INDIA : Hydro-electric power project puts local climate at risk

Hydel = hydro-electric.

Article published in The Times of India, written by Jayashree Nandi, member of the Media21 network and participant of the Climate IV workshop.

Climate Change: Global warming peril to Bangladesh

Bengladesh coastline after the cyclone Sidr – spring 08 (joiseyshowaa/flickr)

When Iman Ali Gain first heard about climate change a couple of years ago, he thought that it was a joke. How could the habits of people in the West affect him, a 65-year-old shrimp farmer in southwestern region of Bangladesh? He still has no concept of the science behind global warming, which will be outlined in a United Nations report today. Climate change here is a day-to-day reality that scientists say could make 17 million Bangladeshis homeless by 2030.

Making the most of sun and water in rural India

The Chhota Shigri glacier in India (raghav.goel/flickr)

Perched 4,200 feet in the southern Himalayas, the Nauni-Majgoan Panchayat, a village council overseeing nine hamlets in India’s Himachal Pradesh state, is on the tipping point of climate change. On the peaks above, the Chhota Shigri glacier has been receding at an accelerated pace; on the road below, the village of Solan has morphed into a small city replete with concrete office buildings and business lunches. Demand for water — to spin hydroelectric generators, to irrigate crops and for residential use — is soaring throughout the area.

Philippines : Scorched Earth

Imelda Abano, Filipino Media21 journalist

For years, climate change has been the subject of heated debate among governments, scientists, environmentalists and researchers. But we may not be aware that those living on the frontline of climate disasters are by far the most vulnerable. People in the coastal communities in the Philippines, for instance, have no concept of global warming—but are faced with repeated floods, storms and rising waters that threaten their daily lives. How much does the average Filipino know about climate change? The story of people in the coastal communities gives an indication.

India : Toilets for all !

Toilets at a police post in Ladakh region, India. By Yodod (Flickr)

Have you ever thought of toilets, or the lack of proper toilets, as one of the main causes of environmental pollution? It might be seen as a trivial issue, however in a chaotic city like Dehli, India, where millions of people are living, this is a crucial point.

Kennedy Jawoko, member of the Media21 network and journalist for CBC (Canada), recently went to India where he made a radio report about environmental sanitation, more  specifically on the local initiatives in Dehli aiming to  strengthen  the public toilets network and educate the people to use them.

Website of the international museum of toilets in Delhi : sulabhtoiletmuseum.org