President Joe Biden is seeking to cement his climate legacy by allocating billions of dollars for energy and environment-related projects in the remaining months of his presidency. Biden ramped up his administration's energy-related spending in October, announcing several new initiatives after former President Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that if elected, he would "rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act," which could directly impact Biden's climate projects. On Thursday, the Department of the Interior approved the Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project in Beaver County, Utah, which seeks to expand geothermal energy on public lands. The Energy Department also announced nearly $2 billion in funding for 38 power grid projects for clean energy, and on Tuesday...
“I hope everyone gets safe and gets their homes back,” the professional golf player said Press Association via AP Golfer John Daly in a file photo from July, 2023. John Daly lost his Florida home to Hurricane Helene last week. "You live in Florida, you have to understand that’s going to happen, but not like this. I didn’t think it would be this bad," the pro golfer said of the Category 4 storm that left at least 162 dead and hundreds missing across the Southeast United States. Daly, 58, described the storm as "devastating" and "the worst I’ve ever seen." “I hope everyone gets safe and gets their homes back,” he told PGATour.com while attending a PGA Tour Champions event in Timiquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 2. “My heart just goes out to everybody.” “It’s devastating...
When Hurricane Helene battered Florida’s Gulf Coast this week, one of the hardest-hit areas was the small town of Steinhatchee, which was overwhelmed by a 10-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. Most of the town’s 500 residents evacuated the area — and returned to find their homes and businesses destroyed. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Donna Landon, whose mobile home just outside the town limits was a total loss. A house damaged by Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Florida on Sept. 28, 2024. REUTERS/Kathleen Flynn A car smashed into a tree in Steinhatchee during the storm. Steve Helling “We’ve been wiped off the map. There’s nothing left. I have some insurance but now I have to rebuild.” The Post toured Steinhatchee — about 90 miles southeast of state capital Tallahassee — on Friday. Few buildings...
Cheapism / Breawna Smith/istockphoto / felixmizioznikov/istockphoto This Is How They Blow When September rolls around, the hurricanes start showing up. And while few hurricanes leave the land or people unscathed, there are several hurricanes that have done so much damage in the past that we’re likely to never forget them. The Galveston Hurricane Year: 1900 Death Toll: 6,000–12,000 Financial Impact: Estimated $30 million at the time (~$700 million adjusted for inflation) At the time, 38,000 people lived in Galveston, Texas. By the end of this Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds, 10,000 of them had lost their homes in the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. cestes001/istockphoto Hurricane Maria Year: 2017 Death Toll: 2,982 Financial Impact: Estimated $91.6 billion This one’s...
Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't said much about her position on oil and gas since becoming the presumptive, and now official, Democratic nominee for president. That's likely by design, say industry watchers. The economic plan Harris recently laid out has so far made no mention of how to handle energy prices, while her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, repeatedly brings up a promise to "drill, baby, drill" in order to lower the cost of gas and electricity. Earlier this week, Trump criticized Harris at a Pennsylvania rally after her campaign recently assured she would not try to ban fracking, the drilling technology Harris once opposed while trying to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019. "She’s been anti-fracking, anti-drilling, anti-oil and gas from practically...
A Michigan woman died of unknown medical complications while backpacking at a remote national park in Lake Superior on Monday, officials said. The woman, identified as a 37-year-old from Battle Creek, Michigan, was hiking near Lake LeSage at Isle Royale National Park with her partner when "she experienced sudden onset medical complications," the National Park Service said in a news release Wednesday. Her condition deteriorated and she eventually was unable to walk, according to park officials. The woman then lost consciousness and stopped breathing, officials said. CPR was provided but "attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful." Other backpackers in the area contacted Michigan State Police through a delayed 911 text message and that information was relayed to a National Park Service dispatch...
If you've been enjoying this summer weather, you've probably had your fair share of hot days. The heat waves are unavoidable and so the best we can do is outfit ourselves in clothes that help us beat the heat. We're talking sundresses, tank tops and, of course, shorts. We all love a trusty pair of the latter that's comfortable, flattering and not overly revealing, and Amazon shoppers have found just that: The super-comfy jersey shorts from Hanes. Nearly 40,000 reviewers have given a five-star rating — and you can get them for under $8. Why is this a good deal? 💰 Less than $8 for a quality pair of shorts is a pretty sweet deal, and right now these are down to $9 in black — such a bargain that you can pick up some other on-sale colors too. Why do I need these? 🤔 These practical shorts...
For the first time in 40 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken emergency action to suspend the use of a pesticide found to cause irreversible damage to fetuses when they're exposed in utero. The pesticide, dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal, has been linked to low birth weight babies who later in life have been shown to have decreased IQ and impaired brain development and motor skills. “DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately," Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a statement Tuesday. According to an EPA report, the pesticide was first introduced in 1958 to control weeds in agricultural and non-agricultural settings, primarily...
The Summary Studies have found that wildfire smoke negatively impacts brain health. New research suggests that increased exposure to smoke is associated with a higher risk of dementia. As wildfires become more frequent and intense due to climate change, so does many people’s exposure to smoke — and the health risks that come with it. Parts of California, Oregon and Montana are facing unhealthy levels of air pollution as several large fires blaze, including Northern California’s Park Fire, which has quickly ballooned into the fifth largest in the state’s history. The smoke poses a hazard for people in the immediate vicinity and even some far away, as wildfire smoke can travel hundreds or thousands of miles. The tiny particles in that smoke aren’t just bad for your lungs — a spate of studies...
[Reuters] The fierce wildfire which swept through the Canadian town of Jasper in recent days melted cars to the road and turned homes to ash. The first images of the devastation at the famous tourist town have emerged, after a 100m (328ft) firewall swept through late on Wednesday. It has been difficult to get a sense of the scale of what happened because the fire burned out-of-control for days. Some 25,000 people were evacuated from the town and the Jasper National Park, in Alberta. Firefighters were helped by wetter weather towards the end of the week [Reuters] [Reuters] On Friday, authorities from Jasper National Park said 358 of the 1,113 structures in town had been destroyed by the fire, which was caused by a lightning storm However, all critical infrastructure was protected, including...
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A wildfire burning in Oregon that's kicking smoke into neighboring states is now the largest active blaze in the U.S., authorities said, and fire crews are bracing for a storm late Wednesday that's expected to bring lightning, strong winds and the risk of flash floods.The Durkee Fire, burning near the Oregon-Idaho border about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of Boise shut down Interstate 84 for hours on Tuesday as the flames approached the vital link between the states. The freeway briefly reopened Wednesday, but then closed again as officials warned of frequent disruptions because of the nearly 400-square-mile (1036-square-kilometer) blaze.The town of Huntington, Oregon, home to about 500 people, remained evacuated for a third full day, and authorities issued warnings about...
If you live in a storm-prone area, you know just how important it is to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. A well-stocked emergency kit that has all of the essentials — a first aid kit, batteries, blankets and water — can mean the world of a difference in a crisis. And in many cases, a limited-time power outage is perhaps the best-case scenario one can hope for during an emergency. But being prepared during a power outage also requires a bit of forethought; namely, knowing where you backup flashlights, batteries, candles and matches are during a blackout. Fortunately, I've found a gadget that I think solves for those problems — and it's all thanks to my own mom. I first discovered these handy nightlights that double as flashlights from my nearly 60-year-old mother, who lives...
Frustrations are mounting across southeast Texas as residents enter a fourth day of crippling power outages and heat, a combination that has proven dangerous – and at times deadly – as some struggle to access food, gas and medical care. Nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses across the region are still without power after Beryl slammed into the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, leaving at least 11 people dead across Texas and Louisiana. The storm continues to threaten flooding Thursday in New England. Gov. Greg Abbott has requested an investigation of CenterPoint Energy – Houston’s primary utility company that is responsible for restoring the vast majority of outages – and electric companies in the wake of the outages, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during a news conference Thursday. The...
The world's oldest mummies have been around longer than the mummified pharaohs of Egypt and their ornate tombs — but the ravages of time, human development and climate change are putting these relics at risk.Chile's Atacama Desert was once home to the Chincorro people, an ancient population that began mummifying their dead 5,000 years ago, two millennia before the Egyptians did, according to Bernando Arriaza, a professor at the University of Tarapaca. The arid desert has preserved mummified remains and other clues in the environment that give archaeologists information about how the Chincorro people once lived. The idea to mummify bodies likely came from watching other remains naturally undergo the process amid the desert's dry conditions. The mummified bodies were also decorated with reed...
An "extremely dangerous" heat wave is set to break daily temperature records across western and southern states through the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service warned. The extreme heat comes as 28,000 were forced to evacuate their homes because of a raging wildfire in Northern California. The Thompson Fire in Oroville, about 65 miles north of Sacramento, had grown to 3,568 acres and was only 7% contained on Wednesday night. California, southern Nevada and Arizona could see triple-digit temperatures on Thursday, with widespread excessive heat warnings, and it will be pushing the 100 degree mark in Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. The heat index, a measure of how hot it feels that takes into account humidity, could reach the 110s in the lower Mississippi Valley. In total, more than...
A sonar image of the sunken vessel. It went down on 5 May 1962 [RCGS] Wreck hunters have found the ship on which the famous polar explorer Ernest Shackleton made his final voyage.The vessel, called "Quest", has been located on the seafloor off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.Shackleton suffered a fatal heart attack on board on 5 January 1922 while trying to reach the Antarctic.And although Quest continued in service until it sank in 1962, the earlier link with the explorer gives it great historic significance.The British-Irish adventurer is celebrated for his exploits in Antarctica at a time when very few people had visited the frozen wilderness."His final voyage kind of ended that Heroic Age of Exploration, of polar exploration, certainly in the south," said renowned shipwreck hunter David...
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, is seen here in November 2023. She has taken a step back from public life in 2024, following her cancer diagnosis. Credit - Mark Cuthbert—Getty ImagesA Welsh holiday residence reminisced on social media about a visit from Prince William and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, posting a previously unseen photo of the royal encounter.Duffryn Mawr Country House, a bed-and-breakfast in Brecon Beacons National Park, shared a post on Facebook in April, relaying it had been a year since the Prince and Princess of Wales stayed at the residence. In the photo, the royal pair can be seen wearing the same outfits that they wore for their visit to Aberfan on April 28, 2023, indicating that the picture was taken the same day. They visited Aberfan to pay respects to families...
Entering 2024, investors seemed focused on the question of how many times the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates. But with inflation remaining stubbornly high and above the Fed’s long-term target of two percent, more analysts are starting to question if we’ll see rate cuts at all this year. Market participants seem to be warming to the idea that interest rates will have to stay “higher for longer” as long as the economy remains strong and the Fed works to bring inflation down to its target. Here’s how to position your portfolio in an environment where rates stay elevated. Where to invest if interest rates stay high 1. Value stocks Value stocks may do well in a higher interest rate environment as investors look for companies with strong cash flows and expect to see immediate profitability...
A veterinarian holds a Saraguato monkey rescued from the jungle after at least 138 howler monkeys found dead in heatwave - Stringer/REUTERS High winds that led to the deaths of at least nine people at a political rally are the latest example of the extreme weather that has been ravaging Mexico. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the country’s president, offered sympathy to relatives of those killed at a rival’s campaign event near Monterrey in a familiar refrain for a country beset by extreme weather-induced tragedy. A devastating heatwave has gripped Mexico since mid-March, causing at least 26 deaths, nationwide blackouts and the escalation of an existing water crisis. Ten cities have registered record-high temperatures, including the normally temperate, high-altitude Mexico City, which hit 34.3C...
Toronto — Wildfire season has arrived in full force in Western Canada, prompting evacuation orders and alerts in several towns in British Columbia and neighboring Alberta due to the danger of uncontrolled blazes. According to the BC administration's latest wildfire situation report, seven evacuation orders and five alerts had been issued in the province since Friday, driving about 4,700 residents from their homes. "The situation is evolving rapidly," British Columbia's emergency management minister Bowninn Ma warned Monday, as officials said there were 130 active wildfires burning, 14 of them deemed out of control. Thousands more people got evacuation orders Tuesday as strong winds pushed a raging fire closer to the oil-rich town of Fort McMurray, in Alberta province. Josee St-Onge, a spokesperson...
General Motors plans to stop making its Chevrolet Malibu at the end of the year as it makes room for production on more electric vehicles. First introduced in 1964, the Malibu was once the top-selling car in its segment in the U.S., an unwavering presence of family garages nationwide. Professional stock car racers used the Malibu body between 1973 and 1977 for NASCAR competitions, helping drivers win 25 different titles, according to Motor Trend magazine. At its height, the Malibu won Motor Trend Car of the Year 1997 because of its smooth ride, fuel economy and luxury interior. But sales of the Malibu, a midsize sedan, declined in the early 2000s as Americans' preferences turned toward SUVs and pickup trucks. Hoping to jump start sales, GM did a redesign of the Malibu in 2015-16 complete...
Billions of people are using different kinds of energy each day and 2023 was a record-breaking year for renewable energy sources — ones that don't emit planet-warming pollutants like carbon dioxide and methane — according to a report published Wednesday by Ember, a think tank based in London. For the first time, 30% of electricity produced worldwide was from clean energy sources as the number of solar and wind farms continued to grow fast. Of the types of clean energy generated last year, hydroelectric dams produced the most. That's the same as in most years. Yet droughts in India, China, North America and Mexico meant hydropower hit a five-year low. Research shows climate change is causing droughts to develop more quickly and be more severe. People used more electricity than ever last year...
Navigating the Khumbu Icefall involves crossing ladders laid over crevasses that can be up to hundreds of feet deep.Jason Maehl/Getty Images The 2024 Mount Everest climbing season was delayed due to crumbling ice in the Khumbu Icefall. The Khumbu Icefall is one of the most dangerous obstacles to cross on the path to Everest's summit. As global temperatures rise due to climate change, this icefall will only become more treacherous. Climbing Mt. Everest is a dangerous endeavor right from the start. Before climbers summiting via the South Col route can even make it to Camp 1, they must face one of the deadliest passages of all. A 1.6-mile stretch of slowly cascading ice just above Base Camp called the Khumbu Icefall. It's a treacherous maze of crevasses that can stretch over 300-feet-deep and...
There was not much hope for tiny, endangered Devils Hole pupfish as the species' population dwindled to just a few dozen since the late 1990s. But recent population spikes are giving scientists a reason to celebrate. Nearly 200 Devils Hole pupfish were spotted during the spring count, National Park Service biologists said, which are the most seen in Death Valley National Park in 25 years. “It’s exciting to see an increasing trend, especially in this highly variable population. Increasing numbers allow the managing agencies to consider research that may not have been possible in the past, when even slight perturbations of habitat or fish had to be completely avoided,” Senior Fish Biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Michael Schwemm, said the press release. “We’re excited about the...
In 1961, Ed Dwight hoped to become the first Black astronaut in space. But he never made it. Now, at 90 years old, Dwight will get the chance to finally experience space onboard Blue Origin's upcoming mission into Earth's atmosphere. Dwight was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to enter an Air Force training program known as the path to NASA's Astronaut Corps. When he got the letter in 1961 offering him the opportunity to be the first Black astronaut, "I thought these dudes were crazy," Dwight told national correspondent Jericka Duncan in 2022. After completing the program in 1963, the Air Force recommended he join the corps, but he wasn't selected and entered private life in 1966. Dwight said he felt discrimination among his peers during the training. "So, all these White...
An aircraft in reclamation at the Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.Taylor Rains/Insider Pinal Air Park in Arizona is one of the largest aircraft storage facilities in the world. The multi-million business boomed during the pandemic as airlines worldwide grounded hundreds of jets. The airpark is also a hub for maintenance, as well as re-configuring jets when they get a new operator. As the aviation industry hopes to reduce its carbon footprint, companies are coming up with new strategies to alleviate CO2 emissions.Mateusz Atroszko/Gettyin April, the Aviation Circularity Consortium, including Australian flag carrier Qantas and other groups, was created as a "joint mission to accelerate supply chain decarbonisation."A Qantas plane.James D. Morgan/Getty ImagesThe plan is to use the 8,000 "end-of-life...
Diagram of PACE satellite imagery We know NASA mostly for launching rockets and humans into outer space, but for about 60 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has also played a vital role in understanding the spaceship humans call home-planet Earth. Data from NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite will provide insight into ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate. In the lead-up to Earth Day, which falls on April 22, NASA officials in Washington on Friday documented how climate change is affecting the planet, this time using data from a program that watches for changes in the ocean and the air from space. Earth Day draws attention to negative effects human activity has on the environment and asks people to focus on things they can do to better care...
The central United States is expected to face multiple weather threats this weekend, from high winds to fire to severe storms, as a powerful storm system moves across the region. Over 30 million people across more than a dozen states, from Texas to North Dakota, are under wind and critical fire danger alerts as the large storm system slowly makes its way eastward across the central U.S. Wind gusts of 40-60 mph on in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday in several states as the storm system sweeps across the region. Portions of the central Rockies could see wind gusts over 80 mph in the higher elevations. A high wind warning is in effect for cities including Denver; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Amarillo, Texas. MORE: Weather forecast for April 8 along the solar eclipse path of totality More than...
An alleged space object has appeared to crash through the roof of a family home in Naples, Florida, leaving several questions and a damaged residence in its wake. Last month, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, took to X, to share that an "equipment pallet" from space had reentered Earth's atmosphere, hypothesizing it would likely have reached Fort Myers, Florida. "The EP-9 equipment pallet reentered at 1929 UTC over the Gulf of Mexico between Cancun and Cuba. This was with the previous prediction window but a little to the northeast of the 'most likely' part of the path. A couple minutes later reentry and it would have reached Ft Myers," McDowell wrote on March 8. MORE: Life on Mars: How volunteers in NASA's Mars simulator will live for a year Alejandro...
A ubiquitous, resilient and seemingly harmless plant is fueling an increase in large, fast-moving and destructive wildfires in the United States. Grass is as plentiful as sunshine, and under the right weather conditions is like gasoline for wildfires: All it takes is a spark for it to explode. Planet-warming emissions are wreaking havoc on temperature and precipitation, resulting in larger and more frequent fires. Those fires are fueling the vicious cycle of ecological destruction that are helping to make grass king. “Name an environment and there’s a grass that can survive there,” said Adam Mahood, research ecologist with the US Department of Agriculture’s research service. “Any 10-foot area that’s not paved is going to have some kind of grass on it.” Grass fires are typically less intense...
Actor, talk show host and all-around glowy human Drew Barrymore knows a thing or two about skincare. For one, she has her own brand, Flower Beauty, and she serves as the creative director for Garnier Whole Blends. But what are the Never Been Kissed star's products of choice as she goes about her busy schedule? Well, one of her faves is the incredibly affordable Healthy Priority Organic Vitamin E Oil. And guess what? A bottle can be yours for just $23 (down from $36). Why is it a good deal? Premium vitamin E oils that promise to plump and hydrate can cost $70+ — this one is a fraction of the price of the formulas you can pick up at high-end department stores. Why do I need this? The Drew Barrymore Show host says she's not one for injectables or plastic surgery and instead relies on skincare...
By Jake Spring (Reuters) - The world likely notched its warmest February on record, as spring-like conditions caused flowers to bloom early from Japan to Mexico, left ski slopes bald of snow in Europe and pushed temperatures to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C) in Texas. While data has not been finalised, three scientists told Reuters that February is on track to have the highest global average temperature ever recorded for that month, thanks to climate change and the warming in the Eastern Pacific Ocean known as El Nino. If confirmed, that would be the ninth consecutive monthly temperature record to be broken, according to data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA will publish final figures for February around March 14, according to its press office. In...
Polar Wolf, the penal colony where Alexei Navalny died on February 16 - REUTERS Even within Russia’s notorious penal colony system, prison FGU IK-3, or the Polar Wolf as it is more commonly known, has a reputation for cruelty. In winter temperatures of -30C, prisoners are ordered to gather outside for morning roll call wearing only light clothing. In spring, swarms of mosquitoes bite through their uniforms. If any of the prisoners flinch, the group is hosed down with water. Beatings and naked stints in isolation cells are common. Guards force prisoners to march between blocks, sing patriotic songs and recite the Russian national anthem. The prison, where Alexei Navalny, Russia’s top opposition leader, died in mysterious circumstances, is part of a network of about 700 penal colonies scattered...
A powerful Pacific jet stream is bringing two dangerous storms fueled by an atmospheric river to the West Coast, the first of which struck Northern California on Wednesday and is pummeling Southern California on Thursday. This first storm brings a "significant threat to the safety of Californians," Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the state's Office of Emergency Operations Services, warned Wednesday. The rain reached the San Francisco Bay area on Wednesday and has since dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain in Northern California. Flash flooding was reported overnight and wind gusts topped 70 mph, knocking down trees. Water Rescue tonight on Mark West Station Rd. at Starr Rd. Person successfully rescued from vehicle that was taking on water, they were unable to get out on their own. Don’t risk it, if...
A bitter blast of Arctic air will linger across much of the United States this weekend, with tens of millions enduring bone-chilling cold and facing dangerous icy conditions, forecasters warned Saturday, as weather-related deaths numbered more than 60. Heavy snow blanketed parts of the Northeast and Midwest on Friday, and the plunging temperatures overnight left roadways slick. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency on Saturday announced two more deaths, which occurred in an incident on a highway in rural Leflore County, north of Jackson. Further details were not immediately available. The state’s death toll has reached at least eight people over the past week, with deaths attributed to road conditions and extreme cold. In total, weather-related fatalities in the U.S. have grown to at...
Last look: The Peregrine lander photographed Earth as it headed towards destruction A US spacecraft launched last week to try to land on the Moon has ended its mission in flames over the Pacific. Peregrine One suffered a propulsion fault that scuppered any prospect of a lunar touch-down and it was commanded to destroy itself instead. The private operator, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, directed the craft into Earth's atmosphere to burn up. A tracking station in Canberra, Australia, confirmed loss of signal with Peregrine at 20:59 GMT. Little or no remains of Peregrine were expected to survive intact to the ocean surface. And even if they did, they should have impacted far away from any population. US Moon mission has no chance of soft lunar landing Apollo astronauts: The last of the Moon men India...
Pining for a taste of the frozen tundra? There's no better place to be than the Northwest this week, where the combination of harsh Arctic winds and a parade of winter storms can lead to subzero temperatures, blizzard conditions and over 8 feet of snow into the early part of the weekend, say AccuWeather meteorologists. The storms that moved ashore in the Northwest as of late have also been crossing the country, bringing the most significant and wide-reaching winter events of the season thus far to the central and eastern United States. That will continue to be the case deep into January as waves of Arctic air escape south through Canada and expand across the country. Recent heavy snowfall contributed to an avalanche on Wednesday morning at Palisades Tahoe Resort, California, according to the...
A blizzard-fueling winter storm is sweeping across the Plains and upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds, making for dangerous travel during the busy holiday week. The storm’s frequent wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph with isolated gusts up to 75 mph are generating blizzard conditions and making travel Tuesday “difficult to near impossible,” the National Weather Service said. This includes parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming where blizzard warnings are in force Tuesday. Blizzards occur when blowing snow and sustained strong winds combine for at least three hours and reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less. Dangerously low visibility levels resulting from strong winds and blowing snow prompted the closure of approximately 70 miles of Interstate...
There has been no shortage of bleak climate news this year: unprecedented global heat fueled deadly extreme weather events, scientists issued dire warnings that next year may be worse still, and the world’s carbon pollution kept rising. But amid the gloom, there have also been signs of progress. Renewable energy records have been set, the world celebrated one of its greatest environmental wins and countries made a cautious but historic step towards a fossil fuel-free future. Here are five reasons to be hopeful. A surge in renewable energy A worker cleans solar panels at a new energy base in China, where solar capacity is now greater than in the rest of the world's countries combined. - Yuan Hongyan/VCG/Getty Images As the need to rapidly wean off planet-heating fossil fuels becomes increasingly...
A team in North Dakota uncovered more than 20 bones from a mammoth skeleton after coal miners found a well-preserved, 7-foot-long tusk, the North Dakota Geological Survey said Monday. Miners at the Freedom Mine first discovered the tusk over Memorial Day weekend. They roped off the site until representatives from the North Dakota Geological Survey, the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the Bureau of Land Management arrived. A team of paleontologists from the North Dakota Geological Survey later spent 12 days excavating an old streambed, the North Dakota Geological Survey said in a press release. "Most of the mammoth fossils known from North Dakota are isolated bones and teeth," Clint Boyd, North Dakota Geological Survey senior paleontologist, said. "This specimen is one of the...
A potent storm will lash the East Coast Saturday into Monday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and possible flooding all the way from Florida to Maine. Florida will bear the brunt of the storm Saturday afternoon before the bad weather moves up the coast Sunday, forecasters said. By Sunday, slow travel will be likely along portions of the East Coast due to flooded roads, airline delays and flight cancellations, AccuWeather predicted. Fortunately, the one ingredient that's missing in the storm is cold air, which means heavy snow won't be a factor for most areas. .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;} Bad weather in Florida: Stormy sunshine state With Saturday afternoon into evening expected to be stormy over most of Florida, outdoor holiday parties have been canceled and...
DES MOINES, Iowa — With the Iowa caucuses closing in, Vivek Ramaswamy is homing in on a local struggle that’s led to an unlikely union between environmental activists and landowners and farmers in the state seeking to protect their property.Ramaswamy has started devoting a significant portion of his stump speeches to addressing concerns about efforts by Summit Carbon Solutions to build underground pipelines to move carbon dioxide emitted from ethanol and industrial plants in Iowa to North Dakota. Landowners who do not want the pipelines installed on their property are concerned that the state government may use eminent domain, which allows the government to seize private lands for public projects, to build them anyway.In a rare speech last week dedicated solely to the carbon capture pipelines...
After an active weekend, yet another powerful atmospheric river storm will drench the Pacific Northwest with heavy rainfall, wind and some mountain snow through midweek. The Pacific storm fueled by the atmospheric river will make its way into the Pacific Northwest in the overnight hours Monday into Tuesday, bringing multiple rounds of heavy rain, gusty winds and a significant flood risk. Over 9 million people were under flood alerts Monday, as the region braces for what could be a significant rain event. Rainfall rates across the region of 2 to 3 inches per hour combined with excessive runoff from melting snow will pose a risk for mudslides and avalanches across more mountainous regions. Recent snowfall totals from weekend storms across the Cascade mountains range from 6 to 15 inches since...
WASHINGTON — The National Christmas Tree near the White House was knocked over Tuesday when strong winds roared through the Washington area.The National Park Service said the 40-foot tree from Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia fell over during a strong wind gust. A cable securing the Norway spruce has since been replaced.“After assessing the tree’s condition and replacing a snapped cable, the tree is now upright," park service spokeswoman Jasmine Shanti said in a statement shortly after 6 p.m. ET. In its initial statement after the tree toppled over, the agency said, "As the saying goes, 'the show must go on,'" and it noted that it was "looking at all possibilities to ensure a successful event this year" at the lighting ceremony scheduled for Thursday.The White House declined to...
Passengers on an Australian cruise ship have been at sea for a week after a dirty hull prevented the boat from docking in New Zealand – with some experiencing long bouts of seasickness.The 13-day-long P&O Pacific Adventure cruise departed from Sydney on Nov. 20 and was intended to take passengers around New Zealand, including stops at Wellington and Fiordland National Park, and return to Sydney on Sunday. The cruise has scrapped the New Zealand leg of the cruise and is slated to arrive in Hobart, a city in Tasmania, Australia, on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Carnival Australia, which owns P&O Cruises Australia, told USA TODAY. “P&O Cruises Australia can advise a change to the compensation for guests on board Pacific Adventure, after the ship was unable to visit New Zealand,” the cruise line...
This ball of brown fur and gnarled legs and claws turned out to be a mummified Arctic ground squirrel.Yukon GovernmentA Yukon gold miner discovered a mangled ball of fur about the size of a large grapefruit.X-rays show the fur ball is a curled-up ice-age squirrel in "great condition," scientists told CBC.The squirrel is estimated to be 30,000 years old and likely died during hibernation.At first, this brown, mangled ball of fur and claws was unidentifiable.But X-ray scans have revealed that this grapefruit-sized lump is a 30,000-year-old mummified ground squirrel from the ice age.X-ray scans revealed a well-preserved squirrel skeleton.Yukon GovernmentA gold miner found the mysterious fur ball in 2018 in the Klondike gold fields near Dawson City, Yukon, according to the Yukon Beringia Interpretive...
LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — More heavy rain was falling Wednesday in New England, where residents kept one eye on cleanup and another on the path of Hurricane Lee after downpours dropped nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in six hours and flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.The rainfall was a “200-year event," said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a state of emergency Tuesday night following the “catastrophic flash flooding and property damage” in two counties and other communities.The rain created sinkholes in Leominster, Massachusetts. Cars sank into the ground at an auto dealership. The front yard collapsed at one house, resulting in a 15-foot (4.6-meter) hole that exposed the foundation.Andre...
The Atlantic hurricane season typically reaches its peak this week, but record-warm ocean temperatures are fueling a hyperactive season that experts say shows no signs of slowing.The average hurricane season starts June 1 and runs through November 30, but its statistical peak is on September 10. So far this year, hurricane activity has been above average in every respect, according to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. “It’s been a pretty busy season,” Klotzbach told CNN. “It’s not a slam dunk, but it’s looking like the season is going to be classified as above-normal.”Fourteen named storms have roamed the Atlantic – the average for an entire seasonFive of those storms have been hurricanes. The average for this time of...
Paul Reubens, the actor known to millions for his portrayal of Pee-wee Herman, died July 30, and now, his cause of death has been confirmed. He was 70.A death certificate obtained by NBC News issued Sept. 8 said Reubens’ immediate cause of death was acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Acute respiratory failure occurs quickly when there’s either not enough oxygen or too much carbon dioxide in the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and with hypoxia, there are low oxygen levels in body tissues.The certificate also listed a sequential underlying cause, acute myelogenous leukemia, which is "a cancer of the blood and bone marrow," according to the Mayo Clinic."Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee...
When the furious winds and rain of Hurricane Laura devastated Louisiana three years ago, Javier drifted towards the disaster, cleaning homes and chopping down trees that the Category 4 storm toppled and tore apart.“I heard that there was a disaster and that there was work. And where there is work, you go,” Javier told the Miami Herald.The storm kicked off an unexpected round of work for Javier, an undocumented Honduran immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2016 and who did not want his last name used because of his immigration status. He has since helped clean up after other fierce Louisiana hurricanes, including Delta and Ida. When there’s no hurricane clean-up to do, he works in construction. But through word of mouth, clients refer him to others who call for help when catastrophes strike...
Hurricane Lee, now a powerful Category 3 hurricane, is one of only a handful of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin during the satellite era to intensify by 85 mph or more within a 24-hour period.As of Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Lee is a category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. It is moving to the WNW at 10 mph, and the center is located about 300 miles NE of the northern Leeward Islands.The storm intensified more than twice the National Hurricane Center's definition of rapid intensification. Rapid intensification is defined as a storm increasing in wind speed by 35 mph or more in 24 hours.Less favorable atmospheric conditions in place for much of Friday has led to a recent weakening of Lee as wind shear and dry air is contributing to this trend and is expected to persist...
Australian rescuers have successfully evacuated a researcher who fell seriously ill at a remote Antarctic outpost, but it required a unique and daring evacuation mission. The man in question had an undisclosed "developing medical condition" and the mission required an emergency medical rescue team, a huge icebreaker ship and two helicopters to retrieve the man from extremely isolated territory on the icy continent, according to CBS News' partner network, BBC News. The Australian Antarctic Division, the government agency that led the rescue operation, said the man had been successfully retrieved and flown onto its icebreaker RSV Nuyina — a special-purpose boat designed to navigate through ice-covered waters. The man was in transit Monday to the southern Australian island state of Tasmania for...
View of a skull of an adult Homo heidelbergensis found in Spain in 1992 sits on display at the Museum of Human Evolution in 2010.CESAR MANSO/AFP via Getty ImagesA new study suggests human ancestors nearly went extinct some 930,000 years ago.Scientists in China used modern human genomes to estimate what past populations may have looked like.The study suggests climate change may have been the cause of the drastic population drop. Do you ever find yourself wondering how humans got to be the way we are? How the species evolved from relying on the once-novel concept of fire for warmth to modern times where you can set your thermostat from your smartphone?It turns out our human ancestors may have faced a near miss that could have changed everything. Indeed, just like the dinosaurs, we, too, once...
President Joe Biden on Saturday morning offered his first on-camera reaction to his meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis falling through as he surveys Hurricane Idalia damage."I don't know," Biden said in response to a shouted question as he and the first lady boarded Marine One about what happened with his meeting with the governor. "He's not going to be there."Biden said Saturday morning that his message to DeSantis is: "We're gonna take care of Florida."Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said Saturday that security concerns expressed by DeSantis' office Friday were not relayed to FEMA staffers."I have teams that have been on the ground since I left, and we have heard no concerns over any impact to the communities we're going to visit today," Criswell said...
Five World War I-era ships were found in a southeast Texas river this month as ongoing drought conditions push water levels to new lows, officials said.A 70-year-old retiree-turned-amateur shipwreck hunter discovered the wooden vessels, each 80 to 100 feet long, in the Neches River on Aug. 16, according to the Ice House Museum in Silsbee, Texas.Bill Milner said a friend, the museum's curator, urged him to keep an eye out for sunken ships on his regular trips to the river, between Jasper and Hardin counties."She said if you got time, go ahead and look for it," Milner said Wednesday. “It was an accident [finding the shipwrecks], but it wasn't an accident. I wasn’t just playing around on a jet ski.” With the drought-battered river as low as he has ever seen it, Milner said he was confident he...
By Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Texas' electric grid operator asked residents and businesses to conserve energy on Sunday as its reserves were expected to decrease during a scorching heat wave that has caused demand to surge. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued an appeal for conservation from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time (2100-0200 GMT) on its website, saying reserves could run low due to high demand and a lack of wind and solar power generation. "We request Texas businesses and residents conserve electricity use, if safe to do so," ERCOT said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. ERCOT had issued another conservation appeal for the afternoon and evening on Saturday, which was lifted at around 10 p.m. that night. An excessive heat...
For the average person, the image of light-blue bachelor button flowers dotting the foothills or a small American bullfrog near the water’s edge doesn’t strike fear into their hearts. It’s just another pretty plant or cute animal that makes up Idaho’s flora and fauna.However, they are actually some of many types of plants and animals that concern state ecologists. They are invasive species, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes as organisms, both animals and plants, that can not only thrive in new habitats but disrupt and cause harm to human health and the surrounding environment. Idaho has no shortage of invasive species, from those mentioned above to the Eurasian watermilfoil and red-eared sliders.But which invasive species are most harmful to Idaho?Invasive species on the rise...
The annual Perseid meteor shower has lit up skies across the world to the delight of those hoping to catch a glimpse of a shooting star. The phenomenon brings up to 100 meteors an hour, as the Earth slams into the debris left behind from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.As the debris hits the Earth's atmosphere it burns up, resulting in the bright flashes known as shooting stars, which can be seen with the naked eye.The natural display happens at a similar time in July and August each year, and this year peaked between Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday.Heavy cloud over much of the UK meant many stargazers were disappointed, although some sightings were possible over Yorkshire, north-east England and parts of southern Scotland.Looking ahead to the chances of spotting a shooting star over the...
The sea is getting angry, my friends. Waves and surf along the California coast are getting bigger and taller because of global warming, a new study released this week suggests.In fact, winter wave heights along the Golden State have risen by nearly a foot since 1970. And surf of at least 13 feet is becoming more common off the coast as the climate warms.And while this could be good news for surfers, the bigger waves could lead to additional flooding and erosion along California’s coast, which is already threatened by accelerating sea-level rise.“Waves ride on top of the sea level, which is rising due to climate change,” said study lead author Peter Bromirski, an oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. “When sea levels are elevated even further during storms, more...
NEW YORK (AP) — Drivers are in for another headache at the pump as U.S. gas prices continue to rise.The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.“Usually it takes a hurricane to move prices that much,” said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross, who said the rise is especially interesting as “fewer people are are fueling up” their cars this summer compared to years past.In the U.S., gasoline prices are highly dependent on crude oil. West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, has stayed...
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat. The National Weather Service said Phoenix climbed to a high of 111 F (43.8 Celsius) before the day was through.July has been so steamy thus far that scientists calculate it will be the hottest month ever recorded and likely the warmest human civilization has seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday proclaimed July beyond record-smashing.The historic heat began blasting the lower Southwest U.S. in late June, stretching from Texas across New Mexico...
DENVER (AP) — As Denver neared triple-digit temperatures, Ben Gallegos sat shirtless on his porch swatting flies off his legs and spritzing himself with a misting fan to try to get through the heat. Gallegos, like many in the nation's poorest neighborhoods, doesn't have air conditioning.The 68-year-old covers his windows with mattress foam to insulate against the heat and sleeps in the concrete basement. He knows high temperatures can cause heat stroke and death, and his lung condition makes him more susceptible. But the retired brick layer, who survives on about $1,000 a month largely from Social Security, says air conditioning is out of reach. “Take me about 12 years to save up for something like that," he said. “If it’s hard to breath, I’ll get down to emergency.”As climate change fans hotter...
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — In the sweltering summer heat, nobody tries to cool off by jumping into a hot tub. In parts of Florida, however, that’s what the ocean has felt like.Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures reached as high as 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit (38.4 degrees Celsius) around the state’s southern tip in Manatee Bay, according to the National Weather Service — although scientists said the context for Monday’s reading is complicated.“It was like there was no difference between humidity of the air and going into the water,” said Chelsea Ward of Fort Myers, Florida. Triple-digit ocean temperatures are stunning even in Florida, where residents are used to the heat and where many retirees find refuge from cold, northern winters. Several other nearby spots reached the mid-90s (about...
WASHINGTON (AP) — With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden on Thursday plans to unveil new steps to protect workers, improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible, the White House says.The announcement comes as nearly 40% of the U.S. population faces heat advisories, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures have already scorched the Southwest this month, and more heat is expected in the Midwest and the Northeast in the coming days. Washington won't be spared, and the heat index could reach 110 on Friday. It's a worldwide problem, and scientists calculate that July will be the hottest month on record.Biden's plans represent an effort to address the immediate effects of climate change as he faces pressure from fellow Democrats...
About 41 million people in the U.S. live in urban heat islands, where city topography elevates temperatures by at least 8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an analysis published Wednesday by Climate Central, a nonprofit research group.Urban heat islands occur when cities replace land cover such as forest, open water and greenery with buildings, pavement and other materials that absorb and retain heat. While the heat effect is most noticeable during summertime, urban heat islands are warmer all year-round.The Climate Central analysis covers 44 cities and highlights how certain populations are affected more acutely by global warming, in which global surface temperatures have risen at rates unprecedented in 2,000 years, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “We’re...
Air quality continues to be an issue in the U.S. this summer as wildfires in Canada run ablaze. According to the National Weather Service, air quality alerts remain in effect across the Midwest and Upper Great Lakes due to wildfire smoke. There is also a critical fire risk across the Northern and Central Great Basin Wednesday. As of Tuesday morning, Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit have the worst air quality conditions among American cities, according to IQ Air's live ranking of major world cities, which ranks them 8th, 13th and 14th, respectively. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are currently over 660 blazes "out on control" and over 1,000 active fires.Health experts advise Americans under air quality advisories to stay indoors with air conditioning or to wear...
Soaring heat and fine particulate matter in the air may double your risk of heart attack death, according to a new study.For the study, published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation on Monday, researchers analyzed more than 200,000 heart attack deaths between 2015 and 2020 in a Chinese province that experiences four distinct seasons and a range of temperatures and pollution levels. The findings? Days of extreme heat, extreme cold or high levels of fine particulate matter air pollution were all "significantly associated" with the risk of death from a heart attack — and the greatest risk was seen on days with a combination of both extreme heat and high air pollution levels. Results showed women and older adults were particularly at risk."Extreme temperature events are becoming...
By Johan Ahlander and Tom Little MALMO (Reuters) -Climate activist Greta Thunberg was forcibly removed by police from a protest in the southern Swedish city of Malmo on Monday just hours after a local court fined her for disobeying a police order during a similar protest last month. Thunberg, 20, who became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, admitted during the court proceedings that she had disobeyed the police order but pleaded not guilty and said that she was acting out of necessity. "It is absurd that those who act in line with science should pay the price for it," she told reporters in the Malmo district court. Thunberg and other activists from the group Reclaim the Future blocked the road for oil trucks...
By Matt McKnight BICKLETON, Washington (Reuters) -A fast-growing wildfire forced residents to evacuate a rural stretch of southern Washington state's Klickitat County on Saturday after it burned more than 30,000 acres in less than 24 hours. The Newell Road Wildfire has already destroyed several structures in the area and is threatening homes, farms, crops and livestock, solar and wind farms and a natural gas pipeline, county emergency officials said. The fire was also moving toward the Yakama Indian Reservation, Allen Lebovitz, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Natural Resources, said in an interview in Bickleton, a community of about 80 people about 120 miles (190 km) east of Portland, Oregon. "It's very difficult terrain to fight fire," Lebovitz said. "We are under a red...
A 71-year-old man died at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park on Tuesday afternoon in what officials say may have been a heat-related fatality. The man, who has not yet been identified, collapsed outside a restroom at Golden Canyon as temperatures soared to around 121 degrees Fahrenheit with actual temperatures inside Golden Canyon likely much higher due to canyon walls radiating the sun’s heat, the National Park Service said in a news release.The man was wearing a sun hat and hiking clothes and had likely been hiking the popular trail, officials said. Other park visitors noticed the man and called 911 at around 3:40 p.m. local time, the National Park Service said. Park rangers responded minutes later, while an air helicopter was not able to be deployed due to the high temperature. Rescuers...
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Speaker Kevin McCarthy visited a natural gas drilling site in northeast Ohio to promote House Republicans' plan to sharply increase domestic production of energy from fossil fuels last month, the signs of rising global temperatures could not be ignored. Smoke from Canadian wildfires hung in the air.When the speaker was asked about climate change and forest fires, he was ready with a response: Plant a trillion trees.The idea — simple yet massively ambitious — revealed recent Republican thinking on how to address climate change. The party is no longer denying that global warming exists, yet is searching for a response to sweltering summers, weather disasters and rising sea levels that doesn't involve abandoning their enthusiastic support for American-produced energy from...
DEATH VALLEY, California (Reuters) - An extreme heatwave peaked in the western United States on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 128 Fahrenheit (53 Celsius) in the California desert, while flash flooding continued to menace the Northeast, killing at least five people. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population fell under extreme heat advisories, partly due to a stubborn heat dome that has been parked over western states. While baking parts of the country, the heat dome has also helped generate heavy rains in the Northeast, a pattern expected to continue for days if not weeks, according to the National Weather Service. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, downpours and flash flooding over the weekend killed at least five people. Nearly 7 inches (17 cm) of rain fell on the...
Fred and Joan Chapman pose for a picture in front of their house near a land that will be home to a proposed Ford Motor Co electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall Township, Michigan, U.S. (Ben Klayman/Reuters)Ben Klayman / reutersMARSHALL, Michigan (Reuters) - Fred Chapman has a message for Ford Motor Co, which is planning to build a sprawling factory on the outskirts of this town to make batteries for electric cars and which promises to employ 2,500 people. “We don’t need jobs,” he says. That’s a surprising view coming from Chapman, a 62-year-old toolmaker who has spent his whole career in manufacturing and watched, over the decades, as factory after factory in the region shut down, including one in Marshall that made auto parts where Chapman worked for nearly a decade. He now commutes...
ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — Volunteers pulled out their snow shovels Wednesday to clear inches of mud after torrential rain and flooding inundated communities across Vermont, trapping people in homes, closing roadways and littering streets and businesses with debris.The water drained off most streets in the state capital of Montpelier, where the swollen Winooski River flooded basements and ground floors, destroying merchandise and furniture across the picturesque downtown. Other communities cleaned up as well from historic floods that were more destructive than Tropical Storm Irene in many places. Dozens of roads remained closed, and thousands of homes and businesses are damaged.But with people still being rescued, high water still blocking some roads and new flash flood warnings issued with more rain...
ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — A storm that dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast brought more flooding Tuesday to communities marooned by water, including the state capital, where a dam just upstream was threatening to overflow. The flooding has already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, officials said, with more to come: If water pours over the dam on the Winooski River that flows through Montpelier, it could surge through downtown blocks where the floods were already waist-high. “Floodwaters continue to rise in some places, like our capital city, and have surpassed the levels seen during Tropical Storm Irene,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said. Irene killed six people in Vermont in August 2011, washing homes off their foundations and damaging...
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The harassment started to intensify as TV meteorologist Chris Gloninger did more reporting on climate change during local newscasts — outraged emails and even a threat to show up at his house.Gloninger said he had been recruited, in part, to “shake things up” at the Iowa station where he worked, but backlash was building. The man who sent him a series of threatening emails was charged with third-degree harassment. The Des Moines station asked him to dial back his coverage, facing what he called an understandable pressure to maintain ratings.“I started just connecting the dots between extreme weather and climate change, and then the volume of pushback started to increase quite dramatically,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press.So, on June 21, he announced...
Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high set the day before, the latest grim milestone in a week that has seen a series of climate-change-driven extremes.The average global temperature was 17.18 Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That matched a record set Tuesday, and came after a previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Monday.While the figures are not an official government record, “this is showing us an indication of where we are right now,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Sarah Kapnick. And NOAA indicated it will take the figures into consideration...
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Russia is plotting a potentially dangerous attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which Russian forces have occupied for more than a year. Russia has accused Ukraine, meanwhile, of plotting to attack the same sprawling Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, southern Ukraine, in the next two days. It was a nerve-racking night for people across Ukraine amid the crossfire of accusations, but especially in the towns and cities near the Zaporizhzhia plant, including the city of Zaporizhzhia just a few miles away, which Russia never managed to capture.Zelenskyy laid out his claims in detail Tuesday night, saying Russian forces had "placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units"...
Maps of unusually warm sea surface temperatures are awash in reds and oranges this summer, illustrating a series of marine heat waves across much of the globe and raising fears for what the rest of the year could bring as the heat persists and even intensifies. Roughly 40% of the world’s oceans are experiencing marine heat waves, the most since satellite tracking started in 1991, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.By September, that number is projected to climb to 50%, a number that is "kind of scary," said Dillon Amaya, a research scientist with NOAA's Physical Sciences Laboratory. The heat waves could linger through the end of the year.The spike in ocean temperatures – fueled in part by global climate change – has set off alarms among scientists because...
A 57-year-old woman died on an 8-mile hike in Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday, when temperatures topped 100 degrees, park officials said.Park rangers got a call about a hiker in distress at 6:30 p.m., and when the woman was found in a remote area of the park at 1 a.m. she was dead, the National Park Service said in a statement.She was on an 8-mile hike in the Tuweep area of Arizona, which is described as a remote region.The heat was well over 100 degrees Sunday. A cause of death is under investigation, but the park warned of the dangers of extreme heat in a statement Monday.A large part of the Southwest, including the Grand Canyon area, was under an excessive heat warning Monday. The temperature in Phantom Ranch was 114 degrees, the National Weather Service said.The Grand Canyon is under...
By Valerie Volcovici (Reuters) - The Biden administration's climate agenda is facing an unexpected challenge in drought-prone Corpus Christi, Texas, where a proposed clean hydrogen hub would require the installation of energy-intensive, expensive and potentially environmentally damaging seawater desalination plants. The Gulf Coast port is in the running for up to $1 billion available under President Joe Biden's 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to create a regional hub to produce hydrogen, a low-emissions fuel made by electrolyzing water that can help decarbonize heavy-emitting industries and transportation. A hydrogen hub would require access to millions of gallons of water – a challenge in Corpus Christi which is experiencing a multi-year drought. While local officials...
(Reuters) - The conservative U.S. political network led by billionaire Charles Koch has raised over $70 million to spend on political races, an official with the group said on Thursday, with a key goal of stopping former President Donald Trump from clinching the 2024 Republican nomination. The influential group, which pushes for tax cuts and less government regulation, is set to dive into the Republican presidential primaries for the first time in its two-decade history. Koch, ranked among the richest people in the world, compiled his wealth as an executive at his family's company Koch Industries, a conglomerate involved in fossil fuels, commodities and other businesses. It was unclear what proportion of the $70 million raised by Americans for Prosperity Action, the Koch network super PAC...
A 14-year-old boy fell ill and ultimately died in extreme heat while he was hiking Saturday in Big Bend National Park in Texas, officials said.His stepfather, identified only as a 31-year-old man, died seeking help for the boy when the vehicle he was in veered off its path and crashed down an embankment beneath an overlook, the National Park Service said in a statement.The teenager's cause of death was pending. The local sheriff's office, where the Brewster County medical examiner is based, did not immediately respond to a request for information. The park service said the teenager was hiking with his stepfather and an older brother, all from Florida, along the Marufo Vega Trail, near the U.S.-Mexico border, as temperatures reached 119 degrees Saturday. Park rangers received a call for help...
Francesca Emm was recently flying over the Great Barrier Reef near Whitsunday Islands when something peculiar caught her eye.Beneath her plane, a white spot disrupted the vivid blue of the ocean. Emm took her camera out and started recording. She sent her video to the White Whale Research Center, and sure enough — she had caught a glimpse of an incredibly rare all-white humpback whale, according to a June 16 post by the center on Twitter.“It was definitely swimming,” Emm told the center, another tweet said. “We were heading North East and it was heading the same direction as us!”This video footage was received by the White Whale Research Center on Friday 16th June from a tourist flying over the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsunday Islands area. It shows a possible sighting of a white whale...
(Reuters) - The third topical depression of the 2023 hurricane season has formed in the central tropical Atlantic and is expected to become a hurricane in a few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday. The depression, about 1,425 miles (2,295 km) east of the southern Windward Islands, is packing maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour (55 km per hour), the Miami-based forecaster said. "The depression is forecast to strengthen and move across the Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Thursday and Friday, bringing a risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, hurricane-force winds, and dangerous storm surge and waves," the hurricane center said. While it was too early to specify the location and magnitude of where those hazards could occur, the center urged authorities in...
(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense began sending real-time satellite and sensor data to Canadian authorities on Friday, technology it said would help more quickly identify new fires as that nation endures one of its most destructive early wildfire seasons. The U.S. has already dispatched more than 600 firefighters to Canada to help battle the flames. President Joe Biden, who has linked wildfires to climate change, said U.S. officials were monitoring air quality and aviation delays. "Starting today, DOD personnel will analyze and share real time data derived from U.S. satellites and sensors and convey it via a cooperative agreement between the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adam...
An illustration of the brain-eating amoeba infection, naegleriasis. Flagellate forms, trophozites and cysts of the parasite Naegleria fowleri. (Getty Images)sutthiphorn phanchart via Getty ImagesThe risk of getting a “brain-eating amoeba” or Naegleria fowleri from swimming is incredibly rare, with only 29 infections in the United States since 2013. But the freshwater amoeba is known for causing sudden deaths, especially among minors. While you’re unlikely to be infected, warmer temperatures from climate change might make them more common. Earlier this year, a Florida resident died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, possibly a result of the person rinsing their sinuses with tap water, state health officials said. And in 2022, a Nevada boy who contracted the amoeba − potentially at Lake Mead...
HONOLULU (AP) — Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, began erupting on Wednesday after a three-month pause, displaying spectacular fountains of mesmerizing, glowing lava that's a safe distance from people and structures in a national park on the Big Island. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement that a glow was detected in webcam images from Kilauea’s summit early in the morning, indicating that an eruption was occurring within the Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera.The images show fissures at the base of the crater generating lava flows on the crater floor's surface, the observatory said.Before issuing the eruption notice, the observatory said increased earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at the...
The United Nations warned of "grave and far-reaching consequences" for thousands of people following the destruction of part of a major dam in a Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine. The U.N.'s humanitarian aid chief Martin Griffiths made the comments while addressing the international body's Security Council late Tuesday. He said the scale of the catastrophe, which has triggered huge floods, mass evacuations and endangered Europe's largest nuclear power plant, will only become clear in the coming days. The Ukraine military said Russian forces had retreated a few miles from the area around the dam but continued to shell the swamped city of Kherson."They searched those areas of Kherson that were flooded," military spokesperson Nataliya Gumenyuk said Wednesday on Ukrainian TV. "They fired...
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of states under red flag warnings.Five states were under red flag warnings Tuesday due to hot, dry and unstable conditions, the National Weather Service said.Parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Washington and Alaska will remain under the warning until 8-10 p.m. local time, the weather service said.In Pennsylvania, lightning strikes may cause fires to start in dry areas. In Washington, dry and unstable air mass with warm temperatures could contribute to a fire. “Be careful with any activities that could potentially lead to a wildfire,” the weather service warned Michigan residents. “Camping, outdoor grills, smoking materials, chain saws and all-terrain vehicles all have the potential to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous...
Officials at Yellowstone National Park are urging the public to keep a distance from wildlife after several recent incidents involving people interacting with animals — including a baby elk that was picked up by tourists and driven in their car."In recent days, some actions by visitors have led to the endangerment of people and wildlife and resulted in the death of wildlife," the park said in a news release on Thursday. "The park calls on visitors to protect wildlife by understanding how their actions can negatively impact wildlife.Officials said that over Memorial Day Weekend, visitors put a newborn elk in their car while driving in the park and brought the animal to the West Yellowstone, Montana, Police Department. Park officials said the calf "later ran off into the forest and its condition...
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt another setback to organized labor by making it easier for employers to sue over strikes that cause property destruction in a ruling siding with a concrete business in Washington state that sued the union representing its truck drivers after a work stoppage. The 8-1 decision overturned a lower court's ruling that said the lawsuit filed by Glacier Northwest Inc, which sells and delivers ready-mix concrete, against a local affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters was preempted by a U.S. law called the National Labor Relations Act. Glacier Northwest is a unit of Japan-based Taiheiyo Cement Corp. Glacier Northwest filed a lawsuit in Washington state court accusing the union of intentional property...
MAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) — A man from Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge alleging he picked up a bison calf in Yellowstone National Park, causing the animal's herd to reject it and leading park officials to kill it rather than allow it to be a hazard to visitors.A federal magistrate judge ordered the man to pay a $500 fine and make a $500 payment to the Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund for the charge of intentionally disturbing wildlife, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Wyoming said.Prosecutors said the man approached a struggling newborn bison calf, which had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River on May 20. He pushed the calf up from the river and onto the nearby roadway. Human interference with young wildlife can cause animals to shun their offspring...
Sure, we all complain about the humidity on a sweltering summer day. But it turns out that same humidity could be a source of clean, pollution-free energy, according to a new study."Air humidity is a vast, sustainable reservoir of energy that, unlike solar and wind, is continuously available," said the study, which was published recently in the journal Advanced Materials.“This is very exciting,” said Xiaomeng Liu, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and the paper’s lead author. “We are opening up a wide door for harvesting clean electricity from thin air.”In fact, researchers say that nearly any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air.Future shock: On Earth Day, scientists tell us what 2050 could be like...
Sudden infant death syndrome, the unforeseen and unexplained death of a baby younger than one year old, is by definition a mystery. But researchers are getting closer to understanding some of the risk factors and mechanisms that contribute to SIDS.The prevailing theory points to three possible factors: First, the infant is at a critical stage of development during the first year of life. Second, the baby is exposed to a stressor, such as sleeping face down, which can lower the amount of oxygen in their blood while raising the level of carbon dioxide. And third, the infant has an underlying abnormality that makes it harder to survive that traumatic event. A study published Thursday in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology points to one such abnormality.Researchers from Boston...
By Hannah Confino and Ari Rabinovitch TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A deadly epidemic that is spreading through the Red Sea has killed off an entire species of sea urchin in the Gulf of Aqaba, imperilling the region's uniquely resilient coral reefs, an Israeli research team has found. The whole population of black sea urchins, a species known for helping keep coral reefs healthy in the waters also known as the Gulf of Eilat, was wiped out over a couple months, according to a team from Tel Aviv University. Their findings, published in two peer-reviewed journals, cite mass mortality in other countries in the region, including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The probable culprit is a disease-causing ciliate parasite that brings with it a fast death - perhaps the same one that has wreaked havoc...
Bison at Yellowstone National Park. (Doug Lindey)Doug LindeyYellowstone National Park staff killed a newborn bison after a visitor helped it cross a river, an apparent rescue effort that prompted the calf’s herd to reject the animal, park officials said Tuesday. The calf had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed a river in a northern section of the park on Saturday, Yellowstone said in a news release.As the calf struggled to cross the river, the man approached the animal and pushed it up from the river and onto a roadway, the release says.Visitors later saw the calf walk up to cars and people and follow them, according to the release.Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd, but the efforts failed, according to the release, which notes that interference...
HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are joining their counterparts from other countries during their summit in Japan in an effort to expand the G7’s sway and to include voices from the so-called Global South.From South America to South Asia, Ukraine to the South Pacific, the guests represent a carefully considered choice of countries including big emerging economies like Australia, Brazil, Indonesia and India and smaller ones like the Comoros and Cook Islands. Critics accuse the G7 of being an “elite club” of countries whose relevance as global leaders is being eclipsed by up-and-coming powers. By including leaders of big but less wealthy democracies like India and Brazil, Japan and the other G7 countries aim to amplify their consensus on vital issues like...
