wildfires

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 […]

Climate Crisis

L. A. Fires show the Human Cost of Climate-Driven ‘Whiplash’ between Wet and Dry Extremes

The Conversation

By Doug Specht, University of Westminster (The Conversation) – October to April is normally considered to be the wet season in California, yet this January, the region is experiencing some of the most devastating fires it’s ever seen. As of January 10, five major fires in and around Los Angeles have burned over 29,053 acres, […]

Climate Crisis

As Los Angeles combusts, 2024 is declared Earth’s Hottest on Record

The Conversation

By Andrew King, The University of Melbourne and David Karoly, The University of Melbourne (The Conversation) – The year 2024 was the world’s warmest on record globally, and the first calendar year in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above its pre-industrial levels. The official declaration was made on Friday by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, […]

Climate Crisis

Yes, Human-Caused Climate Change Contributed to the Burning of Los Angeles

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Los Angeles wildfires destroyed over 1,000 buildings, forced thousands from their homes, and left at least five dead as of this writing. The Pacific Palisades fires destroyed many historic structures, including the home of legendary comedian and actor Will Rogers (d. 1935). Reading some of his quotes, I conclude […]

Climate Crisis

The Enemy is Us: (And I’m not just thinking about Donald Trump)

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com) – Honestly, doesn’t it befuddle you? I mean, don’t you think we humans are kinda mad? And worse yet, at some deep level, we simply can’t seem to stop. All too often, we just can’t curb our urge to destroy. Looking back, the desire to make war and obliterate our “enemies” is a […]

Climate Crisis

Insurers are Pulling out of Climate Risk Zones, Leaving Communities even more Vulnerable

OtherWords

By Jessica Garcia | ( Otherwords ) – In an era of climate disasters, Americans in vulnerable regions will need to rely more than ever on their home insurance. But as floods, wildfires, and severe storms become more common, a troubling practice known as “bluelining” threatens to leave many communities unable to afford insurance — […]

Climate Crisis

The Race to End Fossil Fuel Production

John Feffer

( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Everyone complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. This quip by the American essayist Charles Dudley Warner applies to fossil fuels as well. Everyone talks about ending fossil fuel production, but almost no one is doing anything about it. Take the example of the Biden […]

Climate Crisis

Who will Tell the Story of Regional Climate Disasters when the News Desert Swallows all Local Newspapers?

Tomdispatch

By Jane Braxton Little ( Tomdispatch.com When wildfires began erupting in the Texas Panhandle in February, Laurie Ezzell Brown, the editor and publisher of the Canadian Record, was in Houston on a panel discussing ways in which losing local newspapers represents a danger to democracy. Running the once-a-week Record from the Panhandle town of Canadian, […]

Climate Crisis

New EPA Rules will force Fossil Fuel Power Plants to cut Pollution

Michigan Advance

By: Robert Zullo – ( Michigan Advance ) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released a sweeping set of rules aimed at cutting air, water and land pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Environmental and clean energy groups celebrated the announcement as long overdue, particularly for coal-burning power plants, which have saddled hundreds of communities […]