Fair Trade Timber
Fair Trade Timber
Duncan Macqueen, Annie Dufey, and Bindi PatelInternational Institute of Environment and DevelopmentLondonFebruary 200758 pp.ISBN 978-1-84369-630-8US$18.00/£10.00
Certification, eco-labelling and social auditing have all been set up to improve the forest sector. High hopes for forest livelihoods and poverty reduction have surrounded their use but each has had its limitations. It is now time to examine other complementary instruments. Fair trade may be one such instrument. An alliance of institutions interested in promoting fair trade timber is beginning to form. The report “Fair Trade Timber: A Review of Current Practice, Institutional Structures and Possible Ways Forward”outlines some of the options for building on this momentum and enhancing local returns from responsible forestry.
State of the World 2007 Report
In 2008, half of the Earth's population will live in urban areas, marking the first time in history that humans are an urban species. State of the World 2007:Our Urban Future, the most recent of the Worldwatch Institute's annual reports,explores the myriad ways urbanization is affecting our lives and the global environment – with a special focus on the ideas that can make our cities environmentally sustainable and healthier places to live. Although cities cover only 0.4 percent of the Earth's area they generate almost all of its carbon emissions, the report points out. Hardcopies of the report, and PDFs of individual chapters can bought online from www.worldwatch.org/node/4752
