OPINION

Photo: Countless Berliners and visitors cycled and walked through the German capital’s city center on September 26 night. The Festival of Lights gave them some beautiful sights and a portion of culture during a difficult year. Credit: Imanuel Marcus | The Berlin Spectator.

Tide Might Be Turning in Britain's Ties with Germany and the EU

Viewpoint by John Kampfner

The writer is author of 'Why the Germans Do It Better; Notes from a Grown-Up Country'. This article was first published in the International Politics Society Journal of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

LONDON (IDN) – The fall of the Berlin Wall could and should have been a great moment for celebrating Britain’s role in the rebirth of democratic Germany. An oppressive communist system was dismantled with extraordinary success. Margaret Thatcher, alongside Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, had an important part to play. Yet all she saw was danger.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 02 October 2020

Photo: Allison et al. 2017. Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world. Global Environmental Change 43, 51-56.

Cool News in a Warming World: Why Invest in Future Forests

Viewpoint by Finn Grundmann *

GÖTTINGEN, Germany (IDN) – Forests capture more than carbon! While plants are experts at retrieving carbon dioxide from the air, they have also perfected strategies to retain water in their natural surroundings. When thinking of the benefits of future forests, it is crucial to think beyond the tree level.

Tree roots loosen the soil, and by creating macropores, they drastically increase infiltration rates and help recharge groundwater levels. The effect of just one tree on those soil properties can be measured within a radius of 25 meters around the tree crown. Therefore, by planting just a hundred trees, an area as big as 32 full-size football fields can be restored.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 01 October 2020

Actions Needed to Protect Wild Species and Natural Habitats

UN Summit on Biodiversity Provides an Opportunity

Viewpoint by Amy Fraenkel

The writer is Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

BONN (IDN) – The UN Summit on Biodiversity was meant to galvanize commitments to stop the impending biodiversity crisis, and to underscore the need for effective actions in a new Global Biodiversity Framework. Few could predict that it would take place in the middle of a deadly global pandemic -- which in all likelihood was brought about by human activities that exploit wild animals and nature.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 September 2020

Photo: Western visitors to Moscow and St Petersburg are often struck by how “European” these cities are. Russians in these cities dress like Europeans. The picture shows people walking on the main street of Saint Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt C BY 2.0.

Whether Trump Wins or Not, Europe Must Move Towards Russia

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – If Donald Trump wins re-election as president, is Europe going to bellyache about him for another four years without, as now, having any firm, cohesive, strategy for dealing with him and his foreign policies?

There is a chance that Trump will surprise the political establishment, as he did last time, and win. Europe can’t continue with its wing and a prayer approach, hoping that his perniciously volatile policies will be terminated in the very near future. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 29 September 2020

Photo: In Chad and other countries where it is working, SWEDD-The Swedish Development Aid Organization has already provided professional training to almost 100,000 women so they can pursue income-generating activities. Credit: Vincent Tremeau/The World Bank.

Beijing +25: Overcoming 21st Century Challenges to Deliver for Africa's Women

Beyond legislation, countries must tackle negative social norms and rising bias.

Viewpoint by Angela Lusigi*

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signed in 1995 committed the world to end discrimination, promoting women’s rights and advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This Platform for Action remains a guiding framework for realizing women’s rights. African countries have responded by translating commitments to action in twelve critical areas of concern including environment, decision making, the girl child, economy, poverty, violence, human rights, education, institutions, health, media, and armed conflict through continental, regional and national frameworks.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 28 September 2020

Photo: Georges Rebelo Chikoti, an Angolan diploma, who served as Angola's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2017 before taking over on 1 March 2020 the post of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). CC BY 2.0.

Call For “Another ‘Paris’ Moment to Mobilise Action on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development”

Viewpoint by Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti

The writer is Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)

BRUSSELS (IDN) – 2020 marks the end of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011 – 2020) and the 20 global biodiversity targets (Aichi targets). The mission of the Strategic Plan was to “take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020, ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet’s variety of life and contributing to human well-being and poverty eradication.”

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 28 September 2020

Photo: Panorama of the west facade of United States Supreme Court Building at dusk in Washington, D.c. CC BY-SA 3.0

A Tilt to Far-Right Looming Over the U.S. Supreme Court

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

LOS ANGELES (IDN) – In the hours after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, shocked Americans speculated about whether or not Republican Senator Mitt Romney would oppose a Senate confirmation vote just weeks before the election.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 26 September 2020

Photo: Louis Pasteur a French biologist, microbiologist, and chemist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, in his laboratory. Painting by A. Edelfeldt in 1885. Public Domain.

The Boons and Banes of Technology – Is It Really Making Things Better?

Viewpoints by John K. Davis and Jason Crawford

NEW YORK (IDN) – Technology and science have played a key role in human history. Many successive civilizations have contributed to the world's advancement. Often the development of technology also helped these societies to dominate militarily, politically, and economically their neighbours, as well as increase the welfare of their citizens.

Following is the dialogue between Dr John K. Davis, Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Fullerton, and Mr. Jason Crawford, the author of The Roots of Progress. The bilateral exchange is posted on PAIRAGRAPH, a hub of discourse between pairs of notable individuals.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 September 2020

Is Technology Really Making Things Better?

Viewpoints by John K. Davis and Jason Crawford

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 24 September 2020

Photo: A community meeting. Credit: High Atlas Foundation

Mobilizing Decentralized, Participatory Energy Transition in Morocco

Viewpoint by Kerstin Opfer, Yossef Ben-Meir, Imane Akhezzane & Marine Pouget

Kerstin Opfer is a Policy Advisor with Germanwatch. Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is President of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco. Imane Akhezzane is a Program Director at HAF. Marine Pouget is a Project Manager at the Climate Action Network in France.

MARRAKECH (IDN) – Humankind faces the unprecedented challenge of existing on the warmest earth we have known. A lack of political will and societal awareness has inhibited the necessary, vigorous change to meet this challenge.