Reports show many insect populations are declining. How will that affect us? A recent study found that bees, ants and beetles were disappearing eight time faster than mammals, birds and reptiles. The general insect decline is being caused by intensive…
Category: Environment
$400 billion climate investment plan for Sahel region
Heads of state of 17 countries in the Sahel region of Africa will hold a summit on Monday in Niamey . To approve a climate investment plan worth $400 billion over 12 years, the Niger government said Wednesday. The “ambitious”…
Amazon’s ‘collaborative’ robots offer peek into the future
Hundreds of orange robots zoom and whiz back and forth like miniature bumper cars — but instead of colliding, they’re following a carefully plotted path to transport thousands of items ordered from online giant Amazon. A young woman fitted out…
Mining grabs up land, deals blow to agriculture
SAN SALVADOR, Feb 19 2019 (IPS) – Like an octopus, metals mining has been spreading its tentacles throughout Central America and dealing a blow to the region’s agriculture and natural ecosystems, according to affected villagers, activists and a new report on…
Two launches collide in Meghna; 30 injured
Dhaka, Feb 20 (UNB) – At least 30 people were injured as two launches collided in the Maghna River near Katpatti Launchghat in Sadar upazila of Munshinganj district on Wednesday. Dhaka-bound launch ‘MV Karnaphuli-14’ crashed into ‘MV Imam Hasan’ coming…
Japan govt, Fukushima operator told to pay over nuclear disaster
A Japanese court awarded nearly $4 million in fresh damages to scores of residents forced to flee their homes after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown yesterday. The Yokohama district court ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) to…
Container-based sanitation: one way to reach the last mile
Submitted by Clementine Marie Stip On Tue, 02/19/2019 co-authors: Seema Thomas, Martin Gambrill Cities are growing at unprecedented rates, with over two-thirds of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050 (UN DESA 2018), and city governments…
Dhaka’s air quality unhealthy; world’s 5th worst
Dhaka, Feb 20 (UNB) – Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked fifth on Wednesday in the AirVisual Index of the world’s cities with the worst air quality. In the real-time air quality ranking, Dhaka scored 164 on Wednesday and classified as “unhealthy”,…
The hidden drama of domestic workers: Roma the movie
STOCKHOLM / ROME, Feb 18 2019 (IPS) – Roma, a 2018 Mexican film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is currently on a triumphal journey through the world. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the best director and best foreign language…
HC bench annoyed over lack of mosquito control
Dhaka, Feb 19 – A High Court bench Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction for not taking effective step to curb the mosquito menace in the capital city of Dhaka. “You (city corporation lawyer) are not taking effective step to curb the mosquito…
Aussie rodent becomes first ‘climate change extinction’
Australia officially declared a Great Barrier Reef rodent extinct today , making it the first mammal believed to have been killed off by human-induced climate change. The rat-like Bramble Cay melomys — whose only known habitat was a small sandy…
Saving the Buriganga: 50 more illegal structures evicted
Dhaka, Feb 18 (UNB) – More than 50 illegal establishments were demolished in an eviction drive Monday by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) along the Buriganga River’s banks. BIWTA Executive Magistrate Mostafizur Rahman led the drive that started…
Gas supply to remain suspended in some parts of capital
Dhaka, Feb 18 – Gas supply in most parts of the capital will remain suspended for 12 hours starting from Tuesday evening due to the relocation of the gas pipelines as part of the construction work of metro rail project.…
India, Nepal to ink agreement for biodiversity conservation
India and Nepal are all set to ink an agreement to cooperate on biodiversity conservation, including transboundary landscape management and focus on conservation of species like tigers, elephants and rhinos. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed…
600 thousand Rohingyas ‘exposed’ to cyclone risks: IFRC
Dhaka, Feb 18 (UNB) – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said an estimated 574,000 people in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya will face the coming cyclone seasons with only rotting bamboo and shredding plastic to protect…
Urgent steps’ needed to save Australia’s biggest river system
