UPDATED
Mongolian herders risk losing their livestock and livelihoods as Dzud looms
Extreme winter conditions known as ‘Dzud,’ a cyclical slow-onset disaster unique to Mongolia, are being exacerbated by a summer drought and extreme overgrazing, leading to insufficient hay for winter grazing, said a report.
“This, coupled with heavy snows and freezing temperatures is causing large numbers of animals to die from starvation. Parts of Mongolia are experiencing continuous heavy snowfall and snowstorms with average temperatures below – 25 degrees Celsius during daytime and around – 40 degrees during the night. More than 80,000 herder families (around 400,000 people) in the northern and western part of the country are at risk, with millions of livestock facing starvation in the coming weeks and months.”
Both the weather conditions and the state of grazing are worse than they were in the Dzud of 2009-2010, when millions of animals died, said the Mongolian Ministry of Food and Agriculture. “Tens of thousands of households lost all or more than half of their animals and many of these families were forced to move to slum areas on the outskirts of Ulaan Baatar and other urban centers. Large scale migration to the cities resulting from loss of livelihood among herders has magnified urban social problems such as unemployment, crime, alcoholism, domestic violence and extreme poverty.”
Europe faces an imminent humanitarian crisis
A rapid build-up of people in already over-stretched Greece is threatening Europe with imminent humanitarian crisis, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned today.
“With governments not working together despite having already reached agreements in a number of areas, and country after country imposing new border restrictions, inconsistent practices are causing unnecessary suffering and risk being at variance with EU and international law standards,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.
Edwards added that as of last night (Monday), the number of refugees and migrants in Greece and needing accommodation had soared to 24,000. Around 8,500 of these were at Eidomeni, near the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
“At least 1,500 had spent the previous night in the open. The crowded conditions are leading to shortages of food, shelter, water and sanitation. Tensions have been building, fuelling violence and playing into the hands of people smugglers,” Edwards stressed.
As of March 1, some 131,724 people had crossed the Mediterranean during January and February with 122,637 of them landing in Greece.”This is approaching the total for the first half of 2015 (147,209). So far, 410 lives have been lost.”
Critical fire weather conditions and Arctic airmass impacting U.S.
Critical fire weather conditions to impact at least seven states, as Arctic airmass moves into Northern U.S., said NWS.
NWS has issued Red Flag Warnings for all or parts of at least seven states in central and southern Plains.
Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to drop by up to 15 degrees below average over the Great
Lakes/Ohio Valley to parts of the Tennessee Valley.
Snow, colder temperatures and gusty winds will continue to impact the northern Great Lakes, northeast and New England. Strong thunderstorms are possible in the southeast. In the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, mountain snow and valley rain are expected. Critical fire weather conditions will impact the central and southern Plains.
Bluff or True? Sick Saudi terrorists claim they have nuke warheads
“Warning: Saudi Arabia, although a signatory to the Nuclear Weapons Non- Proliferation Treaty has just, in violation of its pledge, acquired atomic bombs from Pakistan.” http://www.voltairenet.org/article190499.html
Fire Earth 