The Record Hurricane Season in 2005 Can Be Attributed to Global Warming

Greg Holland, a leading storm researcher at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, says that while tropical storm anomalies in the 1940s and 1950s can be explained by natural variability, the wind and warmer water conditions that fuel storms that form in the Caribbean are now “increasingly due to greenhouse gases.”

Human Rights Watch: Sri Lankan Government Fails to Protect Tamil Civilians

In a report, the human rights organization says that the government failed to stop attacks by armed Sinhalese mobs in Trincomalee district; the attacks occurred after an alleged Tamil Tiger bomb there killed 5 persons.

Aceh Peace Process May Help Settle Papua Conflict

Damien Kingsbury, a former advisor to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), writes that the outcome of the Aceh peace process has important implications for reaching a satisfactory settlement in Papua, where calls for independence from Indonesia may trigger a violent backlash from the Indonesian military and nationalist legislators in Jakarta who are determined not to allow Papua to secede.

Class and Wealth Playing Important Role in Deciding which Parts of New Orleans Will be Rebuilt and which Abandoned

Ostensibly, the rebuilding plan puts all neighborhoods on the same footing. Neighborhoods are responsible for determining who is moving back to the community and to make collective decisions about the community’s future.

Tit-for-Tat Violence Inches Sri Lanka Back to Civil War

In retaliation for a suicide bomb attack on the headquarters of Sri Lanka’s army, the military launched air attacks on Tamil Tiger targets in the northeast of the country, causing thousands of people to seek safety in the jungle.

Acehnese Villagers Oppose Oxfam Presence

Frustrated with the mismatch between rebuilding promises and actual performance of international aid groups, villagers in Pasi, Aceh, told Oxfam they no longer want the agency to operate there.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery at Risk of Collapse; Campaign Needed to Save Species

Bluefin TunaOn July 5, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released a report documenting the illegal overfishing of bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

An Advisory Board Has Been Named to the UN's New Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)

Tapping emergency relief experts from governments and NGOs, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of twelve members to an Advisory Group for the Central Emergency Response Fund.  CERF is designed to bring faster relief to disaster victims.

Sri Lankan Voters Support Peace Talks in Local Council Elections

The election results are a setback to parties that have taken a hardline stance against peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Oil Sands: The Costs of Alberta's "Black Gold"

Oil DrumsDuring a June 28 visit to Washington, D.C., Ralph Klein, the premier of Canada’s western province of Alberta, spoke about the vast energy potential in his region and reassured U.S. government officials that Alberta’s oil reserves are secure. The following day, two leading North American environmental organizations, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Canada’s Pembina Institute, hosted a panel discussion in Washington to provide what they considered to be a more complete picture of Albertan oil development.
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