In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
Thick smoke hung over New Delhi this week as millions lit firecrackers to mark the Diwali festival, but calls for a boycott highlighted growing concerns over air quality in one of the world's most polluted cities. Pollution in the Indian capital reached "severe" levels on Friday, the day after Diwali, …
Weather and Climate – Understanding Risks and Preparing for variability and extremes” is the theme of WMO’s latest Bulletin. Articles include: Activities for Early Career Scientists at the World Weather Open Science Conference, held in Montreal in August. International Migration in a Globalizing World: The Role of Youth, published by …
In its annual report on disasters, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that the outlook was bleak."Climate change is leading to damaged livelihoods and increased vulnerabilities. Natural hazards are also becoming more frequent and extreme," said IFRC head Elhadj As Sy."The resulting stresses on …
The report includes the WorldRiskIndex 2014 and furthermore has a focus on cities as risk areas. The WorldRiskIndex calculates the disaster risk for 171 countries. The risk analysis does not only examine how often and how severely a natural event (e.g. an earthquake) threatens the population, but also the vulnerability …
The weekly digest of important reports, research, policy documents, regulations, studies, court cases, protests, conflicts, initiatives, photos, data, statistics, infographics, presentations on the India Environment Portal, 04 - 11 October 2014.
India will need an investment of Rs 50 lakh crores in the next few years to fund the NDA government’s urban renewal initiatives of smart cities, housing for all and issues relating to the development of urban infrastructure, urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Thursday. The Modi government’s …
Mountain lions in Southern California are under growing pressure from a shrinking gene pool, fragmented by highways and urban sprawl that has left the cats' territories increasingly isolated from each other, a study published on Wednesday showed. Analysis of DNA from about 350 mountain lions, or cougars, statewide revealed that …
Two years ago, USAID convened a forum and published an associated volume of essays, all under the banner of an effort called Frontiers in Development. It was designed to encourage forward-looking, provocative discussion and debate that could advance development policy and practice across the full range of relevant actors. The …
In 2012 Papua New Guinea undertook a national Service Delivery Assessment of rural water, rural sanitation, urban water and urban sanitation services to identify coverage and targets, how well services are being delivered and the financing shortfalls in these subsectors. Immediately following this assessment, stakeholders, through a national policy task …
This working paper is a result of TERI’s year-long study which aimed to develop and test approaches that can increase resilience of infrastructure assets and the services they provide in developing nations. Chapter 1 of the working paper provides a brief introduction to the project. Chapter 2 and 3 provide …
On 15 August 2014, the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, announced the intention to launch a new mission, Swachh Bharat, on 2 October 2014, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Intended to last until 2 October 2019, when India will celebrate Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary, Swachh Bharat is a …
KARAK: Adviser to the chief minister on prisons Malik Qasim Khan Khattak has claimed that the provincial government has approved Rs760 million for extension of Amberi Kalay to Daratang road to link Karak with Mianwali district of Punjab. He said that with the completion of the project new avenues development …
Global wildlife populations have declined by more than half in just 40 years according to “Living Planet Report 2014” produced by World Wildlife Federation in collaboration with Zoological Society of London & the Global Footprint Network. The biggest recorded threat to biodiversity globally comes from the combined impacts of habitat …
The urban metabolism framework maps the activities of cities from their consumption of materials, the different activities associated with those processes, and the wastes produced. Information generated provides a diagnostic tool for identifying high waste generating or inefficient activities and identifying potential points of policy intervention. A streamlined urban metabolism …
Ahead of the Climate Summit 2014, the UN released a report, titled 'How the United Nations System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change: The United Nations System Delivering as One on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.' The report outlines how it is contributing to the delivery of action on climate …
Sri Lanka's hunger for infrastructure and new market growth points has attracted an increasing number of Chinese enterprises to invest money and resources over the past five years to gain a larger foothold in a rapidly developing market. After the prolonged civil war ended in 2009, Sri Lanka has been …
The central government has chosen 62 locations across the country as experimental areas for new-style urbanization, pushing forward the grand strategy that Premier Li Keqiang said will greatly stimulate China's economy. The 62 areas range from provincial and city levels to county and town levels, although the focus will be …
A major new report released by a commission of global leaders finds that governments and businesses can now improve economic growth and reduce their carbon emissions together. Rapid technological innovation and new investment in infrastructure are making it possible today to tackle climate change at the same time as improving …
According to the climate change experts, it is only a matter of time. The city of Surat (population 4.5 million), in the state of Gujarat on the west coast of India, will soon be exposed to recurrent flooding, with the risk of malaria and dengue fever epidemics in its aftermath. …
The weekly digest of important reports, research, policy documents, regulations, studies, court cases, protests, conflicts, initiatives, photos, data, statistics, infographics, presentations on the India Environment Portal, 07 – 13 September 2014.
