In the land of carnavals, I had read that some festivities had been cancelled because of the lack of water, so I knew something was wrong in Brazil. In fact, it is the worst drought in 84 years !
Rain
Climate change probably disrupted popular events
I wasn’t planning to write anything about it last week, but the football game opposing France and Ukraine during the Euro was interrupted by torrential rain. This was the first according to commentators.
Now, many events related to the Fête de la Musique have been canceled in the North and East of France – including Valenciennes, to my despair. This never had taken place for over thirty years the event has existed.
In less than a week, French people have witnessed weirder climate canceling or postponing two of their favorite events. What was the probability ?
Hurricane Irene may cost US economy $20 billion
To ABC News : ” It’s time to clean up Irene. The hurricane’s destructive path through 10 East Coast states left an estimated $7 billion to $13 billion of damage in its wake — without even accounting for economic losses.”
Estimates could climb to $20 billion (14 billion euros) if economic lost were taken into account… And this was by all standards a small hurricane. It wasn’t even one, but just a tropical storm when it reached most of the United States.
Climate change is making these phenomena worse. (cf. below) What are we waiting for slashing our emissions and thus, the risk of increased hurricanes and floods ?
Global weirding is already a reality in the USA
To the Huffington Post : ” Heavy rains, deep snowfalls, monster floods and killing droughts are signs of a “new normal” of extreme U.S. weather events fueled by climate change, scientists and government planners said on Wednesday. “It’s a new normal and I really do think that global weirding is the best way to describe … Read more
Green lifestyle tips from our grandparents
To the Mother Nature Network : ” Our grandparents (or great-grandparents) — children of the Great Depression — could teach us a thing or two about going green on a budget. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without, (…) “ Their carbon footprint was uber-small — they used less water, less fuel, … Read more