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 wet 20th century, the wettest of the past millennium, the century when Americans built an incredible civilization in the desert, is over : a report. Feb 2008
>> The World Food Programme is working with the Ethiopian government to extend drought insurance. The US $230 million insurance will cover about 6.7 million people, which will be disbursed in case of a severe drought comparable to 2002-2003. >> The Democratic Republic of Congo closed its lake and land …
Large swathes of the usually humid southern China are currently facing drought, described as the worst in 50 years. The drought has left over a million people short of drinking water and has shrunk rivers and water reservoirs, the state media reported. Between November 5 and December 10, Guangxi Zhuang
This report warns that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow under the business-as-usual scenario as projected, leading to global temperature rise by 4-5
A FEW warning signs and a rickety pier are all that remain of Overton Beach's once-busy lakeside marina. The boats have been gone since February, towed more than 30 miles (50km) to where they are in less danger of running aground. Fish-cleaning stations are now hundreds of yards from the …
For drylands with low inherent levels of biological productivity, coping with climate change presents particular problems. The world’s drylands cover over 40 % of the global terrestrial area and house more than 2 billion inhabitants MEA, (2005). The world’s poorest people live in these areas and they will be hit …
Extreme drought has forced authorities to declare state of emergency in Georgia, usa. The emergency was declared in 85 northern counties. "This is the single worst drought in Georgia's history,' said the state's governor Sonny Perdue on October 20. Agriculture has been widely affected in the state. The crisis was …
The two most important hydrological extremes are floods and droughts. These events pose serious hazards to human populations in many parts of the world. These water related disasters are caused because of large diversity in climate and topography of the country. Climate change in future is expected to have severe …
With Ukraine in the grip of a severe drought, industry analysts recently predicted a slash in grain exports in the country. The country's agricultural ministry said drought had damaged crop spread over around 400,000 hectares of crops and the figure was likely to rise. In view of the drought, the …
The last five years have been tough on 55-year old Saraswati Devi. Her two sons have left their village to work as construction workers in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (mp). The family's one hectare patch in Ragauli Bhatpura gram panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's (up) Banda district has been mortgaged. The money …
Some innovations change lives. A favourite of mine is the village milk collection system, a cooperative model. There's a dairy in the village, people bring in milk, the dairy in-charge places a sample on an instrument, checks the fat content, prints a receipt that tells the seller the fat content …
Ii the American Southwest heading for a megadrought? A projection based on climate models suggests this could be the outcome as global warming alters the Pacific weather patterns that normally bring rain to the region. Now tree rings are revealing just how dry things could get.
In the last week of April, the Zimbabwean government invited two un bodies to conduct a joint food-security survey in the country. The Food and Agriculture Organization (fao) and the World Food Programme (wfp) have been called in the wake of a second consecutive drought in the south African nation. …
Chad, with its very limited supply of natural resources, is being strained due to the deluge of Sudanese refugees into camps along Chad's border with Darfur since 2004. The first sign that we are entering a dead zone is the carcass of a camel, gathering flies and red dust. Since …
a recent study has revealed that trees are in significant decline in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The desert ranks among the most extreme deserts, with average annual rainfall being less than 30 mm. However, the region has widespread dry river valleys called wadis. The researchers monitored Acacia tortilis and …
with Melbourne city continuing to reel under drought for the tenth consecutive year, the Victorian state government has announced tighter mandatory restrictions for water use in the state capital. On January 15, 2007, the state's acting premier and water minister, John Thwaites, announced the list of new residential estates that …
Water-related disasters include flood, windstorms, drought, water epidemics, famine and landslides. These combine with other water-related hazards such as pollution and chemical spills, aquifer depletion, land subsidence, salinisation of arable land, marine intrusions, sea and storm surges, coastal flooding and water-borne diseases to affect ecosystems and food and livelihood security …
Study focusing on organic agriculture and mitigation and adaptation to predictable and unpredictable impacts of climate change - looks at the general contribution of agriculture to climate change; discusses the considerable potential of organic agriculture for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and its contribution to sequestration of CO2 in the …
This World Disasters Report focuses on how women, the elderly, minorities and people with disabilities are discriminated against in disasters. It says aid agencies and governments should make more effort to avoid discrimination in their relief and recovery programmes.
