British Columbia wildfires now worst on record

VANCOUVER, 19 August 2017 (Xinhua) – The Canadian province of British Columbia has extended its state of emergency to Sept. 1 as its residents and fire crews continue to deal with what has become the worst wildfire season on record. The province-wide state of emergency means that those fighting the fires and dealing with the […]

Alaska towns at risk from rising seas sound alarm as Trump pulls federal help – “It feels like a complete abdication of responsibility on climate change”

By Oliver Milman 10 August 2017 NEW YORK (The Guardian) – The US government’s withdrawal from dealing with, or even acknowledging, climate change may have provoked widespread opprobrium, but for Alaskan communities at risk of toppling into the sea, the risks are rather more personal.The Trump administration has moved to dismantle climate adaptation programs including […]

July 2017 equaled record July 2016 as the warmest July in the 137 years of modern record-keeping

15 August 2017 (NASA) – July 2017 was statistically tied with July 2016 as the warmest July in the 137 years of modern record-keeping, according to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. Last month was about 0.83 degrees Celsius warmer than the […]

Record-breaking smoke over Canada from British Columbia forest fires – “If and when the plume drifts over populated areas, it may turn day into night”

By Adam Voiland 15 August 2017 (NASA) – For more than a month, dozens of large fires have raged in British Columbia. Since early July 2017, wildfire has burned through coniferous forests stressed by heat, drought, and infestations of mountain pine beetles. In early August, another cluster of intense fires flared up in Northwest Territories […]

Earth marks record highs for heat, pollutants, and sea level in 2016: American Meteorological Society climate report

12 August 2017 (AFP) – The Earth set a series of dire records in 2016, including hottest year in modern times, highest sea level and most heat-trapping gases ever emitted, a global climate report said yesterday. A range of key climate and weather indicators show the planet is growing increasingly warm, a trend that shows […]

Greenland fires ignite global warming fears – “Fire itself will add to the problem and accelerate thawing of permafrost”

By JoAnna Wendel 11 August 2017 (Eos) – In a real clash of fire and ice, a massive wildfire in southern Greenland has captured the world’s attention.At the end of July, a couple of NASA satellites detected hot spots in Greenland that indicated fire, said Mark Ruminski, a team leader for a hazard mapping system […]

Fossil fuel subsidies are a staggering $5 trillion per year

By John Abraham 7 August 2017 (The Guardian) – Fossil fuels have two major problems that paint a dim picture for their future energy dominance. These problems are inter-related but still should be discussed separately. First, they cause climate change. We know that, we’ve known it for decades, and we know that continued use of […]

China is driving a boom in Brazil mining, but at what cost? “This voracious mining is not just very predatory for the ecosystem, it is economically predatory to the nation. In the long run, it is disastrous.”

By Milton Leal 31 July 2017 (Diálogo Chino) – In the middle of northern Brazil’s Amazon jungle, digging equipment rasps at the bottom of a giant iron ore mine. Here in the municipality of Canaã dos Carajás in the Serra dos Carajás in Brazil’s Pará state, some 1,600 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, Chinese […]

Believing that the future will be favorable may prevent action – “People biasedly believe that others will change in ways that align with their current preferences, views, and beliefs”

3 August 2017 (APS) – People tend to believe that others will come around to their point of view over time, according to findings from a series of studies published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings show that this “belief in a favorable future” holds across various contexts […]

Asset management company Schroders forecasts global warming of more than 4°C by the year 2100

17 July 2017 (Schroders) – Global temperatures are on course to rise by up to 4°C, twice as far as safe levels, according to a Climate Progress Dashboard developed by the Schroders Sustainability team.The unique dashboard tracks the progress governments and industries are making towards meeting the 2°C temperature rise commitment global leaders made in […]

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