Globalization

“Aloft - An Inflight Review” is a joint publication of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Airbus Group. In the following interview Ralf Fücks explains how such a co-operation project came about and what steps need to be taken to make air travel more environmentally friendly.

The professional NGO world is unable to reverse the major global trends. It can, however, prevent projects and policies by forging powerful alliances - and build alternatives.

Large-scale wind farms and solar power plants are springing up everywhere one looks. That’s good for the climate, but small-scale farmers and the poor are becoming the pawns of hard-nosed business interests around the world.

Qatar, that faces many problems of climate change that many small island states do, has a golden opportunity to continue demonstrating leadership in the region beyond supporting the different revolutions. As the host of COP 18, Qatar should not only play the host but should also put climate change as the top political priority – now and in the future.

The “startup nation” Israel that exports solar technology abroad and is famous for the early implementation of solar water heaters is failing to implement renewable energy sources at home. Public awareness is low and the government lacks a coherent strategy even though impacts already affect the country: African climate refugees seeking water, food and shelter.

This month, two events occur back-to-back: the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio +20”) in Brazil and the Group of 20 (G20) Summit, in Mexico.  This paper asks how the powerful G20 might influence outcomes of Rio+20. 

The definition of "good life" depends mostly on political, economical and cultural circumstances, but due to the effects of climate change and global warming, it also depends on issues of nature and environment. Georg Koessler investigates the relationship between climate change and living conditions.

The European Union (EU) and the Government of India are currently negotiating a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that aims to liberalise 'substantially all trade' between the two trading blocks. This study assesses the possible impact of an FTA between India and the EU on the Human Right to Food in India.

What price our future energy?This short briefing gives an overview of three investments in unconventional oil in Africa currently in prospect in the context of debates about the need to mitigate global environmental threats and ensure sustainable development.

For the SurVivArt project the Heinrich Böll Foundation has invited artists from around the world to reflect by means of works of art and related communications on what the “good life“ means to them and those around them. In February 2012, the works will be presented at an exhibition in Berlin.

While Africa has contributed the least to historic greenhouse gas emissions globally, it stands to be the hardest hit by the effects of climate change. Africa will require substantial financial resources in order to adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change. At this year’s Climate Change Conference in Durban, climate finance is expected to feature prominently.

Our four Africa offices commissioned studies to evaluate the state of preparedness for climate change adaptation in seven African countries. What are the impacts of and vulnerabilities to climate change in Africa? To what extent do existing adaptation policies, strategies and plans respond to the vulnerabilities identified?

During the official Asia Europe Meeting in Brussels in October, our office in Delhi joined organizing the Asia Europe People’s Forum. This civil society forum strives to advance people’s voice in shaping Asia Europe relations and questions the neo-liberal ASEM agenda on grounds of citizen’s rights, economic, social, political and environmental justice. A report

On 18 and 19 November 2010, the annual Albrecht Thaer Kolloquium, co-hosted by the Humboldt University Berlin and Heinrich Böll Foundation, brought together a group of international environmental scientists to debate the imperative to adapt our political and economic systems to the unprecedented challenge of environmental and climate change.

Two years ago, the group of the world’s 20 major economies (the G20) announced their shared ambition: to manage the global economic crisis more efficiently and more transparently than the old industrialized nations (G8), and to prevent further financial market crises or economic downturns. Only two years later, the G20 now stands at a crossroads. 

The effect that the economic and financial crisis has had on the European Union and its policies is the central theme of this publication. The authors have looked at European policies from different angles. They have analysed and evaluated how the Union has dealt with the different aspects of the crisis: which measures have been successful, which have failed and what still needs to be tackled.

The international conference deals with the political framework, regulatory instruments, as well as leading technologies, key projects and new alliances for the economic-ecologic turnaround. On May, 28-29 a live-stream will be available.

A few days before the Climate Summit in Copenhagen it is still not clear how much substance, and how much show there will be. The Briefing Paper identifies main dangers for a Greenwash agreement in Copenhagen and provides background information about the conference topics.

The destruction of tropical forests contributes between percent of the greenhouse gases generated by human activity. Donor governments consider Congo Basin countries to be prime candidates for REDD (UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries), and national governments in the region are eager to seize the opportunity.

In his keynote speech at the conference Climate Change, Resources, Migration - Old and New Sources of Conflict in Africa? Ralf Fücks discussed the new world order. He envisions a new model of global governance based on international law, human rights, and multilateral co-operation under the umbrella of the United Nations.