India’s hidden climate change catastrophe: ‘wave upon wave’ of farmer suicides

By Alex RentonSunday, 2 January 2011 Naryamaswamy Naik went to the cupboard and took out a tin of pesticide. Then he stood before his wife and children and drank it. “I don’t know how much he had borrowed. I asked him, but he wouldn’t say,” Sugali Nagamma said, her tiny grandson playing at her feet. […]

Munich Re: Extreme weather events in 2010 ‘provide further indications of advancing climate change’

Munich ReMunich, 3 January 2011 Several major catastrophes in 2010 resulted in substantial losses and an exceptionally high number of fatalities. The overall picture last year was dominated by an accumulation of severe earthquakes to an extent seldom experienced in recent decades. The high number of weather-related natural catastrophes and record temperatures both globally and […]

Arctic Canada gets rain in January

CBC NewsLast Updated: Monday, January 3, 2011 | 6:46 PM CST A lack of sea ice in parts of Canada’s eastern Arctic is contributing to unusually mild temperatures in Nunavut, according to scientists. In recent months, the weather in many parts of Nunavut has been 10 to 12 degrees above the –20 and –30 C […]

MP wants Mau settlers evicted next month

By Kipchumba Kemei27 December 2010 A section of Narok County leaders want the government to clear the 146, 800 hectare Maasai Mau forest of settlers next month. “It will be our new year gift if the forest is going to be cleared of settlements next month. We are tired of waiting,” said the Narok South […]

Video: Australia continues to battle floods

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas reports from the city of BundabergJanuary 02, 2011 River waters are still on the rise in northeastern Australia, where flooding has affected some 200,000 people. In eastern Queensland, the Fitzroy river is threatening to submerge half of the city of Rockhampton. And in the west of the state, the floods have […]

‘Unprecedented’ Australia floods to last for weeks

Devastating floods in Australia have claimed another victim, officials have confirmed, with warnings the high waters may not recede for weeks. Three people have been killed by the flood waters in the last few days, with over 20 towns in the state of Queensland cut off or flooded by the extreme conditions. Military aircraft have […]

Record floods swamp Australia’s northeast coast – ‘We have not seen water this high in recorded history here’

By Daniel Munoz; editing by Jonathan ThatcherSun Jan 2, 2011 10:03am EST GLADSTONE, Australia (Reuters) – Large parts of Australia’s coastal northeast disappeared under floodwaters on Sunday in a spreading disaster that has brought some of the highest floods on record and forced thousands from their homes. Queensland State Treasurer Andrew Fraser described the floods […]

Pakistan floods, fighting destroy wildlife

By Sajjad Tarakzai (AFP)31 December 2010 KUND, Pakistan — Disaster struck out of nowhere. The flash floods were so sudden that wardens at one of Pakistan’s most famed parks could do nothing to save their animals. Leopards, deer and bears all drowned as the murky waters quickly engulfed them. Kund park, a tourist spot located […]

Floods increasing from Patagonia glaciers – ‘If people want to see whether global warming is for real, here it is’

By Jimmy LangmanJanuary 01, 2011 Two and a half years ago, the baker river in Chilean Patagonia suddenly tripled in size, causing a virtual river tsunami. In less than 48 hours, roads, bridges, and farms were severely damaged and dozens of livestock drowned. Residents were in disbelief. Jonathan Leidich, an American whose company regularly leads […]

Video: Australia’s Queensland faces ‘biblical’ flood

BBC1 January 2011 A senior official has described the flooding in Queensland, Australia, as a disaster of “biblical proportions”. State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the economic impact would be severe, with huge costs compounded by lost income from mining, farming and tourism. Rockhampton, where 77,000 people live, is the latest city bracing for impact, amid […]

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