[Desdemona wonders if the summer sun in Seattle will again be dimmed by smoke from Siberia megafires, as in 2012.] By Robert Scribbler21 June 2013 Today, a heatwave circling the Arctic set its sights on central Siberia. Temperatures soared into the upper 80s to near 90 degrees over a vast region of Siberian tundra, setting […]
22 June 2013 (VNS) – Southernmost Ca Mau Province is in danger of sinking below sea level in the next few decades due to over-exploitation of underground water if something isn’t done urgently. Experts released the warning at a conference held with the co-operation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Norwegian […]
By Birchard Kellogg10 June 2013 (mongabay.com) – In a chilly rain on Sunday, in a town just a few kilometers beyond the edge of a protected Sumatran rainforest, a young orangutan sat perched on a piece of plywood and grabbed the metal wires of his tiny cage. He has sat in that cage for six […]
By Basharat Peer24 June 2013 (The New York Times) – Rain and landslides have limited efforts to rescue the victims of floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Military helicopters were unable to fly there for most of Monday, and the Indian Meteorological Department warned of “very severe” rain in the next three days. […]
18 June 2013, SANTIAGO (AFP) – Two thirds of Chile’s territory is facing desertification in which the bone-dry Atacama Desert grows by over a meter (3.3 feet) a day, President Sebastian Pinera warned Monday. The changing topography and consequences for the land “is one of the greatest threats to sustained development, and to sustainable development, […]
By Manirajan Ramasamy, Sharon Chen, and Yoga Rusmana; Editing by Stanley James 23 June 2013 (Bloomberg) – Malaysia declared a state of emergency in some areas after air pollution from illegal burning of forests and peat lands in Indonesia reached hazardous levels, while Singapore breathed easier as winds shifted direction. Prime Minister Najib Razak signed […]
By Edward Welsch; Editing by Dan Stets 24 June 2013 CALGARY (Bloomberg) – The worst flooding in Alberta’s history spread to new parts of the province as water levels began to subside in Calgary and other southern Alberta cities hit this weekend by rain-swollen rivers. Evacuation orders were issued to towns north and east of […]
Contact: Anthony Kennaway, Head of Communications, The Geneva Association, +41 22 707 66 00 24 June 2013 GENEVA (The Geneva Association) – In some high-risk areas, ocean warming and climate change threaten the insurability of catastrophe risk. This is one of the conclusions of a research report [pdf] issued today by the climate risks and […]
By Aaron Kase 20 June 2013 (Salon) – The habitat for half the world supply of wild sockeye salmon — as well as a critical area for other wildlife, tourism and native peoples — is at urgent risk of being filled with pollutants, and sterilized in the name of gold and copper mining. Dillingham is […]
By Danish Siddiqui, with additional reporting by Sruthi Gottipati, Ratnajyoti Dutta, and Nita Bhalla in NEW DELHI; Editing by Clarence Fernandez24 June 2013 RUDRAPRAYAG (Reuters) – Flash floods and landslides unleashed by early monsoon rains have killed at least 560 people in Uttarakhand and left tens of thousands missing, officials said on Saturday, with […]
