A Changing Paradigm for Global Engagement

The global growth of the number of internet users is remarkable. According to Internet World Stats, 63.2% of the world’s population used the internet as of October 2020. If children aged 0-4 are removed from the calculation, that percentage increases to 69.3%. If children aged 0-9 are excluded, the percentage increases to 76.4%. The ability of an organization to engage the world to increase awareness of what can be done individually and collectively to effect solutions for the environment, for wildlife and habitat protection, for land conservation, and for animal and human well-being is both exciting and frightening. Internet use is indeed revolutionizing our world, and many would agree that our world has become a “Global Village,” to use a term first popularized by Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian media theorist

The Development of Well-being Policy Initiatives

Over the last twenty years (that is, this century), there has been an explosion of interest in measuring “happiness” and “subjective well-being.” These measurements are beginning to be used in the development of public policy. Bhutan is commonly regarded as a leader in the field, but the phrase “Gross National Happiness” was first used by Sicco Mansholt, one of the founders of the European Union, in 1972. Bhutan only formally established a Gross National Happiness index as national policy in 2008. But Bhutan has since become an important rallying center for reports and studies of happiness and subjective well-being. For example, the World Happiness Report, first produced in 2012 and published by the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network, had its origins in a planning meeting in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, in the summer of 2011. This meeting was held to prepare for a session on “Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm” to be held at the UN in April 2012

Third African Animal Welfare Conference, September 2-4, 2019

The Third African Animal Welfare Conference took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the beginning of September 2019. There were over 200 attendees drawn from all regions of Africa and from eight non-African countries. Apart from South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and a few East African countries, animal advocacy presence in African countries has been very limited until recently

A Changing Paradigm for Global Engagement

The global growth of the number of internet users is remarkable. According to Internet World Stats, 63.2% of the world’s population used the internet as of October 2020. If children aged 0-4 are removed from the calculation, that percentage increases to 69.3%. If children aged 0-9 are excluded, the percentage increases to 76.4%. The ability of an organization to engage the world to increase awareness of what can be done individually and collectively to effect solutions for the environment, for wildlife and habitat protection, for land conservation, and for animal and human well-being is both exciting and frightening. Internet use is indeed revolutionizing our world, and many would agree that our world has become a “Global Village,” to use a term first popularized by Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian media theorist

Third African Animal Welfare Conference, September 2-4, 2019

The Third African Animal Welfare Conference took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the beginning of September 2019. There were over 200 attendees drawn from all regions of Africa and from eight non-African countries. Apart from South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and a few East African countries, animal advocacy presence in African countries has been very limited until recently

COP27 - Can We Move Forward

Under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) opened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 6 and runs through the 18th. World leaders, climate campaigners, and climate stakeholders are gathered amid challenging world economic dynamics, including the global impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the resulting energy crisis in Europe, fluctuating energy prices, and ongoing extreme weather events. The individuals gathered in Sharm el Sheikh will be attempting to create a realistic path forward that has some chance of success in addressing climate change

COP28: Moving Forward

COP28 has stirred many conflicting opinions. WellBeing International offers our insights on COP28 outcomes

Global Trees and Climate Change

Planting trees, global warming, and greenwashing concerns

Plastic Waste and the World’s Seas

The modern plastics industry may have been a boon to consumers, but the world is drowning in non-degradable plastic waste

The Blue Zones, Well-being and Feeling Better

The Blue Zone concept has emerged from studies of communities with large numbers of healthy centenarians