October 2022 – Desdemona Despair

Heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, Arizona, 2001-2022. The temperature hit 110F or higher on 22 days in 2022, yet it was only the 20th hottest summer on record, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It did not drop below 80F on 75 percent of nights between June and August. Heat effects are cumulative, and the body cannot begin to recover until the temperature drops below 80F. Data: Maricopa County, office of vital registration and office of medical examiner, Arizona department of health services. Graphic: The Guardian

October 29, 2022

Summer 2022 was deadliest on record for heat-related mortality in Arizona’s biggest county – Maricopa County’s 359 heat-associated fatalities in 2022 outpace 339 deaths in 2021

By Anita Snow 25 October 2022 PHOENIX (AP) – This summer was the deadliest on record for heat-associated fatalities in Arizona’s largest county amid a growing wave of homelessness. Public health statistics this week confirmed a record 359 such deaths just days before the end of the six-month heat season. The jump in deaths raises questions about […]

Water flows down the Colorado River at the Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. White surfaces along the banks of the river and lake show previous water levels in the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

October 29, 2022

New push to shore up shrinking Colorado River could reduce water flow to California – “We are in a dire situation. Every water user, every water use sector, every state has to reduce their water use.”

By Ian James 28 October 2022 (Los Angeles Times) – With the nation’s two largest reservoirs continuing to decline, federal officials announced plans Friday to revise their current rules for dealing with Colorado River shortages and pursue a new agreement to achieve larger reductions in water use throughout the Southwest. The Biden administration announcement represents a […]

Map showing population-weighted mean changes in extremely-high and very-high fire danger days in 2018-2021 compared with 2001-2004. Human exposure to days of very-high or extremely-high fire danger increased in 61% of countries from 2001-2004 to 2018-2021. Globally, people experienced an average of nine more days of very-high or extremely-high meteorological wildfire danger in 2018-2021 compared with 2001-2004, with 110 (61%) of 181 countries having an increase—a pattern caused by climate variation rather than demographic shifts. The yearly average wildfire exposure increased by 9.17 million person-days between 2003-2006 and 2018-2021. Increases were observed in 21 (64%) of 33 low HDI countries compared with 27 (42%) of 65 very high HDI countries, which could reflect differences in wildfire prevention and management. Graphic: Romanello, et al., 2022 / The Lancet

October 29, 2022

Over-dependence on fossil fuels risks the health of current and future generations – “Climate change is driving severe health impacts all around the world, while the persistent global fossil fuel dependence compounds these health harms amidst multiple global crises”

26 October 2022 (UCL) – The 2022 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, published today, has found that ongoing crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict in Ukraine, and a global energy and cost of living crisis, have caused countries to become over reliant on fossil fuels – compounding climate change and its […]

Satellite view of deforestation in Rondônia state, Brazil, 1975-2001. Data gathered by several satellites in the Landsat series of spacecraft shows enormous tracts of forest disappearing in Rondonia, Brazil from 1975 through 2001. The human phenomenon of deforestation starts, especially in the dense tropical forests of Brazil, when systematic cutting of a road opens new territory to potential deforestation by penetrating into new areas. Clearing of vegetation along the sides of those roads then tends to fan out to create a pattern akin to a fish skeleton. As new paths appear in the woods, more areas become vulnerable. Finally, the spaces between the “skeletal bones” fall to defoliation. Photo: Joycelyn Thomson / Horace Mitchell / Darrel Williams / NASA / GSFC

October 29, 2022

Amazon governor revokes Amazon rainforest protection in re-election bid – “It will make it more difficult to expel the invaders. They will destroy what’s left.”

