Sabatini discusses how globalization, democracy and the search for natural resources are contributing to the increase in indigenous political movements. He also explains who is being effected and how activism is impacting countries across the region.

A recent report found that China is the world’s leading renewable energy producer.

Daljit Dhaliwal speaks to Emma Duncan, deputy editor of the Economist, about the future of green growth around the globe.

Is the United States lagging too far behind other countries in developing renewable energy sources and businesses?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please remember to be respectful and on-point in your comments. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted and repeat offenders will be banned.

• Watch the signature video: Taxes curb Danish oil use, promote energy independence

Nina Hachigian with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. Photo: Flickr user CenterforAmericanProgress

I haven’t much posted recently because I just finished a report about China’s role in the international system.

China’s New Engagement in the International System looks at China’s engagement on four transnational threats that the Obama Administration has prioritized — global warming, the global economic crisis, nuclear proliferation and global pandemics like the swine flu.

The bottom line conclusions I reached were these: China’s transformation on the international stage has been profound, moving from a hostile, aggressive “rogue” state outside the international system to a full and active participant in global institutions.

China is deeply engaged in international institutions and initiatives. Chinese officials show up to all meetings, they are serious, and they often contribute to policy discussions in a constructive manner. This is no minor milestone.

Yet the quality of China’s engagement today on these four transnational issues leaves something to be desired from an American point of view. While China does play by the international rules to a large extent in these four areas, China does not reliably use its clout or leverage either to solve global problems or strengthen the system.

Rarely does it show proactive leadership on global problems, though the cases of North Korea’s nuclear program and pandemic flu are hopeful exceptions.

We launched the report this week at an event at the Center for American Progress with Deputy Secretary of State (and my former boss) Jim Steinberg. I asked him all questions about the framework for US-China relations and the upcoming trip. You can watch it here.

I’ll write more on this topic and the President’s upcoming trip to Asia in posts to come.

We were some of the first people on earth to see the sun set on Saturday night.  After about 36 hours of travel from the Maldives, we landed on a dot of earth that is the Kingdom of Tonga, greeted by a brilliant Pacific sunset.

Tonga is in the second-most-eastern time zone – the second to start, and end, each calendar day.  But Tongans don’t seem too aware of its significance, and have a relaxed attitude towards the concept of time in general.   “Time doesn’t play a major role here,” said one of our guides.

“Island time” is a bit of a cliché, but it’s true that the Tongan pace is mellow.  I didn’t see a single stop light in this country – just a few roundabouts at the “busier” intersections, and a crossing gate in Lifuka, where the main road intersects the airport runway.  The prevailing speed limit is about 25 miles an hour and sometimes there are more pigs roaming free in the street than there are cars.

Ha’apai, Tonga. Photo: Megan Thompson

Political change has been slow to arrive here, too.  Tonga is one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world — though not for much longer.  The recently-crowned King George Tupou V has promised to start handing power over to the people next year, transitioning the government from one dominated by nobles and political appointees to one run by the prime minister.

But adopting a more modern form of government surely won’t mean that Tonga will lose the many rich traditions that thrive here.  Most Tongans still wear the traditional waist mats – the ta’ovala for men, and the kiekie for women.  It’s a sign of respect – like a neck tie, as it was explained to us – and is required in most schools, government buildings and church.  The Tongan currency is called the pa’anga, but large, hand-made tapestries called tapa are sometimes still used as a form of currency and wealth.

Tapa, made from pounded tree bark, is used sometimes as a form of wealth and currency. Photo: Megan Thompson

That’s not to say that Tongans need - or have - much money.  This continues to be, by and large, a culture of subsistence living, highly dependent on the abundant nature here.  Food is gathered daily from the sea and lush land, and the strong family unit supplies other basic needs.  The material items and frivolities that most Westerners spend their disposable income on just don’t exist.  On the island of Lifuka, I asked our guide what he did in his spare time.

“I go and cut crops on my land,” he replied.

But how about for fun?

“I take a walk.”

Tongans are intimately connected to nature, and most we spoke to have noticed that the weather seems less predictable and the sea level seems to be rising.  But many weren’t familiar with the concept of climate change.

