Climate Change

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – A postcard I use as a bookmarker contains a set of principles for gardening in urban soils for minimizing risks to human health from exposure to lead and other contaminants. Developed many years ago for Boston Natural Areas Network by Dr. Wendy Heiger-Bernays, a toxicologist, and myself, […]

Climate Crisis

The 136 Largest Coastal Cities, including Egypt’s Alexandria, face $1 Trillion Losses per Year from Sea Level Rise by 2050

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a new paper, Chris R. Stokes et al. write in Communications Earth and Environment that even if we manage only to heat up the earth 1.5º C. (2.7º F.) above pre-industrial norms, that might be enough to provoke massive melting of the world’s principal ice sheets — those in […]

Climate Crisis

Earth is Heading for nearly 5ºF Heating this Century — Unprecedented Peril, But We’ve Made Progress

The Conversation

By Sven Teske, University of Technology Sydney (The Conversation) – Is climate action a lost cause? The United States is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement for the second time, while heat records over land and sea have toppled and extreme weather events have multiplied. In late 2015, nations agreed through the Paris Agreement to try […]

Climate Crisis

For many Island Species, the next Tropical Cyclone may be their Last

The Conversation

By Simon Valle, Bangor University and David Jorge Pereira, University of Birmingham (The Conversation) – When a major cyclone tears through an island nation, all efforts rightly focus on saving human lives and restoring livelihoods. However, these storms have permanent consequences for other species that are often forgotten. As the world continues to heat, cyclones […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Breakdown: Wildfire Smoke and Extreme Heat will make for a Hot, Smoky Future

The Conversation

By Stephanie Cleland, Simon Fraser University (The Conversation) – In recent years, Canadians have been subjected to both severe wildfire smoke and extreme heat events, as evidenced by the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season and the 2021 heat dome. Western Canada in particular has a long history of wildfires and heat waves, and with climate change, […]

Climate Crisis

Jerusalem Hills Wildfires: Climate Breakdown, Gov’t Incompetence and Green Colonialism

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The massive wildfires that broke out near Jerusalem and which threatened residents of the city appear to have been largely extinguished, though some embers have reportedly blazed back up. The fires have provoked a vicious blame game inside Israel. The Jerusalem Post argued that the current extremist government cut funding […]

Biodiversity

The Serviceberry: Native American Ecology and the End of Carbon Capitalism

H. Patricia Hynes

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – No one wrote more powerfully about humans’ poisoning the Earth and its consequences than biologist Rachel Carson–with a focus on one contaminant, the pesticide DDT. She traced its toxicity through the food chain of nature and the loss of beneficial insects and birds, and then warned of […]

Climate Crisis

Wet Bulb Dead Zones could make Parts of Middle East, Pakistan, Uninhabitable — Even at Night

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last fall, NASA scientist Colin Raymond and colleagues published an article showing that contrary to expectations, deadly heat and humidity combinations occur along the Persian Gulf at night rather than only during the afternoon. In this part of the Middle East, temperatures are rising at double the average global rate. […]

Climate Crisis

Iraq’s Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Sanbar Iraq Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division ( Human Rights Watch ) – By any metric, Iraq’s environment is under severe pressure. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, and in some cases entirely disappearing. Sandstorms are increasing in frequency and severity, resulting in hospitalizations and the grounding of flights. Decades of conflict-related […]