Entries by Nadya Ivanova

The Stream, August 1: Land-grabbing in Ethiopia

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Human rights group Survival International has accused the Ethiopian government of leasing some of its most productive farmland in the Omo River region to foreign companies, Voice of America reported. Meanwhile, the Oakland Institute said last week that land-grabbing in Ethiopia risks adding to the millions of people already in need of food aid in […]

The Stream, July 29: U.S. Cities To Face More Weather Extremes

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A new National Resources Defense Council report concludes that no region or city in the United States is immune to the water-related effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, increased rain, flooding, drought and drinking water impacts, The Huffington Post reported. Residue from a manganese plant in China has flooded a river in […]

U.S. House Passes Bill to Accelerate Decision on Tar Sands Keystone XL Pipeline

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If the Republican-sponsored bill passes the Democrat-controlled Senate, the final decision could come by the beginning of November.

The Stream, July 28: U.S. Shale Gas and Russia’s Energy Influence

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The shale gas boom in the United States has weakened Russia’s role in the European energy market and could contain Iran’s influence for years to come, according to a new study by the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Read more about the shale gas development in Europe on Circle of Blue. Asia […]

The Stream, July 27: What’s to Blame for Somalia’s Famine?

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Even though drought, poor infrastructure and poverty are all contributing factors to the risk of famine, famine deaths in the modern world are almost always “the result of deliberate acts on the part of governing authorities,” according to Foreign Policy’s Charles Kenny. Somalia, he adds, is shaping up to be yet another “case study of […]

The Stream, July 26: Astronomers Find the Biggest Mass of Water in the Universe

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Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud, with a mass at least 140 trillion times bigger than all the water in the Earth’s oceans, and 100,000 times more massive than the Sun, Space.com reported. Why do rising global average temperatures lead to […]

The Stream, July 25: Climate, Trade and International Security

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Climate change is a real threat to international peace and security, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a Security Council meeting on global warming during which western countries clashed with Russia and developing nations over whether climate change is a security matter. Climate change also took center stage at a recent meeting of the World […]

United Nations Stalemates on Climate Change and Security

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Climate change became a hot-button issue at a recent U.N. Security Council meeting. On Wednesday, Western countries clashed with Russia and developing nations over whether climate change is a matter of national and international security that merits the attention of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Reuters reported. Although it initially blocked the adoption of […]

The Stream, July 22: Djibouti Appeals For Help With Dire Drought

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it found piles of oil-soaked debris along the Yellowstone River as floodwater levels recede in Montana, UPI reported. Australian farming could increase output 70 percent by 2050 by using new technologies, but it faces growing competition for land from the mining sector, Reuters reported, citing Australian officials. Djibouti appealed […]

The Stream, July 21: UN Declares Famine in Somalia

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The United Nations has declared famine in two regions of southern Somalia amid a relentless drought that has gripped east Africa, the Guardian reported. Here’s an interactive map of the drought in the region. This Foreign Affairs article argues that the world does not necessarily face a food price volatility problem. It faces a high […]

Weather Extremes: Floods, Droughts, Tornadoes, and Extreme Heat Plague Much of U.S.

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Extreme weather events in 2011 have been numerous and diverse, prompting some analysts to link the natural disasters to climate change. Most recently, many states are under exceptional-drought and extreme-heat advisories.

The Stream, July 20: The Climate-Food Connection

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture urges more study of the climate-food nexus, Reuters reported. With world food needs projected to increase by 70 percent by 2050, water availability will be a key factor in long-term forecasts. In that case, why is the U.S. government such a staunch supporter of ethanol? A Purdue University study found […]