That will probably change soon as well.  For just like the sunrise and sunset, climate change will arrive first in Tonga and other small island states.  And unlike the leisurely rhythms by which most business is done here, this issue must be tackled with urgency and haste.

The government recently formed the new Ministry for Environment and Climate Change and has started a campaign to spread awareness.  They are also gearing up to attend the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December.  There, they will join other small island nations to demand that the international community pick up the pace to save this Pacific island paradise and its people before it’s too late.

Daljit Dhaliwal talks about the fate of the world’s whales with Michael Novacek, the provost of science at the American Museum of Natural History.

Novacek discusses the effects regulation has had on the whale population. He also speaks about the impact that the marine sanctuary may have on indigenous Indonesian populations.

But now the United Nations Development Program’s Bureau for Development Policy is recruiting religious groups to encourage people around the world to go green.

Daljit Dhaliwal speaks with Olav Kjorven, director of the UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy, about why the organization is turning to world religions in the fight against climate change.

The Maldives is made up of over 1,000 tiny islands, all of which sit only several feet above sea level. Photo: Megan Thompson

Megan Thompson, a Worldfocus producer, is traveling around the world to report on climate change’s effects on small islands. Read her post about Grenada and Antigua here.

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives has made a lot of international headlines lately. While on a global crusade to call the world’s attention to the effects of climate change on his low-lying island nation of 103,000 people, Nasheed has delivered impassioned speeches at the UN and held a cabinet meeting back at home – underwater.

But what many people may not know is that behind President Nasheed’s emotional pleas and publicity stunts is an incredible story of his rise to power here.

Almost exactly one year ago, the Maldives held its first democratic election. For 30 years, the country was ruled by the autocratic regime of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoon, who repressed the opposition by banning political parties and jailing anyone who challenged him.

President Nasheed was one of those challengers. A journalist and human rights activist, he was imprisoned repeatedly, and allegedly tortured, for his constant criticism of the government. But then in 2005, the People’s Majlis (the Maldivian Parliament) voted to allow opposition parties. And after years of agitation, detention and exile, Nasheed and vice presidential candidate Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan, himself in exile for 16 years, ran and won in 2008 - finally bringing democracy to the Maldives.

“Male” — The Maldivian capital of Malé sits about six feet above sea level.

It’s truly one of the newest democracies in the world, and you get the sense that people here are still getting used to it, or don’t quite believe it’s actually happened at all. Most Maldivians we approached were hesitant to talk politics. But some expressed great support for the new government and its work on human rights, good governance and climate change. The locals we spoke to on Guraidhoo Island – a tiny island 40 minutes by speedboat but a world away from the capital of Malé – were more skeptical. Many still support the former president and told us they weren’t convinced that anything had really changed.

That’s not what some on the outside think. Just last week came the news that the Maldives jumped an incredible 53 places to number 51 in the Reporters Without Borders’ Worldwide Press Freedom Index. So today’s pesky Maldivian reporters – as President Nasheed once was – should now be able to write without the threat of being tossed in prison.

While in Malé, we were lucky to meet with Vice President Hassan. Conversation about climate change strayed briefly to his nation’s new democracy. Dr. Hassan’s joy was palpable as he spoke about his transformed nation and he pointed out that before the transition, he wouldn’t have been able to sit down with a group of journalists like us without getting into big trouble. He said that the greatest thing that has come from the change is the “freedom from fear.”

Dr. Hassan and President Nasheed have made climate change a central priority, and will convene an international summit next month in the Maldives to discuss the issue in the run-up to the important Copenhagen talks in December. Their predecessor, President Gayoom, does deserve credit for sounding the warning bell many years ago on the issue. But there’s a big difference now. When President Nasheed talks, the world knows they are listening not just to his voice, but to the voices, and the will, of the Maldivian people who elected him.

- Megan Thompson

Megan in her sauna tracksuit.

Megan Thompson is a producer and editor at Worldfocus. She blogs about how she films such stunning shots for her signature stories - and about unexpected rainfall in Morocco while shooting An unusual weapon in the war against extremism.

