Category: North America

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Powerful Tornadoes Warn Us About the Effects of Climate Change

white and black buildings under blue sky during daytime

15 March 2022 – by Deniz Saygi

Powerful tornadoes slammed a 200-mile path through six states in the Midwest and South of the United States last December, causing houses and factories to be demolished and approximately $5 billion losses. According to the reports, Kentucky is the worst-hit state concerning losses and casualties.  

After being hit by tornadoes, a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky was levelled causing casualties. Moreover, police and fire stations were destroyed, giant trees were uprooted, homes were flattened and power lines went down. 

After these unfortunate events, Joe Biden declared that he will require the Environmental Protection Agency to examine the role of climate change and global warming regarding recent tornadoes and storms.

In general, 1,500 tornadoes occur annually in the United States. The cluster of tornadoes that happened last December was exceptionally rare in terms of the season, the intensity and the length of the storm paths, experts state. 

“It was really a late spring type of setup in the middle of December. Usually, there’s not a lot of instability in the winter that’s needed for tornadoes because the air isn’t as warm and humid. This time there was,’’ says Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor from Northern Illinois University. 

The catastrophic effects of climate change are one of the drivers of the risks of hurricanes, wildfires, winter storms and hail storms because the rising temperature caused by global warming makes extreme weather conditions potentially more destructive. In light of these reasons, it is necessary to investigate the origins of extreme weather conditions in connection with climate change and take precautions accordingly – as suggested by scientists.

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Migrants Crossing US-Mexico Border Face Severe Dehydration

brown wooden fence near green trees during daytime

14 February 2022 – by Deniz Saygi 

Thousands of migrants – of whom, many are children – suffer from deadly heat conditions at the US-Mexico border. As the effects of climate change worsen day by day, extreme weather conditions are causing a high risk of dehydration and death amongst migrants who try to enter the States through the Sonoran Desert.

In order to calculate the deadliest areas in the U.S. – Mexico Border, scientists and researchers used a biophysical model of human dehydration. According to the report made by this model, it was found that most of the deaths were caused primarily by severe dehydration. After organizing the dataset in the regions with the casualties, severe dehydration that leads to death, water loss, organ failure, disorientation and physiological challenges in animal species were linked together for the report. 

“We provide the first empirical evidence that the physiological stresses experienced by humans attempting to cross the Sonoran Desert into the U.S. are sufficient to cause severe dehydration and associated conditions that can lead to death. A disproportionately large percentage of migrant deaths occur in areas where the predicted rates of water loss are highest,” says Ryan Long, an associate professor of wildlife sciences at the University of Idaho. Long also underlines the importance of access to drinking water supplies for preventing the risks at the highest rates of water loss during migration across the borders in the region. 

Models developed for fighting against climate change and water scarcity unfortunately show us that these type of border crossings will only become more dangerous over time, increasing the already large number of people who do not make it across. Measures must be taken immediately to mitigate this crisis.

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Miami Condo Collapse – Did Climate Change Play a Role?

palm trees near buildings

16 August 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condo in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed on the 24th June. The death toll from the disaster sits at 79, as of 10th July, while a further 61 remain unaccounted for. Investigations are still being carried out to determine the precise cause of the collapse, however, questions have been raised over the impact the climate crisis and rising sea levels had on destabilising the building, and prompts further discussions on how climate change will impact other buildings in south Florida.

A 2018 engineering report on the structure found “abundant cracking and spalling in various degrees” in concrete columns, and that deteriorating waterproofing could cause “exponential damage” via the expansion of these cracks. 

“Cracks in the concrete allows more sea water to get in, which causes further reactions and the spreading of cracks. If you don’t take care of it, that can cause a structure failure”, said Director of the University of Florida’s International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design, Zhong-Ren Peng.

