Last month, China was granted US$95 million to reduce its production of hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), substances that are used primarily for cooling, refrigeration, and the manufacture of foam products. The funding comes from the Multilateral Fund (MLF) of the Montreal Protocol, because HCFCs deplete the ozone layer and are controlled under the Protocol. With access to these funds, between now and 2015 China will reduce its production of HCFCs by 10%, or 47,000 metric tons from 2010 levels, allowing it to meet the first reduction targets set by the Protocol.

Read more: http://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/china-phase-out-ozone-damaging-...

It’s time to turn off the snooze button on the alarm clock and wake up!

Incremental achievements in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are possible before they “expire” in 2015 if linkages among strategies to achieve various goals are made. MDG 5 demands an improvement in maternal health. MDG 4 calls for an improvement in child health. MDG 7c demands for improved water and sanitation. The links between WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and maternal and child health are evident. Accelerated efforts to improve WASH will not only move us toward achieving MDG 7c, but they will also contribute to the achievement of health MDGs 4 and 5.

According to the 2012 Joint Monitoring Programme Report, more than 780 million people, or 11% of the global population, remain without access to an improved source of drinking water. About 2.5 billion people in 2010 lacked improved sanitation. An estimated 1.1 billion people, or 15% of the global population, still practice open defecation. The adoption of better sanitation and hygienic practices require easy access to water sources. In fact, five out of six users of improved sanitation also use improved water sources.

Read more: http://blogs.adb.org/blog/wake-advocate-taps-and-toilets-maternal-and-ch...

The international society says mercury pollution is a major threat to the environment and has helped place it on the agenda of environment protection bodies across the globe.
In 2009, the United Nations Environment Program's 25th council moved to formally begin a global effort in mercury pollution control, stipulating that the UNEP would host five meetings with various governments between 2010 and 2013 to formulate a global legal convention on a range of efforts to control the toxic metal.

Read more: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-03/09/content_16293368.htm

In the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) has added a new milestone to its 100-year legacy. One of the largest hospital complexes in north India, it has been transformed over the last few years from a hospital that did not have any healthcare waste management system in place to an institution which today embodies sound healthcare waste management practices, generating less than one-fifth of the infectious waste generated three years ago.

Watch the video: http://www.thegef.org/gef/news/health-without-harm-reducing-risk-healthc...

The international society says mercury pollution is a major threat to the environment and has helped place it on the agenda of environment protection bodies across the globe.

In 2009, the United Nations Environment Program's 25th council moved to formally begin a global effort in mercury pollution control, stipulating that the UNEP would host five meetings with various governments between 2010 and 2013 to formulate a global legal convention on a range of efforts to control the toxic metal.

Read more: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-03/09/content_16293368.htm

ADB estimates that 80% of Asia's economic growth will be generated in its urban areas, supported by migrants in search of jobs and economic opportunities. Sustainable urban transport solutions are crucial to mitigate the growing congestion and pollution in the region's sprawling urban centers.

Urban growth and motorization in Asia and the Pacific are placing an enormous strain on transport and mobility. Motor vehicle fleets are already doubling every 5 to 7 years. In 1980s, only 9% of the world's 360 million motorized vehicles were found in the region. By 2030, it is estimated that nearly half of the world's projected 1.5 billion vehicles will be in Asia.

Read more: http://www.adb.org/features/sustainable-urban-transport-adbs-take

Urban slums in developing countries that are not recognized by the government often lack legal access to municipal water supplies. This results in the creation of insecure "informal"water distribution systems (i.e ., community-run or private systems outside of the government's purview) that may increase water-borne disease risk.

We evaluate an informal water distribution system in a slum in Mumbai, India using commonly accepted health and social equity indicators. We also identify predictors of bacterial contamination of drinking water using logistic regression analysis.

Read more: http://7thspace.com/headlines/433041/the_social_ecology_of_water_in_a_mu...

The world is not in a good shape at the moment – food prices are rising, fresh water is depleting, energy prices are soaring, biodiversity is dying out, intense storms are damaging towns and cities, while floods and droughts are threatening the livelihoods of millions. Clearly, climate change is playing a major role in taking its toll on human populations, just as the scientists had predicted it would. And the rate of change is accelerating. That means the chance of keeping global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century is getting slimmer.

Read more: http://dawn.com/2013/02/19/can-the-green-economy-save-us/

This is not about how to start the Lunar New Year right with proper weight management. Well, not exactly, as this is about thin trade and why thin is not good especially during excessive upswings and downswings of prices for Asia’s main food staple—rice.

The average export–output ratio, a measure of tradability or the extent of exchange of output between and among countries, is the thinnest for rice relative to two other important food staples, maize and wheat. From 1961 to 2009, the average export-to-output ratio of rice was only 5% while wheat was, 19%, and maize, 14%.

Read more: http://blogs.adb.org/blog/feeding-millions-southeast-asia-how-thin-thin

The World Bank has begun a two-year process to review and update its environmental and social safeguard policies. These policies embody core values of the institution and are the cornerstone of the Bank's efforts to protect people and the environment and to ensure sustainable development outcomes.

Throughout the review process, the Bank will seek the views of shareholders and a wide range of stakeholders to help shape the next generation of safeguard policies.

Read more: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/EXTPOLICIES/EXTSAFEPOL...