The investigation found errors by military and commercial vessels sailing nearby, plus ambiguity in the coastguards’ distress calls and confusion about which authorities were responsible for mounting a rescue. This was compounded by a long-term lack of planning by the UN, Nato and European nations over the inevitable increase in refugees fleeing north Africa during the international intervention in Libya.

The report’s author, Tineke Strik described the tragedy as “a dark day for Europe.” It says that NATO and its member states did not cooperate fully with the council’s investigation.

“Many opportunities for saving the lives of the persons on board the boat were lost,” it states. Those who died “could have been rescued if all those involved had complied with their obligations.” The report calls for an overhaul of search-and-rescue procedures in the Mediterranean and for NATO and its individual member states to hold their own inquiries into the incident and allow the full facts to come to light.

Survivors claimed that a military helicopter briefly flew over, offering them food and water and motioning at them to remain in place only to then fly off and never return.

On the 10th day of their ordeal, they say they drifted up to a large military vessel – so close that the survivors claim those on board were photographing them from the deck as they held up the dead babies and empty fuel tanks in a desperate appeal for assistance. That ship has not been definitively identified but the report concludes that it must have been under the command of NATO.

Survivor, Ethiopian Abu Kurke Kebato, now in The Netherlands, said:

“Every night I can see exactly what’s happening once again, the hunger, the thirst, the falling [dying]. These powers, they knew we needed help and they did nothing. They must face justice.”

Strik said:

“The Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas on the planet, yet somehow nobody managed to rescue these migrants. We need more answers and I will continue to look for them. These people did not need to die and those responsible have to be called to account.”

“This is only the beginning, and in the long run there is no doubt that if more evidence is gathered the question may arise about whether a crime has been committed here.”

UNHCR reported recently that 1,500 people “drowned or went missing in 2011 while attempting crossings of the Mediterranean Sea.” The actual number may be even higher; a spokesperson for the agency noted:

“Our estimates are based on interviews with people who reached Europe on boats, telephone calls and e-mails from relatives, as well as reports from Libya and Tunisia from survivors whose boats either sank or were in distress in the early stages of the journey.”

“When you think about the media attention focused on the [Costa] Concordia and then compare it to the more than 1,500 migrant lives lost in the Mediterranean in 2011, the difference is striking,” Strik said.

· Map of deaths at Europe’s borders.

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What would you do to save the planet from irreversible climate change?

Would you protest? Give up your car? During the annual Earth Hour action on Saturday March 31st, taking a stand against climate change is as easy as turning off a light switch.

As the largest environmental event in history, Earth Hour asks people and communities around the world to switch off their lights for one hour as a silent but powerful statement about the effects of human-accelerated climate change. Last year, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour, and thousands of individuals took advantage of the opportunity to go “Beyond The Hour” to change their energy consumption habits for good.

While watching cities around the globe go dark for an entire 60 minutes is a powerful visual of what could happen if we don’t change our collective behavior, it’s only a temporary action. The only way Earth Hour can make a real difference is if people realize that the status quo isn’t working, and we need to start working–quickly–toward a world that’s free from fossil fuels.

This year Earth hour has launched the “I Will If You Will” channel on YouTube to showcase how everyone has the power to change the world we live in. The task is simple: head to YouTube to tell and post a short video about what you are willing to do to save the planet or accept one the challenges already posed by an Earth Hour supporter.

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Written by Bonnie Alter

You could call these coats “transformer clothing” because they do change from a coat into a sleeping bag. But you could also call them humanitarian and inspirational because they save homeless people from freezing in the winter.

The coats were created by a student industrial designer from Detroit.

The Element S (Survival) Coat is self-heated and waterproof and transforms into a sleeping bag at night. It took the designer a long time to test out the possibilities–the first one weighed twenty pounds and was terrible looking. After taking advice from homeless advisors at a local shelter the latest version is made of water and wind and air-resistant polyethylene on the outer layer, which acts as a barrier.

The inner layer is made of Thinsulate and Steelcase fabric to store body heat. It also turns into an over-the-shoulder bag with the arm sockets acting as storage. The design is so clever that it won an International Design prize.

To date 275 coats have been made and one hundred of them have been given to homeless people in Detroit. Two were donated to Occupy Wall Street supporters in New York this past winter.

As explained in the New York Times, it has been quite a journey for Veronika Scott, the designer. It all started with a Detroit professor who had a design activism class where students were given the instruction to “Design to fill a need” and Veronika Scott did just that. Let’s hope she got an A+ on the course.

She has now started up a small non-profit business, Empowerment Plan, which provides homeless women with employment opportunities. In preparation, she has travelled to social entrepreneur fairs, met manufacturers, renovated a space in Detroit on the cheap.

She has had help from her friends. Carhartt is a local company which specialises in work wear and they have donated industrial sewing machines, materials and training guidance. In addition, a local industrial fabric company, is helping her with manufacturing so she can make her coats more quickly

As for the women who are working at the Empowerment Plan, they have been taught how to sew them and are paid for their work. So not only does the coat help the homeless, its creation is providing long-term education and opportunities as well. If you are inspired, you can donate to the project.

This post was originally published by TreeHugger.

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