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Climate Change as a Security Threat FOR THE LATEST CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS see Climate Change: Changing our World Three Big Things We Should Do Now to Slow Global Warming Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development Amidst all the complexity of international climate change negotiations, it is easy to lose sight of actions we can take now, using proven technologies. Such “immediate mitigation” is essential if we are to avoid irreversible tipping points for abrupt climate change. There are three very promising ways of meeting the need for speed. Black carbon, the light absorbing matter in soot, warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation and releasing it as heat. It also accelerates the melting of snow and ice by reducing their ‘albedo’ (the ability to reflect light). This is most dramatically demonstrated by the contribution which black carbon is making to the disintegration of Arctic sea-ice, which in turn threatens to accelerate feedback mechanisms that will speed disintegration of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Food Crisis: A Global Emergency The Earth Institute at Columbia University It has been called the "silent tsunami." In the past 24 months, grain prices have doubled. Prices of fertilizers and fuels have tripled. Thirty countries from Bangladesh to Haiti have seen food riots, and there is sticker shock at supermarkets even in rich nations. "This is the world's big story," says Earth Institute director Jeffrey Sachs. "We're really in the perfect storm." The storm includes rising demand from growing populations; stagnation in the growth of crop production; increasing diversion of food crops into biofuels; and droughts from Australia to Italy, which may be the cutting edge of ongoing climate change. According to Sachs and other Earth Institute leaders, the world must adapt to climate and other challenges using both technology and common sense, in order to produce more food, and ensure that the poor, as well as the rich, have access to it. Three organisations warn of a warming planet
The world is rapidly losing its glaciers and sea ice, according to three separate reports from UNEP, WWF and NASA . The World Glacier Monitoring Service, supported by the UN Environment Programme, has released preliminary figures on glacier loss. Average ice loss from 30 glaciers around the world more than doubled between 2004/5 and 2005/6 Ð the highest level since monitoring began in 1980. Only one glacier was found to have increased in size. Director of the service Professor Wilfried Haeberli said: ÒThe latest figures are part of what appears to be an accelerating trend with no apparent end in sight. Meanwhile a WWF expedition has estimated that central African glaciers, which partly feed the Nile, have halved in area since the 1950s and by 75% in the past century. The Rwenzori mountains, on the border of Uganda and Congo, have the only permanently snow-covered peaks in Africa other than Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro. At the current rate of loss, the Rwenzori glaciers are expected to disappear within three decades. NASA has also revealed that the Arctic is losing its older ice floes. Sea ice created more than two years ago now accounts for around 30% of all Arctic ice. In the mid-1980s, approximately 60% of the ice was older than two years. Ecology and Political Upheaval Small changes in climate can cause wars, topple governments and crush economies already Jeffrey D. Sachs is director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and of the U.N. Millennium Project. Careful study of the long-term climate record has shown that even a minor shock to the system can cause an enormous change in outcome, a nonlinear response that has come to be called “abrupt climate change.”Less well recognized is that our social and economic systems are also highly sensitive to climate perturbations. Seemingly modest fluctuationsin rainfall, temperature and other meteorological factors can create havoc in vulnerable societies. Recent years have shown that shifts in rainfall can bring down governments and even set off wars. The African Sahel, just south of the Sahara, provides a dramatic and poignant demonstration. The deadly carnage in Darfur, Sudan, for example, which is almost always discussed in political and military terms, has roots in
Retreating glacier in the Himalayas
This false-color NASA image shows the approximate retreat of the Gangotri Glacier in the Photograph courtesy NASA Earth Observatory
February 14, 2007 – From the Himalayas, which feed water to a billion people, to the coastal areas of Bangladesh, South Asian countries must prepare for the effects of global warming, even as they work to combat the human causes of climate change. “You have to give examples from around the world for people to really understand what’s going on. In India and China, I think people understand the rising water stress, and how vulnerable they are to melting glaciers and snows from the Himalayas,” Stern said. He used the analogy of the Himalayas as a sponge, moderating the impact of precipitation as seasons change. ”Precipitation comes, and it’s held there. That’s how you get water in the rivers. That effect will not be there if the glaciers and snow are not there. Which means you’ll get torrents during the wet season and dry rivers in the dry season. So you’ll get a combination of flood and drought,” Stern said. World in Transition: Climate Change as a Security Risk. Summary for Policy-Makers. German Advisory Council on Global Change. 29 May 2007 A new security policy challenge Climate Change in South Asia: A Precursor for Conflict? July 4 2007 The world is today at a tipping point in many areas, global warming, peak oil, rapidly growing population levels and rapidly rising energy demand. The global environmental situation facing the entire international community over the balance of this century and beyond is fraught with danger. There is a growing realization that achieving energy and climate security is at the core of future global challenges, with implications that go well beyond their traditional policy spheres. Given the possibilities for conflict created by the changes in the global climate, whether it is over petroleum, uranium, refugee flows, fresh water or food, it rapidly becomes apparent that in South Asia, given its high population levels and the endemic poverty, that the possibilities for conflict are overwhelming.
