Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

16 January 2008
Posted to the web 16 January 2008

Bulawayo

After six years of drought, the forecast was that Zimbabwe was set for good rains and a decent harvest this season - and then came the deluge.

The country has been pounded by torrential rains, with December 2007 the wettest month in 127 years, according to the metrological department. Localised flooding has claimed 21 lives, affecting around 5,000 people along the southeastern border with Mozambique, and a further 3,000 in Muzarabani district in the northeast of the country.

At the end of December the government declared a national disaster, with emergency units keeping a close watch on flood prone areas, UN agencies reported.

Farmers in flood-affected districts, who had planted early, trying to take advantage of the predicted good rains, have seen their crops drowned, along with hopes of a marketable surplus.

"We prayed for the rains but the rains have now caused us pain and suffering," said a despairing Esther Chiwodza, a communal farmer in the low-lying district of Chiredzi in Midlands Province.

We prayed for the rains but the rains have now caused us pain and suffering

For the full article, please visit: http://allafrica.com/stories/200801160753.html  

Leadership (Abuja)

Accessed at: http://allafrica.com/stories/200801150231.html 

15 January 2008
Posted to the web 15 January 2008

By: Edward Ukpebitere

Hundreds of youths yesterday shut down the operations of the Warri Refinery, heightening fears that the refinery may not pump crude as expected to the Kaduna Refinery.

This was as a result of the breakdown of talks between youths of the refinery's host communities.

Scores of aggrieved Itsekiris from three oil-producing communities in Warri South Local Council area of Delta State yesterday chased out workers of the Warri Refining and Petro-chemical Company (WRPC) in their area, insisting that the management must pay them N1.7 billion approved for clean-up contract.

The protesters from Ifie Kporo, Aja-Etan and Ijala-Ikenren communities barricaded the major entrance leading to the company premises and prevented workers from having access to their respective offices.

According to a statement signed by Dr Bruce Menekpo and Wallace Tosan Wumi, secretary and treasurer respectively, the people condemned the NNPC's refusal to approve and pay adequate compensation for the July 3, 2007 oil spills and the cancellation of the contract awarded by the Obasanjo administration for the clean-up of the oil impacted areas.

"Since their operation started thirty years ago, there have been negative effects on the host communities, occasioned by perpetual oil spills in our creeks, leading to complete destruction of our land, eco-system and means of livelihood," said the embittered people, lamenting that the scourge has led to serious famine in the three communities.

They lamented that the NNPC management is insensitive to their worsening plight, regretting that their operation has not only brought woes to the communities, but has also brought neglect and pains to the people.

The aggrieved people want an acceptable and workable formula to accommodate the indigenous contractors' interest and a planned yearly developmental scheme for the host communities.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2008) — Cool, wet conditions in the Northwest, frigid weather on the Plains, and record dry conditions in the Southeast, all signs that La Niña is in full swing.
With winter gearing up, a moderate La Niña is hitting its peak. And we are just beginning to see the full effects of this oceanographic phenomenon, as La Niña episodes are typically strongest in January.

A La Niña event occurs when cooler than normal sea surface temperatures form along the equator in the Pacific Ocean, specifically in the eastern to central Pacific. The La Niña we are experiencing now has a significant presence in the eastern part of the ocean.

The cooler water temperatures associated with La Niña are caused by an increase in easterly sea surface winds. Under normal conditions these winds force cooler water from below up to the surface of the ocean. When the winds increase in speed, more cold water from below is forced up, cooling the ocean surface.

"With this La Niña, the sea-surface temperatures are about two degrees colder than normal in the eastern Pacific and that's a pretty significant difference," says David Adamec of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but remember this is water that probably covers an area the size of the United States. It's like you put this big air conditioner out there -- and the atmosphere is going to feel it."

For the full article, please visit: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114085128.htm  

Source: Reuters 

Retrieved on January 1, 2008 from http://www.enn.com/climate/article/29396

By Huw Jones

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hit back on Wednesday at criticism from member states and industry of planned radical proposals to fight climate change and save energy.

A week before the European Union executive unveils a fiercely contested package of proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost renewable energy sources and promote biofuels, Barroso said the EU must "put our money where our mouth is."

"We knew from the very beginning that transforming Europe into a low-carbon economy is not an easy task. But this is the moment to be serious, responsible and coherent with our commitment," he told the European Parliament.

He was responding to letters from leaders such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the main EU business lobby that have warned Brussels against inflicting damage on industry or treating member states unfairly.

In a letter published in part on his official website on Tuesday, Sarkozy cautioned Brussels against "unnecessarily penalizing the prospects of growth."

Barroso said that by taking the lead in fighting climate change, Europe would give its industries "first mover advantage" in clean energy technologies, boost its economic competitiveness and create jobs.

The proposals would meet ambitious targets set by EU leaders last March to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming -- by 20 percent in 2020 from 1990 levels and use 20 percent of renewable energy in power production by that date, he said.

Member states would be treated fairly, recognizing different starting points, different circumstances and the fact that some are more able than others to finance investment in adaptation.

NUCLEAR CREDIT

According to draft proposals obtained by Reuters, the Commission will vary the effort demanded of each country according to its gross domestic product per capita.

The richest states will be expected to cut a further 20 percent of CO2 emissions from their 2005 levels while the poorest will be allowed to increase emissions by up to 20 percent to enable them to catch up economically.

Sarkozy proposed a different method, saying the aim should be convergence towards a situation where emissions of CO2 per person were uniform across Europe, and noting that France's emissions per citizen were 25 percent below the EU average.

That would be a way for Paris to gain credit for its nuclear energy program, by far the biggest in Europe. Other EU states which eschew nuclear power oppose any such allowance.

Barroso said the Commission would seek to minimize the costs of adaptation for European industry and to address the special challenges faced by energy-intensive industries such as steel and aluminum.

But he insisted: "It is a mistake to oppose the fight against climate change to the competitiveness of European industries."

(writing by Paul Taylor, editing by Darren Ennis)