The supporters of the FPC would have argued that such regulation was necessary because paper-pulp-grade timber is a scarce resource, and this scarcity made it incumbent upon the government to determine not only who could enter the publications business but where. The supporters of the FPC would have argued that such regulation was necessary because paper-pulp-grade timber is a scarce resource, and this scarcity made it incumbent upon the government to determine not only who could enter the...

Intensive cattle farming is decimating the Amazon rainforest, but there is hope - in the shape of a marble-sized, purple berry, staple ingredient of a popular smoothie. Andrew Purvis visits the families whose lives are being transformed by the ultimate sustainable fruit Sunday November 18, 2007 The Observer Do you eat meat?' asks Jo o Meirelles Filho, a Brazilian conservationist living in Bel m, the last big city on our journey north from S o Paulo to the Amazon. Andrew Purvis visits the...

An iron cobweb not only linked the sprawling urban conurbations of the Central Belt, but also extended northward across the southern and western highlands. The lines ran east-west, from Crieff through beautiful Strathearn to the little towns of Comrie, St Fillans and Lochearnhead; and south-north, from Buchanan Street Station in Glasgow through the gentle Teith valley to Callander and up through pretty Strathyre, Lochearnhead and the awesome Glen Ogle to Killin, Crianlarich and on to Oban....

The charter will create a body to review human rights issues in the region - of which Myanmar is a notorious violator - but there are no provisions for enforcing the code. But difficulties with problem child Myanmar have so far dominated the talks, forcing observers to wonder just how effective the charter will be. The summit, which concludes on Thursday, will also focus on the environment, a huge issue in a region wracked by deforestation and rampant development. The situation in Myanmar...

At the Bogor meeting, ministers identified four key elements that a Bali Roadmap will need to address: mitigation, adaptation to the impacts of climate change, finance, and technology. We enter the Bali meeting with an open mind, prepared to consider ideas proposed by our negotiating partners, in pursuit of a post-2012 framework that successfully rises to the scale and scope of this challenge. We believe the Major Economies process will make a positive contribution to efforts under the...