This week in America, “continent-spanning winter storms triggered blackouts in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and several other states,” reports the New York Times. But that was just the beginning… One-third of oil production in the nation was halted. Drinking-water systems in Ohio were knocked offline. Road networks nationwide were paralyzed and vaccination efforts in 20 states were disrupted. The crisis carries a…
Tag: Wildfires
Another terrible year for wildfires and smoke in the US in 2020
Wildfires burned more than 10 million acres in the United States during the 2020 season. It was the worst season on record. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/us-2020-wildfire-season-record-bad…
Podcast goes behind the scenes in the battle to mitigate wildfires
The podcast Life with Fire explores the wildfires a warming world will create – and why we need to involve everyone if we are going to learn how best to live with them Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933170-500-podcast-goes-behind-the-scenes-in-the-battle-to-mitigate-wildfires/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Record number of billion-dollar disasters in U.S. in 2020
Last year, the U.S. experienced a record-smashing 22 weather and climate disasters that killed at least 262 people and injured scores more. Damages exceeded $1 billion each and totaled approximately $95 billion for all 22 events. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/record-number-billion-dollar-disasters-us-2020…
‘Companies Are Fleeing California. Blame Bad Government.’
Bloomberg Editorial Board: Amid raging wildfires, rolling blackouts and a worsening coronavirus outbreak, it has not been a great year for California. Unfortunately, the state is also reeling from a manmade disaster: an exodus of thriving companies to other states. In just the past few months, Hewlett Packard Enterprise said it was leaving for Houston. Oracle said it would decamp for…
10 steamy signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up
From record wildfires to a bumper crop of hurricanes to melting poles, here are some of the biggest signs in 2020 that climate change is speeding up. Source: https://www.livescience.com/climate-change-worsening-2020.html
2020 Arctic Report Card: Sea ice loss, extreme wildfires
NOAA’s 2020 Arctic Report Card describes a region that is warming even more rapidly than scientists expected. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-report-card-2020-sea-ice-loss-extreme-wildfires…
Plastic Pipes Are Polluting Drinking Water Systems After Wildfires
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Conversation: When wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state’s drinking water standard. Our testing has now confirmed a source of these chemicals, and it’s clear…
Wall Street Begins Trading Water Futures as a Commodity
Wall Street has begun trading water as a commodity, like gold or oil. The country’s first water market launched on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this week with $1.1 billion in contracts tied to water prices in California, Bloomberg News reported. From a report: The market allows farmers, hedge funds, and municipalities to hedge bets on the future price of water and…
A Biden Victory Positions America For a 180-Degree Turn On Climate Change
“Joe Biden, the projected winner of the U.S. presidency, will move to restore dozens of environmental safeguards President Donald Trump abolished,” reports the Washington Post, “and launch the boldest climate change plan of any president in history.” destinyland shares their report: While some of Biden’s most sweeping programs will encounter stiff resistance from Senate Republicans and conservative attorneys general, the United…