Environment | WPN World People News

UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja (left) with Miss Universe 2011 and UNCCD Drylands Ambassador Leila Lopes.

World Meteorological Day 2012: Powering our future with weather, climate and water.

Urgent action is needed to control a major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Egypt and prevent its spread throughout North Africa and Middle East, with serious implications for food security, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

The people of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been waiting more than 50 years for a hydroelectric dam to be built near their town.

Ensuring universal access to water and using it wisely in agriculture is essential to end famine, drought and political instability, United Nations officials stressed today, adding that countries must strive to provide this vital source to all their citizens to achieve a sustainable future.

Displaced children fetch water using a submerged hand pump following flooding in the villages in Aweil, Sudan

Close to three quarters of Europeans think that the EU should propose additional measures to address water problems in Europe, according to a Eurobarometer survey published today. A sizeable majority – 68 % – think that water-related problems are serious. Droughts, floods and chemical pollution are seen as significant challenges. 62 % of citizens also feel they are not sufficiently well informed, while 67 % think the most effective means of reducing water-related problems would be awareness-raising about water-related problems. Heavier fines for polluters, a fairer pricing policy or financial incentives (tax breaks or subsidies) also gained support. Against that backdrop, 73 % of Europeans call for more measures at EU-level to reduce water problems.

Cannonball jellyfish wash up on the beaches of St. Simons Island, Georgia.

While each person drinks about two-to-three liters of water per day, agriculture accounts for 70 percent of the water drawn from rivers and aquifers worldwide.

Rising oil prices are having an impact on the world economy and, by driving up gasoline prices, becoming an issue in the U.S. presidential election campaign.