19 firefighters killed in Arizona blaze – ‘Our entire crew was lost’

‘ By Holly Yan1 July 2013 (CNN) – They were part of an elite squad who confronted wildfires up close, setting up barriers to stop their destructive spread. But the inferno blazing across central Arizona proved too much. The 19 firefighters were killed Sunday while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire, northwest of Phoenix. It was […]

Western United States swelters amid deadly heat – 72 percent of West now in drought

By Tim Gaynor, with additional reporting by Jane Sutton in Miami, Brad Poole in Tucson, Timothy Pratt in Las Vegas, and Marty Graham in San Diego; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Stacey Joyce30 June 2013 PHOENIX (Reuters) – A dangerous, record-breaking heat wave in the western United States contributed to the death of a Nevada […]

Humans play role in Australia’s ‘angry’ hot summer – ‘Due to greenhouse gas emissions, these types of extreme summers will become even more frequent and more severe in the future’

27 June 2013 (University of Melbourne) – Human influences through global warming are likely to have played a role in Australia’s recent “angry” hot summer, the hottest in Australia’s observational record, new research has found. The research led by the University of Melbourne, has shown that global warming increased the chances of Australians experiencing record […]

Arctic heat wave hits central Siberia, pushing temperatures to 90 degrees F (32C) and sparking tundra fires

[Desdemona wonders if the summer sun in Seattle will again be dimmed by smoke from Siberia megafires, as in 2012.] By Robert Scribbler21 June 2013 Today, a heatwave circling the Arctic set its sights on central Siberia. Temperatures soared into the upper 80s to near 90 degrees over a vast region of Siberian tundra, setting […]

Why NASA’s latest photo of Alaska is freaking people out

By JAKE ELLISON21 June 2013 (Seattle PI) – At first glance, it’s just a great photo of nearly the entire state of Alaska on an exceptionally clear day. What could be the problem? Well, turns out that photo shows an anomaly that some are fretting signifies yet another big shift in global climate – a […]

Video: California officials warn fire season could be worst in 100 years – ‘These are fires that directly impact the very water that we drink and the air that we breathe’

By Daniel Arkin17 June 2013 (NBC News) – Southern California fire officials warned Monday that the state should take caution during a brutal fire season that projections suggest could be the worst to hit the region in a century. “We’re going to have a very volatile fire season,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby […]

Wildfires rage in U.S. West as federal government cuts funding to prevent them

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, 19 June 2013 (Associated Press) – As the West battles one catastrophic wildfire after another, the federal government is spending less and less on its main program for preventing blazes in the first place. A combination of government austerity and the ballooning cost of battling the ruinous fires has taken a bite […]

Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits 49th state – ‘I’ve never seen a summer like this, ever’

By RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press 19 June 2013 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A heat wave hitting Alaska may not rival the blazing heat of Phoenix or Las Vegas, but to residents of the 49th state, the days of hot weather feel like a stifling oven – or a tropical paradise. With temperatures topping 80 degrees […]

Climate science debate has cost precious time, expert warns – Commission report says evidence of rapidly changed climate has strengthened

By Oliver Milman    16 June 2013 (The Guardian) – Floods, bushfires, and this year’s scorching summer heatwave have raised awareness of the dangers of climate change, but an “infantile” debate over the validity of the science has cost Australia precious time, according to a key Climate Commission expert. The commission, an independent body that advises […]

Another 1930s Dust Bowl drought possible this century

By Marlene Cimons14 June 2013 (LiveScience) – Drought has beset the Earth since before farming began. In developing nations, it brings suffering and death. In wealthier countries like the United States, it brings economic devastation when crops wither and die, and forests burn. The United States continues to feel the aftereffects of the 2012 drought […]

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