Blogging the End of the World™
By Nouriel Roubini7 August 2011 The first half of 2011 showed a slowdown of growth – if not outright contraction – in most advanced economies. Optimists said this was a temporary soft patch. This delusion has been dashed. Even before last week’s panic, the US and other advanced economies were odds-on for a second […]
By Noriyoshi Otsuki and Satoru Murata5 August 2011 FUKUSHIMA–Deep in the mountains, a 4-ton dump truck unloads burlap bags that land with a thud in a hole shaped like a swimming pool 25 meters long and more than 2 meters deep. Another dump truck soon arrives, also filled with burlap bags. The two male workers […]
Caption by Paula Nelson5 August 2011 Devastating floods, driven by unprecedented monsoon rains, began late in July 2010, leaving one-fifth of Pakistan submerged. The rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan directly affected 20 million people mostly by destruction of property, livelihood and infrastructure. It left 2,000 people dead and […]
By Duncan Green8 August 2011 So is famine in the Horn of Africa linked to climate change or not? The question arises whenever “extreme weather events” – hurricanes, floods, droughts – hit our TV screens. It’s impossible to answer with a simple yes or no – but here’s what we think we know so far. […]
August 3 (BBC) – Holidaymakers have been warned to avoid contact with the blue-green algae which is turning some Norfolk Broads green. Aerial photographer Mike Page took pictures of the potentially hazardous bloom during a flight of the broads. Swimmers and dog owners have been warned to avoid contact with the affected water. “We get […]
NAIROBI, 5 August 2011 (IRIN) – The Horn of Africa is facing what has been called the worst drought in 60 years, with an estimated 12.4 million people urgently needing food. Here are some points about the ongoing food crisis: When to use the “F” word – Although some media reports have described the food […]
By Joe Romm 4 August 2011 In light of the sustained drought, Governor Mary Fallin today asked all Oklahomans to set aside time this Sunday, July 17, to pray for rain. That was two weeks ago. The result is that Oklahoma went from the drought condition on the right to the one on the left […]
ABUJA, Nigeria, August 5, 2011 (ENS) – Pollution from over 50 years of oil operations in the Ogoniland region of Nigeria is poisoning communities by contaminating their air, land and drinking water, an in-depth scientific assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme reveals. Conducted at the request of the Nigerian government, the UNEP report blames […]
CHAUVIN, Louisiana, August 5, 2011 (ENS) – This year’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is roughly equal to the land area of the state of New Jersey, scientists said this week. At 6,765 square miles, this area of low oxygen is the 10th largest on record and is considered about average for the […]
By Joe Weisenthal5 August 2011 We used to say that the chart showing the pace of this jobs “recovery” vs. all other jobs recoveries was the scariest jobs chart ever (see here for example). But we’ve since changed our mind. It’s the average duration of unemployment — which surges without any sign of slowing down […]
