One of the greatest challenges facing the world today is to attend to the urgent social needs of the planet's population, and particularly the one billion people living "on the brink of survival", while dealing with the equally urgent demands of the environment.

Will discussions and decisions on global issues like the economic crisis and climate change be made in a democratic way or through small groups of countries, which traditionally have been dominated by rich nations? This question on "global governance" has been debated for years. But 2010 will be a crucial year in defining the answers. By Martin Khor.

Members of Friends of the Earth groups from around the world who arrived at the Bella Center to take part as official observers in the climate negotiations were told that their badges were no longer valid.

World leaders speaking in Copenhagen on Friday, the last day of negotiations for a deal on climate change, retreated into their national positions.

In the first full drafting round, over 40 references to women and gender issues made it into the “focus document” at the start of negotiations; then the references dropped to 30+, then 23, then 8, then 3.

Will we get a new period of commitment of the Kyoto Protocol or will we get a new weak agreement? Lim Li Lin, researcher of the Third World Network answers this and other questions in an interview at the Copenhagen climate conference.

The World Bank proudly defended the global carbon market in the Danish capital Tuesday for its "contribution" to efforts to mitigate climate change, in spite of criticism from civil society.

A text drafted by the Danish Government was leaked to the media provoking furious reactions from developing countries. The text shows world leaders will be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

When people think of the impact of population on climate change, they tend to glance towards China and India. But, their carbon emissions are four times lower than Europe and the US. This debate comes in times when the UN just released its World Population report 2009.

From 2nd to 4th November, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will hold its Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A number of organisations launched an Open letter against certification of palm oil produced by companies which are directly responsible for violating the rights of local communities.