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 …
as the long, sleek-bodied dolphins break the surface of water to rise ten metres in air and swoop down again to its depths, children break into squeals of joy while adults gasp at the swiftness of their motion. But how many dwell on the painful and rigorous training that these …
Anybody can tell you they are essential for a decent way of life: safe drinking water and sanitation. Since the 1980s governments have made drinking water available to more and more people across the worldyetmillions survive without it even today. Sanitationon the other handis not a priority on the governments'
for the first time, in an unequivocal verdict, scientists have held human activities responsible for most of the warming of the Earth's atmosphere over the last 50 years. Latest assessment of scientific studies of climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) predicts that such actions will continue …
this is a message for all those who use an umbrella during the rains: ensure it is made of sturdy stuff. In the future, the rain is going to be intesnse. The hot days are sure to be scorching and the cold ones freezing. The extremes of climate are poised …
The us wants to delay the sequel to the failed November 2000 climate meet until the new Bush administration gets its act together. Along with Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, the country has formally requested that the conference of parties to the un Framework Convention on Climate Change (unfccc) …
the World Health Organisation (who) has raised concerns about the large-scale spread of the mad cow disease. "Our concern is that there was sufficient international trade in infected meat, bone meal and live cattle and consequently there has already been a worldwide exposure,' said Maura Ricketts of who 's animal …
Half the watershed area of the world's freshwater systems is estimated to have been lost in the twentieth century, as land was converted to agriculture and urban use, or levelled to combat diseases such as malaria. Physical alteration, habitat loss and degradation, water withdrawal, overexploitation, pollution, all contribute to declines …
forest fragmentation, the world over, is associated with widespread animal extinction, loss of biodiversity and damage to the ecosystem. The two basic ways in which forest fragmentation affects natural biodiversity are, firstly, a reduction in net area of natural habitat available to the animals surviving in the patch. Secondly, in …
earlier this year, the science and technology committee of Britain's House of Lords produced a long-awaited report on the relationship between science and society. The very first paragraph sets the scene for why such a report was considered necessary. "Society's relationship with science is in a critical phase,' it says. …
It is estimated that around 8,000 years ago, more than six billion hectares (around 40 per cent) of the Earth's surface was covered by forests. Today, the figure has plummeted to a mere 3.6 billion hectares. Every year, at least 14 million hectares are lost. Among the hundreds of species …
in a report entitled "North Sea Offshore Wind-A European Powerhouse', the German Wind Energy Institute has highlighted the wind power potential of five countries
Small is beautiful. But not to the big people. Small doesn't help siphon funds. It doesn't give huge opportunities to contractors, politicians and bureaucrats. It requires a decentralised mode of thinking, which is diametrical to the motives of India's politicians and administrators
Lethal infections are killing off populations of creatures ranging from vultures to kangaroos, from coral to honeybees and from amphibians to reptiles. More than pollution, diseases spread by humans are today the biggest threat to a variety of species. For long, ecologists, biologists and governments ignored the threat that emerging …
in a recent highly publicised event, the un had yet another go at self improvement. Weary eyed observers saw world leaders expound lofty ideas in a series of speeches at a un millennium summit that took place in New York city from September 6-8, 2000. But this time there was …
under the aegis of the United Nations, an international agreement was signed by eight countries to develop globally uniform environmental regulations for motor vehicles. The agreement, pending for the past two years, is expected to "harmonise' the world's automobile standards. According to an announcement made by the United Nations Economic …
ten new planets have been discovered outside the earth's solar system. The discoveries of these planets has increased the tally of the total confirmed planets to around 50. At least six of the 10 new planets were discovered by a Geneva-led team of astronomers, while three were discovered by three …
In 1981-82, some farmers from Hoshiarpur and Nawanshehar districts approached scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. Their wheat crops had turned white, animals were diseased with healthy cattle dying within months of purchase. Soil analysis indicated selenium (Se) levels above toxic limits in an area of 1,000 hectares of …
The burning of fossil fuels leads to the release of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere, these gases act like glass walls and trap heat on the Earth's surface. If the rise in carbon emissions goes unchecked, the planet's average temperature could rise by …
