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, …
Speaking at an international workshop on Equity and Climate Change, held on April 12, the minister for environment and forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, sought to build a consensus on the inter-relationship between equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in the Climate Convention, and the nature of the obligations …
Unless there is a fundamental shift in the mindset away from one which separates the rural from the urban, Indian planning cannot address the challenges of urbanisation in our present stage of development. This column typically presents case studies of urban transformation to show the good work that is going …
Output is far lower compared to Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat: expert Gurbachan Singh, Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, has said there is a need for Karnataka to increase production of foodgrains with the use of advanced technology and scientific management of natural resources. Dr. Singh, who was the chief …
The West Bengal government has received an extension of two years for completion of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects sanctioned till March 2012. The projects include reforms under Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) scheme by procuring buses sanctioned under the Economic Stimulus. According to a recent Ministry of …
The Cabinet has endorsed ‘Land Use Policy 2012’ that aims to encourage optimal use of land for agriculture amid concerns over food security in Nepal. The policy, introduced for the first time in the country, has divided land into seven categories—agricultural, forest, residential, commercial, public, and industrial and others. As …
Groundwater levels in the state are receding at an alarming rate. While groundwater in many areas was already in the ‘critical’ category earlier, village after village in the state is now nose-diving into the ‘over exploited’ category when it comes to harvesting groundwater. This perilous status of groundwater in AP …
It seems like Singapore’s billion-dollar green investments have paid off. A new study says that the city-state is Asia’s most livable city, beating regional rivals like Hong Kong, which now has one of the worst levels of air pollution in the world. According to ECA International, the group which conducted …
Air pollution parameters have soared up in the Kathmandu Valley on an unprecedented scale in recent times. Dry climate and unplanned urbanisation is adding fuel to the fire. We have severe air pollution in terms of particulate matters (PMs). This is largely because of unmanaged traffic and dusty roads in …
The alarming increase in global warming and unusual climatic shift have mainly triggered the recent natural disasters in South Asia, including Pakistan, as 97 percent of the world’s total floods during the last decade occurred in this region, a media sensitising workshop on the effects of climate change observed on …
U.N. report says China, India together will account for about third of the increase in urban population in coming decades India will witness the largest increase in urban population in the next four decades followed by China, a United Nations report has said. India will add another 497 million to …
The average life expectancy of people in the South and South-East Asia will rise to 75 years in less than 40 years, WHO said Monday, insisting the number of aged people over 60 years will triple by 2050 from its current figure of 142 million. ‘Approximately 142 million people or …
This study examines the inter linkages between climate change, disaster risk, and the urban poor. This study calls on cities to take a lead role in proactively addressing the risks of climate change and natural hazards at the local level, with a focus on populations at highest risk. It suggests …
The study, Karachi city climate change adaptation strategy a road map, is conducted by Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment, with the support of Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung and Department of Architecture & Planning of the NED University of Engineering and Technology. The study identifies and prioritises the people and assets at possible risk …
World Development Indicators 2012 is a compilation of relevant, high-quality, and internationally comparable statistics about development and the quality of people’s lives. Organized around six themes—world view, people, the environment, the economy, states and markets, and global links—it aims to put data into the hands of policy makers, development specialists, …
This document introduces an approach towards urban disaster risk reduction in which urbanization is believed to be both a cause and effect of economic growth, employment generation and overall development of a country. It looks at the various aspects of how Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) builds disaster preparedness into this …
A future on Earth of more extreme weather and rising seas will require better planning for natural disasters to save lives and limit deepening economic losses, the United Nations said on Wednesday in a major report on the effects of climate change. The U.N. climate panel said all nations will …
Corporate Environment Responsibility is as important as Corporate Social Responsibility, as the world faces grave climate change challenges, Mr J.M Mauskar, Special Secretary, Environment Ministry, said here on Tuesday. Addressing an event on “Green Buildings', Mr Mauskar said all corporates, especially builders, need to have internal regulations in place to …
Expanding cities threaten to eat up a swath of land the size of France, Germany and Spain combined in less than 20 years, putting the world under even more environmental pressure, experts said at a climate conference on Tuesday. Cities are growing to accommodate a rising global population and as …
The World Bank will not reduce financial assistance to India for poverty alleviation measures because of the recent official data that showed a decline in the number of poor people in the country. The international funding agency takes a long-term view on its commitments and the poverty data released on …
The girl child seems to be disappearing from the progressive and urban areas of Gujarat. The urban centres of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Kutch, Rajkot and Jamnagar districts — that account for 70% of the investments that flowed into Gujarat during the past one decade — have emerged as centres of …
