Heavily-populated regions of Asia, the arid Middle East and parts of the US corn belt are dangerously over-exploiting their underground water supplies, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. To source
In rural areas of women are spending increasing amounts of time and energy traveling long distances to get water. In some dry regions of Rajasthan, they spend as much as four hours a day and walk an average six km for water. To source
Reducing the soot pumped out by cars and cooking fires and the methane from coal mines and oil wells would rapidly curb global warming, prevent air pollution deaths and boost crop yields To source
In the face of the world’s urgent economic and environmental problems, political leadership is failing. But from the ground up, new tools of understanding are emerging to fill the gap and point a way forward. To source
S&P, in downgrading the USA, made the right call for the wrong reason. Keynesians like Jeffrey Sachs see this but need to go even further: the developed world will come out of recession only when the mighty engine of finance turns to the task of developing a sustainable future. And that faces political, not economic obstacles To source
Did the world react too late to signs of famine in Somalia? To source
In the next 12 minutes two more followed in different locations in the city. Even before the blasts torrential rain meant that roads were clogged. The attacks added to the confusion just as millions of people were returning home from work. To source
In the aftermath of the recent Tennessee floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) teamed up to put Facebook to the task of assisting in the disaster recovery, announcing, “an online hub for collaborative information-sharing through Facebook for the response and recovery to severe weather and flooding in Tennessee.” To source
Thanks to dysfunctional regulation of genetic engineering and misguided biofuels policy, the world's poorest are going hungry To source
The response to humanitarian crises is standard: quickly provide emergency response services (food, water, shelter, medical care). Once immediate needs are satisfied, focus on building the capabilities of the affected through economic and political assistance including infrastructure development. To source
This was originally posted at 1:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday. It is being updated and is being kept near the top of the blog. To source
Underinvestment and market failures have trapped many countries in a vicious cycle of low productivity and exposure to price hikes, says Olivier de Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food. To source
Why are the world’s governments bothering? Why are they jetting to Cancun next week to discuss what to do now about global warming? The vogue has passed. The fad has faded. Global warming is yesterday’s apocalypse. To source
The economic crisis is the disaster the Conservatives have been praying for. Now they can reshape the economy on corporate lines. To source
I agree with you, Anthony, about corporate power. Indeed, I would even go further. Arbitrary and unaccountable corporate power is arguably a greater threat to personal freedom and democratic politics today than the overmighty centralised state. To source