Blogging the End of the World™
By Molly Rubin 7 September 2017 (Quartz) – For the first time in modern history, three hurricanes in the Atlantic are lined up in the most dangerous of ways, according to Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued advisories on Hurricane Irma (currently located north of […]
By Eric Holthaus 7 September 2017(Grist) – The last Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Andrew, which lashed South Florida with wind gusts of up to 177 miles per hour in 1992. It caused immense devastation and forever changed Florida’s approach to hurricanes.Twenty-five years later, we have Hurricane Irma — […]
By Mohi Narayan and Ruma Paul; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani 6 September 2017NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Thousands of people are suffering from an outbreak of diarrhoea, malaria and dengue in Bangladesh and Nepal as the waters from the worst floods in a decade recede, officials and aid agencies said on Wednesday.More than 1,400 people have […]
By Neha Jain 5 September 2017 (Mongabay) – It’s no secret that widespread overfishing is driving many shark species to extinction. Many of these apex predators are ensnared incidentally as bycatch in longline fisheries targeting tuna or swordfish. Shortfin mako sharks — the fastest sharks in the ocean — are among the shark species that […]
6 September 2017 (UN) – Pervasive levels of poverty, protracted conflicts and complex humanitarian emergencies have led to stagnation in reducing the global out-of-school rate over the past decade, prompting the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to call for more investments. With 11.5 per cent of school-age children – or 123 million missing school today, […]
By Steven Hsieh 6 September 2017 (The Stranger) – Microscopic particles floating from a haze of wildfire smoke accumulated in Seattle overnight, downgrading the city’s air quality to levels that are unhealthy for everyone outside. At the “unhealthy level,” everyone may begin to experience health effects and should avoid exercising outdoors. The air could be […]
By Alex Dobuzinskis 5 September 2017 (Reuters) – An Oregon wildfire that has damaged landmarks in the scenic Columbia River Gorge slowed its push toward evacuated houses near the city of Portland on Wednesday, officials said. As dozens of blazes raged across the U.S. West, the so-called Eagle Creek Fire near Portland merged late Tuesday […]
5 September 2017 (Global News) – Thick smoke from wildfires burning in British Columbia darkened the sky over Vancouver on Tuesday and prompted an air quality advisory. Footage by one photographer shows the sun blocked out by the smoke on Tuesday morning. Smoke from BC wildfires obscures the sun in Vancouver
By Dana Nuccitelli 5 September 2017 (The Guardian) – Human-caused climate change amplified the damages and suffering associated with Hurricane Harvey in several different ways. First, sea level rise caused by global warming increased the storm surge and therefore the coastal inundation and flooding from the storm. Second, the warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, […]
By Robert O’Harrow Jr. 5 September 2017 (The Washington Post) – Myron Ebell stood in bright sunlight as President Trump stepped into the Rose Garden and spoke. “In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens,” Trump said to rowdy applause, “the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord.” […]
