The Karuk Tribe has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the Slater Fire that has burned many homes of Karuk Tribe members in the Klamath River community of Happy Camp. By Dan Bacher The Tribe passed a resolution authorizing the use of Department of Treasury CARES Act funding to “address the unbudgeted […]
Much has been made of the COVID-19 lockdown cutting global carbon emissions. Energy use has fallen over recent months as the pandemic keeps millions of people confined to their homes, and businesses closed in many countries. Projections suggest global emissions could be around 5% lower in 2020 than last year. Flickr/David Clarke Frank Jotzo, Australian […]
A new report and visualizations from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows how climate change is fueling more intense and an increasing number of wildfires across the western United States, concluding that better forest management and climate action are the best tools to help limit future fire risks. By Brett Wilkins Common Dreams “Every year, […]
Especially considering that President Donald Trump and his appointees have spent the past few years serving corporate polluters by rolling back dozens of environmental regulations, climate campaigners on Wednesday welcomed a new federal report about how the human-caused planetary emergency endangers the U.S. financial system but also warned that its recommendations fall short of the ambitious action […]
Leading Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are facing heightened demands to back the Green New Deal as wildfires continue to scorch western states, causing apocalyptic-looking orange skies and “catastrophic” damage. By Andrea Germanos Common Dreams The National Interagency Fire Center said Wednesday that 96 large fires have now burned over 3.4 million acres across […]
Climate action advocates and journalists are calling out President Donald Trump’s silence for nearly three weeks, as historic wildfires have torn across the western United States, devastating communities that were already struggling in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and related economic crisis. By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams Both CNN and the group Climate Power 2020—which works to put […]
Intense wildfires are raging in California, Oregon and Washington state, spurring mass evacuations and leaving charred towns in their wake. A regional heat wave is keeping temperatures high and humidity low, creating difficult conditions for firefighters. These five articles from The Conversation’s archive explain what’s driving Western fires and how they’re affecting residents. By Jennifer […]
A coalition of 15 attorneys general filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the Trump administration’s plan to allow fossil fuel drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Hard to say what’s worse—destroying the nation’s largest wildlife refuge, or further inflaming the climate crisis with new oil and gas drilling so a few […]
California officials announced Monday that this year’s ongoing wave of wildfires—which continues to force mass evacuations—has burned over two million acres, a new state record and a revelation that sparked fresh calls for urgent action to address the human-caused climate crisis. By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams Confirmation of the record came from California Department of Forestry […]
Here in Northern California, the smoke is everywhere. It creeps into our garages, under our doorways, through our vents. It dims the sun. It is a constant reminder, for those of us not yet under evacuation, to stay vigilant: we monitor wind and fire maps hourly, we text with our loved ones and colleagues, trying […]
As I watched Hurricane Laura churn towards the Gulf Coast, I felt a familiar knot in my stomach. As a longtime first responder to natural disasters, I felt the same way before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle in 2018, and before tornado outbreaks here in Alabama in 2011 and […]
From August 27-31, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) collected aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Imagery was collected in specific areas identified by NOAA in coordination with FEMA and other state and federal partners. Collected images are available to view online via the NGS aerial imagery viewer. View tips on how to use […]
What a week. Rough for all Californians. Exhausting for the firefighters on the front lines. Heart-shattering for those who lost homes and loved ones. But a special “Truman Show” kind of hell for the cadre of men and women who’ve not just watched California burn, fire ax in hand, for the past two or three […]
Hurricane Laura blew up quickly as it headed for the Louisiana coast, intensifying from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in less than 24 hours. By the time it made it landfall, it was a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 150 mile-per-hour winds. Chris Slocum, Colorado State University The Conversation The Atlantic has seen […]
With the full devastation caused by Hurricane Laura along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana still coming into view Friday, climate justice activists and other progressives are calling the destruction—credited with claiming at least 6 lives and potentially billions of dollars in damages—just the latest painful example of willful neglect by political leaders and […]