2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #33

Posted on 19 August 2023 by John Hartz

Story of the Week

British Columbia Under State of Emergency as Wildfires Rage in Canada

The emergency order was issued late Friday as wildfires threatened Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, and Kelowna, in British Columbia.

The western Canadian province of British Columbia was under a state of emergency order early Saturday, hours after most residents of Yellowknife, a city farther north, had fled ahead of a deadline to evacuate because of a dangerous wildfire.

The wildfire near Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, was expected to reach the city limits by the weekend. The mass migration from Yellowknife occurred as blazes hundreds of miles away threatened Kelowna, a much larger city in British Columbia.

Officials in British Columbia issued the state of emergency on Friday evening, calling this year’s wildfire season the worst for the province. The order allows officials to enact travel restrictions and other emergency measures.

Click here to access the entire article as originally posted on the New York Times website.

British Columbia Under State of Emergency as Wildfires Rage in Canada by Vjosa Isai & Ian Austen , World, New York Times, Aug 18, 2023 

Articles posted on Facebook

Sunday, Aug 13, 2023

• Prospectors hit the gas in the hunt for ‘white hydrogen’ The zero-emission fuel may exist in abundant reserves below ground. Now large sums are being invested to look for it by Jillian Ambrose, Environment, The Observer/Guardian, Aug 12, 2023
• Could Climate Change cause an Ocean Tipping Point… Soon..? by Adam Levy, ClimateAdam on YouTube, Aug 9, 2023
• Is Carbon Capture and Storage a Climate Solution? Fossil fuel companies’ favorite climate solution has scored tens of billions of dollars in support from the Biden administration and Congress, but many environmentalists and scientists say it is a dangerous boondoggle. by Nicholas Kusnetz, Climate 101, Inside Climate News, Aug 12, 2023
• The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think The United States is pivoting away from fossil fuels and toward wind, solar and other renewable energy, even in areas dominated by the oil and gas industries. by David Gelles, Brad Plumer, Jim Tankersley & Jack Ewing, Climate, New York Times,  Aug 13, 2023

Monday, Aug 14, 2023

• Global heating likely to hit world food supply before 1.5C, says UN expert Water scarcity threatening agriculture faster than expected, warns Cop15 desertification president by Fiona Harvey, Environment, The Guardian, Aug 12, 2023
• Heat deaths surge in the US’s hottest city as governor declares statewide ‘heat emergency’ David Hondula, the heat expert leading efforts to make the city more comfortable, says every heat death can be prevented with the right resources by Nina Lakhani, US News, The Guardian, Aug 13, 2023
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #32 2023 by Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodack, Aug 12, 2023
• Climate change is messing with photosynthesis in unexpected ways by Imma Perfetto, Cosmos Magazine, Aug 14, 2023

Tuesday, Aug 15, 2023

• One of 2023’s most extreme heatwaves is happening in the middle of winter Temperatures in parts of South America are 20C (68F) more than normal, one of the most extreme deviations ever seen by Matthew Patterson, Climate Home News, Aug 14, 2023
• Montana judge hands young plaintiffs significant victory in landmark climate trial by Ella Nilsen, CNN, Aug 14, 2023
• At a glance – Is extreme weather caused by global warming? by John Mason & Baerbel Winkler, Skeptical Science. Aug 15, 2023
• The Clean Energy Future Is Roiling Both Friends and Foes Resistance to wind and solar projects, even from some environmentalists, is among an array of impediments to widespread conversion to renewables. by Jim Tankersley, Brad Plumer, Ana Swanson & Ivan Penn, Climate, New York Times, Aug 15, 2023

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023

• Just how hot was July? Hotter than anything on record by Alejandra Borunda, NPR News, Aug 14, 2023
• How Antarctica has become the enduring climate change bellwether Despite its remote location, the southernmost continent is stricken with climate change issues by Justin Klawans, Briefing, The Week, Aug 14, 2023
• Should governments be blamed for climate change? How one lawsuit could change US policies by Marc Ramirez, Nation, Nation, USA Today, Aug 16, 2023
• This Summer, Take a Stand for Science, Staff, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLF), undated

Thursday, Aug 17, 2023

• Climate crisis is accelerating, scientists warn, after unusually warm July breaks Australian records Many weather stations in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart clocked their highest July temperatures ever as the country’s winters get hotter by Josh Nichols, Environment, The Guardian, Aug 16, 2023
• Tropical activity heats up in Atlantic and Eastern Pacific The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three threat areas in the Atlantic. In addition, Tropical Storm Hilary in the Eastern Pacific threatens to bring heavy rains to Southern California early next week. by Jeff Masters, Eye on the Storm, Yale Climate Connections, Aug 16, 2023
• Hawaii’s climate future: Dry regions get drier with global warming, increasing fire risk − while wet areas get wetter by Kevin Hamilton, Science & Tech, The Conversation US, Aug 16, 2023
• Why older people are some of those worst affected by climate change by Gary Haq, Environment, The Conversation UK, Aug 14, 2023

Friday Aug 19, 2023

• Southeast Asia turns to alternative meats as fight against climate change ramps up by Nyshka Chandran, Access Asean, CNBC, Aug 15, 2023
• Hurricane Hilary could dump over a year’s worth of rain on parts of the Southwest by Mary Gilbert & Elizabeth Wolfe, Weather, CNN, Aug 18, 2023
• A climate lawsuit won big in Montana. What will it mean for other cases? Why experts say the Held v. Montana decision could lead to more climate wins in the courts. by Akielly Hu, Politics, Grist, Aug 18, 2023
• How the Inflation Reduction Act narrows the gap to US climate goals, Guest Post by Alicia Zhao & Haewon McJeon, Carbon Brief, Aug 16, 2023

Saturday Aug 19, 2023

• Our oceans are the warmest in recorded history. This is why it’s so concerning ‘What happens in the oceans doesn’t stay in the oceans,’ says NASA scientist by Nicole Mortillaro, Science, CBC, Aug 17, 2023 
• How climate scientists feel about seeing their dire predictions come true by Corrine Purtill, Climate & Environment, Los Angeles Times, Aug 18, 2023
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #33 2023 by Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodak, Skeptical Science, Aug 18, 2023
• British Columbia Under State of Emergency as Wildfires Rage in Canada The emergency order was issued late Friday as wildfires threatened Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, and Kelowna, in British Columbia. by Vjosa Isai & Ian Austen, World, New York Times, Aug 18, 2023