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India: Development Strategy Misses Mark for Women, Research Finds. November 12, 2008 Canwest News Service (Canada)
A four-year $1.9-million research project known as decentralization sometimes harms women.

Decentralization involves transferring responsibility for services such as health, education, water and sanitation to lower levels of government.

It has given rise to new forms of political representation, such as village development committees and is intended to make local government more accountable.

For two decades donor nations and agencies have pushed decentralization strategies. A research conducted by 13 groups in South Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, is the first to assess the impact on women.

We would have expected far more to have been achieved.

One barrier is gender stereotypes, because decentralization pushes decision-making to the grass roots level, and is closer to the traditional cultural attitudes that might be disempowering women.

Women have seats on local councils but often they're not expected or given opportunities to speak. Some South Asian nations require that women fill one-third of local bodies, but in many cases hasn't translated into decision- making influence. In Pakistan, most of the elected female councillors turned out to be selected and controlled by a male relative, landlord or local government chief.

In India, Pakistan, South Africa, Honduras and El Salvador, women rarely sit on local budget or finance committees. In Nepal, women who sit on local committees are often reluctant to speak when men are present.

Participation in local government often reinforces women's traditional roles as caregivers.

In Kerala, locally elected women see themselves as social workers. In South Africa, mandated gender policies ensure women are involved in projects designed to meet practical needs. But their participation is often linked to traditional domestic roles. Decentralization has been harmful to women in countries where national governments have shifted services to local authorities.

Local governments in Sudan have started charging user fees to pay for basic services such as health and education and prospects for women in Sudan have gone backward. User fees at health clinics have been linked to increased maternal mortality in southern Sudan.

Women need training in leadership, public speaking and project management. The election of 500,000 women to local government body in India are beginning to find their voice and actually make a difference in terms of political decision-making. rw

Bolivia's Bad Births Sit on Political Sidelines. January 15, 2008 Women's Enews
Bolivia's Constituent Assembly last month narrowly avoided adding a ban on all abortion to its new constitution. In the past two years, Nicaragua's former revolutionary government banned all abortions. The president of Uruguay has vowed to veto legal abortion. Venezuelans' push to decriminalize the procedure has come to a halt under socialist Chavez.

In Bolivia the controversy revolved around five words--"from the moment of conception" which would have outlawed all abortion in Bolivia. Abortion here was legalized in 1973 for victims of sexual assault or to prevent a life-threatening pregnancy. In practice, abortions are often performed without any legal inspection and the country has never seen an abortion provider prosecuted.

Bolivia has up to 80,000 procedures annually in a country of only 9 million people. Many are performed in more than a dozen clinics. But the average $150 fee is prohibitive, so many look for alternative methods.

At least one woman a day ends up dead in this type of swallow-hard-and-take-the-risk medical care.

But talking about abortion remains taboo here in Bolivia.

In Catholic schools, children are required to watch a video of a womb undergoing an abortion. It was church authorities who brought the conception clause to Constituent Assembly delegates when the body first began its proceedings.

Anti-abortion sentiment is widespread. "Regardless of religion, we learn that conception isn't an option, it's our function," she says. "Women who abort live with a lifetime of guilt."

Staff in medical clinics try to dissuade their patients from having abortions, telling them it is better to choose life than murder. Leftist indigenous women have, for the most part, steered clear of the issue.

Paul Bustillos, political director for La Paz-based Catholics for the Right to Choose, says that's because pro-choice leaders have not engaged the country's indigenous majority.

Many abortions are performed in rural areas where indigenous people predominate, and are called "bad births" and are followed by cleansing rituals.

Morales' ruling Movement Towards Socialism party blocked the conception clause from the final text of the constitution. Catholics for the Right to Choose went into a "state of emergency" when the conception clause was introduced. rw

Rights: Women Leaders Reject. November 12, 2008 InterPress Service
Three women received the 2008 Gruber International Women's Rights Prize -- Yanar Mohammed from Iraq, Sapana Pradhan Malla from Nepal, and Nadera Shalhoub-Kervorkian, a Palestinian woman living in Israel.

Mohammed spoke of the worsening situation for Iraq's women. Since the defeat of Saddam Hussein we have been pushed into a situation which is more like the Afghan women under the Taliban. Women have to veil themselves and are facing violence and a mass media that depicts women as a potential source of evil. The new constitution took away all our rights and put in place the religious law. Mohammed is fighting for a secular, democratic state that guarantees equal rights for men and women.

She is now preparing a TV channel that portrays women in a way that they are not portrayed the Middle East.

Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian also complained about the political, economic and social discrimination against the Palestinian minority living in Israel. Because of the military checkpoints, many girls have stopped going to school, and pregnant women have even gone into the hospital before they were due. Conditions for Palestinian women in Israel are severe because we are marginalised as a Palestinian minority.

Sapana Pradhan Malla from Nepal was decorated for fighting to include women's human rights in the constitution, and for leading a successful effort to decriminalise abortion and criminalise marital rape.

Due to her efforts, 64 discriminatory laws have been struck down. Women are only 10% of those working in the executive authority and the civil services, and only 2% of Nepal's judiciary. rw

Pakistan: Equal Share in Land, Property for Women Urged. November 07, 2008 The Nation (Pakistan)
Aqsa Khan, Manager Human Rights ActionAid, said that the organisation is set to highlight the miseries of Pakistani women who are deprived of basic human rights including the right to land and share in property.

She argued that the worst impact was on the third world where masses are prone to starvation and drought. The people in the rural areas are living in miserable conditions below the poverty line.

Poor in rural areas are forced to sell their children, while women are committing suicides and parents have withdrawn their children from school, on account of their inability to pay school dues.

The rate of flour is Rs 1200 per forty kilograms while rice is being sold at Rs 120/kg in those areas. These are beyond the reach of poor people, the participation of women alongside men is the need of the hour. The dominance of influential feudal lots in rural areas has suppressed the rural women.

Among the most underprivileged and deprived areas that are suffering from scarcity of food include the constituency of the Minister of Agriculture. ActionAids journey across Pakistan has received success and villagers have given them a warm welcome everywhere. Poor masses realise that they need to encourage the equal participation of women. ActionAid has formed a charter regarding womens rights including equality of right to land, allotment of minimum 8 acres per family to local peasants and agriculture workers, limitation of private landholdings and progressively-scaled agricultural income tax. rw

UN Predicts 12 Billion if Family Planning Falters. July 14, 2008 InterPress Service
The UN claims that an estimated 200 million women want to delay or avoid pregnancy but are not using family planning.