“Energy, Security and Climate“ Security Council Open Debate: UK Concept Paper The UK proposes that the Security Council holds on April 17 2007 an open debate exploring the relationship between energy, security and climate change. Climate Change 2007 Mitigation of Climate Change Working Group III Report- A summary for Policy Makers Released May 7 2007 The Working Group III contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) focuses on new literature on scientific, technological, environmental, economic and social aspects of mitigation of climate change, published since the IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR) and the Special Reports on CO2 Capture and Storage (SRCCS) and on Safeguarding the Ozone Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability Working Group 2 - A Summary for Policy Makers - Released 6 April 2007 This Summary sets out the key policy-relevant findings of the Fourth Assessment of Working GroupII of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Assessment is of current scientific understanding of impacts of climate change on natural, managed and human systems, the capacity of these systems to adapt and their vulnerability1. It builds upon past IPCC assessments and incorporates new knowledge gained since the Third Assessment. The IPCC 4th. Assesment Report Working Group 1 - A Summary for Policy Makers The Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report describes progress in understanding of the human and natural drivers of climate change,1 observed climate change, climate processes and attribution, and estimates of projected future climate change. It builds upon past IPCC assessments and incorporates new findings from the past six years of research. A comprehensive and rigorous picture of the gobal present state of knowledge of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is currently finalizing its Fourth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2007". The reports by the three Working Groups provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change. The Synthesis Report integrates the information around six topic areas. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) The IPCC Working Group I Fourth Assessment Report Summary for Policymakers ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change South Asian Environmental Resources UNEP's Global Outlook for Snow and Ice 14 July 2007 This is a global overlook at snow and ice cover from the perspective of global warming. The Power point presentation was prepared by Joan Eamer, Polar Programme Manager, UNEP/GRID Arendal. Although this is a global perspective much of it is directly relevant to South Asia and the balance is relevant from the perspective of global warming, wherein the entire climate system is interconnected. Please note this is a very large PowerPoint file (20Mb +) Findings of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Please note this is a large PowerPoint file (10Mb +) Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level. Implications for Adaptation in Small Vulnerable Communities- Presentation by Leonard Nurse, Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. The Climate Action Network - Soutrh Asia (CANSA) is part of a global network of over 360 Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in 85 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. South Asian NGOs and scientists concerned of Global Climate Change issues and engaged in the INC and UNCED processes responded to the emerging challenge and threat of climate change by establishing CAN South Asia CANSA, in 1991.
