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The world’s favorite drink: The right time to change producing practices 0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 21/09/2016
No, it is not beer. It is coffee. The beverage that inspired Johan Sebastian Bach to write the Coffee Cantata is a distinct and important part of our lives and cultures. Being a major export commodity nowadays, coffee is a part of the extremely developed market with a very complex production chain. While big coffee players are striving to be “green”, with a strong hue of sustainability, it is questionable how green it is, especially when considering the way coffee is being produced.
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UN Summit: Time to name and shame 0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 19/09/2016
The outcome of the summit is predetermined and set to disappoint since it establishes no new obligation on member states.
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Let the next round for the lives of the bees begin 3
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 19/09/2016
Neonicotinoids are controversial pesticides that periodically steer political debate. Some call them bee-killing pesticides. Their defenders deny their impact on pollination and claim that without them we would be gambling with the food security. The fact is that the biodiversity of species involved in pollination and agriculture-related ecosystem services is disturbingly decreasing. And we need to stop that.
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Calling for a right to resettlement ahead of UN refugee summit 1
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 17/09/2016
During a meeting on how to manage refugees’ expectations, I was reprimanded by my superiors for adding to my introduction in resettlement interviews with refugees that there is no recognized right to resettlement. This is certainly not a shock to most people, but it was a shock to the people I interviewed. It certainly made them upset to hear it. My superiors said it was cruel. Working for a small aid organization, we turned down many in need refugees asking for financial, legal, and medical assistance, and yet none of that was deemed cruel.
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What use is gas if we have no water?4
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 15/09/2016
As shale gas shipments cross the Atlantic to Scottish shores, the contentious fracking debate may re-ignite calling the Scottish Government to lift its moratorium under the guise of economic and energy security. This should be seen only as a ruse when sustainable options exist that do not needlessly add to an increasing global water crisis.
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Saving lives or shirking responsibility? – Scrutinizing “Operation Sophia”1
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 14/09/2016
According to IOM, up to June 2016 more than 2500 migrants have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea in an attempt to flee hunger, persecution, and war. As an effort to fight the business model of migrant smugglers and save lives at sea, the EU has initiated EUNAVFOR Med, also known as Operation Sophia, in June 2015.
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