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DISASTERS: Smart Weather Data Can Make a Difference

Sat, 2012-02-25 10:50 — Kathy Gilbeaux

irinnews.org

NAIROBI, 15 February 2012 (IRIN) - “When should we plant?” is a question increasingly being asked by small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa who depend on rain-fed agriculture. To help answer such questions, climate scientists are being urged to provide more reliable and relevant local climate data, and better communicate their knowledge on climate adaptation techniques. 

"When we think about preparing for imminent disasters it is not possible to prepare for flooding, for example, just a few days in advance, which we get from the weather forecast. We need to think about preparedness further in advance and think in terms of what kind of decisions we can make, say, three months in advance, such as moving important resources away. We need a continuum of information,” said Simon Mason, the chief climate scientist at Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) in the USA.

According to Mason, more effective short, mid-range and seasonal weather forecasting is needed for the development of useful early warning systems. 

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A Nano Method to Clean Polluted Water

Sat, 2012-02-25 10:28 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Homeland Security News Wire - February 21, 2012

Decontaminating polluted waste water costs millions, but a new discovery by scientists at the University of Brighton could result in huge savings as well as delivering safer, cleaner water

Decontaminating polluted waste water costs millions, but a new discovery by scientists at the University of Brighton could result in huge savings as well as delivering safer, cleaner water.

The research, recently published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, represents a significant shift in scientists’ understanding of chemistry. Mercury is a serious contaminant so this breakthrough could save millions of pounds.

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Civil Society Initiative Relevant to HADR Communication

Sat, 2012-02-25 10:03 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

This initiative related to HADR illustrates how NGOs are working to fill the gaps in government planning and response.

internews.org

During humanitarian disasters people affected by the unfolding tragedy need more than physical necessities. They also have an urgent need for information. In the aftermath of a crisis, from earthquakes, to armed conflicts, survival can depend on knowing the answers to essential questions.

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21 Issues for the 21st Century - Result of the UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Environmental Issues

Fri, 2012-02-24 18:12 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Jerome C. Glenn

The process, which was led by the UNEP Chief Scientists with support from UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment, involved the identification of emerging issues by UNEP colleagues and a Foresight Panel comprising of 22 distinguished members of the scientific community cutting across a wide spectrum of environmental related disciplines and world regions; the debating and prioritization of the identified issues by the Foresight Panel; the scoring of prioritized issues via an electronic consultation (survey) involving more than 400 scientists worldwide; and a further debating and ranking of the final list of issues by the Foresight Panel, putting into consideration the outcome of the electronic consultation.

The process resulted in a list of 21 emerging environmental issues tagged “21 Issues for the 21st Century” covering the major themes of the global environment including food, land, freshwater, marine, biodiversity, climate change, energy, waste, and technology; as well important cross-cutting issues ranging from the need for better environmental governance, to the need for human behavioral change towards the environment.

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Myanmar: Campaign Curbs Are Lifted

Thu, 2012-02-23 17:59 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by The Associated Press - The New York Times - February 21, 2012

The election authorities in Myanmar lifted restrictions on political campaigning Monday in an unusually swift response to complaints from the party of the pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The party, the National League for Democracy, had said that the restrictions risked making coming by-elections unfair. The election commission’s decision was unusually quick in a country where a nominally civilian government took office just a year ago after a half-century of military rule.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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2010 Russian Heat Wave Caused by Both Manmade, Natural Causes

Thu, 2012-02-23 17:04 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Homeland Security News Wire - February 23, 2012

The heat wave that struck western Russia in summer 2010 killed 55,000 people and caused $15 billion in damage; a new study concludes that soaring temperatures were within the natural range for a Russian summer, but that due to human-induced climate change, the chance of such an extreme heat wave has tripled over the past several decades

The heat wave that struck western Russia in summer 2010, killing 55,000 people, broke July temperatures records and caused $15 billion in damage. Searching for a culprit for the soaring temperatures, research teams have identified either natural or manmade causes. A new study concludes, however, that the devastating heat wave had both. Soaring temperatures were within the natural range for a Russian summer, the researchers found, but due to human-induced climate change, the chance of such an extreme heat wave has tripled over the past several decades.

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World Economic Forum´s Global Risks 2012 Report

Thu, 2012-02-23 15:44 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Mike Kraft

stefanomele.it

In its seventh edition, the World Economic Forum´s Global Risks Report features more refined risk descriptions and rigorous data analysis covering 50 global risks. It aims to improve public and private sector efforts to map, monitor, manage and mitigate global risks. It is also a “call to action” for the international community to improve current efforts at coordination and collaboration, as none of the global risks highlighted respects national boundaries.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

World Economic Forum - Global Risks 2012 - Seventh Edition (64 page .PDF file)

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalRisks_Report_2012.pdf

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Six Key Solutions for Pro-Poor WASH Financing

Tue, 2012-02-21 23:18 — Kathy Gilbeaux

 

submitted by Gigi Pomerantz

 by gbastinwsup - Sanitation Updates - February 20, 2012

Financing water and sanitation improvements for the very poor remains a major challenge over large areas of the globe.

In the lead-up to World Water Forum 2012, sector specialists throughout the world have been asked to report specific solutions for addressing this challenge. Based on these concrete examples, IRC and WSUP today propose six key solutions for pro-poor WASH finance.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)


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Planetary Boundaries

Mon, 2012-02-20 22:58 — Kathy Gilbeaux

               

Image / FlyingSinger/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

stockholmresilience.org

Tipping towards the unknown

Researchers propose critical planetary boundaries, transgressing them could be catastrophic. But there is hope.
New approaches are needed to help humanity deal with climate change and other global environmental threats that lie ahead in the 21st century. A group of 28 internationally renowned scientists propose that global biophysical boundaries, identified on the basis of the scientific understanding of the Earth System, can define a safe planetary operating space that will allow humanity to continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.
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Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

Sat, 2012-02-18 23:20 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the premier, international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.

Each year in Oxford, 900 distinguished delegates from the social, finance, private and public sectors convene in Oxford for three days and nights of critical debates, discussions and work sessions aimed at innovating, accelerating and scaling solutions to social challenges.

The Skoll World Forum is a programme of the Skoll Foundation and is co-produced with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Saïd Business School, Oxford University.

http://skollworldforum.org/about/

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