Momentum seems to be shifting to Ukraine on eastern Europe’s bloody battlefields. But Russia still has the resources to ride out a long war, despite US-led sanctions meant to starve the marauding nation and its president, Vladimir Putin, of warmaking capability.After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and many allies imposed sanctions on Russia widely touted as some of the toughest ever. They’ve tightened over time and now include limits on Russia’s ability to bank with the outside world, a ban on many technology imports to Russia, boycotts of Russian energy products, and a price cap on Russian oil meant to starve Russia of its top source of cash.Yet Russia lumbers on. “Russia is not under the kind of pressure that the US economically thought it would be a year ago,”...
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)ASSOCIATED PRESSSen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is becoming a bigger problem for President Biden and Democrats in the Senate as he faces an uphill reelection battle in West Virginia, a state where former President Trump won one of his biggest victories in 2020. Manchin has criticized Biden and Democrats publicly, opposed various nominees and, this week, said he would oppose every one of the president’s nominations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Before an election in which Biden is casting himself as a centrist and stable choice for the country, Manchin accused his EPA nominees of pursuing an “extreme ideology” and panned the administration’s plan to limit greenhouse pollution from...
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Temperatures are expected to start climbing significantly Saturday in parts of the Pacific Northwest as an early heat wave takes hold, possibly breaking records and worsening wildfires already burning in western Canada.The historically temperate region has grappled with scorching summer temperatures and unprecedented wildfires fueled by climate change in recent years.The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory lasting from Saturday through Monday for much of the western parts of both Oregon and Washington state. It said the temperatures could raise the risk of heat-related illness, particularly for those who are dehydrated or don’t have effective cooling.Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, are expected to hover around 94 F (34.4 C) throughout the weekend, according...
Imagine working aboard a research station on the ocean floor, watching sea creatures swim past, then venturing out to explore the ocean’s surface. Or being able to examine the impact of climate change on coral reefs from the windows of your undersea research station. Such facilities have so far been limited, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and developers of a proposed new “first of its kind” research laboratory hope to expand the opportunities and help humans learn more about the ocean. Proteus Ocean Group – co-founded by Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the late ocean exploration pioneer Jacques Cousteau – is developing an “underwater space station of the ocean.” The group plans to build the station nearly 60 feet deep off the coast of Curaçao in the Caribbean by 2026. NOAA...
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he would oppose all nominees for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posts until President Joe Biden's administration halts what he described as its "radical climate agenda." Manchin, who represents the coal-producing state West Virginia, delivered his ultimatum a day ahead of the EPA's planned roll-out on Thursday of its new carbon emission standards for new and existing power plants. He said he worried the rules could cripple coal and gas-fired power plants. "If the reports are true, the pending EPA proposal would impact nearly all fossil-fueled power plants in the United States, which generate about 60 percent of our electricity, without an adequate plan to replace the lost baseload generation,"...
A heat signature detected in a thickly forested part of Glacier National Park led rescuers to a 19-year-old who had slipped off a mountain trail and was missing, officials said Tuesday.Matthew Read, 19, had last been heard from Friday and was reported missing Sunday, the National Park Service said.At 11 p.m. Monday, a helicopter detected Read's heat signature in what was described as heavily forested terrain. He was hoisted to the helicopter and flown to an ambulance, it said.Read was stable, the park service said in a statement Tuesday.He was hiking the Huckleberry Lookout trail when he slipped into a drainage on Huckleberry Mountain with deep snow, the park service said."He descended into chest-deep snow, losing his phone, water bottle, and shoes," it said in a statement. He could not return...
Daily tides stoked with increasingly warmer water ate a hole taller than the Washington Monument at the bottom of one of Greenland's major glaciers in the last couple years, accelerating the retreat of a crucial part of the glacier, a new study found.And scientists worry that the phenomenon isn't limited to this one glacier, raising questions about previous projections of melting rates on the world's vulnerable ice sheets.The rapid melt seen in this study was in the far northwest of Greenland on Petermann Glacier. If it is happening in the rest of Greenland and the even bigger Antarctic ice sheet, then global ice loss and the sea level rise could jump as much as twice as fast as previously thought, according to the study in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.“It's bad...
LONDON — At least 25 anti-monarchy activists and other protesters were arrested on the morning of King Charles III’s coronation Saturday, a reminder not everyone in the United Kingdom has been swept up in the royal adulation dominating TV screens.Six people from the anti-royalist campaign group Republic and 19 people from environmental activists Just Stop Oil were detained by the Metropolitan Police in central London, near to where Charles was being crowned, according to the groups.For free speech campaigners and some onlookers, it was a chilling scene, even on a day where polls and anecdote suggest that apathy — rather than royal or anti-monarchical fervor — is the prevailing mood in Britain.Hours earlier, London’s Metropolitan Police tweeted it would “deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining...
Driven primarily by wind and solar power, renewable energy sources surpassed coal for electricity generation in the United States last year, marking a significant milestone. However, as the industry expands, a new problem emerges: what to do with the mounting waste generated by worn-out solar panels and wind turbine blades. More than 90% of discarded solar panels end up in landfills. By 2030, the retired panels are estimated to cover an area equivalent to about 3,000 football fields. But the panels, primarily composed of glass and aluminum, contain valuable and reusable materials. At a solar panel recycling plant in Yuma, Arizona, Adam Saghei, CEO of We Recycle Solar, and his company aim to tackle what he calls a "tsunami" of impending solar waste by recycling or reusing nearly 70 million pounds...
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government may soon require natural gas-fired power plants to install technology to capture carbon emissions, sources said, as President Joe Biden's administration enacts new rules to help decarbonize the power sector in 12 years. The Environmental Protection Agency as soon as this week is expected to unveil standards for new and existing power plants, which belch roughly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, two sources said. The rules will replace former President Donald Trump's American Clean Energy rule and former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, both of which were invalidated by courts. More than a year in the making, the standards should be based on a plant's potential to reduce emissions through carbon capture...
Thousands of miles from Washington, Beijing or Taiwan, the race between China and the West is heating up — in the coldest place on the planet.China has restarted construction on its fifth base in Antarctica for the first time since 2018 and is making “significant progress,” according to new analysis. The U.S. has three year-round research stations in the Antarctic.The new Chinese site could be used to strengthen its intelligence-gathering capabilities in the area, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, said in the report released Tuesday. And it comes as China is “undertaking the most significant expansion of its footprint there in a decade,” according to CSIS. The report, “Frozen Frontiers,” also detailed China’s moves in the Arctic, where it...
In some ways, it was the Florida Man of storms – not quite knowing when to say when.Usually, thunderstorms fizzle out after they run out of rain or get cold air sucked in. They run out of gas. But not Wednesday, when the storm that hit Fort Lauderdale had a gas station nearby — the warm and moisture-rich Gulf Stream.The end result was more than 25 inches of rain drenching and flooding Fort Lauderdale in six to eight hours. That ranked among the top three in major U.S. cities over a 24-hour period, behind Hilo, Hawaii's, 27 inches in 2000 and Port Arthur, Texas's 26.5 inches in 2017, according to weather historian Chris Burt.While it could happen in other places in coastal America, Florida has the right topography, plenty of warm water nearby and other favorable conditions, said Greg Carbin...
No celebrity does relatable fashion quite like Jennifer Garner. The actress is our go-to source for finding everything from cozy sweaters to flattering jeans and comfortable sneakers. One of her faves, Allbirds Wool Runners, are also loved by several other Hollywood A-listers, including Mila Kunis, Cindy Crawford and even Jennifer's ex-husband Ben Affleck. (Yes, the comfy kicks come in a men’s version too.)Jennifer has been spotted in the Allbirds sneakers several times over the years, and it’s easy to see why she is such a fan. The comfy sneakers boast the world’s first carbon-negative green EVA midsoles (made from Brazilian sugarcane), a cushioned insole (made from castor bean oil) and a moisture-wicking and odor-reducing upper (made from ZQ Merino wool). Even the laces are sustainable —...
Former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway said she's worried young voter turnout in the 2024 election will hurt the Republican party as the Biden administration turns to social media influencers. "I think we got some work to do on the young people who think differently on abortion perhaps, guns, or climate change,'' Conway told Fox News' Laura Ingraham.While most Americans (53%) say medication abortion should be legal, 66% of Americans ages 18-29 say it should be legal compared to the 12% that say it should be illegal, according to Pew Research Center. Conway also said she’s concerned the left is becoming a “turnout machine” with young voters because of the administration’s use of influencers.“Influencers have this domino effect, lemming-like effect of people just all...wanting to be part of...
Urban water crises are driven in large part by “unsustainable consumption” on the part of elite city residents, such as their swimming pools and well-watered gardens, according to a new study. The research, published in Nature Sustainability, used Cape Town in South Africa to study the consumption habits of wealthier city-dwellers compared to poorer ones. It found that the richest 14 percent of people used more than 51 percent of the water, fueling water problems “at least as much as climate change or population growth.”“While benefiting a privileged minority, this political–economic system is unsustainable because it reduces the availability of natural resources for the less-advantaged population and causes various forms of environmental degradation,” the study reads. The richest people in...
Millions in the U.S. could currently be at risk of consuming toxic material through their drinking water, according to a new survey released by the Environmental Protection Agency. The report found there are more than 9 million lead service lines – known to be a "significant source" of lead contamination – used to carry drinking water to homes throughout the nation.The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, conducted in 2021 as part of requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act, looked at more than 3,600 public water systems across the country and its territories. Based on those results, EPA officials estimate that there are roughly 9.2 million lead service lines in the U.S. Every state has at least a few thousand lead pipes, but two states stand out for their estimated...
Expect to pay more at the pump if oil prices stay at current levels. Crude futures are trading about $5 higher per barrel after OPEC+ announced a surprise cut in production.The average cost of gasoline in the U.S. is currently $3.51 per gallon, according to AAA. “We should expect it to continue ticking higher here in the next month or two, perhaps heading toward that $4 a gallon level there. So in summary, higher prices basically,” Matt Smith, lead oil analyst at Kypler, told Yahoo Finance Live.“As we know, with prices at the pump—they shoot up like a rocket but float lower like a feather. And so this is going to provide a bump at the pump essentially,” he added.While higher prices are expected, its unlikely they’ll go near the record $5.01 per gallon reached in June of last year.“Gasoline...
LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC and its allies, including Russia, agreed on Sunday to widen crude oil production cuts to 3.66 million barrels per day (bpd) or 3.7% of global demand. The surprise announcement helped push up prices by $5 per barrel to above $85 per barrel. Here are the main reasons why OPEC+ is cutting output: CONCERNS ABOUT WEAK GLOBAL DEMAND Saudi Arabia has said voluntary output cuts of 1.66 million bpd on top of the existing 2 million bpd cuts were made as a precautionary measure aimed at supporting market stability. Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said the Western banking crisis was one of the reasons behind the cut as well as "interference with market dynamics", a Russian expression to describe a Western price cap on Russian oil. Fears of a fresh banking...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers on Sunday announced surprise cuts totaling 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the year, a move that could raise prices worldwide.Higher oil prices would help fill Russian President Vladimir Putin's coffers as his country wages war on Ukraine and force Americans and others to pay even more at the pump amid worlwide inflation.It was also likely to further strain ties with the United States, which has called on Saudi Arabia and other allies to increase production as it tries to bring prices down and squeeze Russia's finances.The Saudi Energy Ministry said its own reduction of 500,000 barrels per day would be made in coordination with some OPEC and non-OPEC members, without naming them. The cuts are...
The United States is Earth's punching bag for nasty weather.Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, jutting peninsulas like Florida, clashing storm fronts and the jet stream combine to naturally brew the nastiest of weather.That’s only part of it. Nature dealt the United States a bad hand, but people have made it much worse by what, where and how we build, several experts told The Associated Press. Then add climate change, and “buckle up. More extreme events are expected,” said Rick Spinrad, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Flash floods. Droughts. Wildfires. Blizzards. Ice storms...
Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022.“I’m happy to see we’ve crossed that threshold, but that is only a step in what has to be a very rapid and much cheaper journey,” said Stephen Porder, a professor of ecology and assistant provost for sustainability at Brown University.California produced 26% of the national utility-scale solar electricity followed by Texas with 16% and North Carolina with 8%.The most wind generation occurred in Texas, which...
SAN DIEGO (AP) — As drought dried up rivers that carry California’s newly hatched Chinook salmon to the ocean, state officials in recent years resorted to loading up the fish by the millions onto trucks and barges to take them to the Pacific.The surreal and desperate scramble boosted the survival rate of the hatchery-raised fish, but still it was not enough to reverse the declining stocks in the face of added challenges. River water temperatures rose with warm weather, and a Trump-era rollback of federal protections for waterways allowed more water to be diverted to farms. Climate change, meanwhile, threatens food sources for the young Chinook maturing in the Pacific. Now, ocean salmon fishing season is set to be prohibited this year off California and much of Oregon for the second time in...
Wednesday updates: Read our latest weather news here. Tuesday may be the first full day of spring, but that isn’t stopping parts of the country from California to the Plains and the Southeast from seeing wet, cold weather.A potent storm slammed into California on Tuesday morning, bringing howling winds along with driving rain and heavy snow to the state. Mountainous regions of the Golden State are expecting heavy snow of up to 5 feet on Tuesday and Wednesday; wind gusts of up to 70 mph were already reported. In the central U.S., winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings were also in effect across portions of the Plains and Midwest on Tuesday; snow accumulations of up to 5 inches and slick roads are expected. Elsewhere, sub-freezing temperatures were reported across the South during...
By Nick Carey, Paul Lienert and Sarah McFarlane LONDON/DETROIT (Reuters) -For many electric vehicles, there is no way to repair or assess even slightly damaged battery packs after accidents, forcing insurance companies to write off cars with few miles - leading to higher premiums and undercutting gains from going electric. And now those battery packs are piling up in scrapyards in some countries, a previously unreported and expensive gap in what was supposed to be a "circular economy." "We're buying electric cars for sustainability reasons," said Matthew Avery, research director at automotive risk intelligence company Thatcham Research. "But an EV isn't very sustainable if you've got to throw the battery away after a minor collision." Battery packs can cost tens of thousands of dollars...
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit that shows off Beijing's new swagger in world diplomatic affairs and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for him on war crimes charges related to the war in Ukraine.China and Russia have described Xi’s trip as an opportunity to further deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries also have held joint military drills.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on Monday, Putin and Xi will touch on issues related to Ukraine, adding that Russia's...
ST.. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators said Thursday they're monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant, and the company said there's no danger to the public.“Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment,” the Minneapolis-based utility said in a statement.While Xcel reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill had not been made public before Thursday. State officials said they waited to get more information before going public with it.“We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well, however Xcel had not yet identified the source...
Beachgoers in Florida and the Caribbean could be greeted by heavy blankets of smelly seaweed in the weeks ahead as a 5,000 mile swath of sargassum drifts westward and piles onto white sandy beaches.Sargassum, a naturally-occurring type of macroalgae, has grown at an alarming rate this winter. The belt stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula and is as much as 200-300 miles wide. "This year could be the biggest year yet," even bigger than previous upticks, said Brian Lapointe, an algae specialist and research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. It's already beginning to wash up in the Florida Keys and Barbados and elsewhere in the region, but researchers don't know where the bulk of it could wind up. How...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer.The plan would limit toxic PFAS chemicals to the lowest level that tests can detect. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are a group of compounds that are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water. They don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to a broad range of health issues, including low birthweight and kidney cancer.“The science is clear that long-term exposure to PFAS is linked to significant health risks,” Radhika Fox, assistant EPA administrator for water, said in an interview.Fox called...
By Clark Mindock and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The oil industry on Monday cheered the U.S. government's greenlighting of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska's Arctic, but court challenges could mire the plans in further delays. President Joe Biden's administration approved a trimmed-down version of the $7 billion Willow project on federal lands in a pristine area on Alaska's north coast. Biden has been trying to balance his goal of decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050 as Russia's war in Ukraine raises worries about global energy security. ConocoPhillips has held the leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska since 1999. Former President Donald Trump's administration approved the project in 2020. But Alaska District Court Judge Sharon Gleason...
Technicians mounting solar panels on roof of house. (Getty Images)anatoliy_gleb via Getty ImagesAmericans will soon have the chance to fight climate change, lower their bills, make their homes more up-to-date and comfortable — all while saving money. That's the idea of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and rebates.The IRA means big-ticket items like electric and induction stoves, solar panels, insulation and heat pumps could soon be a lot cheaper for many households. Climate-friendly purchases have a reputation as being a luxury — premium purchases that not everyone can afford. But that's changing, and now going green can also save you green in many cases. These rebates and tax credits don't just save you money now, they can save you money in the long term too as your new, energy-efficient...
The red carpet season may wrap up tonight, but the 95th Academy Awards red carpet may take the cake for the awards show with the most glamorous beauty moments ever. And one of our favorite drool-worthy hair and makeup looks has to be Salma Hayek’s. While the actress sizzled in a bold orange sequin Gucci gown, she kept things more low-key and approachable with her beauty look with bronzy makeup from Makeup by Mario and gorgeous tousled waves that were achieved with affordable hair products from Verb. Luckily for you, the hair oil behind her shiny, frizz-free strands is so budget-friendly, it can be yours for less than $20 on Amazon.Salma’s hairstylist, Jennifer Yepez, shared a behind-the-scenes look at all the products that she used on the A-lister’s hair on her Instagram Stories, writing she...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A 16-year-old girl in the Florida Panhandle was killed when a tree fell on the vehicle she was in during a fierce storm that saw wind speeds reach 80 mph (129 km), authorities said.The girl was killed and the vehicle's driver was hospitalized Friday after the storms swept through the Tallahassee area, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office.Because of the damaging winds, authorities in neighboring Jefferson County temporarily closed Interstate 10, the main highway through the Florida Panhandle.Damage was caused by straight-line winds that reached speeds of between 60 and 80 mph (96 and 129 kph), according to the National Weather Service.
California is facing a fresh battering from severe weather this weekend, with a winter storm expected to bring heavy snow, rain and the threat of floods to parts of the state, potentially putting "lives and property" in "great danger," forecasters have warned.The storm is expected to affect the West Coast, particularly California, through Friday, bringing a "burst of heavy precipitation," the National Weather Service said. The weather service’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a High Risk of excessive rainfall over California through Saturday morning, with severe, widespread flash flooding expected with the storm. “Areas that normally do not experience flash flooding will flood,” the weather service said. “Lives and property are in great danger from Friday into Saturday morning,” it warned.An...
KYIV (Reuters) - Russia unleashed a new wave of air strikes across Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least six people and knocking out power, including to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. Ukraine's military said Russia fired 81 missiles and eight drones in attacks mainly targeting energy infrastructure, and that the weapons used included six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles which Ukraine cannot intercept. The attacks were mainly on energy facilities and hit more than half a dozen regions, striking the capital Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second-largest city Kharkiv. Ukraine's military said air defences knocked out at least 34 missiles and four Shahed suicide drones, but regional officials said five people were killed in the western region of Lviv and one in southeastern...
A recent Citibank research note got my attention. “Total gross crude and other liquid exports hit a record of 11.128 million barrels per day, more than the total output of either Russia or Saudi Arabia,” Citi energy analysts wrote on March 1. “U.S. net crude imports fell to lows not seen since the 1950s.”You won’t hear the Biden administration bragging about these fossil-fuel developments, but they’re welcome nonetheless. More U.S. energy production will put downward pressure on gasoline and electricity prices and make the United States less vulnerable against Russian efforts to use energy as a weapon. Many Americans think U.S. “energy independence” is a thing of the past, overtaken by President Biden’s focus on green energy. But Citi is highlighting data showing that American dependence on...
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Norfolk Southern has pledged several million dollars to cover the cost of the response and recovery in Pennsylvania after last month's derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals just across the border in Ohio, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday.Shapiro's office said he met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Thursday and secured what they call an initial commitment for financial aid as the cleanup from the Feb. 3 derailment continues.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to cover the costs of cleanup from the derailment that toppled 38 rail cars in East Palestine, Ohio. No one was hurt, but concerns over a explosion led state and local officials to approve releasing and burning toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars.The resulting...
Millions of Americans, including those in California, Idaho and Maine, have been warned of winter weather danger this weekend as power outages plague states in the East from Alabama to New York after a deadly outbreak of severe weather.Northern California residents already socked by snow will get more on Saturday.A powerful winter storm that pummeled the Midwest this week will set its sights on the Northeast. Another winter storm is headed for parts of the Midwest, but much of the southern Midwest and Plains states can expect a fairly tranquil weekend. This comes in the days after a multistate severe weather outbreak slammed wide swaths of the South and Midwest with tornadoes, fierce winds and flash floods, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. Tens of thousands were also...
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities with few resources.Concerned about the chemicals' ability to weaken children's immune systems, the EPA said last year that PFAS could cause harm at levels “much lower than previously understood.”"We as a community of scientists and policymakers and regulators really missed the boat early on,” said Susan Pinney, director of the Center for Environmental Genetics at the University of Cincinnati.There is also evidence the compounds are linked to low birthweight, kidney cancer and a slew of other health...
WASHINGTON – Tucked away in a secretive office, a little-known team of government scientists began looking into al-Qaeda and the possibility of a biological weapons attack after terrorists exposed a "gaping hole" in national security on Sept. 11, 2001.Known simply as the "Z Division," the team was established in the U.S. Department of Energy to help intelligence agencies understand the significance of Soviet nuclear weapons tests. But the 9/11 terrorist attacks would change its mission. Two decades later, the Z Division finds itself in the middle of a storm as it tries to answer the question that scientists, doctors and ordinary Americans are asking about the roots of the COVID-19 pandemic: How did it happen?A new classified intelligence report prepared by experts from the Energy Department's...
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is at risk of disappearing within five years, scientists say.Johnny Adolphson/ShutterstockScientists have warned that the Great Salt Lake in Utah could disappear within five years.The lake supports major industries, provides habitats, and suppresses toxic dust in the lakebed.Lawmakers in Utah are working to pass water conservation bills before the current session ends on Friday.Lawmakers in Utah are working to address the calls of scientists who say time is running out to save the Great Salt Lake from disappearing and stave off impending environmental disaster."Great Salt Lake is facing unprecedented danger. Without a dramatic increase in water flow to the lake in 2023 and 2024, its disappearance could cause immense damage to Utah's public health, environment, and...
A new storm teeming with freezing rain and strong winds socked Michigan on Monday, presenting a fresh challenge for crews that have been trying to restore electricity to thousands of customers who have been in the dark since ice snapped lines days ago.The state's largest utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, together said more than 130,000 customers lacked power by evening. Consumers added roughly 50,000 to its outage map, hours after reporting that the finish line from last week's storm seemed near.“There is another storm moving through mid/northern Michigan counties with ice, freezing rain and strong wind gusts,” Consumers spokesperson Josh Paciorek said by email.Meanwhile, blizzard warnings went into effect in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow moved into California...
GENEVA (AP) — A top U.S. arms control official on Monday sharply criticized Russia for suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty, but said Washington will try to work with Moscow to continue its implementation.Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that the country would suspend participation in the New START treaty which obligated both Russia and the U.S. to commit to regular communications on the status of their nuclear arsenals, allow regular on-site inspections and abide by caps on the number of deployed and non-deployed warheads of each side.“Russia is once again showing the world that it is not a responsible nuclear power,” Bonnie Jenkins, the U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control, said at a session of the Conference on Disarmament...
Environmental officials said Sunday that residential and outdoor air quality levels in East Palestine, Ohio, remained normal, just days after a town hall where frustrated residents and activists continued to demand answers on what chemicals they have been exposed to after the toxic train derailment earlier this month. During a news conference on Sunday, Debra Shore, a regional administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency, gave a series of updates, announcing that to date the agency has conducted 578 home re-entry screenings and is continuing air monitoring from 15 stations within the community. Shore said that so far there have been no reported "exceedances" for residential air quality standards and that outdoor air quality remains normal.Shore also announced that the agency had more...
LOS ANGELES — Rare blizzard warnings were in place for Southern California mountains early Friday morning as forecasters warned of 5 feet of snow at higher elevations, while other parts of the country were still recovering from a major winter storm.More than 700,000 homes and businesses in Michigan, including in the metro Detroit area, were without power early Friday morning after what a utility president called a historic ice storm.In the west, Portland, Oregon, had its second-snowiest day on record Wednesday, with over 10 inches, the National Weather Service said. The 80-year record of 14.4 inches was set Jan. 21, 1943, according to weather service records. The heavy snow wreaked havoc on travel.So many stuck cars were abandoned that the city said it was waiving fines for vehicles that are...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A coast-to-coast storm that paralyzed roads and blacked out nearly 1 million homes and businesses was set to pound California on Friday, sparking warnings about floods and blizzards.The National Weather Service warned of a “cold and dangerous winter storm" through Saturday. As much as 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow could fall in some mountains near Los Angeles, which could create whiteout conditions as winds gust to 75 mph (120 kph) and an increased risk of avalanches, forecasters said.The weather service issued rare blizzard warnings for Southern California mountain areas and urged drivers to avoid dangerous roads.Storms already have battered the Plains states and northern regions of the country for days and the National Weather Service predicted continuing problems from ice...
DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — Toxic wastewater used to extinguish a fire following a train derailment in Ohio is headed to a Houston suburb for disposal.“I and my office heard today that ‘firefighting water’ from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment is slated to be disposed of in our county," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a Wednesday statement.“Our Harris County Pollution Control Department and Harris County Attorney’s have reached out to the company and the Environmental Protection Agency to receive more information," Hidalgo wrote.The wastewater is being sent to Texas Molecular, which injects hazardous waste into the ground for disposal.The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told KTRK-TV that Texas Molecular “is authorized to accept and manage a variety of waste streams...
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After gas prices in California spiked to more than $6.40 per gallon last summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom led a charge against an industry he says is “ripping you off."Months later, it's not clear if California's Legislature is following him. Newsom, a Democrat, called lawmakers into a rare special session in December to pass what could be the nation's first penalty on oil company profits. But the bill is still sitting in the Democratic- controlled Legislature three months later, with no details on how much the penalty would be or when oil companies would have to pay it. Newsom and legislative leaders have been meeting privately to negotiate the terms.The proposal, which would broadly apply a fee to oil company profits in excess of a certain amount, will get its first public...
A private luxury yacht that ran aground on rocks and reef Monday morning at Honolua Bay – a popular surfing spot and protected marine sanctuary in west Maui – has leaked fuel into the ocean, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. A sheen of fuel was visible on the water on Tuesday morning and during the afternoon, "you could still smell fuel in the air," according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Maui County officials issued an emergency permit on Tuesday morning to intervene "in response to the increasing risk of damage to the reef and ecosystem" that the stuck yacht poses. "The longer the vessel remains in the sensitive area the higher the risk of damage," said Mayor Richard Bissen Jr., in a statement. A team from the Department of Land and Natural Resources'...
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to suspend his country’s involvement in the last remaining arms control treaty with the U.S. came as a disturbing surprise to multiple former officials who negotiated the pact and nonproliferation experts committed to ending the expansion of nuclear forces. For more than 50 years, the U.S. and Russia — the world’s two largest nuclear powers — have had some form of an agreement in place that capped their ability to produce or deploy nuclear weapons. Putin’s announcement that he was suspending participation in the New START Treaty could end that era, with some of those experts debating whether this could launch another Cold War-style arms race. Tensions between the two nations over the war in Ukraine only increases those concerns. “Putin’s clearly trying...
Days before the new year, Angela King woke up to a nauseating scent of rotten egg wafting through her neighborhood in southwest Houston. The smell was a reminder of how close she lives to a storage facility bearing 300,000 gallons of liquid propane. And now,CenterPoint Energy plans to install natural gas pipeline transmission lines 4 feet underground. Initial construction will be just 50 feet from her home, King said. King has lived in Southwest Crossings, a mostly Black and brown neighborhood, for two decades, and she and her neighbors have protested the construction, fearing for their health and safety. Propane and natural gas are highly flammable and come with risks of leaks, fires and explosions at facilities and pipelines.And their neighborhood – situated in the energy capital of the nation...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A BlackRock live webcast was interrupted several times on Thursday after questions on BlackRock's climate change responsibilities interrupted a speech by President Robert Kapito. Kapito was talking about bonds at the Bank of America Securities Financial Services Conference in New York when someone at the event shouted questions about BlackRock’s responsibility to exit investments in fossil fuels. The panel moderator, Craig Siegenthaler, managing director at BofA Global Research, asked to call security and Kapito said he would respond "at the appropriate time, not interrupting the event". The live webcast from BlackRock's website switched to playing music. This happened twice more over the next few minutes. Climate change activists have targeted BlackRock for...
For the second day in a row, the Great Lakes are at a combined ice cover low.On Feb. 13, the combined ice cover across the Great Lakes was 7.3%, breaking the old record from 2002. The historical average for ice cover season-to-date is 40%.The region is nearing the average peak of ice season, but instead, ice levels are going down due to abnormally warm, near-record air temperatures.MORE: From rain to snow, severe weather expected throughout the US this weekIce cover levels on Feb. 12:Great Lakes Basin averages 39.5% ice cover. Currently it sits at a record low of 6.9%. The precious record is from 2012, with 7.9%.Lake Superior has 5.5% ice cover, which is nearing the low from 1999.Lake Michigan has a record low of 7.6% ice cover, beating the old record from just a few years ago in 2020.Lake...
Two storm systems moving across the U.S. have placed 26 states, from California to Kentucky, under snow and wind alerts.Winter storm watches and advisories are in effect for parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.Additionally, winter storm watches are also in effect for the central Rockies and into the Plains with heavy snow this week.MORE: From rain to snow, severe weather expected throughout the US this weekAccording to meteorologists, this week's snow will reach more than a foot in parts of the Southwest and Northwest, including parts of Colorado, Oregon and Washington.The first storm is expected to bring heavy rain from Dallas to Wichita on Tuesday morning, while there is also snow expected across the Pacific Northwest and Northern and Central Rockies.By...
NASA instruments captured the moment part of the sun appeared to break off from the giant star and get swept up in a polar vortex. But according to the scientist who drew attention to it, it's not as dire as it sounds. Tamitha Skov, a space weather physicist and research scientist at The Aerospace Corporation in Southern California, went viral for the news earlier this month when she shared imagery of the event. "Talk about Polar Vortex!" she tweeted. "Material from a northern prominence just broke away from the main filament & is now circulating in a massive polar vortex around the north pole of our Star." Basically, a big piece of plasma broke away off the sun's surface. And the polar vortex it was swept up in isn't the same as a polar vortex we might experience here on Earth.Talk about Polar...
Natural disasters forced an estimated 3.4 million people in the U.S. to leave their homes in 2022, according to Census Bureau data collected earlier this year, underscoring how climate-related weather events are already changing American communities.The overwhelming majority of these people were uprooted by hurricanes, followed by floods, then fires and tornados. Nearly 40% returned to their homes within a week. Nearly 16% have not returned home (and may never do so), and 12% were evacuated for more than six months. The Census Bureau count is based on 68,504 responses it received as part of the Household Pulse Survey conducted Jan. 4-Jan. 16. The data collection is one of the few federal efforts to track displaced Americans, starting only in 2020. The bureau does note that the data is “experimental,”...
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Wednesday that he expects the U.S. government or U.S. banks to provide interest-free loans to build four wind-power farms in the narrow waist of southern Mexico, an area known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he expects the U.S. to go there next month along with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry to launch the projects. López Obrador also fueled speculation that U.S. automaker Tesla will build a plant in Mexico, saying that he had been told that Elon Musk's company was looking at either the northern border state of Nuevo Leon or the state of Hidalgo, just north of Mexico City.The wind farms on the isthmus are part of López Obrador’s plans to build a total of 10 industrial parks along a renovated rail corridor linking...
Elizabeth Chambers endured infidelity and long absences, but there was a moment early in the pandemic that proved to be the final straw that ended her 10-year marriage to actor Armie Hammer. The Bird Bakery founder and television personality, who filed for divorce in 2020, opened up about her relationship with Hammer, 36, in a new interview with Elle magazine. She and Hammer were living with their two young children in the Cayman Islands in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Chambers, 40, said Hammer decided to leave them and go back to California to help a friend restore a motel near Joshua Tree National Park. “My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport,” Chambers told Elle. She filed for divorce only a few months later. “You can give, you can love...
Severe weather could spread across parts of the South on Wednesday. Thunderstorms are stretching across the Lower Mississippi Valley, bringing winds and hail – and possibly tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.More than 26 million people could be at risk for some kind of severe weather, with storms strengthening in the afternoon. A flood watch was also in effect into Wednesday night in Arkansas and Missouri. And in the Midwest, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota are expecting a winter storm watch that could make travel treacherous on Wednesday and into Thursday. Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s winter weather. Texas could see tornadoes, Missouri and Arkansas under flood watch Some locally severe thunderstorms could help prompt tornadoes in parts of eastern and central Texas...
As glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes, 15 million people across the globe live under the threat of a sudden and deadly outburst flood, a new study finds.More than half of those living in the shadow of the disaster called glacial lake outburst floods are in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru and China, according to a study in Tuesday’s Nature Communications. A second study, awaiting publication in a peer-reviewed journal, catalogs more than 150 glacial flood outbursts in history and recent times. It's a threat Americans and Europeans rarely think about, but 1 million people live within just 6 miles (10 kilometers) of potentially unstable glacial-fed lakes, the study calculated.One of the more devastating floods was in Peru in 1941 and it killed between...
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Two pilots walked away with minor injuries after a Boeing 737 jet converted for firefighting crashed in Australia, officials said Tuesday.The twin-engine tanker owned by Canadian-based Coulson Aviation crashed in Fitzgerald River National Park in southern Western Australia state while fighting wildfires late Monday.Both pilots received only minor injuries even though the plane was engulfed in flames and smoke upon impact, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said.“It’s nothing short of miraculous that they were able to walk away from that plane,” Dawson told reporters.The men, believed to be Canadian citizens, were released from a hospital on Tuesday, Australian Associated Press reported.Three American aviators died when a C-130 Hercules tanker, a four-propeller...
Isolated by the rocky slopes and unforgiving cold, these thick-furred felines roamed Mount Everest in secret — until now.Researchers were exploring the southern slopes of Mount Everest in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal, according to a Jan. 26 news release from the Wildlife Conservation Society. At two locations — one just over 16,700 feet above sea level and the other just over 17,000 feet above sea level — the scientists found cat poop.DNA analysis of the droppings confirmed the presence of two Pallas’s cats, researchers said. Pallas’s cats, also known as Otocolobus manul or just Manul, are a rare and elusive feline species, according to the International Society for Endangered Cats in Canada. The small species lives in cold climates in central Asia and is known for its perpetually grumpy-looking...
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A mess of ice, sleet and snow lingered across much of the southern U.S. on Thursday as thousands in Texas endured freezing temperatures with no power, including many in the state capital of Austin, but a warming trend was forecast to bring relief from the deadly storm.Hundreds more flights were canceled again in Texas, although not as many as in previous days. But another wave of frigid weather in the U.S. is on the horizon, with an Arctic cold front expected to move from Canada into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest and sweep into the Northeast by Friday. The front is expected to bring snow and wind chills lower than minus 50 (minus 45 Celsius) to northern New England, according to the National Weather Service.More than 416,000 customers in Texas lacked power early...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration issued a long-awaited study Wednesday that recommends allowing a major oil development on Alaska's North Slope, and the move — while not final — drew immediate anger from environmentalists who saw it as a betrayal of the president's pledges to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy sources.ConocoPhillips Alaska had proposed five drilling sites, and the alternative proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management calls for up to three drill sites initially. Even as the land agency released its report, the U.S. Interior Department said in its own press release that it has “substantial concerns” about the Willow project.The Bureau of Land Management, which falls under Interior, in the report also said that identifying a preferred alternative...
The NBA announced the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed due to weather issues in Dallas. The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/c3oYsdmwPA— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 1, 2023The Pistons played the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, losing 111-105 following Luka Doncic's 53-point game, but were unable to fly back to Detroit on Monday night or Tuesday due to a plane issue and an ice storm that hit the Dallas area. Hundreds of flights have been canceled, leaving travelers (and at least one team of professional athletes) stranded, and thousands of local residents are without power. No date has been set for the makeup game yet, but there might be one more game the NBA will have to reschedule due to...
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Winter weather brought ice to a wide swath of the United States on Tuesday, canceling more than 1,700 flights nationwide and snarling highways. At least two people died on slick roads in Texas and two law officers in the state were seriously injured, including a deputy who was pinned under a truck, authorities said. As the ice storm advanced eastward on Tuesday, watches and warnings stretched from the western heel of Texas all the way to West Virginia. Several rounds of mixed precipitation — including freezing rain and sleet — were in store for many areas through Wednesday, meaning some regions could be hit multiple times, the federal Weather Prediction Center warned.Emergency responders rushed to hundreds of auto collisions across Texas and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott...
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — When officers pulled over a van for speeding outside of Arches National Park in August 2021, they found a visibly distraught young couple in an emotional fight. Gabby Petito, 22, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, were driving across the United States, and upon observing the couple, police officers in Moab, Utah, decided to separate them for a night rather than issue a domestic violence citation or investigate further.That decision proved fateful when, about a month later, Petito's body was found strangled on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Laundrie, the only individual ever identified as a person of interest, was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after returning alone to his parents’ home in Florida.The case captured international...
A long-duration ice storm will impact a large swath of the South through Wednesday, with the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area at the center of the threat. The slow-moving storm system is expected to bring freezing rain and accumulating ice to parts of the country extending from Texas to West Virginia. About 50 million people were under winter alerts Monday, including Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City; Little Rock, Arkansas; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Louis.A light, freezing rain is expected to break out across portions of the central and the southern Plains on Monday, and a wintry mix is expected in parts of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio river valleys. It will be enough to glaze roadways, leading to treacherous travel. A heavier round of freezing rain is expected...
Fifty million Americans were under winter weather watches and advisories Monday amid warnings of a "prolonged and potentially significant icing event" affecting at least 15 states.A swath of the nation from Texas to Ohio and Tennessee was bracing Monday for days of treacherous travel conditions as an arctic cold front swept down into the southern Plains and Mid-South."The interaction of an arctic air mass and moisture will set the stage for an expansive area of dangerous travel conditions early in the week," National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Snell said. "Sleet and freezing rain accumulations are likely to create widespread hazardous travel conditions for several days in a row."Icy developments:►Total freezing rain amounts could become significant across parts of central Texas, southwest...
Another winter storm is working its way across the United States, forecast to bring snow and freezing temperatures across the Midwest in the coming days, with snowflakes even reaching the East Coast. The storm initially brought snow to western and central Montana and parts of Wyoming before extending into the Northern Plains. Some areas are expecting up to two feet of snow, and parts of Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota are under a wind chill advisory this weekend.Wind chills could drop to 39 degrees below zero, the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota said. Here’s what you need to know about winter weather this weekend. 'Natural behavior': Why a London-sized iceberg breaking off of Antarctica isn't concerning scientists'Highly unusual': What's behind the snowless winter...
An elderly Las Vegas couple were found dead in California's Death Valley National Park in what authorities said Wednesday was a murder-suicide. Paul Fischer, 73, and Mary Fischer, 72, were found dead on Jan. 13 after Paul Fischer called the Inyo County Sheriff's Office to report that he had just killed his wife and planned to kill himself, according to information released by the National Park Service. He told the 911 operator where to find the couple, the park service said.The husband left a note in the couple's car explaining that his wife was suffering from chronic health issues, according to the National Park Service. Law enforcement officials from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, the Inyo County Coroner’s Office, the National Park Service, California Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Land...
By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Shell has launched a strategic review of its home energy retail businesses in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany in the wake of "tough market conditions", it said on Thursday. European energy suppliers have struggled over the past year with soaring wholesale prices and efforts by governments to shield consumers from rising bills. No decision has been taken yet on the future of the businesses, Shell said. Shell injected nearly $1.5 billion in cash and credit into its British energy retail business in 2022 to help it weather huge volatility in power prices that caused the collapse of several rival UK utilities. Shell said its wholesale and business-to-business (B2B) energy supply businesses are not part of the strategic review, and neither are...
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico privatized its electricity production on Wednesday, selecting Genera PR to take over the operation and maintenance of state power generation units in the U.S. territory as part of an initial $22.5 million annual contract.The announcement comes as the island struggles to rebuild its crumbling power grid amid chronic power outages blamed in part on what Gov. Pedro Pierluisi called “archaic and unstable” generation units. “I am sure that we are on the right track to give our people the reliable and affordable energy system that they deserve,” he said.Genera PR is a subsidiary of New York-based New Fortress Energy, which works closely with Shell Oil and other oil and gas producers. Genera also will handle contracts related to fuel purchases for the island’s...
Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures has backed Australian climate tech firm Rumin8.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesBill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures led a $12 million seed funding round into Rumin8.The Perth-based startup is developing a seaweed-based feed aiming to cut methane from livestock emissions — like the burps and farts of cows.A byproduct of the digestion process, methane, is the most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.What do a billionaire philanthropist, a climate tech firm, and fewer cow burps have in common?Just ask Bill Gates, whose investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, or BEV, led a $12 million seed funding round into an Australian climate tech firm working to reduce methane emissions — like those from cows. Rumin8, a Perth-based startup, said...
Looking for the latest weather news? Click here for Tuesday's forecast.A winter storm warning tracked from the southwest to Illinois on Monday afternoon, with some areas expected to see a foot of snow. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said a winter storm warning will remain in effect until noon on Tuesday, with total snow accumulations of up to nine inches in some areas. And the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, expected most Oklahomans to see accumulating snow Monday into Tuesday, The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports. But New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and other states are all expected to see snowflakes. Here’s what you need to know. TUESDAY WEATHER UPDATES: 18 million people under winter storm warning stretching...
Like Simba working on his roar in The Lion King, real-life wild animals need to learn essential survival lessons when they're young. Zander and Stefni Rautenbach Wildlife Photography recently captured a baby elephant in the middle of trying to master one of these lessons: charging. Zander and Stefni Rautenbach, a husband and wife photography team, spotted a stumbling yet studious elephant while traveling through Kruger National Park in South Africa and decided to start filming the creature. In the clip the couple captured, the young elephant attempts a series of powerful charges by putting their head down and surging forward. Because of the baby animal's small stature and uncertain gait, the charges look more silly than scary. Hopefully, practice makes perfect.RELATED: Elmer the Friendly Porcupine...
The atmospheric rivers that battered California with heavy flooding in January also left behind staggering snow accumulations.NASA satellite images show far more snow on the state's mountains this winter compared to last.And in an environment where every drops of water matters, that unusually deep snowpack is a rare bit of good news, especially for farmers. While every snowstorm is different, there's about an 1 inch of water contained in a foot of snow.Water users all across west are carefully watching snowfall-measuring sites so they can plan for the coming summer. Here's what to know: How much snow has California gotten?Many snow-measuring sites in the Sierra Nevada on the California-Nevada border are showing double the amount of snow they usually have — and some are two or three times higher.How...
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:___ Temperature graph misrepresented to deny climate change CLAIM: A graph from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration displaying land and ocean temperatures over the last eight years shows that the Earth has been cooling, not warming, proving that global warming from carbon emissions is a hoax.THE FACTS: A small portion of the graph showing only the period from 2015 and 2022 has been taken out of context to make the incorrect claim. The larger graph from which it was isolated displays temperature trends over more than 140 years...
By James Redmayne and Joseph Campbell SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian park rangers believe they have stumbled upon a record-breaking giant toad deep in a rainforest. Dubbed "Toadzilla", the cane toad, an invasive species that poses a threat to Australia's ecosystem, was spotted by "shocked" park ranger Kylee Gray during a patrol in Conway National Park in Queensland state on Jan. 12. Gray and her colleagues caught the animal and brought it back to their office, where it weighed in at a 2.7 kg (6 pounds). Guinness World Records lists the largest toad at 2.65 kg (5.8 pounds), a 1991 record set by a Swedish pet. “We considered naming her Connie after Conway National Park but Toadzilla was the one that just kept getting thrown out there, so that kind of stuck,” Gray told state broadcaster...
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.GE Profile™ 30-inch Built-In Touch Control Induction Cooktop is our top pick. Food & Wine / Marcus Millan With gas stoves in the hot seat for their association with indoor air pollution, the conversation around induction cooktops is louder than ever. You may have heard that induction cooking is safer and more efficient than gas or electric stoves, and it’s true — with an induction cooktop, at least 85% of the energy used is transferred directly to the cookware. In fact, it’s the actual pot or pan that is heated through induction technology, not the stovetop surface itself. This means that induction cooktops can offer faster cook times with more precise heating, saving you precious pennies on...
File photo of a polar bear in Alaska. (Brian Battaile/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESSWALES, Alaska (AP) — A polar bear has attacked and killed two people in a remote village in western Alaska, according to state troopers. Alaska State Troopers said they received the report of the attack at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Wales, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula, KTUU reported. “Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents,” troopers wrote. “The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male."The bear was shot and killed by a local resident as it attacked the pair, troopers said. The names of the the two people killed were not released. Troopers said they were working to notify family members.Troopers and the state...
LUETZERATH, Germany (Reuters) -Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was detained alongside other activists on Tuesday during protests against the demolition of a village to make way for a coal mine expansion but was released after an identity check, according to police. Thunberg was held while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, some 9 km (5.6 miles) from the village of Luetzerath, after police warned that the group would be removed by force if they did not move away from the edge of the mine. The village in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia is being cleared to allow for the expansion of the mine. The mine's owner, RWE, agreed with the government that it could demolish Luetzerath in exchange for its faster exit from coal and the saving of five villages originally...
A group of Republican Wyoming lawmakers want to phase out the sale of electric vehicles in the Cowboy State by 2035, saying the move will help safeguard oil and gas industries.The bill, introduced into the state legislature on Friday, claims electric vehicles will hinder Wyoming’s ability to trade with other states."Wyoming's vast stretches of highway, coupled with a lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, make the widespread use of electric vehicles impracticable for the state," the bill, sponsored by Senator Jim Anderson and co-sponsored by five other GOP legislators, reads.Among the reasons cited in the legislationBatteries used in electric vehicles could contain critical minerals whose "domestic supply is limited and at risk for disruption."Minerals used in electric batteries...
The National Hurricane Center on Monday issued a rare tropical weather outlook for January: a strong, non-tropical low pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean.The powerful storm, located about 300 miles north of Bermuda, will soon lose steam. It was unable to transition to a subtropical or tropical cyclone as it moved north on Monday.MORE: California braces for 1 more day of heavy rain in wake of devastating floodingThis system was responsible for the blast of snow to coastal New England on Sunday and Monday. Parts of Massachusetts picked up 4.5 inches of snow. Boston, which has had a below-average snowfall this winter, got their biggest hit of snow with 3.5 inches.It's rare for an Atlantic storm to develop in January. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The most recent January...
The body of a Florida man who went missing during Hurricane Ian in September has been found on a sunken sailboat months after the storm.James "Denny" Hurst was the last known person still missing in Lee County after the Category 4 hurricane slammed into Florida last year, leaving dozens dead and causing widespread devastation.The Lee County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that Hurst's body had been found on a sunken sailboat, "Good Girl," that had been located by divers in Matanzas Pass in Fort Myers Beach.“Missing person James ‘Denny’ Hurst was last known to have been on board during Hurricane Ian,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a tweet Friday, adding that divers were actively working to recover the vessel. “We are speaking with his family during these difficult times.”The sheriff’s...
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law last August. At $750 billion, it is one of the largest spending packages in American history. Much of the funds will be used to combat climate change, reduce prescription and healthcare costs — and enact tax reform. But when? And how does any of this affect taxpayers? Save More: Unplug These Appliances That Hike Up Your Electricity BillAlso: How To Invest In Precious Metals To Protect Your RetirementHere’s a look at some of the key changes of the Inflation Reduction Act that are being implemented over the next five years — and what they may mean for your wallet — as broken down by CPAs and other finance experts. Health Insurance Costs “Of interest to people who buy their health insurance on an exchange under the Affordable Care Act...
DENVER (AP) — Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says.The study in the journal Science Thursday looked at research that Exxon funded that didn’t just confirm what climate scientists were saying, but used more than a dozen different computer models that forecast the coming warming with precision equal to or better than government and academic scientists. This was during the same time that the oil giant publicly doubted that warming was real and dismissed climate models’ accuracy. Exxon said its understanding of climate change evolved over the years and that critics are misunderstanding its earlier research.Scientists, governments...
DENVER (AP) — Costly weather disasters kept raining down on America last year, pounding the nation with 18 climate extremes that caused at least $1 billion in damage each, totaling more than $165 billion, federal climate scientists calculated Tuesday.Even though 2022 wasn’t near record hot for the United States, it was the third wildest year nationally both in number of extremes that cost $1 billion and overall damage from those weather catastrophes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report issued at the American Meteorological Society's conference. The amount, cost and death toll of billion-dollar weather disaster s make up a key measurement, adjusted for inflation, that NOAA uses to see how bad human-caused climate change is getting. They led to at least 474 deaths.“People...
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased by about 1.3% in 2022, rebounding for a second straight year after pandemic disruptions to high-emitting industries like shipping and travel. That's according to a preliminary analysis from the Rhodium Group, a research company that tracks yearly emissions and U.S. progress toward its climate goals. Emissions fell by about 10.6% in 2020, as the U.S. reckoned with the consequences of the pandemic. When the economy rebounded in 2021, so did U.S. greenhouse gases, which recorded a 6.5% uptick. Before the pandemic, emissions were on a slightly downward track. The new analysis suggests that emissions are back on that trend line despite several volatile years. “Greenhouse gas emissions are still not back up to 2019 levels. Potentially they won’t ever get back...
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi environmental regulator has denied claims that the state agency he leads discriminated against the capital city of Jackson in its distribution of federal funds for wastewater treatment. In a recently unearthed letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Christopher Wells wrote that the NAACP has “failed to allege a single fact to support” its argument that the agency discriminated against Jackson. He said he believed the ongoing civil rights investigation into the matter was politically motivated.“Jackson received a loan for every completed application it submitted,” Wells wrote. “And, because the amount of the loan is based on the cost of the project, no loans were reduced for any...
The exterior of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-e seen Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Milwaukee.You've seen the manufacturers' ads touting new lines of sporty, exciting electric cars and trucks. And you've likely read about the federal tax rebates of up to $7,500 that rolled out with the start of the new year.It's already adding up to rising interest in electric vehicles after a slow start that has lagged much of the industrialized world. At the start of 2022, just 5% of vehicles sold in the U.S. were battery-powered electric cars and trucks or plug-in hybrids. That's expected to rise to 9% by the end of the year and near 50% by 2030 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act's consumer and manufacturer incentives.But industry observers and car dealers warn that the hype and enthusiasm may be a little...
Two cruise lines rescued two dozen people on small boats on Monday, cruise officials told ABC News.Staff on the Fort Lauderdale-bound Celebrity Beyond ship rescued 19 people from a boat Monday and provided them food, shelter and medical services, the ship’s Capt. Kate McCue said in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday.“We are grateful for our crew’s quick action and the lives saved as a result,” Celebrity Cruises told ABC News in a statement.MORE: Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida Keys closes after hundreds of migrants arriveAdditionally, crew members from the Carnival Celebration noticed five people about 29 miles northwest of Cuba and stopped to help them, company spokesperson Matt Lupoli told ABC News in a statement.The crew reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and met up with them...
Remnants from a historic storm left almost 50,000 homes and businesses in California without power Monday as residents braced for an onslaught of more bad weather that could bring up to 8 inches of rain in some areas and trigger additional flooding and mudslides.The battered state faces another "atmospheric river" this week, and the Midwest and South also can expect damaging weather, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi were under a tornado watch until 3 a.m. Central, the National Weather Service said.The newest storm was forecast to sweep across Northern California before dipping into Southern California on Tuesday. Rainfall could reach 1 inch in some areas, AccuWeather forecasts. That will be followed by an even more potent storm poised to slam Northern...
A remote national park in the Gulf of Mexico closed on Monday after about 300 migrants landed there over the holiday weekend, officials said. Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles west of Key West, temporarily closed Monday morning "while law enforcement & medical personnel evaluate, provide care for & coordinate transport to Key West" for the migrants, the park said in a tweet. “The closure, which is expected to last several days, is necessary for the safety of visitors and staff because of the resources and space needed to attend to the migrants,” park officials said in their statement, adding that concession-operated ferry and seaplane services were also temporarily suspended.Walter Slosar, chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Miami Sector, said in a tweet Saturday afternoon...
Fred Yoder in Ohio plants rye and winter peas he never harvests. Larkin Martin in Alabama plants radishes she’ll never eat. A.G. Kawamura in California plants barley that rots in the fields. Each is part of a small but growing movement to bring back an ancient agricultural practice called cover cropping that was once used to rejuvenate soil but now also likely comes with the added benefits of mitigating climate change and protecting against its ravages. It’s increasingly getting a push from Department of Agriculture programs and even companies that buy commodities. But mostly, farmers say it saves them money and protects their land. “Our soils keep getting better and better. You take a shovel out and dig deep down and you see the earthworms and the absence of a hardpan. That soil is just mellow...
By Rowena Edwards LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices pared losses after falling by over $2 earlier in the session, as a weaker dollar partially offset demand fears resulting from surging COVID-19 cases in China. Brent futures for February were down $1.08, or 1.3%, at $82.18 a barrel by 1439 GMT. The more active March contract shed 1.26% to $82.93/bbl, after falling by over $2 earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.07, or 1.36%, to $77.89 a barrel, after reaching session lows of $76.79. The contracts pared losses as the U.S. dollar slipped, with investors on edge at the end of the year as initial optimism over China's reopening fizzled. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies and can boost demand. The scale of the latest Chinese...
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Storm-battered Buffalo braced Tuesday for fresh snow while still counting fatalities and striving to recover from the deadliest storm in western New York in at least two generations.Mayor Byron Brown’s office announced seven additional storm-related deaths Tuesday, bringing Buffalo’s total to 27, along with at least seven suburban fatalities. The toll surpasses that of the historic Blizzard of 1977, blamed for killing as many as 29 people in a region known for harsh winter weather.The National Weather Service predicted that as much as 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) more snow could fall Tuesday in Erie County, which includes Buffalo. It is the second-largest city in New York, with about 275,000 residents. While Tuesday's forecast was nothing like the massive storm that...
By Gabriella Borter (Reuters) - Road and utility crews faced the task on Monday of digging out and restoring some normalcy around Buffalo, New York, where a blizzard considered the area's worst in 45 years buried snow plows, stranded motorists in cars and killed at least 13 people. The lethal blizzard took form late on Friday and pummeled western New York through the Christmas holiday weekend, capping an Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had extended over most of the United States for days, as far south as the Mexican border. At least 30 people have died in U.S. weather-related incidents since late last week, according to an NBC News tally, while CNN put the total number of fatalities at 26. The greater Buffalo region, lying at the edge of Lake Erie near the Canadian border...
By Daniel Becerril and Daina Beth Solomon MATAMOROS, Mexico (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants prepared to camp in the cold at Mexico's northern border over Christmas, hoping for a swift reversal in U.S. migration restrictions as they endure the bite of a winter storm ravaging the United States. After the U.S. Supreme Court this week ruled that restrictions known as Title 42 could stay in place temporarily, many migrants are facing a Christmas weekend of what Mexico's weather service called a "mass of arctic air." "I'm staying here, where else can I go?" said Walmix Juin, a 32-year-old Haitian migrant preparing for the weekend in a flimsy tent in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. "I never thought I would spend a Christmas like this." Temperatures in the border...
The U.S. military agency known for tracking Santa Claus as he delivers presents on Christmas Eve doesn’t expect COVID-19 or the “ bomb cyclone ” hitting North America to affect Saint Nick’s global travels.NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is responsible for monitoring and defending the skies above North America.But the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based agency also runs the NORAD Tracks Santa service, which allows people to follow his Christmas journey through its noradsanta.org website, social media channels and mobile app.The agency this year plans to have about 1,500 volunteers working on Christmas Eve to field phone calls from children who want to know Santa’s location and delivery schedule.Lt. General David Nahom, a NORAD official based in Anchorage, Alaska, said the pandemic...
A rare bomb cyclone could possibly form this week as a massive winter storm wallops most of the central and eastern U.S. with heavy snow, high winds and dangerous wind chill temperatures, affecting millions of Americans in its path. Meanwhile, flooding is threatening the northeast. The storm is already snarling holiday travel plans and prompting warnings from officials to remain vigilant.Whenever the weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone is mentioned by meteorologists, Google searches for the phrase start to spike — and we're seeing the same trend this week.Here's everything you need to know about bomb cyclones, and how you can prepare for them.What is a bomb cyclone?A bomb cyclone, also known as bombogenesis, is a fast-developing storm that occurs when atmospheric pressure drops at least...
A bomb cyclone or bombogenesis could accompany a powerful winter storm that's forecast to sweep across most of the U.S. this week, pounding millions of Americans in its path with frigid temperatures, heavy snow and other blizzard-like conditions. The hazardous effects are already snarling holiday travel plans and prompting warnings from officials to remain vigilant.Whenever the weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone is mentioned by meteorologists, Google searches for the phrase start to spike — and we're seeing the same trend now.Here's a brief breakdown of everything you need to know about it, according to meteorologists.What is a bomb cyclone?A bomb cyclone is a fast-developing storm that occurs when atmospheric pressure drops at least 24 millibars over a 24-hour period, the National...
An exotic creature with white fur was spotted wandering around an Oregon city — a long way from its natural home. The animal was confirmed to be an Arctic fox that has likely been held in captivity all of its life, the wildlife nonprofit Bird Alliance of Oregon said in an Oct. 15 Facebook post. “Arctic foxes don’t naturally occur in Oregon, so this species is considered an exotic animal here,” the nonprofit said. The fox was spotted in southeast Portland, near Sellwood Bridge, the group’s spokesperson Ali Berman told McClatchy News by email. A couple walking across the bridge saw the animal, The Oregonian reported. At the time, they didn’t know it was an Arctic fox. “It definitely looked wild and it looked like a puppy,” Richard Melling told the news outlet. “It was like a very, very happy...
Boasting sunshine some 235 days a year and no state income tax, it's easy to see why people are drawn to the Sunshine State. However, the recent tragedy of Hurricane Helene — which has so far resulted in more than 125 deaths across six states and an estimated $95 billion to $110 billion in damage and economic loss — serves as a stark reminder of the state's vulnerability to natural disasters. This sobering event highlights the serious risks associated with Florida's climate extremes. But beyond the seasonal hurricane threat, newcomers should be prepared for other aspects of Florida living: the need for robust home maintenance, rising property taxes and potentially sky-high insurance costs in areas that are prone to hurricane activity. Before you pack up your U-Haul, you’ll want to understand...
ASHEVILLE, N.C. —A historic village in western North Carolina is under water after bearing the brunt of devastating flooding damage from Hurricane Helene.Tree branches, logs and a dumpster floated across Asheville’s Biltmore Village, renowned for being built and owned by a single individual. Resident Tammy Borgesen was among the dozens of people standing outside a downtown hotel, one of the few places with Wi-Fi access, hoping to connect with loved ones.“We’ve been trying to get an email or a text out to just let everybody know we’re ok,” said Borgesen, who had water but no power at her home. She said she plans to wait out the storm and “hope for the best.”“We’re in a weird limbo,” Borgesen said.Follow along for live updatesWater levels reached several feet, with some areas nearing the tops...
Gatorwine: Smooth and mildly patronizing, like drinking a Care Bear. Everyone who tries it seems to start out cringing and end up laughing in surprise. Just as you might have guessed, gatorwine is equal parts cheap red wine (defined as less than $12 a bottle) and Gatorade. Connoisseurs note that it has to be the light blue Glacier Freeze Gatorade, which the company reportedly describes as having berry and citrus notes. It seems to have erupted out of nowhere, but it’s more like “GoatsNowhere,” the YouTube commenter who submitted the recipe — can you call it a recipe? — for review in a special tasting edition of Babish Culinary Universe. Cook and YouTube star Andrew Rea, much better known by the handle Binging with Babish, brought the drink into the limelight with his hilarious reaction. “It’s...
Fishermen and scientists were alarmed when billions of crabs vanished from the Bering Sea near Alaska in 2022. It wasn’t overfishing, scientists explained — it was likely the shockingly warm water that sent the crabs’ metabolism into overdrive and starved them to death. But their horrific demise appears to be just one impact of the massive transition unfolding in the region, scientists reported in a new study released Wednesday: Parts of the Bering Sea are literally becoming less Arctic. The research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found warmer, ice-free conditions in the southeast Bering Sea — the kind of conditions found in sub-Arctic regions — are roughly 200 times more likely now than before humans began burning planet-warming fossil fuels. The study underlines...
Time was, Earth may not have been the solar system’s only garden planet. For its first billion or so years, Mars was partly covered in water, as dry ocean basins and riverbeds on its surface now attest. But three billion years ago the planet lost its magnetic field, possibly due to a cooling of its core, allowing the solar wind to strip away its atmosphere. This, so the thinking went, caused the water to evaporate into space. However, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it appears that the water may still be there, trapped in the pores of volcanic rock 11.5 to 20 km (7 to 13 mi.) underground. If that much water were transported back to the surface, it would cover the entirety of Mars in a globe-girdling ocean about a mile deep. Even below ground...
Tropical Storm Debby, already the fourth named storm of the season, has caused major flooding and spawned multiple tornadoes as it continues its march through the Southeast, dumping enough rain to potentially beat out Harvey as the wettest landfall hurricane ever. Debby originally formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday before making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane around 7 a.m. Monday. The storm blew ashore near the town of Steinhatchee, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was blamed in the deaths of at least four people. Debby moved across northern Florida for hours before being downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday afternoon, with wind speeds slowing to 65 mph. It has since made a slow, methodical crawl, causing significant weather events through Georgia...
Tropical Depression Four has strengthened into Tropical Storm Debby in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. Debby has sustained winds of 40 mph and is located about 70 miles northwest of Havana, Cuba, according to the hurricane center’s 5 p.m. ET update on the storm. The latest forecast calls for the storm to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds just before landfall Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region. Hurricane warnings are now in effect for the Florida Gulf Coast from the Suwannee River to the Ochlockonee River, including the entire Big Bend Region. A hurricane watch was issued earlier Saturday, from Yankeetown, above Crystal River, northward and around the Big Bend region to Indian Pass on the Florida Panhandle. Track the...
FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California received some help from the weather Saturday hours after it exploded in size, scorching an area greater than the size of Los Angeles. The blaze was one of several tearing through the western United States and Canada, fueled by wind and heat.Cooler temperatures and an increase in humidity could help slow the Park Fire, the largest this year in California. Its intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp Fire, which burned out of control in nearby Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people and torching 11,000 homes. Paradise again was near the danger zone. The entire town was under an evacuation warning, one of several communities in Butte County. Evacuation...
A beloved polar bear at a Canada zoo died suddenly by drowning this week. According to the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Baffin, a 7-year-old male polar bear, died by drowning following a crushing injury to his trachea by Siku, an 8-year-old male polar bear. The two were engaging in "rough play," which the zoo said was typical of the pair, and it is presumed that Baffin lost consciousness underwater due to the tracheal injury and drowned. Baffin was in excellent physical health, a necropsy completed by an independent wildlife pathologist confirmed, and there was no evidence of heat-related stress. After Baffin's accident, the zoo said Siku is being closely monitored by the Animal Care, Health & Welfare team. Zoo deaths: Winston, iconic gorilla among the oldest in the world, dies at San...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A surprise eruption that shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt dozens of feet into the sky Tuesday sent people running for safety in Yellowstone National Park.The hydrothermal explosion happened around 10 a.m. in Biscuit Basin, a collection of hot springs a couple miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the famous Old Faithful Geyser.Video posted online showed a couple dozen people watching from a boardwalk as the eruption sprayed and grew in front of them. As water and debris began to fall, they ran to keep clear, some yelling “Back up!" and “Holy cow!” People then turned to watch the spectacle under a huge cloud of steam.The eruption damaged the boardwalk, an elevated wooden walkway that keeps people off Yellowstone's fragile and often dangerous geothermal areas...
Seasoned investors often approach markets with a long-term view, using short- and medium-term volatility to buy into the themes they believe will profit over many years. While identifying these trends is difficult, tuning out the noise can help you focus your portfolio on the winners, possibly resulting in significant gains. Here are five of the most popular trends right now — including several themes showing significant growth potential in the rest of 2024 and beyond. 1. Generative artificial intelligence Across industries, data scientists are exploring how to tap into artificial intelligence‘s (AI) power, from designing surgical assistants to developing tools that identify deforestation hotspots in the Amazon rainforest. With the arrival of generative AI, a subset of the broader technology...
Tropical Storm Beryl is targeting the Gulf Coast of Texas after dealing a destructive blow to several islands in the Caribbean and the resort coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Beryl is projected to re-strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall just north of the U.S.-Mexico border late Sunday into Monday morning. Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in history, killed at least seven people in the Windward Islands — including Grenada and Carriacou — before skirting south of Jamaica, shutting down communications, stranding tourists and delivering storm surge and flooding rain to the island. Latest Developments Jul 6, 5:09 PMBeryl now less than 400 miles from Corpus ChristiBeryl, now less than 400 miles from Corpus Christi, remains a tropical storm with winds of 60 mph...
A person with a gun who authorities say was making threats in Yellowstone National Park died after a shootout with park rangers, officials said in a statement Thursday.Authorities had responded to a report of an individual with a firearm "who was making threats" at Canyon Village in the central part of the park, officials said.When the park rangers contacted the suspect, there was "an exchange of gunfire" between the person and law enforcement rangers, park officials said. The suspect died during the incident. Authorities have not released the person's identity.One law enforcement ranger was injured in the shooting, the statement said, and was taken to a hospital where the ranger is in stable condition. The FBI is leading the investigation into the incident along with support from the National...
A more complete picture emerged Wednesday of the extensive damage wrought by Hurricane Beryl's trek across the Windward Islands, revealing destruction and at least seven deaths. At least three islands report more than 90% of the homes and buildings either destroyed or severely damaged, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency reported Wednesday. All three are within the chain of Grenadine Islands, where Beryl roared into the Caribbean on the southern end of the Windwards, between St. Vincent and Grenada. With 19 participating states across the Caribbean, the agency was helping coordinate disaster response on Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines even as it continued to track Beryl’s movements across Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Belize. The eye of Beryl, still a Category 4 storm...
Photographer Erin Braaten, who snapped the picture, called the experience "overwhelming and surreal" [Erin Braaten, Dancing Aspens Photography] An incredibly rare white bison calf has been photographed in Yellowstone National Park, exciting Native American tribes who view its arrival as a religious prophecy heralding major change.It was spotted in the Lamar Valley area of the park, making it the first white bison to be born from the last wild herd in the US, according to modern records. Other white bison births in recent decades occurred in captivity and from parents that contained domestic cow DNA - making the wild spotting more religiously significant for tribes.Montana photographer Erin Braaten took photos of the young buffalo in the Lamar Valley on 4 June while visiting the park with three...
In this article Higher rates and recession fears losing effect on the market Will interest rates derail stocks? How interest rates have affected crypto and commodities markets How should interest rates impact your investing strategy? Higher rates have been playing out on stocks, cryptocurrency and commodities such as oil over the last two years and more. But what can investors expect from here and how long will the rate environment impact markets? For more than two years the prospect of higher interest rates has been affecting markets, but the direction of rates hit a turning point in mid-2023. In eight of its last nine meetings, including the one ending June 12, the Federal Reserve has opted to hold rates steady, after raising rates 11 times in this economic cycle. Now...
It's nearly summer in America: Schools are letting out, people are enjoying the great outdoors and animals seem to be attacking people all over the country. Two grizzly bears mauled a man this week on a mountain trail at the Grand Teton National Park. A 9-year-old boy died after being attacked by pack of feral dogs in South Dakota. Two people suffered minor injuries a few weeks ago from a raccoon attack at a Pennsylvania amusement park. And a nearly 11-foot alligator appeared "out of nowhere" in April to bite a man's leg in Florida (someone promptly ran the gator over). Hundreds of people die in the U.S. yearly due to animal encounters, a 2020 study published by the National Library of Medicine reports. The recent attacks show Mother Nature can be dangerous, but experts say there are ways to...
Scientists have found a new Earth-like planet that could support alien life – just 40 light-years away. The planet is a remarkable discovery in the search for habitable worlds: it is slightly smaller than the Earth, and thought to be just a little hotter. Many planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, tend to be much larger and hotter than our own world. The newly discovered planet is called Gliese 12b and researchers say that even if we cannot find whether it is home to alien life then it will help in our search for other worlds that might be. The planet planet orbits its host star every 12.8 days, and is comparable in size to Venus - so slightly smaller than Earth. It has an estimated surface temperature of 42C, which is lower than most of the 5,000-odd exoplanets (planets outside...
A 35-year-old man was "seriously injured" after a surprise encounter with two grizzly bears in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. The incident occurred Sunday afternoon while the man was visiting from Massachusetts, the National Park Service said. Law enforcement and park rangers believe he unknowingly came close to the two bears in the area of Signal Mountain Summit Road, and then one made contact, injuring him. Responding Grand Teton National Park rangers and Teton County Search and Rescue provided "emergency medical care" before airlifting the man by helicopter to an ambulance that took him to a hospital, NPS said. He is now in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. The weekend attack prompted the Signal Mountain Summit Road and Trail to be closed to the public. Animals...
Researchers have found a new genus of deer in fossils found at Badlands National Park in South Dakota, the National Park Service announced Thursday. The deer presented by the researchers is markedly different from the animal most know today, as reconstructions suggest that it would have been about the size of a house cat. The Park Service said in a press release that the tiny, hornless deer lived in South Dakota about 32 million years ago, during the Oligocene Epoch. It belongs to an extinct family of deer that are considered relatives to the modern-day chevrotains, or mouse deer, typically found in the tropical forests of central and western Africa and southeast Asia. Scientists from the park, the American Museum of Natural History and California State Polytechnic University published their...
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets beyond our solar system with an atmosphere - a trait considered essential for any possibility of harboring life. Well, they finally seem to have located one. But this hellish planet - apparently with a surface of molten rock - offers no hope for habitability. Researchers said on Wednesday the planet is a "super-Earth" - a rocky world significantly larger than our planet but smaller than Neptune - and it orbits perilously close to a star dimmer and slightly less massive than our sun, rapidly completing an orbit every 18 hours or so. Infrared observations using two instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope indicated the presence of a substantial - if inhospitable - atmosphere, perhaps...
You'll be hearing a lot about La Niña in the months ahead if the climate pattern forms (federal scientists expect it will sometime this summer). It currently has a 60% chance of occurring, and experts say it would have an impact on the Atlantic hurricane season and the nation's weather next winter. The expected La Niña will replace what has been an historically strong El Niño, forecasters said. "There is a historical tendency for La Niña to follow strong El Niño events," the Climate Prediction Center said in a recent forecast. What is La Niña? La Niña is a natural climate pattern marked by cooler-than-average seawater in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. When the water cools to at least 0.9 of a degree Fahrenheit below average for three straight months, La Niña is declared. "While this...
SAO PAULO (AP) — Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. It was the fourth such environmental disaster in a year, following floods in July, September and November 2023 that killed 75 people in total.The flooding statewide has surpassed that seen during a historic 1941 deluge, according to the Brazilian Geological Service. In some cities, water levels were at their highest since records began nearly 150 years ago, the agency said. On Thursday, a dam at a hydroelectric plant between the cities of Bento Goncalves and Cotipora partially collapsed and entire cities in the Taquari River valley...
TEMPE, Ariz. — Young Latino voters in key swing states have the numbers to potentially sway the 2024 presidential election. But interviews with nearly two dozen young Latino students on college campuses in battleground states revealed many are currently unmotivated to back a candidate or even cast a ballot. The students in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia spoke passionately about Israel’s war in Gaza, the rising cost of living, immigration and abortion. Almost everyone interviewed said TikTok is where they get most of their news. Amid the palm trees at Arizona State University, senior Darien Guerrero, 22, said he leans Republican. What he cares about most is the “great threat of climate change.” But voting in November wasn’t high on his to-do list. Climate change “is a problem that is bigger...
Ukraine's national security service said Wednesday that it had struck two Russian state-owned oil depots in the western Russian region of Smolensk. The Reuters news agency quoted a Ukrainian intelligence official as saying the drone strike had destroyed more than 26,000 cubic meters — slightly less than 1 million cubic feet — of fuel at the depots owned by Russia's Rosneft energy corporation.Unverified videos published on social media showed huge fires and columns of thick black smoke rising from what appeared to be two oil storage tanks at one of the facilities, which are west of Moscow near the country's borders with Belarus and Ukraine. The governor of Russia's Smolensk region, Vasily Anothkin, first announced the strike early Wednesday on social media, saying his "region was again targeted...
In California’s boom-and-bust climate, Death Valley has offered some of the strangest scenes over the past few years. Some of the area’s perennial creosote bushes died back during a severe drought that hampered the region through 2022. Then torrential downpours — from the remnants of Hurricane Hilary and subsequent storms — revived annual wildflowers from seed over the last year. During the winter, extreme rainfall resurrected an ancient lake that is now disappearing once again. Together, these extremes have created bizarre juxtapositions in the famed desert. “I could take you to a field of dead creosote bushes with nice wildflowers springing up in between,” said Patrick Donnelly, a conservation biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “For a plant, it’s a post-apocalyptic wasteland...
At the time of writing, the national average price of regular gas is $3.62 per gallon, $0.02 higher than this time last year. Drivers who use premium gas are paying $0.07 more this year than last year at $4.42 per gallon. While Americans are currently paying about 15 percent less for gas than in 2022, prices are expected to climb higher throughout 2024. Numerous factors impact the price drivers pay at the pump, including the cost of crude oil, taxes, distribution and refining. Gas prices also depend on the ZIP code you fill up in, with states in the West paying the highest gas prices on average and Southeastern states paying the lowest. Key gas price statistics Here’s what to know about regular gasoline prices: The current national gas price average is $3.62 per gallon. The average cost of...
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — NASA says it's investigating whether an object that crashed into the roof of a home in southwest Florida last month came from the international space station. Workers for the space agency picked up the object from the homeowner in Naples, Florida, last week and took it to the Kennedy Space Center, across the state in Cape Canaveral, where it is being analyzed to determine its origin, NASA spokesman Josh Finch said Thursday in an email. "More information will be available once the analysis is complete," Finch said. Space debris typically burns up while reentering Earth's atmosphere. The object pierced the roof of a home owned by Alejandro Otero on March 8. He told television station WINK that he was notified by his son about the crashing object while he was on vacation. He...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sixteen U.S. states, including Texas, have filed a lawsuit to challenge the federal government's ban on approving applications to export liquefied natural gas, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Thursday. The lawsuit argues the federal government lacks the authority to broadly deny those permits. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Lake Charles, Louisiana, by a coalition of states including Texas, Louisiana and Florida that claim the U.S. Department of Energy's pause will harm the U.S. economy and undermine efforts to supply foreign allies in Europe with steady supplies of LNG as the region seeks to wean itself off piped gas from Russia. The administration of President Joe Biden said in January that the pause will allow officials...
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. A bold plan to genetically engineer a version of the woolly mammoth, the tusked ice age giant that disappeared 4,000 years ago, is making some progress, according to the scientists involved. The long-term goal is to create a living, walking elephant-mammoth hybrid that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner and — if released into its natural habitat in sufficient numbers — could potentially help restore the fragile Arctic tundra ecosystem. Resurrecting the extinct species has been a pet project of Harvard University geneticist George Church for more than a decade. The plan gained traction in February 2021 when Church cofounded...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts fell silent Thursday, a week after breaking a leg at touchdown and tipping over near the lunar south pole. Intuitive Machines’ lander, Odysseus, lasted longer than the company anticipated after it ended up on its side with hobbled solar power and communication. The end came as flight controllers received one last photo from Odysseus and commanded its computer and power systems to standby. That way, the lander can wake up in another two to three weeks — if it survives the bitterly cold lunar night. Intuitive Machines spokesman Josh Marshall said these final steps drained the lander’s batteries and put Odysseus “down for a long nap.” “Good night, Odie. We hope to hear from you again,” the company...
Gardening is a complicated hobby. On the one hand, it gets you out in the fresh air; on the other, your labors may well be for naught if your handiwork gets destroyed in a storm or munched by a backyard pest. But having a greenhouse can go a long way toward helping your plants thrive. They protect them from the elements and create a cozy environment that encourages longer life and more fruitful growth. Finding a greenhouse and getting it on your property used to be a huge undertaking — but not anymore. Now you can get one at Amazon, well in time for spring's arrival! The online retail giant has a bunch in stock and you can have any of them shipped right to your door. Ready to take your gardening to the next level? These babies can help. "Great deal for the money," said a satisfied shopper...
Paleontologists discovered two new species of ancient sharks and put together research using the sharks' fossilized teeth and even a set of gills found in the depths of Mammoth Cave National Park, according to a press release from the park. Paleontologists identified the sharks, Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, using fossils collected from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and northern Alabama. According to the release, the discovery was made through the ongoing Paleontological Resources Inventory, PRI. The park teamed up with the National Park Service Paleontology Program and the University of Alabama Geological Sciences Department. The partnership is what made the discovery happen. “Every new discovery at Mammoth Cave is possible due to collaborations,” said Barclay Trimble, the...
After a disastrous year for coral reefs in which abnormally high ocean temperatures served a fatal blow to many of the vital underwater ecosystems, researchers have found a glimmer of hope off the coast of the U.S. – the largest-ever deep-sea coral reef. It's been known since the 1960s that there were massive mounds of cold-water coral off the East Coast, and for years, NOAA researchers say they thought their study area, the Blake Plateau, was "sparsely inhabited." But more than a decade of mapping and exploration "revealed one of the largest deep-sea coral reef habitats found to date anywhere in the world," NOAA Ocean Exploration operations chief Kasey Cantwell said. Researchers found the reef system in a study area of the Blake Plateau nearly the size of Florida, ranging roughly from Miami...
When Astrobotic's Peregrine lander burned up Thursday upon its return to Earth's atmosphere, the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people once bound for a lunar burial disintegrated with it. The deceased passengers' place aboard the spacecraft became the subject of no small controversy when the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States penned a letter opposing the moon memorial plan. Calling the intended lunar burial "a profound desecration," Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren urged NASA and other agencies to delay the launch until the tribe's concerns were heard. A last-minute meeting was convened days ahead of the doomed mission. But when the Peregrine hitched a ride Jan. 8 aboard the United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan rocket, it still contained the memorial capsules. Hours...
A family’s visit to one of Michigan’s scenic landmarks almost ended in tragedy when their adventurous dog fell from a 60-foot cliff near Lake Superior during a walk. Dancer and her owners were at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Miners Castle, a famous landmark along the state park’s shoreline, Wednesday evening when the 3-year-old pup escaped her leash and fell from the cliff, the National Park Service said in a news release. Dancer’s owners searched for her for hours but couldn’t find her in the dark and were convinced she couldn’t survive the sharp fall, according to the news release. The agency said park rangers were notified about the missing dog and they reached out to rescue crews at Superior High Angle Rescue Professionals to help find her. “SHARP members Erik Olsen, Westley Shaffer...
This year was all about making up for lost time. Following the pandemic, visitors flooded Europe’s biggest cities and America’s national parks as a form of “revenge travel,” going to – or returning to – some of the destinations that had been inaccessible during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the world has changed a lot since the pandemic’s onset. Many businesses closed as people transitioned to working remotely and not every tourist attraction survived the period unscathed. Whether closing permanently or temporarily, here’s a list of places you can’t visit in 2024. Centre Pompidou, Paris Although the inside-on-the-outside Paris museum still looks shockingly modern, the Centre Pompidou is actually in its sixth decade. Following the Summer Olympics in France’s capital this summer, the Pompidou...
A barren tank with concrete walls and artificial rocks, housed on the lower floors of a South Korean mega mall, has been home to a female beluga whale for close to a decade. The whale was believed to be around two years old when she was captured by boats in Russian waters in 2013 and sold to the Lotte World Aquarium – the largest in Seoul, run by one of South Korea’s richest and largest conglomerates. She was named Bella. With two male belugas, Belli and Bellu, along with other polar animals like penguins and seals, she formed part of a popular arctic attraction. In a 1,224 ton tank, 24 feet deep, the trio were often the subject of visitors’ selfies and TikToks, seen diving and twirling around in the luminescent blue water. The whales would sometimes gamely swim up to a viewing gallery to check...
The treacherous waves of the North Sea have become an unlikely TikTok sensation. The North Sea — a body of water located between Great ritain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium and France — is frequently used as a shipping and fishing route, and is considered a "shortcut" for good between Europe and Asia. It's also a source of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy, European countries. And it's become the hottest (or coldest?) thing on the internet again, thanks to #NorthSeaTok, a segment of the social media platform highlighting the North Sea's characteristic terrifying waves, bobbing boats, chaotic storms and spooky fog. (Longtime "fans" of the North Sea know it's previously trended on Reddit and YouTube.) NorthSeaTok videos feature ominous captions like "The more treacherous...
Thirty-five years into her massive music career, the Australian, Grammy-winning pop star Kylie Minogue has landed in Las Vegas. Her residency at Voltaire Theater, running through May 4 at the Venetian Resort, means 20 performances in a city as glitzy and glittery as her shows, which sparkle mostly because of the high-energy star at the center of it. One song from her latest album is titled "Vegas High." So, is she now on a Vegas high? "I am absolutely on a Vegas high!" she laughed. "The energy in this show is, it's huge. I've done huge tours, like Aphrodite with precision water fountains, and, I mean, like, insanity, really." She's just five-feet-tall, but big is something of a trademark for Minogue, whether in record sales (80 million worldwide) or hits ("Confide in Me," "Spinning Around,"...
Soaking rain is heading for major cities on both coasts as another atmospheric river barrels toward the Pacific Northwest and a storm prompts flooding alerts on the Eastern Seaboard. The National Weather Service said many Americans could face difficulty traveling as a weekend storm is expected to bring flooding, rain, thunder and wind from the nation's capital up to the Canadian border. The weather service issued flood alerts from Washington, D.C. up through Maine, spanning Sunday afternoon through late Sunday night. Much of the area could receive two to three inches of rainfall. Snow melt could increase flooding risk in Maine, the weather service says. .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;} Meanwhile, days after two deaths were blamed on flooding from an early-December...
By Kate Abnett DUBAI (Reuters) - Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are set to hit a record high this year, exacerbating climate change and fuelling more destructive extreme weather, scientists said. The Global Carbon Budget report, published on Tuesday during the COP28 climate summit, said that overall CO2 emissions, which reached a record high last year, have plateaued in 2023 due to a slight drop from uses of land like deforestation. Countries are expected to emit a total 36.8 billion metric tons of CO2 from fossil fuels in 2023, a 1.1% increase from last year, the report by scientists from more than 90 institutions including the University of Exeter concluded. When land use emissions are included, global CO2 emissions are set to total 40.9 billion...
The president of the COP28 climate summit, Sultan Al Jaber, recently claimed there is “no science” that says phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in comments that have alarmed climate scientists and advocates. The future role of fossil fuels is one of the most controversial issues countries are grappling with at the COP28 climate summit. While some are pushing for a “phase-out,” others are calling for the weaker language of a “phase-down.” Scientific reports have shown that fossil fuels must be rapidly slashed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees — the goal of the Paris climate agreement, and a threshold above which scientists warn it will be more difficult for humans and ecosystems to adapt. Al Jaber made the...
It's been 66 million years since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and many may blame an asteroid's explosive collision with our planet for the end of the creatures' reign. But for years, scientists have debated whether the meteorite alone is responsible for one of the most infamous mass extinction events in history, or whether other more earthly forces played a part as well. Reigniting the debate, a recent study posited that volcanic eruptions may have already thrown the ecosystem into chaos and threatened the existence of non-bird dinosaurs before the asteroid crashing into Earth delivered the final blow. The international team of researchers are the latest experts who claim that the world the dinosaurs roamed was one teeming with critical levels of sulfur that set the stage for their extinction...
Without its ice cooling the planet, Antarctica could transform from Earth’s refrigerator to a radiator, experts have said - David Merron PhotographyThe Antarctic’s sea-ice has reached a record low and the consequences could be devastating, polar experts have warned.Satellite data shows that the sea-ice is significantly below any previous recorded winter level (March-October). The area of missing ice is equivalent to five times the size of the British Isles.“It’s so far outside anything we’ve seen, it’s almost mind-blowing,” said Walter Meier, who monitors sea-ice with the National Snow and Ice Data Center.Antarctica’s huge ice expanse regulates the planet’s temperature – the white surface reflects the Sun’s energy back into the atmosphere and also cools the water beneath and near it.Without...
There's been a common sight on Northeast beaches this summer: an alarmingly rise in whale carcasses washing in from the Atlantic Ocean.Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned over the number of dead whales, an animal that provides a lens into the general condition of the ocean and the beings that reside there, Chris Robbins, associate director of science for Ocean Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit, told ABC News."They're like the marine equivalent of the canary in the coal mine in that they're giving us insights into the health of the broader marine ecosystem by how they respond to various drivers and threats of the ocean," Robbins said.MORE: Scientists discover new species of miniature ancient whale that lived about 41 million years agoWhale strandings in the Northeast are not...
After Hurricane Idalia smashed into Florida last month, flooding the Big Bend region with devastating storm surge and splitting a 100-year-old oak tree at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back against comments by President Joe Biden linking natural disasters to climate change.Scientists believe the warming planet is allowing hurricanes to strengthen faster and pack a bigger punch because they feed off warmer ocean water. Idalia went from a Category 1 storm to Category 4 in a day.But DeSantis seemed to dismiss the idea that climate change may have factored into Idalia’s wrath, highlighting strong storms from decades past, including one that hit the same region in 1896.“We’ve got to stop politicizing the weather and stop politicizing natural disasters,” DeSantis...
A Chinese city has launched an operation to find a large number of crocodiles that escaped when floods hit the region in recent days, authorities said Tuesday.A typhoon brought sustained heavy rains to southern China last week, triggering inundations in Hong Kong and other areas. Last week, high waters swept a fire truck into a river in southeast China early Tuesday, leaving five crew members missing.Deluges around the city of Maoming in Guangdong province caused a lake at a commercial crocodile farm to overflow with over 70 animals escaping, local media reported.A person who answered the phone at the local emergency management office told AFP on Tuesday that officials were "working to deal with" the reptilian runaways. The person did not say how many animals were still on the loose.Some of...
Storm Daniel caused a massive flood in the city of Al Marj - APAuthorities in eastern Libya said at least 2,000 people were killed and thousands more were missing after a massive flood ripped through the city of Derna following a heavy storm and rain.The head of the Red Crescent aid group in the region had earlier on Monday said Derna’s death toll was at 150 and expected to hit 250. Reuters could not independently verify either figure.Ahmed Mismari, the spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA) that controls eastern Libya, said in a televised news conference that the disaster came after dams above Derna had collapsed, “sweeping whole neighbourhoods with their residents into the sea”.Mismari put the number of missing at 5,000-6,000.Libya is politically divided between east and west and public...
The US government seized nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil allegedly bound for China, according to newly unsealed court documents and a statement released by the Department of Justice on Friday.“This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil,” according to the DOJ.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, allegedly shipped more than 980,000 barrels of oil, the press release stated. The DOJ claimed that “multiple entities affiliated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force” were involved in the scheme to “disguise the origin of the oil” and illegally sell it to China, according to court documents. The court filings also show allegations...
While snapping photos at a park along the Israel-Syria border, a teenager spotted something “strange” on the ground. His family had their doubts, but he picked it up anyway — and found a 1,700-year-old artifact.Itamar Grossman’s family and their visiting cousins decided to go to Sussita National Park for a free evening of events, Israel Nature and Parks Authority said in a Sept. 4 news release. The 13-year-old and his cousin went up a vantage point to take pictures.What started as Itamar taking selfies ended in something unexpected, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority said in a Facebook post.Something on the ground caught Itamar’s attention, the release said.“It was a strange and ancient-looking ring,” Itamar said, according to All Israel News. “My brothers and cousins who were with me didn’t...
Search crews have found the body of a Colorado man who went missing while hiking Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, according to National Park Service officials.The family of Adam Fuselier, 32, last heard from the hiker from Castle Pines, Colorado, on the afternoon of August 29, an NPS news release stated.Officials said he may have begun his climb Tuesday morning at Reynolds Mountain.On Wednesday, park rangers were alerted Fuselier was overdue to return. His vehicle was discovered on the 6,646-feet Logan Pass, the highest elevation in the park reachable by car, according to the NPS.Teams began a ground search Wednesday amid foggy, rainy and windy weather conditions.Crews located Fuselier’s body on Reynolds Mountain Friday, officials said. More than 50 searchers, a dog team and two...
When Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida Wednesday morning, it became the eighth major hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in the last six years. And it may not be the last; Atlantic hurricane season hasn’t yet peaked, and the Gulf of Mexico has been historically warm – more energy to fuel more deadly storms. But as the tireless work of rebuilding begins in places like hard-hit Pasco County, Idalia’s landfall renews the question of whether it’s appropriate to rebuild in some areas, experts told CNN, and where to do so. Human-caused climate change is wreaking havoc on the Gulf Coast, which is already experiencing some of the fastest sea level rise in the world. As the ocean swallows shore, it makes the impacts of storm surge and flooding more dangerous for the communities in these low-lying areas. To...
Scientists say they have found a link between human-related greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear reproduction and survival rates for the first time in a new study, potentially overcoming a barrier to protecting the species.Polar bears live in 19 populations across the Arctic and are found in Canada, the United States, Russia, Greenland and Norway, according to conservation organization Polar Bears International. The populations live under distinct and varying circumstances, but all depend upon ice sheets to access their main prey, two species of seal, said study coauthor Steven Amstrup, chief scientist emeritus at Polar Bears International. When sea ice melts, polar bears are forced onto land where they are deprived of food and must survive on fat reserves that they have accumulated beforehand.Polar...
Heavy rain and flooding are expected as Hurricane Idalia makes its slow march toward Georgia’s coast.The powerful storm — packing maximum 120-mph winds — made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm Wednesday, Aug. 30, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s forecast to reach southeast Georgia by late Wednesday afternoon, and livestream cameras are stationed along multiple beaches to capture the storm as it approaches.Idalia is forecast to be at hurricane strength as it reaches southeast GA late this afternoon, then becoming a tropical storm as it tracks along the SC coast.https://t.co/3jVyiczXiypic.twitter.com/bw6z9SLEyt— NWS Charleston, SC (@NWSCharlestonSC) August 30, 2023Views of the impending storm will allow Georgians near and far to see the...
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Forecasters are warning of possible flash flooding and landslides across the eastern Yucatan peninsula and western Cuba, and Florida braced for a possible hurricane by midweek, as a weather system off the coast of Mexico was expected to become a tropical storm by Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday for most of the state's Gulf coast as the weather system strengthens as it moves northward across the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center warned Saturday that the system could produce dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and strong winds to Florida's Gulf coast and Panhandle by midweek. DeSantis' declaration covers the Gulf coast from the southwestern city of Fort Myers north through Panama...
The deadly wildfires in Maui reveal a vulnerability in the United States that is increasing as quickly as threats from climate change: Huge swaths of the nation lie in dry danger zones where wildfires spark, and cash-strapped governments have ineffective emergency plans to save lives.That was the deadly combination in the Maui disaster - namely, wildfire risk coupled with what some experts and victims have called questionable emergency preparedness. And it has played out in some of the deadliest fires in the nation and around the globe, alarming fire experts and community leaders.Similar scenarios happened in Paradise, California, where 85 people died and nearly 19,000 structures were destroyed in the Camp Fire in 2018; and in Algeria, Italy and Greece, where questions of effective emergency...
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A new pack of gray wolves has shown up in California's Sierra Nevada, several hundred miles away from any other known population of the endangered species, wildlife officials announced Friday.It's a discovery to make researchers howl with delight, given that the native species was hunted to extinction in California in the 1920s. Only in the past decade or so have a few gray wolves wandered back into the state from out-of-state packs.A report of a wolf seen last month in Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County led researchers to spot tracks, and collect DNA samples from fur and droppings, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Researchers concluded that there is a new pack of at least five wolves that weren't previously known to live...
Human-caused global warming made July hotter for four out of five people on Earth, with more than 2 billion people feeling climate change-boosted warmth daily, according to a flash study.More than 6.5 billion people, or 81% of the world’s population, sweated through at least one day where climate change had a significant effect on the average daily temperature, according to a new report issued Wednesday by Climate Central, a science nonprofit that has figured a way to calculate how much climate change has affected daily weather. “We really are experiencing climate change just about everywhere,” said Climate Central Vice President for Science Andrew Pershing.Researchers looked at 4,711 cities and found climate change fingerprints in 4,019 of them for July, which other scientists said is the...
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters aided by rain fought to contain a massive blaze that swept through the California desert into Nevada and could threaten the region's famous spiky Joshua trees.The York Fire that erupted last Friday is California's largest wildfire this year. As of early Wednesday it had burned through more than 128 square miles (333 square kilometers) of land and was 30% contained, fire officials said.Humid monsoonal weather conditions Tuesday afternoon brought brief but heavy rain, especially on the south end of the fire, and kept its spread to a minimum, fire officials said. Similar conditions were expected on Wednesday, with drier weather poised to return on Thursday.“Right now, the monsoonal influence is still over the fire,” said Marc Peebles, a spokesperson...
An 8-year-old camper survived being attacked by a cougar at Washington's Olympic National Park on Saturday evening, officials said. The attack happened around 6:30 p.m. local time at Lake Angeles, the National Park Service said. The cougar "casually abandoned its attack" after the child's mother yelled at the animal, leaving the 8-year-old with minor injuries, according to the National Park Service. All other campers in the area were evacuated after the attack and access to the area was shut down "due to the extreme nature of this incident," Olympic National Park wildlife biologist Tom Kay said in a statement.Law enforcement and wildlife personnel went into the park early Sunday morning to find the cougar, authorities said. The cougar will be euthanized and removed from the park for a necropsy...
Recycled plastic bottles are seen at the San Francisco Recycling Center on.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesCalifornia pays people up to 10 cents for recycling certain bottles and cans.The state credits the program with reducing waste, but it's also been a target of criminal schemes."It's an honor system — and, frankly, you can't trust anybody," recycling expert Liza Tucker said.Who knew that "recycling fraud" was even a thing?When California's top law enforcement official charged a family of eight with ripping off the state's recycling program — for millions of dollars — it was likely the first time that many people became aware that there is real (and dirty) money to be made in the field of used beverage containers.Since 1987, California authorities credit the state's cash incentives with saving...
For years, beavers have been treated as an annoyance for chewing down trees and shrubs and blocking up streams, leading to flooding in neighborhoods and farms. But the animal is increasingly being seen as nature's helper in the midst of climate change.California recently changed its tune and is embracing the animals that can create lush habitats that lure species back into now-urban areas, enhance groundwater supplies and buffer against the threat of wildfires.A new policy that went into effect last month encourages landowners and agencies dealing with beaver damage to seek solutions such as putting flow devices in streams or protective wrap on trees before seeking permission from the state to kill the animals. The state is also running pilot projects to relocate beavers to places where they...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that if he’s elected president, he’d be open to considering Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a position in his administration with either the Food and Drug Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DeSantis, a Republican, made the remarks in an interview with the OutKick’s Clay Travis, who asked him about Kennedy as a possible running mate.DeSantis signaled that he was uninterested in that possibility, noting that Kennedy would be out of step with much of the GOP base on some issues, like climate change.But DeSantis said he and Kennedy were aligned on medical issues, including their criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the government’s top infectious disease expert and became an outspoken advocate...
The price of oil is the biggest factor in gasoline prices. But another factor has been pushing fuel costs higher for the last three years: gas station profit margins.New research by economist Michael Havlin shows that the profit margin on gasoline is about 77% higher than in May 2019, the first month for which government data is available. Compared with February 2020 —the last month before the COVID pandemic erupted — gasoline margins are 62% higher. The latest numbers are for May 2023.Last December, gasoline profit margins peaked at 120% above the 2019 baseline, or 102% above the 2020 pre-COVID level. The profit margin on gas was about 6.7% in 2019, so at current levels, it’s close to 12%.At the current average price of $3.64 per gallon, about 43 cents per gallon goes to the retailer as gross...
The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Researchers say the deadly hot spells in the American Southwest and Southern Europe could not have happened without the continuing buildup of warming gases in the air.These unusually strong heat waves are becoming more common, Tuesday's study said. The same research found the increase in heat-trapping gases, largely from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has made another heat wave — the one in China — 50 times more likely with the potential to occur every five years or so.A stagnant atmosphere, warmed by carbon dioxide and other gases, also made the European heat wave 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) hotter, the one in the United States and Mexico 3.6 degrees...
Natural gas prices are down, but temperatures are up and so are many households’ utility bills. Across the country, programs for helping low-income residents cover their energy costs — designed decades ago with winter heating in mind — are struggling to meet higher summertime demand.In Texas, which has been baking under a record-breaking heat wave for more than a month, air conditioners are running at full blast, raising costs for electricity generation that often get passed down to customers. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s utility grid, has seen surging demand break the system’s maximum load records 10 times within the past five weeks, peaking at about 83,000 gigawatts on Tuesday.“We’re hot every summer,” said Bobby Deike, executive director of the Community...
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana (AP) — A woman was found dead in Montana on Saturday after coming into contact with a grizzly bear on a trail west of Yellowstone National Park. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement on Sunday that the woman was found deceased on a trail near West Yellowstone, a Montana town nestled in the Custer Gallatin National Forest just west of Yellowstone National Park.They said the woman was found deceased “following an apparent bear encounter” based on what investigators determined were grizzly bear tracks at the scene. The department said the investigation into the grizzly attack was ongoing.Rangers issued an emergency closure of the area where the woman was found, which is popular with hikers.Though the department's statement said the death...
People keep getting gored by bison. What's going on? (Illustration: Alex Cochran for Yahoo; Photo: Getty Images)Illustration: Alex Cochran for Yahoo; Photo: Getty ImagesAn Arizona resident, Amber Harris, is recovering in a hospital after being gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on July 17. Harris opened up about her experience on Facebook after revealing that she got engaged while in the hospital. "We woke up our first morning and walked down to the lodge for some coffee, then decided [to] take a walk through a field to get to Yellowstone Lake," Harris wrote. "There were a few other people and about 20 elk roaming around, so we waited for them to clear before walking through the field."Harris said that she and her family noticed two bison on their way to the lake, "one on the path...
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A pack of dingoes drove a woman who was jogging into the surf and attacked her in the latest clash between native dogs and humans on a popular Australian island, sparking new warnings Tuesday to visitors venturing out. The 24-year-old woman was attacked by three or four dingoes on Monday while she was jogging on a beach at Queensland state’s K’gari, the world’s largest sand island formerly known as Fraser Island, officials said.The World Heritage-listed national park is home to some of Australia’s purest dingoes, which are also known by their Indigenous name wongari, because domestic dogs have long been banned. Tourists returned to the island after pandemic restrictions were lifted, and have found the dingoes have become less wary of humans. That's raised the danger...
PHOENIX (AP) — The extreme heat scorching Phoenix blazed into the record books Tuesday, the 19th consecutive day temperatures hit at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) in a summer of suffering echoing around much of the globe.As human-caused climate change and a newly formed El Nino are combining to shatter heat records worldwide, the Phoenix region stands apart among major metropolitan areas in the U.S.No other major city – defined as the 25 most populous in the United States – has had any stretch of 110-degree days or 90-degree nights longer than Phoenix, said weather historian Christopher Burt of the Weather Company.“It’s the longest streak that we’ve ever seen in this country,” said NOAA Climate Analysis Group Director Russell Vose, who chairs a committee on national records. “When...
White House climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. would “under no circumstances” pay reparations to other countries ravaged by climate change in testimony Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s oversight subcommittee.During the hearing, subcommittee chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) directly asked Kerry whether the U.S. would pay reparations, to which Kerry responded in the negative.“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Mast replied.The exchange between Kerry and Mast marked a solicitous moment in a hearing that saw frequent fireworks between the former secretary of State and the panel’s other Republicans. Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) made repeated references to Kerry’s family’s ownership of a private jet, prompting Kerry to say he does not own a private jet...
A Colorado woman died Sunday after falling 500 feet while free-solo climbing a ridge at Rocky Mountain National Park, authorities said. The unidentified 26-year-old died while climbing on the Four Aces of Blitzen Ridge, on Ypsilon Mountain on the east side of the park, according to information released by the National Park Service on Monday. Free-soloing is a form of climbing "where the climber forgoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall," according to a park service glossary.The woman's unidentified 27-year-old male climbing partner, also from Boulder, notified park rangers of her fall, the federal agency said. Members of the park's search and rescue team...
(Reuters) - Texas' power grid operator projected electricity use would break records again this week as homes and business crank up their air conditioners to cope with another brutal summer heatwave. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, has said it has enough resources available to meet soaring demand. Texas residents have worried about extreme weather since a deadly storm in February 2021 left millions without power, water and heat for days as ERCOT scrambled to prevent a grid collapse after the closure of an unusually large amount of generation. After setting 11 peak demand records last summer, ERCOT forecast usage would break the current all-time high of 80,828...
A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give skygazers in 17 American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere.Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar cycle that’s expected to peak in 2024 is making the lights visible in places farther to the south. Three months ago, the light displays were visible in Arizona, marking the third severe geomagnetic storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New...
If seeing the northern lights is on your bucket list, you might just be in luck. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, could appear over 16 U.S. states on Thursday, July 13. The natural phenomenon is usually caused by solar winds coming from the sun and Earth's magnetic field, according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. "Aurora is the name given to the glow or light produced when electrons from space flow down Earth’s magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere in a ring or oval centered on the magnetic pole of Earth," the website states. "The collisions produce light much like how electrons flowing through gas in a neon light collide with neon and other gasses to produce different colored light bulbs."The University of Alaska Fairbanks...
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Grigor Dimitrov was about to serve at Wimbledon when two environmental activists jumped out of the stands at Court 18 and disrupted his match by scattering orange confetti and puzzle pieces on the grass. His initial instinct Wednesday? Get involved and try to stop them.“But then I also realized,” the three-time Grand Slam semifinalist said, “that’s not my place to do that.”Instead, security guards hauled away the woman and man wearing T-shirts from Just Stop Oil — an organization that wants the British government to stop new oil, gas and coal projects — and the two were arrested “on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage,” according to the All England Club.The next contest on that same court, best known as the site of John Isner's 2010 victory over Nicolas...
The entire planet sweltered for the two unofficial hottest days in human recordkeeping Monday and Tuesday, according to University of Maine scientists at the Climate Reanalyzer project.For two straight days, the global average temperature spiked into uncharted territory. After scientists talked about Monday's dramatic heat, Tuesday soared 0.17 degrees Celsius (0.31 degrees Fahrenheit) even hotter, which is a huge temperature jump in terms of global averages and records.The same University of Maine climate calculator — based on satellite data and computer simulations — forecasts a similar temperature for Wednesday that would be in record territory, with an Antarctica average that is a whopping 4.5 degrees Celsius (8.1 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 1979-2000 average. High temperature records...
By Gloria Dickie Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world. The southern U.S. has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F). And even Antarctica, currently in its winter, registered anomalously high temperatures. Ukraine's Vernadsky Research Base in the white continent's Argentine Islands recently broke its July temperature record with 8.7C (47.6F). "This is not a milestone...
LONDON (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Russia are extending cuts to the amount of oil they pump to the world in a bid to prop up prices, showing how two of the world's largest oil producers are scrambling to boost income from the fossil fuel even as demand has weakened with the economy.The decision gave a slight boost to oil prices Monday and comes after the Saudis announced a large cut in output for July at the latest meeting of the OPEC+ coalition of oil producers — raising concerns that gasoline prices for U.S. drivers could start ticking up.The Saudi Energy Ministry said it would extend July's cut of 1 million barrels per day through August to support “the stability and balance of oil markets.” That will keep the Gulf nation's output at 9 million barrels per day.Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Thursday that will allow new roads in the state to be built with “radioactive” mining waste that has been linked to cancer.HB 1191 adds phosphogypsum to a list of “recyclable materials” that can be used for the construction of roads. The list also includes ground rubber from car tires, ash residue from coal combustion byproducts, recycled mixed-plastic, glass and construction steel.Phosphogypsum, a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer, emits radon — a radioactive gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The material also contains radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium and radium.Radon is second to smoking as a leading cause of lung cancer. The gas has been linked to 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the U.S...
Debris recovered from the submersible that catastrophically imploded while on a voyage to see the Titanic wreckage last week contained "presumed human remains," the U.S. Coast Guard said.Salvaged pieces of the Titan vessel were unloaded from the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, Wednesday morning.MORE: DOJ announces 78 people charged over $2.5 billion in false health care billingsThe U.S. Coast Guard said later Wednesday it has received the debris and evidence, including "presumed human remains," that had been recovered from the ocean floor in the incident, in which five people died.The evidence will be transported to a port in the U.S. for "further analysis and testing" by the Marine Board of Investigation, the Coast Guard said."The...
The devastation that Hurricane Bob wrought on Chris Gloninger's hometown of Sag Harbor, New York left a lasting impression on the then-second grader.From his family's home in the small village located on eastern Long Island, Gloninger bore witness to a hurricane that ultimately claimed 18 lives and caused potentially billions of dollars in damage, becoming one of the most catastrophic in New England's history. The experience was as enlightening as it was sobering for a young Gloninger, who saw firsthand the severe toll that extreme weather can have on humankind. It's why late in his career as a meteorologist, Gloninger began making it a point to regularly educate his audience about the effects of climate change — an interest he maintained when he joined Des Moines, Iowa's CBS affiliate KCCI...
Residents of several islands in the eastern Caribbean were bracing Wednesday for the arrival of Tropical Storm Bret, which was expected to bring torrential rainfall and strong winds, along with the chances for landslides and flooding over the next couple of days.A tropical storm warning was in effect for St. Lucia, while a tropical storm watch was in effect for Barbados, Martinique and Dominica, as officials in the region urged people to prepare for Bret.As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Bret had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was located 470 miles east of Barbados, the National Hurricane Center said. It was churning to the west at 14 mph.An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate Bret in a few hours and shouldprovide a better estimate of the storm's intensity...
If you bought a plug-in electric vehicle, you could be eligible for the Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit.Going green can help you reduce your overall tax bill as long as you know what’s allowed and what you need to do to claim it. There are ways to take advantage of green incentives, such as buying alternative vehicles, using Energy Star products and installing certain alternative energy equipment. But, as you’ll see below, some of these incentives won’t last forever.1. Take advantage of renewable energy incentives that are here to stay — for a little while at leastOne green federal tax incentive that'll be around for a bit longer is the tax credit for renewable home energy systems, and it’s a biggie.The credit covered 30% of the cost of solar electric and solar water...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A collection of the nation's leading and biggest spending environmental groups endorsed President Joe Biden's re-election bid on Wednesday, an early sign that he has consolidated their support despite some recent policy moves that angered climate activists. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, billionaire Tom Steyer's NextGen PAC, NRDC Action Fund and the Sierra Club endorsed Biden during an LCV dinner in Washington. This is the first time the four groups have ever jointly announced a presidential endorsement, according to the Biden campaign. "Together, we've made a lot of progress so far. We have to finish the job," Biden told the crowd climate activists. He added that the world poses many threats, but climate change "is the only truly existential...
London — Swedish student activist Greta Thunberg, who rose to prominence in 2018 when she started a global youth movement of school strikes to demand action on climate change, is graduating."Today, I graduate from school, which means I'll no longer be able to school strike for the climate," Thunburg wrote on social media. "Much has changed since we started, and yet we have much further to go."Thunberg's school walk-outs, which took place on Fridays, led to the creation of the Friday's for Future campaign, which organized a global strike that saw millions of people in over 150 countries follow her lead and walk out of classes to demand climate change action in 2019.School strike week 251. Today, I graduate from school, which means I’ll no longer be able to school strike for the climate. This...
New photos capture the haze that has blanketed New York and other parts of the United States as smoke from wildfires in Canada spreads south through the country. Millions of people in the eastern U.S. are grappling with unhealthy air quality conditions as a result of the haze. In some areas, the smoke has been so dense that people can smell it in the air.The wildfire smoke moving southward out of Canada over the northern part of the U.S. has so far triggered air quality alerts over parts of the Northeast into the southern mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said early Wednesday. In New York City, heavy smoke could be seen shrouding buildings Tuesday.Life in the "city that never sleeps" appeared to largely go on as normal, however, with crowds of people still filtering through Times Square...
Five states were under red flag warnings Tuesday morning due to hot, dry and unstable conditions, the National Weather Service said.Parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Washington and Alaska will remain under the warning until 8-10 p.m. local time, the weather service said.In Pennsylvania, lightning strikes may cause fires to start in dry areas. In Washington, dry and unstable air mass with warm temperatures could contribute to a fire. “Be careful with any activities that could potentially lead to a wildfire,” the weather service warned Michigan residents. “Camping, outdoor grills, smoking materials, chain saws and all terrain vehicles all have the potential to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous and destructive fire.”What is a red flag warning?The weather service issues a “red flag...
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week will take on what some lawmakers see as a burning issue: protecting Americans from new restrictions on gas-fueled stoves. The House is set to vote on two bills preventing regulators from banning the stoves in the future or setting new energy conservation and health standards for new models. Some state and local governments have begun banning gas-fueled furnaces, water heaters, and gas stoves in some new buildings as a way of reducing fossil-fuel emissions contributing to climate change. The Republican bills, if passed by the House, could face opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans accuse the Biden administration of pursuing regulations that could impact the...
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Sunday that it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to support the sagging cost of crude after two previous cuts to supply by major oil-producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance failed to push prices higher.The announcement of Saudi's cuts of 1 million barrels per day, which will start in July, followed a meeting of the alliance at OPEC headquarters in Vienna. The rest of the OPEC+ producers agreed to extend earlier production cuts through the end of 2024.“This is a grand day for us, because the quality of the agreement is unprecedented,” Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said at a news conference, adding that the new production targets are “much more transparent and much more fair.”Calling the...
A visitor to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming pleaded guilty to a federal charge and was fined after he helped a bison calf, which was later euthanized after its herd rejected it, officials said.Clifford Walters, of Hawaii, pleaded guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife, the U.S. attorney's office for Wyoming said.He was ordered to pay around $1,000 in a fine and payment to the park's wildlife fund, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.On May 20, Walters helped a newborn bison calf out of the Lamar River after the animal became separated from its herd, the National Park Service said.But the herd rejected the calf, which can happen when humans interfere with wildlife, according to the park. Staff members killed the calf...
Albert Einstein’s name is synonymous with “genius,” and his wild hair is a trope of its own for mad scientists and professors in popular culture.Einstein’s discoveries led to modern-day inventions like paper towels, solar power, stock market forecasts and laser pointers, but his theory of general relativity is often regarded as his most significant contribution.Here’s a look at the life and work of Einstein, who is considered one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. What did Albert Einstein invent?Einstein published four notable papers during his “Miracle Year” in 1905 while he was working at a Swiss patent office:In his first paper, Einstein applied German physicist Max Planck’s quantum theory to light to explain the photoelectric effect. He went on to win the Nobel Prize...
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight months ago, chef Michael Cellura had a restaurant job and had just moved into a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach. Now, after Hurricane Ian swept all that away, he lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old long-haired chihuahua named Ginger.Like hundreds of others, Cellura was left homeless after the Category 5 hurricane blasted the barrier island last September with ferocious winds and storm surge as high as 15 feet (4 meters). Like many, he's struggled to navigate insurance payouts, understand federal and state assistance bureaucracy and simply find a place to shower.“There's a lot of us like me that are displaced. Nowhere to go,” Cellura, 58, said during a recent interview next to his car, sitting in a commercial parking lot along with...
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam's governor gave the all-clear Thursday after Typhoon Mawar tore through the remote U.S. Pacific territory the night before, ripping off roofs, shedding trees and leaving much of the island of about 150,000 people without power and utilities.There were minor injuries reported but no fatalities, according to the office of Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. She declared the “all clear” Thursday evening, returning the island to its typical condition of typhoon readiness as the National Weather Service lifted a typhoon watch. She thanked the people of Guam for keeping themselves safe and protected during the storm. “We now continue to focus our efforts on repairing infrastructure and restoring services to residents,” Leon Guerrero said in a statement. “After speaking with department...
This Tuesday, May 23, 2023 satellite image released by NASA shows Typhoon Mawar, a powerful storm that could deliver the biggest hit in two decades to the U.S. territory in the Pacific, approaching Guam. (NASA via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESSA powerful typhoon taking aim at Guam could be the strongest tropical cyclone to impact the U.S. island territory in decades.As of Wednesday 7:50 p.m. local time (5:50 a.m. ET), the eye of Typhoon Mawar was passing over or very near northern Guam with 140 mile per hour winds — equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane. Mawar could make a rare landfall on Guam, which would mark the first time since 1976 that the island was directly hit by a Category 4 typhoon.An earlier forecast projected Mawar to hit the island as a super typhoon packing winds as strong as 160 mph —...
The 170,000 residents of U.S. territory Guam in the West Pacific were bracing Tuesday for a hit from Super Typhoon Mawar, which is now a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph.Meteorologists say the typhoon could be the strongest in decades to impact Guam, bringing life-threatening flooding and the potential for damaging winds over the next few days.President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved an emergency declaration for Guam as the storm approached. Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said on social media that the declaration will support the mobilization of resources into Guam, which is “especially crucial given our distance from the continental U.S."“Current forecasts are not favorable to our island,” Guerrero said. “We are at the crosshairs of Typhoon Mawar. Take action now, stay calm, stay informed...
Thanks to a combination of human-caused global warming and El Niño, global temperatures are expected to soar to record levels within the next five years, the United Nations' weather agency said Wednesday.The World Meteorological Organization said there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years – and the five-year period as a whole – will be the warmest on record.In addition, there is a 66% likelihood that the annual average global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for at least one year.That number is critical because the 2015 Paris climate agreement set 1.5 degrees Celsius as a global guardrail in atmospheric warming, with countries pledging to try to prevent that much long-term warming if possible.Here comes...
NEW YORK (AP) — From the outside, the residential high-rise on Manhattan's Upper West Side looks pretty much like any other luxury building: A doorman greets visitors in a spacious lobby adorned with tapestry and marble.Yet just below in the basement is an unusual set of equipment that no other building in New York City — indeed few in the world — can claim. In an effort to drastically reduce the 30-story building's emissions, the owners have installed a maze of twisting pipes and tanks that collect carbon dioxide from the massive, gas-fired boilers in the basement before it goes to the chimney and is released into the air.The goal is to stop that climate-warming gas from entering the atmosphere. And there's a dire need for reducing emissions from skyscrapers like these in such a vertical city...
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An early heat wave took hold Saturday in parts of the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures nearing or breaking records in some areas and heat advisories in place through Monday.The historically temperate region has grappled with scorching summer temperatures and unprecedented wildfires fueled by climate change in recent years.The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory extending from Saturday through Monday for much of the western parts of both Oregon and Washington state. It said the temperatures could raise the risk of heat-related illness, particularly for those who are dehydrated or don’t have effective cooling.Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, were expected to be in the low-90 degree F (32 C) range over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service...
In 1916, the National Parks Service was founded to protect and maintain the national parks and monuments in the U.S. From Zion to Yosemite, each park has its own rich history. But how many national parks are there and which state has the most? Here is what you need to know. How many national parks are there?There are 63 national parks in the U.S., according to the National Park Service.Just Curious: Your everyday questions, answered National parks commit to net-zero emissions: What that means for visitorsWhich state has the most national parks? California has the most national parks with nine total in the state. The next state with the most parks is Alaska, which has eight national parks. Utah comes in third place with a total of five national parks, while Colorado is in fourth with four national...
A search and rescue effort was ongoing in Alaska for two people who disappeared while climbing at Denali National Park and Preserve late last week.The climbers, from Seattle, went missing Friday on Moose’s Tooth, a 10,300-foot peak near the Ruth Gorge in the park, according to the U.S. Department of Interior National Park Service.Based on boot prints and other clues, the federal agency reported 34-year-old Eli Michel and 32-year-old Nafiun Awal, likely fell while climbing high on the West Ridge route of the peak. The two climbers likely triggered a small avalanche while climbing and fell, coming to rest in a heavily crevassed glacier at the bottom of the slide path, officials said Tuesday.Missing hiker found: 19-year-old hiker rescued after missing for 3 days at Glacier National Park in MontanaConcerned...
A brutal heat wave has hit Southeast Asia at the same time that parts of the region are choking on worryingly high levels of air pollution — a one-two punch that experts say could make an already dangerous situation deadlier.Temperatures well into the triple digits were recorded over the weekend, including new all-time highs for Vietnam and Laos: The Vietnamese city of Tuong Duong hit 111.6 degrees Fahrenheit (44.2 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, and a record 110.3 degrees F (43.5 degrees C) was recorded Saturday in Luang Prabang in Laos. Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, also set a record of 105.8 degrees F (41 degrees C) over the weekend.Heat waves can be deadly on their own, but parts of Vietnam and Thailand have also been blanketed in thick smog in recent weeks. Experts say the combination of extreme...
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Authorities in coastal North Carolina are investigating the death of a teenager who became trapped in a hole that was dug in the sand, the latest fatality from the scourge of sand holes that continues to claim young people's lives. The 17-year-old male died Saturday afternoon in the small resort town of Frisco, which sits along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks, the National Park Service said in a statement. Park rangers responded to a 911 call regarding a teenager trapped in a hole that was dug in a back-dune area behind the beach's primary dune along the Atlantic Ocean, the park service said. The teenager was buried under several feet of sand after an adjacent dune apparently collapsed into the hole. Rangers and other emergency responders worked with...
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog is expressing growing anxiety about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after the governor of the Russia-occupied area ordered the evacuation of a town where most plant staff live amid ongoing attacks in the area.The plant is near the front lines of fighting in the war, and Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a 72-year-old woman was killed and three others were wounded when Russian forces fired more than 30 shells at Nikopol, a Ukrainian-held town neighboring the plant.Ukraine has also been regularly attacking the Russian side of the lines. “The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," International Atomic...
The archeological remains of a 19th century hospital and cemetery have been found on a submerged island near Garden Key, the second-largest island in the Dry Tortugas National Park near Key West, Florida. The hospital served as a 19th century quarantine and cemetery for yellow fever patients between 1890 and 1900, according to the National Parks Service.Historical records indicate that dozens of people, mostly U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson, may have been buried at the cemetery, according to the NPS.Dozens of people were interred in the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery — most of them were military members serving or imprisoned at the Fort. Some civilians may have been buried there as well, historians said.MORE: How rising sea levels will affect New York City, America's most populous...
MOSCOW (Reuters) - An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the world was probably on the verge of a new world war and the risks of a nuclear confrontation were rising. "The world is sick and quite probably is on the verge of a new world war," Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Putin's powerful security council, told a conference in Moscow. He said such a new world war was not inevitable but the risks of a nuclear confrontation were growing and more serious than concerns about climate change. Putin says the world faces the most dangerous decade since World War Two. He casts the war in Ukraine as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself against any aggressor. The United...
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are now losing more than three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago, according to a new comprehensive international study.Using 50 different satellite estimates, researchers found that Greenland’s melt has gone into hyperdrive in the last few years. Greenland’s average annual melt from 2017 to 2020 was 20% more a year than at the beginning of the decade and more than seven times higher than its annual shrinkage in the early 1990s.The new figures “are pretty disastrous really,” said study co-author Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute. “We’re losing more and more ice from Greenland.”Study lead author Ines Otosaka, a glaciologist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, said speeded-up ice sheet...
A report released Tuesday by a coalition of U.S. environmental advocacy groups warned of the health risks of PVC plastic and urged public officials against using the material in community drinking water pipes.PVC is made with vinyl chloride, the same hazardous material released in the fiery train derailment that triggered a public health and environmental crisis in East Palestine, Ohio. It's also a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor.Yet, because of its relatively low cost, PVC – polyvinyl chloride – has become a popular option for communities replacing old drinking water pipes and, in particular, the old lead pipes and service lines that carry their own public health risks. In 2021, the Biden Administration allocated $15 billion through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Drinking...
Add one of these beauties to your cart. Your plants will thank you. (Photo: Amazon)Photo: AmazonGardening is a complicated hobby. On the one hand, it gets you out in the fresh air; on the other, it's easy to kill your plants. But having a structure like a greenhouse available can go a long way toward helping your plants thrive. Greenhouses allow you to control the humidity and the temperature (even during the winter) to create a cozy environment where plants are encouraged to grow longer and produce more fruit and flowers. Basically, it's a special helper to give you that extra edge when growing plants. Finding a greenhouse and getting it on your property used to be a huge undertaking — but not anymore. Now, you can find a greenhouse at Amazon! The online retail giant has a bunch of greenhouses...
Trying to figure out what the warming climate means for tornado activity in the United States is a bit like trying to modify a recipe. Add more of one ingredient and you get one result. Take away an ingredient or substitute one ingredient for another and you get an entirely different result. Scientists studying the “recipe” for tornado activity in the United States, now and in the future, say it’s difficult to tease apart how all the pieces that have to interact for tornadoes to form – such as warmer temperatures and more intense rainfall – may affect storm activity in the future. However, research announced this week by Northern Illinois University reports continued increases in carbon dioxide emissions could bring about more frequent and more intense supercell storms and tornado activity...
Chipotle (CMG) is out with a new, all-electric restaurant design—all part of the burrito chain's goal to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030, compared to 2019. Next year, Chipotle said 100 of its new locations, "at least," will utilize some of the elements featured in the new design: electric vehicle charging stations, rooftop solar panels, heat pump water heaters and all-electric equipment and systems instead of natural gas. In the kitchen: a smaller electric cook line and upgraded exhaust hoods.Locations that already feature some of these new elements include Gloucester, in Virginia, and Jacksonville, Florida. This summer, Chipotle plans to open another with these features in Castle Rock, Colorado.Chipotle said these locations will use 100% renewable energy from...
The James Webb Space Telescope recently captured an image of Uranus, detailing the ice giant's ring system, its brightest moons and its zestful atmosphere. The observation, made Feb. 6,comes on the heels of a similar photo the powerful telescope captured of the solar system's other ice giant, Neptune.According to a news release from NASA, the new photograph of Uranus features "dramatic rings as well as bright features in the planet’s atmosphere.""The Webb data demonstrates the observatory’s unprecedented sensitivity for the faintest dusty rings, which have only ever been imaged by two other facilities: the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it flew past the planet in 1986, and the Keck Observatory with advanced adaptive optics," NASA wrote in the Thursday release."Uranus has never looked better," the...
HONOLULU (AP) — Repairing coral reefs after boats run aground. Shielding native forest trees from a killer fungus outbreak. Patrolling waters for swimmers harassing dolphins and turtles. Taking care of Hawaii's unique natural environment takes time, people and money. Now Hawaii wants tourists to help pay for it, especially because growing numbers are traveling to the islands to enjoy the beauty of its outdoors — including some lured by dramatic vistas they've seen on social media. “All I want to do, honestly, is to make travelers accountable and have the capacity to help pay for the impact that they have,” Democratic Gov. Josh Green said earlier this year. “We get between nine and 10 million visitors a year (but) we only have 1.4 million people living here. Those 10 million travelers should...
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is asking the Biden administration to delay new energy standards for mobile homes set to go into effect at the end of next month.In a new letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm given exclusively to Yahoo Finance, Scott said “this costly and misguided regulation” will squeeze low-income Americans who will be “unfairly asked to bear the costs imposed by climate alarmists.”The new rules require more insulation and energy-efficient windows, changes that will increase the costs of building the homes. But they will also save Americans hundreds of dollars on their electricity bills while also cutting nationwide carbon emissions by 80 million metric tons.Monday’s letter from Scott, the ranking member of the Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, is the...
For most people, the word “desert” summons images of dry sand dunes, cacti and snakes. In television and movies, characters typically become sweaty, starved and parched when they’re stuck in the desert. These characters often encounter a “Hollywood Mirage” and find themselves wishfully perceiving glistening pools of water and palm trees in the distance, according to TV Tropes.But this is the desert of Looney Tunes and the Indiana Jones movies. The largest desert in the world actually doesn’t look anything like those depictions.There are four types of deserts, according to National Geographic — hot and dry, semi-arid, coastal and cold deserts. The world’s largest desert is a cold, polar desert.What is the largest desert in the world?The largest desert in the world is the Antarctic Desert, which...
A major storm system that started moving through the South and Midwest starting Friday has killed at least 30 people, according to officials.Thirteen of the deaths are in Tennessee, where an EF-2 tornado struck Wayne and Lewis counties on Friday night, later also impacting McNairy and Hardin counties, according to the National Weather field office in Nashville. Nine of the deaths were in buildings that were completely destroyed down to the foundation in McNairy County, according to McNairy County Sheriff Guy Buck.A tornado crossed the entire county and stayed on the ground for over 30 miles causing "every kind of damage imaginable," Buck told NBC News.Two children and one adult were found dead in Memphis on Sunday after officers responded to South Edgeware Road for reports of trees that had...
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Senate Energy Committee Chair Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he may go to court after the U.S. Treasury releases guidance later this week on battery sourcing guidance for electric vehicle tax credits. "If it goes off the rails" and violates the intent of the climate legislation approved in August, "I will do whatever I can - if that means going to court and I can do it, I'd do it," said Manchin, a Democrat. Manchin said he is most concerned about how Treasury will classify processing and manufacturing in determining eligibility for $7,500 EV tax credits. Manchin, who has often pushed fossil fuel industry interests in Congress, says he is trying to move the EV battery supply chain from China. His political opponents say he doesn't like the EV industry. "Manufacturing...
By Kanishka Singh, Katharine Jackson and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden would veto a Republican energy legislation package if it were to pass Congress, citing cost increases that the legislation could lead to, the White House said on Monday. "H.R. 1 (Lower Energy Costs Act) would double the cost of energy efficiency upgrades that families need to reduce household bills and would repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that will cut energy costs and boost economic development in rural and urban communities across the country," the White House said. "Therefore, if presented to the president in its current form, he would veto it." Republicans plan to bring the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives, where they hold a slim majority, for...
A "bomb cyclone" is wreaking havoc across an already soaked California, killing at least five people in the San Francisco Bay Area, including four hit by falling trees or limbs, officials said.A dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure triggered the so-called bomb cyclone that swept in from the Pacific Ocean and clobbered the San Francisco area. The storm packed heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 90 mph that knocked down trees, blocking major roadways and highways, officials said.Tens of thousands of utility customers lost power, according to officials.One person was killed and another was injured in the gated community of Rossmoor, about 25 miles east of San Francisco, when a tree fell on a moving car, according to the California Highway Patrol. Another motorist was killed around 1:30 p.m. local...
A one-temperature-fits-all approach may not be the best option for your wallet, your clothes, or the environment. Brizmaker/Getty ImagesWhen it comes to doing laundry, most of us simply toss our clothes into the washing machine without giving much thought to the water temperature. However, water temperature can significantly impact the cleanliness and longevity of your clothes. Water temperature can also spell major costs for your budget and the environment. Depending on the type and color of the fabric, choosing the right temperature for your wash can mean the difference between pristine, fresh-smelling clothes and shrunken, worn-out items. So, we asked laundry experts to weigh in on the right temperatures to keep every load of laundry looking and smelling its best. Here's what we found out. Related:You...
"Urgent" actions are needed to counter human-caused climate change, says a new report released Monday by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "Without urgent, effective, and equitable mitigation and adaptation actions, climate change increasingly threatens ecosystems, biodiversity, and the livelihoods, health and wellbeing of current and future generations," according to the report, released Monday in Interlaken, Switzerland.Reports by the IPCC are considered the planet's most authoritative assessments of the state of global warming, its consequences and the measures being taken to tackle it.“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere...
It'll be bitterly cold in much of the U.S. this weekend but spring is just around the corner.On Saturday, arctic cold will blast the upper Midwest from the Dakotas and Minnesota down to Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming. Frigid temperatures will target the East and the South on Sunday, while the 12th atmospheric river this season will start moving into California. Here's what you need to know about this weekend's weather: The Midwest It'll be so cold and windy in parts of the Midwest on Saturday that the wind chill could get down to 30 degrees below zero, said Bob Larson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.The coldest places will be the Dakotas and western and northern Minnesota, he said, with wind chills between negative 10 and 30."That's harsh cold you...
Two separate coalitions of environmental organizations have sued the Biden administration over its approval of the Willow Project, a controversial oil drilling project in northwestern Alaska.The litigation accuses the administration of insufficiently assessing how the endeavor would affect the surrounding indigenous community and endangered species. Representatives for the nearby village of Nuiqsut made similar allegations in public comments in January, saying they were not given the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the feedback process.In the lawsuits, plaintiffs argued that the approval, which the Interior Department announced Monday, constitutes a violation of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and did not properly consider alternatives that would result in lower...
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Parts of New England and New York were digging out of a nor'easter Wednesday that caused tens of thousands of power outages, numerous school cancellations and whiteout conditions on the roads.The storm began Monday night and lasted throughout Tuesday, dumping as much as 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow and gusty winds before moving on. Others got just a few inches or a wintry mix. More high winds and below-normal temperatures were in Wednesday's forecast before a warm-up later in the week.Some of the highest snow totals reported were 35 inches (89 cm) in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and in Ashby, Massachusetts, about 15 miles away (24 kilometers), the National Weather Service said. At least 2 feet (60 cm) of snow fell in parts of northern New York and the Catskill Mountains...
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters warned of more flooding, potentially damaging winds and difficult travel conditions on mountain highways as a new atmospheric river pushed into swamped California early Tuesday.Initial precipitation was light as the system spread across northern and central regions. But the National Weather Service said it was intensifying, and the heaviest rainfall was still offshore. The system was expected to be a quick hit, rapidly moving from north to south. But authorities worried about runoff causing flooding because California's extraordinarily wet winter has left soils supersaturated.So far this winter, the state has been battered by 10 previous atmospheric rivers, long plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air...
Two severe storms are expected to batter the East and West coasts simultaneously starting Monday night as California faces a fresh threat of flash flooding and heavy mountain snow. The arrival of the pair of "separate but potent" low-pressure systems will see both sides of the country slammed with severe weather this week, with widespread precipitation linked to a system across the Pacific Northwest expected to move southward into California, the National Weather Service said. The system is expected to slam onshore into the already storm-battered state Tuesday, with heavy precipitation expected throughout the next few days. Heavy snow is also forecast for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, the agency said."Considerable flooding impacts" are also expected below 5,000-foot elevation along...
What You Need to Know Before Taking Fish Oil Tanja Ivanova - Getty Images"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."What if there was something you could eat naturally or take as a supplement that could lower your risk of heart disease, improve your cognitive health and may even reduce your anxieties? It sounds almost too good to be true, but there is good reason to believe that it is already here, affordable and widely available: fish oil.One of the biggest health benefits of consuming fish comes from the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, rainbow trout and herring have the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids. While diet first is always the recommended way to reap the benefits...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is approving the controversial major Willow oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope, according to two people familiar with the decision.The decision being announced Monday is one of President Joe Biden’s most consequential climate choices and is likely to draw condemnation from environmentalists who say it flies in the face of the Democratic president’s pledges.Biden's plan would allow three drill sites initially, the sources said, which project developer ConocoPhillips has said would include about 219 total wells. The company has said it considers that option workable. ConocoPhillips will relinquish rights to about 68,000 acres of existing leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, two of the sources said.The sources have direct knowledge...
An atmospheric river battering California has prompted evacuations, a Presidential Emergency Declaration and an increasingly dire warning that more heavy rain is coming for portions of the state.The central part of California was especially hammered by flooding: Roads dramatically flooded around Kern County and National Guard members encountered floodwaters as they deployed to help first responders in Santa Cruz County. Forecasters' concerns are primarily concentrated away from the state's major population centers. On Saturday afternoon, Los Angeles and San Diego were free of weather watches, warnings and advisories; the San Francisco Bay Area was under an expansive flood watch.Meanwhile, forecasters said a winter storm could dump a foot of snow or more on northeast North Dakota, part of a...
President Biden’s 2024 budget released Thursday includes yet another broadside from the White House against oil companies.The budget proposal — which Republicans have said is going nowhere on Capitol Hill — would scrap tax breaks that oil and gas companies currently enjoy and save the U.S. Treasury about $31 billion over the coming decade.“This year's budget cuts the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade by asking the wealthy and big corporations to begin to pay their fair share and by cutting wasteful spending on Big Pharma, Big Oil and other special interests,” said Shalanda Young, Biden’s budget chief, on Thursday.President Joe Biden arrives at Philadelphia to release of his budget for fiscal year 2024 on March 9. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)Evelyn Hockstein / reutersThe proposal...
It's rose oil to the rescue for Reese! (Photo: Getty/Biossance)Does Reese Witherspoon ever stop? She's been dazzling Hollywood for over two decades, has her own book club, lifestyle and clothing brands — and with Netflix's Your Place or Mine? (her latest collab with Ashton Kutcher),it doesn't look like she'll be slowing down anytime soon. So how does she do it all and still look that good? She's got a few tricks up her sleeve, and one of them is on sale at Amazon: Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Firming Oil.Finding a quality vitamin C oil can transform your skin care routine, especially if you're looking to brighten and firm your skin. While there are many options on the market, Biossance's bestselling Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil stands out as a game changer for the combined impact of...
The Residential Clean Energy Credit for solar energy upgrades to your home has been extended through 2034 and expanded in value.Key Takeaways• The federal solar tax credit, officially called the Residential Clean Energy Credit, has been extended through 2034 and expanded starting in 2023 after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.• The credit is worth 30% of the installed system costs through 2032, 26% in 2033, 22% in 2034 and expires after.What is the Residential Clean Energy Credit?In an effort to encourage Americans to use solar power, the US government offers tax credits for solar systems. The Inflation Reduction Act renamed and extended the existing solar tax credit credit through 2034 for solar system installations on residential property. It also increased the credit’s value. Let's...
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Almost half a million Americans from Kentucky to Michigan were in the dark Sunday after a massive front dumped heavy snow across much of the nation's northern tier and slammed parts of the South with powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes.At least 13 deaths were reported from the storm, which began by dumping several feet of snow in California's mountains and pushing east, AccuWeather said.Five deaths were confirmed in Kentucky as wind gusts surpassing 70 mph downed trees and power lines and damaged homes and other buildings, Gov. Andy Beshear said. Power crews in Louisville and around the state labored Sunday after Friday's high-speed wind storm turned off the lights for hundreds of thousands of Kentucky residents.The system spawned straight-line winds, possible tornadoes and...
DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes touched down in Texas and Louisiana as a powerful storm system that dumped heavy snow in California pushed through the Southern Plains and into the Deep South on Thursday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights into and out of the Dallas-area.Wind gusts of over 70 mph (112 kph) were reported in Texas as tornado watches were issued into Thursday night in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. National Weather Service teams planned to head out Friday to survey areas for likely tornado damage in the storm's path, which stretched from southeast Oklahoma into Texas and neighboring Arkansas and Louisiana. “If your phone’s alerted and you hear sirens, that is for wind speeds as strong as a weak tornado,” the weather service...
The gates at Yosemite National Park have been shuttered due to extreme weather and climate conditions for a second time in less than a year.The park has closed indefinitely after up to 15 feet of snow fell in some areas, the National Park Service announced on Tuesday night.Yosemite had already been closed since Feb. 25 due to the storm that brought unusual amounts of snow to parts of California and was supposed to reopen on Wednesday.Park officials are attempting to restore critical services so visitors can safely return, according to the National Park Service. However, there is no estimated date for reopening.MORE: Wildfire near Yosemite National Park inching dangerously close to grove of historic sequoia treesA major winter storm brought blizzard conditions to the Sierra Nevada mountains...
The Department of Justice is seeking to compel a chemical manufacturing plant to curb its emissions in a region where the estimated cancer risk is among the highest in the United States.The action raises the stakes in a longstanding conflict between the Louisiana plant, nearby residents and the Environmental Protection Agency.The Denka Performance Elastomer plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River, is the only facility in the U.S. that produces chloroprene, a chemical used in the production of neoprene. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber found in products such as wetsuits and adhesives. The EPA identified chloroprene as a likely human carcinogen in 2010. Denka said in a statement that it has reduced emissions by about 85% since it took over the plant in 2015. But the estimated pollution-related...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration is weighing approval of a major oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope that supporters say represents an economic lifeline for Indigenous communities in the region but environmentalists say is counter to President Joe Biden's climate goals.A decision on ConocoPhillips Alaska's Willow project, in a federal oil reserve roughly the size of Indiana, could come by early March. Q: What is the Willow project?A: The project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the company — about 1.5% of total U.S. oil production. But in Alaska, Willow represents the biggest oil field in decades. Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said the development could be “one of the biggest, most important resource development projects...
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Parts of the Northeast are gearing up for what could be very heavy snow Tuesday, after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through parts of the Southern Plains, killing at least one person in Oklahoma, and some Michigan residents faced a sixth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm.In California, the National Weather Service said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday.A look at the weather threats around the country:TORNADO FORECAST, CLEANUPA storm system produced at least four tornadoes as it moved across central and northeastern Illinois on Monday, including two that formed in suburbs west of Chicago, authorities said. Initial reports suggested damage...
Parts of the Southern Plains counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through, while some Michigan residents faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm.In California, the National Weather Service said a series of winter storm systems will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday. And parts of the Northeast that have seen little snow this winter were under a winter storm warning.Police in Norman, Oklahoma, responded Sunday night to storm damage in parts of the city, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City. Officials said there were 12 confirmed weather-related injuries there, none considered critical.Crews canvassed the damaged...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A powerful winter storm lashing California threatened floods, blizzards and avalanches Saturday while adding frigid temperatures to the misery mix.Overnight lows could drop below freezing in some areas while downtown San Francisco could see record-breaking cold temperatures Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Projected temperatures of 38 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) would see the city at its coldest since 2009, the weather service said. Flash flood warnings were issued from Friday through 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Saturday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, a region with some 6 million people. The weather service said flash flooding was occurring late Friday in Ventura County, where up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) inches of rain had fallen and...
When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, President Vladimir Putin had a lot more in his war plan than tanks and missiles. Putin also planned an energy war in parallel with his military war on the ground in Ukraine.Putin’s military war has gone badly, his army decimated after failing to seize Ukraine, as planned. Putin’s energy war has failed, too. Neither war is over, but the many nations now allied against Russia have done a remarkable job blunting Putin’s most potent economic weapon.Putin clearly anticipated sanctions against his country in response to the 2022 invasion. He also thought he could counter those sanctions using Russian energy, which Europe in particular was dependent on. Russia is the world’s third-largest oil and natural gas producer, and at the time of the invasion, it was...
Was this the easiest Final "Jeopardy!" clue ever? Some fans on Twitter think so, but it still stumped two contestants.Read aloud by host Ken Jennings in the National Parks category on Friday's episode last week, the clue was: "It's named for a river indigenous people called Mi tse a-da-zi, translated by French-speaking trappers as 'Pierre Jaune.' "And here's an extra hint: The answer is in the clue.Still, that seemed lost on contestants Lauren Donegan and Stephen Webb, who wrote question marks for their answers. The third contestant, Will Travis, correctly answered "What is Yellowstone?"But when the final wagers were all said and done, Webb came out on top with $19,930.Fans took to Twitter to deem the episode's Final "Jeopardy!" an easy clue, since "Pierre Jaune" translates to "Yellow Stone"...
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A brutal winter storm that trapped drivers on icy roads, blacked out hundreds of thousands of homes, grounded airplanes and closed schools across much of the country was poised to slam California Thursday.“We are in for a VERY busy week!" the National Weather Service bureau in San Diego tweeted. “We have issued warnings for damaging winds, heavy mountain snow, highly hazardous boating conditions and the list goes on."For the first time since 1989, the weather service issued a blizzard warning for Southern California mountains that runs through Saturday. Some coastal areas could see 10-foot (3-meter) waves — and a few at up to 14 feet (4.3 meters) — through Thursday, forecasters said.“Nearly the entire population of CA will be able to see snow from some vantage point later...
By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - An oil rig supervisor who earned more than $200,000 a year working for Houston-based Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc is entitled to overtime pay, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a decision with costly implications for the oil and gas industry. The court in a 6-3 decision authored by liberal Justice Elena Kagan decided that because the rig supervisor, Michael Hewitt, was paid a daily rate of $963 and not a salary, an overtime pay exemption in federal wage law for highly paid workers did not apply to him. The justices affirmed a 2021 ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Helix must face Hewitt's 2017 lawsuit seeking overtime pay. That lawsuit now goes back to a federal judge in Houston. A 1940 regulation...
(Reuters) - Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights in the United States on Wednesday as a strong winter storm makes its way through the western and central states. A total of 1,035 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by 0915 am ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, which showed 932 flights were delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a tweet on Tuesday that the severe weather could cause flight delays or cancellations this week in Minnesota and other states in the Great Lakes and southern plains. Snow falling at a rate of two inches an hour and gusty winds will make travel conditions treacherous and perhaps impossible in parts of the Northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, the National Weather Service said in its forecast. Low-cost...
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Federal environmental regulators on Tuesday took charge of the cleanup from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.The Environmental Protection Agency told Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water, and also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.The EPA warned Norfolk Southern that if failed to comply with its order, the agency would perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company.“The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of East Palestine families, and EPA’s order will ensure the company is held accountable...
Actor, talk show host and all-around glowy human Drew Barrymore knows a thing or two about skin care. For one, she has her own brand, Flower Beauty, and she serves as the creative director for Garnier Whole Blends, but what are the Never Been Kissed star's products of choice as she goes about her busy schedule?Well, according to an interview Barrymore did with Well + Good, one of her faves is the incredibly affordable Healthy Priority Organic Vitamin E Oil. And guess what? A bottle can be yours for just $20 on Amazon right now. The Drew Barrymore Show host says she's not one for injectables or plastic surgery and instead relies on skincare products alone to keep her complexion fresh and dewy. And it's not just expensive beauty finds that will do the trick — Barrymore snags a bottle of Healthy...
Antarctica’s rapidly melting “doomsday glacier” is one of the most closely studied masses of ice in the world, but new research by teams that used an underwater robot to swim beneath the floating ice shelf is providing some of the clearest insights yet into how the glacier is thinning from below.Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica earned its nickname because it has been shrinking at an alarming rate as the planet warms. Previous studies have found that the glacier could collapse within 100 years, and meltwater from the Florida-sized mass of ice could raise global sea levels by up to 2 feet.Scientists are keen to understand where and how Thwaites is losing ice because the glacier is often thought of as the canary in the coal mine for the consequences of global warming — a bellwether of the changing...
Authorities in Vermont are warning ice fishers to stay off the ice of a lake after three people died after falling into the lake last week.The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department told people on Tuesday not to go on the ice at Lake Champlain while the area experiences warm weather.According to the U.S. National Weather Service Burlington, the area has experienced temperatures between 7 degrees to 15 degrees above normal in the past week, saying Tuesday that it's been an "abnormally warm" February so far.According to Vermont State Police, 62-year-old Wayne Alexander died on Thursday after falling through Lake Champlain's ice.MORE: 3 dead from falling through ice on frozen lake in ArizonaOfficials found Alexander in the lake around 9:30 p.m. that night, where he was wearing a flotation device.He...
While the U.S. was busy celebrating the Super Bowl on Sunday night, Europeans had their own spectacle. Early Monday morning, a bright flash streaked across the skies over Western Europe as an asteroid discovered just hours earlier made its impact with Earth's atmosphere. The asteroid, dubbed Sar2667, was first detected on the evening of Feb. 12 by astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky in Hungary. He told Space.com that he found the asteroid during a routine near-Earth object hunt using a 2-foot telescope. "It was immediately obvious that it was an NEO, but it wasn't particularly fast across the sky," he said, "as it was heading right towards us, and it was faint." Here are four different views of asteroid #SAR2667 as it enters the atmosphere over Western Europe. #Meteor#France#UKpic.twitter.com/TwGmOrEw2r—...
Parts of the Pacific Northwest braced for a winter storm Monday as the National Weather Service forecast heavy snowfall and strong winds in some areas. Winter storm and winter weather advisories were issued for northwestern Oregon and parts of southeastern Washington. Officials said the snow is expected to blanket the region beginning through mid-day Tuesday.On top of an expected six to 11 inches of snow in areas above 2,000 feet (two to seven inches below 2,000 feet), the NWS warned of wind gusts as high as 40 mph in some parts. Officials strongly cautioned against travel in some areas, such as Medford, Oregon. Portland, under a winter weather advisory, expects to receive around half an inch of snowfall late Monday night into Tuesday morning. Officials urged residents to drive with caution...
Don't wait until spring to get the upper hand on your allergy symptoms. Starting your medications before the season can make a huge difference in keeping your symptoms under control.“The longer you have symptoms, if they’re not treated well, it builds up so that your symptoms can get worse and worse,” Dr. William Reisacher, an otolaryngic allergist at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells TODAY.com.And with climate change causing milder winters, allergy seasons may be getting more severe, too, Dr. Michelle Pham, allergist and immunologist at UCSF Health, tells TODAY.com.If you get spring allergies, you should start taking your medications and getting your allergy management plan in motion starting around Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, experts say."It's hard to be motivated (to start taking your medication)...
An unusually icy spectacle transformed the Lake Michigan shoreline in one Wisconsin town. Ice donuts lined the lake's edge in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, on Tuesday following an Arctic outbreak this past weekend. The town, located roughly an hour and a half north of Milwaukee, is known for its timber trading and commercial fishing, but now, it will be known for its stunning display of an icy occurrence.In a video shared on Facebook, the town's famous lighthouse seemingly looked small compared to the ice chunks that were floating in the water. Hence the name, the ice chunks resembled donuts as they bobbed up and down in the water."Looks like Krispy Kreme donuts," one person said in the comments on the video. During this time of year, which is notoriously known for bitterly cold air across the northern...
Active volcanoes are proving to be a hot commodity in the global race to transform to renewable energy as regions all over the world that reside near these natural wonders work to harness their heat.Geothermal energy, the process of using the heat from the inner cores of the earth to create power, is one of the most sustainable forms of energy, experts told ABC News. The technology works by pushing hot water from the reservoirs of volcanoes and geysers toward the surface, which then turns to steam due to the reduced pressure.MORE: Hawaii's Big Island abuzz over simultaneous eruptions at Mauna Loa and KilaueaThe steam then gets pushed toward a turbine, which then generates electricity.There are virtually no carbon emissions from this process once the infrastructure is in place, other than the...
SARASOTA, Fla. — The law firm representing Gabby Petito's family has released a photo that shows her face bloodied, claiming officers should've taken action before her murder.The photo, released by the Parker and McConkie law firm, was found on Petito's cell phone and was taken in the back of her van in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2021. The photo was taken just before her stop by Moab City Police after a bystander witnessed a domestic dispute between her and fiancé Brian Laundrie.Petito had been on a cross-country trip with Laundrie and was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11, 2021. Her body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, 2021. Her death was ruled a homicide due to strangulation.TIMELINE: When (and where) the tragic events in the Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby last month in western Alaska was likely an older animal in poor physical condition, but tests came back negative for pathogens that affect the brain and cause aggressive behavior, officials said Monday. Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, a state wildlife veterinarian, collected and examined samples from the bear’s head the day after the attack, when weather conditions allowed her and an Alaska State Trooper to fly to the village. The results of her analysis, which were released Monday but initially were dated Feb. 3, indicate the bear was an adult male, probably older and in poor physical health. Officials sent a tooth to a lab to determine the bear's age, but those results won’t be known for months.Standard tests conducted on...
By Ron Bousso and Shadia Nasralla LONDON (Reuters) - BP reported on Tuesday a record profit of $28 billion for 2022 and hiked its dividend, but infuriated climate activists by rowing back on plans to slash oil and gas output and reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The blockbuster profit follows similar reports from rivals Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron last week after energy prices surged in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting new calls to further tax the sector as households struggle to pay energy bills. Three years after CEO Bernard Looney took the helm with an ambitious plan to pivot BP away from oil and gas towards renewables and low-carbon energy, the company said it will increase annual spending in both sectors by $1 billion with a sharper focus on developing low-carbon...
More than 430,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas on Thursday as parts of the state continued to battle ice and winter weather.Travis County, which houses the state capital of Austin, remained the focal point of the outages Thursday. More than 176,000 customers – more than a quarter of the energy customers in the county – were without power as of about 2 p.m. CT, as temperatures started to rise above freezing.More than 68,000 outages were reported in Williamson County, just north of Austin.In Smith County, home of Tyler, about 32,000 customers were without power, and in Bell County, located between Austin and Waco, about 25,000 were in the dark, according to USA TODAY Network's power outage database as of Noon CT.Live weather updates: Brutal cold, wind chill hit Northeast;...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mountain snowpack that supplies a significant amount of California's water got an incredible boost from recent powerful storms and is outpacing the state's wettest season on record, state water officials said Wednesday.But its too soon to know if the winter will be a drought-buster, they said. Water content in the state's mountain snow is 205% of normal to date and 128% of the April 1 average, when the snow is at its historical peak, according to measurements taken by the California Department of Water Resources. Historically one-third of California's water supply has come from melting snow.“Our snowpack is off to an incredible start, and it’s exactly what California needs to really help break from our ongoing drought,” said Sean de Guzman, manager of the department's...
AUSTIN, Texas – Almost 300,000 homes and businesses across the state were without power Wednesday and more than 2,200 flights were canceled amid an unrelenting blast of treacherous, icy conditions and brutal cold that has left at least six dead. The winter weather system, now in its third day, has swept from Minnesota deep into the heart of Texas. Wrecks on slippery roads have been reported in Texas, Arkansas and other states across the region all week."We really cannot emphasize this enough: DO NOT BE ON THE ROADS," the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth tweeted Wednesday. "They are going to virtually be impassable through today and tonight."Power outages could last 12-24 hours in the state capital as ice brings down power lines and tree limbs, Austin Energy warned. The city’s community-owned...
New York City picked up its first measurable snowfall of the season early Wednesday with 0.4 inches recorded in Central Park. The flurries have set a record for the latest first measurable snow on the books. The prior record was Jan. 29, 1973, according to the National Weather Service, which began keeping records in 1869. The snowfall was part of a small, quick-moving storm system already off the coast. As many as 30 million people are under winter alerts from New Mexico to northwest Virginia on Wednesday, including ice storm warnings in Texas and Tennessee. About half of the Dallas metro area is under ice storm warnings. Rain, snow, sleet and freezing temperatures continue across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Metropolitan areas including Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Little...
More than 1,000 flights within, to and from the United States were canceled Tuesday as a fatal ice storm swept over parts of the South. The storm was concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, leaving the region hit the hardest with travel issues, with 742 flights canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to the online flight tracker FlightAware. The area is home to both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines and as of early Tuesday, at least 512 Southwest flights were listed as canceled, along with 427 American Airlines flights. At least 263 Southwest flights were delayed, while 329 American Airlines flights were also listed as delayed, according to FlightAware.The Federal Aviation Administration warned that freezing rain and ice may slow flights at Dallas-Fort...
Flight cancellations mounted Monday amid an arctic cold front, with winter weather watches and advisories in effect for many Americans.The National Weather Service said Monday morning that a "prolonged and potentially significant icing event" would affect a large portion of the United States, from the southern plains to the Tennessee Valley, according to its website.More than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled in the U.S. just before 5:30 p.m. ET Monday, and more than 4,100 were delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines saw the most cancellations, scrapping around 483 flights, or about 12% of its schedule.While the Department of Transportation requires airlines to issue refunds to travelers whose flights are canceled, airlines also began issuing waivers as...
ANTANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Flooding and landslides caused by the passage of tropical storm Cheneso across Madagascar caused 30 deaths, left 20 people missing and affected tens of thousands across the Indian Ocean island nation, according to a provisional assessment Monday. The storm made landfall in the northeast of the island last Thursday and impacted close to 89,000 people, Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said.Madagascar's meteorological agency said the storm, which has now passed across the country into the Mozambique Channel, saw winds gusting up to 170 kilometres per hour (105.63 miles per hour) and unleashed torrential rains.Colonel Faly Aritiana, of the risk and disaster office, said there had been house collapses and landslides in which people have...
Millions of Americans will spend Sunday avoiding the winter weather as dangerous wind chills sweep the nation.Winter storm alerts are affecting at least 23 million Americans across 17 states on Sunday morning, from California to Maine.MORE: Brutal Arctic blast overtakes eastern US with wind chill falling to -30 degrees in some areasSnow has stalled in the Rocky Mountains, while another piece of the storm has broken away and is heading into the Northeast, dumping heavy snow in Michigan on Sunday morning, moving into northern New England shortly after.About 14 million Americans across 18 states from Washington to Minnesota and Texas and Oklahoma have dipped down to feels-like temperatures of negative 15.It will be cold as the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Kansas City for the AFC Championship game...
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German crude oil import volumes rose 11.1% in the first 10 months of 2022 on a year-on-year basis as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the bill more than doubled due to higher prices, official data showed on Friday. Russia remained the top supplier, holding a 27.2% share of Germany's oil imports in the period, monthly statistics from the BAFA foreign trade office showed. On Dec. 5 2022, the European Union banned Russian crude imports and G7 countries set a price cap on Russian seaborne exports, reducing subsequent arrivals from Russia. The sanctions were part of Western nations' response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February. Some 23.5% of German oil imports in the January-Oct period came from the British and Norwegian North Sea...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ratcheting up his criticism, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday moved to delay new tax credits for electric vehicles, a key feature of President Joe Biden's landmark climate law.Manchin said guidelines issued by the Treasury Department allow manufacturers in Europe and other countries to bypass requirements that significant portions of EV batteries be produced in North America.The climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, “is first and foremost an energy security bill,” Manchin said, adding that the EV tax credits were supposed "to grow domestic manufacturing and reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains for the critical minerals needed to produce EV batteries.''Manchin’s bid to delay the tax credits surfaced as Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ratcheting up his criticism of the Biden administration, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday moved to delay new tax credits for electric vehicles, a key feature of President Joe Biden's landmark climate law.Manchin said guidelines issued by the Treasury Department allow manufacturers in Europe and other countries to bypass requirements that significant portions of EV batteries be produced in North America.The climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, “is first and foremost an energy security bill,” Manchin said, adding that “the EV tax credits were designed to grow domestic manufacturing and reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains for the critical minerals needed to produce EV batteries.''Manchin’s bill comes as Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm...
An iceberg almost the size of Greater London has broken free from an ice shelf and is floating away from Antarctica. A crack known as Chasm-1, which has been “developing naturally” over the last few years across the Brunt Ice Shelf, extended northwards, severing the west part of the ice shelf on Sunday during a spring tide, the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement.Scientists say the impact of this new huge iceberg, around 600-square-miles in size and 490 feet thick, is unpredictable. The break off is the second major calving from this complex glaciological structure in the last two years. In February 2021, another giant iceberg, around 490-square-miles, broke off from the northern section of Brunt. Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) who monitor the behavior of the ice shelf...
For a few days each year, every national park in America is free to visit. That includes bucket-list destinations like Grand Canyon and Yosemite but also hundreds of other national monuments, seashores, historic sites and more.Less than a quarter of them have entry fees, but those that do charge up to $20 per person or up to $35 per vehicle."National parks are really amazing places and we want everyone to experience them," National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement. "The entrance fee-free days encourage people to discover the beauty, history and inspiration awaiting them in more than 400 national parks throughout the country."One veteran's legacy: Free, lifetime national parks access for fellow veterans, Gold Star familiesRemembering Emmett Till: Advocates push for national...
Looking for the latest updates on winter weather? Follow along here.Winter storm warnings were in effect in more than a half-dozen states early this week, especially in parts of the Northeast, where tens of thousands of people were without power."We have two storm systems that will impact the country this week," Alyssa Clements, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told USA TODAY.One system organized over the Southwest on Monday before becoming a large-scale winter storm system and ejecting into the southern Plains on Tuesday, Clements said.The storm is expected to hit portions of the central, southern and eastern U.S. through midweek with a variety of hazards, including a swath of snow and severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall.More winter storm warnings: Winter storm warning...
A massive storm system that brought nearly a foot of snow to some parts of the Midwest is now threatening millions of residents in the Northeast with heavy snow, torrential rain and high winds.The winter storm brought 11 inches of snow across Kansas on Saturday, which shut down some roadways in the region, including Interstate 70.MORE: Winter storm bringing snow, ice and tornadoes, expected to wallop US this weekThe snow was so heavy at some points that northwest Kansas saw up to 2 inches per hour.More than 13 million Americans across 18 states from Arizona to Maine are currently under winter storm alerts. On Sunday, two low systems will merge, which are expected to exacerbate heavy rainfall from the Northeast to the South along the East Coast.Interior parts of the Northeast will begin to experience...
A winter storm reached New England and blanketed parts of New Hampshire and southern Maine with snow overnight Thursday and into Friday morning.The region’s first notable snowfall of 2023 brought 2 to 6 inches of snow to most areas in New Hampshire and Maine before lunchtime, according to meteorologist Nikki Becker of the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.A wintry mix that began Thursday evening turned to snow within a matter of hours, beginning around midnight for a number of towns and cities throughout the region. “It started raining and snowing around 7 p.m. last night and then it changed to sleet and rain about an hour later,” Becker said Friday morning. “That lasted for about an hour and changed to all rain till around 9 p.m. Then around 9 p.m., it was a rainy and snowy mix all the...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — For isolated communities at the top of the world, keeping the planet’s largest land predators — polar bears — out of town is key to coexistence.That can mean patrolling for the animals by snowmobile or four-wheeler, shooing them away with spotlights or a revved engine, or hazing them with beanbag shotguns. In one Canadian town, polar bears that can't be scared off are kept in an air-conditioned “bear jail” until they can be flown out onto the sea ice. Such bear patrols have long succeeded in reducing conflict.But this week, a polar bear attack killed a mother and her 1-year-old son in Wales, a tiny, remote Alaska whaling village whose bear patrol had lapsed. The incident — the first fatal polar bear attack in Alaska in 30 years — underscored the risks of living alongside...
More than 22 million Americans were under a winter weather warnings or advisories Thursday as a snowstorm that hammered Denver with the biggest two-day January snowfall in more than 30 years slowly pushed eastward. "Winter storm continues for the Upper Midwest (and) Great Lakes Thursday with heavy, blowing snow leading to dangerous travel conditions," the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said in a statement. Additional snowfall totals of around 6-12 inches are forecast for portions of the Upper Great Lakes, and locally higher totals over a foot are possible, the statement said. Much of the snowfall is expected to occur over a period of a few hours. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour and gusty winds could make "travel difficult to impossible."Snow was falling Thursday...
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The world is in a “sorry state" because of myriad interlinked challenges including climate change and Russia's war in Ukraine that are “piling up like cars in a chain reaction crash,” the U.N. chief said at the World Economic Forum's meeting Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered his gloomy message on the second day of the elite gathering of world leaders and corporate executives in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Sessions took a grim turn when news broke of a helicopter crash in Ukraine that killed more than a dozen people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and other officials. Forum President Borge Brende requested 15 seconds of silence and Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska dabbed teary eyes, calling it “another very sad day,” then telling...
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The World Economic Forum says billionaire Elon Musk wasn't on the guest list for the annual meeting of business executives, global leaders and cultural trend-setters in Davos, Switzerland — despite what the Twitter owner claims.Notables from European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen to actor Idris Elba are gathering in the ritzy Alpine town this week to talk about global issues ranging from war to climate change and technology's effects on security. Musk wasn't there, though he says he was invited. Forum spokesman Yann Zopf knocked that down Tuesday, saying the last time the Tesla CEO got an invitation was “not this year and not recently — last time in 2015.”Musk said in a tweet Dec. 22: “My reason for declining the Davos invitation was not because I thought they were...
In a desperate effort to save a seabird species in Hawaii from rising ocean waters, scientists are moving chicks to a new island hundreds of miles away.Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats. Similar relocations are being suggested for birds, lizards, butterflies and even flowers.Concerns persist that the novel practice could cause unintended harm the same way invasive plants and animals have wreaked havoc on native species.But for the Tristram’s storm petrels on northeastern Hawaii’s Tern Island, which is just 6 feet (1.8 meters) above sea level, the relocation of about 40 chicks to artificial burrows more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) away on Oahu could offer new hope. The species is considered vulnerable to extinction...
Natural disasters displaced more than 3 million Americans in 2022, including nearly 1 million in Florida alone, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.The data, first reported by Pluribus News, indicates that about 3.33 million people were displaced by natural disasters over the past year. The plurality were in Florida, where such events forced 999,401 people — about 7 percent of the state’s population — from their homes. The state was hit in September by Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm that made landfall in the southwest part of the state, killing at least 114 people and costing up to $65 billion in insured losses.Louisiana saw a smaller number of people displaced, but a greater share of the population. The Census Bureau found 410,000 Louisianans, or 15 percent of the state’s population...
GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (Reuters) - Storm-lashed California is bracing for what may be a final battering of rain and snow, adding to the damage unleashed by a weather system that has caused severe flooding and killed at least 19 people across the state. Residents across a swath of central and southern California should prepare for heavy rainfall and snow, with the potential for flooding and mudslides in a region saturated after three weeks of storms, the National Weather Service said. The latest burst of precipitation is expected to hit the mountain ranges north of Los Angeles and east of San Diego the hardest, dropping 2 to 4 inches of rain from late Sunday into Monday, according to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at NWS. "The worst of it is definitely behind us, but there is still that threat for...
While jurisdictions like California and New York move toward banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, one US state wants to go in the opposite direction. Wyoming’s legislature is considering a resolution that calls for a phaseout of new electric vehicle sales by 2035. Introduced on Friday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 has support from members of the state’s House of Representatives and Senate.In the proposed resolution, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson says Wyoming’s “proud and valued” oil and gas industry has created “countless” jobs and contributed revenue to the state’s coffers. They add that a lack of charging infrastructure within Wyoming would make the widespread use of EVs “impracticable” and that the state would need to build “massive amounts of new power generation”...
It's January, and that means winter is settling in and the weather is, well, fairly miserable. It also means it's time for snuggly indoor wear. Enter a fave piece of Oprah's (and soon to be yours) — the Barefoot Dreams CozyChic In The Wild Robe. It's probably been awhile since you thought to buy a new robe, and the one hanging on the back of the bathroom door has likely seen better days. So toss that tattered robe to the textile recycling bin and scoop one of these while it's on sale at QVC— you'll thank us!Barefoot Dreams’ robes are just as sumptuous as their cult-favorite throw blankets. Oprah knows best when it comes to many things in life, and when she added this robe to her Favorite Things list, we took notice. “A yummy-feeling bathrobe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser,” Winfrey gushed in...
(Reuters) - Tesla Inc is nearing a preliminary deal to build production facilities in Indonesia with a capacity of one million units, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The country's investment minister confirmed talks with the world's most valuable automaker, the report added. The electric-vehicle maker and Indonesia's Ministry of Investment did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Tesla makes its electric cars at its gigafactories in Shanghai, Austin, Berlin and Fremont, California and is reportedly set to announce a new factory in Mexico's Nuevo Leon state. The report said that the talks include plans for production facilities and to facilitate the company's supply chain. Chief executive Elon Musk said in November...
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated it would rule in favor of a concrete company in Washington state seeking to revive a lawsuit it filed against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters alleging that a strike damaged its product.The legal question is whether the company, Glacier Northwest Inc., can sue the union for damages in state court over an August 2017 strike action when drivers walked off the job, allegedly leaving wet concrete to harden in their trucks.Based on questions of the justices during the oral argument, it appears the court will say that the Washington Supreme Court was wrong to dismiss the lawsuit. It could however be a narrow ruling adopting the middle-ground position taken by the Biden administration. That could mean that even though the lawsuit is revived...
DENVER (AP) — Earth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says.A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and crop damage. “In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better," said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. The progress is slow, according to the report presented Monday at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver. The global average amount of ozone 18 miles...
(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for California after a week of storms killed at least 12 people in the past 10 days and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state. The emergency declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and mobilize emergency resources, the White House said in a statement. In the last week, severe weather spawned violent wind gusts that toppled trucks, flooded the streets of small towns along northern California's coast and churned up a storm surge that destroyed a pier in Santa Cruz. (Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson)
The severe storms pummeling the drought-stricken West Coast has alleviated the drought status in two states, but the onslaught of moisture is unlikely to eradicate the decades-long extreme drought plaguing the region.Portions of California and Nevada that were previously in "exceptional drought" status, no longer qualify for the highest level of concern due to the severe storms — spurred by atmospheric rivers — bringing an influx of rainfall to the region, according to data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday.MORE: What are atmospheric rivers? How climate change impacts the storms they produceCalifornia is currently at 0% exceptional drought, 27% extreme drought and 71% severe drought, while Nevada is currently at 0% exceptional drought, 24% extreme drought and 78% severe drought...
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's Supreme Court on Monday elected its first female president, who has pushed back against the government's nationalist energy agenda, amid a succession process clouded by allegations of plagiarism against another justice competing for the job. By a 6-5 majority vote, the justices chose Norma Pina to head Mexico's highest court, putting in place a member appointed to the tribunal under the previous administration. Pina has defended Mexico's transition to renewable energy, setting her against parts of a contentious electricity law championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that favors the country's state-run, fossil-fuel dependent energy firms. She takes over from Arturo Zaldivar amid a charged debate about who should lead the court fueled by a December...
A startup in Hong Kong is trying to help coral adapt to the problems humans have caused — with its innovative use of 3D printing and terracotta. More coral species live in part of Hong Kong's subtropical water than in the Caribbean, but the swath of the South China Sea used to boast even more natural beauty."We believe that this area was a coral paradise," David Baker, a coral ecologist at the University of Hong Kong, told CBS News. "Those who are still with us from the World War II generation, these people tell you the water was crystal clear, that there were coral everywhere."But as Hong Kong industrialized, runoff and pollution bled into the waters.So Baker co-founded Archireef, an eco-engineering startup, to rebuild the "paradise lost." His team, in a world first, 3D-printed artificial...
AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a potent storm that is poised to unleash severe weather across the South with snow and ice farther north and west over areas that have already received a surplus of wintry precipitation so far this season.A storm that crashed onshore in California with heavy rain and mountain snow at the beginning of the weekend will track over the Four Corners region on Sunday before taking a southwest to northeast track across the nation's midsection spanning Monday through Tuesday."As mild, moist air is catapulted into the Southern and Central states early in the week and results in soaking rain and severe weather, the back side of the storm will have cold and snowy conditions filtering into the northern Plains and east of the Rockies," AccuWeather Meteorologist Nicole...
Big pieces of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed into law four and a half months ago are set to come online in 2023.On Jan. 1, an array of the law’s provisions will touch many corners of American life from the costs of prescription drug costs and a new corporate minimum tax to a host of new tax credits as part of Washington’s biggest attempt to turn the tide on climate change.“We’re just getting started,” President Biden recently said in a speech, which previewed some of the changes, adding that the effects will be felt “from healthcare to clean energy.”Here are some of the key provisions in the law set to take effect.Health care changes that represent ‘the most aggressive action in a generation’Two much-touted portions of the bill concerning health care start...
DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines continued to extract itself from sustained scheduling chaos Thursday, cancelling another 2,350 flights after a winter storm overwhelmed its operations days ago. The Dallas carrier acknowledged it has inadequate and outdated operations technology that can leave flight crews out of position when adverse weather strikes. Southwest was the only airline unable to recover from storm-related delays that began over the weekend when snow, ice and high winds raked portions of the country. As has been the case every day this week, the vast majority of flight cancellations nationwide, are Southwest flights. There were 2,451 flights cancelled before noon Thursday in the U.S., and 2,357 were Southwest routes, or about 58% of its entire schedule, according to the FlightAware...
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The deep freeze from a deadly winter storm that walloped much of the United States will continue into the week as people in western New York deal with massive snow drifts that snarled emergency vehicles and travelers across the country see canceled flights and dangerous roads.The massive storm has killed at least 34 people across the U.S. and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. The extreme weather stretched from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the...
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Millions of people hunkered down in a deep freeze overnight and early morning to ride out the frigid storm that has killed at least 18 people across the United States, trapping some residents inside homes with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said.More than 2,360 domestic and international flights were canceled Saturday, according to the tracking site...
By Rich McKay (Reuters) - An arctic blast that has gripped much of the United States this week, disrupting daily life and holiday travel for millions of Americans, was expected to produce the coldest Christmas Eve on record in several cities from Pennsylvania to Florida. Temperatures are forecast to top out on Friday at just 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) in Pittsburgh, the largest city in western Pennsylvania, surpassing its previous all-time coldest Christmas Eve high of 13 F, set in 1983, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The capital cities of Florida and Georgia - Tallahassee and Atlanta - were likewise expected to record their coldest daytime Christmas Eve high temperatures, while Washington, D.C., was forecast to experience its chilliest Dec. 24 since 1906. The...
(Reuters) - FedEx Corp said on Friday customers can expect potential delays for some package deliveries across the United States, as a powerful winter storm hits the country. The company said it experienced substantial disruptions at the package delivery firm's Memphis and Indianapolis hubs on Thursday night due to severe winter weather. (Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of flights were canceled and homeless shelters were overflowing Thursday amid one of the most treacherous holiday travel seasons the U.S. has seen in decades, with temperatures plummeting 50 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas and forecasters warning of an impending “bomb cyclone” that could make conditions even worse before Christmas.The frigid air was moving through the central United States to the east, with windchill advisories affecting about 135 million people over the coming days, weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook said Thursday. Places like Des Moines, Iowa, will feel like minus 37 degrees, making it possible to suffer frostbite in less than five minutes. “This is not like a snow day when you were a kid,” President Joe Biden warned Thursday...
A blockbuster blizzard is set to spread a multitude of weather hazards – and holiday travel chaos – across the central and eastern United States to mark the winter solstice.As a strong arctic cold front begins diving into the central Plains on Wednesday and the southern Plains by early Friday, forecasters warn temperatures could dip by 20 or more degrees within just a few hours.More than 50 million Americans were under a wind chill warning Wednesday as brutal cold and dangerous wind chills threatened the northern Plains en route to the East Coast by Friday.More than half of U.S. states are forecast to see some areas with minimum wind chill temperatures in the negative double digits, with the coldest regions bracing for wind chills below -50 degrees, according to the weather service. It amounts...
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