The current population of 6.4 billion people is expected to rise to over 7.0 billion by 2012 -- and could reach 12 billion by 2050, if contraceptive use does not increase.

UNFPA says that 190 million women become pregnant every year, and nearly 50 million resort to abortion. Unsafe abortions kill an estimated 68,000 women every year. The benefits of family planning remain out of reach for many. Demand will increase, as more than one billion people 15-24 enter their reproductive years.

Maternal deaths could be reduced if every woman had access to health services, specially during pregnancy and childbirth.

The impact of the US withholding funding from UNFPA has had serious implications for women and girls. About 181 industrialised and developing countries, contribute to UNFPA.

The top 10 donors for UNFPA in 2007 were: the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Britain, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Spain and Canada.

The administration has cited UNFPA's programme in China, falsely accusing the agency of providing resources for abortions and sterilisations. UNFPA has denied the charges.

Americans for UNFPA is poised to urge the next administration to fund UNFPA, and begin to make up for the 235 million dollars withheld since 2002.

The UN MDGs are agreed upon to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of the world's population by 2015.

Advancement has stalled on MDG5, which aims to improve maternal health, including reproductive health.

Demand for contraceptives is expected to grow by 40% during the next 15 years. rw

'Arid Aquaculture' Among Livelihoods Promoted To Relieve Worsening Pressure On World's Drylands. November 11, 2008 ScienceDaily
Using ponds filled with undrinkable water for fish production is one option experts have proven to be an alternative livelihood for people living in desertified parts of the world.

Alternatives to crop and livestock rearing will be needed in order to mitigate human causes of desertification.

Researchers say using briny water to establish aquaculture in Pakistan not only introduced a new source of income, it helped improve nutrition through diet diversification. It was possible to cultivate some vegetables with the same type of brackish water.

Other promising alternatives include:

1. The manufacture and marketing of soap derived from olive oil and fragrances from dryland plants. 2. Developing sustainable drylands ecotourism, which brings income while encouraging villagers to conserve ecosystems. 3. Harnessing solar power. 4. Producing wool and sand-based handicrafts for sale to visitors.

Options have the potential to reduce the pressure on marginal drylands, and yield higher income per investment than traditional livelihoods.

Innovations are needed to ensure long-term sustainability and to avoid desertification in the face of growing population pressures.
People living in drylands need help from all quarters and all levels of government. The alternative will be a migration in two or three generations that will stagger the world's capacity.

Drylands are home to nearly a third of the global population. Drylands degradation results from droughts, inappropriate irrigation, deforestation, overgrazing, and poor land use practices.

Traditional designs for water storage cisterns and ponds, can be improved with modern materials and techniques.

In parts of Egypt, new desalination technologies using solar energy were successfully introduced. In China participating families were trained in entrepreneurship and business principles. Future plans include producing organic chicken and eggs. rw
Ralph says: Not a mention of slowing or halting the population growth. Surely that is the best way to solve these problems!!!!!! Oh sorry I forgot, TABOO

Global: Dirty coal to remain world's top power source: IEA. November 12, 2008 Reuters
Coal, the dirtiest source of fuel, will remain the world's main source of power until 2030 and nuclear will lose market share. The share of coal generated power would rise to 44% by 2015 from 41% in 2006 and stay at that level to 2030, giving rise to increases in associated CO2 emissions. Most of the growth was expected in non-OECD countries, such as China, whose demand for power doubled between 2000 and 2006.

The IEA urged stronger policies for carbon capture and storage. Market mechanisms will not be sufficient to achieve the scale required. Another challenge is financing the necessary CO2 transport infrastructure. The IEA expected nuclear's share to drop to 10% by 2030 from 15% in 2006.

A large number of countries have expressed renewed interest in building nuclear power plants, but few have taken steps to build new reactors.

China topped the list of countries with nuclear power plants under construction, with 5,220 megawatts (MW), followed by India at 2,910 MW and Korea at 2,880 MW.

The IEA predicted renewable energy to rise to 23% by 2030 from 18% in 2006.

High prices would constrain growth in gas-fired generation, although it remained attractive due to lower capital costs and shorter construction time. Its market share was likely to fall from 20%.

A large number of people living are not expected to have access to electricity even in 2030. India and Africa have the highest number.

Per capita electricity consumption in non-OECD countries was likely to rise to almost 2,400 kilowatt hours (kWh) by 2030, but only to 671 kWh in Africa from 518. It would rise to 4,776 kWh in China from 1,788 in 2006. rw

U.S.: Secular Sign Posts: the View From 30,000 Feet. November 12, 2008 Financial Sense
The core demographic for consumption is the age group entering their prime in terms of income. The distribution of consumer spending reflects a bell-shaped curve in which the middle-aged demographic represents the largest income brackets. As a rise in the rate of change in consumer spending increases with the higher earning income's relative population, so too does the stock market which reflects a rise in GDP. Japan's post WWII baby boom crested in 1990, and Japan's Nikkei 225 index peaked. Since the baby boom in 1990, Japan has suffered from a rising retiree population and a deceleration of consumption spending as the higher income earners retired and the lower income earners grew in relative numbers. The bottom of the Nikkei 225 also coincided with the trough in the relative population ratio of the 35-49 year old to 20-34 year old groups.

This ratio between the higher wage earner and spender (35-49) relative to the lower wage earner and spender (20-34) relating to aggregate consumption and stock prices has also played out in the U.S. . Peaks in the relative population demographic coinciding with peaks in real stock prices (S&P 500). Rising real stock prices are associated with rising relative population ratios of the higher wage earner relative to the lower wage earner.

While there is a positive relationship between productivity and relative population demographics, there is a negative relationship between productivity and inflation. We can infer that there is a negative relationship between inflation trends and relative demographic trends with productivity trends providing the associating link. We can look at what the future may hold. The relative demographic ratio peaked in 2000 and was coincident with the real S&P 500 peak, and does not bottom until 2015. The conclusion is that the secular bear market we entered back in 2000 will not likely end until roughly 2015, and the secular inflationary trend that began in 2003 will be in place until 2015 as well. rw
Karen Gaia says: Unfortunately this time we have peak oil and depletion of resources to deal with. After the initial tightening of belts by consumers, population numbers will again catch up and resource depletion will continue. It is foolish to think that there is no end to resources and that throwing money at the problem will help.

