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Environment

  • Why electric vehicles are closer than they appear

    WORLD, 2017/08/22 Tesla may have attracted the lion's share of media coverage at the same time as it started rolling out the Model 3 this month, but the revolution in cars had by presently begun part the world's major automakers. The transition to electric vehicles is well underway, and market saturation could come much sooner. Here's why. We are in the early stages of a revolution in automobiles. The widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles and of driverless, or autonomous cars, is much closer on the horizon than it appears.
  • Why Flooding in Nigeria Is an Increasingly Serious Problem in Nigeria

    NIGERIA, 2017/08/18 Before this year heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigeria's economic nerve centre and one of Africa's most populous cities. Residents woke up in a lot of parts of the city to find their streets and homes flooded and their property, inclunding cars and other valuables, submerged. Pictures and videos later posted online showed dramatic and even bizarre scenes of flooding in the city, inclunding the capture of a crocodile in the floodwater. An extra video, which went viral, was one of a man kayaking in floodwater on one of the streets.
  • Sierra Leone Declares Seven-Day Mourning After Mudslide Tragedy

    SIERRA LEONE, 2017/08/18 Sierra Leone's government has declared seven days of mourning for victims of Monday's deadly flooding and mudslide tragedy. The country's national flag will fly at half-mast from today to Tuesday (Aug 16 - 22), the government said in a statement in which it as well called for a minute of silence at midday on Wednesday in honour of the 300 people who died in the capital Freetown. According to government figures, the death toll stands at 297 and includes 109 children, 83 women and 105 men. Data deputy minister Cornelius Deveaux said the figure is based on a body count at the city's major morgue at Connaught hospital.
  • "Deaths and devastation" in Sierra Leone mudslide saddens UN chief

    SIERRA LEONE, 2017/08/15 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "saddened" on Monday by the mudslide and flooding in and near Freetown, Sierra Leone, where officials say at least 300 people have died and at least 2,000 people left homeless. "The Secretary-General is saddened by the deaths and devastation caused by the mudslide and flooding in the town of Regent, Sierra Leone, and throughout Freetown," the capital, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman. "The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the people and Government of Sierra Leone for the loss of life and destruction caused by this natural disaster."
  • UN environment chief urges China to do more on climate

    CHINA, 2017/08/12 The world’s biggest polluter China has a “large job” ahead of it in the world fight against climate change, the UN’s environment chief said on Wednesday. Since US President Donald Trump’s decision in June to quit the Paris agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Beijing has proclaimed its willingness to stick to the pact. Analysts say the US move gives China an opportunity to establish its credibility and strengthen its diplomatic clout ahead of next negotiations.
  • China energy regulator raises targets for curbing coal-fired power

    CHINA, 2017/08/03 China's energy regulator on Monday said it was raising its targets for curbing coal-fired power capacity over the next few years, as the world's No.2 economy continues its drive against pollution. The National Energy Government (NEA) said in a statement on its website that the country would cut 20 gigawatts of outdated capacity between 2016 and 2020, in addition to its before goal of reining in coal-fired power projects set to be built or currently under construction by 150 GW.
  • Germany agrees measures to cut diesel pollution

    GERMANY, 2017/08/03 German ministers, regional politicians and car executives agreed a package of measures on Wednesday aimed at cutting inner-city air pollution and averting bans on diesel cars.
  • Farmers pushed off their land to save Tanzania's Great Ruaha River

    TANZANIA, 2017/07/18 Gazing at the exposed, rocky bottom of the Great Ruaha River, known as the jewel of Tanzania, Rosemary Kasenza ponders what the next holds for her family presently that there is no longer enough water for her crops. "I am worried because it's the dry season and I don't have enough food to feed my children," she said. Kasenza grows potatoes, maize, onions and bananas on 3 hectares (7 acres) of land in the fertile Ruaha basin in southern Tanzania. She says she used to have no problem irrigating her crops but presently the river flow slows to a trickle in the dry season.
  • Men and Women Farmers in Benin Are Responding Differently to Climate Change

    BENIN, 2017/07/17 As climate change brings with it increased extreme weather events, one of the pressing issues for Africa's farmers will be how to address these challenges. One dimension to be factored in is that men and women farmers are responding to the pressures differently. The Conversation Africa's Samantha Spooner asked Grace Villamor about her research on gender-specific responses by farmers in Benin. How are extreme weather events affecting farmers in Benin? Volatile climatic conditions and dwindling natural resources have been cited as the reason for persistent emigration from Benin to other West African nations.
  • Nigeria: 30 States Could Experience Flooding, Govt Warns

    NIGERIA, 2017/07/14 The Federal Government has commiserated with all Nigerians on the damage caused by recent floods across the country, particularly in Niger and Lagos States. The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, conveyed the government's sympathy at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja. He said that about 30 states and over 100 local government areas, which had been categorised as high flood risk areas, could expect flooding this year.