What happens when a physicist concerned about planetary heating in the 1970s gets a property that was fully wrecked by years of sheep-farming, with almost no trees?
My environmentalist sister, Lis, tracked one down to find out – and it's mind-blowing!
Over 3,000 trees in & still growing more from seed, it's a gorgeous wonderland of a place to live – eco-friendly, biodiverse, off-grid, & protected against extreme weather events... 1/3
I wrote this song the first time Canada's oil town, Fort Mac, burned down. People were really mad. "Too soon!" they said. Now I just post it every time it looks like Fort Mac is gonna burn and our rulers have learned nothing. Video by Jordan L. Watkins. #fortmcmurray#climatecrisis#canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ku8DEQ8W4
"Letzte Generation": Politiker reagieren empört auf Flughafen-Blockade
Eigentlich wollten sie sich nicht mehr festkleben - doch diese Ankündigung galt nicht für Flughäfen. Zum Ferienstart hat die "Letzte Generation" den Flughafen in München blockiert. Politiker fordern nun Konsequenzen.
@tagesschau statt sich zu empören, könnte man auch etwas gegen die #ClimateCrisis unternehmen, aber vermutlich muss zuerst das ganze Saarland absaufen oder Bayern. 🤷♂️
🇨🇦🤝 🇺🇸 Canada and U.S. make first co-investment in critical minerals producers
Nat. Res. Min. says the collaboration with the U.S. will help secure supplies of critical minerals that are needed for the green and digital economy.
U.S. D o D says its investments align with its national defense industrial strategy & show a shared commitment to strengthening North American material supply chains.
Catastrophic #flood destruction in #Brazil could worsen with more rain on the way
#ExtremeFlooding in Brazil over the last several weeks may be made worse by additional rainfall late this week.
By Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior weather editor
Published May 15, 2024
"AccuWeather meteorologists say that massive flooding that has plagued southern Brazil for weeks could worsen as additional storms enter the flood-ravaged area.
"Heavy rain has repeatedly doused southern Brazil and Uruguay since late April, causing both short-term creek and long-term river flooding.
"The death toll has risen to 149, with 124 still missing, ABC News reported Tuesday.
"Over 30,000 soldiers and police have been deployed to rescue nearly 70,000 people and 10,000 animals, but the spread of disinformation is slowing rescue and recovery, according to the Associated Press.
"A flood at the beginning of May devastated the city of Rio Grande do Sul when the Taquari River reached a new 150-year record height -- by 12 feet (4 meters). MetSul Meteorologia, a weather media organization in Brazil, said that in 30 years of covering weather, they had never observed such catastrophic destruction.
"Unfortunately, more rain is in the forecast next week."
Biden admin announced will end coal leasing on federal lands in Powder River Basin, which produces nearly half the coal in the US.
The decision by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management affects a vast coal-producing region that covers more than 13 million acres across Montana and Wyoming, and it handed a long-sought victory to climate advocates. For years, they have fought to restore an Obama-era moratorium on coal mining on federal lands #ClimateCrisis https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/05/16/coal-leasing-powder-river-basin-climate/
Southern Brazil 🇧🇷 is under a massive flood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXhighMI44s) as I post this, which covers 80% of Rio Grande do Sul, and we need donations for food, water, anything to restore the homes that have been lost by this tragedy. Yes, 100+ died and more than 200.000+ people had to leave their houses due to the flood and the rain will continue to affect us until the end of May.
I'll list donation links here 👇
Well referenced article by a thinktank based in #Pakistan summarizing the mechanism for #ClimateChange derived food inflation being observed in the country.
Doesn't add anything new except the fact none of the listed issues are predictions - they are observations and cited.
#ClimateCrisis is here, and as in the Global North, farmers/gardeners can see it clearly, but the rest barely.
Government Secures Australia’s Future By Handing $300 Directly To Power Companies On Behalf Of Households
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is today basking in the glow of one of the greatest budgets the nation has ever seen.
