Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Yes, ExxonMobil misled the public about global warming

By Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran 1 September 2017 (The Los Angeles Times) – In late August, we published the first academic analysis of ExxonMobil’s 40-year history of communications on climate change. We published our findings in an open-access, peer-reviewed journal and made our method and evidence transparent and auditable by publishing 121 pages of […]

Ash falls like snow in Seattle as wildfires rage in Pacific Northwest

By Evan Bush 5 September 2017 (The Seattle Times) – Ash fell like snow in Seattle Tuesday morning as Washington’s wildfires sent plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. It was so thick that dispatchers serving Eastside Fire Rescue received concerned calls about smoke in the area and ash settling on cars. “There is no local […]

Making the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals consistent with sustainability

1 September 2017  (Global Footprint Network) – This month, the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72) will convene in New York City for its 72nd Regular Session. The summit’s theme is “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.” The phrase closely echoes Global Footprint Network’s vision “that […]

Three things we just learned about climate change and big storms: Can the lessons of Harvey save us? “What Houston shows us, yet again, is that we live in a world of predatory delay”

By Paul Rosenberg 4 September 2017 (Salon) – A storm as momentous as Hurricane Harvey, which devastated southeast Texas last week, holds many lessons — almost too many, one might say. To keep things manageable, I can name three that could serve us very well.First, “Did climate change cause Hurricane Harvey?” is the wrong question […]

Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters mix a foul brew of sewage, chemicals

By John Flesher 4 September 2017 (Associated Press) – Harvey’s filthy floodwaters pose significant dangers to human safety and the environment even after water levels drop far enough that Southeast Texas residents no longer fear for their lives, according to experts.Houston already was notorious for sewer overflows following rainstorms. Now the system, with 40 wastewater […]

Hurricane Irma strengthens to a Category 5 storm as it nears Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, 5 September 2017 (Associated Press) – Hurricane Irma strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm Tuesday as it roared toward the northeast Caribbean on a path toward the U.S.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma had sustained winds of 175mph (280 kph) and was centered about 270 miles (440 kilometers) east […]

The death toll from Hurricane Harvey rises to at least 60

DALLAS, 4 September 2017 (Associated Press) – Officials now blame at least 60 deaths on Harvey, after the storm dumped many feet of rain on several counties in a matter of days. Many of those deaths confirmed in 11 counties across south Texas happened when people were caught in quickly rising floodwaters or lost control […]

Threat increasing for Cuba, Florida from intensifying Hurricane Irma

By Bob Henson  4 September 2017 (Weather Underground) – Dangerous Hurricane Irma was intensifying as it approached the northern Lesser Antilles Islands on Monday morning, and island residents in the path of Irma need to rush preparations to completion as the storm heads west-southwest at 14 mph. A NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft in the storm […]

EPA adopts Trump tactic, attacking AP reporter over story on flooded toxic waste sites in Houston

4 September 2017 (CBS News) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release Sunday that slammed a reporter by name over a story about the flooding of toxic waste sites in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. “Yesterday, the Associated Press’ Michael Biesecker wrote an incredibly misleading story about toxic land sites that are […]

Image of the Day: Eye of Hurricane Irma, 4 September 2017

By Dan Lindsey 4 September 2017 (Twitter) – Close-up of Hurricane #Irma‘s eye this morning – #GOES16 VIS – data preliminary and non-operational. Close-up of Hurricane #Irma’s eye

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