Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Experts at the United Nations University (UNU) warn that the number of people vulnerable to floods could rise to two billion by 2050.

The projected doubling in the number of people at risk is due to climate change, rising sea levels and deforestation. "Greater global capacity to monitor and forecast extreme events" is needed to adapt to the changing threat, says Janos Bogardi, head of a new UNU institute in Bonn, Germany. It is estimated that, worldwide, floods presently affect over 520 million people each year, resulting in 25,000 deaths.

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• Science Daily
• Aquamedia

Standards for certifying land-use projects that reduce global warming, conserve the environment and alleviate poverty are being put forward by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance for peer review and comment.

The Alliance plans to help organizations identify multiple-benefit carbon dioxide reduction projects. "Integrated projects are the most immediate and realistic solutions to combat biodiversity loss, reduce poverty, and fight climate change," claims John-O Niles, project manager. The standards will work in developing, developed or emerging economies and can be used for projects with private or public investment. They can also be used for land management projects without a climate change dimension.

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• ENN
• Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance
• UNFCCC

One third of the planet is at risk from desertification, according to the United Nations. "It's a creeping catastrophe," says Michel Smitall, UN spokesman.

The tenth anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification has been marked by an acceleration in the rate of desertification. 3,436 square kilometres turned into desert each year during the second half of the 1990s compared to 2,100 square kilometres a years during the 1980s. The risks are "substantial and clear," according to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Around 135 million people could be displaced. The most vulnerable areas are on the fringes of deserts where people already struggle to make a living.

More information

• Sydney Morning Herald
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification