![Pathogen benefit-sharing pact thwarted again](https://cdn.magzter.com/1335344221/1720163892/articles/V3kMlsftu1721126584749/PATHOGEN-BENEFITSHARING-PACT-THWARTED-AGAIN.jpg)
WHEN YOU watch international organisations thrash out a major new agreement, it’s a lesson in how geopolitics and rich-country heft plays out, even when it relates to something as fundamental as public health. Inevitably, developed countries manage to get their way and seal the highly unequal and iniquitous terms reached by "consensus" in multilateral fora into binding agreements. We have seen this time and again at the World Trade Organization (two).
If, however, the developing world digs its heel in, the negotiations are given a fresh lease of life, quite often for an undetermined number of years till a "consensus" more favourable to the developed world is eventually reached. This time, it was the World Health Assembly (wha) that saw another round of protracted negotiations without concluding a treaty on an improved global strategy to fight future pandemics.
The memory of covid-19 that devastated countries and communities and killed several million people worldwide just a short while ago appeared to have faded as the 194 member-states of the World Health Organization (who) failed to reach an agreement as mandated in the last week of May. The UN agency has been given another two years to conclude the pandemic treaty.
The deep differences between the developed nations and poor countries on critical measures like pathogen- and vaccine-sharing, which have marked negotiations in the UN agency for two years, were on full display once again. For one, it was a world more polarised than ever before that was meeting in Geneva in May, sharply divided over the savage war unleashed by Israel in Gaza.
This ongoing war, which has resulted in the biggest humanitarian crisis in modern times, has also blurred the lines between rich and poor nations and seen dramatic changes in strategic alliances over the genocidal Israeli assault on the Palestinian people.
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Business of dirt](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/PPch5tPy21721127371924/BUSINESS-OF-DIRT.jpg)
Business of dirt
The waste management ecosystem is rooted in poverty, politics, colonialism, corporate greed and environmental injustice, with serious consequences to human health
![NATURE'S MAPPERS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/s2ITx5elA1721127124872/NATURES-MAPPERS.jpg)
NATURE'S MAPPERS
Reptiles show an ability fo understand and remember spaces, which makes them a natural insect pest controller
![Pathogen benefit-sharing pact thwarted again](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/V3kMlsftu1721126584749/PATHOGEN-BENEFITSHARING-PACT-THWARTED-AGAIN.jpg)
Pathogen benefit-sharing pact thwarted again
Deep political rifts at WHO leave a critical pandemic treaty hanging in limbo as rich nations baulk at equitable vaccine sharing
![LOCAL SOLUTIONS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/knHJnBRGl1721125954332/LOCAL-SOLUTIONS.jpg)
LOCAL SOLUTIONS
The solution to Sangam Vihar's water supply, sanitation and stormwater problems could lie in decentralised management, suggests a Centre for Science and Environment survey in the unplanned settlement
![CATCHING THE WIND](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/A-B7bhSjo1721125556438/CATCHING-THE-WIND.jpg)
CATCHING THE WIND
Wind is the missing piece of the climate change puzzle. But lack of data makes it difficult to model wind systems
![THE NEW EXTREME EVENT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/ZWoVgzkjv1721124961758/THE-NEW-EXTREME-EVENT.jpg)
THE NEW EXTREME EVENT
Wind circulations are slowing in a warming world, adding to the frequency and intensity of extreme events
![BRACE FOR STILL WINDS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/dLyGV55Qb1721124371531/BRACE-FOR-STILL-WINDS.jpg)
BRACE FOR STILL WINDS
Wind circulations are slowing down across the globe. It may not be immediately apparent in terms of wind speed, which is a local phenomenon. But scientists say global stilling of wind affects almost every aspect of our lives—from unpredictable rainfall to excess heatwaves to frequent or missing storms. It even affects wind energy production and the aviation sector. Evidence shows a clear connection between global warming and wind stilling. Could this be the missing piece in climate models?
![Ground rules](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/zkXXXf0h-1721123836967/GROUND-RULES.jpg)
Ground rules
Space agencies and private players must adhere to exploration norms to ensure integrity of space research
![Insured against heat](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1755894/ZkGDPs7rL1721123294276/INSURED-AGAINST-HEAT.jpg)
Insured against heat
States and private firms are implementing insurance schemes fo protect livestock rearers against milk production losses caused by heat stress
![The Next Pandemic](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/762/1737091/mNHSkGZKo1718799484351/crp_THE-NEXT-PANDEMIC.jpg)
The Next Pandemic
Buoyed by climate change and global trade, pathogens that cause disease outbreaks in food crops are spreading far and wide. They are also evolving fast to reproduce quickly and infect new hosts