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 …
The Mayon volcano, which has blown its top nearly 40 times in 400 years, menaced nearby residents with small eruptions of ash and lava on Wednesday as Philippine authorities moved more than 30,000 people to shelters in case of a larger eruption. Lava rolled down the 2,460-metre mountain towering over …
This book builds on related experience of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in the areas of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, Access and Benefit-Sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and …
Biofuels have been promoted as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Besides the claim of mitigating climate change, biofuels have been promoted by many countries as an alternative to imported oil and a way to promote employment and economic growth. Recently, interest in biofuels has changed to include …
This report aims at developing a common action plan that would facilitate public-private partnerships (PPP) for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in East Asia, based on an evaluation of PPP case studies and consultations with stakeholders. Its outputs include: a report of the current state of PPPs for DRR in East …
Involving local communities is a prerequisite to sustainable disaster risk reduction. Local communities are both the primary victims and the first to respond to emergencies when disasters strike. Nobody is more interested in reducing disaster risk than the community whose survival and well-being is at stake. Community-based disaster risk reduction …
Development in Asia faces a crucial issue: the right of indigenous peoples to build a better life while protecting their ancestral lands and cultural identity. An intimate relationship with land expressed in communal ownership has shaped and sustained these cultures over time. But now, public and private enterprises encroach upon …
In the face of increasing disaster events and the ongoing and future impacts of global climate change, a growing body of work is emerging around community-based responses to preventing disasters and adapting to a changing climate (known as
Banana grower Adhinath Barve of Junnar tehsil in Pune district is expecting to double his exports when he begins harvesting his three-acre plantation in February next year. Barve, along with 100-odd farmers of the tehsil, is associated with a campaign initiated by Shivneri Agriculture Graduates
With the threat of increased disasters from climate change, many countries are already taking steps to reduce their vulnerability to weather and climatic hazards, such as floods, cyclones, heatwaves and droughts. Adaptation to climate change is a relatively new concern, but it can call on a rich tradition spanning many …
The Programme of National 3R Strategy Development was initiated as one of the outcomes of the Ministerial Conference on the 3R Initiative held in Tokyo, Japan, in March 2005. In anticipation of Asia
This note reports on examples of recent experience in eight countries where national and local governments and civil society participants have worked to strengthen their disaster risk reduction and adaptation actions. These cases, along with similar experience in other countries, provide a number of useful insights and lessons for climate …
In responding to climate change, the specific nature of coastal areas calls for special approaches. On the one hand, these areas are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts; on the other, healthy coastal wetland ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, can reduce that vulnerability as they pro-vide protection from climate impacts …
The gentle mountain slopes in this fascinatingly beautiful place at once catch the attention not merely for their idyllic setting and extremely hospitable people that reside in their lush green shadows but also for a revolutionary trend in the agriculture they now practice along these inclines. As one winds through …
With no outside help in sight, villagers used their bare hands on Sunday to dig out rotting corpses, four days after landslides triggered by a huge earthquake wiped out four hamlets in western Indonesia. Officials said at least 644 people were buried and presumed dead in the villages in Padang …
Air pollution levels in the megacities of Asia show a stabilizing trend but still exceed World Health Organization guidelines. Studies also show poor air quality, not only in the megacities of Asia, but also in smaller cities with populations of 200,000 to 1.5 million. While megacities often receive support for …
The last three decades witnessed a cascade of scientific discoveries on plant molecular biology and biochemistry that served as foundation of current biotechnologies used in improving agricultural crops. Genes coding for important agricultural traits useful to farmers and consumers were discovered, isolated and introduced into cultivated crops using modern tools …
This paper describes and discusses community-driven land tenure initiatives to address the issue of access to land in urban areas in the Philippines. This includes countering actual and threatened displacements from market-driven land, housing and urban development policies, mega-infrastructure development and disasters. The paper begins with a review of the …
Philippines braces for new storm as toll hits 246 Manila/Hanoi, September 29 Ketsana, which first hit the Philippines at the weekend, slammed into Vietnam