While experts say that the exact role of rising seas in the collapse is still unclear, buildings will become unstable due to the advancements of salt water which will weaken the foundations. Higher sea level increases the amount of saltwater the foundations of buildings are exposed to, and with most of south Florida already only a few feet above sea level, other buildings in the area could be subjected to a similar fate 

Harold Wanless, a geologist at the University of Miami, says the sea level in south Florida could increase by a foot each decade in the second half of this century, depending on the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. 

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Heatwave Linked to Hundreds of Deaths in U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada

silhouette of mountains during sunset

9 August 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

A devastating heatwave hit the US Pacific Northwest and Canada last week, shattering temperature records in many areas across the region. The heatwave was caused by a persistent area of high pressure, known as a “heat dome”.

In Canada, temperatures rose to nearly 50°C, leading to devastation, including hundreds of deaths, melted power lines and wildfires. Lytton, British Columbia, broke Canada’s hottest temperature record on three consecutive days last week. A wildfire consequently destroyed the settlement on Wednesday, the heatwave leaving perfect conditions for its rapid spread. The community were evacuated, however, at least two people are believed to have died in the wildfire. Similarly, Seattle and Portland recorded three consecutive days of record breaking temperatures, peaking at 42.2°C and 46.1°C, respectively, on Monday 28th June.

A week after the worst consequences of the heatwave were witnessed, health officials are only now being able to take stock of the disastrous effects the heatwave has had on the communities. The heat was blamed for 95 deaths in Oregon, while 13 deaths were reported to be heat related in Seattle, Washington. Nearly 500 people may have been killed in Canada as a result of the record breaking temperatures. British Columbia’s chief coroner said that 719 “sudden and unexpected deaths” had been reported over the past week, which is triple the number expected in a typical year.

In addition, hospitals across the region were left struggling with the increased demand of people needing medical attention, due to heat-related illnesses in combination with water injuries and increased violence levels. Officials in Portland have reported that the area got more emergency department and urgent care visits in a single weekend than it would usually see in an entire summer. 

Climate scientists have warned that climate change will make these extreme heat waves more common everywhere, and that all societies need to prepare for extreme weather events. One of the world’s leading climate scientists, Michael E Mann, said, “Climate models are actually underestimating the impact that climate change is having on events like the unprecedented heatwave we are witnessing out west right now.” U.S. president Joe Biden and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau have joined scientists in blaming the climate crisis for the heatwave.

While the worst of this heat dome has hit, high temperatures are still expected to continue over the next week, increasing the risk of more deaths, illnesses, and forest fires.

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EPA Delivers on Biden’s Promise of Environmental Justice

tree trunk

26 July 2021 – by Ben St. Laurent

Less than a month after his inauguration President Biden signed an executive order — “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” which strengthened the inter-agency integration on climate and environmental policy. A key component of this ‘whole of government’ approach to climate change was to address disproportionate environmental impacts to economically disadvantaged and minority communities. On June 25th the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the allocation of $50 million under the American Rescue Plan to fund environmental justice initiatives, fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to address the racial and socio-economic disparities of environmental hazards. 

Alongside The EPA’s $50 million grant for environmental justice, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced $200,000 in federal grant funding for a job training initiative in Baltimore, Maryland which prepares young adults for jobs in the water treatment industry. The recipient, YH2O, is a city-sponsored initiative that combines aspects of economic, environmental, and social development and could provide a rubric for environmental justice initiatives in other underserved communities. According to the EPA, 13 other environmental justice projects around the country have been awarded a combined $2.8 million in grants, and nearly $14 million has been allocated for future projects. The EPA has also set aside just over $5 million to “expand civil and criminal enforcement” of air and drinking water pollution near low-income communities. 

Cities like Flint, Michigan with high levels of poverty and pollution stand to benefit from such programs. In 2014, insufficient oversight and monitoring led to at least a dozen deaths and thousands of cases of serious health problems after the city’s drinking supply was severely contaminated with lead and bacteria. Due to weak law enforcement and legal recourse, residents of Flint who struggled for years to gain access to safe drinking water, are still fighting for justice. Increased public understanding and environmental literacy combined with stronger legal enforcement of monitoring standards, which the EPA is now funding, could prevent similar disasters from occurring. The EPA’s announcement of funding for environmental justice initiatives, and the apparent scope of its impact, should raise the bar for environmental protection and social development of historically underserved communities across the country.

