Japan heat wave drives up food prices, prison inmate dies – Heat wave declared “special disaster” in South Korea

TOKYO, 25 July 2018 (Reuters) – Vegetable prices in Japan are spiking as much as 65 percent in the grip of a grueling heat wave, which drove temperatures on Wednesday to records in some areas hit by flooding and landslides, hampering clean-up and recovery efforts. As many as 65 people died in the week to […]

Global warming is killing the cedar trees of Lebanon – “Climate change is a fact here. There is less rain, higher temperatures, and more extreme temperatures.”

By Anne Barnard; photography by Josh Haner 18 July 2018 Barouk Cedar Forest, Lebanon (The New York Times) – Walking among the cedars on a mountain slope in Lebanon feels like visiting the territory of primeval beings. Some of the oldest trees have been here for more than 1,000 years, spreading their uniquely horizontal branches […]

Japan’s deadly heat wave declared a natural disaster as death toll continues to rise – Kyoto sees temps above 38 C for seven consecutive days, for the first time since records began

By Eric Leister 24 July 2018 (AccuWeather) – The deadly heat will continue across Japan through at least Thursday, following the hottest day on record in Japan. The highest temperature ever recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) was reported on Monday when Kumagaya reached 41.1 C (106 F). The Greater Tokyo Area also set […]

Japan records highest temperature ever – Heat wave has killed 50 – “It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in South Korea or in Southeast Asia”

By Mari Yamaguchi and Hyung-Jin Kim 23 July 2018 TOKYO (Associated Press) – Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea.The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture […]

Storms, landslides, and extreme heat hit Asia – More than 900,000 people evacuated in China and the Philippines

By Sandi Sidhu and Susannah Cullinane 22 July 2018 (CNN) – Extreme weather is striking parts of Asia with deadly flash-flooding in Vietnam, a tropical storm prompting evacuations and disrupting travel in China and an ongoing heat wave in Japan.In Vietnam, 21 people have died and more people are missing after Tropical Depression Son Tinh […]

Southeast Asian forest loss much greater than expected, with negative implications for climate – 113,000 square miles of forest razed and converted to cropland between 2000 and 2014

By John Sullivan 3 July 2018 (Princeton University) – Researchers using satellite imaging have found much greater than expected deforestation since 2000 in the highlands of Southeast Asia, a critically important world ecosystem. The findings are important because they raise questions about key assumptions made in projections of global climate change as well as concerns […]

Heat records falling around the world in 2018

By Christopher C. Burt 13 July 2018 (Weather Underground) – The first five months of 2018 were the fourth warmest in global records going back to 1880, according to NOAA. Along the way, a number of extreme heat events have occurred already this year. In recent weeks across the Northern Hemisphere, these records have included […]

Japan suffers deadly record heat wave – AccuWeather estimates death toll likely in the hundreds, may climb into the thousands – Emergency personnel respond to record number of calls

21 July 2018 (VOA News) – Japan is in the midst of a deadly, record-breaking heat wave. Thirty people have died with the high temperatures and thousands have been rushed to the hospital across the country. Officials are advising people to be sure to drink water and find air conditioning in an effort to avoid […]

India suffering worst water crisis in its history – New Delhi and 20 other cities to run out of groundwater by 2020 – 600 million people already face high-to-extreme water stress

By Rahul Bedi 19 June 2018 New Delhi (The Telegraph) – An Indian government think tank has warned that New Delhi is set to run out of groundwater within two years as climate change and dramatic population growth hit supplies [Composite Water Management Index – June 2018 –Des].Based on data collected from 24 of 29 […]

Wildfires rage in Arctic Circle as Sweden calls for help – “This is definitely the worst year in recent times for forest fires”

By Jonathan Watts 18 July 2018 (The Guardian) – At least 11 wildfires are raging inside the Arctic Circle as the hot, dry summer turns an abnormally wide area of Europe into a tinderbox.The worst affected country, Sweden, has called for emergency assistance from its partners in the European Union to help fight the blazes, […]

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