Climate Change

Canadian police confirmed that an 80-year old woman died in the rapidly spreading Bald Range Wildfire in British Columbia’s wine country. The blaze had nearly doubled its size over the past weekend, forcing the evacuation of residents in the area. This was the first death reported in connection with the wildfires in the area, which were engulfed in smoke and flames as the hot and dry weather conditions exacerbated the fire. In a late Sunday statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that a Meadow Valley resident had been 'evacuating with a member of her family when she died suddenly....

The Canadian federal Government said that it would assist British Columbia in the wake of a raging wildfire forcing thousands to flee. It will provide shelter and accommodation for residents who are displaced around Summerland, Peachland. Bald Range Wildfire has spread over 10,300 hectares as firefighters continue to fight the fire. Eleanor Olszewski is Canada's Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience. She said in a post on social media that she approved British Columbia's request for federal assistance to provide accommodation for those who were forced to flee their homes because of wildfires. The minister stated that he had...

On Saturday, a wildfire that was rapidly spreading in the western part of Canada forced thousands of residents to leave their homes. Bald Range was out of control, and had grown to approximately 9,500 hectares (23,500 acres). This prompted evacuation orders for Summerland, Peachland, and other districts located west of Okanagan Lake. This region produces the majority of B.C. The?region produces most of B.C. Summerland declared a state-of-emergency and has a population of 12,000 people according to the census of 2021. Peachland has a population of 6,500. "A?lot of farms were affected. We do not know how many buildings have...

The district of Summerland in British Columbia declared a state of emergency early Saturday morning as a rapidly-moving fire swept across western Canada forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. As of early Saturday morning, the 'Bald Range' wildfire had spread to approximately 5,000 hectares and prompted evacuation orders for other districts in this region. According to BC Wildfire Service, the fire began about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Summerland. Summerland district, which is located about 45 km from Kelowna said that it lost power due to wildfires on Saturday. It also issued a boil-water notice to residents, saying that...

Authorities said that Puerto Rico would begin a rotating program of water rationing on 'Friday, across the entire island, as a response to an intense 'drought. The plan will force tens and thousands of people to go without water for a period up to 48 hours. According to information posted on the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority's website, the rationing is expected to last until the end of August. At a late-night press conference on Wednesday, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González said that she did not know the length of time rationing would be necessary. Gonzalez stated in a Wednesday morning...

As blazes continued to spread in Western Canada due to the dry and hot weather, a wildfire caused an evacuation warning on Wednesday. Anmore's acting mayor Doug Richardson told residents that he and his small team would do their best to keep them informed. Doug Richardson, acting mayor of Anmore, told residents that "we are a small team but will do our best to update our?residents". Metro Vancouver reported that the fire is nearly contained in the region of 'Belcarra Park,' located near Sugar Mountain Trail. It is estimated to be about 1.5 hectares. At this time, it is not...

Firefighters who had made great progress against a cluster?of blazes near Spokane in Washington scrambled to secure their gains on Wednesday as they awaited a return of hot and dry weather?in the coming days. Officials confirmed that crews had created buffer zones around three fires which threatened?the state's second most populous city. Since Saturday, the blazes destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to leave. Authorities said that full containment of the fire, which involves clearing a large area of combustible plants from around its perimeter, is still not achieved. The Spokane area fire command stated that "with primary containment...

Officials said that wildfires burning on the outskirts Spokane in Washington for the third day had destroyed at least 700 structures and forced thousands of people to flee. The three fires were deemed the 'top priority' in terms of firefighting across the U.S., which includes the Pacific Northwest region, where hundreds of wildfires are burning, causing air pollution to worsen over a large area. Since Saturday, the Spokane fires, which are located on the northern edge of the city and home to 230,000 people, have burned more than 8,000 hectares (3,200 acres). Video footage of the fire zone shows a...

Officials said that wildfires burning on the outskirts Spokane in Washington for the third day had destroyed 700 buildings. They also forced thousands of people from their homes. The three fires are a top priority for the U.S. in general, and this includes the Pacific Northwest where, due to the severe drought, dozens of wildfires of various sizes have been burning since weeks, causing air pollution across a large region. Since Saturday, the Spokane area fires have burned more than 8,500 acres in and around the suburbs of the city. The city is home to 230,000 people west of the...

State officials reported on Saturday night that wildfires covering more than a quarter million acres of Washington state have caused widespread evacuations in the Spokane area and caused power outages. Dave Upthegrove said that more than a dozen fires were burning in the'state. On Saturday morning, Governor Bob Ferguson issued a burn ban and declared an emergency in the state. Officials said that at this time, they were unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the fire. Spokane is home to 230,000 people in eastern Washington. The Old Trails Fire has been active for 3,000 acres, and threatens 4,000...

The U.S. Government announced on Friday proposed guidelines for the sharing of the drought-stricken Colorado River. This river?provides?water to a tenth of Americans, irrigates land that produces 15% U.S. agricultural output, and generates electricity for six million people across seven states. After over three years of talks to replace an existing plan, the seven states -- Colorado New Mexico Utah Wyoming Arizona California and Nevada -- could not 'agree' on the best way to share water. According to the final environmental impact report released by the Bureau, the US Bureau of Reclamation has proposed a 10-year plan through 2036 to...

France is coping with a fire season unprecedented in its history. It has forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate and dealt a major blow to the country's economy at optimum tourist season. It's not only the?scale?of the fires?that?is a?first. The fires are also acting in a way that has never been seen in France before, such as the first ever reported pyrocumulonimbus or "fire cloud". Here is an overview of this rare phenomenon. What is a 'fire-cloud'? A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is formed when intense heat drives smoke, ash, and water vapour into the air. David Bowman is professor of pyrogeography...

Heatwaves in northeast China have caused a number of tourists to flock to the sea to cool off. On Friday, beachgoers of all ages dotted the water in brightly colored floats along the pebbled?beach at Fujiazhuang Park, in Dalian, a city known for its fresh seafood, Yellow Sea coastline views, and coastal attractions. Climate change has caused China to experience more heatwaves. The latest heatwave has hit northeastern China, and the Korean Peninsula. South Korea declared an emergency. Dalian, according to the Chinese agricultural calendar's first day of autumn, recorded a high temperature of 37 degrees Celsius on Friday. According...

Each day, hundreds of Mexican hotel employees, tractor operators, and Navy personnel with specialized training head out to the beach at dawn to remove massive amounts of rotting seaweed from Caribbean beaches near popular tourist resorts. Hotels in the Caribbean have slashed rates and invested millions of dollars to remove the foul-smelling algal blooms from their beaches. Governments and businesses are also looking for solutions. How it all began Sargassum, a brown seaweed which forms floating'mats' on the ocean surface, was previously confined to the 'Sargasso Sea in?the North Atlantic. However, unusually strong winds in 2010 blew sargassum out into...

South Korea's highest temperature was recorded on 'Friday, since modern weather observation began. A prolonged heatwave had pushed temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for a third day in a row. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the record was set at Yangsan in the southeast city. Temperatures reached 41.4 C by 1:40 pm (0440 GMT) according to KMA. The reading exceeded a previous national record set in August 2018 in Hongcheon, which was 41.0 C. Yangsan now has temperatures over 40 C on three consecutive days amid an intense heatwave that is affecting most of the country. Heatwave...

OVER 100 COMPANIES, INCLUDING UBER AND NESTLE?URGE GOVERNMENTS?TO MAKE ELECTRIFICATION CENTRAL IN ECONOMIC STRATEGY 'Nestle' and Ikea, among others, urged government officials to put electrification at the forefront of their economic strategies to reduce exposure to volatile fuel prices and boost energy security. They said that exposure to fossil fuel price shocks undermined their competitiveness. With combined revenues of $1.5 trillion annually, the group also included Iberdrola and Volvo Cars, Mahindra Group and Uber, Nikon Corporation and Levi Strauss. The statement was coordinated by the Global Renewables Alliance and the We Mean Business Coalition. It added that the ability to...

Financial markets underestimate the economic risks associated with biodiversity loss. This could expose countries to debt crises and higher borrowing costs. The study, ?led ?by economists from the Universities of Sussex, Sheffield and Heriot-Watt, presented what they described as the world's first biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings model. The report said that existing rating frameworks do not take into account environmental degradation and leave $83 trillion worth of global assets susceptible to mispricing. Researchers estimated that a partial collapse in key ecosystems, such as marine fisheries, tropical forests, and wild pollinators, could result in an increase of $162 billion annually for...

Climate advocacy group calls on investors in Japan's largest banks to vote against the board members of three trading firms and three banks for failing to manage risks associated with investments in fossil fuel production. According to presentations seen by the, environmental advocacy group Market forces argues that directors fail to monitor material financial risks for banks and trading house's businesses. The presentations were made to institutional investors at the banks Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group as well as Mizuho Financial Group and trading houses Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. The investors' reactions...

According to documents released by the Chinese government on Thursday, China will reduce its carbon intensity - or carbon emissions per unit gross domestic product - by 17% in its current five year plan. This is an acceleration of the previous period between 2020 and '2025. China's new five-year plan released on Thursday called for the replacement of 30 million metric tonnes per year with renewables, and pushing towards peak coal. However, it did not set further limits on coal use. China's carbon intensity was reduced by 12% during the five-year plan which ended last year. According to a report...

T&E, a campaign group for transport and the environment, said in a report on Monday that scaling up production in Europe would reduce the 'cost gap' between EU-made and Chinese batteries to 30%, down from the current 90%. The group urged the EU, through its "Made in Europe", plans, to support this sector. The EU executive will propose its "Industrial Accelerator Act", which requires that local products be given priority when using public funds. It is intended to cover "key sectors" such as batteries, solar, wind, hydrogen manufacturing, nuclear power, and electric vehicles. Some automakers claim that local content requirements...

Tata Motors' CEO stated that the company is confident its new, low-priced 'Punch EV' will be able to crack the 'dominant budget segment' of the third largest 'car'market in the world for electric vehicles. Approximately 65% of India's 4.6 million passenger cars sold last year had a price below $13,200. Just 1.6% of the affordable cars sold in India last year were EVs. In India, there are currently only a few EVs in the lower-price range. Shailesh C. Chandra, a reporter at the Reuters news agency, said that buyers are held back by concerns about their battery life and range...

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday released interim rules to enforce provisions in President Donald Trump's tax law which restrict companies from claiming federal clean energy subsidies if they are too reliant on Chinese made?equipment. Since the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July last year, solar and wind developers, as well as factory owners, have been anxiously waiting for this?guidance. It applies to lucrative tax incentives for clean energy manufacturing, and electricity generation. The law has accelerated expiration dates for many clean energy tax credits from the Biden era and introduced complex requirements to reduce U.S....

The Meteorological Department of China announced on Thursday that the average temperature in China for the year was 10.9 degrees Celsius (51,6 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the highest ever recorded high-temperature day. At a press event, the administration announced its climate bulletin for 2025. The World?Meteorological Organisation stated in January that last year was?amongst the three warmest years on record. The administration stated that China's annual average temperature has risen in recent decades. 2025 will be the hottest year since 1961 when the first nationwide records began. The intensity of heavy rainfall and extreme heat has increased, increasing the risk...

Teams of snowmakers are racing against the clock to meet the competition requirements for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, within ever-shorter cold windows. Climate change is reshaping the limits of technology. Organisers at Italy's Alpine venues are increasingly relying on artificially-produced snow to compensate for the declining and less predictable natural snowfall. This means that months of preparation can be squeezed into short periods of subzero temperatures, leaving less room for error. In order to accommodate the Olympic competition in Milano - Cortina, resorts like Livigno, Bormio and Antholz-Anterselva, which are already established, have added reservoirs, pumps and snow...