Profligate Water Use in the U.S. Is Fueling the Flight of Mexicans Across the Border. November 11, 2008 AlterNet
On October 21, 2008, the Secretary of the Interior inaugurated the new Imperial Valley water reservoir near the U.S.-Mexico border. The 500-acre reservoir will store surplus Colorado River water for use by coastal Southern California, southern Nevada, and central Arizona; previously this water had been used by Mexican cities and farmers.

This reservoir and a project to line a 23-mile stretch of the All-American Canal with concrete to prevent water seepage to an underground aquifer, means dire consequences for Mexico.

An estimated 67,000 acre-feet of water seeps from the canal annually. This captured seepage water will be sent to San Diego for municipal use. The triumphant U.S. water and irrigation districts are gloating over their victory. The losers are Mexican peasants and subsistence farmers which will fuel illegal migration to the US.

US water negotiators see water as a commodity in this war over natural resources. There are other nails in the coffin of Mexico's water future: a mega-drought; lack of funding for water infrastructure throughout the country; rapid development and population growth; increasing pollution; water privatization and inequality in water allocation. Government corruption, incompetence, infighting, and mismanagement of water.

Mexico's government considers deforestation and the lack of clean water two national security issues. Vicente Fox repeatedly said that water is a national security issue. Mexico's poor have had to contend with skyrocketing food prices, general inflation which also raised the price of water, a calamitous drought, rising unemployment, and increasing hunger and malnourishment.

The poor have staged street protests to protest against a 50% price hike of corn tortillas. Now the subsistence farmers have even less water to irrigate their crops. But the livelihood of those living on subsistence farming will be affected as well by drought and water scarcity. Thus, water scarcity is triggering food insecurity in Mexico, which has implications for its national security.

Northern Mexico also has been afflicted by a drought since 1992. Climate scientists have predicted that the entire region from southwestern United States to north-central Mexico will be hit especially hard by global climate change and extreme droughts. Mexico's largest freshwater lake, has been steadily shrinking since the 1970s and lost approximately 80% of its water due to development in central Mexico.

Drought and water scarcity have exacerbated Mexico's food crisis for the urban poor and for medium-size and small subsistence farmers.

Many of our illegal aliens may be, water or environmental refugees. With intensifying global climate disruptions, there will be more of this category of people in Mexico. rw
Karen Gaia says: what more evidence do we need that the U.S. is overpopulated and it is impacting the lives of people in other countries?

A Fundamental Shift in the US Approach to Family Planning. November 13, 2008 RH Reality Check
The election confirms that family planning services are essential to our well-being. The American voters have sent a clear message; it is time to move past the Bush administration's anti-family planning policies. Although Congressional Democrats did not match the most optimistic predictions, results suggest a convincing vote to take the country in a new direction.

For family planning providers and advocates, Obama's election represents a victory, and we are hopeful that the coming days will provide opportunities to increase access to family planning services for low-income and uninsured women and men.

Voters elected pro-family planning Democrats. House Democrats built on the gains they made in the 2006 mid-term elections, although they failed to capture the 25-plus seats pundits and party leaders were projecting. Voters in California, Colorado, and South Dakota defeated initiatives that would have significantly restricted reproductive health. California defeated an initiative requiring a waiting period and parental notification before a minor could obtain an abortion. South Dakota's residents voiced their opposition to an abortion ban with unclear exceptions for health of the mother, rape, and incest. rw

Pakistan: Awareness Campaign Evolved to Control Population Growth, Says Minister. November 12, 2008 The Pakistan Newswire
The Minister Population Welfare Punjab Neelam Jabbar said that in order to provide amenities to every citizen we have to control the rapidly growing population, and a comprehensive awareness campaign will be launched in the province.

She suggested that the population welfare and health officials should research population and health disciplines for the transmission to population and public health managers at district levels, so that better facilities could be provided, while utilizing existing government resources.

She said the health community must be trained in data collection, feed back and planed research should be conducted on how to control rapidly growing population and break out of infectious diseases.

Every citizen at grass root level could get basic medical and population welfare facilities at their doorsteps. The department was appointing gynaecologists at health centres in remote areas to provide better healthcare facilities to the mothers.

The objectives of these programmes are to reduce the under five mortality rate to less than 65 per thousand live births by 2011, and to increase the proportion of deliveries attended by the skilled birth attendants at home or in health facilities to 90% by 2015.

The department has planned a pilot project in the union councils of district Muzaffargarh and Chakwal. Education and health is the priority to provide quality educational and health facilities to every citizen, however, it could be achieved only when out population remains within resources, she concluded. rw

Op-ed: to Be Truly Pro-life, the Vatican Should Lift Its Contraception Ban. July 29, 2008 The Irish Times
The Vatican banned all artificial methods of contraception and, at that time, the Irish government bent its knee to the church. That changed but the church's ban has not.

On the 40th anniversary of that day in 1968 Pope Paul VI confirmed a total ban on modern family planning methods.

Many believed the teaching would change, but he removed the Birth Control Commission from the main debates of the Second Vatican Council in an apparent attempt to control its findings. His successor expanded the commission to include five married women.

The commission found that many of the scientific and theological underpinnings of the ban were faulty or outdated. But conservative members of the commission held firm.

The hearts and minds of the conservative bishops were swayed by the testimonials from married couples who explained the realities of attempting a healthy sex life without the aid of contraception. The vast majority of the commission voted to permit contraception.

Sadly, the pope took a political decision and adopted a minority report of the few members who opposed change. The ban has been disastrous in the developing world where Catholic hierarchies hold significant sway, especially in Latin America and the Philippines, obstructing good policies on family planning and HIV prevention.

Catholics support the use of contraception, and those who can access it use it. It would enable millions more families to make informed decisions if the church lifted this ban - not to mention the impact it would have on HIV prevention.

The bishops talk on promoting a culture of life but do not respect the reality of people's lives. It would be compassionate and just for the church to change this fatally flawed teaching. rw

Jordan: Social norms, gender preference hindering family planning. July 21, 2008 Jordan Times (Amman)
A survey revealed that although over 90% of married men and women in Amman believe smaller families lead to a better quality of life, only some 50% adhere to the practice.

Gender preferences and the belief that large families lead to long-term security are behind this discrepancy.

Despite campaigns promoting the benefits of having smaller families, the fertility trend has not changed.

Although many couples are content with only two children, the fertility rate has not changed over recent years, families still tend to lean towards having four children. Some 94% of married women and 90% of married men believe having smaller families leads to a better quality of life.

The percentage of those who would adhere to having a family of two children, was 44% of married women and 50% of married men.

