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 […]

Study ranks marine mammals’ risks from Arctic shipping – “Even going right over the North Pole may be passable within a matter of decades”

By Heather McFarland 2 July 2018 (UAF News) – Bowhead whales are the marine mammals most vulnerable to disruption from increased ship traffic in waters off Alaska, a new study has concluded. Across the Arctic, narwhals are the most vulnerable.The study is the first to assess the vulnerability of the seven marine mammal species that […]

British Columbia wildfire season in 2018 now second worst on record, behind only 2017

26 August 2018 (The Canadian Press) – Government statistics indicate this year’s wildfire season is the second worst in British Columbia’s history, burning 945 square kilometres of land. The BC Wildfire Service says this year’s season comes in behind last year, which saw more than 1,200 square kilometres burnt and roughly 65,000 people displaced or […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of black carbon from North America wildfires and other aerosols, 23 August 2018

By Adam Voiland 24 August 2018 (NASA) – Take a deep breath. Even if the air looks clear, it is nearly certain that you will inhale millions of solid particles and liquid droplets. These ubiquitous specks of matter are known as aerosols, and they can be found in the air over oceans, deserts, mountains, forests, […]

Smoke risk from B.C. wildfires rises to hazardous levels in southern Alberta – 2018 now smokiest year on record in Calgary – “The smoke plumes coming out of B.C. are really large, really dense smoke”

By Ryan Rumbolt    23 August 2018 (Calgary Herald) – Just days after smashing the previous record for the number of smoky days in Calgary, Environment Canada issued another severe air quality warning for the city and many communities in southern Alberta.Skies briefly cleared in the city before another advisory was issued on Wednesday. As of […]

British Columbia wildfires “may be the new normal” – 2018 is third-worst fire season on record in B.C. – “From flood to fire to flood and then again to fire, and we have had two states of emergency — that’s unprecedented”

By Karen Graham 21 August 2018 (Digital Journal) – While British Columbia Premier John Horgan was touring the wildfire-ravaged, smoke-filled area around Prince George Tuesday morning. Al Beaver, an independent risk management expert who worked on fire management for governments in Canada and Australia was speaking with The Current’s guest host Ioanna Roumeliotis.Flanked by the […]

Worst air quality on record as another surge of wildfire smoke hits Puget Sound – Breathing Seattle’s air right now is like smoking 7 cigarettes

By Umair Irfan 21 August 2018(Vox) – Ash and smoke are choking Seattle’s air for the second week in a row, as wildfires smolder in the Cascades and in British Columbia.As of Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Index in Seattle was at 181, a rating classified as “unhealthy.” In parts of the city, the index […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of smokestorm over Washington state and Western Canada, 20 August 2018

By Kathryn Hansen 17 August 2018(NASA) – In mid-August 2018, deadly blazes across the western United States and Canada continued to destroy structures and disrupt the lives of millions of people. But you did not have to be close to the fires to witness its effects. These images show just how far across North America […]

Families on edge and on alert in British Columbia wildfires – “It’s ruining people’s homes, it’s ruining wildlife, it’s ruining full communities”

20 August 2018 (The Canadian Press) – Some headway was made over the weekend battling hundreds of blazes across British Columbia, according to crews battling the wildfires, but thick smoke continues to blanket the province and create challenges for communities far from any flames. The B.C. Wildfire Service says there weren’t many lightning strikes last […]

Smoke degrades air quality to “very unhealthy” for parts of Puget Sound region and “hazardous” for Eastern Washington

By Scott Sistek 20 August 2018 SEATTLE (KOMO News) – Air quality in some areas of Western Washington has degraded from “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy,” especially in the South Sound as wildfire smoke from British Columbia continues to pour into the region.As of 8 a.m. Monday, monitoring sites in Tacoma, Auburn, and Port Angeles reported […]

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