The viability of a key river that feeds into Australia’s biggest water system is under threat if poor conditions that killed millions of fish are not improved within six months. The scientists warned today. The management of the Murray-Darling River…
Bahrain authorities trying to solve Bramco wages problem
Bahrain authorities have stepped in to resolve an ongoing unpaid wages row in a company, with labour officials handing over scores of passports back to the employees in the past week. Officials from both the Labour and Social Development Ministry…
Breaking Germany’s Coal Addiction
by Johan Rockström, Owen Gaffney Berlin – Germany is about to break its coal addiction. Last year, the government created a 28-member “coal commission” – comprising scientists, politicians, environmental campaigners, trade unions, and utilities representatives – with the unenviable mandate…
Hasina wants richer sections all over to fight climate change
Munich, Feb 17 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has underscored the ‘will’ of the richer segments of societies – everywhere – to act ambitiously against climate change as there are enormous amount of science, technology, innovation and finance to…
Thousands of UK kids skip school for climate protests
Thousands of schoolchildren went on “strike” across Britain yesterday in a protest against climate change, with hundreds rallying in London’s Parliament Square. Children of all ages chanted “save our planet”, cheered as flares were lit and clambered onto statues in…
Fagun Haway’ draws huge acclamation
Entertainment Desk The premier show of ‘Fagun Haway’, a movie based on the 1952 Language Movement, draw a large number of film loving people at cinema halls. Actor turned director Tauquir Ahmed directed the movie which was released simultaneously at…
Free-flowing rivers, the soul of South Asia
South Asia is a fascinating and important region for the world in numerous respects. Although the eight countries of South Asia form just 3.5 percent of the world’s surface area, the region is home to 1.89 billion people or 24…
Child protection in Rohingya camps still a priority for JRP
Dhaka, Feb 16 (UNB) – As children face “serious protection risks”, including psychosocial distress, neglect, abuse, separation from caregivers, sexual violence, child marriage and labour, child protection system will remain a priority in Rohingya camps this year as well, officials…
Gas supply disrupted in parts of Dhaka, adjoining areas
Dhaka, Feb 16 (UNB) – Different areas of Dhaka city, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Kalabagan, Shyamoli, Agargaon and some adjacent areas like Dhamrai, Ashulia, Aminbazar, Savar and Manikganj have been experiencing disruption in gas supply since Friday night due to a…
Breaking Germany’s coal addiction
By Johan Rockström and Owen Gaffney Berlin – Germany is about to break its coal addiction. Last year, the government created a 28-member “coal commission” – comprising scientists, politicians, environmental campaigners, trade unions, and utilities representatives – with the unenviable…
A green new deal for Europe
By Massimiliano Santini and Fabrizio Tassinari Florence – Earlier last month, Jim Yong Kim abruptly resigned from his post as World Bank president, leaving a pillar of the international financial order without leadership or direction. Kim will join a private…
Geoengineering is a dangerous distraction
Carroll Muffett Washington, DC – As concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide surpass 400 parts per million, the costs of the climate crisis – in terms of economic losses, environmental impacts, and human lives – continue to rise. Last October, the…
Ensure Rohingyas’ basic rights, their repatriation: Dhaka
Dhaka, Feb 15 (UNB) – State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam has said the international community has a shared responsibility to help restore the Rohingyas’ fundamental rights and freedoms, including their right to return to Myanmar in safety…
Bd inks MoUs with Holland for water-sector capacity building
Dhaka, Feb 15 (UNB) – Bangladesh and the Netherlands have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for capacity building of the water sector in Bangladesh. The Water Resources Ministry signed the MoUs — one with Deltares, a prominent Dutch research…
The hidden economic costs of displacement
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 2019 (IPS) – While the impacts of displacement on wellbeing are well-known, one group has pointed to the equally burdensome economic costs for those displaced as well as host communities. In a new report, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre…