Global

submitted by Mike Kraft

An outbreak of the deadly disease is sweeping across Iraq. But El Niño, climate change, and Middle Eastern instability could make the crisis much bigger.

foreignpolicy.com - by Laurie Garrett - November 2, 2015

The last great epidemic of Vibrio cholerae to hit Africa and the Middle East occurred from 1997 to 1998. Over 200,000 people were afflicted and some 8,000 killed as the disease spread from southern Mozambique all the way up to the Horn of Africa and into the Middle East. Now cholera is back. And this time it could be much worse.

As in 1997, today’s outbreak, which is unfolding in the Middle East and East Africa, is growing during an El Niño climate event that is shifting the planet’s normal rain and drought patterns, spreading the waterborne cholera bacteria. But this year’s outbreak has dangerous added dimensions: Its spread is fueled by war throughout the Middle East, the existence of vast ungoverned and poorly governed tracts of the region, and an enormous refugee crisis.

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Image: Crescent Dunes, a solar thermal power plant near Tonopah, Nevada.

newrepublic.com - October 27th, 2015 - Rebecca Leber

Right now, we're in a car, hanging on for dear life as we hurtle around a mountain bend. If we don't hit the brakes soon, we're going to lose control, crash through the guardrail, and careen into the abyss. We've been fully warned about the danger ahead, but now here we are, testing our fate.

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Thomson Reuters Foundation - trust.org - by SciDev.Net - Gilbert Nakweya - October 29, 2015

Floods, disease and crop losses expected in coming months

Kenya has built camps for displaced people and is ready for cholera

East African farmers may face drought after the rains

[NAIROBI] East African countries near the equator are bracing for high El Niño-related rainfall that meteorologists warn may cause floods, crop losses and disease in the coming months.   The region is set to experience much more rain than usual during the October-December wet season, and possibly until early next year, forecasts say — although the rains may be less heavy than those experienced during the powerful 1997-98 El Niño ocean warming event.   The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Kenya Meteorological Department, Tanzania Meteorological Agency and Uganda National Meteorological Authority have issued warnings about the risks associated with higher rainfall.   The Famine Early Warning Systems Network says flooding along rivers and lakes, such as Lake Victoria, and flash floods in lowland areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania are likely to force people from their homes, lead to crop and livestock losses, and make it difficult for people to access food and work.

hrpdcva.gov - July 2013

Effective planning for development and infrastructure near the shore requires understanding various shore processes, including erosion, tidal patterns, and sea level change. There is a significant amount of research documenting both a sustained and long-running trend of sea level rise and that the rate of sea level rise is likely to accelerate. Therefore, it is important for local planners to understand how much sea level rise is projected to occur and at what rate. Understanding the drivers of sea level rise and how they affect sea level rise rates can also help decision-makers tasked with selecting appropriate policy and infrastructure responses.

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Coastal Resiliency: Adapting to Climate Change in Hampton Roads