In 1999, researchers developed a new variety of genetically modified (GM) rice boasting the potential to save "a million kids a year" in developing countries from life-threatening vitamin A deficiency. Nearly a decade later, however, the new variety--nicknamed "golden rice" for the yellow hue imparted by vitamin A compounds--has hardly moved beyond the lab. Hampered by the controversy and strict regulations surrounding GM technology, golden rice is a testament to the obstacles facing GM crops developed for humanitarian purposes.

Cuba's agricultural system was turned on its head by the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was one of the most dramatic agricultural collapses of recent history--suddenly Cuba's heavily-subsidized exports to Russia and East Germany disappeared, the large state farming operations had no fuel or spare parts to keep their thousands of tractors running, and the heavy chemical inputs Cuba had become accustomed to were no longer available. Almost overnight, Cuba's agriculture radically transformed.

Eighty percent of the 150 top selling drugs in the United States--including essential medicines such as Asprin, penicillin, and the chemotherapy drug Taxol--come from substances derived from plants, animals or microorganisms. However, as humans continue to drive species towards extinction and degrade critical habitats, we are losing the life-giving services they provide and the potential for countless new medical discoveries. A new book, "Sustaining Life," examines what humans stand to lose when biodiversity is irreversibly destroyed, providing a compelling new case to conserve nature.

Of the World Health Organization's data on alcohol use, at the other end of the spectrum from Uganda is India. The country has been among the bottom 15 percent of nations in terms of per capita alcohol consumption for most of the past 40 years. As of 2003, the average Indian citizen consumed 0.3 liters of alcohol, roughly the amount in a drinking glass.

EarthTrends April 2008 Monthly Update

Before climate change dominated the environmental agenda, deforestation was a central concern for many reasons besides carbon. Forests contain 70 percent of the world's biodiversity, provide vital ecosystem services such as flood control and soil protection, and support the subsistence livelihoods of up to 300 million people, most of whom are poor. To date, efforts to combat deforestation have failed to stop rapid global forest loss, despite some localized successes. Between 2000 and 2005, roughly 13 million hectares of forest disappeared each year, with the largest losses occurring in the biologically rich tropical forests of the developing world (FAO, 2005).

The threat of climate change has created a new imperative--and renewed hope--to protect the values and services rendered by tropical forests. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) estimates that deforestation contributes 15-20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (see Figure 1), yet the forestry sector was largely excluded from the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period. With negotiations underway for a post-Kyoto agreement set to start after 2012, reduced emissions from deforestation in developing countries, popularly known as REDD, has emerged as a key issue.

The World Health Organization records alcohol consumption around the globe, and the leading consumers on a per capita basis are almost exclusively European. This makes Uganda, the global leader in consumption, a surprising outlier.

As of 2003, Uganda was the world's highest per-capita consumer of alcohol. At 17.6 liters per person per year, the average Ugandan consumes twice as much alcohol as the average American, and more than twice the amount of a resident of any of Uganda's neighboring countries. And this number probably doesn't tell the whole story, since Uganda also has one of the highest estimated levels of unrecorded consumption--that is, smuggled, imported, or home-brewed alcohol--in the world.

While the cost of food has been rising steadily since 2000, few took notice until recently, when the problem finally reached crisis proportions. Skyrocketing world food prices--up almost 50% since last year--have triggered riots across the developing world and forced the world's largest food aid agency to announce a $500 million deficit for 2008.

The World Resources Institute is currently accepting applications for a Cynthia Helms Fellow. We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative person to help develop a special collection of EarthTrends information covering China. Applicants must be Chinese nationals.

Of the countries with highest child mortality, only one-quarter are on track to meet the millennium development goals for reducing child mortality says a recent analysis. The authors examined 68 countries that together have 97 percent of maternal and child deaths worldwide. They concluded that the majority of these most critical sites haven't made significant progress toward the U.N.'s goal of reducing under-5 child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Some countries have even seen reversals of progress. However, two countries which have successfully lowered child deaths -- India and Tanzania -- took two very different approaches to beat the odds.

This year's World Health Day, celebrated last Monday, drew international attention to the impacts of climate change on human health. Health experts predict that climate change will exacerbate global health problems that are already huge, such as malnutrition and infectious disease. Strengthening public health services, especially among vulnerable populations in the developing world, therefore needs to be a central component of climate adaptation strategies.