ODIHR will address, together with experts, Anti-Religious Hate Crimes in a side event

Using ‘biochar’ to combat climate change

A new review of research suggests that the nature-based technology biochar – a carbon-rich material – could be an important tool to use in agriculture to help mitigate climate change.

Made by pyrolysis, which involves heating organic material in a low-oxygen environment, biochar – a charcoal-like, porous substance – has long been utilized for crop production as a soil amendment or carbon sequestration agent.

Researchers have recently seen a resurgence of heightened interest in the technology due to its unique physical structure and various agricultural and environmental benefits.

For these reasons, biochar’s potential to remove large amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere deserves to be re-evaluated, said Raj Shrestha, lead author of the study and a research associate in horticulture and crop science at The Ohio State University.

Soil in a hand - illustrative photo. — Soil in a hand – illustrative photo. Image credit: Zoe Schaeffer via Unsplash, free license

“When farmers grow their crops, they apply fertilizer and/or manure and use different machinery to till the soil,” said Shrestha. “In the process, greenhouse gases are produced and released into the atmosphere.”
But farmers could lessen this impact by applying biochar to their fields, according to the paper recently published in the Journal of Environmental Quality.
“If we can convince farmers that converting biomass to biochar is good for the long-term sustainability of soils, the economy, and good for the environment, then we’ll be able to see wide adoption of this technology,” said Shrestha.

Biochar produced from residual wood. Image credit: K.salo.85 via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

The researchers reviewed more than 200 field studies conducted across the globe that examined the impact of biochar application in agriculture on emissions of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide – heat-trapping gases that cause Earth’s atmosphere to warm.

The team found that the amount of biochar in the soil does have variable effects on local greenhouse gas emissions, which range from a decrease to an increase, and, in some cases, no change. But in general, the team discovered that the use of biochar in field settings lowered the amount of nitrous oxide in the air by about 18% and methane by 3%.

Biochar alone was also not effective at reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but did help when combined with commercial nitrogen fertilizer or other organic materials, like manure or compost.

“We can achieve negative emission in our agroecosystems by reducing the carbon source and enhancing carbon sink,” said Shrestha. Reducing Earth’s carbon source can be achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our activities, and enhancing carbon sink – increasing the technology’s ability to absorb more carbon than it releases into the atmosphere – can be done by increasing the long-term soil carbon pool through conversion of organic waste into biochar, he said.

“What’s good about biochar is that it contributes to both these aspects to create net negative agriculture,” said Shrestha.

Right now, when farmers leave crop residue on the field, only about 10% to 20% of the residue carbon is recycled into soil during the decomposition process, but by converting the same amount of residue to biochar and then applying it to the field, we can store about 50% of that carbon into stable carbon forms.”

As biochar-carbon placed in the soil can also last anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of years, it’s currently one of the proposed best management practices for achieving negative emissions and preventing Earth’s average temperature from increasing to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

According to the study, between 2011 and 2020, global greenhouse gas emissions rose: carbon dioxide by about 5.6%, methane by 4.2%, and nitrous oxide by 2.7% – and agriculture accounts for about 16% of these emissions.

While such levels have already led to irreversible changes to the global climate system, Shrestha said that future damages could be slowed by helping to curb the extent of emissions from the farming and forestry sectors.

Yet despite biochar’s potential as a negative emission technology and the recent increase in biochar-related research, it’s difficult to get farmers to apply it, partly because it hasn’t been commercialized for widespread use or promoted well, said Shrestha.

To better deliver more science-based, practical information about the technology and its benefits to farmers and agriculture-related businesses, many lawmakers have enacted policies meant to investigate its effectiveness across many different soil types and environmental conditions. It’s an objective that Shrestha shares, as the main goal of his team’s review paper is to improve farmers’ confidence in biochar so that more of them choose to adopt it sooner.

