Working out how to work out: do we understand physical activity levels?
The World Health Organization and many national governments issue guidelines as to how much exercise we should all do to stay healthy. Current exercise recommendations from the WHO for 18- to 64-year-olds include "at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity…
Animal machines: 50 years on
A symposium organized by CABI and the Royal Veterinary College to mark the 50th anniversary of Animal Machines, by Ruth Harrison, reviewed how far we have come in understanding and improving animal welfare since the publication of the book, which marked the start of the movement for welfare of animals in intensive production. “Would Ruth…
CABI Switzerland Scientists take home WSSA Award
Selected for their contribution to the Outstanding Paper in Invasive Plant Science and Management 2014, two CABI scientists took home this prestigious award at the Weed Science Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver. The event was held jointly with the Canadian Weed Science Society (CWSS) between 3-6 February 2014. Dr Hariet Hinz (left) and…
“Land Belongs to the Future, Let’s Climate Proof It” – World Day to Combat Desertification 2014
June 17 has been designated by the United Nations as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCD). The slogan of this year’s WDCD is ‘Land Belongs to the Future, Let’s Climate Proof It’, which aims to ‘highlight the benefits of mainstreaming sustainable land management policies and practices into our collective response to climate change’. The…
Why recreational soccer is good for you – whatever your age
The FIFA World Cup starts in Brazil this week, and for the next month the elite of the world's soccer players will be on display. For most of us watching, any dream of playing on the big stage will have long since vanished (if indeed it ever existed). But a series of papers from the…
World Environment Day 2014 – “Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level”
World Environment Day (WED) on June 5th is used by the United Nations to encourage global awareness and stimulate action to protect the environment. It was established in 1972 on the same day that the UN Conference on the Human Environment began and the first WED was celebrated in 1973. Each year it is hosted in…
The ethics of tobacco packaging
In the week of World NO Tobacco Day (31st May 2014) this blog addresses tobacco packaging: the use of standardized packaging & pictorial health warnings for cigarettes to further reduce consumption and address the world's leading agent of death...tobacco.
E-cigarettes – not healthy
I was horrified to see e-cigarettes associated with the word ‘healthy’ in a store near me recently. They are not. It is undisputable that nicotine is highly addictive and that there is a risk of poisoning with its use. The question is does this harm outweigh the benefits if e-cigarettes reduce smoking? The evidence that…
Stakeholders recommend solution to challenges in Ghana’s citrus industry
CABI recently attanded a workshop to avert the total collapse of the citrus industry in Ghana. Along with other organizations, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is looking for CABI to create innovation platforms to help improve the country's citrus industry. Stakeholders are most concerned about 'angular leaf spot' disease on which CABI has been asked to create guides.
Celebrating International Biodiversity Day!
22 May is International Biodiversity Day! This year, the theme is Island Biodiversity which was chosen to coincide with the UN's International Year of Small Island Developing States. Islands and their surrounding seas are unique. They ae often made up of many plant and animal species that are endemic—found nowhere else on Earth. The legacy of a unique…