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☆ Satellite photos of earthquakes in Japan in 2024 and 2011 show the destruction each left in its aftermath
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar TechnologiesDuring the 2024 earthquake, buildings and homes were leveled in Wajima. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar TechnologiesBoats capsized off the coast of Suzu City when the 2024 earthquake hit. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar TechnologiesRoads cracked open as a result of the 2024 earthquake. ASSOCIATED PRESS (left) / Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies (right)The total death toll and overall destruction from the 2024 quake are still unclear as rescuers scramble to save people trapped under rubble.

Persons: —, it's, Suzu's, Masuhiro Izumiya Organizations: Service, Japan Meteorological Agency, Fukushima, International Tsunami Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, BBC, Guardian, Technologies, Washington Post, Japan Times, AP News Locations: Japan, Noto Peninsula, Sendai, Ishinomaki, Natori Port, Fukushima, Wajima, Suzu City, Noto, Suzu, Turkey

CHANNELVIEW, Texas — For nearly 20 years, Texas environmental regulators have kept a disturbing secret. AdvertisementTexas Community Health News; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality"Any exposure to a carcinogen increases your risk of developing cancer. AdvertisementTim Doty, a former TCEQ mobile air monitoring expert, at the industrial edge of River Terrace Park in Channelview, Texas. In fact, the agency rarely fines companies that violate Texas air pollution laws. Mark FelixHoneycutt's toxicology division soon took an even more dramatic step to weaken Texas' benzene guidelines.

Persons: Loren Hopkins, Hopkins, Mark Felix, TCEQ, AirToxScreen, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Menefee, Tim Doty, Doty, Solv, He'd, Glenn Shankle, Kelly Keel, Todd Riddle, Riddle, Lopez, Joe Lopez, Dora, Joel Lopez, Randy Lopez, It's, Joel, Felix Benzene, wildcatters, Houston —, Forbes, Lorenzo de Zavala, Alison Cohen, Cohen, Tim Doty's, Houston Mayor Bill White, Shankle, Michael Honeycutt, Valerie Meyers, Meyers, Mark Felix Meyers, Richard Hyde, John Sadlier, Ryder, Hyde, hadn't, Russell Allen, Matt Baker, Jacintoport, Cloelle Danforth, Public Health Watch —, Danforth, Mark Felix Honeycutt's, Eric Schaeffer, Schaeffer, Honeycutt, Jim Tarr, polluters, upended, Mark Felix Fracking, Barnett, Glenn Shankle —, —, Rick Perry, Perry, Sadlier, David Bower, misstep, Baker, Bower, Michael Burgess, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Mark Felix Meanwhile, Randy, That's, Carolyn Stone, Stone, Carolyn Stone's, Mark Felix The, Cynthia Benson, Benson, Mark Felix Tim Doty, Mark Felix K, Jordan Gass Organizations: Public Health Watch, Texas Commission, Environmental, American Petroleum Institute, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S . Navy, Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, General, Health, Public Health, Rice University, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Community Health, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney, polluters, Mark Felix Public Health, TCEQ, Solv, Mark Felix Public Health Watch, myelodysplasia, Houston, Oil, Gas Watch, Texas, Houston Ship, University of California, Houston Mayor, ., . Texas Community Health, NASA, Exxon Mobil, Public, Watch, Environmental Defense Fund, Management, Civil, Air Alliance Houston, Republican, Fort, United, Texas toxicologist, EPA, Texas Tribune, Google, Land Office, . Geological Survey, National Oceanic, Firefighters, U.S . Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Channelview, Improvement Coalition, Health Watch, San Jacinto, K, Texas Legislature, Solv Group, Services Locations: , Texas, Texas, Houston, Channelview's Jacintoport, San Jacinto, California, Jacintoport, Channelview , Texas, AirToxScreen Harris County, Channelview, Harris County, United States, North Channelview, Gulf, Terrace, Joel's, Houston , Texas, Spindletop, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Port of Houston, San Francisco, . Texas, That's, polluters, lacquers, Dallas, Fort Worth, Fort Worth City, Austin, Round, Minnesota, Galveston, U.S

