RUW have more than 120 sell points in Spain.
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Environmentalists arrested at community
meeting on gas flaring
Journalists, community elders, woman and children were
among the 25 arrested at a community forum on gas flaring
at Iwherekan community, Delta state, Nigeria.
The arrests were made by Nigerian soldiers this Tuesday
who held the detainees for five hours before releasing
them.
The Iwherekan community is blighted by gas-flaring as
a result of oil extraction by Shell.
Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and Friends of the
Earth Nigeria (FoEN) are demanding an apology from the
military and Shell who work in the area.
Nnimmo Bassey, executive director of ERA/FoEN, said:
"We are shocked that this kind of reckless display
of crude force which we thought had died and been buried
with the military junta of General Sani Abacha has suddenly
resurrected under the Yar' Adua administration. Why is
the government colluding with oil companies to shield
the world from knowing the impact of gas flaring on the
lives of Niger Delta people?"
Those arrested included Jonah Gbemre, the plaintiff in
a lawsuit against gas flaring, Comrade Che Ibegura, a
member of the Host Communities Network, and Chima Williams,
ERA/FoEN project officer.
Nigeria is the world's largest flarer of gas from oil
extraction. The flares contribute more greenhouse gases
than all of sub-Saharan Africa combined.
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RUW, with education for children
in the most underprivileged zones of the Earth.
Loyal to its supportive principles, RUW collaborates with
the financing of the building of 3 classrooms in a primary
school in La Colpa, Centro Educativo Primario, in Perú.
Thus improving the conditions for the development of a quality
education for children in La Colpa hamlet. The objective
is to offer a formation true to its reality, with a comfortable
schooling infrastructure, conveniently equipped with school
furniture and supplies, and applying a new methodological
proposal for schools in the country. |
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"When a woman achieves certain
returns for her activity, the ones who benefit from them
are her children"
Muhammad Yunus (Chittagong, 28th July
1940), is a banker and economist from Bangladesh. He’s
the founder of the Grameen Bank, and was awarded with the
Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
In 1974, Yunus proposed a new form of social organization
for the small villages, which he called Gram Sarker (country
government). The proposal proved to be feasible and useful,
so in 1980 was officially adopted by Bangladesh government.
From that decade on, and due to the famine that ravaged
Bangladesh (one of the poorest and inhabited countries in
the world) became aware that, they only could overcome the
pauperism going beyond the laws of the market and offering
microcredits, solidarity credits without interests, to the
needy so they can start up an independent and creative activity.
Taken form:http://es.wikipedia.org/
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"In 10 years we won’t
be able to reverse the global warming"
Al Gore, former vice president of he USA
Published in EL PAÍS, 31-10-2006
I don’t think nuclear energy can be the alternative
to fossil combustibles, because of the high costs and
for the risk of its possible military use.
Two years ago, my family and I decided to lead a life
without carbon. We all do our best to emit as less quantity
of carbon dioxide as possible.
Al Gore was vice president of the United States
during Bill ClintonÕs government and acknowledged his
defeat by a narrow margin when he strived to obtain the
presidency in 2000 against George W. Bush. From that moment
on, he has again focused on environmental issues and his
documentary An inconvenient truth has sparked off a big
polemic. He has just been signed up as consultant by the
British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in environmental issues.
Question. In your documentary, you sketch a terrifying
view of the planet. But, at the end, you declare that
all we need is a change in our way of life. ArenÕt you
too much of an optimistic?
Answer. Of course it isnÕt that easy. The recommendations
at the end of the movie about what can do each person
to improve life on the Earth are important, but they donÕt
solve the crisis by itself. People have to organize and
demand changes in the official politics. Each individual
who adopts an ecological lifestyle is encouraging the
government to take decisions in name of the preservation
of the environment. This happens in California and other
states of the USA that are taking a different direction
from Washington, where the Kyoto Protocol was refused.
Q. Several scientists relieve it is late to avoid
the disaster. James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia hypothesis
assures that climatic changes will kill an 80% of the
population at the end of the century.
A. Lovelock, for whom I feel great respect, is very pessimistic
and is wrong to assume that human beings are unable to
modify their conduct. In general, politicians are too
slow, and can work fast if they receive pressure from
the electorate.
Q. Ten years are not insignificant for changes
that can affect us in a global level.
A. It is not necessary to do it all in 10 years. It would
be impossible, and that’s not the issue. According
to several scientists, if we don’t do anything,
in 10 years we won’t be able to reverse the global
warming process. Studies show that it is necessary to
start a stark reduction of pollutant gases. The first
goal would be stabilize the quantity of pollutants in
the atmosphere and then, five years after that, start
to reduce the emissions of CO2 of the planet.
Q. Have you started changing your own way of life?
A. Two years ago I decided to lead a carbon dioxide-free
life. My family and I do our best to emit as less quantity
of carbon dioxide as possible. We use green energy; we
avoid hot water and turn off all the electrical appliances
when they aren’t being used. Of course, I still
travel in commercial planes, but my personal emissions
of CO2 in my trips are balanced by the promotion I do
of this issue.
Q. Nowadays, which is the biggest threat for the
planet?
A. I don’t see only one threat, but a combination
of several factors. The excess of population is one of
them. The good news is that the size of families in countries
where there’s a good education is being reduced
in a way that before was unthinkable.
Q. Someday, will water be more expensive than
petrol?
A. In some years, water will be a serious problem in a
lot of countries. This is due to the increase of the population
and to the ignorant strategies of some countries. In my
opinion, now it is already more expensive than petrol.
A bottle of mineral bottle is more expensive that its
equivalent in gasoline.
Q. Do you think that nuclear energy is a good
alternative to fossil combustibles?
A. No. It’s a complicated option for the high costs,
and for the risk that World be its military use.
Q. Do you think that the Brazilian experience
in the use of combustible alcohol, like ethanol, could
be reproduced at a global level?
A. Alcohol is the most important substitute we have now.
I believe it is a solution to the threat of global warming.
Q. Ecology can be a big business.
A. Excellent. Toyota has multiplied its benefits with
its ecological car. Not long ago, General Electric decided
to be a company devoted to the preservation of the environment,
and they’re earning a lot of money from that. The
same applies to DuPont, the giant in the chemical sector.
Big companies don’t set up businesses to lose money.
Q. How World you evaluate the environment policies
of the current president of the USA?
A. I cannot be objective with Bush. I’m afraid of
all his policies. His actions are extremely dangerous
for the whole world. He censored most of the scientific
works about environmental issues. Fourteen senators have
just started an investigation about that. I hope the Congress
can punish our president for that.
Q. Are you still upset because you lost the elections
to Bush even when you obtained more votes?
A. I don’t look back to the past, but to the future.
Q. Will you be a candidate to the White House
again?
A . It is not my intention.
Q. Do you think that a program based in the defence
of the environment helps or is detrimental in American
politics?
A. It helps, of course. Politicians now start to realize
it. Think about the case of (Arnold) Schwarzenegger in
California. He’s gaining popularity thanks to his
actions in favour of the environment. Of course, terrorism
is also an important element. Politicians should focus
both things in an intelligent way. The war in Iraq transformed
terrorism in a greatest threat that it was before. But
global warming is the worst crisis that we have had to
face.
Q. In the Cannes Festival, where your documentary
was projected, you received more attention than Tom Cruise
or Penˇlope Cruz. What is more exciting, to be a politician
or a film star?
A. I’m old enough not to build my hopes up with
the red carpet. In fact, I’d like to make another
film. The problem is that I’d need other 30 years
of experience in an issue, to have the courage to present
it.
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