Married women back in 2005 desired to have 4.3 children compared to 4.1 children in 2008. For married men, the number also decreased slightly, from 4.2 children in 2005 to 4.1 this year.

Married women continue to prefer boys over girls. Gender preference has an impact on contraceptive use, which showed families with more boys are more likely to use contraceptives.

About 44% of couples who use contraceptives abandon the practice after 12 months.

Social norms are steering such trends.

Sometimes women have an ideal vision of what they want but then that reality changes once they face life in the real world. It is an issue that can be addressed through dialogue and ongoing awareness, improved counselling by and education of women. Education and women's empowerment remain a key to changing society's views of women primarily as caregivers.

Families will come to see that girls equal the value that is so often placed on boys. rw

U.S.: Is this the next baby boom?. July 16, 2006 USA TODAY
A record number of babies were born in the USA in 2007. Details about the mothers won't be available until the fall, because all the agency has now is birth certificate data. The last time the number was this high was in 1957, in the middle of the baby boom years. Data for 2006 show a 3% increase over 2005. The largest single-year increase since 1989.

It's going to be nowhere near the baby boom of the 1950s or '60s. The 2007 numbers can be attributed to: more immigrants having children, professional women who delayed childbearing until their 40s, and larger numbers of women in their 20s and 30s in the population. The average number of births per woman was 2.1 in 2006, the highest since 1971.

From the perspective of schools, this is a real increase in the number of births and something they're going to have to deal with. But it won't be the kind of shock that we saw at the beginning of the baby boom in 1952 and '53. rw

Women Gain in Education but Not Power, Study Finds. November 13, 2008 New York Times*
Women still lag behind men in top political and decision-making roles, though their access to education and health care is nearly equal. Norway, Finland and Sweden have the most equality of the sexes, and Saudi Arabia, Chad and Yemen have the least.

Girls and women around the world had reached near-parity with their male peers in literacy, access to education and health and survival. But the gap between the sexes remains large. The US ranked 27th, above Russia (42nd), China (57th), Brazil (73rd) and India (113th). But the US was ranked below Germany (11th), Britain (13th), France (15th), Lesotho (16th), Trinidad and Tobago (19th), South Africa (22nd), Argentina (24th) and Cuba (25th).

The world's women are nearly as educated and as healthy as men, but not in terms of decision-making. The rankings of Syria, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia declined in 2008.

The inequalities in those countries were so large as to put them at an economic disadvantage.

A nation's competitiveness depends on whether and how it educates and utilizes its females. To maximize its competitiveness and development potential, each country should strive for gender equality. rw

How the World Works. June 20, 2008 Salon.com
A Wall Street Journal article on the tension between the Catholic Church and family planning advocates in the Philippines, references the latest thinking on the interaction between high population growth and economic prosperity.

While misguided agricultural and trade policies and poor food distributions may be the key reasons for hunger, rapid population growth exacerbates bad policies.

Conservative Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby claims that the real nightmare facing the world is a population bust, instead of overpopulation. In the 1960s and 1970s, those who believed that high fertility rates torpedoed chances for economic growth dominated the field. But in the 1980s, they were eclipsed by those who thought it more important for governments to institute the correct economic policies.

The current wisdom is more nuanced: The benefits of slower population growth depend on the timing and intensity of change, and the focus of economic policies in countries undergoing change. Developing nations that reduce fertility get an opportunity for economic growth. When fertility is high, the proportion of children and teenagers is large. As fertility rates drop, the ratio of potential workers to nonworkers rises, and more workers are responsible for fewer children.

This enables countries to increase their schools and teachers, health care facilities and workers, and communications networks and well-trained workers. However, opening a window of opportunity does not guarantee economic growth. It is temporary, because low fertility will eventually increase the population of older people who are no longer working.

This effect depends on the speed with which the transition to low fertility takes place and countries pursuing sound economic and social policies, to enable potential workers to acquire skills and find productive employment. When this happens, a temporary surge in physical and human capital contributes to a rapid rise in living standards.

A mix of family planning, education for women, and sound macroeconomic policies add up to the magic recipe. rw
Karen Gaia says: apparently there is more and more evidence that the ratio of older adults to younger adults makes a difference for economic success. However, the article does not mention how much fertility is lowered. If fertility is above replacement level, a baby boom will result, which in the future, as fertility rates drop, would mean more retired people than working people.

Rwanda: Teens Ask Parents to Talk About HIV/AIDS. October 31, 2008 The New Times
Teens at Islamic Center Nyamirambo, in a one day Anti- AIDS competition, asked their parents to talk about HIV/ AIDS in their homes.

A few tried to form anti- AIDS clubs at schools but most parents don't want to talk about relationships, issues surrounding sexuality.

These teens also asked authorities to stop men known as "Sugar Daddies", who seduce them with cash, among other things.

They have asked the authorities to arrest Sugar Daddies and Sugar Mummies who are guilty of luring them into unprotected sexual intercourse.

Teens have asked for activities that can occupy them during the holidays. Four winning schools will be given a DVD player to watch recorded reproductive health and HIV /AIDS messages.

Twenty four schools were represented at the function and "Right to Play" has reached over 100,000 teenagers. "Right to Play" is an exchange of experience among youth that can help them learn more about protecting themselves.

It helps fight stigma and being open minded about HIV/AIDS to empower youth to curb the pandemic. The importance of HIV prevention cannot be underestimated, especially in Rwanda where about 65% of the population are youth.

"Right To Play", programs target girls, the disabled, children affected by HIV and AIDS , street children, former child combatants, refugees and is supported by an international team of top athletics from over 40 countries. rw

18 Million People in Arab Countries Stand UP for Millennium Development Goals. November 04, 2008 Al Bawaba
The concern of the Arab people is speedy implementation of MDGs with nearly 18 million people in Arab countries endorsing the goals.

According to the UN, nearly 117 million people in 131 countries demand that world leaders keep their promises to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

Dubai alone recorded one in 11 residents of the emirate endorsing the goals.

Going by the response to the UN campaign, it is a reality that the UAE and the Arab world recognizes the need to pursue development goals. We believe that the Mission Green Earth campaign would lead to the UAE government taking positive steps to protect environment and promote sustainable living.

According to UN data over 73 million people in Asia, and 24 million in Africa stood up for MDGs.

The UAE has a united voice for a quick pursuit to fulfill the MDGS � in our case sustainable living and environment. This is also a strong reflection on the people of the UAE in joining for causes that matter to the global community in general. rw

The Power of Education. January 16, 2008 SUR
For demographer Anne Goujon, people are the most precious key to global development. While still at university, this French student had studied development economics and was convinced that taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor would solve all the problems of the world.

Today, she has realised that it would be far more effective to invest in literacy programmes in the third world. Goujon, said that it is secondary education that has the capability to eventually improve the health and income of a population.

In some parts of the world, rapid population growth is a major cause for concern. On the other hand, in Eastern Europe there are worries about a skeletal labour force and vanishing pension funds.

Gugon concludes that it is not the number of people that makes a difference to the economic growth of a society, but the skills people pick up early in life.

A study displays positive effects on the rate of economic growth when the educational status of the working age population is high. An improvement in the quality of life of the educated younger generation has also been noticed in comparison to the majority of the adult population without formal schooling.

According to Goujon, it is people who invent technologies of wealth and infrastructure and when people cooperate the quality of life around the world improves. However, the same people are capable of endangering lives, through wars and by influencing the environment. In India the legacy of past neglect of education and gender equity was still clearly visible in the form of low level education and illiteracy.

Policy makers have to speed up efforts towards educational progress. Goujon warned that the business-as-usual is inadequate to achieve the UN MDG of universal primary education by 2015. Unless this part of the population is educated, today, an increasing proportion of future working age population will remain uneducated for times to come.

More than one third of the Japanese population will be 60 years and older by 2020. The implications are of potential migration of young populations to economically wealthy and aging regions for work. rw

Triple Threat Looms Over Africa's Rural Poor, Warns UN Agency Chief . November 15, 2007 United Nations World Food Programme
Africa's rural poor are facing rising food prices, climate change and population growth and require a more concerted action to help the vulnerable people.

Time is running out to build resilience among the millions of rural Africans who often have to go hungry.

WFP operations remain under-funded by as much as $168 million overall.

We must help people to protect themselves and their families. West Africa faces a difficult challenge against the elements as the Sahara Desert creeps further south each year, consuming arable land or pastures.

Global commodity prices are soaring, driven by the rising cost of fuels. The prices of staples have surged this year, placing them out of reach of many consumers.

The impact of the higher international prices has led to tensions and could turn into a food crisis unless more funds are pledged by donors.

The overall cost of WFP reaching a hungry person has gone up by 50% in the last five years.

Around 1.5 million children under five in the Sahel region are now acutely malnourished. This kills more than 300,000 children every year and stunts the growth of those who survive.

WFP is working with NGOs to help local communities adapt to climate change, such as constructing small dams, completing irrigation projects and contribution to schemes that reduce soil erosion or promote reforestation.

But continued population growth, combined with low school enrolment, is adding to the squeeze on the rural poor across Africa. rw

New Index of 'Green' Firms Helps Investors Tap Energy. January 13, 2008 MarketWatch
Many eco-capitalists have been betting that climate change will produce new opportunities. This realization can be seen in Europe and now in the U.S.
Some of the world's business leaders are demanding that diplomats come up with urgent measures to cut greenhouse gas pollution at least in half by 2050. Officials from 150 global companies have signed a petition urging "strong, early action on climate change". The petition drive, coordinated through the environmental office of Britain's Prince Charles, is signed by leaders from mainstream companies who see revenue in the coming Age of Sustainability.

Asia is poised to make great economic gains from sustainability. Asia's manufacturing agility and lower production costs make it easier to satisfy the demand for earth-friendly products. Asia's people are feeling the effects of pollution, climate change and high oil prices, and are more likely to counter these effects because it is in their own best interests. Petroleum and clean water are in short supply in most Asian countries and they are looking for renewable alternatives and conservation measures.

Conservation is part of the social fabric of most Asian countries because dense populations and limited resources force its people to do more with less. The vast majority of Asians are poor and live modestly. Improvements are measured in terms of improved life expectancy and access to basic needs, rather than the availability of luxuries.

Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto traditions have defined a symbiotic relationship between man and his environment. These traditions can be leveraged in arguments for costly environmental and CSR programs.

China and some Southeast Asian nations are already hosting companies that make home furnishings from renewable materials, like bamboo, and use recycled steel and water-based glues. China has adopted the EU's rules on formaldehyde-free adhesives. There is a wave of sustainable town planning in China and India. The continent is poised to host a new generation of green cities that right the wrongs of industrial-era urban planning.

A petroleum shortage is threatening Asia's economic miracle. The alternatives are hydro, nuclear, solar and wind. They require advanced manufacturing in high numbers and at low cost. Throughout Asia, solar manufacturers are stepping up production. Solar makers will be producing "1,000 megawatts a year per factory, which is about how much electricity gets produced by a coal or nuclear plant." Nearly 90% of solar panel manufacturers in Greater China plan to lower or keep prices stable.

Chinese developers unveiled the world's first full-permanent magnetic levitation which when compared with existing wind turbines, will add an additional 1,000 hours of operation annually to wind power plants. Asia is well positioned to be a major player in the creation of earth-friendly products and technologies. rw

Triple Threat Looms Over Africa's Rural Poor, Warns UN Agency Chief. November 15, 2007 United Nations World Food Programme
Africa's rural poor are facing rising food prices, climate change and population growth and require a more concerted action to help the vulnerable people.

Time is running out to build resilience among the millions of rural Africans who often have to go hungry.

WFP operations remain under-funded by as much as $168 million overall.

We must help people to protect themselves and their families. West Africa faces a difficult challenge against the elements as the Sahara Desert creeps further south each year, consuming arable land or pastures.

Global commodity prices are soaring, driven by the rising cost of fuels. The prices of staples have surged this year, placing them out of reach of many consumers.

The impact of the higher international prices has led to tensions and could turn into a food crisis unless more funds are pledged by donors.

The overall cost of WFP reaching a hungry person has gone up by 50% in the last five years.

Around 1.5 million children under five in the Sahel region are now acutely malnourished. This kills more than 300,000 children every year and stunts the growth of those who survive.

WFP is working with NGOs to help local communities adapt to climate change, such as constructing small dams, completing irrigation projects and contribution to schemes that reduce soil erosion or promote reforestation.

But continued population growth, combined with low school enrolment, is adding to the squeeze on the rural poor across Africa. rw

Too Many People. November 2008 Bill Denneen
On a nature hike recently I mentioned "contraception". The reaction of some of the group was that this subject was too controversial to even be mentioned. This taboo must end. The average age of first intercourse (like it or not) is 17.

Young people need to know about how NOT to get pregnant - especially young people that have taken the "abstinence only" vow.