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EPA Updates Climate Change Data for the First Time Since 2016

iceberg near body of water

30 June 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated climate change data on its website for the first time in 5 years. The data is presented on the Climate Change Indicators website, the website allows the public to explore data generated primarily by federal agencies on climate change and its impact on people throughout the U.S. The first Climate Change Indicators report was published by the EPA in 2010, and the data was regularly updated on its website until the Trump administration in 2016. During his presidency, Donald Trump was openly sceptical of human-caused climate change, at times calling it a “hoax”. 

The recent data presented in the Climate Change Indicators report illustrates the alarming reality of the impact of climate change across the U.S. Surface temperatures across the U.S. are rising, and that increase is accelerating. This temperature increase is the most pronounced in Alaska, which saw an average temperature rise of more than 2°C in parts, since 1925. Rising temperatures are also worsening wildfires, according to the new data. Wildfire season is starting earlier, lasting longer, and the amount of land burned each year by wildfires is increasing. Heatwaves have also become more common due to increasing surface temperatures, with occurrences tripling in U.S. cities since the 1960s. Drought is growing in the Southwest, which in turn threatens the availability of drinking water.

Coastal flooding is five times more common in cities across the U.S. today compared to in the 1950s. A combination of melting of polar ice and rising water temperatures are the cause of the flooding, with sea level rising being particularly prominent along the East Coast and Gulf Coast. The new data also shows that incidents of lyme disease have doubled since 1991, as a warming climate across the U.S. is leading to deer ticks being able to survive in an increasing number of areas.

With this data update announcement, EPA administrator Michael Regan has made it clear that climate change is once again a top priority for the EPA. “There is no small town, big city or rural community that is unaffected by the climate crisis,” Regan said, “Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts up close, with increasing regularity.”

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Policy and Legal Advice on Climate Refugees From the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers

landscape photography of snowy mountains

28 June 2021 – by Hazal Yilmaz

The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) is preparing a report parallel to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Canada’s invitation for the federal government to examine its own laws with relation to climate change and migration. In their view, Canada is not paying due attention to the impending crisis.

In a podcast, which discussed the report, different solutions were explored. For example, it was argued that climate refugees are in fact no different from those who can get refugee status by escaping from persecution based on race, religion and political opinion; and that on this ground, no disparate treatment is necessary. Or another point was raised, that climate migrants could fall under the existing category of those applying for residency in a foreign country, after a natural disaster made their previous residence uninhabitable. It was also stated in the report that Canada’s sponsorship program for Syrian refugees could be utilized and adapted to leave room for those fleeing climate change.

The authors of the report hope that the proposed reinterpretation of exisiting regulations will be met with support from the Canadian public.

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Climate Activists March 400 Miles From New Orleans to Houston to Demand a Green Job Market

green grass in close up photography

7 June 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

Climate activists from the youth climate group Sunrise Movement have been marching 400 miles from New Orleans to Houston, following the path of thousands of families who permanently fled New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The activists’ aim is to pressure President Biden into including a Civilian Climate Corps in his $2.26 trillion infrastructure plan, which will create good-paying jobs for young people within environmentally friendly careers.

Along the way the group is making stops in communities disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. At these stops the group will be holding protests and rallies, and will be joined by many figures including political leaders and environmental justice activists. One of these stops was St James parish, a community about an hour outside of New Orleans, where the group protested the proposed construction of a petrochemical complex. St James parish sits on an 85-mile industrial corridor along the Mississippi River, which has been dubbed “Cancer Valley” due to housing more than 150 chemical plants and oil refineries. Last year, the government approved permits for plastic company Formosa Plastics to build 14 plastic plants in St James parish.

