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Showing posts from July, 2019

Dangerous Heat Waves in the United States

Dangerous heat waves have emerged as a recurring and alarming phenomenon in the United States. These extreme heat events are characterized by extended periods of scorching temperatures that can have profound impacts on both human health and the environment. Over recent decades, there has been a noticeable uptick in the frequency, duration, and intensity of these heat waves, affecting various regions across the country, including the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, and even traditionally cooler areas. The map below created by  nationalgeographic.com  shows increase in number of dangerous days per year from 2019 to 2050. One of the most pressing concerns associated with heat waves is their significant threat to public health. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, young children, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, are particularly at risk. Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, can quickly escalate to life-threatening conditions if

Future cities: Your 2050 Climate Twin

The Crowther Lab has investigated how global warming will affect 520 cities around the planet and matched those forecasts with cities that experience those temperatures now. The result is a simple to understand example of the likely results of global warming. In 2050 London will have climate similar to that currently experienced by Barcelona. The temperature in London is expected to rise by 2.2 degrees centigrade over the next thirty years, resulting in temperatures that you would expect on the Mediterranean today. London is of course not the only city that can expect dramatic temperature increases from global heating. Madrid will be like Marrakesh, Seattle will resemble San Francisco and Washington D.C. will have a climate similar to Nashville today.

Real time speed of deforestation of the Amazon Rain forest shown over a football pitch

The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is a pressing environmental crisis that carries significant global consequences. Spanning over 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles) across nine South American countries, with Brazil hosting the majority of its expanse, the Amazon rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest. In the past forty years, the region has experienced radical changes in the land cover and use, fostered, mainly, by the replacement of native vegetation for cattle ranching and family agriculture and, lately, large-scale agriculture, such as soybean cultivation. Except for logging and agricultural expansion, the region experienced infrastructure development (such as roads and dams) and mining. As vast tracts of forest are cleared for these purposes, the consequences are far-reaching. One of the most significant environmental impacts of Amazon deforestation is its contribution to climate change. The rainforest plays a critical role in seq