David Fogarty and Deborah Zabarenko

* Rising population, development put more in harm's way

* Policymakers urged to act in next few decades

* Less emphasis on mitigation, more on cutting risk

By David Fogarty and Deborah Zabarenko  

Petra Low

The breakdown of loss-relevant events among the main hazards-geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, and climatological events-is more or less in line with the average over the past 30 years. In 2011, some 91 percent were weather-related-37 percent each were storms and floods and 17 percent we

Damage from disaster so severe that clean-up expected to take decades, according to latest examination of nuclear plant

Gene banks represent an overdue push to preserve crop biodiversity. It also needs conserving on farms

Megan Rowling

Water must be used more efficiently to meet rising food demand from a growing population amid climate-change pressures, experts say.

Alecia D. McKenzie

[MARSEILLES] Hydropower could supply all of Africa's electricity needs if cross-border cooperation was stepped up, according to a UN report launched last week (12 March) at the World Water Forum in Marseilles, France.

Some 32 social scientists and researchers from around the world, including a Senior Sustainability Scholar at Arizona State University, have concluded that fundamental reforms of global environmental governance are needed to avoid dangerous changes in the Earth system.

Fiona Harvey

OECD report says pollution will become biggest cause of premature death, killing an estimated 3.6 million people a year by 2050

 This map is a work in progress. The uses of water, air and land are diverse in New Mexico and will change dramatically with climate change. For caretakers of this sacred trust, the map offers a bird’s eye view of the health of our environment.

david biello

The world has never seen anything like China’s dizzying urbanization boom, which has taken a heavy environmental toll. But efforts are now underway to start using principles of green design and smart growth to guide the nation’s future development.