Environment

Rising Temperatures Threaten Our Oceans

By Oritro Karim
Human practices, such as unsustainable fishing, pollution, coastal development, and fossil fuel use have pushed the Earth’s oceans to their limits. This has resulted in warmer, more acidic waters. As global temperatures rise yearly due to climate change, oceans continue to see significant losses in biodiversity, rising sea levels, and environmental damage.

Mixed Fortunes for Africa’s Rapid Urbanization—Report

By Ignatius Banda
A new report says African cities will record rapid urbanization in the next decade, creating a mixed bag of socio-economic opportunities and challenges for the continent. This development is projected to result in wealthier consumer markets, better connected and more sophisticated commercial hubs, and larger bases for industrial production.

Small Glacial Lakes’ Mass Destruction in the Himalayan Community

By Tanka Dhakal
Small glacial lakes can cause destruction, which may impact the livelihoods of entire communities. Now this is the harsh reality that the community of Thame village in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal now faces as they rebuild after the August 16 disaster.

A Cuban Town Improves Water Quality Through Desalination

By Dariel Pradas
Overnight, hundreds of people in the rural community of Las Mangas, located in Granma province in eastern Cuba, realised something they had already suspected: that the water they had been drinking for decades was not exactly crystal clear, but rather “salty”, as they say.

El Niño-Induced Water Crisis Drubbing Villagers in Zimbabwe

By Jeffrey Moyo
Side-by-side with fellow male villagers, Enia Tambo uses a white 25-liter plastic bucket to dig out mounds of sand in the Vhombozi River, in Mudzi district located in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland East Province. The woman, in her late 50s, is digging to reach the water that is lying deep beneath the soil. 

Armed Conflict and Climate Crisis Threatens the Lives of Millions in Yemen

By Oritro Karim
Yemen is currently in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by a litany of environmental issues. Years of armed conflict, constant windstorms, flooding, mass displacement, cholera outbreaks, and acute food insecurity have all compounded into a severe issue for millions of Yemeni people. Currently, it is estimated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that approximately 70 percent of Yemen’s population depends on humanitarian aid to survive.

Bangladesh Flash Floods ‘Tragic Reminder’ of Impact of Climate Disasters

By Oritro Karim
Since late August, severe flash floods and monsoons plaguing Bangladesh have affected nearly 6 million people. Bangladeshi officials have declared the floods to be the country’s worst climate disaster in recent memory. These recent floods follow the wake of Cyclone Remal, which devastated Bangladesh and West Bengal earlier this year.

Rural Survival: Guardians of Mother Earth Saving Mau, Revitalizing Native Lands

By Joyce Chimbi
The Great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. A breathtaking, diverse mix of natural beauty that includes dramatic escarpments, highland mountains, cliffs and gorges, lakes and savannas. It is also home to one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves—the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Climate Action Greatest Economic Opportunity of this Century, Says UN Climate Chief

By Joyce Chimbi
With fewer than 100 days to go to COP29, the highest decision-making body on climate issues under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the need for creative and innovative solutions to protect lives and livelihoods is now extremely urgent.

Tackling Climate Change Will Be a Pyrrhic Victory If We Lose Sight of the Poor

By Marco Knowles
Last July, we were confronted with alarming statistics: 733 million people experienced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally. In Africa it was even higher, with one in five people going hungry. Climate change is a significant driver of this crisis.

New Zealand: Māori Rights in the Firing Line

By Andrew Firmin
A New Zealand bill that would roll back Indigenous rights is unlikely to pass – but it’s emblematic of a growing climate of hostility from governing politicians. A recent survey shows that almost half of New Zealanders believe racial tensions have worsened under the right-wing government in power since December 2023.

In Tonga the UN Secretary-General Declares a Global Climate Emergency

By Catherine Wilson
Three months ahead of the COP29 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for an emergency response from the international community as new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reveals a critical deterioration in the state of the climate.

Humanitarian Crisis As Floods, Prolonged Heavy Rains Impact Chad

By Oritro Karim
Since June of this year, Chad has been facing an extended period of heavy rainfall. Major flooding has triggered the onset of a significant humanitarian crisis, as all aspects of Chadian life, including health, food production, and community, have been negatively impacted. Additionally, response plans are severely compromised due to high levels of hostility taking place in neighboring nations.

Climate Assemblies Seek Citizen Participation in Latin American Solutions

By Emilio Godoy
Danilo Barbosa had never taken part in political processes until his name was drawn in a lottery to join the climate assembly of the municipality of Bujaru, in the Amazon region of Brazil.

Infection Rates Among Children Show Worrying Increase in Gaza

By Oritro Karim
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, so does the spread of illness among Palestinian children. Already facing widespread malnutrition, starvation, dehydration, and unhygienic living conditions, hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza face the risk of contracting a multitude of diseases.

VIETNAM: ‘Human Rights Conditions Will Likely Worsen as the Country Descends into a Police State’

By CIVICUS

 
CIVICUS discusses recent leadership changes in Vietnam with David Tran, coordinator of the Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy, a civil society platform that promotes democracy in Vietnam and the region through international cooperation and the strengthening of local civil society.

Signs of Progress on Peace-Positive Climate Adaptation

By Ann-Sophie Böhle
The consequences of climate change are disproportionately impacting fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCS). Climate shocks can exacerbate security risks in FCS, conflict and instability compromise a region’s ability to adapt to climate change, leaving its population ever more vulnerable to future climate shocks.

Struggling at Sea: The Plight of Indian Fishworkers Amid Climate Change and Government Policies

By Aishwarya Bajpai
Climate change forces millions of India’s fishworkers to venture beyond the country's exclusive economic zone into the perilous high seas.

UN Efforts for a Resilient Iraq

By Ghulam Isaczai
Climate change and water scarcity pose significant threats to Iraq's stability, prosperity, and the well-being of its people. The environmental challenges facing the nation are complex and interconnected, requiring a comprehensive and coordinated response.

UN Secretary General Warns of ‘Brutal’ Impacts of Climate Change for Pacific Islands

By Naureen Hossain
UN General Secretary General António Guterres warned of the wide-ranging impacts of climate change on a visit to the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga. "(Climate change) spells disaster: wide-ranging and brutal impacts, coming far thicker and faster than we can adapt to them—destroying entire coastal communities,” said Guterres, speaking at a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Tonga.

Biodiversity: Roll Up the Sleeves and Do Something, says Astrid Schomaker, New UNCBD Head

By Stella Paul
“We are living in a time where nature is regularly raising its hand and saying, 'Look, I'm here and I'm in trouble,' and then bringing us all sorts of natural disasters to the table," says Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), in an exclusive interview with IPS. 
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