By Fabiano Maisonnave 29 October 2022 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – In an effort to get more votes and win reelection, the governor of the Brazilian state of Rondônia on Friday revoked the protection of a large swath of Amazon forest. Marcos Rocha, a staunch ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, signed a decree that […]

Somalis who left rural areas due to drought receive nutritional assistance at a camp for the internally displaced on the outskirts of Baidoa, in the Southwest State of Somalia, Wednesday, 12 October 2022. Photo: Geneva Costopulos / WFP / AP

October 29, 2022

UN: Almost 1 million drought-hit Somalis in al-Shabab areas – Onset of the October-December deyr rains has either been late or performed poorly across most of Somalia

By Cara Anna 26 October 2022 NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – The United Nations says close to 1 million drought-affected people in Somalia are in areas under the control or influence of the al-Shabab extremist group, and it appealed to the fighters to allow humanitarian access as famine threatens the country. The U.N. secretary-general’s special representative in Somalia, […]

A child holds on to his belongings as families move to safer areas after flood water moved into their village houses in Naseerabad district, Balochistan province of Pakistan in September 2022. Photo: Sami Malik / UNICEF

October 29, 2022

Pakistan requires $16 billion to rebuild as damages due to deadly floods exceed $30 billion – Food crisis looms after farmland area larger than the Czech Republic flooded

By Anwesha Majumdar 29 October 2022 (Republic World) – In the aftermath of the devastating floods in Pakistan, more than 33 million people have been affected by the calamity, which has cost the nation over $30 billion in damages as the torrential rains destroyed bridges, crops, highways, and other infrastructure, killing more than 1,000 people. According to […]

Projected changes in surface temperatures in the Alps, 2021-2050. The Alpine region experiences a higher temperature rise than peri-Alpine areas or at least that the temperature changes start earlier. Large parts of Bavaria, Lombardy and other regions depend on ecosystem services provided by the Alps. Decreasing quantities of water and a reduced reliability of supply will become major issues in the coming decades. This affects not only the drinking water supply but also agriculture, energy production, and industrial cooling demand. Graphic: FAU

October 29, 2022

Water woes loom in the Alps amid climate change – “Reduced quantities of water and limited reliability of water supply will be a major issue in the coming decades”

By Jamey Keaten 27 October 2022 BRIG, Switzerland (AP) – A battle is brewing around Europe’s rooftop over the planet’s most precious resource. The crystal-clear waters issuing from the Alps could become increasingly contested as the effects of climate change and glacier melt become more apparent. Italy wants them for crop irrigation in the spring […]

Quarterly profits of five major oil companies in the West, 2018-2022 in billions of U.S. dollars. Data for Shell, BP, Chevron, Exxon, and Total Energies are shown. In Q3 2022, global energy giants including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) posted another round of huge quarterly profits, benefiting from surging natural gas and fuel prices that have boosted inflation around the world and led to fresh calls to further tax the sector. Four of the five largest global oil companies have now reported results, combining for nearly $50 billion in net income, lifted by tight global markets and disruption following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Graphic: Reuters

October 29, 2022

Oil giants’ massive profits revive calls for windfall taxes – “The Russian war in Ukraine has changed the energy markets, reduced energy availability and increased prices”

By Sabrina Valle and Ron Bousso 28 October 2022 (Reuters) – Global energy giants including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) posted another round of huge quarterly profits, benefiting from surging natural gas and fuel prices that have boosted inflation around the world and led to fresh calls to further tax the sector. Four of the five […]

Number of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. involving any opioid, synthetic opioids, heroin or prescription opioids, 1999-2020. Deaths in US involving fentanyl have continued to spike since 2013. Data: CDC WONDER. Graphic: Kavish Harjai / AP News

October 28, 2022

As Halloween approaches and fentanyl drives overdose deaths, mistaken beliefs persist – “No one is trying to addict little kids to fentanyl”

By Geoff Mulvihill 28 October 2022 (AP News) – Lillianna Alfaro was a recent high school graduate raising a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a friend bought what they thought was the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in December 2020. The pills were fake and contained fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 […]

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescuers evacuate residents from their flooded homes due to a tropical storm, locally named Paeng, in Maguindanao province, Philippines, 28 October 2022. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / AP News

October 28, 2022

At least 42 dead in floods, landslides in south Philippines – “In one area in Upi only the attic of a school can be seen above the floodwater”

COTABATO, Philippines, 28 October 2022 (AP) – Flash floods and landslides set off by torrential rains swamped a southern Philippine province, killing at least 42 people, leaving 16 others missing and trapping some residents on their roofs, officials said Friday. Most of the victims were swept away by rampaging floodwaters and drowned or were hit […]