Bonn, Germany, Jun 14 (IPS) – We all have dreams. For most of us, those dreams are often quite simple. They are common to individuals and communities all around the world. People just want a place to settle down and…
Category: Environment
Bangladesh landslides toll now 146
Bangladesh authorities Wednesday day launched a fresh rescue campaign as the death toll due to landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains climbed to 144 with over 100 of them reported in a remote hill district close to the Indian border.
More landslides in Ctg, Sylhet likely
Dhaka – Landslide is likely to hit the hilly regions of Sylhet and Chittagong divisions in the next 24 hours beginning from 5pm on Wednesday following heavy to very heavy rainfall. -UNB
Refugee numbers outpace resettlement spots
By IPS World Desk ROME, Jun 13 2017 (IPS) – Against the backdrop of increasing refugee numbers around the globe, fuelled by crisis and insecurity, and an ever-widening gap in places to resettle them, the top United Nations official dealing…
Drought to turn people into eternal migrants in Middle East?
By Baher Kamal Rome, Jun 13 (IPS) – Worldwide, land degradation, severe droughts and advancing desertification are set to force populations to flee their homes and migrate. In the specific case of the Middle East and North of Africa (MENA),…
Hotel trader shot in city
Dhaka – Extortionists stormed the residence of a hotel trader in the city’s Mohakhali area early Tuesday and shot him for his refusal to pay them toll. -UNB
Tropical peat forests risk turning from carbon “drains” to emitters
Peat bogs in tropical forests, long key outlets for greenhouse gases, could dry up due to farming and global warming, further accelerating climate change and putting more pressure on wetlands, a study out Monday found. The vast swamplands, located largely…
Landslides triggered by heavy rains kill 18 in BD districts
Dhaka, Jun 13 – At least 18 people, including seven minors, were killed and a woman and her daughter went missing in separate incidents of hill-slides triggered by heavy rains in Bandarban, Chittagong and Rangamati districts early Tuesday.
Deep depression swamps BD: Tide in 14 coastal villages
Dhaka -Incessant heavy downpour left Dhaka city life in disarray creating traffic chaos and water-logging at many points on Monday. Dhaka saw 132mm (6.5 inches) rainfall in 24 hours till 6pm on Monday, said M Aftab Uddin, a meteorologist at…
‘Flash’ deep depression breaks up over Bangladesh
A prevailing low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal beat all forecasts to intensity with blinding speed into a deep depression overnight and crossed Bangladesh coast early this morning. This had escalated the strength of the system to only a…
Rain eases heat but causes traffic chaos
Dhaka – Though the rain brought some sort of relief after several days of sultry weather, it left the city life in disarray creating traffic chaos and water-logging at many points in the capital on Monday. -UNB
Good initiatives make Rajshahi air cleaner
Planned afforestation and promotion of eco-friendly practices have helped significantly reduce air pollution in Rajshahi city. Rajshahi city dwellers are now getting cleaner air than they used to get few years back, city authorities claimed. Quoting data recorded in ‘Round…
G7 environment summit bears heat of Trump withdrawal
Bologna, June 11 (AP/UNB) – Top environment officials from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies met Sunday in Italy amid ongoing differences between the U.S. and other members of the club over how to deal with climate change.
35pc Tannery factories have relocated from Capital Dhaka
About 35 percent of tanneries in Hazaribagh have relocated to the leather industrial estate in Savar, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu has said.Fifty-five of the 154 tanneries in Savar have started production, said Amu in response to a question from…
Expart finds EIA on Rampal power plant inappropriate
Dhaka, June 10 – The government’s report on the possible impacts of Rampal Power Plant Project on the environment did not properly evaluate its potential risks, said a National Committee report on Saturday.
US backs UN call to save oceans but no action on climate
The United States on Friday joined all 192 other UN member-states in releasing a “Call to Action” to save the oceans but disassociated itself from joint efforts to combat climate change. The declaration capped the UN’s first-ever ocean conference, which…
Germany: Climate will last longer than Trump presidency
San Francisco, Jun 10 (AP/UNB)- Threatened as it is, the Earth’s climate will survive longer than Donald Trump’s presidency, Germany’s environment minister said Friday.
193 nations urge action to protect oceans: US protests
United Nations, Jun 10 (AP/UNB)- The 193 U.N. member nations issued an urgent call for action Friday to reverse the decline in the health and productivity of the world’s oceans – with the United States backing the action plan but…
‘US withdrawal exposes Paris pact’s flaws’
Statement of the March for Science Philippines on US’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord ‘The March for Science Philippines strongly condemns the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump after it pulled out of the Paris Climate…
Changing the way the world views and manages water
The High Level Panel on Water and Connect4Climate announced Thursday that the winner of the Instagram Photo Competition – #All4TheGreen Photo4Climate Contest Special Blue Prize – for the best photo on water is Probal Rashid, from Bangladesh, with a photo…
Will May allow ally DUP to weaken climate action?
Responding to Friday’s news of a hung UK parliament and that the Conservative Party may govern with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), James Orr, Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland Director said: “Under the DUP leadership Northern…
Will Bangladesh’s new vehicle emission standards be enforced
The exponential growth of vehicles over the last decade has forced Bangladesh’s authorities to set new transport emission standards to curb increasing air pollution, in a country of more than two million vehicles and little effective monitoring. The Department of…
Areas in Dhaka at higher risk of chikungunya
Residents at 23 neighbhourhoods in Dhaka were at a greater risk of being infected with Chikungunya, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, bdnews24.com has reported.
Biman gears up for hajj flights
Dhaka – Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to take two 777-200ER aircraft on wet lease for three months to carry Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia smoothly during the upcoming hajj. – UNB
CSIRO kicks off biggest marine pollution survey
The CSIRO has begun what it says is the world’s largest marine pollution survey, in collaboration with other countries, to find out the extent of pollution and examine steps to reduce the litter that enters the oceans. Among the countries…
DiCaprio, Mexico in push to save vaquita porpoise
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a committment Monday to increase efforts to save the vaquita marina porpoise, burying the hatchet in a Twitter feud over the endangered species. In May, DiCaprio asked his millions…
‘Water resources require topmost crisis management’
Dhaka – The policymakers and water experts at a meeting on Wednesday acknowledged that water resources management is the topmost crisis management issue for the country.
Rajuk takes over house: Illegally evicted, says BNP’s Moudud
Dhaka – The Rajdhahi Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) on Wednesday took over former law minister and senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed’s Gulshan house following a court order. Talking to reporters Rajuk’s executive magistrate Khandaker Waliur Rahman said they took over the…
Grameenphone starts mobile handset recycling
To celebrate World Environment Day, Bangladeshi mobile operator Grameenphone has launched its ‘Mobile Handset Recycling’ campaign. Under this initiative, Grameenphone invites customers to deposit their unused/discarded mobile handset in a drop box located at Grameenphone Centres. Grameenphone will recycle these…
Philippines bans workers from travelling to Qatar
The Philippines has temporarily banned its workers from travelling to Qatar after several Arab countries broke off diplomatic ties with the Gulf state. Qatar is being isolated by its neighbours who accuse it of supporting Islamist militants and Iran. More…