Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Mexico authorities declare health emergency for trash buildup in Acapulco

By Jenni Fink 31 August 2018 (Newsweek) – On Thursday, Mexican authorities declared a health emergency for the beach town of Acapulco because of large quantities of uncollected garbage that have piled up. Carlos de la Peña, the health secretary of the state of Guerrero, located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, told the Associated Press that […]

Japan begins clean-up after Typhoon Jebi kills 11 – Jebi was most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years, had highest winds ever recorded in parts of the country

By Kaori Kaneko 4 September 2018 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan began on Wednesday to clean up after a powerful typhoon killed 11 people, injured hundreds and stranded thousands at a flooded airport, though when the airport in an industrial and tourist hub might reopen was not clear.Typhoon Jebi, or “swallow” in Korean, was briefly a […]

Global debt soars to $169 trillion, along with fears of crisis ahead – “We were supposed to correct a debt bubble. What we did instead was create more debt.”

By David J. Lynch 3 September 2018 (The Washington Post) – Ten years after the worst financial panic since the 1930s, growing debt burdens in key developing economies are fueling fears of a new crisis that could spread far beyond the disruption sweeping Turkey. The loss of investor confidence in the Turkish lira, which has […]

Nearly 90 elephants slaughtered near Botswana wildlife sanctuary – “All of them had their skulls chopped to remove their tusks”

By Alastair Leithead 3 September 2018 NAIROBI (BBC News) – Carcases of nearly 90 elephants have been found near a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, conservationists say. Elephants Without Borders, which is conducting an aerial survey, said the scale of poaching deaths is the largest seen in Africa. The spike coincides with Botswana’s anti-poaching unit […]

Prehistoric vegetation helps predict future ecosystems – “If we allow climate change to go unchecked, the vegetation of this planet is going to look completely different than it does today”

By Mari N. Jensen 30 August 2018 (UA News) – As the last ice age came to an end and the planet warmed, the Earth’s vegetation changed dramatically, reports a University of Arizona-led international research team in the journal Science.The current warming from climate change may drive an equally dramatic change in vegetation within the […]

New economic thinking needed to confront global warming, says report – “Trusting that the free market capitalist dynamics will get us there, that of course is not going to happen”

By Laura Paddison 31 August 2018 (Huffington Post) – As access to cheap, plentiful energy dries up and the effects of climate change take hold, we are entering a new era of profound challenge ― and free market capitalism cannot dig us out. This is the conclusion of a report produced for the United Nations […]

Despite the risks, holdouts refuse to abandon Ukraine’s radiation hotspots

By Allison Herrera 27 August 2018 (PRI) – Nina is worried about her potato field. She’s standing in the middle of a two-lane road in the village of Karpylivka, Ukraine, showing me the bugs she’s just pulled off her plants in the field nearby. The insects squirm inside a small, tin bucket. “I have no […]

Chemnitz riots show new strength of Germany’s far right – Neo-Nazis hunting in packs “like wolves” for immigrants

By Katrin Bennhold 30 August 2018 CHEMNITZ, Germany (The New York Times) – Waving German flags, with some flashing Nazi salutes, the angry mob made its way through the streets, chasing after dark-skinned bystanders as police officers, vastly outnumbered, were too afraid to intervene. A Syrian refugee and father of two, Anas al-Nahlawie, watched horrified […]

Louisiana residents vs. 20-pound swamp rats in “Rodents of an Unusual Size”

By G. Allen Johnson 29 August 2018 (San Francisco Chronicle) – The Louisiana shoreline is under a dire environmental siege. No, it has nothing to do with offshore drilling, climate change or hurricanes. We’re talking millions of 20-pound swamp rats eating away at wetlands, swamplands and forests, eroding shorelines and making them vulnerable to those […]

“Climate gentrification” is changing Miami real estate values – for better and worse

Rising Risks: Climate gentrification takes hold in Miami from CNBC. By Diana Olick and Erica Posse    29 August 2018 (CNBC) – A modern glass home sits on the edge of the water in Miami Beach. The ground-level master suite has a soaking tub that looks out to the ocean, and the bedroom’s glass doors allow […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial