Singaporeans might see the effects of the climate crisis sooner than they think, and the impact could be worse than expected, as the programme Why It Matters finds out.
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Author: akiyhh
Rising Seas Will Erase More Cities by 2050, New Research Shows
Rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought, according to new research, threatening to all but erase some of the world’s great coastal cities.
The authors of a paper published Tuesday developed a more accurate way of calculating land elevation based on satellite readings, a standard way of estimating the effects of sea level rise over large areas, and found that the previous numbers were far too optimistic. The new research shows that some 150 million people are now living on land that will be below the high-tide line by midcentury.
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Promise of an empty box: Mini-pantries bring free food, solidarity to U.S. streets
Little Free Pantry movement gives those in need 24-hour access in their neighbourhood to food and other basic necessities they may not normally be able to afford. By Carey L. Biron
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Oct 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – On a recent Sunday, across the Potomac River from the U.S. capital, two pre-teen girls were dusting off a refurbished dresser near a busy road, stocked with fruit, canned goods, toothpaste, children’s books and more.
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6 benefits of going meat-free for just one day a week
Are you the sort of person who says they couldn’t live without bacon? Or the kind who simply can’t imagine having to eat nut roast instead of your usual roast chicken? We thought we’d look into how giving up meat for just one day a week can be beneficial. These six benefits might just be enough to make vegetarian or vegan life look a whole lot more appealing than it did before. Read the full article.
In Asia’s booming cities, including Manila, urban planners urged to include the poor
Urban planners in rapidly expanding Asian cities must involve the poorest residents in decision-making and include informal spaces if they are serious about tackling inequality, development experts said on Wednesday…
….With growing pressure on resources such as land and water, the region is struggling to make “effective planning systems a cornerstone of national policy”, said Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of UN-Habitat, the human settlements agency.
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12 years after: lessons from incremental changes in open spaces in a slum-upgrading project
(2019) 12 years after: lessons from incremental changes in open spaces in a slum-upgrading project,Landscape Research, DOI: 10.1080/01426397.2019.1673327
While slum upgrading usually focus on shelter and basic infrastructure, few accounts document how open spaces in upgraded neighbourhoods change over the years, and post occupancy evaluations of whether these open spaces meet community needs are scarce. To address this knowledge gap, the study revisited two areas in a slum-upgrading project in Baseco, a landfill on Manila Bay densely populated by the urban poor.
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Social experiments to fight poverty
Alleviating poverty is more guesswork than science, and lack of data on aid’s impact raises questions about how to provide it. But Clark Medal-winner Esther Duflo says it’s possible to know which development efforts help and which hurt — by testing solutions with randomized trials..
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The number of refugees has increased 70% since 2011
The number of refugees globally rose to 25.9 million in 2018, up from 25.4 million in 2017, and setting a new record, according to newly released UNHCR report and World Bank estimates. The number of people seeking international protection outside of their country of origin has increased 70% since 2011. Read the full article.
Climate Protesters and World Leaders: Same Planet, Different Worlds
By Somini Sengupta Published Sept. 21, 2019 Updated Sept. 23, 2019
UNITED NATIONS — This is the world we live in: Punishing heat waves, catastrophic floods, huge fires and climate conditions so uncertain that children took to the streets en masse in global protests to demand action. But this is also the world we live in: A pantheon of world leaders who have deep ties to the industries that are the biggest sources of planet-warming emissions, are hostile to protests, or use climate science denial to score political points. Read the full article.
My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process
An inspiring TED talk by Alejandro Aravena
‘When asked to build housing for 100 families in Chile ten years ago, Alejandro Aravena looked to an unusual inspiration: the wisdom of favelas and slums. Rather than building a large building with small units, he built flexible half-homes that each family could expand on. It was a complex problem, but with a simple solution — one that he arrived at by working with the families themselves. With a chalkboard and beautiful images of his designs, Aravena walks us through three projects where clever rethinking led to beautiful design with great benefit…’