Who knew it rained in Morocco?

We certainly didn’t, and woke up to a downpour on our one and only full day of shooting in the storied Moroccan city of Fez. Between the four of us, there was just one tiny raincoat – the one I’d brought for the camera.

We were in Fez to cover a festival of Sufi culture, and needed to capture the surrealistic beauty of the city itself. Looking out the window at the sheets of water, it was hard to imagine how. But imperfect circumstances are the norm rather than the exception in this line of work, so we just had to figure out how to make it happen. And first, we needed to find me something to wear.

We ran to a Moroccan version of Walmart, where they apparently didn’t appreciate the abnormal weather either, as there was no rain gear to be found in its vast aisles. But then we spotted something that could fit the bill. A metallic silver, two-piece, plastic “sauna suit” used for sweating off the pounds in the sauna. If it keeps water in, it could keep it out, so we bought it and headed for the door.

It’s pretty rare in foreign countries to see women operating television cameras. It’s even more rare in Morocco to see a blond camerawoman running through the streets in a shiny, billowy outfit meant for weight loss.

The valley outside the Moroccan city of Fes.

But we ignored the stares and went to work, capturing the sights and sounds that fill Fez’s ancient walls – donkeys piled with leather goods, men selling sweet mint tea, children filling water jugs from the tiled fountains, carts of fresh oranges and mosque after beautiful mosque. And then came our reward:  the sun appeared and delivered a brilliant afternoon.

Since that trip, I’ve never left home without rain gear. And I’ll admit it: I wore the sauna suit back in New York City during a rainy bike ride.  Turns out, it’s actually great at keeping the rain off, and breaks the wind too.  Who knew?!

- Megan Thompson

A Mexico city statue during the early days of swine flu. Photo: Flickr user olivcris

With concerns rising in the U.S. and abroad about the H1N1 virus, we want to hear your thoughts.

Do you think the U.S. government is doing enough to protect American citizens from H1N1?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please remember to be respectful and on-point in your comments. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted and repeat offenders will be banned.

The coast of Antigua. Photo: Flickr user rgtmum

Megan Thompson is traveling around the world for a series on climate change and small islands. She filed this report from Antigua and Grenada.

On Thursday night, during dinner at the family home of our Antiguan guide, conversation turned to the powerful currents that pull the Atlantic waters westward from Europe and Africa to the eastern Caribbean.

I asked – half-joking – if they’d ever found a message in a bottle.  Without hesitation they replied, “Of course!”  They pointed to a large ceramic pot filled with notes and letters they’d found along the beach, from hopeful, faraway souls – most begging for a reply, some acknowledgment that their message was received.

But along with the bottled notes comes a lot of other foul stuff – trash from Africa and Europe. Neon signs, hard-hats – you name it, it winds up on the Antiguan beach.  Other people’s careless actions, wreaking havoc on a distant environment, cause a mess on a Caribbean beach that Antiguans are left to clean up.

The feeling on climate change is much the same:  we didn’t cause this problem, but we now must deal with the consequences.

During our two days in Antigua and Grenada, we saw and heard a lot about how the environment is changing.  Coastal erosion is a huge problem – whole beaches have disappeared and what’s left is often held up with rocks and retaining walls. Barrier reefs are dying, leaving the weak coast even more vulnerable.  Locals also say the weather is changing.  It’s unpredictable, and when it comes – as Hurricane Ivan did in 2004 to Grenada, which rarely sees hurricanes – it causes indescribable destruction.  Tourism dominates the economies of both countries.  But bad weather and no beaches mean no tourists, and that spells trouble.

Both countries admit that they’ve caused a lot of damage themselves.  Sand mining in Grenada and intense development in Antigua have done their fair share to beat up the beach.  Many scientists we spoke to said these factors — along with El Nino — make it that much harder to pinpoint the effects of climate change.   But whatever the cause, these governments feel they need to start cleaning up their acts, and urge the rest of the world to do the same.

