Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Several cities in the Brazilian state of Amazonas have been declared disaster areas as the worst drought in 40 years continues to affect the region. Thousands of people are reported to be without food, water or medicine. About one-fifth of the 1.3 million cattle in the state have died. At the port of Santarém, in the state of Pará, the Amazon River is about 2m lower than the average depth of 20m during the dry season.

There is speculation that the unusually warm waters of the North Atlantic Ocean may be responsible for the drought. As well as diverting storms towards the Caribbean, resulting in the devastating impact of recent hurricanes, warm Atlantic waters can create high pressure to the south over Amazonia, suppressing rainfall. "There is no rain here because the air is descending, which prevents the formation of clouds," said Ricardo Dellarosa of the Amazon Protection Organization.

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• Nature
• IOL

• Guardian

The Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn, Germany, has called on the international community to urgently define, recognize and extend support for environmental refugees in a statement marking the International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 12th 2005. "There are well-founded fears that the number of people fleeing untenable environmental conditions may grow exponentially as the world experiences the effects of climate change and other phenomena," said Janos Bogardi, UNU-EHS director. "This new category of refugee needs to find a place in international agreements. We need to better anticipate support requirements, similar to those of people fleeing other unviable situations."

Tony Oliver-Smith, UNU-EHS Munich Re Foundation chair holder designate, warns of a "disaster-in-waiting in coastal areas, where "vulnerability is on the increase due to the rapid development of megacities." "Many cities are overwhelmed," he continues, incapable of handling with any degree of effectiveness the demands of a burgeoning number of people, many of whom take up shelter in flimsy shanties." Some progress has been made. New Zealand has agreed to take the 11,600 citizens of low-lying Pacific state of Tuvalu should rising sea levels inundate the nation.

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• ENS

• Voice of America

The leaders of over twenty world cities met in London, United Kingdom, in the first week of October at the World Cities Leadership Climate Change Summit to exchange ideas on dealing with the challenge of climate change. "Climate change is the biggest problem facing us, and cities have special issues such as the heat island effect and flash floods," reported Nicky Gavron, London's deputy mayor. "Everyone has a handful of good examples of dealing with impact and reducing greenhouse gas emissions." The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, reckons that it is "at the city level that innovation and progress on climate change action are most likely to be achieved."

A Climate Group report, issued just before the Summit, describes 15 case studies of cities that have responded to the climate threat. Three-quarters of new buildings in Berlin have to include solar panels in their design. In Mexico City, 80,000 taxis are to be replaced with low-emissions vehicles by 2008. Chicago is encouraging the use of roof-top gardens to cool down buildings. The congestion charge scheme in London has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 19 per cent.

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• BBC
• Local London

• World Cities Leadership Climate Change Summit
• World Carbon Leader: Cities (0.8Mb download), Climate Group