China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster

Frost and rain have ruined more wheat in China than previously estimated: Report

Weather damage in China’s northern grain belt may have ruined more than  20 million metric tons of the wheat crop, or 16 percent, which is double the volume previously estimated, said a report.

“Higher imports, which have already been revised upwards on initial damage reports, will further shrink global supplies and support prices, fuelling new worries over global food security.”

“The harvest was terrible”

Farmers in Henan, China’s top wheat producing Province, say frost in the growing period and rainstorms during the harvest have slashed production by 40 percent compared with 2012, the report said .

Global wheat output is forecast to rise this year, but will still fall  below demand resulting in  the  lowest wheat stocks since 2008/09.

In 2012, China accounted for about 20 percent of global wheat production and consumption.

China is expected to become top wheat buyer in 2014, eclipsing Egypt as the world’s top importer, the report said.

The crop damage in China is adding to concerns over global food supplies following the crop quality downgrades experienced by the United States and the Black Sea region due to adverse weather.

Exclusive: China may become top wheat importer after crops ruined

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The Big Picture

FIRE-EARTH population model shows mass die-offs resulting from human impact on the planet and the planetary response to the anthropogenic harm could occur by early 2016.

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show climate change forcings and feedbacks switching global weather patterns onto “primordial tracks.”

The extreme weather events triggered by anthropogenic climate change have a four-prong impact on humans over the next 50 months [forecast released in 2011.] FIRE-EARTH models forecast:

1. Food production:

• Average decline of 22% in the global agricultural output
• Loss of topsoil and worsening of soil quality
• Rapid Climate Change & Extreme Weather Events
  • Drought and Deluge
  • Extremes of Temperature
  • Heatwaves and Late Frosts
  • Desertification and Dust Storms
• Crop Pests
• Increases in the size and occurrence of dead zones
• Large decline in marine food sources

2. Spread of Disease

• Substantial increases in the spread of diseases
  • Vector borne
  • Air borne
  • Water borne
  • Food borne
• Superbugs:  Emergence of resistant bacteria, especially MDR bacteria
• Resurgence of killer infectious diseases
• Increases in the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses
• Significant decline in air quality (and corresponding increase in chronic respiratory diseases)
• Other viral diseases
• Massive rises in mental illnesses

3. Physical Safety

Major increases in the number of deaths and injuries, as well as large scale displacements due to the loss of shelter and livelihood caused by extreme weather and geophysical events including:

• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
• Storms and Extreme Weather
• Climate Change
• Extreme Rain Events
• Flash Flooding
• Drought and Deluge
• Landslides
• Extremes of Temperature
• Deforestation
• Wildfires
• Loss of “Seasons”
• Earthquakes*
• Tsunamis*
• Volcanic activity*
• Nuclear Incidents
• Oil Spills
• Chemical and Biological Threats
• Poisoned and Polluted Environment (Air, Water and Soil pollution)
• Ozone Depletion  (Ozone Holes)

4. The Combined Effect

Social upheavals, regional conflicts and wars caused by mass migrations and scarcity of basic resources resulting from the combined effects of the above, as well as other mechanisms.

July 17, 2013 – SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN –

969 Days Left

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

IDP Numbers Continue Rising Globally

Deteriorating Humanitarian Crisis: Millions of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) Facing Severe Food Shortages

Record numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa are crossing into Yemen: UN-OCHA

The following are excerpts from various reports published by UN-OCHA, its  and other IDP-related agencies.

Ethiopia: More than 107,000 recorded migrants crossed the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden into Yemen in 2012, of whom 80,000 were from Ethiopia.

“Record numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa are crossing into Yemen, most of them on their way to find better opportunities in Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf countries. But many do not make it any further. Seeking a new life, they end up unwitting victims of a smuggling racket designed to exploit the migrants at each juncture of their journey.” UN-OCHA reported.

Pakistan:  Since mid-March, about 48,000 people have been displaced from the Maidan area in the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) , due to an escalation of hostilities between rival armed groups and the Government’s security operations against armed non-state actors. UN-OCHA reported.

• Officials estimate that up to 60,000 people (10,000 families) may leave the conflict-affected area in the near future and remain in displacement for up to six months due to security concerns.

• As of 10 April, UNHCR had registered 2,364 newly displaced families. The majority were displaced to
  Kurram (1,182 families), while the rest sought refuge in Peshawar (555 families), Nowshera (556 families)
  and Kohat (71 families).

