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 …
New global models provide the opportunity to generate quantitative information about the world water situation. Here the WaterGAP 2 model is used to compute globally comprehensive estimates about water availability, water withdrawals, and other indicators on the river-basin scale. In applying the model to the current global water situation, it …
The steep rise in the levels of global tropospheric ozone is threatening air quality around the globe, states a study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc). It reveals that the gas could burgeon by an average of 25 per cent by 2030. In contrast to stratospheric ozone, which …
The World Health Organisation (who) has refused to dilute its warning on curbing sugar intake despite facing severe criticism from the industry lobby. A who report recently recommended that sugars should not contribute more than 10 per cent of the energy in an average daily diet. The sugar and soft …
Last November, a trader in Foshan, a small industrial town in Guangdong province in China, fell seriously ill with an incurable high fever and cough. He was suspected to be suffering from pneumonia, a non-infectious disease common in the area. But then four health workers who had been treating him …
Several strains of influenza or flu have been named after Guangdong province, where the first sars cases surfaced. This dubious distinction stems from the agricultural practices prevalent in the region. Rice fields support ducks and chickens, which feed on pig waste. The waste of one becomes the food of the …
Between March 25 and 27, 2003, two different groups of researchers in the cdc and Hong Kong University announced that a previously unrecognised coronavirus could have caused the sars epidemic. This family of viruses is the second leading cause of colds in children and premature infants but has never been …
sars is a stark reminder that there is no universal safeguard against infectious diseases. The syndrome has actually exposed the lack of preparedness with regard to infectious diseases
I met Jacques Chirac this fortnight. Just before he made the call to George Bush and just before he left to attend the European Union summit in Athens, the French president met some 20 of us in his presidential palace for discussions on what would be the future of this …
sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is making the world sneeze. Even as the global health community struggles to unmask a new, deadly, organism, it faces a 21st century dilemma: the speed at which its human carriers have travelled is faster than the incubation of the disease. There are several theories …
The installed wind power capacity rose 28 per cent globally in 2002, according to the American Wind Energy Association (awea) and European Wind Energy Association (ewea). Wind energy plants produced a record 6,868 mega watts (mw) of power worldwide during the year, increasing the total output to more than 31,000 …
The Third World Water Forum took place recently in Japan to explore methods to optimally harness this vital resource, especially in developing countries. But after a week of countless meetings and seminars, the end result was far from satisfactory. The delegates, including ministers, bureaucrats and representatives of private water companies, …
india's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (csir) has joined hands with eight similar organisations to form the Global Research Alliance (gra) in New Delhi on January 21. Its main objective is to establish itself in the research consultancy megamarket. gra signifies the culmination of an agreement reached in Pretoria …
A valuable handbook for the global environmentalist, this yearbook succintly summarises international efforts in the field of sustainable development. The 2002/2003 edition also features in-depth articles on pressing current issues such as global climate change. The yearbook provides updated assessment on the progress made on various international conventions, even going …
The alternative energy industry is stepping on the gas. Top automakers have joined hands to deve-lop fuel cell technology for cars, enabling them to cover similar distances as gasoline-run cars. The Japan-based effort has brought together Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor, Daimler-Chry-sler ag, Ford Motor and several other automobile and component …
Accountability in the Pesticide Industry - a report based on a forum held at the Pocantico Conference Center . June 25-28, 2002 . Paper No 5 What constitutes corporate responsibility is an oft-debated question. This truism, if you like, certainly applies to the pesticide industry (because of its environmental and …
oil is the lifeline of the world’s eco nomy. Dependence on oil has skewed incomes within nations and altered power relations among them. While oil provides multiple benefits to society, every stage of its lifecycle has harmful effects on health and environment. These are broad in scope and degree. The …
The detrimental effects of air pollution on health have been recognized for most of the last century. Effective legislation has led to a change in the nature of the air pollutants in outdoor air in developed countries, while combustion of raw fuels in the indoor environment remains a major health …
as many as half the world's plant species may qualify as threatened with extinction under the World Conservation Union (iucn) classification scheme, indicates a new study. Conducted by Nigel Pitman of us-based Duke University and Peter Jorgensen of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the study indicates that the iucn Red List …
INFORMATION FEUDALISM . Peter Drahos with John Braithwaite . Earthscan Publications Limited . London . 2002 . Rs 920 In the last two decades, the intellectual property standards have changed drastically. Today, these rules are set by the global strategies of a small number of companies and business organisations. The …
