Thursday, October 27, 2011

Current efforts to mitigate climate change fall short of reaching vital goal, UN warns

International efforts to mitigate climate change are insufficient to meet the goal of keeping global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a United Nations report warned, just a month before a major conference on the issue is held in Durban, South Africa.

The report laid out a list of options to achieve the target, including more cuts in greenhouse gases from additional sectors, stronger accounting rules both within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and through other multilateral and domestic strategies, sharing mitigation efforts based on countries’ capacities or contributions to the problem, and legally binding commitments.

The report, Building the Climate Change Regime: Survey and Analysis of Approaches, was published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental think tank with the support of the Irish Government. It reviewed more than 130 proposals put forward by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and academics to design a climate regime capable of delivering adequate mitigation.

It is the latest in a long series of UN warnings that world is falling behind in the battle against global warming. Just last month, at a Leaders’ Dialogue on Climate Change on the eve of the high-level session of the General Assembly, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged governments to show greater commitment.

Scientists say that keeping to the 2-degrees Celsius limit over the course of the 21st century is crucial to avert widespread disasters, from the disappearances of low-lying island nations under rising seas and searing droughts, famines, extreme storms and flooding, to the extinction of species.

“The analysis provided in this new report offers many options that can happen either in the formal negotiations or as complementary measures elsewhere, options that can assist the more than 190 United Nations Member States move quickly to harvest the opportunities of a transition to a climate resilient, low-carbon, resource-efficient Green Economy,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

Read the complete :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22710

Pledge to safety promising to act wisely in the event of a disaster

Pledge to safety

MEEDHU MIRIYAM JOSEPH

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We promise: To be careful and act wisely. Photo: Meedhu Miriyam Joseph

The students of Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Thiruvananthapuram, learnt a few tips on how to cope in the event of a natural disaster.

As they took the pledge together, promising to act wisely and carefully in the event of a disaster and abide by the instructions given to them by the concerned authorities, the kids seemed to send a message to everyone to be prepared because a disaster can strike us unexpectedly.

The students of Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, took the pledge in connection with the International Day for Disaster Reduction observed on October 13.

They also participated in the earthquake mock drill session, which would help them understand the basic safety measures to be taken in the event of a natural disaster.

This year, the State-level observance of the day took place within the framework of the campaign — “Step up for Disaster Risk Reduction” with the theme, “Making Children and Young People Partners for Disaster Risk Reduction”.

Mock drills

Ashna Shajim, a Std VI student, was one among those who attended the earthquake mock drill session at the school. She reluctantly bends her knees, places her hands on head protectively and explains, “If an earthquake hits this school I would drop, hold and cover my head like this so that I can protect my brain”.

She sure seems to know the basic safety measures to be taken in the event of an earthquake.

Source:- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22711

Monday, October 24, 2011

‘Drop, cover and hold on in case you feel a tremor’

The Aga Khan University (AKU) on Thursday conducted an earthquake drill as part of disaster preparedness at all its centres in the country, during which hundreds of AKU faculty, staff, students and volunteers followed a quake preparedness protocol – ducking under tables, desks and other sturdy pieces of furniture and holding on for a minute.

‘Drop, Cover and Hold On in case you feel a tremor’ was the message given to participants of an earthquake preparedness drill organised by the Aga Khan University (AKU) at all its locations in Pakistan.

According to experts, more than a third of all earthquakes between 1991 and 2005 around the world occurred in Central and South Asia.

The quakes in Sarez, Tajikistan (1911); Gujarat, India (2001); Naryn, Kyrgyzstan (2002); and Azad Kashmir, Pakistan (2005) are the examples of the seismic hazards that exist in the region and their devastating consequences.

The drill on Thursday was part of the Aga Khan Development Network’s ShakeOut Campaign across Central and South Asia, covering Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

On hearing an alarm, hundreds of AKU faculty, staff, students and volunteers followed a quake preparedness protocol – ducking under tables, desks and other sturdy pieces of furniture and holding on for a minute, practicing what to do and where to take shelter in case an earthquake strikes.

“It is crucial to remind ourselves that we live in a seismically-active part of the world, and must regularly practice how to respond during earthquakes. The Drop, Cover and Hold On technique is highly effective in reducing injuries caused by non-structural

hazards,” said Dr Firoz Verjee, coordinator of the AKDN’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative.

“Drills keep people active and build awareness,” says the chair of AKU ShakeOut Campaign Task Force, Nadeem Mustafa Khan “This was indeed a learning experience for all.”

Read the full document at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22699

Many children dying and jobs being lost in Asian floods

Many children dying and jobs being lost in Asian floods says UNISDR

Photo credit

BANGKOK, 21 October 2011 – The floods which have affected eight million people across South East Asia, and which now threaten Bangkok, have underlined shortcomings in disaster risk reduction with many children drowning because they cannot swim, and thousands of workers now unemployed because of poorly located manufacturing plants, the Head of the UN’s Bangkok Office for Disaster Reduction, UNISDR, Jerry Velasquez said today.

He continued: “We are particularly concerned to learn about the high numbers of children dying in these floods which was a concern raised by children themselves when over 600 were interviewed for the new Children’s Charter on Disaster Risk Reduction which was the focus of International Disaster Reduction Day on October 13.”

Over 200 children are reported to have died in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand out of an estimated total of 745 flood-related deaths. And more than 3000 schools have also been affected in Thailand alone which will have long term consequences on the education of thousands of children.

“UNISDR is also urging the governments of the affected countries to open discussions with the private sector on what adjustments need to be made in their land use to locate their factories in disaster proof areas to better protect their workers and prevent them to build their home in unsafe areas. The private sector has a responsibility in reducing disaster risks when these events are now so predictable in the light of what we know about the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of these types of disasters.”

Across the region the well-being of millions will be drastically affected by loss of livelihoods as manufacturing plants are forced to shut and agriculture struggle to recover.

Read the full report at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22701

Friday, October 21, 2011

Andes and Himalayas could be solar energy hotspots

Lisbeth Fog

18 October 2011 | EN

Mountains in South America and Asia have the highest potential for photovoltaic energy generation

Environmental Science & Technology, 2011

[BOGOTÁ] The freezing heights of the Himalaya region in South Asia, and the highest mountains in the Andes in South America, are two of the best places to produce solar energy, according to a study.

So far, hot and sunny regions, such as North Africa have been hailed as the best for large-scale solar energy production — such as the solar-thermal initiative DESERTEC.

But a study has found that key areas for solar energy production through photovoltaic (PV) panels are in the coldest regions in the world, including Antarctica.

These areas have a lot of sunshine — and therefore a high amount of solar irradiation — and low temperatures help improve solar panel performance.

Just four per cent of the area with the highest potential in the Himalayas, or around 120,000 square kilometres, could power the entirety of China, based on 2007 electricity consumption data, the study says.

It could also provide electricity to India, as well as contribute to the mitigationof climate change by reducing CO₂emissions in the two growing economies, the study says.

"So far, the price of photovoltaic has been decreasing and its efficiency increasing very rapidly," said Kotaro Kawajiri, lead author from the Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, adding that this makes it a promising technology for the future.

"My research goal is to support an Asian DESERTEC project in the future," Kawajiri said. "If it is realised, the impact would be huge because CO₂emissions in Asia are becoming one of the largest problems in the world."

Read the full article at :- http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22674

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Indo-French satellite to boost climate insight

Papri Sri Raman

12 October 2011 | EN

The Indo-French Megha-Tropiques satellite will boost tropical climate climate data.

CNES

[CHENNAI] A newly launched Indo-French satellite will help scrutinise weather over the tropics in detail and permit better understanding of the monsoon, cyclones and floods.

The one-tonne ‘Megha-Tropiques’ (Megha means cloud in Sanskrit) was launched along with three other smaller satellites on an Indian rocket ‘Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’ this week (12 October) from the Indian space port of Sriharikota, an island in the Bay of Bengal, 90 kilometres off Chennai.

The new satellites would help study greenhouse gases, vegetation and land use, and help locate ships at sea.

Megha-Tropiques, perched at an angle of 20 degrees, 867 kilometres above the earth, and orbiting the earth five times daily in a north-south direction, will gather data on clouds including ice formation, water vapour and solar radiation, in a three-year experimental mission.

"It opens up a new era of atmospheric research in the tropical system," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan said after the nationally televised launch. "This mission will provide a lot of information about the tropical regions and how it contributes to global weather."

The French National Space Centre (CNES) and ISRO jointly developed the instrument for ‘Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures’ to study clouds in detail, including ice formation.

CNES separately developed the Sondeur Atmosphérique du Profil d'Humidité Intertropicale par Radiométrie (SAPHIR) payload to study water vapour, and Scanner for Radiation Budget Measurement (SCARAB) to study radiation.

"It is part of a constellation of the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM), an international cooperative mission to track precipitation, such as rainfall and snowfall, around the world," a senior scientist from CNES said after the launch. The GPM is run by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency of the United States and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.

According to CNES, the data would help scientists understand the processes leading to dramatic weather events affecting the tropical countries, such as hurricanes, systems producing heavy rainfall and processes governing monsoon variability or droughts.

Extreme events such as the El Nino of 1997-98, repeated droughts across parts of Africa, and the Atlantic hurricanes are linked to changing climate trends and point to the importance of studying tropical weather systems in the context of climate change, CNES said.

Roddam Narasimha, chairman from the Indian scientific group for Megha-Tropiques, told the daily, 'The Hindu', that scientists worldwide have not been able to "cash in on the predictability" of tropical weather because global prediction models are not as efficient over the tropics as with higher latitudes.

Source:- http://www.scidev.net/en/south-asia/news/indo-french-satellite-to-boost-climate-insight.html

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

ADB President Visits India to Mark 25 Years of Partnership

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda will begin an official visit to India from 17 October to mark 25 years of development partnership between India and ADB.