Women and girls continue to be killed, based on gender alone

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4 October 2023

“Women and girls continue to be killed on the basis of their sex and gender, rendered more vulnerable to femicide when being women and girls intersect with other grounds or identities,” said Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on the issue – whose brief includes examining the causes and consequences of attacks.

She stated that “they continue to be unable to organize freely, believe and speak and suffer the consequences.”

Ms. Alsalem’s remarks followed the presentation of her report to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“In some countries, we have witnessed concerning regressions in their ability to access education, to move freely and to access sexual and reproductive health.

“These regressions are happening while the world navigates multiple crises of war, climate change, poverty and pandemics that clearly have a gendered impact and affect women and girls unequally,” Ms. Alsalem added.

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Violence against women

We are at the halfway point in the race to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and “we have painfully realized that we are nowhere near achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (on gender equality and empowerment)” the expert said.

According to the World Health Organization, Around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner – a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

Intimate partner violence is the most common form suffered by women, with around 641 million affected globally.

The organization said younger women remain particularly at risk of such violence, with one in four women aged 15 to 24 suffering violence at the hands of an intimate partner by the time they reached their mid-twenties.

Gender-based discrimination

“Gender equality cannot be achieved without ensuring that women and girls can enjoy their fundamental human rights and can participate in society equally and without discrimination,” Ms. Alsalem noted.

She said today, 50 countries continue to have nationality laws that contain gender-discriminatory provisions and in 24 of those countries, women are denied the right to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with men.

Statelessness

The independent expert went on to say that sex and gender-based discrimination in nationality laws is one of the major causes of statelessness.

“Make no mistake: Statelessness and gender discriminatory nationality laws are tantamount to violence against women, as they constitute severe forms of discrimination against women and girls as defined by the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.”

“They result in a vicious circle of human rights failures and violations, directly and indirectly exacerbating psychological, sexual, and physical violence,” Ms. Alsalem concluded.

She called on States to “uphold the objective, spirit and meaning of fundamental human rights obligations”.

Special Rapporteurs and other UN experts are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organisation. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

SDG 5: EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS BY 2030

SDG 5

End all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls
Eliminate such harmful practices as early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation
Adapt and strengthen legislation to promote gender equality and empower women and girls
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic, and public life
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care

Globally, almost half of all married women currently lack decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

UN supports ‘monumental step’ for cancer sufferers in northwest Syria

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4 October 2023

UN supports ‘monumental step’ for cancer sufferers in northwest Syria

The first radiotherapy machine to treat cancer arrived in northwest Syria over the weekend, the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.

It marks a “monumental step” for cancer treatment in the region said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York.

Radiotherapy sessions have historically not been available in local health facilities, forcing Syrian cancer patients to become dependent on cross-border referrals to Türkiye, he added.

The announcement comes on the heels of multiple advocacy efforts led by the UN and its partners, with the support from the Government of Türkiye.

Syria has been in the grip of brutal civil war for more than 12 years, and the northwest is home to the final pockets of opposition and resistance to the Government in Damascus.

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Impact of earthquake

Previously, 90 to 100 Syrian cancer patients each week were crossing from Syria into Türkiye for treatment, via the referral system.

This system was severely disrupted following the devastating earthquakes in February, emphasising the need for local radiotherapy capabilities.

The machine – which can provide more than 40 radiotherapy sessions a day – is now set up in the largest hospital in Afrin.

The hospital is adjusting to meet the operational standards and safety requirements of a radiotherapy centre.

Once ready, the facility is expected to meet the needs of up to one-third of all cancer patients in northwest Syria.

Turkish support

Turkish health authorities have pledged their support for the effort, with Turkish technicians and oncologists operating the machine on-site and training Syrian health workers.

Since the devastating earthquakes struck, there has been an uptick in cancer cases reported in the region. Mr. Dujarric urged the international community to do more to support OCHA’s efforts.

Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, UN experts warn

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3 October 2023

Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, UN experts warn

The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said it was vital independent investigators continue to review the country’s dire human rights situation.”

“We are gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia and the potential for future atrocities,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the Commission.

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Risk factors remain

“Our report shows that the overwhelming majority of risk factors for future atrocity crimes are present in Ethiopia, including ongoing serious violations, widespread violence and instability, and deeply entrenched impunity.”

The warning follows another Commission report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council last month, which concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ethiopia since 3 November 2020.

That was the date that hostilities began between Government forces and forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, which spread to much of northern Ethiopia. A ceasefire was agreed in November 2022.

According to the commission, “the latest detailed findings are based on an assessment of the risk factors for atrocity crimes, which are the most serious crimes against humankind,” highlighting that “these crimes – including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – are identified in the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes.”

The Commission’s report found that all eight of the common risk factors are now present in Ethiopia.

“There is a very real and imminent risk that the situation will deteriorate further, and it is incumbent upon the international community to ensure that investigations persist so human rights violations can be addressed, and the worst tragedies averted,” said Steven Ratner, one of the independent experts.

Atrocities against civilians

Despite the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the Commission has determined that serious violations are continuing in the Tigray region.

It has confirmed the ongoing presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia, and continuing atrocities against civilians, in particular rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The Commission has also expressed alarm about the deteriorating situation in the Amhara region, including emerging reports of extrajudicial killings and mass arrests. Most, if not all, of the structural drivers of violence and conflict remain unaddressed.

Human rights violations

“One of the Human Rights Council’s most important roles is to help prevent human rights violations and respond to human rights emergencies,” said commission member Radhika Coomaraswamy. “The situation in Ethiopia clearly merits such attention and it is vital that this continues.”

Pineapple and our body

By

Julia Romero

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3 October 2023

When Christopher Columbus returned from one of his trips to America, back in the 16th century, he brought with him a fruit completely unknown in Europe and which was named pineapple because of its resemblance to the pine cone.

Its scientific name is Ananas Comosus, and in South American countries it is known as “ananas”, translated as “delicious fruit” in Portuguese.

In Spain, the cultivation of this fruit occurs entirely in the Canary Islands.

Originally from Brazil, currently, according to experts, the best pineapple in the world is produced in Costa Rica in the “plane pineapple” variety.

For those inexperienced in choosing a pineapple, it must be said that the ripening point is known when, gently pulling on the leaves, and if they come off, it means that it is perfect for consumption. We can also see the pointed green tip, known as the frond and there, depending on its darker color, it will be ripe.

Pineapple deteriorates at temperatures below 7ºC, so it is not advisable to leave it unopened in the refrigerator, since a cool, dry place is ideal to preserve it. Now, if it is peeled and cut, we should leave it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap and consume it as soon as possible.

We all know it and have eaten its refreshing pulp, or drank the juice obtained by squeezing it, even the most daring have perpetrated a dialectical struggle with it over tastes, specifically whether it is appropriate to use it or not as an ingredient in a pizza. But for tastes…

What not all of us know is the amount of benefits that its intake brings us. Thus, we must know that 86% of its weight is made up of water, which makes pineapple an important source of hydration and that its calories are minimal, tending to deceive its sweet flavor.

For every 100 grams, pineapple provides us with about 50 kcal, 13.12% carbohydrates, but be careful, these are slow absorption and are beneficial for the body; It has 18% ascorbic acid and 9.85% sugars, these being sucrose, glucose and fructose and which depend on the ripening time of the fruit. The more time in the tree, the more caloric intake. We will have verified this when eating a pineapple that is rather tender to the touch, its flavor is much sweeter, from which we can deduce that the proportion of sugar has increased in the fruit.

Pineapple has minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamin C. In addition, its consumption is excellent for people with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.

What we don’t usually use about this fruit is its rind. From this part of the pineapple you can obtain dietary fiber and phenols. It is good to know that pineapple peel, boiled and infused after meals or between meals, serves to reduce inflammation and also pain and combats constipation. This will not provide us with fiber, but its moisturizing action helps to soften stools.

