Category: Health – Happiness

Why Glyphosate Herbicides Are So Harmful

Avacado – Sustainability

Why Glyphosate Herbicides Are So Harmful

 

By Jenni Gritters                     June 30, 2021

 

Research shows the weed killer, once touted as a miracle farming innovation, may be introducing toxic chemicals into our bodies, water, wildlife, and soil.

This article is the first in our ‘Soil Series’, where we explore complex issues related to agriculture, our environment, and the future of our planet.  

Herbicides have been a key — and normal — part of farming practices for years; they’re used to remove the past years’ crop to plant a new one, to form rows in orchards or vineyards, or to control weeds in fields. In fact, you may have sprayed herbicides in your own yard to get rid of weeds in your garden or grass. Sometimes, they’re even used to clear vegetation along train tracks or power lines.

In the 1970s, herbicides were used sparingly on farms; if you sprayed them everywhere, you’d kill weeds and crops. Then, in 1996, Monsanto (which is now part of the pharmaceutical company Bayer), created a new line of genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant crops. Thanks to this new innovation, you could spray glyphosate herbicides in your field and your crops would remain hardy and thriving. In terms of efficiency and production, it was a huge win for farmers and appeared to be better for the environment than the more toxic herbicides that had been used in the past. All of this meant that glyphosate herbicides — which you can find in the store under the label RoundUp — became the most widely used herbicide in recent history.

Read More: This Permaculture Garden is Healing a Town

But here’s the issue. In 2015, the World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on Cancer both classified glyphosates as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” In other words, the human consumption of glyphosate herbicides was being linked to lymphoma and other cancers in a growing body of research. This 2015 announcement began an all-out battle between Monsanto, the farming industry, and researchers.

Research conducted in 2005 by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the UN showed that glyphosate residue can stick around in water and soil for several months after it’s sprayed, which doesn’t bode well for the trickle-down effects on animals and humans. But authorities from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and European Food Safety Authority both concluded in 2017 that glyphosate was probably not giving people cancer. Again, the key word in all of these findings is “probably.”

Farmer Spraying Crops

Research conducted in 2005 by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the UN showed that glyphosate residue can stick around in water and soil for several months after it’s sprayed. Photo courtesy of Twenty20.

Individual people joined the battle over glyphosates, too. During the past five years, Monsanto has been sued more than 9,000 times by people who claim to have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other kinds of cancer after exposure to Monsanto’s herbicide. In three landmark cases, verdicts were made resoundingly in favor of the victims. Monsanto continues to maintain that there are no links between human health and glyphosates.

Read More: Why Local Farmers Need Your Support Now More Than Ever 

Now, research is starting to look at the impacts of glyphosate herbicides on animals and the environment. At first, RoundUp appeared to be a better option than past compounds; compared to paraquat (which killed anyone who breathed it in or swallowed it, meaning that farmers wore respirators while spraying). So, glyphosate was actually better for animals because it inhibits a nutritional pathway in plants that isn’t present in animals. But the EPA still maintains that animals should be kept away from any plants that have been sprayed with RoundUp; they risk digestive or intestinal problems.

And if glyphosate stays in water for several months, scientists are concerned about the effects of the chemical compound on fish, mollusks, and insects. Specifically, glyphosates appear to affect microorganisms and invertebrates more than larger mammals. In one study, herbicide use affected earthworms negatively; worm reproduction was reduced by 56 percent in the three months after herbicides were sprayed, and the soil also had increased levels of nitrates and phosphates.

Two Women at The Farmer's Market

In one study, herbicide use affected earthworms negatively; worm reproduction was reduced by 56 percent in the three months after herbicides were sprayed, and the soil also had increased levels of nitrates and phosphates. Photo courtesy of Twenty20.

What can we do about this? In the U.S., federal law requires that glyphosate-based herbicides would only be banned if the costs are greater than the benefits. Basically, if prohibiting the use of these herbicides made corn and soybeans more expensive, this could adversely affect food security, making it an issue that federal law is not willing to tackle.

Read More: How Food Forests Help Solve Food Insecurity

The EPA has also set limits for the amount of RoundUp that can be used on a wide range of crops (known as “tolerances”), which, for the moment, is keeping the likely toxicity levels at bay. But still, it’s important to be aware of these farming practices so you can protect yourself.

Consider washing your produce with a light (2 percent) saltwater solution to remove most pesticide residue. You can choose to buy organic produce and fabrics; anything with a USDA Certified Organic or Global Organic Textile Standard seal must be grown and produced without the use of herbicides or fertilizers. And investing in a local CSA (community supported agriculture) program can help smaller, organic farms thrive.

Jenni is a freelance writer and editor who focuses on health, psychology, purchasing, and parenting. You can find her work in The New York Times, the REI Co-op Journal, Slate, the Guardian, and beyond. She’s also the co-founder of The Writers’ Co-op, a business-focused membership program and podcast for freelance writers.

Deaths surge in U.S. and Canada from worst heatwave on record

Deaths surge in U.S. and Canada from worst heatwave on record

Moira Warburton and Sergio Olmos                    

 

Smoke and flames are seen during the Sparks Lake wildfire at Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia, Canada

VANCOUVER/PORTLAND (Reuters) -A heatwave that smashed all-time high temperature records in western Canada and the U.S. Northwest has left a rising death toll in its wake as officials brace for more sizzling weather and the threat of wildfires.

