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Like a tsunami, consumerism has engulfed human cultures and Earth’s ecosystems. Left unaddressed, we risk global disaster. But if we channel this wave, intentionally transforming our cultures to center on sustainability, we will not only prevent catastrophe, but may usher in an era of sustainability—one that allows all people to thrive while protecting, even restoring, Earth.In State of the World 2010, sixty renowned researchers and practitioners describe how we can harness the world’s leading institutions—education, the media, business, governments, traditions, and social movements—to reorient cultures toward sustainability.

On the day of the release of annual industry-sponsored figures, a new report from Friends of the Earth International reveals that claims made by the biotech industry that genetically modified crops can combat climate change are both exaggerated and premature. The report, ’Who Benefits from GM Crops’, examines the evidence for these claims, and exposes that GM crops could actually increase carbon emissions while failing to feed the world.

Commentary by Dr. Claire Schaffnit-Chatterjee. Ironically, most of the world’s hungry earn their living from agriculture. More than three-quarters of poor people live in rural areas, which means that most of the food insecure live in areas where food is produced. And about two billion of the world’s three billion rural inhabitants live off the income generated from farming less than two hectares. Not only victims of hunger, small farmers are also part of the solution, due to their sheer number and due to their potential for boosting yields. In turn, the success of the global agribusiness sector depends on the success of small farmers. The rising awareness of this link is prompting a number of global food processors and retailers to take a keen interest in the commercial viability of small farms in the developing world.

One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies. The 2009 figures from the US Department of Agriculture shows ethanol production rising to record levels driven by farm subsidies and laws which require vehicles to use increasing amounts of biofuels. "The grain grown to produce fuel in the US [in 2009] was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels," said Lester Brown, the director of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington thinktank that conducted the analysis.

A conference of 193 countries agreed on Saturday to "take note" of a new Copenhagen Accord to fight global climate change, after two weeks of U.N. talks in the Danish capital.

The accord was not legally binding, and did not commit countries ever to agree a binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose present round ends in 2012.In addition, countries were invited to sign up to the accord, meaning it did not guarantee global participation.

Following is a summary of the decisions in the Copenhagen Accord, and other decisions adopted at the U.N. summit.

The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009, announced by award-winning writer and journalist Naomi Klein at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen today is the biotech giant Monsanto with 37 per cent of the total vote. Oil giant Shell took second place (18 per cent) in the Award for lobbying to sabotage effective action on climate change, followed by the American Petroleum Institute (14 per cent). Agriculture giant Monsanto was nominated for promoting its genetically modified (GM) crops as a solution to climate change and pushing for its crops to be used as biofuels. The expansion of GM soy in Latin America

is contributing to major deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Danish conference hosts warned ministers on Tuesday to compromise at deadlocked global talks to salvage agreement on a new U.N. climate pact.

Ministers and negotiators from 193 countries struggled to make progress on core issues including emissions cuts and climate finance in the Copenhagen talks, three days before world leaders are meant to seal an accord.

"Three years of effort have come down to three days of action," Ban said. "Let us not falter in the home stretch." The U.N. process is meant to lead to a legally binding treaty next year.

"In these very hours we are balancing between success and failure," said Danish President of the two-week meeting, Connie Hedegaard, at the opening of the high-level phase of the talks. Organizers of the talks said environment ministers would work deep into night on Tuesday to narrow wide differences, saying the bulk of the work must be complete before more than 120 leaders formally joined the meeting on Thursday.

A new report has been launched titled "Soy and Agribusiness Expansion in Northwest Argentina - Legalized deforestation and community resistance.

The cases of the Wichí communities of the Itiyuro River Basin and Misión Chaqueña, the Creole families of the Dorado River Basin and the Guaraní communities of El Talar". The report is published by CAPOMA (Argentina), La Soja Mata and Chaya Comunicación (Argentina), with the support of:

BASE Investigaciones Sociales (Paraguay).

This report provides important insights into the process of soy and agribusiness expansion, deforestation and eviction of indigenous and rural communities in North West Argentina

The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) urged African leaders to resist the Corporate Industrialization of African agriculture which will result in massive land grabs, and for the issue to be raised at the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen [...] The AFSA represents small holder farmers, pastoralists, hunter/gatherers, indigenous people, citizens and environmentalists from Africa.

Starting with 1,5 of anticipated 20 billion US $ the World Bank will start a trust fund for agricultural loans to developing countries. The fund has been critized by NGO as a top-down approach competing with more democratic concepts of the UN Food agency FAO.