Study: Climate change raises risks of power outages

An article by the Baltimore Sun highlights the vulnerability of communities living on the east coast of the US to increased incidents of power outage as a result of the effects of climate change:

With flooding already on the rise along the East Coast, a new study led by the Johns Hopkins University suggests that urban dwellers may have more to worry about from climate change than just getting their feet wet if they live near the water. People in some inland cities who think they’re safe from tropical storms could find themselves in the dark longer or more often.

In the December issue of Climatic Change, researchers suggest that increases in storm frequency, as predicted by some climate scientists, are likely to aggravate power outages in hurricane-prone areas like Miami or New Orleans. But if hurricanes become more intense, as many climate researchers expect, the study found severe outages could occur in areas that now suffer relatively few storm landfalls — such as New York, Philadelphia and Hartford, Conn.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, please visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Mudslides, flash floods kill at least 53 in Philippines

Reuters reports on the situation in the Phillipines as the widespread phenomenon of rains and flooding that has affected many parts of the world this winter takes its toll on the South-East of Asia:

Heavy rains and flooding have affected many parts of the world this winter, southeast Asia being one of the latest regions to be affected. (Image credit: anna29 on freeimageslive.co.uk. Image not of affected location.)

Heavy rains and flooding have affected many parts of the world this winter, southeast Asia being one of the latest regions to be affected.
(Image credit: anna29 on freeimageslive.co.uk. Image not of affected location.)

Flash floods and mudslides have killed at least 53 people in the central and southern Philippines, the national disaster agency said on Wednesday, after days of heavy rains that have also hit neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

Tropical storm Jangmi prompted the evacuation of more than 86,000 people in Surigao del Sur, Bohol and Cebu provinces before weakening into a tropical depression.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Famine claims two more in Tharparkar

Pakistantoday reports on a famine which continues to claim lives in the Tharparkar district in Pakistan:

At least two more children died on Sunday due to food shortages in Thar mounting the death toll to 247 in a time span of 88 days.

A seven-day old Ali Muhammad died at Civil Hospital Mithi where he was under treatment, and another one-month old baby girl lost her life at Chachru Hospital.

(Break)

Moreover, local media reported Sunday that a provincial minister has warned of a severe drought in Balochistan, due to the prolonged dry spell.

Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that his province has been facing severe drought because there has been little rainfall and snowfall this winter season.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.newmessage.org

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China to send 700 combat troops to South Sudan

The Guardian reports on a recent shift in Chinese foreign policy in regard to conflicts on the African continent:

China is to send 700 combat troops to South Sudan in what analysts describe as a significant shift from its stated policy of non-interference in African conflicts.

The first Chinese infantry battalion to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission will be equipped with drones, armoured carriers, antitank missiles, mortars and other weapons, “completely for self-defence purpose”, state media reported.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Massacre result of enduring conflict

The Times of India reports on a recent act of violence in relation to an internal conflict in India’s Assam region:

The Adivasi community in Assam has recently been hit by violence in a recent development of a decades-old dispute. (Image credit: xguy2k on freeimages.com)

The Adivasi community in Assam has recently been hit by violence in a recent development of a decades-old dispute.
(Image credit: xguy2k on freeimages.com)

The killing of over 60 Adivasis by armed rebels of National Democratic Front of Boroland’s Songbijit faction (NDFB-S) in Sonitpur, Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of the state is being seen as an extension of a conflict which surfaced in the 1990s.

Bodo militants had killed and displaced many Advisasis in 1996 and 1998 in western Assam districts. The Advisasis, descendants of indentured labourers brought to Assam by British tea planters, mostly from the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, indulged in retaliatory violence and floated armed groups to defend their community against rising Bodo militancy in the 1990s.

Security experts said NDFB’s Songbijit faction, like the Bodo militants earlier, sees Adivasis as a threat as the community is vocally opposed to the former’s demand for a separate Bodoland on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Rising flood waters force more people to flee homes in east coast of Semenanjung Malaysia

The Borneo Post reports on the floods hitting the east coast of Malaysia:

The second waves of floods in the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang continued to worsen on Tuesday (Dec 23), forcing more people out of flooded homes overnight.

In Kelantan, the number of evacuees in the affected eight of the 10 districts rose to 20,468 Tuesday morning, up from 16,081 last night, according to the state government flood portal. They have been housed at 70 relief centres.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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IDF aircraft strike Gaza following earlier rocket fire

The Jerusalem Post reports on an airstrike carried out in Gaza in response to rockets being fired from that area:

The IDF struck a site belonging to Hamas in southern Gaza near Khan Yunis early Saturday morning, following an earlier rocket attack from Gaza into Israel on Friday afternoon, which exploded in open territory near the Eshkol Regional Council.

The reports are of at least two strikes by the Israel Air Force, which was reportedly assisted by the Israel Navy.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry tweeted that a medical source confirmed there were no injures resulting from the strike.

The IDF Spokesperson’s unit said in a statement, “The IDF struck terror infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organization Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip. A direct hit was identified.”

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Threefold increase in natural disaster-related deaths in Asia-Pacific

Mintnews reports on the statistical increase in deaths caused by natural disasters recorded in recent decades in the Asia-Pacific region:

The Asia-Pacific region has experienced a threefold increase in deaths caused by natural disasters in recent decades.  (Image credit: cobrasoft on freeimages.com)

The Asia-Pacific region has experienced a threefold increase in deaths caused by natural disasters in recent decades.
(Image credit: cobrasoft on freeimages.com)

The Asia-Pacific region has recorded a near threefold rise in deaths because of natural disasters, with over 700,000 recorded deaths between 2004 and 2013.

The region also witnessed over 40% of the world’s reported natural disasters during the same period which caused economic damage of over $560 billion. The Asia-Pacific region recorded a total of 713,956 deaths between 2004 and 2013, compared with 205,388 deaths between 1994 and 2003, according to the Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2014, published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Of the over 710,000 deaths during 2004-13, Southeast Asia, predominantly Indonesia and the Philippines, was the hardest hit with a total of 354,293 deaths. Between January and August, there have been 32 natural disasters in 20 Asia-Pacific countries, of which eight occurred in Indonesia alone.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Flooding after heavy rain drowns 2 in Greece

Yahoo! News reports on unfortunate developments in Greece following a sustained period heavy rain:

Two men have drowned in northern Greece, bringing the death toll from severe flooding to four since the weekend.

Authorities say one local resident was found dead Thursday in a swollen river in the Philadelpheia area, some 30 kilometers northwest of Thessaloniki.

Another man drowned when the taxi he was riding in was swept away by a torrent near the town of Kilkis, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Thessaloniki. The taxi driver escaped unharmed.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.greatwavesofchange.org

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Enough is enough: Farmers need help now as the Aussie dream turns to dust

This article from the Australian Daily Telegraph illustrates the tough situation facing many farmers in the state of New South Wales as drought continues to affect their livelihood:

“ENOUGH is enough.”

They are just three simple words, but they capture the utter ­despair of our country brothers and sisters west of the ranges.

Many of our state’s brave but desperate farmers have endured three years of devastating drought — for some the worst in living memory — and there is still no rain in sight.

To read more about the changing world and what you can do to prepare, visit: www.newmessage.org

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