Comprehend

In Short

RESOURCES AND RIGHTS: Even as the debate over access and benefit sharing of genetic resources rages on in the world, plans for a legally binding protocol have begun to take shape in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A recent meet of the Conference of Parties to the CBD at Montreal, Canada saw discussions on complex issues including intellectual property rights, sovereignty over natural resources, protection of traditional knowledge and indigenous participation in benefit sharing.

China debunks greens

China On Tibet China recently released a policy document debunking environmentalists' accusations that it was exploiting the Himalayan region for the benefit of millions of Chinese who have migrated there. The document highlights the economic and environmental "developments" it has wrought in Tibet.

Increased funding for bamboo project

china's stupendous success in exploiting bamboo for economic gains appears to have prompted India to follow suit. The heightened interest in this tallest member of the grass family is reflected in the latest Union budget.

Commission for healthonomics

india has finally taken note of the correlation between health and economic deve-lopment. The Union government has set up the National Commission on Macro-economics and Health to understand the link between the two.

Healthy news

http://www.cmhealth.org The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (CMH) was launched in January 2000 by WHO director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland. The CMH has been analysing the impact of health on development issues and producing reports and studies on health-related interventions and their influence on economic growth and equity in developing nations.

Ivan Illich <br> (1926-2002)

Ivan Illich, defrocked Catholic itinerant priest who spent a lifetime unmasking the pernicious hold of institutions and professionals on our lives, passed away in Bremen, Germany, on December 2, 2002. He was 76.

Compliance tax

In order to generate revenue for its environment agency's projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Japan is mulling over a proposal to impose tax on coal. The proposal seeks to rationalise the fuel tax structure to ensure that the levies cover different types of energy resources. It highlights the fact that unlike oil and natural gas, there are no taxes on coal in Japan.

Oil that glitters

The post-war boom had brought gas-guzzling vehicles, expanding highways and mushrooming suburbs in the industrialised countries, especially the US. This boom was fuelled by oil - the industrialised economies depended almost entirely on intensive use of fossil fuels. The world learned about its dependence on oil in 1973. The Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973 between Arab countries and Israel. The Arab nations embargoed oil export to Western nations that supported Israel and cut down production.

Energised by oil

"Not since the rise of the railroads more than a century ago has a single industry [energy] placed so many foot soldiers at the top of a new administration." - Newsweek, May 14, 2001