The worst of the heat had passed by Wednesday, but the state of Oregon reported 63 deaths linked to the heatwave. Multnomah County, which includes Portland, reported 45 of those deaths since Friday, with the county Medical Examiner citing hyperthermia as the preliminary cause.

By comparison all of Oregon had only 12 deaths from hyperthermia from 2017 to 2019, the statement said. Across the state, hospitals reported a surge of hundreds of visits in recent days due to heat-related illness, the Oregon Health Authority said.

In British Columbia, at least 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days, nearly three times the usual number that would occur in the province over that period, the B.C. Coroners Service said Wednesday.

“This was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heat wave can be,” Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines said in the statement. “As our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.”

The heat dome, a weather phenomenon trapping heat and blocking other weather systems from moving in, weakened as it moved east, but was still intense enough to set records from Alberta to Manitoba, said David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, a government agency.

“In some of these places, their (temperature) records are being annihilated,” Phillips said. “It really is spectacular, unprecedented for us.”

It was unclear what triggered the dome, but climate change looks to be a contributor, given the heatwave’s duration and extremes, Phillips said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paused to remember the dead during remarks in Ottawa on Wednesday and expressed concern over the fire threat.

“We’ve been seeing more and more of this type of extreme weather event in the past years,” Trudeau said. “So realistically, we know that this heatwave won’t be the last.”

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said climate change was driving “a dangerous confluence of extreme heat and prolonged drought,” warning that the United States was behind in preparing for what could be a record number of forest fires this year.

SMASHING RECORDS

Lytton, a town in central British Columbia, this week broke Canada’s all-time hottest temperature record three times. It stands at 49.6 degrees Celsius (121.28 degrees Fahrenheit) as of Tuesday. The previous high in Canada, known for brutally cold winters, was 45C, set in Saskatchewan in 1937.

In the U.S. Northwest, temperatures in Washington and Oregon soared well above 100F (38C) over the weekend. Portland set all-time highs several days in a row including 116F (47C) on Sunday.

In Washington state, where media also reported a surge in heat-related hospitalizations, Chelan County east of Seattle topped out at 119F (48C) on Tuesday.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency due to “imminent threat of wildfires” while the U.S. National Weather Service in Portland issued a red-flag warning for parts of the state, saying wind conditions could spread fire quickly.

The Portland Fire Department banned use of fireworks for the Fourth of July weekend, when Americans celebrate Independence Day.

FIRE AND MELTING ICE POSE RISKS

Most of Alberta and large parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan are at extreme risk of wildfires, according to Natural Resources Canada’s fire weather map.

“All the ingredients are there. It’s a powder keg just looking for a spark,” said Mike Flannigan, professor of wildland fire at University of Alberta.

But the Chilcotin region, roughly 600 km (370 miles) north of Vancouver, was on flood warning due to the “unprecedented” amount of snow melting at “extraordinary” rates, according to a government release.

“These are the types of issues that are going to be confronted more and more over the next few years,” said Adam Rysanek, assistant professor of environmental systems at the University of British Columbia.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto, Nia Williams in Calgary, Moira Warburton in Vancouver, Steve Scherer in Ottawa, and Sergio Olmos in Portland; Writing by by Daniel Trotta; Editing by David Gregorio, Richard Chang and Aurora Ellis)

Nowhere is safe, say scientists as extreme heat causes chaos in US and Canada

The Guardian – Climate Change

Nowhere is safe, say scientists as extreme heat causes chaos in US and Canada

Governments urged to ramp up efforts to tackle climate emergency as temperature records smashed.

 

People rest at the Oregon Convention Center cooling station in Portland.
People rest at the Oregon Convention Center cooling station in Portland. On the US west coast, Seattle and Portland have registered consecutive days of exceptional heat. Photograph: Kathryn Elsesser/AFP/Getty Images.
Climate scientists have said nowhere is safe from the kind of extreme heat events that have hit the western US and Canada in recent days and urged governments to dramatically ramp up their efforts to tackle the escalating climate emergency.

 

The devastating “heat dome” has caused temperatures to rise to almost 50C in Canada and has been linked to hundreds of deaths, melted power lines, buckled roads and wildfires.

Experts say that as the climate crisis pushes global temperatures higher, all societies – from northern Siberia to Europe, Asia to Australia – must prepare for more extreme weather events.

King, who along with other leading scientists set up the Climate Crisis Advisory Group earlier this month, said scientists had been warning about extreme weather events for decades and now time was running out to take action.

“The risks have been understood and known for so long and we have not acted, now we have a very narrow timeline for us to manage the problem,” he said.

In Canada experts have been shocked by the rise in temperature, which on Tuesday hit 49.6C (121.1F) in the town of Lytton, British Columbia, smashing the national record for the third day in a row.

On the US west coast, Seattle and Portland have registered consecutive days of exceptional heat. Local authorities said they were investigating about a dozen deaths in Washington and Oregon that could be attributed to the scorching temperatures.

Michael E Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University and author of The New Climate War, said as the planet warmed up such dangerous weather events would become more common.

“We should take this very seriously … You warm up the planet, you’re going to see an increased incidence of heat extremes.”

Mann said the climate was being destabilized in part by the dramatic warming of the Arctic and said existing climate models were failing to capture the scale of what was happening.

“Climate models are actually underestimating the impact that climate change is having on events like the unprecedented heatwave we are witnessing out west right now,” he added.

On Wednesday the US president, Joe Biden, blamed the climate crisis for the heatwave in the western US and Canada which officials said had already broken 103 heat records across British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories.

The US National Weather Service said the peak in the region was 42.2 C on Tuesday in Spokane, Washington, another local record. About 9,300 homes lost power and the local utility Avista Utilities said planned blackouts would be needed, affecting more than 200,000 people.

In British Columbia (BC) at least 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days during the heatwave. The chief coroner said typically there would have been about 165 sudden deaths, suggesting more than 300 deaths could be attributed to the heat.

“While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather BC has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province,” Lisa Lapointe said in a statement.

Lapointe said the figures were preliminary and would increase as coroners in communities across the province entered other death reports into the agency’s system.

“Our thoughts are with people who have lost loved ones,” said Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, warning the blistering temperatures in a region of the country ill-prepared for such heat was a reminder of the need to address the climate crisis.

Police sergeant Steve Addison said: “I’ve been a police officer for 15 years and I’ve never experienced the volume of sudden deaths that have come in such a short period of time.”

Many of those who died over the five-day period were elderly people who lived alone and were found in residences that were hot and not well ventilated.

“People can be overcome by the effects of extreme heat quickly and may not be aware of the danger,” Lapointe said.

Scientists said that the scale of the heatwave in the US and Canada should serve as a “wake-up call” to policymakers, politicians and communities around the world, especially in the buildup to the crucial UN Cop26 climate summit to be hosted by the UK in November.

“The risk of heatwaves is increasing across the globe sufficiently rapidly that it is now bringing unprecedented weather and conditions to people and societies that have not seen it before,” said Prof Peter Stott from the Met Office. “Climate change is taking weather out of the envelope that societies have long experienced.”

Prof Simon Lewis of University College London described the situation as “scary” and warned that extreme heat events could have huge impacts on everything from food prices to power supplies.

“Everywhere is going to have to think about how to deal with these new conditions and the extremes that come along with the new climate that we are creating. That means everyone needs plans.”

He said it was crucial governments and policymakers heeded the warning signs and dramatically ramped up plans to halt fossil fuel emissions and prepare societies to deal with more extreme weather events.

“This is a warning in two senses,” said Lewis. “We have to get emissions down to zero fast to cut off the new extreme heatwaves, and we have to adapt to the new climate conditions we are creating.”

U.S. West faces little-known effect of raging wildfires: contaminated water

Reuters

U.S. West faces little-known effect of raging wildfires: contaminated water

Donna Bryson                          

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Reuters) – Early this spring, water bills arrived with notes urging Fort Collins Utilities customers to conserve. The Colorado customers may have thought the issue was persistent drought in the U.S. West.

But the problem was not the quantity of water available. It was the quality.

Utilities are increasingly paying attention to a little-known impact of large-scale fires: water contamination.

Huge forest fires last year denuded vast areas of Colorado’s mountains and left them covered in ash – ash that with sediment has since been washed by rains into the Cache la Poudre River. The river is one of two sources for household water in this college town of 165,000. With more and fiercer storms expected this year, officials worry about water quality worsening beyond what treatment systems can handle.

The problem could apply to watersheds across the U.S. West, which has faced ever-increasing extremes in heat, drought and wildfire amid climate change in recent years. The United States relies on water originating on forested land for about 80% of its freshwater supply, according to a government report https://on.doi.gov/3qvw4hf.

“If a wildfire is not in my watershed, it will be in someone else’s watershed,” said Sean Chambers, director of water and sewer in the nearby northern Colorado town of Greeley.

So far, Chambers and other northern Colorado utilities managers have avoided clogged pipes simply by skipping the Cache la Poudre water and using other supplies. But they worry that’s not a long-term solution, and so they sent out those notes pleading with customers to voluntarily conserve: Water lawns sparingly. Don’t let the hose run on the sidewalk when washing your car.

THE COST OF WATER

Corporate headhunter Jim Croxton moved to Fort Collins so he could take in the mountain scenery while fishing.

“I really don’t care about how big the fish are,” Croxton said after buying a half dozen flies at a Fort Collins fishing and guide shop. “I just like to be out in” nature.

He had considered drought to be the West’s water concern. But the utility’s letter urging conservation struck a chord; he had read about polluting fires affecting recreational fishing, too.

“Water in the West is a central issue,” Croxton said.

Fort Collins water rates rose 2% from January. That works out to less than $1 per month for the typical home, and generates about $600,000 toward covering an estimated $45 million in potential fire-related measures, according to calculations prepared for Fort Collins City Council.

Those measures include laying mulch on burn scars to hold down soil, and funding further fire impact research. To make up the balance, officials in Fort Collins, Greeley and other communities are pooling resources and seeking state and federal help.

Katrina Jessoe is an economist at UC Davis who has advised utilities on seeking funding to decontaminate water supplies from pollutants such as fertilizers.

“You can’t get around the fact that the cost of water is getting higher,” which could be a concern for low- and middle-income earners, Jessoe said.

Water managers say they need also to explore new ways of raising funds and making capital improvements to deal with fire-related contamination, for example, removing tastes and odors left by algae fed by nutrients in the sediments washed into reservoirs. The tastes and odors don’t mean the water is unsafe, but customers don’t like it.

Water managers are “making decisions right now that will affect whether or not this is a liveable place in 50 years, 100 years,” said John Matthews, who heads the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, a nonprofit that advises on adapting water systems for climate change.