☆ Giant seamount discovered in Guatemala is nearly twice the height of the world’s tallest building
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

At 1,600 meters (5,249 feet) tall, it’s nearly twice the height of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, according to a news release from Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit organization that advances oceanographic research. The ship is designed to map the seafloor by using a multibeam echosounder, which sends out sound waves to the ocean floor in a fan-shaped pattern, then measures the time it takes for the sound to reach the ocean floor and return. Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe seamount was discovered 84 nautical miles outside the Guatemalan Exclusive Economic Zone. Watling was not involved with the discovery but was part of a Schmidt Ocean Institute exploration in 2019. The recently discovered seamount may be taller than the world’s tallest building, but some have been found to have a height of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) or more, Watling said.

Persons: it’s, Tomer, Ketter, ”, Jyotika Virmani, Les Watling, Watling, ” Watling, —, Tony Koslow, Koslow, “, ” Koslow Organizations: CNN, NOAA, Exploration, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Schmidt Ocean Institute, Israeli National Institute for Oceanography, Ocean Institute, Schmidt Ocean, University of Hawaii, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, Pew Locations: Guatemala, Burj, Guatemalan, Manoa, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, San Diego

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

☆ What the $150 billion climate change is costing the US looks like a year: Here’s
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Compare that to 40 years ago, when extreme weather episodes that cost an inflation-adjusted $1 billion happened once every four months on average. As of November 8, there have been 25 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Climate Assessment report’s estimate of the total annual cost of climate change in the United States takes those factors into account. $150 billion at glanceIt may be hard to appreciate the value of $150 billion without anything to compare it to. The $150 billion annual cost of extreme weather in the damage to the US is:

Persons: Tatyana Deryugina Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental, NOAA, MIT’s Center, Real, Hurricanes, University of Illinois, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Hawaii, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A busy hurricane season that saw the National Hurricane Center in Miami issue the first-ever tropical storm warning for the coast of California and hurricane warnings as far north as Nova Scotia is coming to a close Thursday night. “The 2023 hurricane season does show that we can get impacts just about everywhere," said Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center. A year earlier, a strong storm surge during Hurricane Ian resulted in multiple deaths and significant destruction across southwest Florida. She said she's more than relieved hurricane season is ending. “So it's either hurricane season, or you're getting ready for the next hurricane season," he said.

Persons: —, Michael Brennan, Hurricane Lee, Hurricane Otis, ” Brennan, Brennan, Ian, Danielle DeLoach, Nicole, DeLoach, “, they’re, ” DeLoach, they'll, ___ Fischer Organizations: National Hurricane Center, Hurricane, Florida Gulf, U.S . East, Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Locations: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Miami, California, Nova Scotia, Southern California, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, U.S . East Coast, New England, Mexico, Acapulco, Atlantic, Gulf Coast of Florida, Florida's, Tropic Shores, Daytona Beach Shores

☆ Climate change, overharvesting exacerbating Texas oyster decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Evan Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GALVESTON, Texas, Nov 28 (Reuters) - For the second year in a row, Texas has closed the majority of its public oyster reefs for harvesting due to declining populations. DECLINING POPULATIONSScientists estimate at least 85% of the world's oyster reefs have been lost, largely to overharvesting and disease. To harvest oysters, boats drag an underwater dredge across oyster reefs, collecting reef material that is dumped onto the boat. But dredging destroys the oyster reefs, which are also a habitat for fish and crabs, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. "And so, especially in the past decade, we've seen impacts from both harvest and heavy rainfall, heavy drought impacting those oyster populations."

Persons: Joel Gutierrez, Oysterman Romeo Bilcic, we've, Zach Olsen, TPWD, Olsen, we're, Jennifer Pollack, it's, Evan Garcia, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, state's Department of Health, Human Services, Oceanic, Atmospheric Association, Reuters, Texas, M University, Corpus Christi, Thomson Locations: GALVESTON , Texas, Texas, Galveston, Galveston , Texas, Galveston Bay

Still, the queen conch is one of many vulnerable species not included on Mexico's national endangered species list. In the meantime, species like the queen conch have lacked federal environmental protection and moved steadily toward extinction. Political Cartoons View All 1267 ImagesOfficials accept proposals to list species only during set periods for public comment. In particular, Mexico lists 535 species as endangered, its worst risk rating, whereas IUCN lists nearly 1,500 species in Mexico as either endangered or critically endangered. If a species is included on Mexico’s list in any category, all commercial uses of that species are banned.

Persons: Alejandro Olivera, ” Olivera, It's, Olivera, Angélica Cervantes Maldonado, Rodrigo Jorge, Jorge Organizations: MEXICO CITY, —, Center for Biological Diversity, Fish, Wildlife Service, National Autonomous University, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, The International Union for Conservation of, IUCN, UNESCO Locations: MEXICO, Banco Chinchorro, Belize, Mexico, Mexican, La Paz, of California, The U.S, elkhorn, Caribbean, Ecuador, Madagascar, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Gulf of California

☆ Midwestern Cities Will Have Highest Winter Heating Bills, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Residents of cities across the Midwest will be hardest hit by home heating costs this winter. A new study ranked US cities based on costs in relation to incomes, energy efficiency, and more. The study ranked heating expenses in the 500 biggest cities in the country based on several factors, including electricity and heating fuel costs relative to average income, home energy-efficiency, and things like weather and average home size and age. Cleveland and Flint have particularly energy inefficient homes, while Independence and St. Joseph ranked high on energy costs, the study reported. During the hot months, places like Florida and Georgia become the most unaffordable when it comes to HVAC costs, the study noted.

Persons: —, Joseph Organizations: Service, Midwest ., Midwestern, Puget, Census Bureau, Department of Energy, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Midwest, Springfield , Missouri, Cleveland , Ohio, Independence , Missouri, Flint , Michigan, St, Joseph , Missouri, Midwest . Cleveland, Flint, Independence, Northeastern, Southern, Central California, Washington State, Florida, Georgia

Globally, as many as 128,000 fishers face threats of violence, debt bondage, excessive overtime and other conditions indicative of forced labor, according to the U.N.'s International Labor Organization. U.S. and European companies are under increasing pressure to clean up supply chains in labor-intensive industries where worker abuse is widespread. But ZheJiang Hairong in a statement last year to the state-owned Fujian Daily claimed ownership of only five of the 10 vessels that would later appear on the Financial Transparency Coalition's list. Pingtan last year was sanctioned by the Biden administration over allegations of illegal fishing and labor abuse. The Financial Transparency Coalition scoured government reports, media accounts and complaints by advocacy groups to come up with a list of 475 individual vessels suspected of forced labor since 2010.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Beth Lowell, Pingtan, Biden, Fu Ting, Wanqing Chen Organizations: MIAMI, Financial, Coalition, D.C, Walton Family Foundation, AP, Associated Press, International Labor Organization . U.S, Force, Group, Seven, Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Fisheries Co, Pingtan Marine Enterprises, China National Fisheries Corp, Fujian Daily, New York Stock Exchange, Washington , D.C Locations: Washington, China, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, United States, U.S, Oceana, Panama, Belize, ZheJiang, Fujian, Washington ,, Beijing, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Homeowner insurance and climate have become major factors in real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Farmers Insurance deemed it too risky to continue insuring homes in Florida and pulled out of the market there entirely. The average cost for homeowners’ insurance in the United States is about $1,820, according to an analysis by NerdWallet, but there are many variables. As climate risks continue, a standoff has developed over who should pay the cost of insuring homes against ever-growing risks. And for many of the properties that are on the market you can’t obtain insurance? “We’ll have to see some creative solutions in the near term to create that competitive marketplace for insurance,” she said.

