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 significant rise in sea levels due to global warming could result in the loss of species and habitats in the coastal areas of more than a thousand islands in South-East Asia and the Pacific region, leading to the potential displacement of many millions of people, according to a study. …
The National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) is offering a technology for clear extraction of banana fibre on a non-exclusive basis. NIIST is an affiliate of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) based here. PATENT SOUGHT The indigenously developed process know-how is for ‘clean extraction of …
Worldwide, there is a need to enhance our understanding of vulnerability and to develop methodologies and tools to assess vulnerability. One of the most important goals of assessing coastal flood vulnerability, in particular, is to create a readily understandable link between the theoretical concepts of flood vulnerability and the day-to-day …
Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian prince is promoting an “upstream” technology that can put an end to the dengue menace affecting thousands of people in many countries, including India. Tunku Naquiyuddin Ja’afar, son of the late 10th King of Malaysia, was recently in the Philippines to present his new organic pesticide …
The Madras High Court has upheld the validity of a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on March 16 last year banning the manufacture, sale and distribution of Gatifloxacin, a drug used for treating acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, acute sinusitis and community acquired …
A yearly review of countries' greenhouse gas emissions cut pledges under an extension to the global climate pact the Kyoto Protocol could be a way to raise climate ambitions, the European Union's lead climate negotiator said on Wednesday. Negotiators from over 180 countries are meeting in Bonn, Germany, until Friday …
The Philippine fisheries chief on Sunday said he had ordered a study into a foreign species called the ‘knife fish’ that was posing a threat to the local fishing industry at the country’s largest lake. The knife-shaped fish are reported to be multiplying in Laguna Lake where they are displacing …
The anti-dumping decision is among the biggest in U.S. history The United States, on Thursday, announced the imposition of anti-dumping tariffs of more than 31 per cent on solar panels from China. The move by the Commerce Department is certain to infuriate Chinese officials already upset after recent bilateral frictions …
The United States on Thursday announced the imposition of antidumping tariffs of more than 31 percent on solar panels from China. The move by the Commerce Department is certain to infuriate Chinese officials already upset after recent bilateral frictions over China’s human rights policies and its increasingly confrontational approach toward …
The World Bank is lending the Philippines $275 million to tackle huge volumes of untreated sewage that threaten to swallow the capital Manila, the lender said Wednesday. The loan would be reinvested by a government bank into Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services projects to boost the two utilities' …
The Asia-Pacific region may be home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies including China, Japan, India and Indonesia. But, last year at least, it also was the most vulnerable to natural disasters that hampered expansion and disrupted trade. The United Nations Economic and Social Survey of the Asia …
In flood-hit fields in the Philippines, farmers are testing a hardy new variety of rice that can survive completely submerged for more than two weeks. In Kenya's Kibera slum, poor urban families are turning around their diets and incomes just by learning to grow vegetables in sack gardens outside their …
‘Spread of the Bt gene could make brinjal a problematic weed' An independent enquiry has revealed that the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE, also called genetically modified, or GM) Bt brinjal poses risks to the environment and possibly to human health. The occurrence of wild, weedy and also cultivated relatives …
The International Rice Research Institute recently said that the rice wasted in the Philippines ever year could feed several million people. Citing a study done by Food and Agriculture Organisation, the IRRI in its publication ‘Rice Today’ said the Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer for several years, wasted rice …
Terming the South China Sea as a disputed region, China has warned India to refrain from undertaking oil exploration in the resource-rich Vietnamese blocks in order to ensure "peace and stability" in the area. "The area is disputed one. So we do not think that it would be good for …
Bangladesh is the world's most vulnerable country to climate change-related risk factors, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released yesterday. “Asia and the Pacific have six of the world's 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change. Bangladesh tops this list, followed by India (2nd), Nepal (4th), the …
Japanese auto major Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) plans to join compatriots Nissan Motor Limited and Suzuki Motor Corporation in setting up a global hub for manufacturing small cars in the country. The company is far behind its aggressive Japanese competitors, selling only 4,000 vehicles annually. It is exploring the possibility …
About 28 percent of Bangladesh's total population (41.7 million) is living in urban areas, said a Unicef report released on Wednesday. Among the top 21 mega cities of the world, according to the report, Dhaka ranks 9th position with 14.3 million people, while Tokyo 1st with 36.5 million, Delhi 2nd …
A bid by the Philippines to extend special treatment on rice imports at the WTO is being blocked by the US over health and safety standards for frozen meat, the Filipino agriculture minister claimed last Thursday. The two sides met today in the Philippines in an attempt to resolve the …
Kochi has been selected as one of the major cities in India by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) for the implementation of ‘Asian Cities Adapt’ project. ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organisations that …