Whenever I meet a teenage female I always give my elder advice: "Don't get pregnant". I figure that as an "ancient" I can get away with this. Recently I said this to a 19 year old and she e-mailed me: "I recently met you at the opening of the Santa Maria Public Library. I regret to say that I am sorry I did. Previous to our meeting I considered you someone to look up to and an extremely respectable person. I found your advice about "not getting pregnant" presumptuous."

As a Biologist & an "ancient" I know a "sexy" female when I see one and how zygotes are needed to keep the species going.

Recently in the news has been the pregnancy of an unwed 17 year old. This is a common event (e.g. Santa Maria) but the mother of this gal is against sex-education, against Planned Parenthood, against contraception, against evolution, against abortion and for "abstinence only" until marriage----and this mother has a high potential of being the first female President----yikes.

Since the Bush administration has come into power, it has spent over $1.5 billion in taxpayer money on their abstinence-only sex-education programs that studies have shown are not only ineffective but counterproductive. Planned Parenthood is an advocate for and provider of real-world sex education and reproductive health care.

When I was born there were less than 2 billion humanoids on this small fragile planet----we are now approaching 7 billion. In other words in just one person's lifetime (mine) we have added 5,000,000,000 more people. This is a "population explosion" which in nature is always followed by a "population collapse"------basic biology.

A century ago the average life expectancy was 40, now it is 80. There will be an increase in the death rate unless we lower the birth rate. Europe in general now has a birth rate lower than the death rate---not so for the U.S. & most of the world.

When I first came to California there were about 12 million people which became 27 million in 1986 and which is now approaching 40 million. Drive the roads, sit in traffic, drive to L.A., go to Pismo Beach on a holiday, recall once rural Nipomo Mesa----too many people & too many cars. I call it "losangelification".

Santa Maria has a high teenage pregnancy rate (epidemic?). Almost all hospitals are Catholic-controlled and do not offer contraception or abortion or vasectomies or even sex-education. Planned Parenthood (415 E.Chapel, 928-1679) provides all of these thus reducing the teen pregnancy rate.

The "Abstinence Only Program" just doesn't work. The average age of first intercourse in the US is 17.---how old were you?

Italy is 97% Catholic yet it's birth rate is so low Italians are not even replacing themselves. The Pope issues "rules" against contraception and abortion but educated Italians aren't listening. As education increases, birth rates decrease.

Meanwhile back to CA which is adding a half million more people each year. Virtually all that growth comes from immigration and babies born to immigrant mothers. My suggestion is condom dispensers in all restrooms and free vasectomies to any male wanting one-----particularly immigrants.. It is a simple operation. Planned Parenthood offers vasectomies for free for men that can't afford it.

Social change is slow while technological change (e.g.cell phones) is rapid. It has taken so long to even talk about contraception and sexuality. Over half the pregnancies in our country are unintended (accidents?). Every child has a right to be born wanted, planned & loved. A good start toward dialogue came with Vagina Monologue. The taboo on talking about birth control must end-------------condoms anyone?

Ghana: New study links low fish supply to increased bushmeat hunting. November 2004 The Daily
The declining fish supply in Ghana has led to increased illegal hunting of wild game. Dwindling marine resources have led to the extinction of almost half the species in some reserves. If people aren't able to get their protein from fish, they'll turn elsewhere for food and economic survival.

African leaders have blamed subsidized foreign fleets for helping to accelerate the downturn in the fish supply. EU subsidies artificially increase the profitability for EU ships to fish in African waters. Data was recorded by park rangers from 1970 to 1998 for 41 species of larger mammals at six savanna nature reserves in Ghana. The information was compared with the supply of fish in the region during the same time period. There was a 76% drop in the 41 species studied. At the same time, the supply of fish ranged from 230,000 to 480,000 tons in a year. Years with a lower-than-average supply of fish had higher-than-average declines in land-based wildlife.

Over the next four years they found that the monthly supply of fish was negatively linked to the price of fish and the volume of bushmeat sold. Estimates put the bushmeat trade at 400,000 tons per year but that the figure is almost certainly an underestimate.

Some of Ghana's problems date back to 1982, when the UN established Exclusion Zones that entitled countries to exclusive use of all marine resources 200 miles off their shorelines and Ghanaian fishing boats would have to pay other countries for access to fishing grounds while it is difficult to assess the level of illegal fishing by foreign fleets. Agreements are unusually generous to the foreign fleets. Ghana's fishing sector employs about 20% of the country's labor force, but is rapidly declining.

Ghanaian fishers are generally poorly educated and with few other options for income. Many unemployed fishers have been unable to improve their economic conditions.

Part of the decline could be attributed to overfishing to feed a growing population from 6 million in 1957 to nearly 18 million in 1996. Reforming EU policy will not resolve the problems of diminishing resources in West African nations, but is a solution that can be enacted quickly.

Without intervention, the collapse of resources would result in widespread human poverty and food insecurity. rw
Ralph says: No mention of action to slow or stop the population growth.

U.S.: Change ... by Bill Denneen. November 2008 Bill Denneen
Change is always difficult but our culture must change if it is to continue.

There is a movement that is coming from the people/citizens. It has been given a title of Green but I prefer Sustainable. Basically it is change from a high consumption rate to living within the capacity of our habitat. Resources are being depleted as corporations push us to buy, buy, buy.

When the price of gasoline went up American moved in the direction of using less gas. This worried the oil corporations so the price came down. In Europe where the price of gas is about $10. per gallon they walk, ride their bicycles, use bus and trains, have tiny vehicles----many not using any gasoline at all. Hummers SUVs & gas-guzzlers don't even exist in Europe----here they are no longer selling.

Hybrids can not be made fast enough as demand is so high.

The monster houses being built locally and priced at $750,000 and up are not selling. People want small, sustainable, affordable homes.

Bush's 700 billion "bailout" with taxpayer money is designed to continue the monster mansion industry.

Our culture must move in the direction of what many are already doing. I have attempted to become independent of outside energy sources. I live on one acre. The sun shines on this one acre on which I grow bushes & trees-------birds love it. These plants capture the sun's energy by photosynthesis. The plants that grow feed my goats or are burned in my insert fireplace to heat my home in winter. It requires a lot of chopping, cutting & hauling but the sun is providing the energy---not nuclear power (Diablo).

The sun shines on my solar-panels which heat my water. Of course, no sun, no hot water. In summer I have plenty of hot water for my hot tub. In winter or rainy days I have to supplement solar heat with natural gas to heat water for my hot-tub.

The sun activates my photo-voltaic (PV) panels which produces my electricity. There are essentially no P.V.'s or solar panels on any of the estimated 5,000 new houses in Nipomo ----why?

A clothesline dries my laundry-----not Diablo. If you don't dry your laundry in our abundant sun you are part of the over-consuming problem. I got rid of my lawn years ago as it requires a lot of water, pesticides and herbicides. I replaced it with native plants and friendly exotics which the birds love and feed my goats.

I attempt to eat from my one acre. My pork comes from homegrown pigs. Visitors often ask "How can you eat an animal you've named & raised?" It is easy & delicious. My pigs have a happy life with a straw bed, talked to daily and gets petted often. I avoid "factory raised meat" as the animals have a terrible life in small pens & crowded conditions. I do not buy factory raised meat.

I have goats which provides me with plenty of delicious fresh milk with no chemicals. My happy chickens live on the ground, scratch a lot & lay more nutritious eggs than caged, factory raised hens which go for soup after a laying cycle. My 40 hens and 3 roosters live a long life and enrich my farm ambiance so very much.

Children enjoy visiting & are welcome. The 3 roosters have names & personalities all their own. My garden & orchard do provide some food but production is variable. For example I get more blackberries than I could possibly eat for about three weeks in early summer & then "none".

Nipomo doesn't get much rain (13 inch average/year). We are depleting our water supply---over-draft. Water from my inside toilets go to a septic system whose leach lines water my plants. Lines from my shower, hot tub, sink and laundry all go to water plants. My outside toilet doesn't even use any water & fertilizes my trees. I enjoy listening to the birds & seeing the sun come up.

The large mansions that Bush's 700 billion bailout is attempting to continue is the wrong direction. Small sustainable homes, bicycles and consuming less is the future. The auto industry learned the hard way when the SUV's, Hummers & Cadillacs stopped selling. If there is to be a future-----sustainable living will have to be the emphasis. The bailout is an attempt of our leaders to keep us buying.

If there is to be a future for America we must change to sustainable living. Our current leadership is headed us in the wrong direction-----democracy CAN work----speak up !! For further reading go to Al Gore's article in the most recent Mother Jones magazine page 38. Some of his comments: "The survival of the United States as we know it is at risk", "...the future of human civilization is at stake", "Were borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet.", "We need to act now."

U.S.: Mines to Get Freer Hand to Dump Waste; New Rule Eases Water Protections. October 20, 2008 Washington Post
The Interior Department is poised to issue a rule that will make it easier for mining companies to dump their waste near rivers and streams. This overhauls a 1983 regulation protecting water quality and marks a step over how companies should dispose of the rubble created. The rule will take effect after a 30-day review. For 25 years, the government has prohibited mining operators from dumping debris within 100 feet of any stream if the material harms the water quality or reduces its flow.

Mining companies have frequently disregarded the law. The revised rule calls on companies to avoid the 100-foot stream buffer zone "or show why avoidance is not possible."

The agency said the change would have a "slightly positive" effect on the environment "because it requires coal mining operations to minimize certain impacts. But the implications of this ruling are devastating.

Mountaintop-removal mining is used widely in West Virginia and Kentucky, and provides access to low-sulfur coal seams but generates large amounts of waste. President Clinton pushed to restrict dumping of mining waste but left office before enacting changes. The Bush administration has been seeking to rewrite the law.

EPA administrator Johnson must certify that the environmental impact statement is adequate. Environmental groups will fight the regulation in court. rw
Karen Gaia says: when we were rich, we could afford to mitigate the impacts of population. Now that our economy is failing, we are even having trouble funding family planning. But there is a perceived need the coal because we are depleting oil and we haven't acted fast enough on renewables.

U.S.: Out-of-wedlock Births Top 50%; Scholars Examine Impact. September 12, 2008 The Hawk Eye
For the first time in a half-century of record-keeping, a majority of babies born to women younger than 30 were out of wedlock.

In 2006 unmarried women delivered 50.4% of the children born to those under 30. Sum, who directs Northeastern's Center for Labor Market Studies, warns that the burgeoning number of such families presages "disaster." "The inequality of incomes in these families is unbelievable, 40% are poor, or near-poor. A large fraction is dependent on public assistance. There's a huge fiscal cost to the rest of us."

By and large, college-educated women are marrying later, having babies within a marriage and divorcing less. Women without a college degree are doing just the opposite in growing numbers.

"The next generation of children is going to be much more unequal," Sum warned. "You're going to have a really elite group and a group that will massively fall behind. Sum favors providing more public assistance and tax breaks for low-income families, especially those in which the parents are married and working.
"You can't raise revenue from families that have such a low income," Sum said. "And you have to spend so much more to keep them afloat."

Taxpayers pony up about $7,000 a year to support the typical family of an unwed mother without a high-school diploma.

The Institute for American Values pegged the annual cost to taxpayers of children living with a single parent at more than $112 billion annually.

Barack Obama chastised men in the black community for failing to perform any duties of fathering beyond the act of conception.

Sen. Sam Brownback, made the case that although the government has abolished the "marriage penalty" in the tax structure, it still penalizes marriage among low-income people by cutting government benefits should they marry.

He proposed that the government experiment with maintaining benefits for three years for newly married couples to see whether it promotes marriage and family well-being.

A research team interviewed 5,000 couples, three-fourths unwed, upon the births of their children, starting in 1998. Their lives are complicated.

At the time of an out-of-wedlock birth, about half of the couples live together. But two-thirds dissolve by the time a child turns 5. A lot of these women form relationships with new men, and have more children. So you have a woman with three children by three fathers. Imagine the complexity, trying to arrange for child-support payments -- if they come. rw

Population Key to Global Food Crisis. June 05, 2008 Burlington Free Press
Author David Stringer says 20 million of the poorest children are threatened with the "first global food crisis since World War II." The price of rice has more than doubled in the last five weeks. The World Bank estimates food prices have risen 83% in three years.

Various reasons are offered, rising fuel prices, unpredictable weather, rising demand from India and China, the increase in demand for meat and dairy products.

Various solutions were suggested. Plant genetically modified crops that can withstand drought or that produce more nutrients.

And yet, there was no mention of the main driver of hunger: too many people. Policymakers are missing the point if they believe producing more food will solve the problem, when the increase in population outstrips the increase in food production.

Two points are coming home to haunt us. The increased production relied heavily on the use of fossil fuel and artificial fertilizers. Even though more food was produced, it did not keep up with the increase in world population.