Environmental justice group, Rise St James, has been leading the fight to block Formosa from building the facility in their community. The Sunrise Movement organised the protest along with Rise St James, to bring greater awareness to the issue. Researchers have found that if the proposed Formosa complex is built it would leave communities vulnerable to extreme flooding, due to the destruction of nearby wetlands. The facility is also expected to emit and discharge a variety of pollutants, including carcinogens, into the air and water. St James parish is a predominantly black community, and Varshini Prakash, the co-founder and executive director of Sunrise Movement, has described the situation as “the epitome of environmental racism”.

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Early Indicators Forecast Another Summer of Extreme Wildfires Across the Western United States

15 May 2021 – by Ben St. Laurent

Meteorologists and wildfire experts have reported early indicators of another unprecedented season of wildfires in the western United States. Continuous monitoring from NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) shows that nearly half of the U.S. is experiencing drought and the most extreme conditions are concentrated in the Southwest and Pacific. According to National Weather Service data, drought is expected to persist and expand over the region, while temperatures remain above average this summer. AccuWeather wildfire forecasts classify parts of 18 states at high risk of wildfires, nine of which are currently at an extreme risk. Data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) determined that wildfires have already swept through over a quarter million acres by early May 2021 – double what they had by this time last year.

What this means for local residents and businesses, still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, is alarming. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), up to 280,000 residents of the western U.S. had been displaced in the first two weeks of September 2020. Yearly evacuation and displacement will likely contribute to domestic climate migration out of the western U.S. The Insurance Information Institute reported that the wildfires in 2020 burned 10 million acres, destroyed 10,500 structures, and incurred billions of dollars in damages. As western states prepare for another year of extreme wildfires, NPR describes how businesses are still rebuilding from last year’s fires – and also the remaining fire damage from years ago. Jeff Smith, owner and founder of Napa Valley’s fire-damaged Hourglass Winery, spoke to NPR about preventative measures residents have begun to take, including using fire resistant building materials and creating defensible space on private property.

In a press conference in early April, Governor Gavin Newsom, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, and Cal Fire Director Thom Porter addressed the need to plan ahead for the 2021 fire season. Crowfoot underscored the reality that “we are not going to respond our way out of this crisis”, citing increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation resulting from climate change. The recent increase in the length and severity of wildfires across the American West is a testament to the destruction of climate change and the immediate impact it has on the lives of residents. Towards the effort to invest in proactive wildfire protection, Governor Newsom announced the allocation of $536 million in fire prevention funding, which follows the $80.74 million in emergency funds designated in March to add 1,399 firefighters to the Cal Fire crew this year.

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Air Pollution From Nearly All Polluting Sources Disproportionately Affects People of Colour Across the U.S.

13 May 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

Health problems from exposure to air pollution have long been reported in communities of colour across the U.S. A growing body of data is continuing to back up these reports by showing that Asian, Black and Hispanic people are exposed to higher concentrations of air pollutants on average than their white counterparts. A recent study has found that this air pollution exposure disparity faced by people of colour (POC) exists across states, in both rural and urban communities, across income levels, and is true regardless of the type of pollution.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, focuses on ambient fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), which is the largest environmental cause of human mortality, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and is responsible for 85,000 to 200,000 excess deaths per year in the United States. PM2.5 consists of fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less. This pollution source is particularly dangerous as the particles are small enough to travel deep into the respiratory tract and reach the lungs, which can consequently lead to numerous health problems, including bronchitis, reduced lung function and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease.

This latest study is the first of its kind to track all pollutant source types in the 2014 EPA National Emissions Inventory (over 5000 individual pollutant types). The researchers grouped these pollutants into 14 broad types based on source. These groups included industrial, commercial cooking, and coal electric generation.

This study will enable important discussions on mitigation measures which can be taken to tackle high levels of pollution faced by communities of colour. For example, as the study has highlighted that numerous types of pollution are responsible for this disparity in pollution exposure faced by POC, mitigation efforts taken at the local level may be more effective than tackling the problem on a nationwide level, as different sources of pollution may affect different neighbourhoods across the country.