Countries have signed the Paris agreement on climate change to limit the rise in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, and ideally to 1.5C. An increase of 3C or 4C could raise mortality rates by between 1 and 9 percent, according to a study published in the journal Climatic Change. "Currently, we are on a trajectory to reach over 3 degrees Celsius of warming, and if this trend continues there would be serious consequences for health in many parts of the world," said co-author Antonio Gasparrini in a statement. Southeast Asian nations like the Philippines and Vietnam would be most affected by heat-related mortality, along with those in Southern Europe and South America, according to the report. A drop in cold-related deaths elsewhere would not be enough to offset overall increase, said researchers led by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who looked at 23 countries for the survey. A … [Read more...] about Vietnam among most affected by heat-related mortality, study says
Thomson reuters
Myanmar-Thailand highway branded ‘ecological and social disaster’
They said the project would uproot indigenous people from their homes and farms. Critics said an environmental and social impact assessment for the road project, approved by the Myanmar government in June, failed to adequately specify compensation for loss of land and livelihoods, among other problems. “This is a road to an ecological and social disaster (in Myanmar),” said Christy Williams, Myanmar director for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an international conservation group. The highway is considered strategically important to both nations as it would link Thailand to a deep-sea port and planned Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Dawei, a town on the Myanmar side of an isthmus divided between the two countries. The industrial complex would serve as a gateway to Southeast Asia’s markets, with goods trucked between Dawei and Thailand, avoiding the need for ships to sail southward through the Malacca Straights, the world’s busiest shipping lane. But Williams … [Read more...] about Myanmar-Thailand highway branded ‘ecological and social disaster’
Palm oil watchdog urged to take ‘giant leap’ to save forests
The global watchdog for the palm oil industry must strengthen its standards to require all members to commit to ending deforestation - or risk becoming irrelevant, an increasing number of growers, investors and green experts say. The Kuala Lumpur-based Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), comprising producers, buyers, consumers and advocacy groups, is conducting a review of its standards. It aims to publish new guidelines in November that will cover the next five years. Presently, the RSPO demands its members should not cultivate oil palm trees on land designated as primary forest or forest with a "high conservation value", which includes important biodiversity, ecosystems and sacred sites. "The standards are strong and tough, but that doesn't mean they can't be made stronger or tougher," said Carl Bek-Nielsen, chief executive director of United Plantations, which grows oil palm in the world's top-two producers, Malaysia and Indonesia. Bek-Nielsen, who also co-chairs the RSPO, … [Read more...] about Palm oil watchdog urged to take ‘giant leap’ to save forests
Tackling drug resistance on Asian farms with apps and a dictionary
In his first 12 years working as a vet in Bangladesh, Bikash Chandra Saha routinely prescribed antibiotics. Then he learned of the devastating impact of antimicrobial resistance on human health - and it revolutionized his treatment choices. The growing resistance of deadly diseases to antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics is seen as one of the biggest threats to human health, but awareness of the dangers of overuse remains low, particularly in developing countries. Now the United Nations is educating workers on the front lines of the battle against this global scourge - among them Saha, who works for one of Bangladesh’s biggest poultry companies. “It definitely changed my attitude and my antibiotic selection,” Saha, who attended a recent training course, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. “Before, my focus was on what is the best option (for the animal). After the training, I know the threat of antimicrobial resistance, even for my family, for my … [Read more...] about Tackling drug resistance on Asian farms with apps and a dictionary
Discovery of London cannabis farms raises child slavery fears
Experts raised the warning on Monday, after new figures emerged showing the scale of cultivation of the illegal drug. Police have found 314 illegal cannabis farms in the British capital since 2016, according to official data obtained by the London Evening Standard newspaper, the equivalent of one every two days. Experts say children are being trafficked from Vietnam and other countries to work in these farms, which are often located in residential properties, and that the scale of the problem has been vastly underestimated. “The high number of cannabis farms across London and trafficking of Vietnamese children to work in them is extremely worrying,” said Jakub Sobik, a spokesman for Anti-Slavery International. “Potentially thousands of children and young people are being trafficked from Vietnam and exploited by ruthless criminal gangs,” he said. Catherine Baker, policy officer at anti-child trafficking organization ECPAT U.K., said authorities often treated … [Read more...] about Discovery of London cannabis farms raises child slavery fears