As world population hits 7 billion, megacities pose growing risks

By Lord Julian Hunt and Professor Yuguo Li Oct 31, 2011 08:41 EDT The world population has officially reached seven billion, according to the UN.  This historic landmark reminds us of the massive challenges, including here in Europe, created by an ever-increasing number of humans on the planet. Growing populations are also driving another mega […]

Life in drought: Parched Texas town seeks emergency fix – Remaining water ‘tastes ugly and it stinks’

By Kiah Collier; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Greg McCune29 October 2011 ROBERT LEE, Texas (Reuters) – No one drinks the tap water, which is unbearably briny as the lake dries up. After one of the hottest summers on record, the lake that is the lone water supply and main recreational draw in this tiny […]

Stocks running out in Pakistan’s flood-hit areas as winter closes in

Editor: Wang Guanqun, english.news.cn  29 October 2011 ISLAMABAD, October 29 (Xinhua) – The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday that needs of flood-hit Pakistani people are rising as winter approaches and reported outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Heavy monsoon rains in August caused floods in southern Sindh province and affected […]

Heavy flooding gushes into Bangkok’s riverfront – Tens of thousands flee city

October 28 (AP)  BANGKOK – The main river coursing through Thailand’s capital swelled to record highs Friday, briefly flooding riverside buildings and an ornate royal complex at high tide amid fears that flood defenses could break and swamp the heart of the city. Ankle-high water from the Chao Phraya river spilled through one sandbagged entranceway […]

Image of the Day: Satellite View of the Flooded Thai City of Ayutthaya

Caption by Michon Scott with information from Kenneth Duda, U.S. Geological Survey27 October 2011 The Chao Phraya River forms at the confluence of smaller rivers in central Thailand, and flows southward to the Gulf of Thailand. En route to the sea, the river passes through Ayutthaya. First established in the fourteenth century, Ayutthaya lies north […]

Graph of the Day: Maplecroft Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2012

The Climate Change Vulnerability Index features subnational maps and analysis of climate change vulnerability and the adaptive capacity to combat climate change in 193 countries. It features an improved methodology analysing the exposure of populations to climate related natural hazards and sensitivity of countries in terms of population concentration, development, natural resources, agricultural dependency and […]

Maplecroft: World’s fastest growing populations increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

October 26 (Maplecroft) – The fourth release of Maplecroft’s Climate Change and Environment Risk Atlas includes a new Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) that analyses and maps climate change vulnerability down to 25km² worldwide. It reveals that some of the world’s fastest growing populations are increasingly at risk from the impacts of climate related natural […]

Millions will be trapped amid climate change, study warns

By HILLARY ROSNER20 October 2011 Millions of people are expected to become trapped in places that are extremely vulnerable to environmental change in the course of this century, according to a British government study released on Thursday. Prepared by the Foresight group, a think tank that advises the government on planning for the future, the […]

Why the world may be running out of clean water

By Bryan Walsh18 October 2011 Earlier this month, officials in the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu had to confront a pretty dire problem: they were running out of water. Due to a severe and lasting drought, water reserves in this country of 11,000 people had dwindled to just a few days’ worth. Climate change […]

Some farms in U.S. South hit by drought and floods in 2011

By JEANNIE NUSS17 October 2011 KIBLER, Ark. — In a year when severe drought scorched the Southwest, a hurricane drowned crops in the East, and river flooding swamped farms in the Midwest, one of the worst places to be a farmer may be just west of the Mississippi River. Not only have Arkansas and Louisiana […]

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