Dhaka, June 6 (UNB) – The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist local cautionary signal No 3 as squally weather is likely to hit coastal Bangladesh. A low pressure area has formed…
Category: Climate
Ecuador in frontline to address climate change
By Matilde Mordt QUITO, Ecuador, Jun 5 2019 (IPS) – As the UN commemorates World Environment Day, UNDP would like to take this opportunity to commend Ecuador’s efforts to address climate change and its commitment to raising its climate ambition.…
Standing up for the clean air we deserve!
By Mahamadou Tounkara Jun 5 2019 – (GGGI) – Air pollution has become the number one environmental problem affecting people’s health, impacting 300 million children worldwide and contributing to the premature death of 600 thousand children every year. Indoor air…
Dhaka asks for climate justice, compensation
Dhaka, June 5 – State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has asked for climate justice that needs to be established and demanded compensation and adequate financial and other assistance for adaptation measures. He called for more concrete global…
The Myth of Climate Wars?
by Alaa Murabit, Luca Bücken New York – In the years leading up to Syria’s civil war, the country endured three consecutive record-breaking droughts. By forcing internal displacement, the droughts arguably contributed to the social tensions that erupted in popular…
Solar-powered dug-wells bring hopes to drought-prone BD people
Naogaon, May 26 – The phrase ‘drought-prone region’ to describe a cluster of districts in Bangladesh’s north sounds almost benign, and hardly captures the perpetual hardships of people engaged in a daily battle for water, the other name of life.…
Organic croplands emit 40% less GHG, mitigate climate change
With a share of 10–12% in carbon-dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq.), agriculture contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Considering indirect emissions from agriculture-related activities such as fertiliser production and land use change, this share can be up to 30%. In…
Preserving biodiversity vital to reverse tide of climate change
The food people eat around the world is becoming “alarmingly homogenous” according to UN data, even though access to a wide variety of nutritious food has never been greater. That warning comes as the world marks the International Day for…
Global hunger threatening families because of climate change
By Siddharth Chatterjee Nairobi, Kenya, May 2019 (IPS) – There is barely a corner of human life that will not be affected by climate change, and some of its impacts are already being felt. Consider this, 821 million people are…
Act urgently on climate change: Urban 20 Group urge G20
Mayors and Governors of U20 cities, including Tokyo, Berlin, Jakarta, Rome and Osaka will present the Urban 20 Communiqué to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of G20 Summit in Japan U20 urges G20 leaders to ensure greenhouse gas emissions peak…
Bonda tribe of India’s Odisha hit by changing climate
by Tanmoy Bhaduri The Bonda people, living in hilltop villages on the Kondakamberu mountain range in Odisha, are one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the state. • Rising temperatures and deforestation, along with poor development and…
Climate change is the battle of my life: UN chief
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres saw the frontline of “the battle against climate change” for himself on Thursday, by taking to the tropical waters of the South Pacific off the coast of Fiji, on a solar-powered boat. Mr. Guterres was…
Floating houses project of BD wins RISK Award for resilience
Dhaka, May 18 (UNB) – A project that pioneers floating houses in Bangladesh has won the prestigious RISK Award 2019. It has been designed in a way so that it can house a family of six, and they can survive…
A low-carbon Belt and Road
By Ma Jun and Simon Zadek Beijing – Discussions about climate action nowadays often focus on the largest past and current emitters. But, if one looks to the future, the biggest climate risks and opportunities lie in the more than…
Europe should lead on climate action
By Connie Hedegaard Brussels – Since the massive mobilization effort that preceded the 2009 Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, the world has begun translating words and intentions into real action on climate change. European leadership – from government,…
A carbon dividend is better than a carbon tax
By Mark Paul and Anthony Underwood Sarasota – Climate change is the world’s most urgent problem, and in the United States, the left, at least, is taking it seriously. Earlier this year, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator…
Save the whole planet from climate change in self-interest
Concluding a week-long visit to the South Pacific, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the world’s decision-makers to make “enlightened” choices on climate action because “the whole planet” is at stake. “Over the past week, I have witnessed first-hand…
Stop Tuvalu and ‘the world from sinking’: Guterres
Tuvalu “faces an existential threat from sea-level rise”, the United Nations chief said during his visit to the Pacific island nation on Friday whose highest point is less than five metres above the waves. “We must stop Tuvalu from sinking…
Largest freshwater lake in BD inching towards death
Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 17(UNB/IPS) – Kaptai Lake, the biggest manmade lake in Bangladesh, is heading for a tragic end as sediments fill up its bottom and waste materials continue to pollute it every day. The 688-square-kilometre lake, created by damming…
UN chief outlines ‘intertwined challenges’ of climate change
Visiting Fiji for the first time as Secretary-General, António Guterres outlined two “fundamental challenges” facing leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum on Tuesday, namely climate change and the world’s rising ocean, which threatens to submerge low-lying nations. “The Pacific region…
Save biodiversity from Nature’s destruction, climate change
LONDON, May 13 2019 (IPS) – The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ report on the global state of biodiversity is shocking but not entirely surprising. The question is, how much more evidence and repeated warnings will it take for…
UN chief in New Zealand to step-up climate change fight
New Zealand, May 12(AP/UNB) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in New Zealand as part of a trip to the South Pacific to highlight the issue of climate change. Guterres plans to spend three days in New Zealand where…
Ensuring the ‘lungs of the planet’ keep us alive
Forests are vitally important for sustaining life on Earth, and play a major role in the fight against climate change. With the 2019 session of the United Nations Forum on Forests wrapping up on Friday in New York, we delve…
Plastic waste pact approved with US among few holdouts
Geneva, May 11 (AP/UNB) — Almost every country in the world has agreed on a legally binding framework for reducing polluting plastic waste, with the United States a notable exception, United Nations environmental officials said Friday. An agreement on tracking…
30 UN entities seek more action to deal with climate change
Dhaka, May 10 (UNB) – The leaders of more than 30 UN agencies and entities have issued a formal joint appeal for governments everywhere to “step up ambition and take concrete actions” to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above…
Dhaka to have sweltering hot weather for some more days
Dhaka, May 9 – The people would not get relief from the summer hot spell as the ongoing condition is likely to continue in the next three to four days across Bangladesh, said the met office. The highest temperature recorded…
Cyclone Fani caused Tk 5.36 bln of damage: BD Minister
Dhaka, May 9 (UNB)— The damage caused by cyclone Fani, which hit Bangladesh earlier this month, has been estimated to be Tk 536.61 crore, the government said Thursday. It affected the environment, infrastructure and livelihood of the people when it…
Conservation of Sikkim biodiversity needs re-strategising: study
by T. V. Padma on 6 May 2019 • Protected areas in the Himalayan region in India need to be expanded to conserve endemic Himalayan species and minimise the impact of climate change, a new study has shown. • Creating…
16 killed in 2 days as Cyclone Fani ravaged Bangladesh
Dhaka, May 4 – At least 16 people, including two children, were killed and dozens of others injured on Friday and Saturday as cyclonic storm Fani has unleashed its force on Bangladesh after ravaging eastern India. Fani which once turned…
Cyclone ‘Fani’: BIWTA suspends water transport
Dhaka – The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) on Thursday suspended the operation of all types of water transports across the country due to formation of cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ over the Bay. The movement of launches, ferries and speedboats…