世界経済・社会統計 = World development indicators

Cause, conseguenze e strategie di mitigazione Proponiamo il primo di una serie di articoli in cui affronteremo l’attuale problema dei mutamenti climatici. Presentiamo il documento redatto, votato e pubblicato dall’Ipcc - Comitato intergovernativo sui cambiamenti climatici - che illustra la sintesi delle ricerche svolte su questo tema rilevante.

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Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis.

Lithium metal is one of the most attractive anode materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, the growth of Li dendrites during electrochemical deposition, which leads to a low Coulombic efficiency and safety concerns, has long hindered the application of rechargeable Li-metal batteries. Here we show that a 3D current collector with a submicron skeleton and high electroactive surface area can significantly improve the electrochemical deposition behaviour of Li. Li anode is accommodated in the 3D structure without uncontrollable Li dendrites. With the growth of Li dendrites being effectively suppressed, the Li anode in the 3D current collector can run for 600 h without short circuit and exhibits low voltage hysteresis. The exceptional electrochemical performance of the Li-metal anode in the 3D current collector highlights the importance of rational design of current collectors and reveals a new avenue for developing Li anodes with a long lifespan.

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Accommodating lithium into 3D current collectors with a submicron skeleton towards long-life lithium metal anodes.

On behalf of Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this international scientific conference. Drylands are often considered fragile ecosystems, yet they have a remarkable resilience to stress. They are home to unique and well-adapted plant and animal species that we need to conserve. Some of the world’s greatest cultures and belief systems have originated in drylands. On the other hand, desertification and land degradation in drylands often result in poverty and cause environmental refugees to abandon their homes. These problems can only be addressed in a holistic manner, based on sound scientific research and findings. Solutions to the problems of dryland degradation need to be communicated as widely as possible through education at all levels. These are many reasons why UNESCO – within its mandate of science, education, culture and communication – took the intiative to organize this conference. And we are glad that so many partners have responded to our call. UNESCO considers this conference as its main contribution to the observance of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification in 2006. We have deliberately chosen the title ‘The Future of Drylands’ as we feel it is time to redefine our priorities for science, education and governance in the drylands based on 50 years of scientific research in arid and semi-arid zones. In fact UNESCO has one of the longest traditions, within the UN system, of addressing dryland problems from an interdisciplinary, scientific point of view. In 1955, the ‘International Arid Land Meetings’ were held in Socorro, New Mexico (USA). They were organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), sponsored by UNESCO and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. One important output of the International Arid Land Meetings was a book entitled The Future of Drylands, edited by Gilbert F. White and published in

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Statistical Databases

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Education, poverty and the millennium: Development goals

In this chapter, the authors advance discussions on the relevance of social protection as discussed in the literature and proceed to examine if social protection has played a role in achieving the progress made towards the MDGs. They argue that despite anecdotal evidence promoting social protection as crucial in assisting the vulnerable and poor manage risk, raise human capital and improve their livelihoods, there is an absence of empirical evidence to substantiate these claims. Using data for 101 developing countries, the authors show that social protection coverage is positively associated with progress towards many of the MDGs.

Did Social Protection Assist with Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals

ABSTRACT Child sponsorship programmes often seek to establish a personal relationship between a sponsor and child through the exchange of letters, photos, and sometimes gifts. This paper examines the impact of these activities using data from communities supported by World Vision in Georgia, Ethiopia, Peru, Senegal, and Sri Lanka. Findings indicate that some types of communications were associated with higher levels of psychosocial wellbeing. While findings varied across country, survey data for sponsored and non-sponsored children provided evidence of jealously, although on average, it was weak. Findings from interviews indicated that some non-sponsored children and families experienced jealousy more intensely.

Impacts of child sponsorship communications: findings from World Vision programmes

Along with other UN members, small island developing states (SIDS) were committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. However, given their development challenges, there were concerns with respect to the appropriateness of the MDGs for this group of countries. Such concerns included the goals being too ambitious, imposing a large administrative burden, and there being a lack of data to monitor progress towards their achievement. This chapter examines the progress SIDS made towards the achievement of the MDGs where data are available. Results from the empirical analysis confirm that SIDS made less progress towards selected MDG targets than other developing countries. Implications for policy are provided.

Simon Feeny

Papers

Education, poverty and the millennium: Development goals

Did Social Protection Assist with Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals

Impacts of child sponsorship communications: findings from World Vision programmes

International Development Goals and Small Island Developing States