climate crisis Archives - Page 12 of 13

Jan212025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Iraq From Cradle of Civilization to Climate Crisis Epicenter

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

Iraq, once revered as the cradle of human civilization, is now a stark warning of the perils of climate change. Known historically as the land of the Tigris and Euphrates, the fertile rivers that nourished the first farming communities are now emblematic of a country grappling with escalating environmental and socio-economic challenges. As global temperatures rise, Iraq faces a confluence of crises water scarcity, desertification, heat stress, and displacement that threaten its future. The Drying Lifelines: Water Scarcity in Iraq The Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which supply 98% of Iraq’s surface water, have seen their flow decrease by up to 40% over the past four decades. The reasons are manifold: reduced rainfall, intensified evaporation due to rising temperatures, and upstream dam...

Jan212025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

La Niña Returns Mixed Bag for Global Weather Amid Ongoing Climate Crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officially confirmed the arrival of a weak La Niña in late December 2024, a natural climate phenomenon expected to last until February to April. This shift could influence global weather patterns, potentially offering respite from the extreme heat experienced in recent years. La Niña the cooler counterpart of El Niño, is part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural climate dynamic that alternates between warm (El Niño), cool (La Niña), and neutral phases. During La Niña, cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean typically interact with the atmosphere, driving changes in global weather. For most of 2024, scientists observed La Niña-like atmospheric patterns, such as stron...

Jan172025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Wildfire Smoke Crisis in Los Angeles Millions Exposed to Toxic Air as Fires Rage

Breaking News, Disasters, Environment

Los Angeles, January 2025 – A wildfire crisis is gripping Los Angeles as fires sweep through homes, vehicles, and neighborhoods, blanketing millions in hazardous smoke. The blazes, which have already consumed thousands of structures, are not only destroying property but releasing a cocktail of toxic chemicals that pose severe risks to public health. As homes and urban infrastructure burn, materials like furniture, plastics, paints, and electronics ignite, emitting harmful substances into the air. According to a 2023 study, wildfire smoke from urban-wildland interfaces contains dangerous compounds, including hydrogen chloride, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and dioxins. It also carries heavy metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic elements known to damage vital organs, includ...

Jan172025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Fighting Poverty in Angola: A Climate-Challenged Journey of Resilience

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Huila, Angola – Frail and clutching her infant tightly, Ooli stands as a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity. Living in a small, straw-and-mud shack in the remote Bata-Bata community of Huila province, she is one of the beneficiaries of Angola's flagship social protection program, Kwenda. Despite the support, her journey reflects the uphill battle many face in regions increasingly gripped by the dual challenges of poverty and climate change. With cash transfers from Kwenda, Ooli initially invested in pigs, hoping to establish a sustainable livelihood. However, the unrelenting dry season claimed the lives of her livestock. Undeterred, she used her next tranche of funds to buy chicks, which now roam freely near her home. Their survival, like Ooli's hope, depends on withstanding ...

Jan162025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Global Risks 2025 Cyber Threats Top Concerns as Climate Change Rises

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment, Learning & Developments

As businesses prepare for 2025, the Allianz Risk Barometer reveals a landscape dominated by interlinked global challenges. Cyber-attacks, particularly data breaches, have been identified as the leading risk, with 38% of companies marking them as their top concern. Following closely are business interruptions (31%) and natural catastrophes (29%). Climate change climbs to its highest-ever position at #5, reflecting a year marked by extreme weather and record-breaking temperatures. Cybersecurity remains the top concern for businesses worldwide for the fourth consecutive year. The increasing sophistication of cyber threats, exacerbated by advances in artificial intelligence, has businesses on edge. Data breaches remain the most feared cyber incident, followed by attacks on critical infrastr...

Jan112025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Hydroclimate Whiplash Intensifies Amid Global Warming, Researchers Warn

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

Rapid swings between extreme wet and dry weather known as hydroclimate whiplash are accelerating globally due to climate change, with further escalation expected as temperatures rise, according to a study led by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain. The study, published in Nature Reviews, highlights the role of the "expanding atmospheric sponge," a phenomenon where the atmosphere absorbs, evaporates, and releases 7% more water for every degree Celsius of global warming. This process intensifies the swings between droughts and floods, posing new challenges for water and disaster management. California offers a vivid illustration of hydroclimate whiplash. Following years of drought, the state experienced record-breaking precipitation during the winters of 2022-23, triggering floods, sno...

Jan32025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

How Developing Nations Can Bridge the Climate Finance Gap

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations

As climate change accelerates, the urgency to address its impacts grows, particularly for the world's most vulnerable nations. Yet, the conclusion of COP29 highlights a stark reality: the gap between climate finance needs and actual funding remains vast. Developing nations face the daunting challenge of mobilizing resources to adapt to and mitigate the climate crisis while grappling with stretched public budgets and limited international support. The Global Finance Dilemma Emerging economies require an estimated $1.3 trillion annually to combat the escalating climate crisis. However, developed nations have pledged only $300 billion per year by 2035—a figure that falls significantly short and is expected to lose real value due to inflation. By 2035, this amount may shrink to an equiva...

Dec182024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

World Largest One Trillion Iceberg Melt Down After Decades of Stillness

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

The world’s largest and oldest iceberg, A23a, has broken free after decades of being grounded on the seabed near Antarctica. This colossal "mega-berg," weighing over a trillion tonnes and spanning an area twice the size of Greater London, is now drifting into the Southern Ocean. A23a was calved from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, marking the beginning of its extraordinary journey. For over 30 years, it remained grounded on the seabed of the Weddell Sea. In 2020, it began to shift northward, but its progress was slowed by a Taylor Column, an oceanographic phenomenon that kept it spinning in one spot for months. Dr. Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, remarked, “It’s exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck. We are curi...

Dec162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Tepary Beans Offer Hope for Climate Resilient Crops

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations

As climate change intensifies heat and drought conditions worldwide, the cultivation of common beans a staple food for millions is becoming increasingly challenging. Scientists are turning to the tepary bean, a desert-native legume, to develop more resilient bean varieties that can thrive under extreme conditions. The tepary bean, native to the Sonoran Desert, is uniquely adapted to hot and dry environments. “They are able to grow under drought and high heat conditions,” says Carlos Urrea, a dry edible bean breeding specialist at the University of Nebraska. Urrea and his team are working to harness the drought and heat tolerance of tepary beans by identifying and transferring their resilient genes into common beans. They’re also integrating disease resistance traits, creating hybrid ...

Dec162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Super Typhoon Man-Yi Caps Unprecedented Month of Extreme Weather in the Philippines

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters

On Saturday, November 16, 2024, Super Typhoon Man-Yi struck the Philippines with sustained winds of 195 km/h, marking the sixth typhoon to impact the nation within 30 days. This relentless series of storms underscores the mounting challenges posed by extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. November 2024 shattered records for tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific. It witnessed four simultaneous named storms, a first since records began in 1951, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Typically, November averages just three named storms in the basin, with only one attaining super typhoon status. The storm barrage began with Tropical Cyclone Trami in late October, causing over a dozen fatalities and a month’s worth of rain in northern Philippines. This was followe...