Planet Week: Wildfires, heat spread across United States
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our Planet.
Last week, an investigation found that the meat industry is intentionally downplaying its climate impact, researchers linked Amazon fires and drought to the destruction of billions of trees, and a report found that farms are wasting twice as much food as previously thought.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the Planet:
Sunday, July 18
Torrential rains pound India
More than 125 people are dead after monsoon rains brought severe flooding and landslides to India last week, reports Deutsche Welle.
These types of disasters are expected during India’s monsoon seasons, but as with most weather events, climate change is fueling more intense versions. And much of the world is feeling its impact, including New Zealand — which saw a month’s worth of rain fall in one weekend.
Monday, July 19
U.K. issues first-ever extreme heat warning
We’re officially in the dog days of summer, and countries are feeling the heat now more than ever. On Monday, the United Kingdom issued its first-ever extreme heat warning. As the Planet warms, heat waves like these will become more likely, triggering health concerns for residents of the country.
The warning comes as England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland all marked their hottest days of the year over the weekend. In fact, Northern Ireland hit its hottest temperature on record. The BBC has more.
Tuesday, July 20
Wildfires, heat spread across United States
The heat is no better in the United States. A combination of record temperatures and a decades-long drought, both fueled by climate change, is creating perfect conditions for wildfires in the American West.
This week, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire — the largest fire in the country — continued to spread, becoming so intense that it started creating its own weather. That fire, combined with the 80 large fires across 13 western states, released plumes of smoke that have since made their way across the U.S. and triggered air quality alerts in cities like New York City and Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, sizzling temperatures continue to plague the country, disproportionately affecting already vulnerable populations. The heat is also killing troves of wildlife, from mussels baking in the sun to baby birds unable to cope in sweltering nests.
And don’t expect a reprieve any time soon — this week, much of the country will hit highs that are 10 to 15 degrees above average, as a heat dome moves east. Axios explains the compounding crises.
Emissions to hit record high in 2023
We’re also not doing enough to prevent the heat. On Tuesday, the International Energy Agency projected emissions will rise to record levels over the next two years, as countries fail to build back sustainably after COVID-19.
Less than 15% of the $2.4 trillion spent in economic relief has gone toward clean energy development, and most of it has been centered in developed economies like the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. The IEA says larger investments are needed in developing nations, which will be responsible for about 90% of the forecasted growth in emissions before 2023.
“The most critical faultline [in attempts to tackle the climate crisis] is providing clean energy investments in emerging countries,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, told The Guardian. “At the global scale, there is no lack of capital [available for investment in green energy], but that capital does not look at these projects in emerging economies. There is a perception that the risk is higher.”
Deadly floods submerge Central China
China is also facing its own extreme weather. Late Tuesday, torrential rains poured on Central China, killing at least 25 people, including 12 people who were trapped in a flooded subway. The heavy rainfall displaced 1.2 million people, as nearly eight inches came down over one hour.
The rain breached river banks, and submerged buildings, and swept cars off the road. To make matters worse, the downpour came after a heatwave spread across the region, underscoring the tangible, and overlapping, impacts of climate change. The Washington Post explains exactly what happened.
Wednesday, July 21
Breaking the myth of EV emissions
There’s a commonly held belief that if you plug an electric vehicle (EV) into a dirty grid, then it’s no cleaner than a gas-powered car. New research, however, lays that argument to rest.
The study, conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation, finds that over their lifespan, electric vehicles’ emit significantly less than their gas-powered counterparts, even in the dirtiest of grids.
In Europe and the U.S., for example, emissions of EVs are about 65% lower than gas-powered cars, whereas in China and India, countries that use more coal, that number is 37–45% and 19–34% lower respectively. The research offers scientific backing for the U.S., Europe, and the rest of the world to push forward proposed gas-powered vehicle bans. The Verge has the story.
Friday, July 23
Olympics face record heat
Nearly a year late to the date, the Olympics kicked off in Tokyo last week. But COVID-19 wasn’t the only thing disrupting the games: Extreme weather, driven by climate change, has athletes and organizers scrambling, reports Reuters.
With temperatures soaring into the 90s, this year’s Olympics will be among the hottest on record. That could pose a serious danger to athletes — already, tennis star Novak Djokovic successfully appealed for a later start time for his match due to heat.
To make matters worse, a typhoon looming off of Japan’s coast forced organizers to shift Monday’s rowing event a day earlier, reports ESPN.
Bonus
Don’t call it a shark attack
Shark attacks are at an all-time low, at least in phrasing, thanks to researchers in the U.S. and Australia. They’re swapping the term for less sensational language, like “bites,” “incidents,” and “encounters,” to change public perception and protect an animal whose population has plummeted 71% since 1970.
“This is about being accurate without being inflammatory,” David Shiffman, a marine biologist, told The New York Times. “Inflammatory coverage makes people afraid of sharks, and might potentially mean less support for their conservation and potentially support for their extermination.”
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam
