Africa migrants face torture, blackmail, and rape amid chaos in Yemen

By Maad al-Zikry, Maggie Michael, and Ahmed al-Haj28 January 2017 ADEN, Yemen (Associated Press) –  After reaching Yemen’s shores in a packed migrant boat, the young Ethiopian coffee farmer was plunged into a living hell. The smugglers wanted thousands of dollars in ransom from the migrants, and they used him as an example of what […]

Serving up a NOAA-thing burger – Life cycle of the common fake science scandal

By Gavin Schmidt9 February 2017 (RealClimate) – I have mostly been sitting back and watching the John Bates story go through the predictable news-cycle of almost all supposed ‘scandalous’ science stories. The patterns are very familiar – an initial claim of imperfection spiced up with insinuations of misconduct, coordination with a breathless hyping of the […]

The 11-year-old suing Trump over global warming

By Ciara O’Rourke 9 February 2017 (The Atlantic) – It was supposed to be Avery McRae’s first day back at school after winter break, but fat snowflakes were falling outside and class was canceled. Her horseback-riding lesson wasn’t happening either. At lunch with her mom and dad at Hot Mama’s Wings, in Eugene, Oregon, Avery […]

As Yemen food crisis deteriorates, UN agencies appeal for urgent assistance to avert catastrophe – “The current level of hunger in Yemen is unprecedented”

SANA’A, 10 February 2017 (World Food Programme) – The number of food insecure people in Yemen has risen by three million in seven months, with an estimated 17.1 million people now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three UN agencies. Of the 17.1 million food insecure people, about 7.3 million are […]

EPA halves staff attending environmental conference in Alaska – “It’s clearly wrong and counterproductive to restrict EPA staff from attending meetings pertinent to the agency’s mission”

By Rachel Waldholz and Bill Chappell 10 February 2017 (NPR) – The Environmental Protection Agency’s presence at an environmental conference in Alaska this week was cut in half, after the Trump administration’s transition officials ordered the change. The agency had helped to plan the Alaska Forum on the Environment — but days before it was […]

Study predicts global footprint of extreme fires will expand

7 February 2017 (University of Tasmania) – Increasingly dangerous fire weather is forecast for Australia and the Mediterranean as the global footprint of extreme fires expands, according to the latest research. University of Tasmania Professor of Environmental Change Biology David Bowman led an international collaboration – including researchers from the University of Idaho and South […]

No data manipulation in 2015 climate study, researchers say – Accuser rows back from claim

By Henry Fountain7 February 2017 (The New York Times) – In an article that appeared online in The Mail on Sunday, a British tabloid, the journalist David Rose described “astonishing evidence” that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States had “rushed to publish a landmark paper that exaggerated global warming and was […]

In Australia and the US, sound climate policy is being held hostage by vested interests – “A new Dark Age of climate politics”

By Michael Mann and Christopher Wright6 February 2017 (The Guardian) – It’s been a bad couple of weeks for the world’s climate and environment. The inauguration of billionaire property developer and reality TV star Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States has presaged a new Dark Age of climate politics. In an […]

Antarctic ice shelf rift grew 17 miles in the last two months

By Jugal K. Patel7 February 2017 (The New York Times) – A rapidly advancing crack in Antarctica’s fourth-largest ice shelf has scientists concerned that it is getting close to a full break. The rift has accelerated this year in an area already vulnerable to warming temperatures. Since December, the crack has grown by the length […]

Documenting the consequences of palm oil production beyond Southeast Asia – “Guatemala was probably the scariest”

6 February 2017 (Mongabay) –  Most of the attention around palm oil production has focused on where the crop has the largest footprint: Southeast Asia. Yet oil palm plantations are rapidly mushrooming throughout the tropics, from the species’ ancestral home in West and Central Africa to Pacific islands to Latin America. A new film, Appetite […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial