By DOROTHY SPEARS12 August 2011 During the shooting of his 2010 documentary Climate Refugees, the Irish-American filmmaker Michael Nash visited nearly 50 countries in about 18 months, interviewing politicians, scientists, health workers and victims of floods, cyclones, hurricanes and droughts. His conclusion was that short- and longer-term changes in climate are causing vast numbers of […]
By Duncan Green8 August 2011 So is famine in the Horn of Africa linked to climate change or not? The question arises whenever “extreme weather events” – hurricanes, floods, droughts – hit our TV screens. It’s impossible to answer with a simple yes or no – but here’s what we think we know so far. […]
NAIROBI, 5 August 2011 (IRIN) – The Horn of Africa is facing what has been called the worst drought in 60 years, with an estimated 12.4 million people urgently needing food. Here are some points about the ongoing food crisis: When to use the “F” word – Although some media reports have described the food […]
By JASON STRAZIUSO4 August 2011 THREE new Somali regions have been declared famine zones, expanding the area where the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality are taking place, including the refugee camps in the capital, Mogadishu. The UN’s food agency said yesterday famine is likely to spread across all of Somalia’s south in the next […]
July 27 (Nairobi Star) – ABOUT 2,000 Mau Forest evictees have asked the government to give them land. They said they preferred being given land and not money. Speaking in Nakuru, leaders from 12 IDP camps accused those who wanted compensation in form of cash as impostors. The camps include Kongasis, Chepkoburon, Tiriyta, Kaptembwo, Kiletien, […]
By ARTHUR WESTING 14 July 2011 Some 200 years ago Benjamin Franklin noted that nothing is certain except for death and taxes. Today Franklin could readily have been additionally certain of the inevitability of two further events of sad note, namely armed conflicts and global warming. In his latest book, impassioned investigative journalist and courageous […]
By Neil MacFARQUHAR20 July 2011 UNITED NATIONS — The persistent inability of the United Nations to forge international consensus on climate change issues was on display Wednesday, as Security Council members disagreed over whether they should address possible instability provoked by problems like rising sea levels or competition over water resources. Western powers like the […]
By David Derbyshire8 July 2011 Global warming will threaten Britain’s security by triggering wars, food shortages and mass migration, Energy Minister Chris Huhne warned today. Although the UK may escape the worst physical impacts of rising temperatures and sea levels, the UK will still be exposed to ‘alarming and shocking’ consequences of climate change elsewhere, […]
BISLE (SOMALI REGION), 12 July 2011 (IRIN) – Every day, 500g of boiled wheat is divided up between two adults, four children, a calf, a goat and a donkey in the Farah household. It is the only food they have had after rains failed for the past two seasons. The 15kg sack of wheat is […]
By PPI12 July 2011 ISLAMABAD: Nearly one year after devastating floods swamped vast tracts of land across Pakistan, affecting over 20 million people, many survivors are still struggling to rebuild their lives as this year’s monsoon season is about to start. “I have patched up my house the best I could, using what few resources […]