http://www.scidev.net/en/climate-change-and-energy/climate-change-in-brazil/poli...

Brazil and Climate Change: A Country Profile

"In international negotiations, Brazil points out that climate change is driven more by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than by yearly emissions, primarily because the most important greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) remains in the atmosphere for more than a century on average. Yearly emissions data therefore generally overestimate developing countries' contributions to climate change, and underestimate that of developed countries. Brazil therefore says that it will not limit its greenhouse gas emissions until the middle of the century.

Brazil's vulnerability to climate change

Brazil is vulnerable to climate change, not least due to its fragile, biologically diverse ecosystems. The tropical rain forest in the Amazon and the Pantanal wetland are of particular concern. Some studies show that, as temperatures rise, the Amazon rain forest could become dryer, making spontaneous fires more frequent. Those fires would release more greenhouse gases increasing their concentrations in the atmosphere, in turn raising temperatures further. There is also concern that coral reefs along Brazilian coastlines could suffer from the effects of climate change.

Changing rainfall patterns, especially in the drought-affected northeastern region of the country, will mean poorer water resources and a reduced water supply. Agriculture will suffer, aggravating the risk of famines. Less rain will also affect the hydropower supply, which, according to the International Energy Association, provides more than 80 per cent of the electricity Brazil generates.

Floods, which are already a serious problem for various regions, may increase. Coastal areas, where the bulk of the population and economic activities are concentrated, will be vulnerable to rising sea levels."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/srilankaweatherfloods;_ylt=Ah1GwHxIwtkEglBqVt4MHlJn....

Flooding in Sri Lanka has forced more than one million people out of their homes, the government said Thursday as it began distributing emergency food, clothing and bedding.

At least 23 people have died during a week of monsoon floods, with the centre and east of the island worst hit by rising water levels and mudslides.

A spokesman for the disaster management centre in Colombo said the eastern district of Batticaloa, which saw bloody fighting in the civil war that ended in 2009, was badly affected after heavier than usual seasonal rains.

"Some 541,000 people have been displaced in Batticaloa district alone where we have set up 275 camps to accommodate them," the spokesman said, adding that a total of 1,081,000 people have been displaced.

More than 350,000 people have taken shelter in state-run relief camps while other displaced people have moved to higher ground, often staying with friends or relatives, he said.

Retired school principal K. Ratnavel, 63, said half of the coastal village of Ailadivembu, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of the Batticaloa town, was under water.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_philippines_floods

"Sustained heavy rain and floods in the central and southern Philippines have killed 42 people and damaged crops and infrastructure worth more than 1 billion pesos ($23 million), disaster officials said on Thursday.

Floods and landslides caused by more than two weeks of heavy rains in late December and January have displaced nearly 400,000 people, Benito Ramos, head of the government's disaster agency, told reporters on Thursday.

Major rice and corn production areas in the north and western part of the country have been spared.

"Our soldiers are using helicopters to deliver relief goods and survey areas for clearing and rehabilitation," Ramos said, appealing for food, water, medicines and warm clothes.

Most of the dead either drowned or were buried by mudslides, Ramos said. Five people are still missing, including three fisherman.

About a third of the country's 80 provinces had been affected by the rains, which have destroyed roads and bridges, small rice and corn farms and houses made of light materials, Ramos said."