UNPRECEDENTED FIRES

The two fires that have marred the watersheds relied on by Fort Collins, Greeley, Thornton and other towns were notable not just for the devastation they caused, but for having burned at such high elevation.

“We really don’t understand these high-elevation fires very well, because they haven’t happened very often,” said Matt Ross, an ecosystem scientist at Colorado State University who is studying how last year’s fires are impacting algae blooms now.

The Cameron Peak Fire broke out in August and was the first in Colorado history to consume more than 200,000 acres, including swathes of the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests and Rocky Mountain National Park. The East Troublesome came close, burning 193,812 acres across the Continental Divide.

In both cases, flames tore through forests where rivers originate and where snowpack – that frozen reservoir – builds up over winter.

Given the large region burned, researchers need to understand how long it will take for vegetation to grow back, so it can keep sediment from washing into water sources, said biogeochemist Chuck Rhoades at the U.S. Forest Service.

“The implications are that people need to think a little bit more about how to manage and sustain reservoirs,” Rhoades said.

(Reporting by Donna Bryson; Editing by Katy Daigle and Lisa Shumaker)

The affordable 3D-printed home that could transform African urbanization

World Economic Forum

The affordable 3D-printed home that could transform African urbanization

Sean Fleming, Senior Writer              June 30, 2021
14Trees are 3D printing homes and building walls in less than 12 hours.
A lack of safe, affordable housing can trap people in poverty. Building homes can end that while creating jobs and income.
Image: CDC Group
  • Every day around 40,000 people move to one of Africa’s cities.
  • There is currently not enough housing stock to go round.
  • This company can 3D-print homes following an affordable, low-carbon process.
  • In Malawi, it has recently 3D-printed a home and a school.

There is a housing crisis taking place across many parts of Africa. Nigeria alone has an estimated shortfall of 17 million housing units. Part of the problem is that every day around 40,000 people relocate to one of Africa’s many vibrant, growing cities. But those cities are struggling to keep up with the demand for new homes, leaving many people with nowhere to live.

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) says the shortage is caused in part by a lack of development in the continent’s house-building industry. But that might be about to change with the availability of new technology and techniques that could speed up and streamline the building of homes.

No place like a 3D-printed home

The first 3D printed affordable house in Africa, with the walls printed in less than 12 hours.
The first 3D printed affordable house in Africa, with the walls printed in less than 12 hours.
Image: LinkedIn/14Trees

 

A joint venture involving CDC Group – the UK government’s development finance institution – and the European building materials multinational LafargeHolcim, is 3D-printing houses and schools in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

Have you read?

Called 14Trees, it has operations in Malawi and Kenya, and is able to build a 3D-printed house in just 12 hours at a cost of under $10,000. Its building process reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 70% when compared with a typical house-building project. It has also developed an online platform for the African diaspora, encouraging people to invest in a “home back home.”

The company’s first-ever affordable, 3D-printed home was built in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. 14Trees has also recently completed its first 3D-printed school, also in Malawi. Built in a fraction of the time a traditionally built school would take, it opened its doors to students on 21 June.

Tenbite Ermias, managing director of CDC Africa, said: “The rollout of 14Trees’ world-class, cutting-edge technology is going to have a tremendous developmental impact on Malawi and the wider region. It is a wonderful example of how we are investing in businesses that can support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Meeting a global need

Much of Africa has been experiencing rapid urbanization in recent decades. “As of 2015, 50% of Africa’s population lived in one of 7,617 urban agglomerations,” says a report from the US-based Brookings Institute.

Growth of urban populations across six African regions
Growth of urban populations across six African regions
Image: Brookings Institute

 

But it’s not only in Africa where 3D house printing is promising to revolutionize the homes people live in. In the Mexican state of Tabasco, a collaboration between Mexican and US businesses has helped create the world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood. Built to withstand floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters, the 50 homes have two bedrooms, a living room, plus a kitchen and bathroom.

The technique is also being used in the United States and Europe to create unique homes for private buyers and to help alleviate the problem of homelessness. Meanehile in India, the country’s first 3D-printed home was completed in five days in the city of Chennai.

The 14Trees building projects are one example of public-private cooperation helping to create jobs as well as housing across Africa. The IFC is working with a Chinese multinational construction and engineering company, CITIC Construction, and plans to build 30,000 homes over a five-year period by partnering with local businesses across Africa, and estimates that each housing unit will create five full-time positions, equating to 150,000 new jobs in all.

What is the World Economic Forum doing to promote sustainable urban development?

“As sub-Saharan Africa becomes more urbanized, the private sector can help governments meet the critical need for housing”, Oumar Seydi, IFC Director for Eastern and Southern Africa writes on the IFC website. “The platform will help transform Africa’s housing markets by providing high quality, affordable homes, creating jobs, and demonstrating the viability of the sector to local developers.”

‘Outlandish’ forecasts in Northwest suggest a feared climate reality is here decades early

‘Outlandish’ forecasts in Northwest suggest a feared climate reality is here decades early

Denise Chow                         

 

Larry O’Neill knew a heat wave was coming, but he still couldn’t believe what the climate models were telling him.

The projected temperatures for this week were so unusually high — between 115 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit across parts of the Pacific Northwest — that O’Neill, Oregon’s state climatologist, felt something must be off.

“The predictions seemed completely outlandish,” said O’Neill, an associate professor at Oregon State University. “They were so crazy insane that professional forecasters and people like myself thought something must be wrong with the models.”

As it turned out, the forecasts were right.

With global warming making heat waves and other extreme weather events both more likely and more severe, this week’s sizzling temperatures may herald a climate reality that scientists thought was still decades in the future.

“We see evidence of climate change in the data already, but in the Pacific Northwest, we thought maybe by the middle of the century is when we would start to see really substantial and impactful events,” O’Neill said. “But we’re seeing those now.”

Across the western United States, more than 35 cities tied or set temperature records Monday, with several places shattering their all-time highs. Seattle posted a new record of 108 degrees, 5 degrees hotter than the city’s previous all-time record, and Portland, Oregon, reached a scorching 116 degrees, surpassing the city’s previous milestone by 8 degrees.

The intensity of the heat, particularly in a region of the country known for its mild conditions, has been shocking, said Nicholas Bond, a research scientist at the University of Washington and Washington’s state climatologist.

“The magnitude by which records are being broken — not by a degree or so but by 5 degrees and in some cases more — is really stunning,” Bond said. “I didn’t really expect anything like this until further into the future.”

Harrison Valetski cools off in Salmon Street Springs in downtown Portland, Ore., on Monday, where temperatures reached an all-time high of 116 degrees Fahrenheit. (Alex Milan Tracy / Sipa USA via AP)
Harrison Valetski cools off in Salmon Street Springs in downtown Portland, Ore., on Monday, where temperatures reached an all-time high of 116 degrees Fahrenheit. (Alex Milan Tracy / Sipa USA via AP)

 

What’s driving the oppressive heat is a ridge of high pressure parked over the Pacific Northwest that Bond said was “exquisitely poised to deliver hot temperatures.”

These giant domes of heat have been associated with tropical cyclone activity in the western Pacific Ocean, which can alter the circulation of air over the Northern Hemisphere and generate unusual weather patterns.

“The tropical cyclones tend to disrupt the jet stream all across the Pacific Ocean,” O’Neill said, adding that they can affect both high- and low-pressure systems. “If we get a tropical cyclone, we’re three times more likely to get a high-pressure ridge set up close to where we see this one.”

It’s not yet clear how climate change is affecting the jet stream and resulting weather systems, but the consequences of these complex atmospheric perturbations taking place against the backdrop of global warming is well understood.

Average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest have warmed by roughly 1.3 degrees since 1895, according to the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group, and most cities in the region feel more than 2 degrees warmer in the summer than they did in 1970.

“Along with that warming, we’ve seen an increase in extreme heat events, and these events are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer in duration,” said Meade Krosby, a senior scientist with the Climate Impacts Group.

It’s a trend that is playing out across the country. A national climate assessment conducted in 2018 found that heat waves in the U.S. occurred an average of six times per year in the 2010s, up from an average of two times a year five decades earlier.

The effects of extreme heat are similarly being felt around the world. Parts of eastern Europe and Russia are currently baking under record highs, with some Bulgarian cities predicted to reach 104 degrees and temperatures in Siberia soaring to nearly 90 degrees.

Though attributing any specific event to climate change is tricky, scientists say the overall effect of global warming is undeniable, creating conditions that are ripe for heat waves and other extreme weather events.

“The question is no longer if climate change caused a specific heat event, but by how much,” Krosby said.

Temperatures in parts of Oregon and Washington have likely peaked, but hotter-than-usual conditions are expected to linger through the weekend.

Experts said it’s disconcerting to see such a crippling heat wave this early in the summer, adding that the implications could be dire for this year’s wildfire season.

For O’Neill, he hopes the recent events act as a wake-up call about the immediate impacts of global warming.

“All of this adds to the danger and risk that we face,” he said. “Climate change absolutely loads the dice towards more extreme events.”

Portland, Ore., soared to 116 degrees — hotter than Dallas, Miami and L.A. have ever been

Portland, Ore., soared to 116 degrees — hotter than Dallas, Miami and L.A. have ever been

Jeremy Lewan and Kathryn Prociv                        

 

Portland, Oregon, soared to a searing 116 degrees Monday, hotter than it has ever been in cities such as Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans. In fact, when it comes to major U.S. cities, only Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hotter.

Meanwhile, a parallel heat wave was in full swing on the other side of the country, where Boston was forecast to touch 100 degrees Tuesday, with a forecast high of 98 degrees.

The culprit? A buckling in the jet stream causing amplified ridges to surge far north on both sides of the country, resulting in dangerous heat surging into areas unaccustomed to it. On Tuesday, 12 million Americans across much of the West were under heat watches and warnings, and 44 million were under heat alerts across the Northeast, stretching from Delaware up through Maine.

Monday was the textbook example of a summer scorcher, pumping heat into the entirety of the Pacific Northwest. More than 35 cities tied or set records, with many areas soaring an unprecedented 30 to 40 degrees above average. The record in Seattle was smashed by 5 degrees, establishing a new record of 108, and the record high in Portland was shattered, where the high temperature soared to a sizzling 116 degrees, 8 degrees higher than the old record.

The heat was so excessive that Portland streetcar power cables melted and the pavement buckled. And the heat has been so persistent that Seattle achieved a new record: three consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures for the first time.

The historic heat even jeopardized several state and national records. The record high of 119 for Oregon and the record of 118 in Washington came nearly within reach when Salem, Oregon, hit 117 and Dallesport, Washington, hit 118 Monday.

