Climate Change

By Mojtaba Sadegh, Ali Mirchi, Amir AghaKouchak and Kaveh Madani | – The 2021 water year ends on Sept. 30, and it was another hot, dry year in the western U.S., with almost the entire region in drought. Reservoirs vital for farms, communities and hydropower have fallen to dangerous lows. The biggest blow came in […]

Climate Crisis

Israeli Youth Protest Israel-UAE Oil Pipeline that Endangers Climate, Key Coral Reefs: The Dark Side of “Abraham Accords”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The so-called Abraham Accords, which take the patriarch’s name in vain, were about many things, but genuine peace was not one of them. The were a series of bilateral horse trades with no implication for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Now it turns out that they were in part a plot against the […]

Climate Crisis

The Relentless Decline of Arctic Sea Ice is a Dangerous signal of the Climate Emergency

The Conversation

By Alek Petty and Linette Boisvert | – September marks the end of the summer sea ice melt season and the Arctic sea ice minimum, when sea ice over the Northern Hemisphere ocean reaches its lowest extent of the year. For ship captains hoping to navigate across the Arctic, this is typically their best chance […]

Climate Crisis

UN: Earth heading to 16% Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030, Risking Climate Instability

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A United Nations study of the greenhouse gas reduction targets announced by the 191 signatories to the Paris Convention has come up with an alarming result. If countries follow through on their stated plans, greenhouse gas emissions will actually rise. In 2025, they will be 15.8% higher than in 2010 […]

Mass Extinction

Human Activity is Threatening 1/3 of Tree Species with Extinction

The Conversation

By Adrian Newton | One in three of the world’s tree species are at risk of becoming extinct, according to a recent report by the Global Tree Assessment – the first attempt to estimate the conservation status of all of Earth’s trees. Well-known species, including magnolias, oaks and maples are among those at risk. More […]

Climate Crisis

Western fires are burning higher in the mountains and at unprecedented rates as we heat the climate

The Conversation

By Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh | – The Western U.S. is experiencing another severe fire season, and a recent study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms. With more than 5 million acres already burned by early September, […]

Climate Crisis

Zombie Wars v. Climate Cooperation

John Buell

Southwest Harbor, Maine (Special to Informed Comment) – New York’s new governor, Kathy Hochul – forced to deal with every political leader’s nightmare, a weather disaster, after just one week in office – called the rain “far more than anyone expected.” In fact, despite many residents getting caught unaware, the potential for high-end flooding was […]

Climate Crisis

“That night, I became a climate Refugee:” The Dixie Fire and our Hot Future

Tomdispatch

ByJane Braxton Little | – ( Tomdispatch.com) – GREENVILLE, CA — At 10 a.m. on July 22nd, I interviewed a New York University professor about using autonomous robots, drones, and other unmanned devices to suppress structural and wildland fires. I sent the interview to an online transcription service, walked down the steps of my second-floor […]

Flooding

After Hurricane Ida, mutual aid provides safety and survival in New Orleans

Waging Nonviolence

By Jordan Flaherty | – ( Waging Nonviolence) | – In the aftermath of disasters, those most in need are also who the state often leaves behind. Into this vacuum, communities come together for mutual aid. While charity rarely challenges the root causes behind disasters, and often divides recipients into worthy and unworthy, mutual aid […]