Small island nations all around the world have banded together to make some waves before the Copenhagen climate talks in December.  Their slogan is “1.5 to Stay Alive – a catchy phrase, but a dead-serious message.  They say if the world’s temperature increases more than another 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the seas may rise so high that many of their nations could literally disappear underwater.

During interviews, government officials were polite and optimistic about their campaign.  But off-camera, many admitted that achieving the goals of the “1.5″ campaign would require emissions cuts too drastic for many other world players to accept.  They seethed especially at the United States, which they see as too beholden to its domestic politics to negotiate seriously.

But their message is desperate, and these countries don’t want to be ignored.  They say it’s a matter of survival.  They have packaged their campaign with press conferences, slick videos, publicity stunts, and this trip for international journalists.  In December, they will travel across the oceans to the Copenhagen summit,  hoping their message will be heard and acknowledged, and not lost like a floating bottle, swallowed by the ever-warming seas.

- Megan Thompson

Megan Thompson is traveling around the world for a series on climate change and small island nations. She filed this report about the ill effects of climate change in Antigua and Grenada. http://worldfocus.org/files/2009/10/th_antigua_beach.jpg ]]> http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/10/19/message-in-a-bottle-reporting-from-antigua-and-grenada/7847/feed/ http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/10/16/maldives-underwater-meeting-to-address-climate-change/7809/ http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/10/16/maldives-underwater-meeting-to-address-climate-change/7809/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:02:48 +0000 Worldfocus http://worldfocus.org/?p=7809 Small island nations have much at stake at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

The Maldives, along with other islands such as Seychelles and Tuvalu, is organizing a series of activities and events to pressure the international community to take action. On Saturday it will hold an underwater cabinet meeting designed to highlight the danger Maldives faces from rising waters and rising temperatures.

Global Voices Online posted a roundup of blogs from Maldives explaining what the small island nation is doing to publicize the urgency of the issue.

One of the first major events, run by Avaaz.org, was a Global Climate Wake-Up Call on Septemer 21 in Malé, the capital of Maldives.

The International Day of Climate Action, coordinated by 350.org, will be on October 24. Among the events of that day: 350 grounded motor vehicles and a 350 kilowatt reduction in energy consumption in Malé.

“350″ signifies the safe upper limit (in parts per million) for carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. The current level is 389 ppm. Vroomfondel explains the movement’s goals:

By having actions all around the world that day, 350.org plans to send a clear message to the world leaders (who will be meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions) that ‘the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.’

In addition, the Maldives Photographers Association together with the Maldives Science Society is planning to send 350 unique postcards to 350 world leaders and personalities who will be attending the Copenhagen conference (COP15).

350Postcards distributed a compelling YouTube promotional video for the photo campaign:

Zim, a blogger and diving instructor, describes the underwater rally and subsequent underwater cabinet meeting:

One of the key events on the international day of action is the 24 hour Underwater Rally organized by the Divers Association of Maldives (DAM). 350 divers, diving in teams are going to spend 24 hours underwater. The message DAM is giving is that Maldives is sinking and it’s more than just a country being lost to the sea. A unique heritage is gone. An irreplaceable ecosystem is being destroyed…

The President of Maldives along with all the cabinet ministers are going to meet underwater while using scuba. Using hand signals and slates they are going to endorse and sign a message from the people of Maldives to the world leaders meeting at Copenhagen this December for the Conference of Parties (COP 15)…

We are on the edge. With just a couple of steps forward Maldives along with a number of other vulnerable countries will be lost beneath the waves. We ask everybody not to sign our suicide pact.

Climate change NGO Bluepeace explains in a blog why the world should pay attention to “Vulnerable,” a photo exhibition in Maldives:

As one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, Maldives is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The proliferation of images in today’s internet age is such that Maldives is known the world over as a stunning holiday destination. While Maldives has been the subject of many documentaries and news articles regarding climate change, to date no documentary has been produced by Maldivians for an international audience. This is a chance for Maldives to show vulnerability to the world as seen through our eyes.

Lastly, a Maldivian blogger Fenfulhangi asks some key questions about the December conference:

Will the new [Maldividan] President Mohammed Nasheed attend the [Copenhagen] summit with the talks of lack of funding in the government budget?

