As climate change intensifies, it is imperative for policymakers to address the escalating loss and damage it inflicts on vulnerable communities in developing countries. In India's Maharashtra state, these impacts are forcing rural families into life-altering decisions and migrations to work in sugarcane fields, where exploitative practices by contractors, including …
People around the world are feeling the "wrath of a warming planet", U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday, urging almost 200 governments to take tougher action to reach a deal in 2015 on fighting global warming. Ban told environment ministers at climate talks in Warsaw they had a steep …
Zambia's staple food crop, maize, looks set to be significantly dented next year by a lack of rain that is delaying planting. Most of the harvest comes from small-scale farmers around the capital, Lusaka, and these have been badly affected by the dry spell. "We planted a small section of …
China, the EU and environmentalists criticized Japan at U.N. climate talks on Friday for slashing its greenhouse gas emissions target after its nuclear power industry was shuttered by the Fukushima disaster. The Japanese government on Friday decided to target a 3.8 percent emissions cut by 2020 versus 2005 levels. That …
Haiti, the Philippines and Pakistan were hardest hit by weather disasters in 2012, a report issued at U.N. climate talks on Tuesday showed, as the death toll mounted from the latest typhoon to devastate the Philippines. Germanwatch, a think-tank partly funded by the German government, said poor nations had suffered …
Warsaw, Stockholm : Climate envoys from rich countries, emerging economies and low-lying nations at risk of being swamped by rising seas will meet in Poland for the next two weeks to lay the groundwork for a new global warming pact. Though no major decisions are expected at the conference starting …
World governments are likely to recoil from plans for an ambitious 2015 climate change deal at talks next week, concern over economic growth at least partially eclipsing scientists' warnings of rising temperatures and water levels. "We are in the eye of a storm," said Yvo de Boer, United Nations climate …
China’s corn harvest is poised to decline for the first time in four years after flooding in its biggest-producing province and drought in its fifth largest cut yields, easing a global glut as the U.S. reaps a record crop. Output by the world’s second-biggest corn grower fell 3.2 percent to …
World governments are likely to recoil from plans for an ambitious 2015 climate change deal at talks next week, concern over economic growth at least partially eclipsing scientists' warnings of rising temperatures and water levels. "We are in the eye of a storm," said Yvo de Boer, United Nations climate …
* Pakistan at 135th position in carbon dioxide emissions, but ranked 3rd on the list of most vulnerable countries * Annual cost of restoring environment is now up to $5.2 ISLAMABAD: Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid has said Pakistan is one of the countries which are facing the threat …
Touted as a low carbon source of energy, China's hydropower projects are wreaking havoc on river systems across the country and southeast Asia, reports Yale Environment 360 In their search for renewable electric power, China’s engineers have been building mega-dams at a rate unmatched in human history. Many far larger …
Spells of drought in southern African this year have hit agricultural output and hurt economic growth in countries such as Zambia and Angola, underscoring the lingering importance of farming to the resource-rich region's prosperity. Cutting their 2013 economic growth estimates, both oil producing Angola and copper producer Zambia have cited …
About 24% of Midwest was in moderate to extreme drought on Oct. 22, down from 25% a week earlier, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. * About 22% of the Great Plains was rated in moderate to extreme drought this week, down from 30% on Oct. 15 * NOTE: See …
Niger has made the greatest strides worldwide in reducing child mortality, a new study by Save the Children suggests. Other countries that reported progress in tackling child deaths include Liberia and Rwanda, the charity said. Child mortality rates in Niger fell by almost two thirds because of government policies to …
With habitat destruction trends and interaction with climate change, things are not looking good for the Amazon rainforest. According to a new study, the southern portion of the Amazon rainforest is at a much higher risk of dieback due to stronger seasonal drying than projections made by the climate models …
Government accused of playing down the crisis, which has affected 1.8 million people, to protect its economic reputation The Angolan government has been accused of being in denial over a drought that has affected 1.8 million people because the crisis threatens to tarnish the country's image as a booming economy. …
Severe droughts that happen once every 20 years will affect New Zealand once every two to five years by the year 2100 and the country's Pacific neighbors will need help to deal with the impacts of climate change, a leading New Zealand climate scientist warned Wednesday. Auckland University climate scientist …
The historical ties between 28-member European Union and 49 least developed countries (LDCs) should be strengthened to achieve climate-smart development. This is also vital for cutting back global carbon emissions to stabilise the global temperature rise below 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 degree, to stop runaway climate change across the world. …
New research suggests that extreme weather events will keep people poor in many parts of the world. The authors argue that where disasters like drought are prevalent, they can be the most important cause of poverty. They say that up to 325 million people will be living in countries highly …
Scientists say they are more certain than ever about the impact of global warming on a critical weather pattern. The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occurs in the Pacific Ocean but plays an important part in the world's climate system. Researchers have until now been unsure as to how rising temperatures …
The world must eliminate emissions from burning fossil fuels in the second half of this century to lower the economic cost of climate change, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. Leading economist and climate change expert Nicholas Stern has said that investment equivalent to 2 …