South Asian Environmental News
Right: Naresh Kumar, 22, crouches under a drill thatwill shortly bore 375 feet down to extract ground water to cultivate the local rice crop. Punjab: -- Just before dusk, on the plains of India's northern Punjab region, 22-year-old Naresh Kumar sprinkles mustard oil, turmeric, and raw sugar inside a ten-inch circle traced in the rich soil. Hands clasped, head bowed, he prays for a bountiful supply of ground water. Then he cranks a wheezing diesel engine, lines up a drill over the offerings, and releases a lever that brings an iron cylinder crashing into the earth. "Business is growing," says Kumar. "But we've placed about as many tube wells as we can in this area." Indeed, the ground here in India's fertile breadbasket is beginning to look like Swiss cheese. On either side of Kumar's drill the calm beauty of emerald rice paddies belies a catastrophe brewing hundreds of feet beneath the surface. As the water table drops dangerously low, farmers are investing heavily - and often going into debt - to bore deeper wells and install more powerful pumps. A prayer might just be the best chance for survival. Punjab has only 1.5 percent of India's land, but its output of rice and wheat accounts for 50 percent of the grain the government purchases to feed more than 400 million poor Indians. Experts say the 375-foot-deep tube well and 7.5-horsepower pump Kumar is installing for a farmer are at the eye of a storm that threatens India's food security, environmental health, and economic progress. "We have depleted the ground water to such an extent that it is devastating the country," says Gurdev Hira, an expert on soil and water at Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana. Hira estimates that the energy used to subsidize rice production in the region costs $381 million a year. He and other experts warn that, if left unchecked, future drilling will bleed state budgets, parch aquifers, and run farmers out of business.
Baffin Island Ice Caps Shrink by Half in 50 Years
according to new research from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Radiocarbon dating of dead plant material emerging from beneath the receding ice show the Baffin Island ice caps are now smaller in area than at any time in at least the last 1,600 years, said geological sciences Professor Gifford Miller of CU-Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. "Even with no additional warming, our study indicates these ice caps will be gone in 50 years or less," he said. Located just west of Greenland, the 196,000 square mile Baffin Island is the fifth largest island in the world. Most of it lies above the Arctic Circle.
Vanishing Ice cap on Baffin Island (Photo by Gifford Miller courtesy CU-Boulder)
Govt. acts on UN reports on climate change, sets up panel 27 December 2007 New Delhi (PTI): Acting on UN reports during the outgoing year on threats of impending climate change, the Government set up a high-level panel to tackle the impact of global warming. The first report of the Nobel award winning Inter-Governmental Penal on Climate Change (IPCC) rang the alarm bells predicting that temperatures in the next century are expected to go up by 2.5 to 4.5 degrees Centigrade and that India, along with developing countries, will face a serious shortage of water and threat to food security. In the midst of a grim scenario painted by IPCC, a council headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will act as a think-tank to decide on India's future course of action in the short term as well as after 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires. A three-member sub-committee to be headed by Nobel laureate and IPCC Chief R K Pachauri will submit its report by early next year. The report will assume significance globally as India has been rated as the 4th largest carbon emitter after the United States, Australia and China.
Global warming causing China's glaciers to melt quickly: survey - Friday December 21, 2007
Global warming has caused some of China's glaciers -- a source for many of Asia's greatest rivers -- to have melted by more than 18 percent over the past five years, state media reported Friday. A survey of nearly 20,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles) of China's glaciers showed they were on average 7.4 percent smaller than five years ago, Caijing magazine said, citing a government-funded survey. A glacier along the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River on the Tibetan plateau had shrunk by more than 18 percent, the survey found. Two other glacial areas in China's far northwest Xinjiang region had also melted by more than 18 percent. "Global warming is causing grave loss to glaciers and it has become a burning need to monitor changes of glacial reserves," the researchers from the China Academy of Sciences said as they released their findings. The survey, covering roughly one third of China's glaciers, was conducted to trace the impacts of global warming. China's glaciers, in the west of the country, feed many of Asia's greatest rivers, including the Yangtze, Mekong, Yellow and Ganges, as well as the Brahmaputra. In the past four decades, China's glaciers shrank by 3,248 square kilometres, or 5.5 percent since the 1960s, according to previous studies published in the state-run press. One of China's top glaciologists, Yao Tangdong, warned last year of an "ecological catastrophe" in Tibet because of global warming. He said most glaciers in the region could melt away by 2100.
THE NATURE OF THE NEW WORLD 2 October 2007 Lester R. Brown We recently entered a new century, but we are also entering a new world, one where the collisions between our demands and Resources that accumulated over eons of geological time are being consumed in a single human lifespan. We are crossing natural thresholds that we cannot see and violating deadlines that we do not recognize. These deadlines, determined by nature, are not politically negotiable.
Leonardo DiCaprio's "The 11th Hour" feature length documentary on climate change Leonardo DiCaprio's "The 11th Hour" is a feature length documentary concerning the environmental crises caused by human actions and their impact on the planet. The 11th Hour documents the cumulative impact of these actions upon the planet's life systems and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity. The 11th Hour opens in Los Angeles and New York on August 17th, in select markets on August 24th, and nationwide on August 31st. The Ecologist Magazine said the following about the documentary, "But while most other celebrities are still talking about lightbulbs and how many squares of toilet tissue to use, Leonardo DiCaprio has done a very brave thing. He has chosen to align himself with the scientists, philosophers, activists and teachers on the front line. He's chosen to be the channel through which their ideas and views can be amplified. He's done it publicly and he's done it with great panache. He's put his face and his name to a documentary that could break all box office records for films of this type - or it could end his career. He's done it because, as he told the Ecologist, it needs to be done. We respond to courage wherever we see it - in science, in the media, in everyday life and in celebrity - because courage is in short supply these days, because courage begats courage and because courage is a powerful force to change the world" Climate change may impact India's food security April 10, 2007 If the rising prices of cereals and wheat was not enough, RK Pachauri, chairperson of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, on Tuesday predicted steep fall in the production of wheat and cereals in India, thanks to the increasing global weather. In case of winter temperature rise by just 0.5 degrees Celsius, the per hectare wheat production will fall by 0.45 tonnes. In India, the average per hectare production is 2.6 tonnes. Similarly, the production of cereals and many other agricultural crops will see a substantial fall, he said. Developing World Seeks Funds And Technology To Tackle Climate Change Aug 01, 2007 by Gerard Aziakou United Nations (AFP) This week's debate is laying the groundwork for a high-level meeting called by UN chief Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the September General Assembly meeting, and for a major climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the parent of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the landmark environmental treaty that mandates cuts in the gases blamed for global warming.
China climate change storms have affected 200 million July 31 2007
British Prime Minister Blames Floods on Climate Change LONDON, UK, July 24, 2007 (ENS) - The sun is forecast to shine across much of England Wednesday, illuminating flood waters that have risen to 60 year About 250 water tankers were deployed to bring drinking water to Gloucester residents, who had stormed local markets in a panic to buy bottled water. Bottled water now is being distributed to residents and officials predict it will be seven to 14 days before water services are restored. Prime Minister Brown, who visited Gloucester Monday, said funds to tackle the crisis would rise to 800 million pounds (US$1.6 billion).
Influence of global warming seen in changing rains July 23 2007 The pattern of rainfall around the world is being changed by greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities, researchers have shown for the first time. Tropical regions north of the equator, including such areas as the Sahel in Africa which borders the Sahara desert, have already begun to get even drier and will continue to do so, the data show. Regions in the far north, including Canada, Northern Europe and Russia, will get wetter, as will the southern tropics. Detecting the effects of climate change on rainfall patterns has proved much more elusive than temperature changes because of the much greater natural variability of precipitation.
Glaciers and Ice Caps Quickly Melting Into the Seas July 20 2007 `BOULDER, Colorado, July 20, 2007 (ENS) - Sea level rise this century may be greater than previously thought, posing risks to hundreds of millions of people who live close to the world's oceans, concludes a new study of ice loss from glaciers and ice caps. The researchers say that in the near future, the giant Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will contribute less to sea level rise than glaciers and ice caps. Scientists with the University of Colorado-Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, INSTAAR, and the Russian Academy of Sciences conclude that glaciers and ice caps now contribute about 60 percent of the ice melting into the oceans and the rate has been accelerating over the last decade.
Tibet warming up faster than anywhere in the world Sunday 22 July 2007 BEIJING (Reuters) - Tibet is warming up faster than anywhere else in the world, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. The average annual temperature in Tibet, the roof of the world, was rising at a speed of 0.3 degrees Celsius every 10 years, Xinhua said. Chinese scientists have long warned that rising temperatures on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau will melt glaciers, dry up major Chinese rivers and trigger more droughts, sandstorms and desertification.
Climate change threatens Latin American water supply - World Bank LONDON (Reuters) - Global warming is drying up mountain lakes and wetlands in the Andes and threatening water supplies to major South American cities such as La Paz, Bogota and Quito, World Bank research shows. The risk is especially great to an Andean wetland habitat called the paramo, which supplies 80 percent of the water to Bogota's 7 million people. Rising temperatures are causing clouds that blanket the Andes to condense at higher altitudes. Eventually this so-called dew point will miss the mountains altogether, said World Bank climate change specialist in Latin America, Walter Vergara. India plans strategy to tackle global warming 14 July 2007 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked policymakers to come up with a detailed national plan by November to tackle the effects of global warming, his office said Saturday. Singh asked the members of his Council on Climate Change -- which held its first meeting in New Delhi on Friday -- to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for energy efficiency and sustainable development.
India makes climate change move 13 July 2007 India has taken the first steps towards developing a national plan on tackling the effects of climate change. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting of top government officials and environmental experts which agreed to draft a national policy by October.But the body has not set any targets to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. India and China are among the world's largest polluters and are coming under international pressure to agree to mandatory emission cuts. Other countries want them to make the cuts ahead of a key meeting in December. G8 reach agreement on climate and energy 07 June 2007 Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations reached agreement on text relating to climate change, energy efficiency and energy security at their 6-8 June summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. Leaders agreed that "resolute and concerted international action is urgently needed in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy security." They also agreed that strong economies are needed to "slow, stabilize and then significantly cut global emissions of greenhouse gases," although did not commit to it. Furthermore, the leaders did not commit to any specific targets on greenhouse gas emissions reductions, merely repeating the UNFCCC target of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system. From June 6 to 8, the G8 leaders met for their annual summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. "Growth and responsibility" are the The environment ministers of G8 and these emerging countries have already debated, as part of pre-summit activities, on various strategies to address climate change. They have also discussed ways to launch comprehensive negotiations at the UN climate summit due to take place at the end of this year in Indonesia. Climate Change and South Asia Climate change is no longer an issue for the distant future. Climate change is already taking place, and the South Asian countries, particularly the poorest people, are most at risk.The impacts of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, more extreme weather events, and sea level rise are felt in South Asia and will continue to intensify. These changes are already having major impacts on the economic performance of South Asian countries and on the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor people. The impacts result not only from gradual changes in temperature and sea level but also, in particular, from increased climate variability and extremes, including more intense floods, droughts, and storms.
Climate Change And National Security Legislation calling for an assessment of the potential impact of climate change on national security cleared the Senate Intelligence Committee as Congress left for its Memorial Day recess. Similar legislation passed the House a few weeks earlier The national security impact of more severe hurricanes is among the threats that Congress is asking intelligence agencies to assess. The provision requires the national intelligence director, who heads the nation's intelligence agencies, to prepare an estimate of the geopolitical effects of global climate change for Congress within 270 days of the law's enactment. The assessment is to examine the impact of climate change on national security as well as the political, social, agricultural, and economic risks it is likely to pose 30 years into the future. The examination, according to the bill, should particularly focus on countries and regions with significant risk of "large-scale humanitarian suffering with cross-border implications." The bill calls on U.S. intelligence agencies to consult with the scientific community when preparing their report, which is to be made public, although portions may be classified, according to the legislation. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is a primary supporter of the climate-change provision, which was added in committee to a larger bill, the 2008 Intelligence Authorization Bill.