During his three-day visit, Mr. Kuroda will join senior Government leaders at a commemorative ceremony, and participate in discussions on the long-term development challenges and opportunities facing Asian countries at the Eminent Persons’ Forum in New Delhi. Both events are jointly organized by the Government of India and ADB.

“ADB’s operations in India have steadily grown over the last 25 years. President Kuroda’s visit reflects ADB’s strong partnership with India and our continuing commitment to support the Government’s efforts to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth,” said Hun Kim, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission.

While in India, Mr. Kuroda will also visit ADB-funded urban development, road and energy projects in Madhya Pradesh and meet senior officials from the state.

ADB began its operations in India in 1986. The relationship between both partners goes back much further, as India was one of the founding members of ADB in 1966.

Between 1986 and 2010, ADB has supported over 150 projects across eight sectors, with an estimated cost of $24 billion. ADB's projects are spread across over 20 states of the country.

ADB recently approved a new three-year country operations business plan for 2012-2014 that will provide lending assistance of $6.25 billion to support inclusive and sustainable growth in the country.

http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22659

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sikkim quake unique

The recent 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Sikkim, which claimed more than 100 lives, was different from most temblors that had rocked the Himalayan region.

It did not occur on the well-known thrust faults formed due to under-thrusting of the Indian plate below the Eurasian plate as in 95 per cent of the major earthquakes in the Himalayan region. Instead, it occurred between two transverse faults represented by Tista and Gangtok lineaments where two segments of Himalayas have moved in a horizontal direction.

Although the transverse faults were also the result of under-thrusting of the Indian plate, this was the first time that a major earthquake had occurred along them in Sikkim region, according to R.K. Chadha, Chief Scientist, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) which deputed a team of five scientists to the affected region following the earthquake to carry out field investigations. The team has set up a network of four broadband seismic stations. The earthquake with its epicentre located 68 km of northwest of Gangtok occurred at a depth of 20 km beneath the Himalayas.

Seismically very active

With the Himalayan region being one of the most seismically active places in the world, the recent earthquake, however did not come as a surprise. Most other major earthquakes above magnitude (M) 8.0 in Shillong (1987), Kangra (1905), Bihar-Nepal border (1934), Arunachal Pradesh (1950) and many others between M 6 and 7 were caused by faults formed by the under-thrusting of Indian plate below the Eurasian plate. The Sikkim region experienced relatively moderate seismicity over the past 35 years with temblors of M 5 or greater occurring within 100 km of the epicentre of the September 18 event.

Large area impact

Dr. Chadha said another interesting feature of the recent earthquake was that it was felt over a large area, including Delhi and other major cities such as Lucknow, Patna and Ranchi along the Indo-Gangetic plains. With most of the region lying in the soft sediments in the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Brahmaputra Valley, the earthquake was felt strongly as the seismic waves get amplified in soft sediments when compared to hard rock regions. As experienced earlier, such temblors would cause damage in faraway regions too due the amplification process. The amplification phenomenon again showed that major cities located in the Indo-Gangetic plains face greater earthquake hazard than other regions.

For Situation and Assessment report for Sikkim Earthquake please log on to :- http://cdrn.org.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Himalayan-Sikkim-Earthquake-Situation-Report-2011CDRN.pdf

View a detailed Situation Report and Need Assessment for the immediate and long term recovery plan for the affected in the Himalayan Earthquake and le

View a detailed Situation Report and Need Assessment for the immediate and long term recovery plan for the affected in the Himalayan Earthquake and learn how you can help!

Please log on to the link to help the needy :- http://cdrn.org.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Himalayan-Sikkim-Earthquake-Situation-Report-2011CDRN.pdf

Friday, October 7, 2011

CDRN Sikkim Earthquake Relief and Situation Assessment in Pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/101362147294163548087/CDRNSikkimEarthquakeRelief#

Monday, October 3, 2011

Himalayan Earthquake 2011 (Nepal / Sikkim Earthquake)

Himalayan Earthquake 2011 (Nepal / Sikkim Earthquake)

Read A detailed report on the earthquake (M:6.8) of 18th September, 2011 at Sikkim-Nepal border region at http://www.cdrn.org.in :-

http://www.cdrn.org.in/upload/file/Detailed%20Report%20on%20Sikkim%20Earthquake.pdf

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 occurred on 18th September at 18:11 hrs IST in Sikkim-Nepal Border region. The preliminary hypo-central parameters of this earthquake, as estimated by the Seismic Monitoring Network of India Meteorological Department (IMD) are given below: Date of occurrence : 18/09/2011 Time : 18:11 hrs (IST) Magnitude : 6.8 Focal depth : 10 Km Epiecentre Latitude & Longitude : 27.7oN & 88.2 oERegion : Sikkim-Nepal Border region.

http://cdrn.org.in/blog/index.php/himalayan-earthquake-sikkim-earthquake-north-east-india/

How You Can Help, Himalayan Earthquake, Sikkim Earthquake Relief Appeal

View specific needs from the affected communities in Sikkim

http://cdrn.org.in/show.needs.asp