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22 Nov 2020 GLASGOW, United Kingdom

Increased "Green Economy" Funding Required For Climate Change Resilience, Access To Water

The World's 450 multilateral development banks have jointly pledged to “support the transformation of the global economy and societies towards sustainable and resilient development”. At a first "Finance in Common" Summit, the banks reaffirmed the need to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and work cooperatively in order to deliver provide the support in each and every country, across the globe...

1 Sep 2020 SANA'A, Yemen

Rain And Flash Floods Leave 300,000 Homeless In Yemen

Three months of torrential rain and flash floods have left an estimated 300,000 people homeless in war-torn Yemen, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said 28 August.Many of those people newly displaced by the floods had already been forced to flee their homes because of the ongoing conflict in the country...

14 Jan 2020 SYDNEY, Australia

Australia Bushfires And The Threat to Drinking Water, Ecosystems

Devastating ongoing bushfires in Australia threaten to wreak havoc on water resources as ecologists warn that resultant algae blossoms threaten freshwater ecosystems and diminish the quality of drinking water. Australian wildfires have burned as much as 26 Million acres of land.Burned catchment areas are increasing the level of mercury in lakes and water reserves as burnt sediment is now travelling into them...

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5 Jun 2019 HARARE, Zimbabwe

Drought Forces Zimbabwe To Seek Relief On Power Payments To South Africa

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) announced plans June 3 to approach power supplier Eskom of South Africa for relief on a payment plan for power imports as drought hits hydro power production capacity in Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe has had power shortages since 2007 and has relied on imports of over 350 MW from Eskom and about 50 MW from HCB of Mozambique...

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7 Jan 2019 WASHINGTON DC, United States

Nubian Aquifer Radiation Levels Pose Health Risk

New analysis of water in the world's largest fossil water aquifer system has revealed elevated levels of radium. Research into the Nubian aquifer at the eastern end of the Sahara desert, follows on from research in a similar fossil aquifer in 2009 in Jordan, where high levels of radioactivity were also discovered...

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2 Nov 2017 MOSCOW, Russia

What’s Killing the Seals in Putin’s Favorite Lake?

Around 130 dead seals have washed up on the shores of Russia’s Lake Baikal this week, prompting an investigation by Siberian authorities. Scientists have identified exhaustion caused by hunger as the primary cause of the mass deaths, prompting further investigation into the mammals’ habitat and food chain...

5 Sep 2017 ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

UN Food Agency Heads Call for Investment to Address Root Causes of Hunger. Trump-Nominated WFP Chief Beasley Slams Saudi Role in Yemen Crisis

The heads of the three food agencies of the United Nations (UN) this week made a joint call for greater investment in long-term activities that strengthen people’s resilience to drought and the impacts of climate shocks.Speaking at the conclusion of a four-day visit to Ethiopia, including to the drought-stricken Somali region, José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Gilbert F...

11 Nov 2016 NEW YORK, NY, United States

UN Agencies Launch Cholera Vaccination Campaign in Matthew-Hit Parts of Haiti

UN agencies including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) this week launched a cholera vaccination campaign in areas of Haiti hit hard by Hurricane Matthew last month.“The target population is estimated at 820,000 people over one year of age,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General, told reporters in New York...

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21 Oct 2016 NEW YORK NY, United States

Haiti Cholera “Underreported”

The extent of the cholera problem in Haiti in the aftermath of this month’s Hurricane Matthew may be underreported, according to David Nabarro, special advisor to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, in an appeal for more assistance from donor nations.Remote areas of the country remain inaccessible, and political protests over slow aid delivery are exacerbating delivery challenges, Nabarro said October 18th, adding that the agency is concerned that sick people are not being treated...

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12 Oct 2016 NEW YORK NY, United States

United Nations Launches Haiti Emergency Appeal

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced on 10th October a $120 million USD appeal to fund United Nations aid activities in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.Ban’s appeal follows United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF) alerts last week about the threat of waterborne diseases to children as the country’s rainy season hits simultaneously with the extreme weather event...

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28 Sep 2016 NEW YORK, NY, United States

UNGA: More on Climate and Disease

Government representatives from a number of developing and least developed countries have spoken at the General Assembly of the United Nations about challenges related to water.A number of speakers expressed concern about the impact of climate change and the lack of sustainable climate financing. Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini of Swaziland said: “The negative impact of climate change has become a thorn in our economy...

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16 Sep 2016 ABUJA, Nigeria

Nigeria Commissions $15 Million USD Supply Project for Regions Vulnerable to Water-borne Disease

The federal government of Nigeria has commissioned the $15 million USD Central Ogbia regional water supply project, which was conceived as a result of a cholera epidemic and water-related diseases in many parts of Bayelsa state, in the south of the country.The project, operated by NAIRDA Company, has a plant capacity of 500 cubic meters per hour for an estimated population of 120,360 in Otueke and 12 other communities in the Central Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State that are vulnerable to water borne disease...

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