“Siberian peat fires have continued to burn after a year of record-setting wildfires in and around the Arctic Circle despite temperatures below minus 50 degrees Celsius, The Siberian Times reported Wednesday.
“Footage showing smoke rising from the snow in January and November offers physical evidence of the “zombie fire” phenomenon…”
“Massive Craters in Siberia Are Exploding Into Existence. What’s Causing Them?
“So far, researchers have gathered that the explosions come from gas, likely methane, building up in isolated pockets across the tundra. The pressure accumulates fast — the hills that precede each explosion swell in about three to five years — and when the strain is finally too much, the bubble explodes.”
“Russian gas tankers make first winter voyages of Northern Sea Route as ice retreats:
“Just 10 years ago, the ice meant winter voyages along Russia’s Northern Sea Route were impossible, but in recent years the window during which the waters are navigable has opened ever wider.”
“Deep water temperatures hit ‘scary’ highs in Gulf of St. Lawrence…
“Experts haven’t seen anything like it since records started in 1915… January 2021 has already seen its own anomaly — no sea ice in the Gulf.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/record-high-water-temperatures-gulf-st-lawrence-1.5889072
“Rise in algal blooms puts southern sea [aka Californian] otters at increased risk of fatal heart disease…
“A new study led by the University of California, Davis, has highlighted the link between long-term exposure to domoic acid and fatal heart disease in southern sea otters, a threatened marine mammal.”
https://www.oceanographicmagazine.com/news/algal-blooms-sea-otters/
“A series of powerful winter storms are barreling across the parched state of California, knocking out power to more than 400,000…
“Evacuation orders are in place in parts of San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, warning of an “immediate threat to life… parts of the Bay Area, and the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains could see up to 10 inches of rainfall through late Thursday.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/27/weather/california-winter-storms-evacuations/index.html
“Early US crop reports from three southern wheat-producing states have shown crop conditions below average and soil moisture shortage above average as extensive drought across the country has started to show signs of damage to the 2021/22 crop.”
“Aerial photos show the destruction and debris from an Alabama tornado that ripped off roofs and destroyed homes while leaving one dead and 30 injured on Monday.
“The shocking pictures show heaps of mangled metal and wooden debris littered across the Darlene Estates neighborhood in Fultondale – just north of Birmingham.”
“Nearly one-third of U.S. homes are at high risk of natural disaster, study says:
“Twenty-two weather- or climate-related disasters each resulted in at least $1 billion in damages last year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration… “Nearly every property in the U.S. has exposure to peril risk,” said Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic.”
“A wildfire raging in the south of Argentina has consumed a vast swathe of forestland in three days, local authorities said Wednesday—an area half the size of Liechtenstein.
“About a hundred firefighters, 26 fire trucks, two water-bombing helicopters and two planes are fighting to contain the blaze in a region unaccustomed to forest fires, officials said.”
https://phys.org/news/2021-01-wildfire-ravages-massive-section-argentine.html
“Brazil’s ongoing military-led operation to curb illegal deforestation and fires in the Amazon rainforest will end April 30, Vice President Hamilton Mourão said at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday.
“Mourão defended the success of Operation Green Brazil 2, which was launched last May and saw deployment of thousands of soldiers across the Amazon.”
“There has been little relief for South Islanders [NZ] with another day of record-breaking temperatures with the mercury topping 36C in Blenheim.
“Blenheim… hit 36.1C [97f] at 4pm, smashing its January temperature record set in 1972.”
“Philippine forest trees threatened by deforestation and climate change:
“Philippines is home to more than 50 dipterocarp tree species, of which 25 cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. About 97% of the Philippines’ tropical forest have been subjected to logging activities, and are often converted to other land uses such as for agriculture.”
https://phys.org/news/2021-01-philippine-forest-trees-threatened-deforestation.html
“Landslides cause buildings to collapse in Indonesia… Landslides across Indonesia, including Citraland, Lampung and Cimandar, cause disruption, including the destruction of buildings, in Indonesia. January 26th 2021.”
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DVl71t6hq8
“A tropical cyclone that struck central Mozambique last week has affected 250,000 people, a sharp increase over initial estimates, according to a UN official.
“Myrta Kaulard, the UN’s resident coordinator in Mozambique, added on Tuesday that 18,000 people were internally displaced after Cyclone Eloise made landfall in the early hours of Saturday.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/26/cyclone-eloise-impacted-250000-people-in-mozambique-un-says
“The UK government will investigate a complaint against mining giant Glencore over a wastewater spill in Chad in 2018.
“According to three human rights groups, which brought the complaint, the FTSE 100 firm “failed to conduct appropriate environmental and human rights due diligence in relation to wastewater leaks and an alleged oil spill at the Badila Oilfield”.”
https://www.cityam.com/government-to-investigate-glencore-over-chad-wastewater-spill/
“Tens of thousands in northwest Syria lose shelter after floods inundate camps:
“Heavy rains and floods in north-west Syria has worsened the plight of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons, destroying their tents, food and belongings in the midst of winter, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. “
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1083072
“Lake of garbage: Every winter pollution is swept from overflowing landfills into Balkan waterways:
“…huge cranes are being used to clear tons of garbage crammed at the foot of the power plant. Serbia and other Balkan nations are overwhelmed by communal waste after decades of neglect and a lack of efficient waste-management policies…”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lake-of-garbage-serbia-balkans-pollution-landfills-water-eu/
“Spain prepares to be battered by yet another storm as Justine heads our way:
“As the country continues to pick up the pieces after the devastating Storm Filomena, which caused an estimated €1billion in damages in Madrid alone, meteorologists have warned that Spain is in for another battering by “explosive” Storm Justine in the coming days.”
https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/01/27/spain-prepares-to-be-battered-by-storm-justine/
“Covid and drought strands barge owner on France’s canals: it took one Australian traveller seven months to make what is usually a three-week trip along the impacted waterways last year…
“Voies Navigables de France’s spokesman said, “We… had no rain during that period, unheard of for this part of the country, which meant we had very little water for the canal system.”
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Covid-and-drought-strands-barge-owner-on-France-s-canals
“The planet is hotter now than it has been for at least 12,000 years, a period spanning the entire development of human civilisation, according to research.
“Analysis of ocean surface temperatures shows human-driven climate change has put the world in “uncharted territory”, the scientists say. The planet may even be at its warmest for 125,000 years…”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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