Rich Nations Break Climate Vow to Poor

Checking global warming requires 'green revolution'

(NEWSER) - Disastrous climate change is inevitable unless the world begins cutting carbon emissions within the next five years, the World Wildlife Fund warns in a new report. Ahead of December's clutch Copenhagen summit, meant to forge a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the fund repeats that global temperature rises could stay below 2°C if greenhouse gas emissions are halved by 2050. But to do that, the world must invest in a "green industrial revolution," focused on low-carbon fuels like wind and solar, between now and 2014. More»

Niger, Afghanistan round out list of 182 nations; China makes big gains

(NEWSER) - Norway is the best country in the world to live in, according to the UN’s human development index, and Niger is the worst, ranking just below Afghanistan. The index ranks 182 countries based on life expectancy, school enrollment, and GDP per capita. China came in at 92, up seven spaces since last year—a larger jump than any other nation. The US was at 13. UN officials stressed that the rankings are based on 2007 data and don’t reflect changes due to the global recession, AFP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The Institute for Economics and Peace has released its annual list of the world’s most peaceful countries, Bloomberg reports. The index is based on things like "international security" and "tolerant solidarity." New Zealand is No. 1; the US is No. 83. A sampling:

1. New Zealand: A new government and little strife make the island's 4.2 million people the most peaceful in the world.
2. Denmark. Norway is No. 3, and Iceland fell from the top spot to No. 4 due to the banking collapse and subsequent public protests.

Outraged as Iranian, Swiss leaders meet at UN racism conference

(NEWSER) - Israel has angrily called home its ambassador to Switzerland after that country's president met with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of a politically charged UN meeting on racism that began today, the Times of London reports. On Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day, Switzerland’s “guest of honor is a racist and a Holocaust-denier who doesn’t conceal his intention to wipe Israel off the face of this earth,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said. More»

US, Russia, Norway, Denmark and Canada sign joint statement on bear population

(NEWSER) - Five nations whose land is home to polar bears signed a joint statement today declaring global warming to be the biggest threat to the animals, AFP reports. Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the US agree that “long-term conservation of polar bears depends upon successful mitigation of climate change,” the statement said. More»