Taking all this into account, the potential gains for education on the back of recent discoveries of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa are enormous. Several countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia could reach universal primary education without needing any more aid from donors.

In the industrialized west we need only a change in the way we think about food to reduce appreciably the waste.

The extent of the inter-connections between the water, food and energy means that issues such as water scarcity and food and energy security cannot be...

AZERBAIJAN Nicolas Sarkis, founder and CEO of AlphaOne Partners LLP, puts the spotlight on the social, political and economic developments taking pla...

Julian Assange's dramatic flight in June will have had many in Europe reaching for their world atlases as they tried to identify the precise location of the South American country. Those of us who follow events in the Americas particularly relating to human rights know that Ecuador is far from a safe haven, in particular for the most marginalized in society.

It is not science or resources that are lacking. It is a profound failure in our political and economic systems to stop social injustice, stamp out poverty and address environmental degradation.

There can't be many countries who face famine as their GDP rises by 14%. Yet that is the situation in the West African state of Niger, where appeals launched this week to help some 400,000 people now at risk from severe malnutrition. At the same time as an oil boom kicks in and IMF analysis predicts a rise in government income of 30% in 2012.

Ultimately, the transition towards sustainable business is inevitable, given the combined impact of the challenges we face. For those businesses looking to fully embed sustainability principles, there is also a big prize waiting. And who wouldn't want some of that?

Mining heavyweights Glencore and Xstrata have unveiled a deal to create the world's fourth largest natural resources firm worth 90 billion US dollars ...

PRESS ASSOCIATION -- The world has gone into "ecological debt", having used up more resources and produced more waste this year than the planet can co...