All posts tagged: Drought

Hotels on Greek islands could soon fill swimming pools with seawater in drought fight | World News

Hotels on Greek islands could soon fill swimming pools with seawater in drought fight | World News

Published by skeptic

Hotel pools on Greek islands could be filled with seawater this summer as politicians try to combat the country’s two-year drought. Proposed new laws debated in the Greek parliament this week could pave the way for pipes to be installed connecting swimming pools at coastal hotels with the sea. The aim is to save shrinking water reserves on many Greek islands and use the water in other areas facing shortages. Elena Rapti, a deputy minister of tourism, told a parliamentary committee on Monday the legislation “regulates the framework for carrying out seawater extraction and pumping it for swimming pools. “The focus, of course, is to conserve water resources.” Greece has faced acute drought conditions over the past two years, with the holiday season adding extra pressure on water resources, especially on islands which are popular tourist destinations. Read more from Sky News:£20k reward after babies abandonedSpaceX flight failure investigated Critics of the proposal have raised concerns about the environmental impact on coastal regions from what might be pumped out back into the sea. Meanwhile, wildfires …

As Climate Catastrophe Looms, New York City Declares Drought Warning

As Climate Catastrophe Looms, New York City Declares Drought Warning

Published by José

We’re in trouble. The Sky Is Falling New York City has declared its first drought warning since 2002, adding to the long list of portentous climate-related events afflicting the US and world more frequently, and forcefully, than ever before in recorded history. Floridians recently endured Hurricane Milton, which one meteorologist described initially as reaching the “mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.” On the West side of the US, at least 28 people were killed this summer in a lethal heatwave, a byproduct of what could become the hottest year ever recorded. The last “hottest year,” unsettlingly, was 2023. All that — not to mention the Big Apple’s new drought warning — melt into a flashing sign as world leaders at the COP29 climate summit: that absent an implausibly radical reshaping of humankind’s activities on Earth, things are only going to get worse. Rain or Shine New York City’s drought advisory — which also impacts several New York State counties — doesn’t come with any mandatory restrictions, though residents are urged …

Drought, fires and fossil fuels push CO2 emissions to a record high

Drought, fires and fossil fuels push CO2 emissions to a record high

Published by skeptic

Wildfires in the tropics drove some increase in CO2 emissions but the bulk was driven by burning fossil fuels Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in 2024 are set to blow past last year’s record levels, dashing hopes this year will see the planet-warming emissions peak. “Reducing emissions is more urgent than ever and there’s only one way to do it: massively reduce fossil emissions,” says Pierre Friedlingstein at the University of Exeter, UK. That is according to the latest Global Carbon Budget report, a preliminary accounting of CO2 emissions to date with projections to the end of the year, produced by Friedlingstein and his colleagues. It was released at the COP29 summit now underway in Azerbaijan, where countries aim to set new financial targets to address climate change. Last year, some researchers were forecasting a peak in emissions in 2024, but the report finds human-caused CO2 emissions are set to reach a record 41.6 gigatonnes in 2024, a 2 per cent rise on 2023’s record. Almost 90 per cent …

A major sriracha shortage is on the horizon as severe drought conditions threaten pepper production

A major sriracha shortage is on the horizon as severe drought conditions threaten pepper production

Published by skeptic

Huy Fong Foods is halting production of its world-famous Huy Fong Sriracha amid severe weather that is threatening the brand’s supply of spicy hot peppers.  News of yet another sriracha shortage made headlines Wednesday, after the Washington Post published a dismal report on the iconic condiment that’s best known for its deep red hue and sweet yet garlicky taste. Turns out, the extreme drought conditions in Mexico — where Huy Fong’s red winter jalapeño peppers are grown — are causing pepper plants to stop ripening and preventing the crop from achieving their signature red color. According to a letter sent to wholesale buyers, the company said its peppers are still too green, which would alter the color of its brand name sriracha. Huy Fong has decided to cancel all shipments and pause production of its sriracha and related products (including the brand’s Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek) until the next chili harvesting season begins. That means production will be on pause until after Labor Day. “It’s a double-edged sword when the success of this particular …

Disease and hunger soar in Latin America after floods and drought, study finds | Climate crisis

Disease and hunger soar in Latin America after floods and drought, study finds | Climate crisis

Published by skeptic

Hunger and disease are rising in Latin America after a year of record heat, floods and drought, a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has shown. The continent, which is trapped between the freakishly hot Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, probably suffered tens of thousands of climate-related deaths in 2023, at least $21bn (£17bn) of economic damage and “the greatest calorific loss” of any region, the study found. The climate chaos, caused by a combination of human-driven global heating and a natural El Niño effect, is continuing with devastating floods in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, which have killed at least 95 people and deluged swathes of farmland after the world’s hottest April in human history. Global heat records have now been broken for 11 months in a row, causing death and destruction across many parts of the planet. Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced some of the worst effects. In a summary of last year’s toll in this region, the WMO said disasters and climate change, along with socioeconomic shocks, are …

Drought That Snarled Panama Canal Was Linked to El Niño, Study Finds

Drought That Snarled Panama Canal Was Linked to El Niño, Study Finds

Published by Sam

The recent drought in the Panama Canal was driven not by global warming but by below-normal rainfall linked to the natural climate cycle El Niño, an international team of scientists has concluded. Low reservoir levels have slowed cargo traffic in the canal for most of the past year. Without enough water to raise and lower ships, officials last summer had to slash the number of vessels they allowed through, creating expensive headaches for shipping companies worldwide. Only in recent months have crossings started to pick up again. The area’s water worries could still deepen in the coming decades, the researchers said in their analysis of the drought. As Panama’s population grows and seaborne trade expands, water demand is expected to be a much larger share of available supply by 2050, according to the government. That means future El Niño years could bring even wider disruptions, not just to global shipping, but also to water supplies for local residents. “Even small changes in precipitation can bring disproportionate impacts,” said Maja Vahlberg, a risk consultant for the …

Persistent drought in southern France: ‘This time, it’s brutal’

Persistent drought in southern France: ‘This time, it’s brutal’

Published by skeptic

Daniel Aspe picked up the plastic bottle with the neck cut out and lay down on the forest floor. The mayor of Escaro, a small village in the French Pyrenees, plunged the worn object into the manhole dug in front of the water inlet that supplies his village, and timed how long it took to collect two liters: 14 seconds. He then performed a calculation he knows well, multiplying the seconds by 24 hours: The flow rate was still a little too low for the daily consumption of the 80 inhabitants. “Although we don’t wash to save water,” said the elected official, joking to overcome his concern. On that late April day, the sun glinted gold on the mountainsides. A few filaments of snow streaked the peaks, while lower down, the Mediterranean vegetation held out. Here and there stood skeletons of broom and holm oak, so tough yet so thirsty. With the recent tramontane northern winds, the local fire and rescue service had warned that the risk of fire was at its highest. Although the …

How One Corporation Is Cashing In on America’s Drought

How One Corporation Is Cashing In on America’s Drought

Published by skeptic

On its website, Greenstone describes itself as “a water company” and as “a developer and owner of reliable, sustainable water supplies.” Its CEO, Mike Schlehuber, previously worked for Vidler Water Company—another firm that essentially brokers water supply—as well as Summit Global Management, a company that invests in water suppliers and water rights. Greenstone’s managing director and vice-president, Mike Malano—a former realtor based in Phoenix who remains “active in the Arizona development community,” per his company bio—got himself elected to the board of the Cibola valley irrigation and drainage district, a quasi-governmental organization that oversees the distribution of water for agriculture in the region. Irwin was horrified. She felt that a company with ties to big banks and real estate developers, posing as a farm, had infiltrated her small town and sold off its most precious resource. The deal won’t have an immediate impact on Cibola’s residents. It doesn’t affect the municipal water supply. But she worries that the transfer will be the first of many. And if more and more farms are fallowed to feed …