Reports

About 2.57 billion urban dwellers in developing nations are vulnerable to high levels of risk fuelled by rapid urbanisation, poor local governance, population growth, poor health services and, in many instances, the rising tide of urban violence. The figures are from the World Disasters Report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Tuesday. A key finding of the report is that between one-third and one-half of the population of most cities in...

The example of Pune has been cited as a classic case study for making cities resilient by investing in and maintaining critical infrastructure that reduces risk, such as flood drainage, adjusted where needed to cope with climate change. The initiative was driven jointly by the elected municipal government, the municipal commissioner and Alert (active citizen groups), and involves many different city departments. It demonstrates that local governments can prepare for climate change by reducing...

The damage caused by the flash floods in Leh and Uttarakhand regions could have been minimised or even averted had their respective state governments put in place warning systems to alert citizens of impending disasters which were predicted by climate change reports. The IPCC fourth assessment report in early 2007 had warned of precisely such climate impacts. The Climate Revolution Initiative has released RTI replies filed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) environment...

Greenpeace activists Tuesday occupied an oil drilling ship anchored off Shetland Isles to push for a ban on deepwater drilling in the North Sea. Two members used boats to reach the 228-metre Stena Carron and attached themselves to its anchor chain. One of the Greenpeace protesters, Anais Schneider, said, "The Shetlands are so beautiful and an oil spill here could devastate this area and the North Sea. It's time to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural world and our...

Half of UK consumers have no idea that the paper and wood products they are buying may be contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests. But two-thirds believe authorities should commit to buying sustainable wood and paper products. The findings are from a survey carried out as part of WWF’s ‘What Wood You Choose?’ campaign. The two-year, EU-funded project, aims to help people make the right choices when buying wood-related products such as a new bed, flooring or paper for their printer...

Scientists have rediscovered three "lost" amphibian species that had not been seen for decades, Conservation International (CI) and the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) have announced. The three amphibians that have been rediscovered so far include a Mexican salamander not seen since it was discovered in 1941, a frog from the Ivory Coast not seen since 1967, and another frog from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) not seen since 1979. The cave splayfoot salamander ( Chiropterotriton...

It has taken the UN three months to react to street demonstrations in Kashmir which have left over 100 people dead. UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for an immediate end to violence in Kashmir after recent deadly clashes there. “The Secretary-General regrets the latest loss of life,” his spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters. “He calls for an immediate end to violence and urges calm and restraint by all concerned.” The UN reaction came a day after an Indian all-party...

The upsurge in rhino poaching in southern Africa is leading to a variety of responses to the crisis worldwide. This year around 200 animals have been poached in South Africa for horns, with five killed in a nature reserve alone in the last weekend. According to TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, the number of horns moving out of Africa is escalating, with poached horns able to move from the site of the kill to the global market in as little as 48 hours. Four rhino carcasses with...

The amount of deals in the international arms market has dropped drastically in the aftermath of the financial crisis. A new report has concluded that the value of worldwide arms deals in 2009 was $57.5 billion, a drop of 8.5 percent from 2008. The major arms suppliers worldwide are the US, Russia and Germany, the three countries alone accounting for close to 60 percent of all deliveries. The figures come from a recent report of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a division of the Library...

Two radio stations in Mogadishu were taken off air on Sunday and their equipment confiscated by rebels. HornAfrik Radio and Global Broadcasting Corporation were separately raided by fighters from the Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam respectively. HornAfrik staff said armed militia from the Al-Shabaab broke into the premises of the radio station in Bakaro market of Mogadishu on Saturday evening, chased away journalists working in the station before destroyin g cassettes and CDs in the studios and its...