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The Next Pandemic: Why It Will Come from Wildlife

Submitted by sindhu on

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David Quammen
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Emerging diseases are in the news again. Scary viruses are making themselves noticed and felt. There’s been a lot of that during the past several months — West Nile fever kills 17 people in the Dallas area, three tourists succumb to hantavirus after visiting Yosemite National Park, an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo claims 33 lives. A separate Ebola outbreak, across the border in Uganda, registers a death toll of 17.

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The Next Pandemic: Why It Will Come from Wildlife

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RENEWABLES INTERACTIVE MAP

Submitted by sindhu on

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The REN21 Secretariat Team
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The topic of ‘energy’ has gradually moved over the last decades to the very top of the international political agenda. Renewable energy, in particular, has received high attention as a potential ‘win-win’ option in both the environment and development arenas. Combined with growing attention, a rapid expansion and development of renewable technologies, finance possibilities, policies and targets is occurring. As a result, information and knowledge exchange about ongoing renewable energy development on national, regional and global scales is desirable for further advancement.

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RENEWABLES INTERACTIVE MAP

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Chance of saving most coral reefs is dwindling -study

Submitted by sindhu on

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Reuters
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*70 pct of corals will suffer degradation by 2030

*To protect half of reefs, temperature rise must be under 1.5C

The chance to save the world's coral reefs from damage caused by climate change is dwindling as man-made greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, scientists said in a study released on Sunday.

Around 70 percent of corals are expected to suffer from long-term degradation by 2030, even if strict emission cuts are enforced, according to the study.

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Chance of saving most coral reefs is dwindling -study

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India’s energy demand projected to surge

Submitted by sindhu on

Author: 

Simon Denyer and Rama Lakshmi
Total primary energy supply per capita in tonnes of oil equivalent
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NEW DELHI — Like China two decades ago and the United States in 1950, India stands on the cusp of transformational economic and social change, a jumping-off point at which the demand for electricity is about to explode.

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Satisfying India’s thirst for power could be nation’s biggest challenge -Aug 22, 2012

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Arctic ice melting at 'amazing' speed, scientists find

Submitted by sindhu on

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By David Shukman Science Editor, BBC News, in Svalbard
Sea ice extent- Millions of kilometres squared
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Scientists in the Arctic are warning that this summer's record-breaking melt is part of an accelerating trend with profound implications.

Norwegian researchers report that the sea ice is becoming significantly thinner and more vulnerable.

Last month, the annual thaw of the region's floating ice reached the lowest level since satellite monitoring began, more than 30 years ago.

It is thought the scale of the decline may even affect Europe's weather.

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Arctic ice melting at 'amazing' speed, scientists find

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Water Deficits

Presentation Date: 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Many places in the world are getting drier-not just becuse of climate change but also because of the demands of irrigation and industry. Lak Chad has shrunk to one-twentieth of its size in 1960. The Aral Sea is about gone. The Colorado river no longer reaches the sea in the dry season. Just 10 percent of Mesopotamian marshlands are left.

Deforestation

Presentation Date: 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The same can be said for another threatening global commons issues- the loss of forest cover and the advance of deserts ans savannas the world over. Few of us realize how central a role forests play. Along with woodlands and scattered trees, forests provide the planet's population with shelter, food, fuelwood, medicines, building materials and paper.

Global Warming

Presentation Date: 

Monday, July 9, 2012

Global Warming is rapidly emerging as one of the toughest and most threatening of the twenty or so inherently global issues. This issue is so big, so much in the limeligh, that the author spends more time on it than on the others in this chapter.

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