[ Primary education ]
Teaching Santal children
India is seen as an emerging major player in the global economy, but this progress has not yet reached the country’s tribal people. They comprise eight percent of the population. Many tribal children cannot cope with the dilemma of either sticking to their own culture or accepting schools’ middle-class values. This conflict results in high dropout rates, low educational aspirations and degraded self-esteem. A non-formal school project run by an NGO of tribal Santals in West Bengal proves that matters need not be that way.
[ By Boro Baski ]
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[ Comment ]
A call to collective action
We are running out of time. Unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced fast, global warming will severely harm everyone and everything. But instead of rising to the challenges, governments are thinking only in terms of give and take.
[ By Hermann E. Ott ]
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[ Renewable energy ]
Saharan sun to power Europe
Deserts have massive solar potential. According to Greenpeace, two per cent of the Sahara area could harness enough solar energy to supply the world with electrity. The vision of eco-friendly power from the desert dates back a long time. Finally, major corporations are showing interest in generating electricity for Europe in the Sahara. They are lead by Munic Re, an insurance giant. Ernst Rauch is in charge of dealing with climate issues at Munich Re. He explains the background of investment plans that amount to hundred billion euro figures.
[ Ernst Rauch ]
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[ Climate ]
Final sprint at snail's pace
In Bonn in June, no substantial progress was made in the preliminary talks for the Copenhagen Summit. The EU heads of state and government failed to make financial commitments. Environmental non-governmental organisations stepped up their campaign by presenting their own draft of a "Copenhagen Climate Agreement".
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