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Indigenous Knowledge? Yes, It’s Global Knowledge
By The Editors Sharing global knowledge? Yes, indispensable knowledge on the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, the sustainable use of protected natural areas, as well as development and food security — all related to the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other countries, such as Canada and Australia. Indispensable knowledge that is being shared these days (May 26 – 29) in the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory, Darwin. The occasion? The first World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference, which calls on native delegates from over 50 countries to help build a strong foundation for an innovative and well-grounded enduring World Indigenous Network. According to the World Indigenous Network website,…
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The Global Tide of Disease Mongering
By The Editors A recent editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2013;346:f2809) highlights a new social health movement for healthcare reform that may prove crucial to global health in the 21st century. This new social health movement aims to counter a global phenomenon, clearly defined in the editorial: “The results of medical research are often distorted or suppressed for commercial gain, and systems that attempt to control clinicians’ behaviour through payment by results drive over-diagnosis and over-treatment.” In other words, it aims to counter over-diagnosis and over-treatment. The new social health movement is based on a partnership model that affirms themes of mutual respect and combines the perspectives and resources…
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Globesity
By The Editors What is “globesity”? It’s the escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – one additional aspect of the great acceleration. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is “a complex condition, one with serious social and psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries.” The WHO adds that “Contrary to conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems.” Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Globally,…
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Electronic Waste and the Global Toxic Trade
By The Editors Here we go with another major source of pollution and serious negative health effects: e-waste, which-stands for electronic waste – also called e-scrap. Electronic waste may be defined as discarded computers (desktop, laptop, computer monitors, etc.), office electronic equipment (printers, scanners, fax machines, etc.), entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets, refrigerators, and more. To make things easier and avoid long lists, we can safely say that e-waste is about anything that works with a cord or a battery — or it’s connected to something with a cord or battery (think for example computer mice, or keyboards). As technology changes come by very rapidly in great acceleration-style, the…
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Globalization, Global Competence and Education
By The Editors One of the effects of globalization on higher education is (or will be) the gradual shift from the reductionist approach so in vogue now for many disciplines to a more holistic point of view. The limits of the current discipline-specific reductionist approach will be highlighted when attempting to become globally competent, as discipline-specific knowledge will need to integrate global competence concepts to ensure educational success – success measured on the basis of positive contributions to the new globalized environment as part of the workforce or other. In his commencement address to the graduating class of 1990 at Arkansas College, David Orr suggested six principles for rethinking education –…
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The Foodprint: Eyes on Methane
By The Editors We all know something about the carbon footprint, a little less about the plastic footprint, and — may be we haven’t heard (yet) about the foodprint. What is the foodprint? It’s all related to methane. Methane is a colorless, odorless gas with a wide distribution in nature. It is the principal component of natural gas. National Geographic calls it the “Good Gas, Bad Gas” and it goes on to say: “Burn natural gas and it warms your house. But let it leak, from fracked wells or the melting Arctic, and it warms the whole planet.” To this, we can add:that, globally, over 60% of total methane emissions come from human activities. Methane…
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Udacity, Georgia Tech and AT&T – Vision and Revolution Come Together
By The Editors In the last few days, a so-called “bold move” has generated lots of discussion in the higher education community – someone (or more than one) says that the “bold move” has actually generated shock. Others call the move “revolutionary”. Question: What is the “bold move” we’re referring to? Answer: A very special announcement. Georgia Tech and Udacity, in collaboration with AT&T, will offer a sought-after graduate computer science degree, traditionally offered on the Georgia Tech campus, through online instruction. What brings shock, though, is not the online format, but the cost — the degree (a fully accredited Georgia Tech degree) will cost about 80% less than the current…
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Lead Poisoning Epidemics and Outbreaks: A Global Problem
By The Editors When we think epidemics, we think infectious pathogens. However, there are other epidemics – one of them is the lead epidemic. Lead poisoning accounts for at least 0.6% of the global burden of disease (WHO, 2009). The Blacksmith Institute considers lead pollution one of the world’s worst pollution problems. In much of the Western world, the problem is almost contained. However, in countries with little regulation, there are devastating lead epidemics and, at times, lead outbreaks. Lead is a toxic, naturally occurring heavy metal found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. Because of its abundance, low cost, and physical properties, lead and lead compounds have been used in…
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Edible Insects: Raising Awareness
By The Editors As mentioned in the previous post, a few days ago a publication released from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) started to raise awareness on the value of insects as food source. The publication is a book entitled “Edible insects – future prospects for food and feed security” and draws on a broad range of scientific research. It’s the result of a collaboration with the Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and part of a broad-based effort at FAO to examine the gathering and rearing of insects as a viable option for alleviating food insecurity. Although the majority of edible insects are gathered from forest habitats, there is increased interest…
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Edible Insects – Will They Become a Global Diet Staple?
By The Editors The human population keeps growing – by 2050, it’s likely there will be 9 billion people on our planet – or our village. Food may become scarce. What can we do to make sure there is enough of it for the growing population? We need to think differently, and look across cultures to find ways for increasing food security. Edible insects have always been a part of human diets. It is estimated that over 2 billion people normally eat them. Insects are considered delicacies in many parts of the world, particularly in the tropics. However, in many cultures, there is a main barrier to eating insects — “consumer disgust”.…
