By Jennifer A Dlouhy and Ari Natter Hurricane Harvey took aim at one of the nation’s most industrial regions, releasing a stream of toxic pollutants from chemical plants, refineries and Superfund sites in Texas. But when its bigger sister Irma…
Category: climate
FEMA estimates 25pc of Florida Keys homes gone
Florida, Sep 13 (AP/UNB) — With 25 percent of the homes in the Florida Keys feared destroyed, emergency workers Tuesday rushed to find Hurricane Irma’s victims — dead or alive — and deliver food and water to the stricken island…
Europe leaders view Irma-devastated Carribbean islands
Philipsburg, Sep 13 (AP/UNB) — France’s president and the Dutch king visited Caribbean territories Tuesday that were hammered by Hurricane Irma, bringing in much-needed food, water and medical supplies amid accusations that European governments were unprepared, slow to react and…
Alert: Nature is on the verge of bankruptcy
By Baher Kamal Rome, Sep 12 (IPS) – Pressures on global land resources are now greater than ever, as a rapidly increasing population coupled with rising levels of consumption is placing ever-larger demands on the world’s land-based natural capital, warns…
How farmers save agriculture by fighting back drought
By Geoffrey Kamadi As sub-Saharan Africa’s climate changes, small-scale farmers are increasingly looking to innovative ways of dealing with agricultural challenges. And in some instances, the techniques they adopt are helping to combat climate change, too.
Floods – hurricanes – droughts… when climate sets the agenda
By Baher Kamal Rome, Sep 11(IPS) – When officials and experts from all over the world started the first-ever environmental summit hosted by China, they were already aware that climate and weather-related disasters were already seriously beginning to set the…
Capacity development for climate compatible development
By Juliane Nier, Rachel Phillips and Russell Cook Accelerating the shift to climate compatible development is CDKN’s business and improving the lives of the most climate-affected people is our mission. A multi-year, £130 million programme funded by the British and…
10 things to know about the future of water and sanitation
Nathaniel Mason and Miriam Denis Le Sève The world is transforming in many different ways. These shifts – from climate change, o migration, to new technology and urbanisation – will have a significant impact on the management of water resources…
Mexico quake death toll rises above 61 as rescue begins
The number of people killed by a powerful earthquake off the southern coast of Mexico has risen to at least 61, officials say. A huge rescue operation is under way in the worst-hit states of Tabasco, Oaxaca and Chiapas where…
Over 5m told to flee Florida coast Irma onslaught
Miami, Sep 09 (AP/UNB) — Irma trained its sights on Florida and officials warned more than 5 million people that time was running out Friday and ordered them to evacuate ahead of the deadly hurricane as it followed a path…
Hurricane Irma causes devastation across the Caribbean
Hurricane Irma has caused widespread destruction across the Caribbean, reducing islands to rubble and leaving at least seven people killed.
Rain delays resumption of Chittagong Test
Dhaka – Heavy rain delayed the start of the third day’s play in the second and final test between Australia and Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Houston left with a toxic mess as Trump relaxes rules
By BEN LEFEBVRE and ALEX GUILLÉN Explosions and fires at a Houston-area chemical plant triggered an evacuation Thursday in a region still in chaos from Hurricane Harvey — and generated new criticism of President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal the…
Houston flood: ‘No way to prevent’ chemical plant blaze
A chemical plant near the flooded city of Houston is expected to explode or catch fire in the coming days. During heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, the Arkema plant at Crosby lost refrigeration of chemical compounds which need to be…
Rising temperatures may limit aircraft takeoffs globally
By Rabiya Jaffery Abu Dhabi, Aug 29 (IPS) – Rising temperatures due to global warming may ground up to a third of aeroplanes worldwide in the decades to come, according to a recently published analysis by Columbia University. During the…
Building climate resilience in coastal communities of the Caribbean
By Zadie Neufville Negril, Jamaica, Aug 24 (IPS) – Ceylon Clayton is trying to revive a sea moss growing project he and friends started a few years ago to supplement their dwindling earnings as fishermen. This time, he has sought…
Climate migrants might reach one billion by 2050
By Baher Kamal Rome, Aug 21 (IPS) – Imagine a world with as many as one billion people facing harsh climate change impacts resulting in devastating droughts and/or floods, extreme weather, destruction of natural resources, in particular lands, soils and…
No end to flood victims’ miseries
Dhaka, Aug 20 – Although the overall flood situation in the country’s northern region improved further on Sunday, thousands of affected people could not return to their houses as those remain still under water amid a crisis of food and…
What does “climate-smart agriculture” really mean?
By Desmond Brown The base for a water catchment tank. Faced with severe droughts, many farmers in the Caribbean have found it necessary to set up catchment areas to harvest water whenever it rains. Credit: CDB PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,…
Weathering the violence of climate change
Gulrez Shah Azhar Santa Monica – With India experiencing its worst drought in 140 years, Indian farmers have taken to the streets. At a protest in Madhya Pradesh this summer, police opened fire on farmers demanding debt relief and better…
Flood situation worsens: Rivers around Dhaka swell
Dhaka, Aug 15 – Four more people have drowned in floodwater in Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon and Netrakona districts as the overall flood situation worsened in several districts while remained static in some others.
Tool separates wheat from chaff for climate-smart Ag Finance
By Desmond Brown Port of Spain, Trinidad, Aug 14(IPS) – Climate-smart agriculture seeks to achieve food security and broader development goals under a changing climate and increasing food demand.
Floods kill 20 in last two days: Maya
Dhaka – Disaster management and relief minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said that twenty people were killed by floodwaters in the northern districts in the last two days.”A total of 5.86 lakh people of the 20 districts have become flood…
Rail link snapped: Bundhs collapse in Rangpur-Dinajpur floods
Dhaka, Aug – Rail communication of Dinajpur with Dhaka remained suspended since Sunday night as rail tracks in Sadar Upazila went under water. Dinajpur railway station master Monirul Islam told UNB that rail links of Dinajpur with Dhaka and Panchagarh…
Maldives airports prepare plan to cope with disasters
Singapore – Media OutReach – 14 August – Deutsche Post DHL Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will support the Maldives authorities in their efforts to build resilience against future natural disasters. The two partners will team up…
Devastating flood feared from Ganges-Brahmaputra
Dhaka – Bangladesh braces for even higher, unprecedented floods. The latest satellite imagery of accumulated rainfall by NASA and captured by Indian water expert Himanshu Thakkar shows that Assam Bangladesh, West Bengal and Bihar – already in spate – may…
US notifies UN of Paris climate deal pullout
The Trump administration has issued its first written notification that the US intends to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Rain continues causing misery to Dhaka-dwellers
Dhaka, Aug 3 – Rain between scorching heat should have been a relief for many. But now the rain has turned into a cause of miseries for Dhaka dwellers as they have to endure waterlogged roads and traffic gridlock after…
Unmasking the climate-change deniers
Benjamin Franta Stanford – Twenty-five years after the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on May 9, 1992, the world has yet to implement a treaty that effectively addresses global warming. Now, following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal…
RU campus inundated by light rainfall of last few days
Rajshahi – The students of Rajshahi University (RU) have been suffering from waterlogging caused by light rainfall of the last few days. The problem of water logging is being faced for many years due to the poor drainage system, informed…