Editor’s note: Of the world’s 50,000 edible plant species, only a few hundred find their way to menus around the globe. Of those, just three — rice, wheat and maize — make up two-thirds of the human food supply. And only rice is responsible for feeding half the world, or more than 3.5 billion people. […]
DURBAN, South Africa, November 28 (AP) – Global warming already is causing suffering and conflict in Africa, from drought in Sudan and Somalia to flooding in South Africa, President Jacob Zuma said Monday, urging delegates at an international climate conference to look beyond national interests for solutions [United Nations Climate Change Conference 2011]. “For most […]
By GILLIAN GOTORA, Associated Press26 November 2011 HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – As she surveys her small, bare plot in Zimbabwe’s capital, farmer Janet Vambe knows something serious is happening, even if she has never heard of climate change. “Long ago, I could set my calendar with the date the rains started,” the 72-year-old said. Nowadays, […]
By Noe Torres, with additional reporting by Adriana Barrera; Editing by Marguerita Choy25 November 2011 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico is being battered its worst drought in seven decades, which has devastated farm life and is expected to continue into next year. The lack of rainfall has affected almost 70 percent of the country and […]
BANGKOK, November 26 (Xinhua) – According to the World Bank, the devastating floods have caused about $45 billion in estimated damage and are likely to slash Thailand’s economic growth to 2.4 percent this year, Bangkok Post reported on Saturday. The grim assessment was unveiled by the bank’s country director Annette Dixon after a meeting with […]
By Olivia Kumwenda24 November 2011 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Rainfall patterns in southern Africa are becoming erratic as climate change takes its toll, threatening long-term production of staple and cash crops in the region. Countries like South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi have enjoyed bumper harvests of their staple maize crop in recent years, ensuring food security […]
[It’s amazing that for all the bloviating on Pakistan during the parade of belligerent ignorance at this week’s Republican national security “debate”, the catastrophic flooding of 2010 and 2011 wasn’t mentioned once.] ISLAMABAD – More than two months after the August floods hit the southern Pakistan, millions of affected people are still at great risk […]
ISLAMABAD – International aid agencies warn they are running short of money and supplies to help millions of people affected by floods in Pakistan. The statement was issued on Wednesday by the United Nations and several other aid groups, including Oxfam, Save the Children, Care and ACTED. The U.N. says it has only raised $96.5 […]
From David Challenger, with CNN’s Liz Neisloss and Kocha Olarn contributing10 November 2011 (CNN) – As Thailand continues to battle its worst floods in 50 years, a political analyst involved in the relief effort predicted that streets in the capital would remain flooded for at least two weeks. “The best-case scenario, two weeks, or one […]
By Ann M. Simmons in Los Angeles4 November 2011 Floodwaters in Thailand have crept closer to central Bangkok, forcing new evacuations and the closure of one of the country’s largest shopping malls as the deluge threatened to swamp the Thai capital’s subway system, according to international news agencies. Bloomberg news service reported Friday that Thai […]
