The Stream, April 16: Eating Away at the Banks of India

In India, there is nothing to do but watch as crops, trees and even homes fall into the Brahmaputra River’s ever shifting path, The New York Times reported.  The river is an essential source of water and life, but is simultaneously causing villagers to relocate every year as a precaution against erosion.

Climate Change Refugees
A new category of refugees must be resettled not because of their beliefs or nationality, but because of climate change. The Refugee Council of Australia urged the Australian government to formally recognize climate change refugees. The main input of climate change refugees would come from dangerously low-lying Pacific islands, the Guardian reported.

New Leak at Fukushima
Another leak was found at the Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday again delaying the removal of contaminated water, The New York Times reported. The operator, Tepco, said an undetermined amount of contaminated water had seeped into the soil below. This adds to a series of accidents that have followed efforts to deal with the damaged nuclear plant.

Coal and Cattle
A new report backed by the U.N. marked Asia’s coal-fire business as the most damaging to the environment, while cattle ranching in South America was ranked second. The two businesses had estimated damages each of $452 billion and $353 billion. Main factors in the measurement were climate change, pollution and stress on water supplies, Reuters reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.