As one of the major contributors to Climate Change and its adverse effects, will the USA sign onto the new document that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol that USA previously refused to sign onto?

Will there be same or harsher penalties for developing countries that emit large amounts of CO2 or will it be the richer countries who pay?

Worldfocus producer Megan Thompson is traveling the globe to report on the effects of climate change on small island nations.

Megan will take 16 flights and log 35,000 miles on the trip, which is a collaboration between United Nations Environment Program and the Alliance of Small Island States.  She is posting blogs and photos along the way. Read Megan’s post from Grenada and Antigua here.

Worldfocus, the Arabic language station Al Arabiya, the Chinese news service Xinhua, and a reporter from the Italian newspaper Quotidiano Nazionale all have representatives on the trip. They will go to five countries - Antigua, Grenada, Maldives, Seychelles and Tonga - to see for themselves what’s going on and what these countries are doing about climate change.

As environmental leaders around the world gear up for the Copenhagen talks in December, AOSIS says their member nations - some only a few meters above sea level - will be the first to go if sea levels rise as high as they are predicted to. Many are already seeing the effects of erosion, erratic tides, unpredictable weather, soil contamination and other phenomena, which they say are caused by global warming. If the sea continues to rise, many of these islands may become completely uninhabitable.

Here, CCTV reports on Vladimir Putin’s first visit to China since he became prime minister in May 2008. Putin and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao signed $3.5 billion in natural gas and other trade agreements.

In conjunction with Magnum In Motion photographer Susan Meiselas, the human rights group produced a video/slideshow about a 25-year-old North Indian woman who died during childbirth.

Worldfocus spoke with Aruna Kashyap, the lead researcher of the in-depth study, “No Tally of the Anguish.”

Is the rate of maternal mortality still exceptionally high in India?

Kashyap: Yes. India is an emerging economic superpower known for its medical prowess. There are also large portions of money allocated for healthcare programs - including maternal healthcare programs - that go unspent annually. This context is very important when analyzing data on maternal mortality. If we look at the “BRIC” countries – India’s maternal mortality level is 16 times that of Russia, 10 times that of China, and 4 times that of Brazil. Also, about 1 in 70 girls who reach reproductive age in India will eventually die because of a pregnancy-related cause, compared to 1 in 7,300 in the developed world.

The latest all-India estimates show that there has been a small decline in maternal mortality since 1997. But maternal mortality measures are mere estimates. They are also presented as averages, and averages do not tell the actual story. For example, while all-India figures show a decline, Haryana and Punjab show an increase in maternal mortality. Critically, these estimates camouflage the huge disparities in access to healthcare, including maternal healthcare, between the rich and the poor. The question is whether the little progress that health authorities are making in reducing maternal mortality is percolating down to the marginalized and the poor. Many populations in India endure poor maternal health because of many levers of inequality, including those based on caste, residence, education and awareness, age, and number of children. For example, a 2007 UNICEF study showed that 60 percent of the maternal deaths documented in six northern Indian states occurred in Dalit and tribal communities.

Moreover, for every maternal death, around 20-30 women are left with injuries, diseases or infections after childbirth or unsafe abortions, many lasting a lifetime. A woman may survive childbirth but suffer obstetric fistula and ensure life-long humiliation and even abandonment if not treated. There is very little data on this, but health experts believe that maternal morbidity levels are also very high in India, which is a cause for concern.

What are the most successful government policies in reducing maternal mortality?

Kashyap: Globally, about 80 percent of all maternal deaths are said to be caused by direct obstetric causes—hemorrhage, obstructed labor, eclampsia, and unsafe abortions. Many years of research and evaluations of different health interventions have led public health experts to conclude that there are four key maternal mortality reducing strategies that address these direct obstetric causes–access to emergency obstetric care, good referral systems, skilled birth attendance, and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. Health authorities should also strengthen women’s access to safe abortions. The indirect causes of maternal mortality and morbidity are malaria, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV. There have to be interventions to ensure that these indirect causes are also addressed.

