In The News

Saharan Dust Plume Hits US: Washington Post

Andrew Freedman, Matthew Cappucci and Jason Samenow June 26, 2020
Storm winds have pushed a thick, 5,000-mile long dust cloud from the Sahara Desert to the United State, deteriorating air quality even as the region struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic. “Although plumes of Sahara Desert dust are routinely ejected from Africa’s west coast during June, the ongoing event is extraordinarily rare, scientists said,” reports the Washington Post. “This event stands out...

“Warning Cry From the Arctic”: Reuters

Matthew Green and Emma Farge June 25, 2020
Rapid Arctic warming poses dire consequences for the planet. Record-breaking heat – 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 Fahrenheit – is reported from the Arctic, with dry peatlands and conifers that serve as tinder for wildfires. “That extreme heat is fanning the unusual extent of wildfires across the remote, boreal forest and tundra that blankets northern Russia,” reports Reuters. “Scientists fear the...

Mining Firm Set to Destroy Artifacts: The Age

Charlotte Grieve June 16, 2020
The economic slowdowns imposed to contain Covid-19 contribute to a glut in energy markets. “China Shenhua Energy, the world's largest thermal coalminer, is planning to construct an open-cut mine next to the Liverpool plains near Gunnedah in the ‘food bowl’ of the state,” reports Charlotte Grieve for the Age. The Gomeroi people maintain the project will ruin Aboriginal sites and artifacts...

Ethiopia to Plant 5 Billion Trees: Quartz Africa

Samuel Getachew June 11, 2020
Ethiopia has an ambitious plan to plant 20 billion trees by 2024, including 5 billion this year, part of the Green Legacy Challenge to confront climate change. The program costs more than 4 billion Birr, or $117 million, reports Samuel Getachew for Quartz Africa, adding, “The initiative has been getting support from nations including Norway, Sweden and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP...

North Korea Makes Millions Selling Sand: CNN

Joshua Berlinger June 10, 2020
North Korea is under UN sanctions for its nuclear-weapon programs, yet researchers with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies noticed heavy ship traffic near Haeju. North Korea typically evades sanctions by transferring commodities on the high seas. Relying on satellite imagery, the researchers determined more than 250 ships – lacking required International Maritime Organization identifiers –...

Cyclone Amphan and Deadly Havoc: BBC

May 21, 2020
A violent cyclone with wind gusts up to 185 kilometers per hour struck Bangladesh and India, with governments evacuating millions from the coasts. Meteorological departments forecast heavy rainfall, flooding and mudslides. “The cyclone comes as tens of thousands of migrant workers continue to flee cities for their villages during India's lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus,” notes the...

Habitat Destruction, Deforestation, Pandemics: CNBC

Emma Newburger May 12, 2020
Deforestation, climate change and other habitat destruction reduce biodiversity, bringing wild animals and humans closer along with infectious diseases. “The total number of disease outbreaks has more than tripled each decade since the 1980s,” reports Emma Newburger for CNBC. “More than two thirds of the diseases originated in animals and most of those were directly transmitted from wildlife to...