![[:en]Over-grazing and desertification in the Syrian steppe, the root causes of war[:]](https://www.cdca.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/desertificazio-240x159.jpg)
[:en]Over-grazing and desertification in the Syrian steppe, the root causes of war[:]
[:en][by Gianluca Serra on theecologist.org] Civil war in Syria is the result of the desertification of the ecologically fragile Syrian steppe, writes Gianluca Serra – a process that began in 1958 when the former Bedouin commons were opened up to unrestricted grazing. That led to a wider ecological, hydrological and agricultural collapse, and then to a ‘rural intifada’ of farmers and nomads no longer able to support...
![[:en]Sblocca Italia: Extractivism made in Italy[:]](https://www.cdca.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/blocca-sbloccaitalia1-240x240.jpg)
[:en]Sblocca Italia: Extractivism made in Italy[:]
[:en][by Salvatore De Rosa on entitleblog.org] The Unlock Italy Law, recently passed in the Italian parliament, is a festival of deregulation and legalised plunder. From fossil fuel extraction to construction permits, the country is put on sale to restart growth. But from the targeted territories, social movements are waging resistance. And they bring another idea of prosperity. Italy’s current Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, has been...
[:en]Here’s how much corporations paid US senators to fast-track the TPP bill[:]
[:en][by C Robert Gibson and Taylor Channing on theguardian.com] Critics of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership are unlikely to be silenced by an analysis of the flood of money it took to push the pact over its latest hurdle A decade in the making, the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is reaching its climax and as Congress hotly debates the biggest trade deal in a generation, its backers have turned on the cash...
![[:en]UN experts voice concern over adverse impact of free trade and investment agreements on human rights[:]](https://www.cdca.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/unnamed.jpg)
[:en]UN experts voice concern over adverse impact of free trade and investment agreements on human rights[:]
[:en][on ohchr.org] A number of free trade and investment agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), are currently being negotiated. A group of UN experts* have issued the following statement to express concern about the secret nature of drawing up and negotiating many of these agreements and the potential adverse impact of these agreements on human rights:...
![[:en]Framing “necessity” and whale-hunting in the Faroe Islands[:]](https://www.cdca.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/presentacic3b33-240x240.jpg)
[:en]Framing “necessity” and whale-hunting in the Faroe Islands[:]
[:en][by Benedict Singleton on entitleblog.org] Traditional whale-hunting practices are contested by animal welfare groups but may provide an alternative to the Islands’ dependency on globalised food supply chains. Over the summer of 2014, the hottest topic on the Faroe Islands (an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) was the “grindadráp”. Grindadráp is the traditional, community-based, opportunistic driving of...
![[:en]Brewing traditions: performing cultural authenticity around whaling[:]](https://www.cdca.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/benimage1-240x240.jpeg)
[:en]Brewing traditions: performing cultural authenticity around whaling[:]
[:en][by Benedict Singleton on entitleblog.org] The use of an unusual ingredient in an Icelandic beer this year highlights the changing nature of tradition and culture. Some environmental conflicts involve traditional or cultural practices. In such circumstances, actors on both sides utilise a range of arguments about the authenticity of said practices. This is certainly the case in many conflicts around whaling, where pro-whaling...