Handing down his 3rd version of the nation’s financial plan, Chalmers now looks set to enter the Labor Hall of Fame alongside figures like Curtin, Chifley, Whitlam and Gillard.
Faced by a cost of living crisis, growing job insecurity for millions, an inflated housing bubble which will continue pushing more and more people into poverty, flagging health and education sectors, energy insecurity, and uncertain futures for a raft of industries that made Australia strong – Jim Chalmers has decided to lean into his Labor values and tackle the monumental task in front of him head on.
Outlining an extraordinary vision for ordinary Australians, Chalmers has revealed historic plans to give power companies $300 for every single Australian household and small business.
The groundbreaking policy will ensure that rather than price gouging Australians directly, the energy sector will price gouge Australians through the taxes they pay to the government.
Chalmers said the measure was designed to ease pressures on the cost of living, citing the war in Ukraine as the generic reason why power prices have been pushed up.
However, rather than seeking to pull the ‘trigger’ to ensure multinationals don’t send all our gas overseas which allows power companies to then jam up the price of electricity because they are unregulated as part of the ‘free market for large corporations’ mantra we run the country on, Chalmers said he’d rather just give the sector taxpayer money.
“It’s a vision for the future to ensure the nation has a cheap and reliable energy source,” explained Chalmers.
“Think of it as an investment, that has no return and does nothing other than slightly lower the heat being turned up on average Australians.”
While criticised for the inflationary nature of the stimulus, Chalmers has seemingly dodged any criticism of the fact it’s a short sighted handout to giant corporations.
Chalmers was then recited the famous words from Ben Chifley in the post-war years;
“I try to think of the Labor movement, not as putting an extra sixpence into somebody’s pocket, or making somebody Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of the people. We have a great objective – the light on the hill – which we aim to reach by working the betterment of mankind not only here but anywhere we may give a helping hand. If it were not for that, the Labor movement would not be worth fighting for.“
Pausing for a short time to consider his role as the money man in the Australian Labor movement, Chalmers shrugged.
2023 was the northern hemisphere’s hottest summer in 2,000 years
“Looking back at the past 2,000 years, the team searched for the warmest summers on record to see how they compared to 2023. They found that the hottest June to August in the pre-industrial era was in 246 CE when temperatures were around 0.88⁰C above average.
This record stood for over 1,000 years, before being broken repeatedly since the late 1990s.”
2023 was the northern hemisphere’s hottest summer in 2,000 years
“Looking back at the past 2,000 years, the team searched for the warmest summers on record to see how they compared to 2023. They found that the hottest June to August in the pre-industrial era was in 246 CE when temperatures were around 0.88⁰C above average.
This record stood for over 1,000 years, before being broken repeatedly since the late 1990s.”
2023 was the northern hemisphere’s hottest summer in 2,000 years
“Looking back at the past 2,000 years, the team searched for the warmest summers on record to see how they compared to 2023. They found that the hottest June to August in the pre-industrial era was in 246 CE when temperatures were around 0.88⁰C above average.
This record stood for over 1,000 years, before being broken repeatedly since the late 1990s.”
During the winter, numerous blazes in Canada — known as 'zombie fires' — smoldered beneath the snow. The combination of a warm and very dry winter set the stage for flames to quickly expand this spring.
Belts of extreme to exceptional drought are draped across the zone from central British Columbia to northern Alberta, where many of the worst fires rage. More than 100 fires were burning in British Columbia on Monday morning, and four dozen in Alberta. Other large blazes were scorching provinces to the east.
➡️ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/13/canadian-wildfire-smoke-minnesota-wisconsin/
And what happens in Canada doesn't necessarily stay in Canada...
“Fed regulators on Monday approved sweeping changes to how America’s electric grids are planned & funded, in a move that supporters hope could spur thousands of miles of new high-voltage power lines & make it easier to add more wind and solar energy.