Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah – a time for forgiveness in Somalia

WFC Councillor and UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has used the occasion of the start of the Muslim holy month of fasting, Ramadan, to call on all Somalis to work for peace and stability in their country. In an open letter to the members of the Somali Jaaliyadda, Ahmedou reminded readers that Ramadan is a time for peace and forgiveness. He reiterated that there is no longer any justification for the ongoing armed violence because the official reason - that Ethiopian troops were present in Mogadishu – is no longer valid. “What reason is there now to continue fighting unless it is to capitalize on the insecurity for personal gain?” he wrote, “It is time to end this long conflict at home, that of Somalis fighting Somalis”. He also urged Somali’s to support the fledgling government as the only route to long-term peace.

Anders Wijkman – African-European dialogue on climate change

WFC Councillor Anders Wijkman, Chair of Expert Group of the International Commission on Climate Change and Development (CCCD) and Former Member of the European Parliament gave a keynote speech at a luncheon event in Stockholm on the theme: “Presenting the African-European Parliamentary Dialogue on Climate Change” on August 20th. The AWEPA (Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa) event was part of a two day focus on Water and Climate at the World Water Week, as well as of the AWEPA’s EU Presidency Seminar in the Swedish Parliament, which explored suitable strategies for parliamentary action on Climate Change and Water.

Ashok Khosla – putting biodiversity at the centre of decision-making

While the financial crisis appears to be easing off in many countries, the cost of persistent biodiversity loss is believed to be a far bigger - and in many cases irreparable - threat,. Ashok Khosla, the WFC Councillor and helmsman of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is gathering incontrovertible evidence of the value of preserving biodiversity and the cost of losing it. "This means that we must do what is necessary to bring the issue of biodiversity right into the centre stage of public awareness, media concern and decision-making at local, national and global levels," Khosla said.

The IUCN programme for 2009-2012 on 'Shaping a Sustainable Future' says the IUCN will contribute directly to internationally agreed targets to reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity.

Bianca Jagger – Promoting renewable energies

On July 7th, WFC Chair Bianca Jagger joined Colin Challen, MP, Italian Ambassador His Excellency Giancarlo Aragona, and Ralf Christmann of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in addressing the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group International Conference in London, on the subject of the Mediterranean Solar Plan and the Desertec Concentrated Solar Power project. Bianca Jagger stressed the need for a paradigm shift towards renewable energy, and expressed concern that such large scale concepts fail to incorporate the principles of decentralisation and democratisation of energy that have been at the heart of the renewable energy revolution.

On July 13th, Bianca Jagger participated in the launch of the National Energy Foundation Projects Fund (NEF), which works in partnership with The Carbon Trust, The Sustainable Energy Academy, and The Solar Trade Association to implement community-led sustainable energy projects. Bianca Jagger and Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future and Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, accepted positions as Patrons of the Fund. More information can be found here.

CS Kiang – Clearing the air in Beijing

A year after China hosted the Olympics, cleaner skies – and fewer traffic jams – have unquestionably been the most positive development to come out of the city's widely acclaimed hosting of the Games. CS Kiang, WFC Councillor and the chairman of the Beijing University Environment Fund and the man who helped the city design its air-quality strategy for the Olympics, said it was beyond doubt that Beijing's air quality had improved because of the measures taken before and since the Olympics. Most notably this was achieved by cleaning up heavy industry and restricting the number of cars allowed to drive in the capital during the week – but Kiang notes that the city's efforts are being hampered by surrounding regions that have not introduced any restrictions. “Beijing's air quality is a regional problem, not a local problem” he said.

David Krieger – new hope on anniversary of Hiroshima bombing

Marking the 64th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and WFC Councillor, said he believed that humankind has survived for these past 64 years far more by good fortune than by the effectiveness of the theory of deterrence. Accidents, miscalculations and miscommunications have brought us to the precipice of nuclear disaster on many occasions. However, he also believes there are reasons for hope! In recognising the moral responsibility of the United States to act and lead as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, President Obama has made a startling declaration for an American president. “The most important thing we can do as planetary citizens is to pass the world on intact to the next generation” David Krieger said, “Ending the nuclear weapons era is a responsibility we owe to the future”.

Maude Barlow – corporate theft of water must be challenged

The growing commercialization of water – and the widespread influence of the bottling industry worldwide – is triggering a rising demand for the legal classification of one of our basic necessities as a fundamental human right. “We definitely need a covenant or treaty on the right to water to establish once and for all that no one on earth must be denied water because of inability to pay," says Maude Barlow, WFC Councillor and senior adviser to the President of the U.N. General Assembly on water issues. The UN says that close to 880 million people – mostly in the developing world – lack adequate access to clean water. By 2030, close to 4 billion people could be living in areas suffering severe water shortages, mostly in South Asia and China. Barlow said: “We are winning some of the battles against the global corporate theft of water”, citing examples of cities in Canada who have banned bottled water and the City of Paris which is bringing its water services into the public sphere for the first time. However, she noted, "we must be ever vigilant as new forms of private control are being advanced: water markets, water banking, water trading and water speculation”.

Tim Flannery – Promotes biochar sequestration

WFC Councillor Tim Flannery, biologist and author of the bestselling climate-change book, “The Weather Makers,” promotes biochar sequestration as a way to avoid climate chaos. According to climate experts, the only way to alleviate the consequences of climate change is to extract and permanently store CO2 from the atmosphere, in addition to dramatically reducing emissions. One approach is to turn biomass material into charcoal, now re-branded as “biochar,“ in a process known as “pyrolysis” and then bury it. The biochar, unlike the original biomass, can’t rot and release CO2 into the atmosphere. It doesn’t oxidize. It is chemically stable for hundreds of years, meaning the carbon is permanently sequestered.

Vandana Shiva – bringing back diversity to agriculture

WFC Councillor Dr. Vandana Shiva held a keynote speech on August 26th at the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements' Breeding Diversity Conference. The conference brought together stakeholders in the sustainability and organic world to discuss and implement strategies aimed at increasing the value in the organic food chain, by focusing on breeding and production systems. Vandana Shiva spoke about biodiversity and cultural knowledge. Already in July, she had been honoured with a Save The World Award in Austria for her exceptional commitment to nature, environmental causes and her efforts for a peaceful, sustainable society.

Wes Jackson – agriculture that mimics nature

For three decades, the Land Institute has been working to create a sustainable system of agriculture that is patterned after nature itself, and that is, in the words of WFC Councillor and Land Institute Director Wes Jackson, “more resilient to human folly.” In Jackson’s eyes, modern agriculture wages war on nature. Every year, erosion eats away 5.5 tons of soil for every acre of farmland in the US. Petrochemical based fertilizers and pesticides kill soil fertility. The land Institute’s Kansas farm is working to reverse this damage by developing cropping systems that mimic the prairie. Rather than planting annual crops, Jackson and the Institute are developing perennial crops that need no ploughing or planting. This system regenerates the soil into a thriving ecosystem. Designing farms in the image of nature would be a second agricultural revolution. Wes Jackson believes that the first agricultural revolution was the beginning of our estrangement from nature, and claims that, “It is fitting then that the healing of our culture begin with agriculture."