By Jane CowanTuesday, February 1, 2011 ELEANOR HALL: It was with a touch of irony that Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kim Beazley, opened a World Bank drought conference today. Mr Beazley admitted it was a tough job selling Australia’s expertise on drought with so much of the country under water. But he urged […]
Life improved for Pakyarani’s family when the war ended, but then the floods came and washed away their hopes. 29 Jan 2011 (Al Jazeera) – Recent flooding in eastern Sri Lanka destroyed thousands of homes, devastated the rice crop and drowned thousands of livestock. A million people, 40 per cent of them children, are at […]
ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2011) — Scientists from Stony Brook University are reporting new evidence that cultivating coca bushes, the source of cocaine, is speeding up destruction of rainforests in Colombia and threatening the region’s “hotspots” of plant and animal diversity. The findings, which they say underscore the need for establishing larger protected areas to help […]
ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2011) — The increased frequency of drought observed in eastern Africa over the last 20 years is likely to continue as long as global temperatures continue to rise, according to new research published in Climate Dynamics. This poses increased risk to the estimated 17.5 million people in the Greater Horn of Africa […]
BRISBANE, January 28, 2011 (AP) — Deadly floodwaters that have swamped huge parts of Australia will cost the nation 1 billion Australian dollars ($990 million) in agricultural losses and billions more in lost coal exports, the nation’s treasurer said Friday. The damage figures released by federal Treasurer Wayne Swan were the first official estimates of […]
By Annalyn Censky, staff reporterJanuary 28, 2011: 5:11 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Food prices have been rising worldwide, as the cost of raw materials and agricultural products surge, contributing to political unrest around the globe. In December, international food prices broke an all-time high when they rose 25% for the year, led by […]
By Marwan Ibrahim Marwan IbrahimSat Jan 29, 5:43 am ET KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) – A worsening water shortage in Iraq is raising tensions in the multi-ethnic Kirkuk province, where Arab farmers accuse the Kurdistan region of ruining them by closing the valves to a dam in winter. “We are harmed by the Kurds, and the […]
COLOMBO, 28 January 2011 (IRIN) – Weather experts in Sri Lanka warn of more heavy rains and possible flooding in the country’s eastern and northern regions. GB Samarasinghe, head of the country’s Meteorological Department, told IRIN strong winds were being predicted for end-February. “Weather experts warn of the possibility of extreme weather again,” he said, […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com January 27, 2011 An interview with Ian Craigie. The big mammals for which Africa is so famous are vanishing in staggering numbers. According to a study published last year: Africa’s large mammal populations have dropped by 59% in just 40 years. But what is even more alarming was that the study […]
By Gregory WhiteJan. 22, 2011, 12:08 PM Food inflation is now a reality for much of the world. It contributed to the overthrow of the Tunisian government, has led to riots across the Middle East and North Africa, driven up costs in China and India, and may only be getting started. Whether you blame a […]
