14 September 2019, Humanitarian Aid The UN chief saw for himself the deadly power of Hurricane Dorian on the shattered islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama on Saturday, describing it as more like a “Category Hell” disaster, than the official…
Tag: climate
Germany’s Merkel faces decisive week on climate protection
Berlin, Sep 14 (AP/UNB) — Germany faces a decisive week in its efforts to combat climate change, with Chancellor Angela Merkel pledging Saturday that Europe’s biggest economy will find good solutions but her governing coalition still haggling over a long-promised…
Greta Thunberg takes protest to climate-change denier Trump
Reuters – September 13, 2019 • 11:45 AM EDT Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has shot to global fame for inspiring worldwide student strikes to promote action against climate change, took her mission to US President Donald Trump’s doorstep on…
Monsoon rains destroy Rohingya shelters, prompt WFP response
13 September 2019, Unusually heavy monsoon rains have inundated shelters in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh creating “havoc”, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, as it launched its biggest emergency response of the year for displaced Rohingya families.
Dumping fossil fuels to drive green development
By Busani Bafana Cape Town, South Africa, Sep 11 2019 (IPS) – Disinvestments in fossil fuels amounting to 11 trillion dollars – eight times the global GDP – have been recorded in the last six months of this year, according…
Climate crisis could see collapse of some economies: UNCTAD
Dhaka, Sept 12 – The United Nation’s trade chief has said climate change poses an “existential threat to commodity-dependent developing countries” and highlighted the need to diversify economies and exports.
Landslide feared as heavy rainfall likely in 3 BD divisions
Dhaka, Sept 10 – Due to active monsoon heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at places over Chattogram, Khulna and Barisal divisions during the next 24 hrs commencing 1 pm on Tuesday.
Tokyo braces for direct hit from typhoon Faxai
A strong typhoon that could bring “historic” winds and rain was poised to make a direct hit on Tokyo later Sunday, as authorities warned of high waves, landslides and flooding.
Trust accounts of Cyclone Dorian-hit people of Bahamas
The trail of devastation left by Cyclone Dorian in Bahamas is beyond description. People are yet to be sure how many are dead, because thousands have been listed as missing. Exactly the same situation was noticed when a furious cyclone…
Hurricane Dorian: Bahamas death toll ma be ‘staggering’
The death toll from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas will be “staggering”, the country’s government has warned as aid efforts are being stepped up. The official death toll stands at 43, but is expected to rise further.
Bahamas hurricane death toll might rise as thousands missing
6 September 2019, Humanitarian Aid As the UN and other aid partners respond to huge humanitarian needs in the hurricane-struck northern Bahamas, latest reports indicate that the death toll is likely to increase substantially, the head of an emergency medical…
Food sovereignty Africa’s solution to food, climate crises
For Africa, the climate crisis is a food crisis. The continent will need more food to cope with a growing population, but it is estimated that global warming could cause a 10-20% reduction in Africa’s overall food production. If nothing…
UN chief appeals for G7 pol will to tackle climate threat
26 August 2019 – People all over the world are calling for a shift towards a greener, cleaner future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, stressing that “we have the tools to address the climate emergency, but we need…
Australia offers climate funding to Pacific islands
Australia on Tuesday announced a Aus$500 million ($340 million) climate change package for Pacific island countries, which have been increasingly vocal in demanding their powerful neighbour curb its carbon emissions. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding, drawn from Australia’s…
Burning forests for rain, and other climate catastrophes
By Miriam Gathigah Nairobi, Aug 9 2019 (IPS) – The villagers living on the foothills of Mount Kenya have a belief: If they burn the forest, the rains will come.
Climate change could wipe out California’s Joshua trees by end of century
Joshua trees, an iconic species of the arid southwestern United States, may totally disappear by the end of the century because of climate change, according to a new study. A team from the University of California at Riverside used data…
Iceland honours first glacier lost to climate change
Iceland is planning to mark the passing of Okjokull, its first glacier lost to climate change which threatens some 400 others on the subarctic island. On August 18, a plaque will be unveiled to Okjokull — which translates to “OK…
Some reef islands resilient to climate change
The Pacific’s low-lying reef islands are likely to change shape in response to climate change, rather than simply sinking beneath rising seas and becoming uninhabitable as previously assumed, new research has found. Atoll nations such as Tuvalu, Tokelau and Kiribati…
Climate change worsen soil salinity across Bangladesh coasts
As a country with a large coastline, the adverse impacts of saltwater intrusion are significant in Bangladesh. Salinity mainly affects land and water in the coastal areas.
Six Thakurgaon kids lose lives in cold-related ailments
Thakurgaon, Jan 12 – The sweeping cold wave has claimed the lives of at least six children in the district over the last one week and affected many more, said acting civil surgeon Dr Shahjahan Newaz.
Climate change: Complex challenges for agriculture
The unusually hot summer of 2018 showed that climate change affects a central part of our lives: agriculture. The severe drought in Liechtenstein led to large losses in the hay harvest.
Restore tank irrigation, strengthen rural climate resilience
As Indian farmers grapple with weakening and erratic monsoons over the recent years, combined with the menace of groundwater depletion, conserving and sustainably managing water resources has become all the more important.
Climate change forces Central American farmers to migrate
As he milks his cow, Salvadoran Gilberto Gomez laments that poor harvests, due to excessive rain or drought, practically forced his three children to leave the country and undertake the risky journey, as undocumented migrants, to the United States.
Cold wave sweeps across Bd as voters warm up for election
Dhaka, Dec 29 – People of the country on the election day Sunday may have to experience the bite of cold as heavy to a moderate spell of cold wave accompanied with dense fog is sweeping over the country, said…
Rule book to implement the Paris Agreement is now a reality
Kicking off COP, the WBG announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, more than doubling current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. It was warmly received during the…
Biodiversity Convention decides to address conflicts of interest
Denpasar (Lim Li Lin) — Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have approved conflicts of interest procedures to limit the influence of private sector industry and other economic and vested interests from unduly influencing decisions taken to…
COP24: Day 12 – Negotiations heading into overtime
It’s crunch time in Katowice, on what it supposed to be the last day of COP24, but the talks are heading for an all-nighter. This is not unusual for climate conferences to run late—in fact, they all do. But it…
Cop24: Pre-2020 ambition gap must not be shifted
Katowice, 13 Dec (Prerna Bomzan) – The gap in ambition for emissions reductions of developed countries in the pre-2020 period must not be passed on to developing countries in the post-2020 timeframe of the Paris Agreement (PA) and must be…
Fashionably sustainable plus shaping Cop24 outcome
The apparel industry has a climate problem and it wants to do something about it. In fact, textiles, it has been suggested, cause more carbon emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Now global fashion brands are joining to…
‘Going green’ is good business: Private sector at COP24 meet
Businesses across the world should no longer be viewed solely as greenhouse gas emissions culprits, but more as indispensable partners for climate action, who stand to increase profits from “going green”. That was the key message as the United Nations…