Toma nota.../Take note...

The pure form of direct democracy exists only in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. Switzerland is a rare example of a country with instruments of direct democracy (at the levels of the municipalities, cantons, and federal state). However, other countries practice direct democracy in the form of plebiscites, town meetings and other minor means of direct participation. The European Union is turning into a parliamentarian democracy at the continental level and allows citizens to to promote parliamentary initiatives through the European Citizens' Initiative, introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007.  Taiwan is leading this trend with greater vigour since hosting the 2019 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy.

Celebrating modern direct democracy with a Taiwanese character

A special democracy train, signature gatherers in Buddhist temples, nationwide marches for better legislation: a look back at the participatory celebration that was the 2019 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy.

Oct. 7.– Monday morning, 9:35am. Taipei Main Station, track 3B. Over 300 passengers are boarding the eight-car narrow-gauge special headed south to the port city of Kaohsiung.

“This is the nation’s very first democracy train,” explains Transport Minister Lin Chia-Lung (of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party) in a smooth departure ceremony to welcome participants to the 2019 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy: a week of events, visits, and conversations around the question of “how can we transform people power movements on the street into well-designed institutionalized participatory and direct democracies?”

The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is the largest gathering devoted to direct democracy worldwide. It favours a multidisciplinary approach, welcoming participants from academic, political and civil society perspectives. It is attended by activists, organisations and academics from all over the world. The goal is to bring together people with different experiences and backgrounds, so as to give activists and organisations the opportunity to share their insights and connect with others working on the same issues. This October the Global Forum will be hosted by Taichung, Taiwan.

As democracy stagnates in many countries, and direct democracy suffers from lack of support, Taiwan has taken historic steps to move forward. The island nation in East Asia’s new Referendum law, less than two years old, is considered a global model for initiative and referendum. But how is it working in practice? What are the lessons of the first years of modern direct democracy in the new powerhouse of citizens participation? What is happening across East and South Asia and the West Pacific? 

This year’s rainforest fires — along with international outrage — moved Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Thursday the 22nd to declare a 60-day moratorium on clearing fires. But it may be too late, according to scientists who monitor the Amazon and its life-sustaining, carbon-trapping flora. Although some experts disagree, these researchers say that a combination of fire-cleared areas and higher temperatures are changing weather patterns and reducing rain. What might that cause? It could prompt the remaining forest to die off and release 100 billion tons of carbon — the equivalent of six years’ worth of emissions from the world’s coal-fired power plants.

As the Amazon Burns, Indonesia Shows World How to Fight Forest Fires 

Jakarta, Aug.26.– The warning signs are visible on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. It’s the heart of the dry season, and drought — accentuated by a moderate El Niño — is sparking fears of a repeat of 2015, when the climate pattern that leads to above-normal sea-level temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean contributed to devastating fires. The blazes charred 2.6 million hectares of land, emitted more daily carbon dioxide than the entire U.S. economy and left millions sick from a haze that spread across Southeast Asia. But this year there’s something different — something that Indonesia is counting on and that the world will closely watch.

Los productores agrícolas de la India que dependen de la lluvia para el riego requieren innovaciones en el manejo del agua, la agricultura y la energía. Ya en 2014 la ONU advirtió que la India podría enfrentar la peor parte de la crisis del agua, por la situación geográfica de la península. Para 2050, indicó la Organización mundial, las cuencas hidrográficas compartidas en la región podrían generar enfrentamientos de India contra Pakistán, China y Bangladesh por el intercambio del agua fluvial. Las cuencas de los ríos Indo, Ganges y Brahmaputra son cruciales para los cuatro países. De hecho, el intercambio de agua fluvial entre varios Estados indios ya está provocando disputas tanto legales como políticas. En realidad, a medida que sigue aumentando la población mundial, la crisis que provoca la escasez de agua potable va cobrando dimensiones insostenibles en muchas otras regiones del planeta.

¿Está India en el camino de sortear la tormenta socio-económica perfecta?  

Nueva Delhi, Ago. 14 (IPS).– Para 2030 una “tormenta perfecta” de una escasez combinada de alimentos, agua y recursos energéticos, potenciada por el cambio climático, desataría disturbios populares, conflictos transfronterizos y migraciones masivas de las regiones más afectadas.

Esa profecia la anticipó y conceptualizó hace justamente 10 años John Beddington, entonces el principal asesor científico del gobierno de Gran Bretaña. Ahora, en 2019, la predicción parece ser cada día más una posibilidad real, especialmente para los países del Sur en desarrollo.

El impulso actual hacia un mundo seguro para la alimentación y la nutrición, con el horizonte de la necesidad de alimentar a una población global estimada de 10.000 millones en 2050, está secuestrado por el vínculo insostenible entre la agricultura, el agua y la energía. Todo esto se ve exacerbado por la emergencia climática que pende sobre la población mundial.