Tag Archives: united-states
World not ready to deal with aging populations
World not ready to deal with aging populations (AP) / 4 October 2013 The world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study by the United Nations and an elder rights group. The report ranks the social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years: Nations are simply not working quickly enough to cope with a population graying faster than ever before. By the year 2050, for the first time in history, seniors over the age of 60 will outnumber children under the age of 15. Truong Tien Thao, who runs a small tea shop on the sidewalk near his home in Hanoi, Vietnam, is 65 and acutely aware that he, like millions of others, is plunging into old age without a safety net. He wishes he could retire, but he and his 61-year-old wife depend on the $50 a month they earn from the tea shop. And so every day, Thao rises early to open the stall at 6am and works until 2pm, when his wife takes over until closing. An elderly man listens to a speaker at a political rally in New Delhi, India. — AP “People at my age should have a rest, but I still have to work to make our ends meet,” he says, while waiting for customers at the shop, which sells green tea, cigarettes and chewing gum. “My wife and I have no pension, no health insurance. I’m scared of thinking of being sick — I don’t know how I can pay for the medical care.” Thao’s story reflects a key point in the report, which was released early to The Associated Press: Aging is an issue across the world. Perhaps surprisingly, the report shows that the fastest aging countries are developing ones, such as Jordan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Vietnam, where the number of older people will more than triple by 2050. All ranked in the bottom half of the index. The Global AgeWatch Index (www.globalagewatch.org) was created by elder advocacy group HelpAge International and the UN Population Fund in part to address a lack of international data on the extent and impact of global aging. The index, released on the UN’s International Day of Older Persons, compiles data from the UN, World Health Organisation, World Bank and other global agencies, and analyzes income, health, education, employment and age-friendly environment in each country. The index was welcomed by elder rights advocates, who have long complained that a lack of data has thwarted their attempts to raise the issue on government agendas. “Unless you measure something, it doesn’t really exist in the minds of decision-makers,” said John Beard, Director of Ageing and Life Course for the World Health Organization. “One of the challenges for population aging is that we don’t even collect the data, let alone start to analyse it. … For example, we’ve been talking about how people are living longer, but I can’t tell you people are living longer and sicker, or longer in good health.” The report fits into an increasingly complex picture of aging and what it means to the world. On the one hand, the fact that people are living longer is a testament to advances in health care and nutrition, and advocates emphasise that the elderly should be seen not as a burden but as a resource. On the other, many countries still lack a basic social protection floor that provides income, health care and housing for their senior citizens. Elderly people take shelter from the rain at a subway station in Taipei, Taiwan. — AP Afghanistan, for example, offers no pension to those not in the government. Life expectancy is 59 years for men and 61 for women, compared to a global average of 68 for men and 72 for women, according to UN data. That leaves Abdul Wasay struggling to survive. At 75, the former cook and blacksmith spends most of his day trying to sell toothbrushes and toothpaste on a busy street corner in Kabul’s main market. The job nets him just $6 a day — barely enough to support his wife. He can only afford to buy meat twice a month; the family relies mainly on potatoes and curried vegetables. “It’s difficult because my knees are weak and I can’t really stand for a long time,” he says. “But what can I do? It’s even harder in winter, but I can’t afford treatment.” Although government hospitals are free, Wasay complains that they provide little treatment and hardly any medicine. He wants to stop working in three years, but is not sure his children can support him. He says many older people cannot find work because they are not strong enough to do day labor, and some resort to begging. “You have to keep working no matter how old you are — no one is rich enough to stop,” he says. “Life is very difficult.” Many governments have resisted tackling the issue partly because it is viewed as hugely complicated, negative and costly — which is not necessarily true, says Silvia Stefanoni, chief executive of HelpAge International. Japan and Germany, she says, have among the highest proportions of elders in the world, but also boast steady economies. “There’s no evidence that an aging population is a population that is economically damaged,” she says. Prosperity in itself does not guarantee protection for the old. The world’s rising economic powers — the so-called BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — rank lower in the index than some poorer countries such as Uruguay and Panama. However, the report found, wealthy nations are in general better prepared for aging than poorer ones. Sweden, where the pension system is now 100 years old, makes the top of the list because of its social support, education and health coverage, followed by Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. The United States comes in eighth. Sweden’s health system earns praise from Marianne Blomberg, an 80-year-old Stockholm resident. “The health care system, for me, has worked extraordinarily well,” she says. “I suffer from atrial fibrillation and from the minute I call emergency until I am discharged, it is absolutely amazing. I can’t complain about anything — even the food is good.” Still, even in an elder-friendly country like Sweden, aging is not without its challenges. The Swedish government has suggested people continue working beyond 65, a prospect Blomberg cautiously welcomes but warns should not be a requirement. Continue reading
UN resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed
UN resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed (AFP) / 28 September 2013 The UN Security Council unanimously passed a landmark resolution on Friday ordering the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and condemning a murderous poison gas attack in Damascus. The major powers overcame a prolonged deadlock to approve the first council resolution on the conflict, which is now 30 months old with more than 100,000 dead. UN leader Ban Ki-moon, a critic of the council’s paralysis, called the resolution “the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time.” Ban also said he hopes to convene a peace conference in mid-November. Resolution 2118, the result of bruising negotiations between the United States and Russia, gives international binding force to a plan drawn up by the two to eliminate President Bashar Al Assad’s chemical arms. There are no immediate sanctions over a chemical weapons attack confirmed by the UN. But it allows for a new vote on possible measures if the Russia-US plan is breached. Divisions over the war remained clear, however, in comments by their foreign ministers after the vote. “Should the regime fail to act, there will be consequences,” US Secretary of State John Kerry warned the 15-member council after the vote sealing a US-Russian agreement. But Kerry hailed the resolution. “The Security Council has shown that when we put aside politics for the common good, we are still capable of doing big things,” he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that there were no automatic punitive measures and that the resolution applied equally to the Syrian opposition. He said the council would take “actions which are commensurate with the violations, which will have to proven 100 percent.” Russia, Assad’s main ally, has rejected any suggestion of sanctions or military force against Assad. It has already used its veto power as a permanent Security Council member to block three Western-drafted resolutions