Category
In the News
EU migration issue affecting tourism
With large numbers of migrants taking specific routes across Europe, many places are feeling the economic impact
Protecting Vulnerable Populations Against the Risk of Cyclones
The World Bank is financing the construction of 1,000 multi-purpose cyclone shelters along the Indian coastline. This short video explains why.
Megacities - Dramatic Changes Coming to London's Skyline
You only need to count the cranes emerging in Central London to appreciate just how much high-rise building development is taking place there.
A flare is lit in the energy gloom
It happened this week without much of a fanfare – but was marked by the lighting of a gas flare; the opening of Britain’s newest stream of gas from the North Sea on Shetland. Intended to supply up...
Climate Change and the Global Spread of Infectious Diseases
An interesting article here in the Guardianwhich explores the possibility that climate change is contributing to the spread of infectious diseases - particularly the Zika virus.
El Nino Adds to the El Savador Farming Crisis
The world is currently experiencing one of the most severe 'El Nino' weather events on record. For the subsistence farmers in El Salvador, El Nino couldn't have come at a worse time.
Can volcanic eruptions be predicted?
It is a mission that has been attempted many times; sometimes with fatal results as volcanologists have been caught on volcano summits when they erupt as they attempted to find the key signals that...
Rwanda Powers Ahead with Solar
Fans of solar power will be heartened by this feature in the Guardian which reports on a rapid and successful implementation of solar power in Rwanda.
Plastics and their impact on the World as we know it.
From packaging to clothes; plastics are a key component of a modern world...with devastating effects on the environment.
Zika virus set to spread across South America
I'm always intrigued about the different diseases across the world and how they spread. I have researched a lot into SARS, MERS, ebola and avian flu and how they spread and have potentially deadly...
Storm Jonas, the Blizzard and a Panda's Snow Angel
The blizzards that swept the East Coast of the USA over this weekend created the inevitable hazards associated with heavy snow.
The World's Fossil Fuel Reserves are Growing
I had to take a second look at this headline in the Guardian this week.
Flint - The City Poisoned by its Water Supply
It's hard to imagine how this could happen in a highly-developed country like the US - but happen it has.
Dubai is the World's Most Cosmopolitan City
The world's mega cities tend by definition to be cosmopolitan in nature. Such which cities are the most cosmopolitan?
Global Air Pollution - Things are Getting Worse
This doesn't make easy reading. But read it we must, and also trust that decision-makers in Government and Business are sufficiently concerned to take action.
Will avalanche events start to increase?
The main focus on climate change and its effects is concerned with flooding linked to sea level rise. Whilst we should obviously take the flood risk seriously, the impact on localised climate is...
Flood costs soar to 1.3bn: counting the cost of insurance
More misery for flooded home and business owners as Huw Evans, ABI’s director general, was unable to rule out a rise in insurance costs.
Wylfa nuclear power station closure widens the UK energy gap
On the penultimate day of 2015 Britain's oldest nuclear power station closed for the last time. The Wylfa nuclear power plant on the island of Anglesey, off the coast of north-west Wales, was due...
El Nino: worries grow over humanitarian impact
Widespread flood and famine is expected across the globe as Nasa predict El Nino weather “could be as bad as 1998”.
The Need for More Resilient Cities
A timely short video resource here from the World Bank making the case for investing in greater resilience in the design of our major towns and cities.