Planet Week: Hundreds of thousands of deaths linked to extreme heat
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our Planet.
Last week, China approved a massive green hydrogen project, rain fell in a snowy part of Greenland for the first time on record, and analysts found that United States oil companies may be illegally flaring millions of cubic feet of natural gas.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the Planet:
Monday, August 16
Wildfires rage on
It looks like wildfires will be a weekly fixture in this newsletter, as blazes across the Planet continue to rage. On Monday, a wildfire near the French Riviera broke out, consuming nearly 15,000 acres and forcing thousands to evacuate, the BBC reports.
Across the pond, the American West remains a hotbed for fires, with Northern California’s Caldor Fire exploding in size overnight and leveling the town of Grizzly Flats. In Minnesota, fires in the northeast part of the state forced the evacuation of 75 residents, according to The Associated Press.
So, how did it get this bad? WIRED blames two factors: climate change and fire suppression, both of which have created dry landscapes “primed to burn catastrophically.”
Colorado River faces first-ever water shortage
This dryness isn’t just a wildfire problem. The historic drought behind these conditions is sucking up water that millions of people across the West depend on. On Monday, the federal government declared the first-ever water shortage on the Colorado River.
The declaration is triggered by climate change and historically low levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which we’ve previously written about. Now, states are meeting to discuss potential cuts, which could seriously affect farmers in the region.
“We must adapt to the new reality of a warmer, drier future,” said John Entsminger of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. “While the future is sobering, we are in this together.” The Arizona Republic has more.
Hurricane season heats up
And just like that, the Atlantic hurricane season is upon us. Though the season officially started in June, the last week has been particularly active, driven by three named storms:
- Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in Florida, bringing nearly a foot of rain to the Sunshine State, as well as Alabama and Georgia. The storm then flooded North Carolina, killing at least two people and triggering rescues west of Asheville.
- Hurricane Grace followed, slamming into Haiti and adding to the destruction left behind by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. The storm made its way through Mexico’s Caribbean coast then mainland, bringing winds of 125 mph and leaving at least eight people dead.
- Tropical Storm Henri rounded out the week, hitting Rhode Island Sunday afternoon. Winds of 60–70 mph, torrential downpours, and dangerous storm surges all brought havoc to the region and left more than 140,000 people without power.
CNN tracked all three storms and offered explanations for the recent uptick in hurricanes: climate change, warmer waters, and even Saharan dust.
Tuesday, August 17
Outdoor workers face crippling heat
Many jobs will become harder as the world heats up. But few will be as deadly as outdoor occupations: Workers in the U.S. could face four times as many hazardous heat days by mid-century if climate change continues unchecked, according to a new report.
In the last decade, extreme heat has killed at least 384 outdoor workers — with the three-year average of worker heat deaths doubling since the early 1990s. And like all climate impacts, the effects won’t be felt equally, with people of color bearing the brunt. Read more in NPR.
Wednesday, August 18
Biden reverses Trump’s energy and environmental actions
The Biden administration remains hard at work overturning some of the most offensive anti-environmental policies of the previous administration. On Wednesday, the federal government made the following moves:
- The Environmental Protection Agency announced it would ban chlorpyrifos, a common pesticide used on foods that has been linked to brain damage in children, reports E&E News.
- A federal judge blocked key permits granted for a multi-million dollar oil project in Alaska because it failed to account for polar bears and climate impacts. Had it gone through, the project would have produced 160,000 barrels of oil a day, reports The Wall Street Journal.
- The Energy Department proposed reversing a Trump-era move that weakened efficiency standards for water heaters, furnaces, and boilers, writes Earther.
The Washington Post is tracking all of Biden’s environmental moves — his reversals of dozens of Trump-era policies, as well as his building up of a growing list of his own.
Our methane problem just won’t go away
A new analysis of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies finds that Big Oil is underreporting its methane emissions. The analysis, which for the first time linked methane emissions to specific companies and their climate goals, found that Chevron and Shell were the worst performers.
This is a problem, as methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas — 84 times more heat-absorbing than CO2, over a 20-year period — and reducing it would have an immediate impact on our warming Planet. CBS News has the story.
Thursday, August 19
Hundreds of thousands of deaths linked to extreme heat
Heat deaths aren’t just a worry for the future (or for outdoor workers). New research published in The Lancet found more than 356,000 people died from extreme heat-related causes in just nine countries in 2019.
That number increased 74% between 1980 and 2016 — and it’s only going higher. But it’s not just extreme heat killing more people: The research also found around 1.3 million people died from the cold, a 31% increase since 1990. Axios has more.
Bonus
Saved by the bucket… for now
Researchers could begin reintroducing the Owens pupfish, a species of small blue fish endemic in California, to its native desert waters as soon as this year. It’s a big moment, considering the only thing standing between them and extinction over 50 years ago was a state wildlife biologist and his two buckets. Read the full story in The New York Times.
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam
