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CITES-sanctioned ivory auctions underway in Southern Africa
A controversial auction of some 108 tonnes of legal ivory to China and Japan is currently underway in southern Africa. The long-delayed sales of stockpiled ivory in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are being conducted over two weeks under close supervision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and…
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EU tackles illegal logging, but evironmentalists want more
The EU’s Environment Commissioner has announced two new initiatives to combat illegal logging and deforestation, but environmental groups quickly slammed the measures for not going far enough to address the problems. Nearly one fifth of the timber that enters the European market comes from illegal sources, according to the European Commission (EC). Hotspots of the illicit…
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WIPO Committee on traditional knowledge fails to agree on course of future work
Despite intense negotiations that carried on late into the evening of 17 October, the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) failed to agree on modalities for future work. Initially, countries seemed willing to work out an intersessional mechanism to facilitate progress on a range of issues on…
- In Brief
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Global trade contributes to natural resource overdraft, pollution: reports
Two new reports by environmental groups highlight the burden human consumption is putting on global natural resources and the pollution legacy left behind. Both reports stress that industrialised countries with high consumption levels directly draw on resources and pollute the environment in developing countries through their imports. Environmental organisations the World Wide Fund for Nature…
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Two men convicted in Abidjan toxic dumping scandal
Two men have been convicted in connection to a devastating 2006 toxic waste dumping incident in Côte d’Ivoire that left 16 people dead and thousands sick. But the sentencing has been met with criticism by defence lawyers and many locals who contend that justice is yet to be served. The official government investigation named Salomon Ugborugbo,…
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Mexico requests consultation with US in ongoing tuna dispute
Mexico has filed a request for WTO consultations with the US over its refusal to allow the dolphin-safe label to be used on Mexican tuna products. In the request, filed on 24 October, Mexico claimed that the trade restrictions are illegal and discriminatory, and have resulted in a loss of more than a third of…
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Overturning panel, appellate body issues mixed ruling on hormone dispute
In the latest development in an ongoing transatlantic dispute over the European ban of imported hormone-treated beef, the WTO’s Appellate Body issued a mixed ruling on 16 October that said that while Canada and the US can impose trade sanctions on the EU, Brussels can continue banning imports of hormone-treated beef from those countries. Brussels, Ottawa…
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Certification scheme targets social, environmental impacts of trade
A new rainforest conservation initiative is aiming to help curb the negative environmental and social impacts associated with the flower and chocolate trade by introducing a certification scheme. The programme, launched by US-based Rainforest Alliance, intends to appeal to purchasers’ sense of benevolence when buying gifts for loved ones. The organisation says that the liberal use…
- Events
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Events
Coming up in the next two weeks: 3-5 November, Paris, France. THE IMPORTANCE OF MILITARY ORGANISATIONS IN PROTECTING THE CLIMATE: 2008. This Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development workshop aims to summarise emerging and available climate protection technologies suitable for military and civilian applications; focus on military-unique problems not solved by technology developed for…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME - A THREAT TO OUR FUTURE. Debbie Banks, Charlotte Davies, Justin Gosling, Julian Newman, Mary Rice, Jago Wadley, and Fionnuala…