The state of the world’s environment is one of the most important stories of the new century. Debates over the impact of climate change reverberate throughout the globe. So do disputes about what actions might be necessary, both to preserve the environment and to develop sources of energy for a growing global community.
The World’s environment coverage, led by environment editor Peter Thomson, examines the health of the planet and explores the impacts of human activity on everything from the earth’s ecosystems to the food we put on our plates.
Environment
Pakistan flood diary
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Six weeks ago floods began to engulf Pakistan. Since then, more than 1,750 people have been killed and at least 10 million people have been forced from their homes – many areas are still under water. The BBC’s Aleem Maqbool has been tracing the path of the destruction by traveling the length of the country on the Indus river. Lisa Mullins talks with him. Download MP3Millions in Pakistan still depend on handouts
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Pakistan still struggles to cope with its worst natural disaster in living memory. A month-and-a-half after monsoons caused devastating floods throughout the country, submerging an area the size of England, at least eight million people remain dependent on handouts for their survival, which many say are too slow coming. Madiha Tahir gives us an update from Sukkur, Pakistan. Download MP3
Revisiting a family in Pakistan
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The floods in Pakistan, caused several weeks ago by heavy rains, have killed more than 1,600 people and affected about 20 million people. Ten days ago, BBC correspondent Jill McGivering told us about a baby girl called Samina. She’d been born a few days earlier on the roadside after her parents fled the floods. Now Jill went back to Sindh Province to see how the family is faring now. Download MP3
Ongoing flood crisis in Pakistan
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Download MP3More than a month has passed since unprecedented monsoon rains started to cause devastating flooding throughout Pakistan. But the crisis isn’t over, especially for millions of displaced people. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with reporter Fahad Desmukh, who’s based in Karachi, about the latest on the relief effort.
Natural disasters push up food prices
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Download MP3Floods in Pakistan and wildfires in Russia this summer are having a major impact on world grain supplies. That has many worried that prices for food staples will sky-rocket. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Lester Brown of “Earth Policy Institute” about how rising food prices may threaten global stability.
Living on garbage in the Philippines
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Trash is cash for many living in the Quezon City dumpsite near Manila in the Philippines but it’s also perilous. Ten years ago a pile of rain soaked garbage crashed down, burying nearly 300 squatters. That set off a move to convert the site into a controlled waste operation but the program is due to end by December – and the trash continues to grow. Reporter Simone Orendain visited the dumpsite. (Photo: Simone Orendain) Download MP3Geo Answer
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For today’s Geoquiz we’re looking for the country with the highest percentage of rainforest cover on Earth? The answer is Suriname in South America. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with one man who’s been exploring those rainforests for 35 years: Russell Mittermeier, primatologist and president of the group “Conservation International.”A bridge for mice
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What has big shiny, black eyes and small, rounded ears, a cute fluffy tail and ….a suspension bridge?? The answer is a dormouse in Britain. The charming little rodent has a new way to cross the main road in the form of a $ 250,000 bridge over a highway in South Wales. Host Marco Werman speaks with Robert Jones Parry, the conservation manager of the Wildlife Trust of South Wales. Download MP3UN climate body ‘needs reforms’
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The UN’s climate science body needs “fundamental” reforms, including a shorter term for its chairperson, an international review has concluded. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has faced mounting pressure over errors in its last major assessment of climate science in 2007. Katy Clark reports (flickr image: NASA) Download MP3Science Forum with tiger expert John Seidensticker
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China and Russia have announced a plan to set up a cross-border protection zone for Siberian tigers. The plan is part of the Global Tiger Recovery Program that’s attempting to save the remaining wild tigers in parts of Asia. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with tiger expert, John Seidensticker, an advisor to the Global Tiger Initiative. Download MP3And you can talk about tigers with him in our latest online Science Forum discussion.
John Vaillant’s ‘The Tiger’
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There’s a tiger on the hunt in far eastern Russia looking to kill a particular poacher for revenge. That’s the story of a new book called ‘The Tiger’. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the author. (Photo: digitalART2) Download MP3Comparing New Orleans to the Netherlands
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Download MP3Officials in New Orleans have sought advice from the Netherlands when it comes to rebuilding the city’s levee system. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Tarek Abdoun, professor of geotechnical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, about how the two flood control systems compare.
The importance of the Indus for Pakistan
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As Pakistan’s flood surge travels south down the Indus River, it devours more and more villages, over half-a-million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh. The World’s Jeb Sharp reports on the geography of the Indus River and its importance to Pakistan’s past and future. Download MP3
Massive lake trapped inside French glacier
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Download MP3Engineers in France are working round the clock to drain an enormous lake, enough to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools, that is trapped inside a massive glacier in the French Alps. Authorities say the glacier could burst at any time, threatening the lives of more then 3,000 residents. The World’s Clark Boyd reports.
Tanzania’s conservation vs development battle
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Can wildebeests and trucks coexist? That’s the question at the heart of today’s Geoquiz. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest migrate every year through a protected area in northern Tanzania. Now the Tanzanian government wants to build a road through the region. Opponents say this would threaten the entire ecosystem. So, what’s the national park that’s home to all these wildebeests? (Photo: Benedict Moran) Download MP3
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