2011 floods the worst ever in Namibia

By Helvy Shaanika 25 March 2011 OSHAKATI – “The 2011 floods situation can probably take us back 1,000 years because no one is able to measure up or compare the effect,” said the Mayor of Oshakati, Ben Kuutumbeni Kathindi. Kathindi was referring to the flood situation, which many have described as the worst of its […]

Middle East unrest likely to drive nitrogen fertilizer costs higher

By ROBERT BURNS21 March 2011 OVERTON — Escalating unrest in the Middle East is not only going to continue to drive gasoline and diesel fuel prices up to 2008 levels, but there’s a good chance it will do the same to the costs of fertilizing pastures, according to a Texas AgriLife Research expert. Even if […]

90,000 Cape fur seal pups to be clubbed to death this year if ransom not paid

By Amy Lou Jenkins, Green Living Examiner23 March 2011 Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA (South Africa) says that one man, Hatem Yavuz, demands ransom for 90,000 Cape Fur Seals in Namibia. Yavuz has purchased the rights from the Namibian government to club these seals to death and has offered to sell away these rights for […]

Water shortages to damage growth and stoke international tensions: Maplecroft

22 Mar 2011 (BusinessGreen) – Water scarcity could undermine the rapidly growing industrial sectors of China and India, while Europe remains far from immune to water shortage threats, according to new research published to support World Water Day. A quarter of the world’s largest companies are thought to be at risk from water shortages already, […]

Ethiopia dams on Nile river stir conflict

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (UPI) Mar 16, 2011 – Ethiopia is pressing ahead with plans to build large dams on the Nile as upstream African states put pressure on a reluctant Egypt to share the waters of the world’s longest river more equitably. The Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. has awarded the Italian construction firm Salini Costruttori […]

Drought and high fuel prices driving inflation in East Africa

Nairobi — Rising inflation is threatening East Africa Community’s economic growth. From Nairobi to Dar es Salaam and Kampala, all signs point to surging inflation in the region in the coming days. An array of issues from drought to food scarcity to escalating oil prices continue to pile pressure on households’ expenditure. Political crises in […]

La Niña-induced drought ‘to affect millions’

February 21, 2011 (World Meteorological Organization) — Since November, East African countries have registered serious drought conditions that are likely to worsen in coming months. According to data recently released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the La Niña weather effect is largely responsible. WMO said the phenomenon might last up to four more months […]

Without intervention, lions heading for extinction

March 2, 2011 (NPR) – In 1960, there were 400,000 lions living in the wild. Today, there are just 20,000. “That represents a 90 to 95 percent decline,” says National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dereck Joubert. “Unless we start talking about this, these lions will be extinct within the next 10 or 15 years.” Joubert and his […]

Toxic water threatens Johannesburg

24 February 2011 (BBC) – Rapidly rising acidic water in the abandoned gold mines under Johannesburg in South Africa could leak out early next year, the water ministry warns. Its report recommends building pumps and monitoring stations immediately. The toxic liquid has been building up in mine shafts which were dug more than a century […]

Southern Africa farmers face heavy flood losses

By Fidelis Zvomuya 23 Feb 2011 UPINGTON, South Africa (AlertNet) – Temba Mduli’s fields resemble a vast lake, studded with treetops and half-submerged buildings. Once-green corn, soya beans, potatoes and sunflowers have been turned yellow by some of the worst flooding to cut through northern South Africa in years. “I will be lucky just to […]

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