In 2023, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural hazards. These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the most catastrophic event …
If producing cultural products, such as books, newspapers, movies or radios, reflects a nation's degree of progress, then the developing world trails far behind. And the gap has decreased only marginally over the last two decades. The South-Northratio of book titles published for every million individuals was 1:10 in 1991, …
Reduction of poverty remains one of the foremost global challenges. An estimated 1.3 billion persons in the developing world will live in. absolute poverty by the turn of the century. While the Headcount method of measuring poverty counts the proportion of people whose income or consumption is below a certain …
Statistics and studies on mining in Goa are rare, few and far between... for obvious reasons, because the private mine- owners form a powerful interest group in the state, which most politicians are wary of disturbing. One authoritative study, entitled Report of the Task-Force of the Eco- Development Plan for …
Is your electricity supply regular? Is your drinking water free of germs? Do your telephones work smoothly? These questions would evoke a unanimous No from most of us. It is now a widely held belief that most of our public services are marked by corruption and callousness. Now a recent …
A large number of developing countries are economically dependent on tobacco export and a major proportion of their gross national product, government revenue and employment comes from tobacco production. But tobacco production has a lot of environmental consequences. Apart from the intensive use of fertilisers, pesticides and water, it affects …
Deadly pesticides pose a serious hazard to the environment in the developing world. These countries continue to import banned pesticides from the West. At least $72.5 million of 12 banned pesticides, called the-Dirty Dozen, were exported from the US between 1991 and 1994. Worse, these dangerous chemicals end up in …
No one disagrees that biodiversity is under increasing threat from "development" Habitat loss accounts for 76 per cent of the pressure on mammal and 60 per cent of the pressure on bird biodiversity. This awareness has forced nations worldwide to declare an increasing percentage of their geography as protected area …
The state of forest report 1995 is the fifth assessment of the forest cover of the country pertaining to the period 1991-93. It is for the first time that the data obtained from the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite has been used by the Forest Survey of India for this assessment. …
In a worldwide search for sustainable development, the energy sector seems to be a viable target for radireform. Even in the dominant coal-fired power industry, much thought has gone into reducing carbon emission for unit power generation. The OECD countries, over this century, have shown a good result on that …
In a recent presentation on The Threatened Birds of India, at the India International Centre, New Delhi, Bikram Grewal, a prolific writer on the birds of India, revealed the sad statistics of India's depleting forest cover and its impact on the avian population. The Red data book of the Zoological …
Everyday, some 40,000 people die from hunger-related causes. In the 47 'least developed' countries, 10 per cent of the world's population subsists on less than 0.5 per cent of world's income. Over a billion people are compelled to live on less than a dollar a day. And the strain on …
Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of claims and counterclaims for plant patents.Around 80 per cent of these claims are from industrial corporations and the rest from non-profitmaking organisation The current plant patenting system is discriminatory as it fails to recognise or reward contributions of …
Environmentally sustainable development is the high point of talk in almost all international fora these But a key policy question is the extent to which the existing tax and subsidy regimes encourage or sustainable use of the environment. The subsidies in 1991 for electricity and fossil fuels are estimated around …
The scenario in the fishing industry is alarming. The state of straddling fish stocks is a global disasaster and overfishing is a major problem. The structure of the fishing industry has something to do with this. Japan takes in the world's largest haul - twice as much as China. But …
Despite increasing growth in food production, food security remains a problem. If the available food energy were evenly distributed within each country, 33 countries would not have been able to assure sufficient food energy (2,200 calories/person/day) during 1990-92. Over 20 per cent of the developing world's population was chronically undernourished …
While malnutrition stays with us in a big way, the quantity of arable land per capita is diminishing rapidly. Africa's population has increased from just under 300 million in 1970, to over 500 million in 1990. The number of malnourished rose from 101 million to 168 million people. The speed …
Contrary to the predictions, starting from the '50s, till the '80s, the world has not seen largescale and persistent shortage of minerals essential for industrial economies, despite prodigious consumption. And the scenario might even remain bright in the near future, claims a study conducted in the United States. But since …
... and also eyes, vegetation, forests, crops, buildings, statues, monuments .... The latest reports of the World Health Organisation show that our cities are becoming like throwbacks to an Auschwitzian nightmare. Gas chambers. More than 600 million people live in cities which have dangerously high levels of sulphur dioxide (S02) …
Women have always had it bad...patriarchy has ensured that down the generations. A look at women in the various spheres of life, in education, workplaces, health status and in power show that men are still cornering the dress circle seats in the world theatre. Discriminated against in terms of education, …
Since the early '60s, medical research and public information campaigns have exposed the dangers -- passive and active -- of tobacco smoke. The resulting public paranoia led to the number of smokers in the US plummetting from 41 per cent to 25 per cent. But now, despite considerable scientific evidence …