Most impressive, Lytton, British Columbia, recorded a high temperature of 118 degrees, establishing a new national record for Canada, and crushing the old record by 5 degrees. This temperature surpassed Las Vegas’ all-time high of 117.

To put this extreme heat into perspective, the hottest temperatures in traditionally hot cities are still cooler than these new records for Portland and Seattle. Miami’s record high is a mere 100 and Atlanta’s is only 106.

On Tuesday, the Northwest cities of Seattle, Portland, Boise, Idaho, Billings, Montana, and Reno, Nevada, are expected to continue to experience temperatures in the triple digits and the Pacific Northwest humidity will drive these temperatures to feel like the 110s.

A man cools off in Salmon Street Springs downtown Portland, Ore., on Monday. (Alex Milan Tracy / Sipa USA via AP)
A man cools off in Salmon Street Springs downtown Portland, Ore., on Monday. (Alex Milan Tracy / Sipa USA via AP)

 

In the Pacific Northwest, temperatures start to cool off Tuesday and Wednesday near the coast, but it will remain scorching hot in the interior, as the cooling breeze off the Pacific Ocean doesn’t reach sufficiently far inland. Tuesday will be the first day in three days that the forecast high is below 100 for Portland and Seattle, but temperatures will still remain in the 90s, 10 to 15 degrees above average. Glasgow and Helena, Montana, Boise and Spokane, Washington, can expect triple digits through the Fourth of July.

Daily records could even be broken across New England as temperatures are expected to feel well over 100.

Heat warnings cover much of New Jersey, and extend over Philadelphia. New York City will likely see its hottest temperatures so far this year, and Philadelphia and Boston have already declared heat emergencies. This is truly rare heat; New York City averages just a few days a year with temperatures above 95 degrees.

Temperatures moderate slightly through the end of the workweek, returning to about average by the weekend.

Summers are getting hotter in the Pacific Northwest as a result of climate change, with most cities feeling 2.5 to 3 degrees hotter than they did in 1970. As carbon dioxide levels continue to rise and climate change progresses, more extreme and more frequent heat waves can be expected for unprepared cities across the country.

Maine suffers a second day of insufferable heat and humidity

Maine suffers a second day of insufferable heat and humidity

Dennis Hoey, Portland Press Herald, Maine        

 

A third straight day of oppressive heat and humidity is on tap for Maine on Wednesday, but relief from the scorching temperatures should arrive overnight, the National Weather Service said.

Portland on Tuesday tied its record high of 96 degrees, a mark set in 1944, at the Portland Jetport at 2:55 p.m., according to weather service meteorologist Chris Kimble.

With just one day left to sweat through, this is shaping up to be Maine’s hottest June on record, Kimble said. The June record was set in 2001 with an average temperature of 67.1. But this year, the average temperature stands at 67.8 and that is not likely to change by the end of the day Wednesday.

Kimble said the National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 94 Wednesday in Portland. If that happens, Portland and most of Maine will have experienced an official heat wave — defined as three consecutive days of highs of 90 or higher. Sunday’s high was 87, but highs of 97 and 96 were recorded Monday and Tuesday in Portland.

Things should start to cool down late Wednesday, accompanied by scattered, severe thunderstorms packing heavy rain and damaging winds starting in the afternoon. Forecasts call for a high of about 81 forecast for Thursday and 68 for Friday, Kimble said. In the meantime, the weather service is urging people to stay hydrated and seek shade or air conditioning whenever possible. A heat advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Wednesday’s heat index will be dangerously high, the combination of heat and humidity making it feel like 100 degrees, Kimble said. That happened Tuesday around 4 p.m. in Portland with the temperature reaching 96 and the heat index making it feel like 101 degrees.

More records could be tied or broken Wednesday. Portland’s high of 96 degrees for June 30 was recorded in 1971.

“It’s not out of the question, we could tie or set a new record on Wednesday,” Kimble said, adding that it has not been this hot in Maine since 2016, when a high of 99 was recorded in Portland on Aug. 12.

The combination of extreme heat and lack of precipitation prompted the South Berwick Water District to issue a mandatory water conservation notice Tuesday. The outdoor water conservation measures will remain in place until further notice.

Water customers are being asked to refrain from all outdoor uses of water including the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems, washing vehicles and filling swimming pools.

Cities and towns across Maine opened cooling centers Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Maine Emergency Management Center.

Among the cooling centers open Wednesday are the Augusta Civic Center 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Falmouth Ice Center on Hat Trick Drive from 4 a.m. to midnight; the South Portland Community Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and the Troubh Ice Arena, 225 Park Ave. in Portland, from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.

Beaches were a popular destination Tuesday. Popham Beach State in Phippsburg reached capacity at 11 a.m. and was forced to turn away visitors.

Power outages plagued some communities Tuesday, but Central Maine Power Company said it has been closely monitoring the power distribution system.

“Persistently hot days create a huge demand for energy,” CMP tweeted Tuesday night. “CMP is closely monitoring the system through the heat and proactively managing the demand to provide reliable power.”

Nearly 1,500 CMP customers in nine counties were without power as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. The number of outages dropped to 854 at 9 p.m. Only 329 Versant Power customers were without power Tuesday evening. Versant serves customers in northern and Down East Maine.

Maine is not alone in its suffering. A record breaking heat wave has been scorching the Pacific Northwest with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees. Portland, Oregon, hit 108 Saturday, 112 Sunday and 116 on Monday.

Hotter than the human body can handle: Pakistan city broils in world’s highest temperatures

The Telegraph

Hotter than the human body can handle: Pakistan city broils in world’s highest temperatures

Experts fear Jacobabad’s extreme heat and humidity may worsen with climate change – and that other cities may join the club

 Ben Farmer, Jacobabad                          June 

When the full midsummer heat hits Jacobabad, the city retreats inside as if sheltering from attack.

The streets are deserted and residents hunker down as best they can to weather temperatures that can top 52C (126F).

Few have any air conditioning, and blackouts mean often there is no mains electricity. The hospital fills with heatstroke cases from those whose livelihoods mean they must venture out.

“When it gets that hot, you can’t even stay on your feet,” explains one resident, Zamir Alam.

“It’s a very, very difficult time when it goes beyond 50C. People do not come out of their houses and the streets are deserted,” Abdul Baqi, a shopkeeper, adds.

Nawab Khan, who sells battery-powered fans from his market stall

Nawab Khan, who sells battery-powered fans from his market stall. CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

This city of some 200,000 in Pakistan’s Sindh province has long been renowned for its fierce heat, but recent research has conferred an unwelcome scientific distinction.

Its mixture of heat and humidity has made it one of only two places on earth to have now officially passed, albeit briefly, a threshold hotter than the human body can withstand.

With this region of Pakistan along the Indus Valley considered one of the places most vulnerable to climate change in the world, there are fears that Jacobabad’s temperatures may increase further, or other cities may join the club.

“The Indus Valley is arguably close to being the number one spot worldwide,” says Tom Matthews, a lecturer in climate science at Loughborough University. “When you look at some of the things to worry about, from water security to extreme heat, it’s really the epicentre.”

Shama Ajay resides in an informal settlement without water and electricity in Jacobabad's unrelenting heat
Shama Ajay resides in an informal settlement without water and electricity in Jacobabad’s unrelenting heat CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

 

Mr Matthews and colleagues last year analysed global weather station data and found that Jacobabad and Ras al Khaimah, north east of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, have both temporarily crossed the deadly threshold. The milestone had been surpassed decades ahead of predictions from climate change models.

The researchers examined what are called wet bulb temperatures. These are taken from a thermometer covered in a water-soaked cloth so they take into account both heat and humidity.

Wet bulb thermometer readings are significantly lower than the more familiar dry bulb readings, which do not take humidity into account. Researchers say that at a wet bulb reading of 35C, the body can no longer cool itself by sweating and such a temperature can be fatal in a few hours, even to the fittest people.

Mehboob Ali showers under a hose at a water filling point, where he fills canisters to sell in Jacobabad, one of the world's two hottest places
Mehboob Ali showers under a hose at a water filling point, where he fills canisters to sell in Jacobabad, one of the world’s two hottest places CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

 

“It approximates how warm it feels to humans because we cool via sweating,” Mr Matthews says. “We rely on that exclusively. When you use that measure, the wet bulb temperature, the two regions that stand out on earth are the shores of the Gulf and the Indus Valley in Pakistan. They are truly exceptional.”

Jacobabad crossed the 35C wet bulb threshold in July 1987, then again in June 2005, June 2010 and July 2012. Each time the boundary may have been breached for only a few hours, but a three-day average maximum temperature has been recorded hovering around 34C in June 2010, June 2001 and July 2012. The dry bulb temperature is often over 50C in the summer.

Patchy death records mean it is not clear whether the crossing of the threshold resulted in a wave of fatalities. The effects of entering the danger zone are likely to be blurred, for example with cooler interiors of buildings temporarily sheltering residents from the worst. It also depends on how long the threshold is crossed.

Mr Matthews said: “Even though it’s theoretically been crossed according to the weather station measurements in that part of the world, whether or not it’s been crossed in the hyper local environment where people are living, and for long enough to really translate into widespread deadly conditions, is another question.”

Muhammad Hanif carries and sells ice on the roadside which is quite common in the summer months in Jacobabad
Muhammad Hanif carries and sells ice on the roadside – a common sight in the summer months CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

 

Jacobabad and Ras al Khaimah may share fierce temperatures, but they are otherwise very different and illustrate the different challenges that places will face under climate change.

In the wealthy UAE, where electricity and air conditioning are plentiful, the threshold may have little effect on residents. In Jacobabad, where many subsist on wages of only a couple of pounds a day, residents must find other ways to adapt.

Jacobabad’s crown for unsurvivable temperatures may conjure pictures of Death Valley-like deserts, but it is an agricultural hub fed by irrigation canals. The city in Sindh’s rice belt is named after John Jacob, a long forgotten British general and colonial administrator. The region sits on the Tropic of Cancer, meaning the sun is close to overhead during the summer. The winds blow already warm and humid air off the Arabian Sea and it gets more muggy as it travels up the valley.

Stretches of the town’s bazaar are dedicated to keeping cool. Shops sell electric fans and low-tech washing machine-sized coolers that emit a refreshing mist.

Electric solutions are undermined by frequent power cuts however. In the city centre, residents often lose power for three or four hours, while in more distant areas the gaps are longer.

Nadir Ali and Ali Murad get some from respite from the heat outside the rice mill they work at in Jacobabad
Nadir Ali and Ali Murad get some from respite from the heat outside the rice mill they work at in Jacobabad CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

 

The solution for some is a solar panel, though at £36 each they are expensive for many. Cheap Chinese batteries are also available. “Everyone needs electricity here. It’s not for television, it’s for keeping cool,” says one electrical goods trader called  Mohammad Iqbal.

Ice is also popular, with factories making huge blocks which are then hacked into 10p chunks at roadside stalls. When all else fails, there are hand fans and people also simply dunk buckets of water over their heads.

For those who can afford it, there is the chance to spend the summer in Quetta or Karachi, which are still fiercely hot, but offer some relief. Most stay.

“The people are used to it, they have developed a resistance,” shrugs one administration official. People also said the heat was only one of many problems they faced. Price hikes have caused economic devastation, while there is a lack of fresh drinking water and the city’s supplies are brackish.

Workers fill cannisters at a water point, ready to sell to the sweltering citizens of Jacobabad
Workers fill cannisters at a water point, ready to sell to the sweltering citizens of Jacobabad CREDIT: Saiyna Bashir

 

High temperatures have also recently made headlines in the US, where Portland, Oregon, hit an all-time local high of 42C (108F) on a dry bulb scale.

World Bank research in 2018 warned weather changes risk badly denting the living standards of hundreds of millions in South Asia. Scorching weather comes with increasingly short, warm and early spring seasons which have left Pakistan’s farmers struggling to deal with new weather patterns. The heat has dried out farmland and hit profits by causing fruit and vegetables to ripen earlier, meaning they are smaller.

As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, difficulties with farming, irrigation, disease and labour are predicted by 2050 to badly hit people’s quality of living in parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Jacobabad’s residents said they felt the temperature in the town was getting higher, but they had few options.

“People are aware that the heat is getting up and up, but they are poor people. They can’t go anywhere, they can’t leave their places,” said Zahid Hussain, a market trader. “I myself have been thinking about shifting, but have never got around to it.”

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security

Record-setting heat wave shows that climate change is creating hell on Earth

Los Angeles Times

Editorial: Record-setting heat wave shows that climate change is creating hell on Earth

By The Times Editorial Board                         June 28, 2021 

 

A man hands out a bottle of water.
Carlos Ramos hands out bottles of water and sack lunches Monday as he works at a hydration station in front of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Seattle and other cities broke heat records over the weekend, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
(Associated Press)

 

The record-breaking heat wave baking the West Coast is another painful sign that climate change is here, and we have to adapt.

The Pacific Northwest has been sizzling, with conditions forecasters have described as unprecedented and life-threatening. Portland, Ore., hit 113 degrees Monday, breaking the previous all-time high of 112 degrees, set Sunday. About 100 miles to the south, in Eugene, the U.S. track and field Olympic trials were halted Sunday afternoon, and spectators were asked to evacuate the stadium, due to the extreme heat.

Seattle hit 107 degrees, also a record high. It was so hot in recent days that the city closed at least one public pool amid concerns that visitors would burn their feet on the deck. And further north, the town of Lytton in British Columbia hit 116 degrees Sunday, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.

All of this is happening in June — the very beginning of summer. If it wasn’t already clear that climate change is fueling more extreme weather patterns, this unprecedented heat wave is another blistering example. There is surely more to come, as the heat dome responsible for the record-breaking temperatures is expected to linger in the Northwest, moving slowly toward Idaho and Montana.

Yet in a sense, the furnace-like conditions are just a replay of last year, which tied 2016 for the hottest year on record. Not coincidentally, 2020 was also the worst year on record for wildfires, with more than 10 million acres burned. And this trend is bound to continue as temperatures are driven upward by the warming effects of human activities that spew carbon and other heat-trapping compounds into the atmosphere.

The current heat wave is another visceral reminder that the world is not moving fast enough to curtail the use of fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions. To prevent the worst effects of climate change will take dramatic change on the part of the world’s industrialized nations, most especially the United States.

But, alas, it’s not enough to focus on weaning ourselves from carbon fuels. As this heat wave demonstrates, we are already feeling the effects of climate change, and we are woefully unprepared.

Just think about how higher-than-normal temperatures in the Pacific Northwest have crippled basic infrastructure. In Washington, the state patrol closed a portion of a highway after the asphalt started to crack and buckle under the heat. In some areas — unaccustomed to such weather — school buses had no air conditioning and couldn’t safely transport students to summer school.

In Portland, the city’s light rail and streetcars were taken out of service. The transit system was designed for mild weather, with temperatures typically between 40 and 70 degrees. While the transit agency has made adjustments to the system in recent years to withstand more intense heat, it cannot safely operate when the mercury goes above 110 degrees, as it did on Sunday and Monday.

Many of the country’s roads, transit systems, dams, levees and energy grids were built decades ago, designed for different temperatures and less-extreme weather fluctuations. A record-breaking heat wave in California last summer triggered rolling blackouts; heat-driven outages will be a risk this year, too. A record-breaking cold snap in Texas earlier this year also led to mass power outages. The nation’s infrastructure is not prepared to withstand the onslaught of climate change, which can push temperatures to extremes in both directions.

U.S. lawmakers are beginning to act on the seriousness of the threat. The $1.2-trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill includes funding to modernize energy, transportation and water systems. The bill also includes $47 billion specifically for projects aimed at making our infrastructure more resilient to climate change. But the compromise package has, so far, shortchanged investments in clean energy, clean transportation and large-scale climate-proofing.

The need is great, and the funding is still too little. The reality is that climate change will cost the United States, no matter how quickly it responds. We can pay now to avoid greater damage or pay later, when the nation is forced to manage more deadly heat waves, wildfires, floods and other disasters.