• Some 165,427 displaced families, that is IDPs, are currently registered in Khyber Pakhtunkh (KP) and FATA.

Afghan Refugees

• Some 1.64 million Afghan refugees currently “receiving humanitarian assistance.”

• More than 1.3 million others who have returned to FATA since 2009.

Chad: Influx of refugees and returnees

More than 74,000 people have fled into Chad from Darfur in the past two months, 50,000 of them in the past week alone, causing the largest influx of refugees from Sudan into Chad since 2005, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Hunger in Mali

Hunger in Mali has reached crisis levels in the northern Kidal Region and has reached critical levels in Gao and Timbuktu regions, according to food security agencies and the government’s early warning body, UN-OCHA reported.

• One in five households in Gao and Timbuktu are facing severe food shortages, while in Kidal one in five households faces severe malnutrition and increasing mortality.

•  Countrywide, the number of Malians at risk of critical hunger this year is estimated to be 2 million, and 660,000 children under age five are at risk of severe malnutrition, though this latter estimate is based on figures from a 2011 survey.

Central African Republic (CAR)

Humanitarian situation in CAR has deteriorated, leaving civilians in the capital, Bangui, in critical need of aid, according to a senior humanitarian official.

• “The main humanitarian needs in Bangui are access to health and nutrition and clean water [and] security and protection of civilians,” Amy Martin, who heads the Bangui branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN.

• Regarding the number of people affected by the crisis, she said: “We are using the population figure of the entire country, 4.5 million people, [as the number of people] affected. The most vulnerable people – women, children, elderly, [people living with HIV/AIDS] – are most at risk.”

Myanmar

“Two weeks after a wave of anti-Muslim violence engulfed Meikhtila, Mandalay Division—leaving at least 40 dead and 61 injured—more than 12,000 mostly Muslim residents of the city shelter in camps for the displaced. Most of the camps are improvised in schools under the control of the Burmese government. In recent days, journalists have been barred from entering the camps. According to a local National League for Democracy politician, aid organizations have been forced to leave deliveries at the camp gates.”  Irrawaddy reported.

Syria

“The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, disrupting livelihoods, leading to over 1.3 million people fleeing the country to seek assistance as refugees in neighboring countries.” UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Malian Refugees stranded in Mauritanian desert

About 70,000 refugees from Mali are living in difficult conditions in the middle of the Mauritanian desert, with ethnic tensions in northern Mali quashing any hopes of a swift return home, Said Reliefweb.

Stateless in Mozambique

“A high number of people in our locality have no form of identification, says Veriato Eduardo, an administrator in Angonia in Northwestern Mozambique near the Malawi border. This prevents them from registering their children in schools and from expanding their small businesses. In this part of the country, a high number of adults are returned refugees, who lost their documentation during the civil war, and have therefore been left stranded.” UN Children’s Fund reported.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – April 14, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,063 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,063 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Disaster Calendar – 13 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,342 Days Left

[July 13, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,342 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 6 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,349 Days Left

[July 6, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,349 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

WARNING: RAPID CHANGE IN PROGRESS!

Tidal Surge of Global Change 26 Times Faster in 21st Century: FIRE-EARTH

FIRE-EARTH Models show the rate of global change has intensified by a factor of at least 26 in the last decade compared with the 1960s.

FIRE-EARTH defines ‘global change’ as the deterioration in the planet’s life-support capacity that is caused by large-scale anthropogenic impact, leading to a total collapse.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• Human Impact
• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Disaster Calendar – 27 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,389 Days Left

[27 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,389 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 26 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,390 Days Left

[26 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,390 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 25 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,391 Days Left

[25 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,391 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 24 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,392 Days Left

[24 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,392 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 23 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,393 Days Left

[23 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,393 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 22 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,394 Days Left

[22 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,394 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 21 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,395 Days Left

[21 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,395 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 20 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,396 Days Left

[20 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,396 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 19 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,397 Days Left

[19 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,397 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 18 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,398 Days Left

[18 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,398 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 16 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,400 Days Left

[16 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,400 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 15 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,401 Days Left

[15 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,401 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 14 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,402 Days Left

[14 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,402 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 13 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,403 Days Left

[13 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,403 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 12 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,404 Days Left

[12 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,404 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 11 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,405 Days Left

[11 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,405 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 10 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,406 Days Left

[10 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,406 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar 2012 – 9 May

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,407 Days Left

[9 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,407 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 8 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,408 Days Left

[8 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,408 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 7 May 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,409 Days Left

[7 May 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,409 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar