Wildfires are becoming larger and more severe across the Western United States as global warming intensifies. At the same time, new data show that more Americans than ever are moving to areas of the country that are more likely to burn, increasing the likelihood of disaster. More than 16 million homes in the West were… Continue reading Millions of Homes Are Being Built in Harm’s Way Even as Wildfires Grow
Tag: global warming
Overlapping Disasters Expose Harsh Climate Reality: The U.S. Is Not Ready
In Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly one million people lack electricity and drinking water after a hurricane obliterated power lines. In California, wildfire menaces Lake Tahoe, forcing tens of thousands to flee. In Tennessee, flash floods killed at least 20; hundreds more perished in a heat wave in the Northwest. And in New York City, 7… Continue reading Overlapping Disasters Expose Harsh Climate Reality: The U.S. Is Not Ready
U.N. Panel Report: Some Climate-Change Effects May Be Irreversible
Rising seas, melting ice caps and other effects of a warming climate may be irreversible for centuries and are “unequivocally” driven by greenhouse-gas emissions from human activity, a scientific panel working under the auspices of the United Nations said Monday in a new report. Issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an organization of… Continue reading U.N. Panel Report: Some Climate-Change Effects May Be Irreversible
Dixie Fire Is Now Second Largest in California History
The Dixie Fire ravaging Northern California over the weekend has become the state’s second largest on record. Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency, on Sunday reported that the blaze, which has burned for 25 days, had burned more than 463,000 acres. Butte, Lassen, Plumas and Tehama Counties were affected, including the Lassen Volcanic National Park,… Continue reading Dixie Fire Is Now Second Largest in California History
Dixie Fire Wipes Out California Gold Rush Town of Greenville
The largest wildfire in California this year “catastrophically destroyed” the gold rush town of Greenville on Wednesday night, then forced the closure of a national park on Thursday while also chasing residents from their homes across the northern Sierra Nevada region. The Dixie Fire, now the sixth-largest blaze in the state’s modern history, has been… Continue reading Dixie Fire Wipes Out California Gold Rush Town of Greenville
Oil Companies Defeat New York City Appeal Over Global Warming
A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected New York City’s effort to hold five major oil companies liable to help pay the costs of addressing harm caused by global warming. Ruling in favor of BP Plc, Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in… Continue reading Oil Companies Defeat New York City Appeal Over Global Warming
Hurricanes Stay Stronger Longer After Landfall than in Past
Hurricanes are keeping their staying power longer once they make landfall, spreading more inland destruction, according to a new study. Warmer ocean waters from climate change are likely making hurricanes lose power more slowly after landfall, because they act as a reserve fuel tank for moisture, the study found. With Eta threatening Florida and the… Continue reading Hurricanes Stay Stronger Longer After Landfall than in Past
California Firefighters Tap AI for an Edge in Battling Wildfires
Agencies battling wildfires in California are turning to artificial intelligence and other technologies to predict the spread of blazes and help guide the response of firefighting crews. The AI-based tools are helping officials monitor fires, evacuate threatened areas and send often-stretched resources to places they will do most good. This year, wildfires in California alone… Continue reading California Firefighters Tap AI for an Edge in Battling Wildfires
New York Regulator Pushes Insurers on Climate Change
One of New York state’s top financial watchdogs urged insurers to better manage the risks they face from climate change, joining other regulators world-wide raising alarms about the shocks severe weather could cause the financial system. “As the global public-health pandemic of Covid-19 has made clear, preparation is key to addressing systemic risks. By the… Continue reading New York Regulator Pushes Insurers on Climate Change
Exxon Found Not Guilty of Fraud in Climate-Change Accounting Case
A New York state judge found Exxon Mobil Corp. not guilty of fraud, saying Tuesday that the New York state attorney general had failed to establish the oil giant had deceived its investors about how it accounted for the cost of future climate-change regulations. The verdict, which capped a nearly three-week civil trial between Exxon… Continue reading Exxon Found Not Guilty of Fraud in Climate-Change Accounting Case