Hundreds of lakes dry up and vanish in China

Lake size is sensitive to both climate change and human activities, and therefore serves as an excellent indicator to assess environmental changes. Using a large volume of various datasets, we provide a first complete picture of changes in China’s lakes between 1960s–1980s and 2005–2006. Dramatic changes are found in both lake number and lake size; […]

Kenya conservationists worried over rising ivory demand

Tsavo National Park, Kenya (AFP) Feb 13, 2011 – A slowdown in the increase of Kenya’s elephant numbers is raising fears among conservationists that hard-fought gains in saving the animals may be reversed amid growing demand for ivory. An aerial census conducted in the east African country’s largest elephant sanctuary last week showed a drop […]

Drought-hit China drills wells to save wheat crop – $1 billion earmarked for drought relief – Wheat prices hit historic high

Beijing, 11 February 2011 (AP) — China says it is launching a massive well drilling operation to save the crucial wheat crop stricken by the worst drought in decades. The plan to drill 1,350 wells across eight northeastern provinces follows the announcement of plans to spend $1 billion to alleviate the drought. China is the […]

China to spur rice output as drought shrivels wheat

By Staff WritersFeb 9, 2011 Beijing (AFP) – China called Wednesday for higher rice output to offset damage to its wheat crop in the drought-stricken north and pledged $1 billion in spending to battle a problem the UN warned could be “very serious”. The drought affecting large swathes of northern China is the worst in […]

Food: What’s really behind the unrest in Egypt

By JEFF RUBIN, Globe and Mail BlogPosted on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 6:21AM EST It’s more than coincidence the Arab world is convulsing with social unrest just as the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s widely watched price index recently soared past the previous food price peak set in the summer of 2008. After all, […]

Asia faces climate-induced migration ‘crisis’

[cf. Climate mass migration fears ‘unfounded’] Singapore (AFP) Feb 6, 2011 – Asia must prepare for millions of people to flee their homes to safer havens within countries and across borders as weather patterns become more extreme, the Asian Development Bank warns. A draft of an ADB report obtained by AFP over the weekend and […]

China drought could have serious global impact

By Staff WritersFeb 2, 2011 Beijing (AFP) – Wide swathes of northern China are suffering through their worst drought in 60 years — a dry spell that could have a serious economic impact worldwide if it continues much longer, experts say. Some areas have gone 120 days without any significant rainfall, leaving more than five […]

Peak Water: What is it, and are we there yet?

By Peter GleickJanuary 27, 2011 Peak water is coming. In some places, peak water is here. We’re never going to run out of water — water is a renewable natural resource (mostly). But increasingly, around the world, in the U.S., and locally, we are running up against peak water limits. The concept is so important […]

Tensions rise on worldwide surge in food prices – ‘I am here today because I cannot afford to feed my family’

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 […]

China drought threatens water supplies: state media

By Staff WritersJan 24, 2011 Beijing (AFP) – A months-long dry spell across northern China is threatening drinking water supplies and crops, and more bone-dry conditions are expected, state media said Monday. The capital Beijing has had no significant precipitation in more than three months, the longest such spell in the city in 40 years, […]

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