In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
Big river basins are complex systems of people and nature. This article explores the resilience of nine case studies of big river basins. A system description and generic conceptual model suggests that resilience to changes in water quantity is critical. When water becomes limiting, the social-ecological system must adapt rapidly …
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have released a preview of guidelines titled “Are We Building Competitive and Liveable Cities?” The guidelines address the development of eco-efficient and sustainable urban infrastructure …
Women in many countries use cosmetic products that lighten their skin, in pursuit of “fair-skinned beauty.” Some of the products may be harmless, but others contain potentially hazardous ingredients such as inorganic mercury compounds, hydroquinone, and steroids. These products are often applied to large areas of the skin, left on …
Although ecological restoration is widely used to combat environmental degradation, very few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of this approach. We examine the potential impact of forest restoration on the value of multiple ecosystem services across four dryland areas in Latin America, by estimating the net value of ecosystem service …
This is the first comprehensive review of 13 modernized bus systems in 13 Latin American and Asian cities. It highlights common hurdles, problems encountered and positive lessons learnt in implementing BRT and citywide bus systems. This report presents the first comprehensive review of major bus improvements in 13 Latin America …
We estimate the potential reductions in methane and carbon dioxide emissions from several livestock and pasture management options in the mixed and rangeland-based production systems in the tropics. The impacts of adoption of improved pastures, intensifying ruminant diets, changes in land-use practices, and changing breeds of large ruminants on the …
This article empirically demonstrates that the European and US globalisation and capitalism in agriculture, food and the agro-industry since the mid-20th century have been supported and powered by subsidies (which at present is 50 per cent of the value of agricultural production in Europe and the US) and technological advances …
After months of speculation, Brazil and India have launched a WTO dispute against the EU and the Netherlands over the seizure of generic drugs in transit. The complainants requested dispute settlement consultations on 11 May, citing a raft of EU and Dutch regulations that allow customs officials to detain goods …
Coffee is a major international commodity, and because of this, coffee production has the potential for considerable global impacts on the environment. These impacts can include the consumption of energy, water, land and the loss of native forest. Here we quantify these costs using Costa Rica as a case study, …
This study analysed genomic variation of the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF-1α) and the intergenic spacer region (IGS) of the nuclear ribosomal operon of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) isolates, from different banana production areas, representing strains within the known races, comprising 20 vegetative compatibility groups (VCG). Based on …
Chicago: The massive earthquake which struck the west coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepcion more than three meters (10 feet) to the west, scientists said on Monday. Preliminary measurements drawn from global positioning stations showed that Concepcion, Chile
Heroism and banditry mingled on Chile's shattered streets as rescuers braved aftershocks digging for survivors and the government sent soldiers and ordered a nighttime curfew to quell looting. The death toll climbed to 708 in one of the biggest earthquakes in centuries. In the hard-hit city of Concepcion, firefighters pulling …
This report is a global survey of schemes designed to preserve biodiversity by making it possible for real estate developers to offset their damage to nature by paying for the creation or preservation of habitat. It documents 39 government-mandated
Consumer demand for the premier neotropical luxury timber, big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), has driven boom-and-bust logging cycles for centuries, depleting local and regional supplies from Mexico to Bolivia. We revise the standard historic range map for mahogany in South America and estimate the extent to which commercial stocks have been …
How does the population of inegalitarian countries react to their governments’ initiatives to fight poverty and reduce inequality? Numerous studies published recently assume that the level of income inequality determines the level of popular support for redistribution. The most influential theoretical framework in this research agenda has been proposed by …
The year 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to WMO. Finds that the decade of the 2000s (2000
This report covers initiatives for: integrating climate change considerations into development plans, strategies and programmes at national and regional levels; assessing the economic impacts of climate change, evaluating the costs of mitigation and adaptation, and exploring options for climate change financing; enhancing countries
It is mainly the inhabitants of the global South who suffer from the effects of climate change. They are faced with the destruction of their living space and the violation of their human rights. At the same time, existing human rights standards offer the possibility of establishing points of reference …