Today is World Environment Day 2007
World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The World Environment Day slogan selected for 2007 is Melting Ice – a Hot Topic? In support of International Polar Year, the WED theme selected for 2007 focuses on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, and the ensuing consequences around the world. The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2007 will be held in Norway. UNEP is honoured that the City of Tromsø will be hosting this United Nations day (read the press release). Please visit the Norwegian Polar Institute WED website for more information on the celebrations in Norway.
UN: Global Warming Will Change the Lives of Millions TROMSO, Norway, June 5, 2007 (ENS) - As the Earth warms, hundreds of millions of people worldwide will be affected by melting snow covers, ice and glaciers, according to a new United Nations report issued to mark World Environment Day, observed on June 5 each year. The availability of water supplies for both drinking and agriculture will also be impacted, while rising sea levels will affect low-lying coastal areas and islands, said the report, "Global Outlook for Ice and Snow," compiled by the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, and a group of about 70 world experts.
Himalayas show 'significant sign of global warming'
These Greenpeace-issued photographs show Mount Everest in 1968 (top) and this year (above), which the environmental group argues show how global warming has destroyed the field of ice towers on the glacier. Photo: Greenpeace THESE two photographs taken 40 years apart show how one of the world's spectacular ice formations, the field of ice towers or serac forest, around Mount Everest, is shrinking. Greenpeace, which released the photographs yesterday, says this is global warming in action. The original picture from 1968 was taken by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Greenpeace has made three expeditions to the the area in the past two years.
Global Warming And South Asia 17 May 2007 These gases have been contributing factors to global warming over the past 50 years, during which the average global temperature is said to have increased at the fastest rate recorded in history and is expected to keep increasing at a rate of up to 2 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years. This would eventually lead to a rise in the sea levels that will inundate the low lying coastal belts, even leading to many smaller islands being totally submerged.
Nuclear key to Japan's climate plans 15 May 2007 Nuclear power is a key element in Japan's climate change mitigation strategy, a United Nations working group heard on 14 May. Kazuhiko Hombu, deputy director general of Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI), explained his country's strategy to members of a working group of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Warming Triggers ‘Alarming’ Retreat of Himalayan Glaciers
Evidence of Human-Caused Global Warming Unequivocal Center for International Environmental Law An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security Stern Review - The Economics of Climate Change Climate change: threat and promise Global Responses to Global Threats Tibetan Glacier Melt Leading to Sandstorms in China These Documents are in Adobe PDF Forma, click here to download Adobe Reader Links United Nations Environment Program E3G.Org Change Agents for Sustainable Development Climate Change Links - You will be taken to an external web site New Scientist Magazine’s Special Report on Climate Change The Cayman Institute - An independent think tank addressing energy security, climate change and sustainability. Climate Change: Changing Our World- A climate Change Blog with topical articles on climate change and global warming Energy Security An Energy Security Blog with topical articles on energy security
Climate Change and Conflict New |
temperatures and are expected to vanish by the middle of the century,
five million residents have been evacuated from their homes, while nearly 700 have lost their lives – a toll that threatened to climb yesterday as 69 miners remained trapped in a flooded shaft. Worse may be yet to come. Describing the floods as the most severe the country had suffered in a decade, Chinese officials cautioned that more deadly weather would wreak havoc before the end of the summer.
highs. Prime Minister Gordon Brown blamed climate change for the torrential rains that pounded the British Isles on Friday and through the weekend, inundating vast stretches of southwest England and leaving more than 50,000 homes without power. In Gloucestershire, up to 350,000 people had no drinking water Monday after a water treatment plant in in the city of Tewkesbury was flooded, local police authorities said.
central themes of G8 2007 summit. The framework conditions for the global economy, involving the largest emerging economies in the system of global responsibility and climate protection issues will be key focuses of this year's G8 Summit. Against this background Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa are invited to attend.
MELTING ICE- A HOT TOPIC? 