The United Nations Refugee Agency is warning that the migration land route across Africa is even more deadly than the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2014, over 19,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean en route to Europe. But a top official with the U.N. Refugee Agency told a German newspaper that the land journey to reach the sea is likely twice as deadly. The International Organization for Migration says dehydration, violence, starvation and illness are among the primary causes of death for migrants traveling across Africa.
President Trump threatened to cut off federal funding for the climate-fueled wildfires currently raging across California. On Twitter, Trump attacked California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming he’s done a “terrible job of forest management” and implying he would pull funding. In response, Governor Newsom fired back at Trump: “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.” Click here to see all our coverage on the climate-fueled wildfires in California.
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that it will withdraw the U.S. from the historic Paris climate agreement, starting a year-long process to leave the international pact to fight the climate crisis. The U.S. is the world’s largest historic greenhouse gas emitter. It will become the only country outside the agreement. The 2015 agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius, a target that would prevent the worst effects of catastrophic climate change. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the historic agreement has sparked widespread international condemnation. This is the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson speaking Monday.
Geng Shuang: “China expresses regret about the U.S. officially starting the relevant process of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. We believe that climate change is a common challenge faced by all of humankind. All members of the international community should join hands to cooperate, each doing their best according to their ability to jointly deal with it. … We hope that the U.S. can take more responsibility and make more constructive contributions to the process of multilateral cooperation instead of adding negativity.”
We’ll have more on the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement after headlines.
Beach nourishment is the latest chapter in a never-ending tale of erosion. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO About 80 to 90 percent of sandy beaches along America’s coastlines are eroding. This is a problem because the developments humans build near them are static. So as beaches shrink, coastal hazards can threaten to damage or destroy homes and businesses while negatively impacting tourism that depends on the beach. The most popular strategy to counter these risks is a process called beach nourishment. Coastal engineers will add new sand to an eroding beach in order to rebuild or expand the shoreline. Watch the video above to learn more about how beach nourishments can help defend the coast but are problematic as a long-term solution. For more, here are the links to our sources for this video:
Randall Parkinson on beach nourishment and climate change mitigation: https://research.fit.edu/media/site-s…
ProPublica reporting on the high costs related to preserving vulnerable beaches: https://www.propublica.org/article/th…
Explained with a giant, scientific model. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Correction: At 4:27, we mistakenly wrote “Nijmegan” when it should be spelled “Nijmegen.” In our latest Vox+ProPublica collaboration, we dive into how a structure that’s designed to protect us from floods, may actually be making them worse. High levees come at a high cost, often pushing water into communities that can’t afford the same protection. To demonstrate, we built a giant, scientific model of a river with levees — complete with adorable tiny houses. Be sure to check out ProPublica’s feature story here for more on America’s flood control problem: https://www.propublica.org/article/le… with the science explained here: https://projects.propublica.org/graph… And sign up here for ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter to get their best reporting in your inbox as soon as it’s published: https://go.propublica.org/bigstorynew…
California wildfires cost insurance companies more than $24 billion over the past two years. As those insurers look to cover their losses, here’s a look at how homeowners like Grass Valley resident Christy Hubbard are paying the price. Photo/Video: Jake Nicol/The Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration notified the United Nations Monday that it would withdraw the U.S. from the historic Paris climate agreement, starting a year-long process to leave the international pact to fight the climate crisis. The United States — the world’s largest historic greenhouse gas emitter — will become the only country outside the accord. Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal came on the first day possible under the agreement’s rules. From Middlebury, Vermont, we speak with Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org. “The decision of the United States to be the only country on Earth … unwilling to take part in a global attempt at a solution to the greatest crisis we’ve ever faced — there’s a lot to be ashamed of in the Trump years and a lot of terrible things that have happened — it’s pretty hard to top that,” says McKibben.
As the United Nations begins a Climate Change Summit in New York, millions around the world united to demand that nations do a better job of cutting greenhouse gases. It’s a movement led by kids and inspired by protestor Greta Thunberg. In a 2018 Gallup Poll, 56 percent of people older than 55 said they’re worried about climate change, compared to 70 percent of people 18 to 34.
This summer I asked our viewers if they’d like to come along with me to report on the science of climate change. I chose Justin Fain from Dallas. He’s 38, a father of two and a roofing contractor. Justin is politically conservative and like most people in his social circle, he rejects the mainstream scientific conclusion that the planet is warming and humans are to blame. “I need to sense, I need to see it, I need to feel it. If it’s happening, I need to be shown this is what’s happening,” Justin says. So, I took him to meet some of the top scientists in America.
More than 11,000 scientists from around the world have backed research that says the world is facing a climate emergency. The study, based on 40 years of data, says governments are failing to address the crisis. Writing in the journal Bioscience, the group says scientists have a moral obligation to warn humanity of catastrophic threats. Doctor Thomas Newsome from the University of Sydney is one of the lead authors. He says it’s not too late to act, but time is running out. Image courtesy The Drone Way: Ben Stamatovich showing a bushfire burning at sunset near Balladonia, WA.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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