on Syria. The resolution “condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law.” The United States says the attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta left more than 1,400 dead. It blamed Assad’s government for the sarin gas assault and threatened a military strike over the attack. The government has denied responsibility. Should Syria not comply with the resolution, the Security Council members agreed to “impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” The charter can authorize the use of sanctions or military force. But diplomats said Russia would fiercely oppose any force against its ally. All sides agreed that new action will require a new vote. Russia also rebuffed calls by European powers Britain and France for the Ghouta attack to be referred to the International Criminal Court. The resolution expressed “strong conviction” that those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria “should be held accountable.” It formally endorsed a decision taken hours earlier in The Hague by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to accept the Russia-US disarmament plan. The plan called for Syria’s estimated 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons to be put under international control by mid-2014. Experts say the timetable is very tight. International experts are expected to start work in Syria next week. Britain and China announced that they will offer finance to the disarmament operation. Ban said the resolution “will ensure that the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program happens as soon as possible and with the utmost transparency and accountability.” Ban also told the Security Council he wanted to hold a new Syria peace conference in November. “We are aiming for a conference in mid-November,” Ban said, adding that foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States had agreed to make sure the two sides in the conflict negotiate in “good faith.” A first peace conference was held in June 2012 but there has been no follow up because of divisions in the Syrian opposition and the international community. Ban will start contacts with his Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi next week on setting the firm date and who will attend the new meeting, diplomats said. The Security Council resolution gave backing to the 2012 conference declaration, which stated that there should be a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers. It also determined that the new peace conference would be to decide how to implement the accord. A car bomb north of Damascus that killed at least 30 people earlier in the day and 11 more deaths in a government air raid highlighted the continued slaughter in Syria’s long-running civil war. “We must never forget that the catalog of horrors in Syria continues with bombs and tanks, grenades and guns,” said Ban. “A red light for one for one form of weapons does not mean a green light for others.” Highlights of UN resolution on Syria chemical weapons Key extracts from the UN Security Council resolution passed on Friday condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and calling for their destruction: Sanctions “Decides, in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic, to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” Accountability “Expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be held accountable.” Syrian chemical arms “Condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law. “Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors. “Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic of the decision of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons’ executive council of September 27, 2013 and this resolution, and requests the Director-General of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the Secretary-General, who shall include relevant information on United Nations activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within 30 days and every month thereafter.” Political transition “Endorses fully the Geneva Communique of June 30, 2012, which sets out a number of key steps beginning with the establishment of a transitional governing body exercising full executive powers, which could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent; “Calls for the convening, as soon as possible, of an international conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communique, and calls upon all Syrian parties to engage seriously and constructively at the Geneva Conference on Syria, and underscores that they should be fully representative of the Syrian people and committed to the implementation of the Geneva Communique and to the achievement of stability and reconciliation.” International law “Deeply outraged by the use of chemical weapons on August 21, 2013 in Rif Damascus, as concluded in the (UN) mission’s report, condemning the killing of civilians that resulted from it, affirming that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law, and stressing that those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable. “Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic of the decision of the Organisation for the Prohibition Chemical Weapons executive council of September 27, 2013 and this resolution, and requests the director general of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the secretary general, who shall include relevant information on United Nations activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within 30 days and every month thereafter and requests further the director general of the OPCW and the secretary general to report in a coordinated manner, as needed, to the Security Council, non-compliance with this resolution or the OPCW executive council decision.” Continue reading
Concord Energy, Cool Planet To Bring Biofuel To Asian Pacific Market
Published on Wednesday, 25 September 2013 Singapore’s Concord Energy has signed an agreement with biorefinery developer Cool Planet Energy Systems to establish a joint venture in the Asia Pacific Region for the development of biofuel facilities. Concord Energy is a leading crude oil and refined petroleum product trading company. They have made a financial investment in Cool Planet, which develops and deploys small-scale biorefineries that can convert non-food biomass into high-octane, drop-in biofuels and biochar. “We believe that Cool Planet has developed a unique technology that will revolutionize the production of biofuels and we are delighted that Cool Planet has chosen Concord Energy as its partner,” said John Stuart, chief executive officer of Concord’s Asset Group. Concords extensive operational and development experience in the Asia Pacific is considered key to the J.V.’s plans to establish a presence in the biofuels production market in the region. “We chose Concord Energy because we know they have the strong desire and the technological capability to deploy quickly the Cool Planet technology in East Asia and in Oceania,” said Vital Aelion, Cool Planet’s head of international business development. Commercial facilities for biomass to biofuel Just last week (September 17), Cool Planet also announced another business breakthrough, the second close of“D round” equity raise that garnered them $19.4 million in investments. The round added investors from Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico to a marquee existing investor base, including North Bridge Venture Partners, Shea Ventures, BP, Google Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy), and the Constellation division of Exelon. The new investors are committing to help bring Cool Planet’s drop-in fuel technology to countries around the world, and Cool Planet is actively developing partnerships to commercialize its technology internationally. Cool Planet now has over $60 million in investments to see the deployment of their technology. A portion of the equity raise will be used to finalize the engineering design of Cool Planet’s first commercial biorefinery in Louisiana in the United States (see related story ). URS Corporation will be the front-end engineering and design contractor for this facility which will begin operations before the end of 2014. The plant will produce 10 million gallons of biofuel a year. – EcoSeed Staff Continue reading
