The hallmarks of climate change — extreme heat and drought; larger, more intense wildfires and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons and rainstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding — are being seen and felt around the globe. Drought in Brazil. Wildfires in Portugal, Peru and the Western U.S. Severe flooding swamping Central Europe, Southeast Asia and Western Africa. … Read more
Summer 2024 sweltered to Earth’s hottest on record, making it even more likely that this year will end up as the warmest humanity has measured, European climate service Copernicus reported Friday. And if this sounds familiar, that’s because the records the globe shattered were set just last year as human-caused climate change, with a temporary … Read more
If you stood on the banks of the Cache la Poudre River in Colorado after the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire, the rumbling water may have appeared black. This slurry of ash and charred soil cascaded toward the reservoirs that supply drinking water for the downstream city of Fort Collins, home to around 170,000 people. Although … Read more
Brasilia, Brazil’s modernist capital, woke up the last two days to find its iconic buildings enveloped in smoky air. The central part of the country is just the latest region affected by smoke from fires in the Amazon rainforest, Cerrado savannah, the Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. The smog crisis prompted President … Read more
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. No matter where you live, extreme weather can hit your area, causing damage to homes, power outages, and dangerous or deadly conditions. If you’re on the coast, it may be a hurricane; in the Midwest or South, a tornado; in the … Read more
LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. … Read more
Greek authorities on Tuesday issued an evacuation alert for the seaside town of Nea Makri in eastern Attica, as firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze burning through the Athens suburbs. Hundreds of European firefighters, backed by fire engines and waterbombing aircraft, have sought to contain the country’s worst wildfire this year. The fire began … Read more
For over 20 hours, firefighters in Greece have been working to bring “extremely dangerous” wildfires under control, the country’s climate minister said on Monday. “Since yesterday afternoon, the residents of northeastern Attica have been tested by an extremely dangerous fire with which we have been fighting for over 20 hours under dramatic conditions,” Minister of … Read more
THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. When wildfires rage, the immediate threat is obvious—but smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames. As fires become more frequent, that smoke is leading to a public health crisis. In a new study published in the journal Science … Read more
With the townsite in Jasper National Park evacuated due to a wildfire and many waiting to hear what has happened to their homes, psychologists say there are things people can do to cope and process the “significant” mental health and emotional impacts of the fire. About 25,000 people were evacuated before flames entered the community … Read more