Voluntarily limiting population size is a touchy subject. Some of the world's religions won't listen to arguments in favor of stabilizing our population. Our current administration prohibits aid to any organization that promotes family planning through contraception. This is short sighted. 25,000 people die each day of starvation and poverty.

Vermont could grow enough food to feed all of our residents. But that will not include exotic fruits and vegetables or large quantities of meat and dairy products. It is past time for our policy makers to face up to the fact that our world only has enough crop land and fresh water to provide for a population that is less than we now try to support. rw

Chinese Farmers Are Losing Their Land. January 23, 2008 People and Planet
China faces a farming crisis as mass migration into the industrial zones of mushrooming cities eats up fertile land, while patterns of food consumption and land rights change. Historically the Chinese have spent most of their income on food, but to produce grains, vegetables and meat, the country must retain enough arable cropland. From the Ming Dynasty onwards farmers were able to feed a growing, increasingly urbanised population. Population growth was not an issue until the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today China is importing more food and resources. The sustainable Chinese agriculture has been altered in favour of Western methods that harm the existing ecosystems. China's ability to feed its own people and the environmental destruction provokes serious concern.

By 2030 Chinese demographers expect the population to level out nearer to 1.5 billion, but predicted that soaring grain imports would upset global markets. Water, more than grain or meat, might well be the crucial issue. As water becomes scarce, 80% of the grain crop is irrigated, as per-acre yield gains are erased by the loss of cropland to industrialization. Densely populated countries undergoing industrialization become food importers as the population shifts from rural to urban workers.

The world is experiencing rising food prices. The Chinese government is mandating price freezes and subsiding various manufacturing and food industries.

Water scarcity in China will impact the entire world; the country is experiencing a lack of potable water due to the environmental damage from rapid industrialization without any agencies to protect the ecology.

China, with 20% of the world's population and 7% of the world's arable land, is losing even more land to industrialization.

Beijing has mandated that arable land cannot fall below 298 million acres. China's Ministry of Land and Resources noted that the country has lost 6.6% of its arable land in the past decade.

Corruption also contributes to arable land loss. In central China's Hubei Province every day since November 2, over 10,000 tons of rubbish has turned the small farming village into a stinking dumpsite.

No legislation exists to protect farmers against crooked officials. Local governments have become the epicentre of corrupt land deals.

Chinese farmers fall under a village collective system that forbids them to own, buy or sell the land they till. Competition over raw materials has risen dramatically in the last decade; the impact of greater Chinese food demands has affected global markets. Food price inflation is a serious worry for China's leaders.

The long term outlook is grim, because land is being lost to construction in eastern China. This has degraded the overall quality of the country's remaining arable land. Almost 15% of China's total arable lands are polluted by heavy metals, and more than 40% soil erosion and desertification.

Without effective measures to solve this crisis everyone is going to suffer. rw

Scientists Outline Challenges and Pathways to Earth Sustainability. October 15, 2008 Entertainment and Show Biz
The "Declaration of Barcelona 2008: Challenges and Pathways to Earth Sustainability", claims measures to mitigate the global change and advance a sustainable development.

The coming three decades will determine whether the population comes into balance with the capacity of the biosphere to support it, or whether catastrophic changes in the environment will lead to the end of the improvement of well being. Declining trends in environmental conditions either continue unchanged or are accelerating beyond our worst projections. The deterioration of the environment continues despite international efforts. Global action to reverse the trends is inadequate, but it is not too late. No action is too small too large or too soon to begin.

The following actions are urged: Immediate transition to non-carbon emitting energy systems, accounting for changes in natural capital, address global environmental change, empowering developing countries to play a larger role in global solutions, and, transition to non-carbon emitting energy systems.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has exceeded the levels that can be considered safe. rw
Karen Gaia says: We still need to address overpopulation and voluntary family planning.

U.S.: New Bush Plan to Threaten Birth Control. September 12, 2008 Population Connection
The Bush administration has proposed a regulation that could undermine access to a broad range of family planning services. It is described as an effort to protect individuals from being coerced into participating in abortion services.
If implemented, a broad interpretation of this proposal could require family planning clinics to hire staff who refuse to participate in the provision of contraceptives, allow insurance companies to skirt state laws requiring coverage of contraception, overturn state laws requiring emergency rooms to provide access to emergency contraception to sexual assault victims, shield pharmacies (or pharmacists) who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions.

The penalty for non-compliance would be the loss of federal funding. The new rules will cause headaches for family planning clinics. These financially strapped agencies will waste time and money trying to figure out what exactly they need to do to be in compliance. The regulation can't take effect until after the official comments period closes on September 25. rw

U.S.: Top Story Northeast States' Regional Carbon Trading System Goes Live This Week. September 24, 2008 Grist Magazine
Twenty-four states are working on cap-and-trade" along with four large Canadian provinces. The northeastern states' Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) offers a "modest" start. It requires a 10% reduction in emissions by power plants by 2019.

RGGI's supporters say the program will generate millions of dollars that the states have pledged to use to boost energy efficiency. And set a price on carbon dioxide emissions.

The program's western counterpart led by California and embracing seven states and four Canadian provinces, the initiative will require power plants and industries to cut emissions by 15% by 2020. In 2015, it will cover emissions from transportation, residential, and commercial fuel use.

An initial blueprint requires industry to start measuring their greenhouse-gas emissions in about two years. A program in the Midwest last year started planning a cap-and-trade program for six more states and Manitoba. These initiatives will bring pressure on the next U.S. president to create a uniform national cap-and-trade program.

RGGI say a chief achievement was the decision to auction off 100% of the allowances that power plants will need. Under the RGGI program, 223 power plants in the Northeast will have to buy allowances for all their C02 emissions. Power plants will have six years to stabilize emissions. The program applies to Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maryland.

Plants that do not meet the goals may be able to purchase "offsets" from projects that create carbon dioxide reductions. But the use of offsets will be restricted to 3.3 percent of a power plant's emissions. Energy consumption remained roughly flat in the Northeast, and carbon emissions from the power plants are expected to be about 9 percent below 2009.

The program requires $1.86 per ton for power plant emissions, which will encourage power producers and their larger customers to consider alternative power sources.

Customers will see their electricity bills rise by an amount that depends on the final price of the allowances.

Energy efficiency programs will be funded by the auctions and help consumers reduce their bills.

After the RGGI states have stabilized power sector carbon emissions, the cap will be reduced each year from 2015 through 2018. rw