Persons: Michael Monaghan, Sellers, “, ’ ” Monaghan, ”, Monaghan, Will, Amy Bach, United, Hurricane Andrew, ” Bach, mitigations, Bach, Jennifer Branchini, Branchini Organizations: DC CNN, Coldwell, Allstate, . Farmers Insurance, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Hurricane, FAIR, California Department of Insurance, California Association of Realtors, State Farm, Farm, “ Locations: Washington, California, Bayside, ”, Florida, Monaghan, United States, “, San Francisco, “ Florida, Louisiana, WUI, Pleasanton

☆ Japanese scientists want to send a wooden satellite into space
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Murata wondered if he “could build a wooden house on the moon or Mars,” and decided to test the theory — by creating a wooden satellite. Wooden satellites would be better for the planet while still providing the same functionality as their metal counterparts, says Murata. Now, they are working with Japan’s space agency (JAXA) and NASA to send the prototype satellite, called LingoSat, into orbit early next year. Engineers at Kyoto University are building a wooden satellite that will be launched into space in a joint mission with JAXA and NASA. Finnish startup Arctic Astronautics designed the WISA Woodsat, a wooden satellite that was supposed to be launched into space in 2021.

Persons: that’s, Koji Murata, Murata, ”, It’s, Jari Mäkinen, ” Mäkinen, Yarjan Abdul Samad, Samad, Tatsuhito Fujita, Fujita Organizations: CNN, Kyoto University, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, “, JAXA, NASA, Murata, Engineers, Kyoto, NOAA, Astronautics, Khalifa University, United Arab Locations: Japan, East Asia, United Arab Emirates

☆ 2023 El Niño winter: New maps reveal who could see more snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

NOAA Climate.govThe map above depicts how much snow differs from average across all El Niño winters, regardless of El Niño’s strength. Snowfall during all stronger El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). The number of years with below-average snowfall during the 13 moderate-to-strong El Niño winters (January-March average) since 1959. Red shows locations where more than half the years had below-average snowfall; gray shows locations where below-average snowfall happened in less than half the years studied. On the map above, darker reds indicate areas that have experienced more years of below-average snowfall during moderate-to-strong El Niño winters.

Persons: Niño, There’s, “ El Niño, ” Michelle L’Heureux, Jon Gottschalck, Snow, El Niño Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Northeast Locations: El, California, Texas, Southwest, Washington, Baltimore, Northwest, Midwest, Northeast

☆ Canned tuna is a $40 billion industry. But it's facing some existential threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Valued at an estimated $40 billion, the tuna industry is a significant player in the global food sector. The industry is dominated by multinational companies such as Thai Union Group , the owner of Chicken of the Sea, and it faces some challenges. However, Thai Union is now confronting rising costs due to inflation and the war between Russia and Ukraine. What's more, the company faces existential threats to the industry including sustainability, climate change and illegal fishing. Watch the video above to learn more about the $40 billion tuna industry.

Organizations: National Oceanic, Administration, Thai Union Group, Thai Union Locations: U.S, Thai Union, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Cheesemakers are pushing back against France's strict rules as some say climate change is making it impossible to meet the traditional standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hotter and drier summers are making it harder for French cheesemakers to meet traditional standards. Cheeses that carry an AOP label, such as Camembert de Normandie and Roquefort, have to meet certain standards and quality levels. Now some cheesemakers are arguing those rules may need to be changed, as hotter and drier summers are killing some pastures. Other cheesemakers are experimenting to see how they can produce the same quality product and still meet the traditional rules, despite changes in the environment. French cheese is only the latest beloved food product threatened by climate change, which is making global food systems more vulnerable.

Persons: cheesemakers, French cheesemakers, Simon Bouchet Organizations: Service, New York Times, Times, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Georgia, France, French, Normandie, Roquefort, Alaska

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Air pollution, a global scourge that kills millions of people a year, is shielding us from the full force of the sun. "It's this Catch-22," said Patricia Quinn, an atmospheric chemist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), speaking about cleaning up sulphur pollution globally. "If you implement technologies to reduce air pollution, this will accelerate – very significantly – global warming in the short term." The Chinese and Indian environment ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the effects of pollution unmasking. As the implications of the pollution unmasking become more apparent, experts are casting around for methods to counter the associated warming.

