passion for the environment -
big
stories
growing deserts
Tens of millions of people could be driven from their homes by encroaching deserts, particularly in sub-Saharan
Africa and Central Asia. A study by the United Nations University suggests climate change is making desertification
"the greatest environmental challenge of our times". The report warns that if action is not taken, around
50 million people could be displaced within the next 10 years.
biofuel not helping
"Grain", a charity supporting poor farmers in developing countries, claims the rush for biofuels is causing environmental
and social damage. Biofuels from crops are being heavily promoted by the USA and Europe as a possible solution
to climate change. However, according to a report by Grain, governments and biofuels firms in developing countries
are collaborating to push hundreds of thousands of indigenous people and peasant communities off their land.
The report also points out that one of the main causes of global warming is agro-industrial farming itself,
thanks mainly the use of chemical fertilisers which introduce nitrous oxide into the air.
coral protection
Trade in red and pink corals prized as jewellery will be restricted to try to help the species recover
after drastic over-exploitation. Over-harvesting and other threats including pollution, trawling of the seabed
by fishing vessels and global warming are among threats to the corals, found from the tropics to temperate waters.
moth invasion
A species of toxic moth from the Mediterranean has reached England. Experts are blaming climate change for the moth moving north.
The Oak Moth lays its eggs in oak trees, and the caterpillars eat the trees' foliage.
The poisonous hairs on the caterpillars' back can cause itchy rashes, breathing difficulties and severe
allergic reactions in humans.
food for thought
According to a study by the government's waste body Wrap, almost a third of food bought in the UK is thrown away.
That's 6.7m tonnes of waste food, with most of it going into landfill sites, where it breaks down and causes greenhouse gases.
hot air & hot water
In the northern hemisphere the 2006/7 winter has been the warmest since records began more than 125 years ago.
The US government agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the combined land and ocean surface
temperature from December to February was 0.72C (1.3F) above average.
The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1995, and experts predict 2007 could be the hottest year on record.
greener future, but not for long
Global warming is expected to turn the planet a bit greener by spurring plant growth,
but crops and forests may wilt beyond mid-century if temperatures keep rising. That's according to a draft UN report.
A 79-page technical summary is set to be released in Brussels on April 6 after
a final review as part of a report based on the work of 2,500 scientists to guide governments in combating warming.
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interviews
Councils waste £250 million annually on dumped cars. Derek Campbell reveals what's involved in recycling your old car.
fast features
PLANETfacts
The world's wettest place is Lloro in Colombia.
It averages 523.6 inches of rainfall per year. That's about 10 times
more than Europe's wettest cities.
world news
click for headlines
and the planet's
best music
Timbuktu
by Issa Bagayogo
sees ancient Malian rhythms meet modern dance music
and is one of the 8 CDs
recommended in the
Global Music Starter Set.
click to view the set
FASTfacts
While working on the family farm Issa started singing and played traditional instruments.
In Issa's native Mali they call his music "Afro-electro".
His nickname in Mali is
"Techno Issa".
Issa Bagayogo
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"passion is a genuinely new concept in radio"
