Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Scientists say halting deforestation “just as urgent” as reducing emissions – “Our planet’s future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forests”

By Oliver Milman 4 October 2018 (The Guardian) – The role of forests in combating climate change risks being overlooked by the world’s governments, according to a group of scientists that has warned halting deforestation is “just as urgent” as eliminating the use of fossil fuels. Razing the world’s forests would release more than 3 […]

Major climate report describes a strong risk of crisis as early as 2040 – “Quite a shock, and quite concerning”

By Coral Davenport 7 October 2018 INCHEON, South Korea (The New York Times) – A landmark report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage requires transforming the world economy at a […]

World leaders “have moral obligation to act” after UN climate report

ByJonathan Watts and Matthew Taylor 8 October 2018 (The Guardian) – World leaders have been told they have moral obligation to ramp up their action on the climate crisis in the wake of a new UN report that shows even half a degree of extra warming will affect hundreds of millions of people, decimate corals, […]

U.S. Gulf Coast braces for “monstrous” Hurricane Michael – “This storm has the potential to be a historic storm, please take heed”

By Jennifer Kay and Gary Fineout 8 September 2018 MIAMI (AP) – Residents of Florida’s Panhandle frantically filled sandbags, boarded up homes and secured boats Monday as they anxiously awaited Hurricane Michael, which forecasters warned could smash into the state’s Gulf Coast as a dangerous major hurricane within days. Fueled by warm tropical waters, Michael […]

As storms keep coming, FEMA spends billions rebuilding in disaster-prone areas – “Human settlements have been designed in a way that reflects a climate of the past”

By Kevin Sack and John Schwartz 8 October 2018 DAVANT, Louisiana (The New York Times) – In the exact spot where Hurricane Katrina demolished the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, a new $105 million jail now hovers 19 feet above the marsh, perched atop towering concrete pillars. Described by a state official as the “Taj Mahal” […]

Wettest October day on record in Phoenix

By Bob Henson 3 October 2018 (Weather Underground) – The remnants of former Hurricane Rosa made their presence felt across far northwest Mexico and the Southwest U.S. on Tuesday. Phoenix picked up 2.36”, which makes Tuesday the wettest October day in the city’s 123 years of weather records (beating 2.32” from October 14, 1998). Tuesday […]

Miami freshwater supply threatened by sea level rise and salination – “People will hang on with their fingernails to keep what they’ve got. But who’s going to move here? And that’s what’s going to kill us.”

By Christopher Flavelle 29 August 2018 (Bloomberg Businessweek) – One morning in June, Douglas Yoder climbed into a white government SUV on the edge of Miami and headed northwest, away from the glittering coastline and into the maze of water infrastructure that makes this city possible. He drove past drainage canals that sever backyards and […]

Kavanaugh lied about his environmental record – “I honestly could not believe that a federal judge and Supreme Court nominee was misrepresenting my case to U.S. senators in order to bolster his environmental credentials”

By Olivia Rosane 5 October 2018 (EcoWatch) – […] In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kavanaugh presented himself as pro-environment overall. “In some cases, I’ve ruled against environmentalists’ interests, and in many cases I’ve ruled for environmentalists’ interests,” he said.But an analysis from Earthjustice found that of 26 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) […]

Photo gallery: Winners of the Environmental Photographer of the Year award for 2018

24 September 2018 (Daily Mail) – The competition is run annually by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. “Not in My Forest” by Calvin Ke, taken in Malaysia in 2018, received a Highly Commended award. He saw this southern pig-tailed macaque clutching a discarded bottle, examining and tasting it before sinking into this […]

China coal power building boom sparks climate warning – “China needs to begin planning for the aggressive retirement of its existing coal fleet, not building hundreds of new coal plants”

By Matt McGrath 26 September 2018 (BBC News) – Building work has restarted at hundreds of Chinese coal-fired power stations, according to an analysis of satellite imagery.The research, carried out by green campaigners CoalSwarm [pdf], suggests that 259 gigawatts of new capacity are under development in China.The authors say this is the same capacity to […]

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