantations have not been replanted. Mt Kenya is home to 30,000 families who farm in the forest. If the shamba system is done away with the landless farmers may cause more problems since the forestry department cannot patrol the entire Mt. Kenya region. Kenya’s population is growing at 2.4% a year, and the forest is one of the few places they can farm. The government announced a plan to clear over 67,000 hectares of forest including 2,600 hectares in Mt Kenya. Campaigners say this will encourage squatters to farm on forest land in the hope they will later be settled. The destruction of the Mt Kenya ecosystem will ruin the water supply of the rivers that flow from the Mt Kenya and Nyandarua ranges and increasing use by farmers means there is less water for people living downstream. Horticulture earned $110 million in foreign exchange last year. There is a proposal to expel squatters from Mt Kenya and families in the vicinity will have to pay to graze livestock and draw water. The landless say that if they have land to till they will not need to enter the forest. But population continues to increase, there without a clear policy and this could mean the end of Mt Kenya’s forests.     rw

December 2002   Planet Ark   The Future is Here - Japan Launches Fuel Cell Cars.   Toyota and Honda leased the world's first mass-marketing fuel-cell cars to the Japanese government and organizations in the U.S. at between $6,500 and $9,800 per month. The technology mixes hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce the electricity that powers the car; the by-products are heat and water. Carmakers cannot make FCVs at an affordable price, or build enough fuelling stations. Hydrogen is the most abundant element, while oil supplies are finite. Gasoline-electric cars, will lose their power source. FCVs can run for 300 kilometres (186 miles) before refuelling, at about 150 km an hour (93 mph). The U.S.A. pulled out of a treaty to reduce emissions, but California has been leading the drive for stricter standards for emissions and fuel efficiency. The FCVs will be leased to two California universities by Toyota and the city of Los Angeles by Honda. In addition to price, it would take 3,800 hydrogen stations to fuel the five million FCVs that Japan wants on the road by 2020, but officials will have to revise 26 laws to market FCVs. Japanese regulations prohibit hydrogen fuelling stations. Only three experimental sites exist. Do not expect FCVs on the roads any time soon.     rw

December 2002   Xinhua General News Service   Population Growth Rate Declining in Pakistan.   Population growth in Pakistan has declined from 3.6% in the 1980s to 2.1% in 2000-01. It is expected to decline to 1.5% in the next two decades. It is expected to reach 220 million by 2025 from the current 142 million. The average family size was 6.5 children in 1980s is 4.5 at present and expected to decline at 2.1 to 2.6 by 2023. UNFPA will continue its support to Pakistan to check population growth.     rw

December 2002     Combined Population of 2 Koreas to Hits 79.6 Million in 2050.   South Korea has a population of 47.4 million, forecast to increase to 51.6 million by 2050. The North has 22.6 million people and will expand to 28 million. The South Korean life expectancy is 71.8 for men and 79.1 for women, the North is 62.5 for men and 68 for women. The world’s average life expectancy is 63.9 years for men and 68.1 for women. The infant mortality rate, per 1,000 live births, is 7 in South Korea and 39 in the North. The world’s infant mortality rate is 55. The total fertility rate is 1.51 in the South, 2.07 in the North matching the mean of 1.5 in advanced countries.     rw

December 2002   Accra Mail (Ghana)   Ghana; Women Benefit From 'Credit With Education' Scheme.   The Awutu Bawjiase Rural Bank in the Central Region of Ghana has granted loans to about 2,188 women. Apart from alleviating the poverty of women and inculcating the habit of saving it also aims at educating them on environmental and domestic hygiene, family planning,home management, HIV/AIDS and ecological protection. The women have been organised into 76 working groups to facilitate loan recovery. They had saved over 113 million cedis by the end of September this year. They are urged to maintain discipline and honesty to project the good image of the Bank. DANIDA and other organisations are assisting the Bank to operate a micro-credit scheme for women in the Adeiso area. A "susu" scheme introduced recently was progressing steadily.     rw

December 2002   UN Integrated Regional Information Networks   Eritrea-Ethiopia: UNICEF Aiming to Get More Girls Into School.   Ethiopia and Eritrea are part of 25 countries targeted to have the same numbers of boys and girls in schools. The campaign focuses on countries where girls are furthest behind. In Africa, these include the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia. No girl will be left behind as her country moves forward, and will be educated as an agent in her country’s development. Ethiopia has one of the poorest enrollment rates for girls. Afar in Ethiopia is one of the regions hit by drought. Thousands of cattle have died and malnutrition rates have reached 30%. UNICEF aims to work alongside governments in the 25 countries to target girls not in school and help build a consensus about the need to get the girls into school. UNICEF head Carol Bellamy is also looking at child immunisation rates, children orphaned by AIDS, the education gap for girls, and the drought crisis in the five nations of the Horn or Africa.     rw

December 2002   BBC News   Huge Oil Find 'Threatens Caspian'.   Western oil companies are developing a field believed to be the world's largest. But pumping out the oil threatens the northern Caspian with catastrophe and developers are asked to scale back production. The Kashagan field is believed to contain 40 billion barrels of oil, 10 billion of them recoverable, and is compared with the largest Saudi Arabian fields. The Caspian is a challenge for the oil companies, with part of the sea 1,000 m deep, and the central belt 4-500 m down. But the northern basin averages 10 m in depth. The companies cannot use traditional drilling rigs, and have to build artificial islands to extract the oil. Many Kazakhs claim it will increase air pollution. It will push the Caspian sturgeon closer to extinction. Some fear a cataclysmic threat. The oil in the north Caspian is pressurised to 1,000 atmospheres at 100 to 120 C and we do not have experience of such extreme conditions. Emptying the oil and gas from could trigger earthquakes. Tremors have already been felt near Atyrau, and could destabilise the Kashagan reservoirs. A fire in the Tenghiz field burnt for more than a year, and caused damage over a 300 km radius.     rw

December 2002   Chicago Tribune   Web Site Change Sets Off Protests.   Critics accuse the Department of Health and Human Services of censoring medical information to promote sexual abstinence. The posting that found no link between abortion and breast cancer was removed from the department's Web site last June. This has set off protests from members of Congress. The department's deputy assistant secretary for media affairs, said the removals were made to rewrite with newer information. A public health organization objected to the removal of information on programs aimed at reducing sexual activity among teenagers in favor of abstinence-only. Condom information, was removed from the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention Web site that said that latex condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV.     rw

December 2002   Contra Costa Times   US California: Plan Waives Water Pollution Rules for Farmers.   Throughout California's Central Valley, hundreds of miles of streams are considered too polluted for their designated uses, which include swimming, fishing or drinking, in part because of farm runoff. Water regulators have decided to extend a waiver from pollution rules for more than 25,000 farms to operate without limits on pollutants that drain from their fields. The plan encourages farmers to join organizations to monitor water quality and voluntarily reduce pollution. The move won support from drinking water agencies, but they asked the board to improve monitoring requirements for pollutants that are of particular concern. Environmentalists will challenge the plan in court. Following public testimony, the board decided to reduce the three-year waiver to two years. The same board is scheduled to adopt regulations to replace the expiring waiver for dairies today. Another regional water board is scheduled to address silt runoff from logging operations. Other plans to replace waivers are expected, to follow the plan for farmers issued. The decision affects 7 million acres of farmland. Regulators say pesticides have not been found to pose a threat to human health. A state law spells the end for dozens of waivers from water pollution requirements. Rivers and streams are cleaner than they were in the 1960s and 1970s but silt, metals, pesticides, salt and other water quality problems have not been addressed.     rw

December 2002   The Economist;   Fertility.   State of World Population 2002, a report from the United Nations Population Fund says that in Latin America and East Asia poor women have more than five times as many children as the rich. Women in poor countries, are 600 times more likely to die in pregnancy and birth than women in rich countries. Greater access to contraception and female education would lower birth rates.     rw

December 2002   Newsweek   New Moral Order?.   President George W. Bush wants support for the globalization of Bush family values. This president was born again at age 39, and he speaks against abortion for his faith. He withheld funding from agencies that discuss abortion and seems prepared to export just-say-no abstinence to sex outside marraige. At a U.N. Session, Washington sought to make abstinence the centerpiece of sex education. The administration lost that battle, but it set the tone for other fights. Members of the Congress challenged a $65 million grant to the Population Council because it is a provider of abortion and reminded the agency that abstinence remains priority in the battle against sexually transmitted diseases. This push represents a narrow conception on the part of the Christian evangelical right-wing who do not have a monopoly on morals. Tony Blair is a religious man, whose beliefs explain his support for the wars of Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. He said that it's best to keep politics separate from your beliefs. The American president campaigned unashamedly as a man with "Jesus in my heart," rescued by Christianity from his wayward youth. With Bush, the world will have to contend with a leader with a global reach that extends beyond anybody else's.     rw

December 2002   BBC News   Record Ice Loss in Arctic.   In June, surface melt on Greenland was part of a record-breaking year of northern polar ice loss and the Arctic sea ice reached a record low. Some can be linked to atmospheric oscillations but human influence could not be ruled out. Measurements of the Greenland ice sheet show 685,000 square kilometres of melt, double that of 1992. The excess water pushes on the glacier as water seeps through to the underside and accelerates the glacier's flow to the sea. An unusual low-pressure system created unseasonable warm temperatures that produced warm weather and is also partly responsible for this year's sea ice melt. This has produced 20% loss in Arctic sea ice since 1978. To what extent these may be human-induced changes is difficult to say. Ozone depletion can change wind and ocean circulation patterns that last winter weakened sea ice. Changes in the winter wind broke up floating sea ice that allowed it to absorb more solar radiation and triggered an early spring melt. Sea ice has an important function in moderating the global energy balance, it absorbs 20% of solar radiation while water absorbs 80% which causes further warming. This is the most rapid increase in temperature in recorded history.     rw