#wildfires and floods

[zinjanthropusboisei]

Noticed something a little funky in the world around you and want to figure out what's up? Especially if there might be something you ought to be doing about it? Not sure what information sources to trust these days? If you're in the US, federal agencies like NOAA, USGS, EPA and more collect massive amounts of scientific data every day, much of which is publicly available online - if you know where to look.

A PDF version with clickable links is available for free on my itchio page (quakeandquiver); I'll add a direct link in a reblog.

[reasonsforhope]

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

With Spain and Portugal saying that hundreds of people have died from the heat waves sweeping through Europe this month, the longer-term view might come as a surprise. Over the past 50 years, the number of deaths attributed to weather-related disasters has actually fallen. Yes, you heard that right. The World Meteorological Organization says that the number of disasters has increased five times over the past 50 years, but the number of fatalities has fallen by two-thirds. Vox climate writer Umair Irfan has delved into this paradox and joins us now. Welcome to the program, Umair.

UMAIR IRFAN: Thanks for having me, Ayesha.

RASCOE: So how can this be? Like, how can the number of deaths be falling even though we hear the news, we see the disasters? You know, seas are rising, summers are hotter, hurricanes seem to be getting stronger. So how is it possible that deaths can be down?

IRFAN: Well, there are two main factors here. One is better forecasting - basically being able to get ahead of these disasters and then hopefully being able to get people out of harm's way. So that's really prominent with things like hurricanes and heat waves. We can actually see those things days in advance. The other side of the equation is how well we can cope with things like storms, fires and heat waves when they do occur. So we have better tools - things like sea walls. We have better building codes. We have firefighting teams that can get people out of fire zones. And so between those two aspects - you know, the better forecasting and the better tools - we've been able to avert a lot of deaths, even though the global population has grown about fourfold since the start of the 20th century.

RASCOE: Are the technological advances that you're talking about available even in less-developed areas?

IRFAN: It's not, unfortunately. And you're hitting on a very important point. You know, the WMO pointed out that about 90% of disaster-related fatalities that occur today are occurring in developing countries. And there's a huge gap in terms of being able to anticipate these disasters before they occur and being able to respond to them and being able to rebuild in their aftermath. And that really is a big shortfall that a lot of world leaders are starting to get concerned about...

You know, the World Meteorological Organization, they launched this initiative to basically say that they want the whole world covered by disaster early warning systems over the next five years. And they think that this is something that's going to be taking a big bite out of the fatalities and the casualties caused by these disasters. So I think it's worth highlighting the progress that's made, but also the progress that we still need to make.

-via NPR, July 17, 2022

Thanks so much to @gardening-tea-lesbian for the link!

[charliejaneanders]

Our rational baseline assumption should be that all of the climate-related problems that have now begun to plague our society in earnest will only be getting worse for the remainder of most of our lives. It would be nice if we lived in a world where “the dire warnings of 380 leading climate scientists” were enough to make us change our ways. Alas, we live in capitalism instead. The insatiable urge to sell out the well being of as yet unborn generations in order to get rich today is built right into the fabric of the thing.

The Five Mostly Disastrous Paths Through Our National Insurance Crisis (we are so so fucked)

[devcrap]

sorry i never draw anymore summers are so bad i'm not cooking over a hot pc

[rubinaitoart]

Today’s anxiety-driven political post is about The Paris Agreement.

In 2015, 190+ individual parties (countries, and the EU) made a pledge to try and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C, and try to prevent it from reaching a total increase of 2°C.

(For my fellow Imperial System users, a rise of 1.5°C = a rise of 2.7°F, and a rise of 2°C = a rise of 3.6°F)

It doesn’t seem like a lot and I think that’s part of why not a lot of people are taking it seriously. Thing is, it’s just going to keep getting worse, and scientists already believe that a mere global increase of 2°C / 3.6°F will cause a lot of problems. More frequent flooding, more wildfires, and the massive loss of delicately balanced ecosystems like the coral reefs are just a few of the nasty effects we’ll be seeing.

I mean, we’re already seeing some bad effects. Look at the UK, which is experiencing more heatwaves than they’re used to, and their current infrastructure isn’t developed for that kind of constant heat. Look at the United States, which is experiencing hotter summers and a decrease in snowfall. Look at Australia, and India, and China, and everywhere else.

And the current policies in play aren’t going to let us reach that goal by 2100, much less 2050. The pledges that have been made might get us closer, but aren’t quite enough either.

It’s only going to get worse from here. For the US, Trump’s already promised that he’ll withdraw from the Paris Agreement again upon his reelection.

I’d like to see this get reblogged and spread around more, maybe with people chiming in with resources and tips about what all of us can do to try and put more pressure on our governments to do better. I’m really not comfortable with the fact we’re globally staring down the barrel of a gun and there’s barely been any progress to try and resolve it.

(This post is meant to be a short read and doesn’t include all the information. I’m not intentionally withholding anything, just trying to keep it short and relatively simple. If you have any additions, I would love to see reblogs with them—I’m actually counting on the Internet’s love to correct and add on to things, so this can be spread further out.)

[humanrightsconnected]

📢 We’re excited to share today our climate justice action guide 🌍🌱✊📢 Oftentimes, when discussing climate issues, there is more emphasis being put on what the impact of climate change has on the weather (heatwaves, floods, etc…). In addition to tackling extreme weather events, our blog post will also explore under discussed consequences of climate change, for instance how it affects food security and migration. 

Most of all, the aim of our action guide is to equip our readers with knowledge and resources on how to play a part in the fight for climate justice. In our blog post, you will find definitions of key terms, case studies, explanations of the legal framework behind environmental laws, tools to self-educate, and much more! Be sure to check it out!

[fortangel]

Love living in the kind of YA dystopia right now where I find out whether the people I follow are in the Heat Dome or the Smoke Cloud.

Actually screw it: poll time.

[eaglesnick]

“He is fiddling while Rome is burning, and, unlike the enormous majority of people who do this, fiddling with his face toward the flames.”― George Orwell

Two days ago many media outlets posted similar headlines to this in the Washington Post

“Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, scientists say. The historic day comes on the heels of 13 straight months of unprecedented temperatures and the hottest year scientists have ever seen.”  (23/07/24)

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said:

“… it will not be the last record-breaker, as planet-warming fossil fuel pollution drives temperatures to shocking new highs.”

Paradoxically, record heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding go together. For every 1 c rise in temperature the atmosphere holds 7% more moisture. This causes heavier raindrops, often falling over a shorter space of time, leading to localised flash flooding. At the same time, small differences in average temperatures leads to big differences in heat extremes. The change in weather patterns also leads to longer droughts, not least because as the soil dries out greater demands are put on existing water supplies, which are often themselves depleted, and the drier the conditions the more likelihood there is of wildfires.

In January this year “hundreds of (UK) homes were evacuated after heavy rain.” (BBC News: 05/01/24) In July 2024 the Government paper  “ Water situations: May 2024” informed us that England received 141% of the long-term average rainfall for the time of year. In other words we were close to having nearly 50% more rain as was historically usual. At the same time groundwater levels “had decreased at almost all the sites" used as measuring points.

We have more rainfall but less ground water because the increased intensity of the rainfall means much of it runs off the land into rivers and out to sea before it has time to soak into the soil.

Many scientists and naturalist believe climate change is the “biggest threat modern humans have ever faced". Yet what do we do about it? In this country we lock up those who try to bring the enormity of the situation to our attention.

Priti Patel and the last Conservative government wanted members of environmentally concerned groups to be put on a terrorist list and sent to jail if they dared raise awareness to the threat we face. The Tory government  under Sunak passed the  ‘The Police. Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, whereby anyone “conspiring to cause a public nuisance" can be jailed for up to 10 years.

Last week 5 peaceful environmentalist protestors were jailed for a total of 21 years.  Yesterday, one day after we were told that last Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, six more environmental protesters were arrested by the police under the new “conspiring to cause a public disorder" offence”.

The world record for the hottest day on Sunday was broken the very next day.  April saw “significant flooding” in the UK, with 44 flood warnings  being issued together with 201 flood alerts. A new heatwave map shows a 224-mile heat dome about to hit Britain, and we decide to lock up environmental protestors who are trying to alert us to the dangers we face if we do not drastically decrease our reliance on fossil fuels

Some might expect Starmer - once described as "a green activist to his core"- to amend or even repeal the draconian anti-democratic ‘Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act’ but that is highly unlikely. Starmer’s emphasis on “growing the economy” means he cannot do without the oil and gas companies. The oil and gas sector is worth £20bn to the UK economy and supports 200,000 jobs across its supply chain.

So even though Starmer knows the existential threat climate change and fossil fuel consumption means for our planet, he isn’t going to do anything to upset the fossil fuel industry. Couple this to Starmer’s authoritarianism and his total abhorrence of dissent, and you can expect many more peaceful protesters to be sent to our already overflowing prisons. 

[thoughtlessarse]

Devastating floods through much of Central Europe and deadly wildfires in Portugal are joint proof of a “climate breakdown” that will become the norm unless drastic action is taken, the European Union’s head office has said. “Make no mistake. This tragedy is not an anomaly. This is fast becoming the norm for our shared future,” said EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic. The worst flooding in years moved across a broad swathe of Central Europe on Tuesday, taking lives and destroying homes. At the other end of the 27-nation EU, raging fires through northern Portugal have killed at last six people. “Europe is the fastest warming continent globally and is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events like the one we are discussing today. We could not return to a safer past,” Mr Lenarcic told EU politicians in Strasbourg, France.

continue reading

If “this tragedy is not an anomaly,” it is, by definition, the norm. And it's only going to get worse.

[moderat50]

Several Republican Politicians Criticize & Voted Against Non-Defense Programs But Then Take Advantage & Credit For Them

Several Republicans criticized & voted against the infrastructure bill but then take credit for its projects in their district and lobbied for funding from it. Some Republican politicians voted against funding disaster aid for hurricane damage in Northeast but then requested disaster aid when hurricanes hit their states.

https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2022-10-07/republicans-decry-government-spending-until-the-flood-waters-reach-their-doors

[angelindiskies]

I was wondering

[pennsyltuckyheathen]

(via Viral Posts Distort Greta Thunberg Tweet Warning About Climate Change - FactCheck.org)

The right-wing Climate Change deniers jump on every opportunity to twist the truth and use it to insult and criticize this young woman for being brave enough to speak up.  The viciousness and cruelty is unconscionable.  

When the shit hits the fan they’ll wish they listened to facts and reason and not the lies and propaganda pushed by greedy fossil fuel interests. 

[atheostic]

Me: So I was watching this video on YouTube where this Christian was like "Do you know why rainbows exist?" and I was like "Light reflecting off water particles!" and they went into a speech about God promising not to drown everyone ever again and I was like "Oh."

My Mom: Is that even a thing in the Bible?

Me: It is. After committing global genocide God supposedly promised to never drown the world again and made a rainbow for the first time.

My Mom: Ah, so like "No more water, I promise! *turns to someone beside him, in a quiet tone* So, how are we doing on the fire front instead?"

[quaranmine]

it's actually really amazing how SO MANY OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS KEEP GETTING THEMSELVES INTO NATURAL DISASTERS RECENTLY??? like bro i've barely even left the house this summer why are all yall out in the world like this gettin in trouble

[swampxwitchxhattie]

I’ve read two stories of people being found after the Maui fire deceased, holding their pets. I have to avoid the news. I know that as an adult I should keep up with it and know what’s going on but my psyche is taking hit after hit and I just can’t take the heartache anymore. It’s pushing me further down the hole I’m trying to dig myself out of because I’m such an empathetic person. Strangers pain affects me in ways that are detrimental to my mind and heart.

Does that make me irresponsible? Does it make me apathetic? I feel guilty for not reading or watching the news. But the things I see and hear are gut punch after gun punch and I find myself crying and feeling more and more helpless. I want to know what’s going on, I want to know what’s being done. But when I find the actual truth it just breaks something in me.

[bean-chaointe]

During a break in the storm.

Santa Cruz, California (1/5/23)