The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) of the Solomon Islands, with the assistance of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), developed a report on the state of the environment in the country. The report highlights that the status of areas of cultivation …
Three years ago, thousands of farmers living on the flat fertile plains of Guadalcanal, the largest island in this South Pacific nation, watched their homes and crops washed away by the strongest torrential rain and flooding they had ever seen. Now the government is working on new legislation aimed at …
Plans to earmark more than $136m (£109m) of UN money for large dam projects in Nepal, Tajikistan and the Solomon Islands have been angrily condemned by activists, who have warned the projects could have serious environmental consequences. The UN’s green climate fund was set up during the Paris climate agreement …
A shallow earthquake of magnitude 6 struck 89 km (55 miles) west of the South Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey reported. There was no immediate tsunami warning, or reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of …
A strong undersea earthquake has struck off the coast near the Solomon Islands, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The bureau initially reported that an earthquake of 7.1 had occurred at 5.31am ADET, which would be classified as a major earthquake, but the intensity was later reported as 6.8, which …
This report assesses the impact of climate change on agriculture and fisheries in three Pacific Island countries, including the impacts on agricultural production, economic returns for major crops, and food security. Alternative adaption policies are examined in order to provide policy options that reduce the impact of climate change on …
It's a great time to be a weather watcher if extremes or unusual events get your pulse running. Australia entered July with little if any natural snow on its alpine peaks although Thursday's cold front helped bring some relief to the struggling ski resorts. Further fronts may bring much-needed reinforcements …
A magnitude 5.8 quake struck off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.4, struck at 6:35 a.m. on Thursday (1935 GMT on Wednesday), 57 miles (92 km) southeast of Kira Kira. It was very shallow, …
Harmful impacts of global warming such as heat waves and sea level rise are mounting and show a need for a "radical transition" to a greener economy, a study presented at U.N. climate talks said on Tuesday. Damage is growing even though average temperatures have risen only 0.85 degree Celsius …
A strong earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but no tsunami was expected and there were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake, with a magnitude 7.0, was centered near the Santa Cruz Island group between the Solomon Islands …
Residents of the tiny village of Fanalei in the Solomon Islands killed more than 1,600 dolphins in 2013 for their teeth, a local currency and popular adornment, researchers said. The overall recorded tally from 1976-2013 was more than 15,400, according to research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. …
TROPICAL cyclones are frequent in the south-west Pacific between November and April, with an average of ten a year. They are born near the equator and scythe southward. Rivers burst their banks and crops are destroyed, but the loss of life is usually small. People stock up on tinned food …
KENYA is ranked third least attractive country in the world and worst in Africa for mineral investments, trailing Zimbabwe and Zambia which recently locked horns with multinational mining firms over higher rates. This is according to a report released last week by Fraser Institute of Canada, that examined a country's …
Come Diwali and it is not just apparel and electronic goods doing brisk business online. It is owls as well. Rummaging through difficult-to-find data and trends, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau's (WCCB) cyber wing has noticed how the smuggling of owls picks up during Diwali-the nocturnal bird is said to …
Under threat from rising sea levels and tsunamis, the authorities of a provincial capital in the Solomon Islands have decided to relocate from a small island in the first such case in the Pacific islands. Choiseul, a township of around 1,000 people on Taro Island, a coral atoll in Choiseul …
An earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude struck off the Solomon Islands on Monday, around 90 km (55 miles) south of the city of Kira-Kira, the United States Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake comes on the heels of a powerful magnitude 7.5 tremor …
The quake was centered 100 km (60 miles) south of Kira Kira on the island of Makira at a depth of 29 km (18 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "So far we have received no reports of damage," said Constable Taylor Fugo from Kira Kira police. "The people …
Forty people are missing and 49,000 homeless after entire communities washed away following heavy rains Devastating flash floods in the Solomon Islands have killed at least 19 people, while 40 are still missing and an estimated 49,000 people are homeless. Entire riverside communities and bridges were washed away when the …
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no immediate tsunami warning issued. The tremor, at a depth of 72 kilometres, hit at 4.16 am local time (17:16 GMT Thursday) 81 km south of the town of Panguna in …
An earthquake with a preliminary 7.1 magnitude struck 270 miles (435 km) east of Kira Kira on the Solomon Islands on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate tsunami warnings or reports of damage. An 8.0 magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami that killed at least five …
