The world is getting warmer and natural hazards are becoming more intense, likely bringing higher economic losses in the future. Today, four major weather perils result in expected economic losses of USD 200 billion annually. With more severe weather coming, economic losses are set to rise. The study analysis finds …
A blaze at a vast rubbish dump made up of six million tonnes of putrefying trash and toxic effluent has kindled fears that poor planning and lax law enforcement are tipping Thailand towards a waste crisis. Locals had long pressed for the closure of the foul-smelling Praeksa landfill site, wedged …
In a startling revelation, an analysis for the Global burden of Diseases has suggested that estimates of the number of people living with HIV are 18•7 per cent smaller than UNAIDS’s estimates in 2012. The number of people living with malaria is larger than estimated by WHO. Significantly, the number …
The Philippines set to work clearing debris, reconnecting power and rebuilding flattened houses on Thursday after a typhoon swept across the country killing 38 people, with at least eight missing, rescue officials said. Typhoon Rammasun, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, was heading towards China after cutting …
THE World Bank yesterday said that it and its private sector arm have committed concessional loans of up to US$4.2 billion to the Philippines to help the country reduce poverty, create jobs and sustain growth as it recovers from the impact of a devastating typhoon and separatist rebellion. The World …
A typhoon killed at least 10 people as it churned across the Philippines and hit the capital, prompting the evacuation of almost more than 370,000 people and shutting financial markets, offices and schools, rescue officials said on Wednesday. The eye of Typhoon Rammasun, the strongest storm to hit the country …
An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted seas about 22 kilometers off the coast of northern Philippine province of Batangas at 7:52 pm local time on Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. No casualties and losses have been reported so far. The earthquake was felt …
The H7N9 bird flu virus, which has caused severe illness and deaths in China, may inhabit only a fraction of its potential range and could possibly spread to India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to a study published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications. The …
Typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes worldwide are shifting out of the tropics and more toward the poles and generally larger populations, likely because of global warming, a new study finds. Atlantic hurricanes, however, don’t follow this trend. While other studies have looked at the storms’ strength and frequency, this is the …
Report reveals rising number of environment and land rights activists being killed worldwide What now happens twice a week to “ordinary people” around the world trying to protect the environment and rights to land? They get killed. That’s the conclusion of a report released last week by UK-based NGO Global …
The Philippines Monday announced plans to spend more on infrastructure and introduce other reforms to try to lift millions out of poverty. The revised Philippine Development Plan sets more ambitious economic targets to address persistent concerns that poor Filipinos are not enjoying the benefits of the country's recent dramatic economic …
This report looks at known killings of people defending environmental and land rights. It identifies a clear rise in such deaths from 2002 and 2013 as competition for natural resources intensifies. In the most comprehensive global analysis of the problem on record, found that at least 908 people have died …
Scientists and farmers make competing claims for cutting-edge science and low-tech sustainable farming to tackle the issue As governments meet in Berlin, scientists and farmers on the frontline of climate change in the Philippines are at odds over how best to adapt agriculture to the much higher temperatures and weather …
Climate change has been a constant reality for many Filipinos, with impacts ranging from extreme weather events to periodic droughts and food scarcity. The most affected populations are coastal residents and rural communities that lack proper disaster preparedness. According to the Center for Global Development, the Philippines is the world's …
Tokyo and Yokohama have been declared the cities at highest risk of natural disaster by Zurich-based Swiss Reinsurance (Swiss Re) in a 2013 study, whose findings were recently announced. Out of a total of 616 cities reviewed, Tokyo and Yokohama both rose to the top thanks to their location in …
17.9 million Kolkatans face serious risk from natural disasters and the city emerges as the world’s seventh riskiest city reveals this new analysis of natural disasters confronting 616 of the world’s largest urban areas. For the first time in human history more people live in cities than in rural areas. …
As governments convene in Japan to discuss environmental change, the need for action to avoid a global food crisis is clear Just three days after my homeland was devastated by typhoon Haiyan, the biggest storm ever to hit land, I attended the opening of the UN climate change talks in …
New Delhi: Just a week ahead of the release of a crucial report of a UN panel on impact of climate change on food, water and other resources, the World Meteorological Organization has set the tone. Sounding a note of caution, it said that “13 of the 14 warmest years” …
वायु प्रदूषण से 2012 में 70 लाख लोग मरे: WHOजिनेवा: संयुक्त राष्ट्र की स्वास्थ्य एजेंसी ने बताया कि वायु प्रदूषण के कारण 2012 में विश्वभर में 70 लाख लोगों की मौत हुई है। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन में सार्वजनिक एवं पर्यावरणीय स्वास्थ्य की प्रमुख मारिया नीरा ने कहा, ‘ घर के …
The Philippines' devastating Typhoon Haiyan and drought in Australia were among recent weather extremes consistent with man-made climate change, the UN's weather agency said on Monday. "Many of the extreme events of 2013 were consistent with what we would expect as a result of human-induced climate change," Michel Jarraud, secretary …
Majority of paints analysed in seven Asian countries, including Nepal, contained astonishingly high lead content and did not meet the international regulatory standards, according to the Asian Regional Paint Report, 2014. International POPs Elimination Network and its partner organisations are carrying out Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project in seven countries …
