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 …
Loss of forests leads to droughts. Research has shown that destruction of rain forests in Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire may have caused two decades of droughts in Africa. Rain forests are being destroyed at an annual rate of 31 million hectares, an area larger than Poland. Deforestation also contributes …
About 30 acres of forest land in Digampathana at Sigiriya were completely destroyed by a fire that ravaged the area, police media spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said yesterday. He said the fire was finally doused by forest officers who were assisted by the Dambulla Urban Council fire Brigade, the Sigiriya police …
Ten million people in the Horn of Africa have been hit by the worst drought in 60 years, with some areas on the verge of famine and thousands on the march in seach of food and water, the UN said Tuesday. A poor rainy season coupled with rising food prices …
The fire which broke out in the Kalugalla Patana area in Ududumbara on the Eastern slope of the Knuckles Range destroyed over 600 acres of forest cover. The Kandy District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Center Major Kamal Herath stated that the fire had spread from Kalugal Patana area …
Lengths of winter, summer and rainy seasons in Bangladesh have increased, while spring has decreased, changes that are likely to have an adverse impact on agriculture, said a study based on farmers' perceptions. Winter, traditionally around two-and-a-half months long, now prevails for three-and-three-quarters, while summer takes five months, almost double …
Ticking bomb: Studies indicate situation heading from bad to worse With the scientific community predicting a steady rise in temperature in the years to come, the State is all set to come out with a comprehensive action plan that would provide a roadmap for policy interventions to mitigate the adverse …
Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center has said today the forest fire started in the Knuckles Range in the Central Hills of the island on Saturday night is still continuing. The Disaster Management Center says helicopters will be used to distinguish the fire erupted in the forest range as the area …
The United States experienced some of the most extreme weather events in its history this spring, including deadly outbreaks of tornadoes, near-record flooding, drought and wildfires. Damages from these disasters have already passed $32 billion, and the hurricane season, which is just beginning, is projected to be above average, according …
Charlie Bragg gazes across his lush fields where fat lambs are grazing, his reservoirs filled with water, and issues a sigh of relief. Things are normal this year and that's a bit unusual of late. His 7,000-acre farm near the Australian town of Cootamundra is testament to the plight facing …
DROUGHT is the worst enemy of crops like chickpea which requires moderate rainfall for growth. Studies till date have focused on how dehydration changes expression of genes that code for proteins vital for the plant’s survival. But there is a dearth of studies that look at the activity of proteins …
Heavy rain drenched a drought-ravaged swathe of southern and eastern China, killing 52 persons and forcing more than 100,000 to evacuate. The floods inundated vast areas in 12 provinces in central and southern China over the past week, affecting 40.8 lakh people, Shu Qingpeng, deputy head of the Office of …
Four major regions of Britain are to be officially declared drought-hit this week as lack of rainfall prompts restrictions on water supply and images of parched earth appear across the news media. Declaring the four affected regions of Wales, the Southwest, the Midlands and East Anglia as drought-hit will enable …
Heavy rains since last Friday have brought some relief from the worst drought in the Yangtze River region in 50 years, but also caused flooding in at least two southern provinces, state news organizations reported Tuesday. The six-month drought had resulted in water shortages for 3.5 million people. With the …
Long-awaited showers finally hit French grain fields over the weekend and more rain is expected this week in most key European producers, but it will likely not be enough to reverse drought damage to winter crops. "For the moment it is not a revolution," Strategie Grains head analyst Andree Defois …
Milan World cereals output is expected to rise to a new record in 2011 due to more planting and improved yields but low stocks are set to keep prices high, the United Nations
The world must invent new ways to protect people driven from their homes by climate change without copying safeguards for those uprooted by wars or persecution, the head of the U.N. refugee agency said on Monday. "There is a protection gap in the international system that needs to be addressed," …
Corporate innovation has teamed up with rural will to usher in a green revolution in Upper Dungri and Jeetpur, two adjoining villages under Jorapokhar police station, 15km from Dhanbad. Tata Steel
China warned several central and southern provinces hit by a months-long dry spell on Saturday to prepare for heavy rain and even floods, though Premier Wen Jiabao said it was too early to call an end to the critical water shortage. Officials have said parts of China are enduring their …
