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Opinions

Here is a list of the latest articles

Smallholder farmer in Ethiopia

We have the tools to prevent another famine in Africa

Success stories show that food crises can be controlled with the right tools and agricultural policies, says Sam Dryden.

Source: The Globe and Mail

4 October 2011 | EN

Indian woman and baby

Population could keep climbing — and we must be prepared

Population forecasts may be based on unrealistic assumptions of demographic change in the developing world, warns Carl Haub.

Source: Yale Environment 360

20 September 2011 | EN

A worker tries to lift a weak cow from among the carcasses of drought-stricken livestock

Better grazing practices hold key to Kenyan droughts

The current drought in northern Kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist David Western.

5 August 2011 | EN

Micro hydro plant in Afghanistan

Small hydro could add up to big damage

Environmental engineers Tasneem Abbasi and S. A. Abbasi warn that widespread adoption of small hydro could repeat a history of environmental damage.

20 June 2011 | EN | FR

Fishing on the Mekong River

Support freeze on planned dam projects

A more integrated approach to managing the Lower Mekong River Basin could set an example for future river projects, say R. Edward Grumbine and Jianchu Xu.

Source: Science

12 April 2011 | EN | 中文

Better data needed to avert stampedes

Disaster specialists must gather and analyse data systematically to prevent human stampedes, say Frederick M. Burkle and Edbert B. Hsu.

Source: Lancet

12 January 2011 | EN | 中文

Farmers set up water pump for irrigation

Small-scale solutions key to water security

Small-scale water solutions are a key to increasing agricultural productivity in the face of climate change, says water expert David Molden.

15 September 2010 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Limpopo

We need a new metric for water scarcity in Africa

The current way of assessing water scarcity in Africa should be abandoned in favour of one designed for local realities, argues Richard Taylor.

15 September 2010 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Boy carrying water

Water storage requires evidence-based approach

Coping with climate change requires a greater understanding of the options for water storage, writes hydrology expert Matthew McCartney.

15 September 2010 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Cycling through flood, Sudan

Water security in an uncertain world

Policymakers must find flexible plans to ensure water security despite the uncertainties of climate change, says climate scientist Mark New.

15 September 2010 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Sorghum farmer in Burkina Faso

Drought-tolerance: a learning challenge for poor farmers

Drought-tolerant crops could improve food security — if researchers take downstream adoption challenges seriously, says Travis Lybbert.

14 July 2010 | EN

Agriculture can adapt to climate change

Innovative agricultural technologies can produce crops that meet climate change challenges, says ICRISAT head William Dar.

20 November 2009 | EN

Satellites can help monitor and manage African droughts

Kenyan MP and remote sensing expert, Wilbur Ottichilo, argues the time is ripe for using satellites to spot developing African droughts.

11 November 2009 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Pacific warning systems are failing

The Samoan earthquake highlights worrying shortcomings in Pacific early warning systems, says Richard Hamblyn.

Source: The Guardian

5 October 2009 | EN | 中文

US should focus foreign aid on food, health and water

The United States should boost funding for food, health and water, says Thomas R. Pickering, former US ambassador to the UN.

7 July 2009 | EN | 中文

Madibogo, south Africa, nanotech water plant

Community ownership is key to nanotech water projects

Nanotechnology must be effectively shared with stakeholders if it's to deliver clean water, say Thembela Hillie and Mbhuti Hlophe.

6 May 2009 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Carbon nanotube for desalination

Nanotech for water can help business innovate and grow

Developing world businesses must invest in nanotech research and development for clean water to stay ahead, says Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb.

6 May 2009 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

Developing world advances nanotech for clean water

Developing countries are making good progress on nanotech for clean water, say Paulo Sergio de Paula Herrmann Jr. and José Antônio Brum.

6 May 2009 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

The popular myth of 'water wars'

Water shortages do not, and will not, cause wars — cooperation is the dominant response to shared water resources, says Wendy Barnaby.

Source: Nature

25 March 2009 | EN | 中文

China: Conserving water is the only solution

Anti-drought technologies aren't enough to solve China's water shortages — better agricultural water management is essential, says Li Taige.

Source: China Dialogue

10 March 2009 | EN | 中文