In India, about 65 percent of all maternal deaths are caused by direct obstetric causes and 35 percent are caused by indirect causes. So for maximum impact, healthcare interventions have to address both.

To what extent do you blame village-level government officials for not doing enough?

Kashyap: It depends on what aspect we are looking at. For example, if we look at civil registration, there are village level officers who are supposed to register deaths which they are not doing. Where this is because the state has not appointed such officers the state is to blame, but otherwise, a part of the blame also lies with the village level authorities.

In the case of delivery of maternal healthcare services, at the village level, female health workers implement the maternal healthcare programs. Most of them have very little say in how programs are designed and implemented because the healthcare system is top-heavy. These workers should also be equipped with essential drugs, blood pressure measuring machines, weighing machines, gloves, and so on that they can use to check the health of pregnant women and conduct deliveries. If they are not equipped, then there is very little they can do. For example, we interacted with health workers who are charged with providing antenatal care but had not been given a blood pressure gadget for several years even though they had put in repeated requests to get such gadgets.

The decisions are made at the national, state, and district levels. So unless decision-makers at these different levels do not change policies and programs, health workers at the field level cannot be blamed. Be it caste-based discrimination or corruption at any level, the power to monitor and undertake corrective action largely lies with district and state health authorities.

There have been attempts to change this. The Indian government has tried to decentralize decision making under its flagship rural healthcare program, the National Rural Health Mission, 2005. Under this, the Indian government has provided for “untied funds” that can be managed by health workers along with local elected village council heads. But this has not been very effective for several reasons. Poor awareness regarding these provisions, a lack of initiative by elected village council heads, corruption, are some of the reasons. The Indian government has also created Patient Welfare Committees (Rogi Kalyan Samiti) to decentralize decision-making and management of the hospital. These committees also have grievance and redress powers. But once again, these are yet to be effectively utilized.

What is your outlook for realistic improvements in maternal mortality over the next two decades?

Kashyap: There has been little progress in the last decade not only in India but in many other countries. But since 2005, at least on paper, the Indian government guarantees a host of maternal healthcare services free of cost. In order to ensure that these are effectively implemented, the Indian government should monitor the implementation of these programs. This can be done in several ways: recording and investigating all maternal deaths to identify and rectify health system failures; monitoring whether women with pregnancy-related complications are actually getting access to maternal healthcare; setting up a grievance and redress protocol including emergency response systems like a telephone hotline that can be used by pregnant women in distress; paying attention to strengthening the public health system, including training health workers in midwifery.

If all of this is done, then perhaps India will be able to show more results not only in averages but also for the poor and the marginalized.

How has your experience with maternal mortality issues affected you personally?

Kashyap: I feel outraged by the injustice of these preventable deaths. There are some women’s faces and stories that come back to me often. For example, the mother-in-law who cried while describing how her pregnant daughter-in-law died in a community health center because she could not afford to take her a better health facility. She had just one lingering plea that it should not happen to anyone else. Then another woman who asked me why she would take 1400 rupees (the cash assistance given to rural women to deliver in health facilities) and go to a health facility to kill herself –- referring to the fact that many women are often turned away from such facilities without medical assistance because they are ill-equipped to handle pregnancy complications. I hope the government will read some of these stories and make their health system more accountable to these women.

- Ben Piven

In an interview with Daljit Dhaliwal, ITV’s correspondent Bill Neely describes the horrors that he observed in the aftermath of the quake, which killed more than 80,000 people.

International organizations have begun to call attention to the plight of these young workers, many of whom are the children of Afghan refugees who cannot legally work in Pakistan.

In conjunction with Concern Worldwide, Worldfocus’ Yuval Lion produced this signature video.

(View full post to see video)

The Korean green plan emerges as environmental delegations from around the globe hold meetings to discuss a new climate agreement to be ratified by the end of the year in Copenhagen — replacing the Kyoto Protocol due to expire in 2012.

Steve Chao of Al Jazeera English reports from South Korea.

Watch: South Korea turns green with tidal power plant

Michael Novacek, the provost of science at the American Museum of Natural History, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to weigh the downsides and benefits of tidal power.