Thanks to pineapple we can regulate our intestinal transit, due to its high fiber content compared to other fruits. It is also beneficial for improving the digestive system, avoiding intestinal problems such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. Of course, it should be taken fresh, since heat cancels the action of bromelain, which is a proteolytic enzyme present in the stem and fruit of pineapple and that helps us lose weight.

There are aspects of pineapple that are often unknown, such as the fact that it is anti-inflammatory and, therefore, very good for cases of tendinitis and rheumatic conditions with edema in the limbs.

It improves eye health, thanks to the beta-carotenes that this fruit has, and helps keep bones strong due to the calcium it provides and the regeneration of its cells.

It is recommended for the liver if consumed regularly and helps eliminate the water that we retain in the body’s tissues and that can cause pain in our legs and hands, gout or weight gain or cellulite.

If you are cold and have mucus, do not stop taking pineapple, as it helps eliminate it. It is also indicated for the good condition of blood vessels and thus helps us avoid blood circulation problems, increased blood pressure and the formation of clots or the risk of embolisms.

It protects our skin by helping the healing of skin ulcers and burns.

Finally, we will highlight that it interferes with the development of malignant cells and reduces the risk of metastasis of some types of cancer. Its help in chemotherapy treatments is being investigated, and it seems to have a positive effect by enhancing its effects.

It must also be taken into account that there are risks in consuming this food, especially for people who suffer from gastroduodenal ulcer and gastritis, due to its acid content and its ability to increase the production of gastric juices.

Originally published at LaDamadeElche.com

Looming hunger emergency for South Sudanese families fleeing war

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3 October 2023

Looming hunger emergency for South Sudanese families fleeing war

A hunger emergency is looming for scores of South Sudanese families fleeing the war in Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia has no water and is looking for a “green” way to get it

By

Gaston de Persigny

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3 October 2023

The full-fledged Saudi Arabia will have the heaviest smoke in the world of fossil fuels for many years to come. The company invests in technologies and expands its geopolitical influence through the internet and oceans. It is expected to take a little more than 15 years to fulfill its purpose.

There is only one problem. Big problem – no water.

For years, the full-fledged monopoly has been making the public drinkers sick, but they have a contract, and together with them – and the problems for the environment, writes “France Press” in its material, a response to alternative technologies that can save Saudi Arabia not just from thirst, but also from the ecological catastrophe.

Context: The site does not have a basement, but the rains on the ground and the renovation have always caused problems with the stickiness of the drinking water. Prince Mohammed al-Faysal is the inventor who first seriously considered the idea of supplying antartic ice, but then in 1970 he began to lose an unprecedented in terms of scale and infection type for the desalination of sea water.

Today, it produces 11.5 million cubic meters of water through 30 installations, through which households and agricultural producers are supplied at any time of the day and year. ata. The process, however, is not cheap. According to data from 2010, it required 1.5 million barrels per day – or 15% of today’s production. New data have not been presented to the public and the media.

The big challenge is the increasing population, which Prince Moxamed wants to be 100 million souls by 2040 to 32.2 million days. The capital city of Piedmont consumes 1.6 million cubic meters of water per day, and according to local estimates, by the end of this decade, this figure will increase to 6 million cubic meters.

Details: The rapid and large-scale hacking of immigration systems is a matter of “life and death” for Saudi Arabia, writes the historian Michael Christopher Low from the University of Uttah the one who researched the water supply problems of the city.

This is precisely what the West is doing, and it is possible that it will reach a conflict between water needs and ambitions for carbon neutrality in the world by 2060.

One of the ways to avoid this is the gradual replacement of the installations of fossil fuels with those that work on the principle of reverse osmosis. This is “Jazla” near the city of Jubail. It uses loop energy and is the first on the floor.

The goal is to save around 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Solar power will increase 6-fold by 2025 – from 120 megawatts per day to 770 megawatts.

This will again be expensive, experts admit, but at least there will be a smaller effect on the surrounding area. And Caydite Apabia is not isolated from climatic changes and they can easily turn into such a big problem for the national security, as well as the lack of water.

Photo by Aleksandr Slobodianyk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-water-drop-989959/

Karabakh: Humanitarians respond to growing health needs

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3 October 2023

Karabakh: Humanitarians respond to growing health needs

Concerns also remain for those unable to leave the Karabakh Region town of Khankendi – known as Stepanakert among Armenians – which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said was close to empty.

Its priority remains finding those too vulnerable to help themselves.

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Deserted city

“The city is now completely deserted. The hospitals, more than one, are not functioning,” said Marco Succi, ICRC Head of Rapid Deployment.

“The medical personnel have left. The water board authorities left. The director of the morgue…the stakeholders we were working with before, have also left. This scene is quite surreal.”

Mr. Succi confirmed that electricity and water were still available in the city and that the priority was to find those “extremely vulnerable cases, elderly, mentally disabled people, the people left without anybody”.

Helpless and alone

This included an elderly cancer patient, Susanna, who had been found in the last few days in a fourth-floor apartment building “alone and unable to get out of her bed.

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“Neighbours had left her food and water several days beforehand but their supplies were running out. While she waited for help, she had started to lose all hope. After ensuring she was stable, she was evacuated by ambulance into Armenia.”

Among the humanitarian relief destined for the city, the ICRC official reported that some 300 food parcels were expected to arrive on Tuesday from Goris, a key point of entry from the Karabakh Region, to provide essential commodities to those left behind.

“Many people left their houses and shops open for those who may be in need,” said Mr. Succi, reporting how an elderly lady had cleaned her fridge and house, “leaving the door open to ventilate the house, you know, for the newcomers”.

Massive influx

Echoing the urgency of the situation in neighbouring Armenia, the UN World Health Organization’s Dr. Marthe Everard, Special Representative of the WHO Regional Director to Armenia, said that the country’s health system needed to be strengthened to cope with the “massive” influx of refugees.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva via Zoom after returning from the town of Goris, Dr. Everard said that infectious diseases needed to be monitored and treated, while measles vaccination gaps should also be addressed.

Mental health and psychosocial support remained “critical”, she insisted.

Additional urgent needs among the new arrivals beside shelter included treatment for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the WHO official continued, noting the agency’s commitment to support the “extensive” efforts of the Armenian Government.

Integrating health workers

“This includes supporting the integration of more than 2,000 nurses and over 2,200 doctors into the Armenian health system,” Dr Everard said.

The WHO official also noted that the UN agency had scaled up emergency support to Armenia by providing supplies to help treat more than 200 adults and children who received terrible burns in the fuel depot explosion in Karabakh last week, which also claimed 170 lives.

A specialist burns team had also been deployed as part of WHO Emergency Medical Teams Initiative and arrived in Yerevan over the weekend, Dr. Erevard said. “We have issued a wider call for further specialist teams to complement this workforce and to support moving some of these most critical patients to specialized centres abroad.”

700 babies close to term

UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, is mobilizing health and protection services for tens of thousands of women and girls that have fled Karabakh.

Among the refugees, there are an estimated 2,070 women who are currently pregnant and nearly 700 are expected to give birth over the next three months.

In collaboration with Armenia’s health ministry, UNFPA said it would be delivering 20 reproductive health kits that will meet the needs of a population of up to 150,000, including equipment and supplies to help women deliver safely and to manage obstetric emergencies.

The agency has also distributed 13,000 dignity kits, which include sanitary pads, soap and shampoo.

https://e.infogram.com/fd285ffc-0edb-4696-a0a2-c0af209daa82?src=embed

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European Unity in Focus: EP President Metsola Receives Prestigious In Veritate Award

By

Juan Sanchez Gil

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3 October 2023