Persons: poring, Patricia Quinn, Paulo Artaxo, Xi Jinping, Xi, El, Yangyang Xu, Xu, unmasking, Laura Wilcox, COVID, Sergey Osipov, Michael Diamond, Jake Spring, David Stanway, Sakshi Dayal, Katy Daigle Organizations: U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, World Health Organization, U.S . Clean, National People's, China Meteorological Administration, El Nino, M University, Britain's University of Reading, India Meteorological Department, India, Clean, Programme, King Abdullah University of Science, Technology, Florida State University, Thomson Locations: India, China, Beijing, 10.34C, Texas, Chongqing, Wuhan, SO2, heatwaves, Xinjiang, INDIA, Europe, Northern China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Sao Paulo, Singapore, New Delhi

☆ America's cities are vying for a hot new title: best place to ride out the coming dystopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew E. Kahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

For decades, cities have duked it out for titles like "best city for business" or "healthiest city in America," but now they're starting to compete for a new title: best place to ride out dystopia. While Sun Belt cities are working to mitigate these challenges, the increased risks also create an opportunity for once forgotten cities. The declaration has been followed up with investments in key areas — climate resilience was one of the four pillars that made up the city's four-year strategic plan released at the start of 2023. And the cities that could become climate havens have their weather downsides — Buffalo will still have some harsh winters, too. If Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and other cities succeed in their climate-resilience agendas, they will grow, attracting residents from more at-risk areas of the country.

Persons: Tesla, Byron Brown, Redfin, Matthew E, Kahn Organizations: Los Angeles, Fortune, Sun, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Association of Environmental, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FBI, Street Foundation, Pittsburgh, The New York Times, University of Southern, Hoover Institution Locations: America, West, Midwest, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Buffalo , New York, Detroit, USA, Florida, California, South, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Angeles County, Miami, Dade County, Lake Erie, Buffalo, Duluth , Minnesota, Grand Rapids , Michigan, Chicago, Northern, Pittsburgh, Rust, Los Angeles, University of Southern California

☆ Sea turtles laid a record 52,500 nests in Florida but 99% are female
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sea turtle nests hit record highs in Florida this year, tripling last year's numbers. Most new turtles are girls, because a turtle's sex depends on the temperature they sit in as an egg. Almost 99% of new turtles are female, which means future generations could be in trouble, Joel Cohen, the director of communication at the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, told Insider. How does this happen A newly-hatched baby sea turtle makes its way into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. So in a world that continues warming, the ratios of female to male turtles could continue to skew.

Persons: Joel Cohen, It's, Cohen, NASA's, Lucy Hawkes, " Hawkes, it's Organizations: Service, Preservation Society, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ABC News, University of Exeter, Reuters, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Florida's Miami South Beach, USA, Turtle Preservation, History, Carolinas Locations: Florida, Florida's Miami, Space

But within 12 hours, Lahaina was consumed. Robert ArconadoFROM GRASS FIRE TO INFERNOBefore the fire, a major forecast model used by the National Weather Service predicted a dire situation in Lahaina, according to data analyzed by The Times, with projected hurricane-force gusts of up to 76 miles per hour. OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII Forecast wind gusts Aug. 8, 4 a.m. 0 76 m.p.h. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBut rather than highlighting the risks in Lahaina, the weather service issued a broad warning for all the Hawaiian islands, and that warning never made reference to the 76 m.p.h. Instead, the initial warning to the public said gusts could be over 65 m.p.h., and that number was later lowered to around 60 m.p.h.

Persons: Robert Arconado, Cliff Organizations: National Weather Service, The Times, University of Washington Locations: Lahaina, OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII

Instead this year’s ozone hole was about average size for the last 20 years, even a bit smaller than 2022’s, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From September to mid October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: ”, Paul Newman, ” Newman, Newman, “, Seth Borenstein Organizations: NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, Twitter, AP Locations: North America, South America, Tonga, Montreal

☆ Scientists predicted Earth's ozone hole would balloon in size this year, but now admit their calculations were wildly off the mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Seth Borenstein | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists predicted that we'd see a huge ozone hole over the Antarctic in 2023. From September to mid-October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: —, Paul Newman, Newman, NASA Goddard Organizations: Service, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, YouTube Locations: Tonga, North America, South America, Montreal

☆ Hurricane Otis’ impact around Acapulco, Mexico remains unclear amid widespread communications outages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The outages have significantly limited authorities’ ability to survey or share the magnitude of Otis’ impact. Otis rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane – the area’s strongest storm on record – in just 12 hours. Residents survey damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Xaltianguis, Guerrero state, Mexico. The storm’s heavy rains are forecast to continue impacting the region through Thursday, possibly triggering flash flooding and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said. Residents survey damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Xaltianguis, Guerrero state, Mexico.

Persons: Hurricane Otis ’, Otis, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Laura Velázquez, Hurricane Otis, Alejandro Cegarra, El, CNN’s Karol Suarez, CNN’s Taylor Ward, Mary Gilbert, Ana Melgar, Claudia Rebaza, Rachel Ramirez Organizations: CNN, CFE, Service, ”, Bloomberg, Getty, National Hurricane Center, Mexican National Guard personnel, Infrastructure, Communications, Transportation, Otis, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Hurricane, Acapulco, Mexico’s Guerrero, Xaltianguis, Guerrero, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ Warm Winter Predicted for Northern U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Talal Ansari | Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Despite the predictions for a warmer winter, cities along the East Coast may see more snowfall than last year. Photo: John Minchillo/Associated PressA warmer-than-average winter is predicted for much of the northern U.S. this year, capping an unusually warm 2023 that broiled some cities. The warmer temperatures are expected to blanket parts of California and stretch across the northern U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report released Thursday. Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and northern New England are the most likely to see an unseasonably warm winter, the forecasters said. Much of the rest of the U.S. is expected to see near-normal temperatures.

Persons: John Minchillo Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: U.S, California, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England

☆ Ships Speeding Through US 'Go Slow' Zones Meant to Protect Endangered Whale -Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BOSTON (Reuters) - More than 80% of ships are speeding through "go slow" zones set by environmental regulators along the U.S. East Coast to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, according to a report released on Thursday by environmental group Oceana. Oceana said it analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% sped through voluntary slow zones. "NOAA Fisheries’ approach evaluates overall compliance based on the percent of the total distance traveled by AIS-equipped vessels in the speed zones at compliant speeds," it said. It pointed out that ships sometimes enter the zones above 10 knots before slowing down. Oceana said it used data from Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization founded by Oceana in partnership with satellite imagery providers SkyTruth and Google, to track ship speeds and locations.

Persons: Oceana, — it's, Gib Brogan, Richard Valdmanis, Sandra Maler Organizations: BOSTON, U.S ., Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, NOAA Fisheries, AIS, Fishing Watch, Oceana, Google Locations: U.S, U.S . East Coast, Oceana, East Coast

☆ Ships speeding through US 'go slow' zones meant to protect endangered whale -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales skim feed and sub-surface feed in the waters off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S., March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOSTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - More than 80% of ships are speeding through "go slow" zones set by environmental regulators along the U.S. East Coast to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, according to a report released on Thursday by environmental group Oceana. North Atlantic Right Whales are on the brink of extinction, numbering just 340, with ship strikes among the top causes of death. Oceana said it analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% sped through voluntary slow zones. "NOAA Fisheries’ approach evaluates overall compliance based on the percent of the total distance traveled by AIS-equipped vessels in the speed zones at compliant speeds," it said.

Persons: Lauren Owens Lambert, Oceana, — it's, Gib Brogan, Richard Valdmanis, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, NOAA Fisheries, AIS, Fishing Watch, Oceana, Google, Thomson Locations: Cape Cod , Massachusetts, U.S, U.S . East Coast, Oceana, East Coast

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