New details released about fire tornado that killed California firefighter

By Jennifer Calfas 16 August 2018 (TiME) – The rare, apocalyptic fire tornado that ravaged a Northern California neighborhood last month trapped and killed a firefighter while “violently” flinging debris and embers at two bulldozer operators, according to new details released on the stunning fire event.The fire tornado — which was about 1,000 feet in […]

Monsoon floods kill 114 people in southern India – “We’re witnessing something that has never happened before in the history of Kerala”

16 August 2018 (BBC News) – More than 100 people are thought to have died in devastating monsoon floods in India’s southern state of Kerala, the worst in almost a century. Rescuers battled torrential rains to save residents, with nearly 150,000 reportedly left homeless. The state government said many of those who died were crushed […]

Climate change will lock us into a feedback loop of stupidity

By Tom Whyman 15 August 2018 (VICE) – What a gorgeous summer it’s been! What lovely, pleasant weather we’ve had! Normally the UK is – aha – wet and overcast, so it’s a lovely change that this summer will be remembered for … horrible sickly yellow red beating down on you, stopping you from working, […]

Facing $17 billion in fire damages, a CEO blames climate change – “Climate change is no longer coming, it’s here. And we are living with it every day.”

By Mark Chediak 13 August 2018 (Bloomberg) – It was California’s biggest fire yet. In late July and August, wildfires devastated an area north of San Francisco far bigger than New York City, destroying more than 100 homes and injuring 2 fire fighters. It’s just one in a rash of fast-spreading blazes that have killed […]

Warming in the North continues as predicted – “One of the ironies is that it takes a disaster to wake people up”

By Ned Rozell 21 June 2018 FAIRBANKS (Daily News-Miner) – Just outside my window here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, workers are drilling into the asphalt of a parking lot using a truck-mounted rig. They twist a hollow bit 25 feet into the ground and pull up hard, clear evidence of why the blacktop […]

Why poison is a growing threat to Africa’s wildlife – Deadly chemicals are now a weapon of choice for those who see lions, elephants, and other wild animals as threats to livestock and property

By Edwin Dobb 4 August 2018 (National Geographic) – Two male lions had been killing cattle and goats for weeks. The Maasai herdsmen in Kenya’s Osewan region had seen enough.Solve the problem by Christmas, the Maasai told the Kenya Wildlife Service in late December last year, or we’ll solve it for you. “We know how […]

Sydney’s bushfire season now starts in winter – “We may have to rethink how we live”

By Lisa Cox 15 August 2018 SYDNEY (The Guardian) – At first the smoke on the horizon “didn’t look like anything major,” says Joe Mercieca of that day in 2013. But then the wind picked up. His house in the Blue Mountains, an hour and a half out of Sydney, was soon surrounded by the […]

“Devastating” dolphin loss in Florida red tide disaster – More than 100 tons of dead sea creatures have been shoveled up from smelly, deserted beaches

16 August 2018 (AFP) – A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as the worst red tide in a decade blackens the ocean water, killing dolphins, sea turtles and fish at a relentless pace. More than 100 tons of dead sea creatures have been shoveled up from smelly, deserted beaches in tourist areas […]

Greenhouse gas feedback discovered in freshwater lakes – “The warming climates that promote the growth of aquatic plants have the potential to trigger a damaging feedback loop in natural ecosystems”

4 May 2018 (University of Cambridge) – Latest research finds plant debris in lake sediment affects methane emissions. The flourishing reed beds created by changing climates could threaten to double the already significant methane production of the world’s northern lakes. A new study of chemical reactions that occur when organic matter decomposes in freshwater lakes […]

Wildfire haze from B.C. wildfires raising air quality concerns across Alberta – Smoke blankets every region in the province

15 August 2018 (CBC News) – It’s going to be another suffocating day in Alberta as smoke from wildfires in B.C. drifts east. Much of the province is, once again, under a blanket of smoke and haze — and there is little relief in the forecast. Environment Canada expects the haze will last for several […]

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