Iran key topic at UN General Assembly
The General Debate of the UN General Assembly begins today, Tuesday, against the backdrop of the conflict between the US and Iran. Other states have joined the US in blaming Iran for the attacks on the oil refineries in Saudi Arabia. Commentators see the potential for conflict on other issues apart from the Iran crisis.
Population growth is the root of the problem
Population growth is a key global problem, writes Robin Maynard of the organisation Population Matters and Frank Götmark of the University of Gothenburg in Eesti Päevaleht:
“The challenges that humanity faces today stem mainly from overconsumption and overpopulation. Yet policymakers often fail to consider the two factors together, and largely neglect population growth in particular.The overall human impact on the global environment is the product of population size and average per capita consumption. ... Per capita resource consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions are highest in developed economies, while rapid population growth in developing countries contributes to the loss of forests and biodiversity.”
Plenty of explosive international issues
Climate policy is at the top of the agenda at this year's UN General Assembly. But the member states also need to deal with other key issues, Hürriyet Daily News stresses:
“All eyes will be on the speeches of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. Each leader will bring his or her nation's priority to the podium, but there will surely be some issues on which many of them will express their positions and opinions. ... The civil war in Syria and global refugee problem, the Palestine issue, the tension between Pakistan and India, etc. will be discussed by leaders at the General Assembly.”