Stretched Australian fire crews battle 'worst ever' conditions

Fire authorities are stretched to their limit fighting dozens of fires across Victoria and New South Wales, which have destroyed dozens of homes. A change in wind direction is making life extremely difficult for firefighters in Victoria, as they race to limit the number of houses that are lost. … Victoria’s Premier John Brumby said […]

Australia heat: 'Worst day in history' – wooden power poles ‘self-igniting’ – morgue workload triples

  by Marc Moncrief Victorians should cancel whatever plans they may have had for tomorrow and take whatever steps necessary to prepare for what Premier John Brumby is calling the "worst day in the history of the state". With temperatures set to soar to the mid-40s throughout Victoria, Mr Brumby said the conditions were worse […]

China declares drought emergency

By Lucy Hornby LIDONG VILLAGE, China (Reuters) – China has declared an emergency over a drought which could damage the important wheat crop, threatening further hardship for farmers amid slumping economic growth. The dry winter gripping parts of central and northern China has sent Zhengzhou wheat futures up 5 percent this week but physical prices […]

The vanishing marshes of Mesopotamia

  MARSHES, Iraq (Reuters) – Miles of reed stalks and baked mud are all that can be seen of much of Iraq’s ancient marshes this year, as a lack of water threatens to turn one of the world’s most important wetlands to wasteland.  Thought to be the biblical Garden of Eden, Iraq’s marshes have for […]

Argentina declares farm emergency amid worst drought since 1930s

By DEBORA REY, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s president declared an agricultural emergency Monday in the nation’s breadbasket provinces, responding to a key demand by powerful farm organizations amid the worst drought in decades. Cristina Fernandez told political and business leaders in a televised press conference that the decree will exempt thousands […]

Lake Mead could dry up by 2021 amid Western water shortages

SALT LAKE CITY – Seven Western states will face more water shortages in the years ahead as climate change exacerbates the strains drought and a growing population have put on the Colorado River, scientists say. "Clearly we’re on a collision course between supply and demand," said Brad Udall, director of the Western Water Assessment at […]

Warm winter 'major threat' to China's agriculture

Prolonged periods of drought resulting from China’s 23rd consecutive "warm winter" will pose a serious threat to the country’s crop yields, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a report published Tuesday. Some regions could experience droughts until the spring, the report said, adding that the warm weather might even continue until summer. Warm winter […]

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