Year: 2008

July 25, 2008

 Please read the following urgent appeal for support for the victims
 of heavy rains in eastern Guatemala, particularly La Union Zacapa, a
 Chorti Maya region near the border with Honduras. Over the past couple
 days, dozens of people have been killed by mudslides, immense damage
 has been done to crops and homes. Thousands have fled their houses,
 and are without food or homes. The rains continue with no sign of
 stopping.

 After several years straight of unusual rains, scientist have
 confirmed what Guatemalans suspected, this is not ‘normal’ weather,
 it is the result of global warming. This morning the first truck full
 of food for the shelters, sent by Rights Action through the
 Coordinator of Chorti Organizations, COMUNDICH, is reaching La Union.
 But when the rains finally stop, there will be a long hard road to
 recovery.

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Worldwide, the media – especially the print media
– have been coming seriously awake to climate
change in just the past few years. Newspapers
I’ve noticed giving increased coverage to
climate-driven changes include Gulf Times (Qtar),
the Tehran Times (Iran), the Bangkok Post
(Thailand), the Jarkarta Post (Malaysia), and
others around the globe.

The deference to debunkers/deniers so common
until 2007 is all but gone,  the timidness about
reporting scenarios out toward the worst case end
of the spectrum has been going, and I think that
the new frankness in the media is helping the
conservation community proceed with a frankness
of its own.

Until very recently, the British press has
generally been ahead of the pack. But the world,
including the US, is catching up fast. And, tough
as life there is, the article below shows how
candid the discussion is becoming in Africa too.
Lance

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“The most recent report from the International
Panel on Climate Change says yields from rain-fed
agriculture in Africa could decrease by 50% by
2020 due to global warming, and the continent
would also be plagued by worse fires and more
pests and diseases.”

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