Inside China’s desperate effort to control pollution, before it’s too late

By Ari Phillips    26 November 2013 (Climate Progress) – If James Carville was giving the Chinese government public relations advice, he might say something like, “It’s the pollution, stupid.” But this wouldn’t be anything the Chinese government doesn’t already know. When eight-year-olds start getting lung cancer that can be attributed to air pollution, you’ve got […]

China tells pilots to improve landing skills to deal with Beijing smog

By Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry11 December 2013 BEIJING  (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have told pilots who fly to Beijing they must be qualified to land their aircraft in the low visibility bought about by smog, state media said on Thursday, as the government tries to reduce flight delays due to pollution. Beginning January […]

Philippines: 4 million people remain displaced after Typhoon Haiyan

7 December 2013 (OCHA) – According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), approximately 4 million people remain displaced as a result of Typhoon Haiyan, including 94,310 people living in 385 evacuation centres (ECs). The number of people living in evacuation centres has decreased, mostly due to the increased availability of shelter materials […]

Shanghai orders cars off roads as record air pollution drives people indoors

6 December 2013 (Bloomberg News) – Shanghai ordered vehicles off the road and factories to cut production after pollution reached hazardous levels, as Hong Kong announced plans to introduce an air quality index that assesses health risks from smog. A heavy fog shrouding Shanghai caused widespread flight cancellations and sent an air quality index monitored […]

China will get old before it gets rich – Precipitous decline in ratio of working-age people to total population

By Quoctrung Bui15 November 2013 (NPR) – China’s decision to (further) relax its infamous one-child policy is, as much as anything, an economic decision. China put the one-child policy in place decades ago, when the country feared a destabilizing population boom. It benefited in the short run — the country slowed its population growth and […]

Typhoon Haiyan: How a catastrophe unfolded

By Te-Ping Chen, James T. Areddy, and James Hookway 24 November 2013 TACLOBAN, Philippines (The Wall Street Journal) – Framed by mountains and facing the deep sapphire waters of the Pacific Ocean, Tacloban was a city on the rise. The bustling provincial capital had a busy port and seaside cathedrals, and is just a few […]

Graph of the Day: Forest fires near Yakutsk, Russia, 2000-2012

By Brad Plumer14 November 2013 (Washington Post) – From a new study in the journal Science: the first effort to quantify in detail how forests are changing and disappearing over the past decade. The research team, led by the University of Maryland, used Landsat satellite images and Google’s Earth Engine to assemble detailed new maps. […]

Philippines: 4.4 million people displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, including over 1 million children

20 November 2013 (UNOCHA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) estimates that 13.25 million people have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), including about 5.4 million children, many of whom face serious protection, health and safety risks. In total, over 4.4 million people have been displaced, including over 1 […]

Philippines: Number of displaced people increases from 3 million to 4 million – 2.5 million people require food aid

17 November 2013 (UNOCHA) – According to Government estimates, Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) has affected between 10 million and 12.9 million people in nine regions, with nearly 40 per cent of affected people from Central Visayas. Estimates of affected people have decreased slightly in the last day as Government agencies continue to validate […]

Philippines typhoon survivors desperate for clean water – ‘Forgotten’ survivors tell of hunt for food – Grounded barge spills 1.2 million liters of oil into bay

By Christopher Bodeen and Kristen Gelineau, with additional reporting by Christopher Bodeen from Beijing 16 November 2013 TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) – Since the typhoon hit, Danny Estember has been hiking three hours round-trip into the mountains each day to obtain what he can only hope is clean water for his five daughters and two sons. […]

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