Category: Current Affairs Regions

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Heatwave-Induced Wildfires Displace Thousands Across Southern Europe

silhouette of trees during sunset

21 July 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

The ongoing European heatwave has brought about many tragedies. Among them, the media’s attention has been focusing on wildfires, which have already destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of land – three times the average for this time of year. Such events do not only negatively impact biodiversity and the economies that rely on it; they also pose a direct threat to human life.

As a result of these wildfires, the authorities have carried out mass evacuations of local populations and holidaymakers, with as many as 15,000 people displaced in less than 24 hours in the French department of Gironde. The phenomenon is spreading throughout the Mediterranean, affecting parts of Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Croatia, Greece, Crete, and Turkey.

A Malaga resident says she barely had time to grab a few essentials before making a run for it. The emergency has prompted the construction of temporary shelters to house recent evacuees. However, a long-term resettlement solution is yet to be found.

When disasters such as this occur in the Global South, it is customary for Western governments and companies to dismiss the dangers of climate change. But today, extreme weather events are multiplying before their eyes. Could this finally be the wake-up call Western leaders needed to take actionable steps and save our planet from extinction?

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US Supreme Court Limits Ability of EPA to Regulate CO2 Emissions

body of water under cloudy sky during sunset

13th July 2022 – by Willy Phillips

On Thursday, June 30th, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled against the enactment of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) following a week of hallmark decisions. The CPP is a sub-section of the Clean Air Act which informs how the EPA can regulate Co2 emissions from electricity production. In the court’s majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts said the EPA has no grounds for the sector-wide restriction allowed under the CPP. According to Roberts, the US Congress is the only body that can enact a regulation of such high consequences. 

            Critics of the decision remain wary. In a fierce dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan addressed that “the court appoints itself – instead of Congress or the expert agency – the decision-maker on climate policy.” It’s true; taking emission-standard authority from the government’s environmental organization seems counterintuitive. Justice Roberts, however, insisted that the sweeping regulation is a clear violation of the “major-questions” doctrine. This seldom referenced stipulation refers to the power given by congress to regulating agencies. Congress must provide clear and explicit permission for an agency to implement “decisions of vast economic and political significance.” 

            This case, known as West Virginia v. EPA, first took form in 2015 when Obama-era EPA guidelines set state-wide emission goals under the Clean Air Act. In 2016, SCOTUS suspended the plan in response to several state and private legal challenges. To this day, the CPP has never been enacted, so the SCOTUS ruling refers only to future EPA regulations. While The EPA may still pass site-specific emissions goals, the ruling limits the speed and uniformity with which the EPA can issue time-sensitive goals and standards.

            Many fear the court has set a dangerous precedent for muddying the extent of agency jurisdiction. Justice Kagan leaves her dissent with an honest recognition of SCOTUS limitations, asserting that “Whatever else this court may know about, it does not have a clue about how to address climate change,” she wrote. “And let’s say the obvious: The stakes here are high. Yet the court today prevents congressionally authorized agency action to curb power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions.” 

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For Persons With Disabilities, Migration and Evacuation Following Calamity Have Seldom Been Possible 

blue and white exit signage mounted on brown brick wall

14 June 2022 – by Willy Phillips

Globally, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are two to four times more likely to experience injury or death during natural disasters and war than non-disabled individuals. This silent reality has long accompanied the aftermath of calamity. Places like Ukraine, struck by war, and the Philippines, under the barrage of natural disasters, share the often overlooked necessity of aiding PWDs amidst the chaos.

In response to disasters, many individuals must migrate from their homes. For PWDs, however, the options are limited. Without specialized equipment or proper training, those aiding cannot evacuate this group of individuals safely.

In Ukraine, the Russian invasion has left 2.7 million PWDs in dire situations. The UN Committee on the Rights of PWDs has said in the wake of this conflict, disabled individuals have faced the worst of the war. The reports mention that “many people with disabilities, including children, are trapped or abandoned in their homes, residential care institutions and orphanages, with no access to life-sustaining medications, oxygen supplies, food, water, sanitation, support for daily living and other basic facilities.” Most of the 4.8 million who have fled the country are reportedly able-bodied.

In the Philippines, natural disasters like super typhoon Rai in December 2021 impacted nearly 12 million individuals. As of April 2022, 12,000 individuals are still displaced, and roughly half are housed in temporary evacuation centers. While the damage was immense and the recovery has been grueling, this storm has had a better ending for PWDs. A humanitarian organization called Community and Family Services International (CFSI) has set out to change the statistics for PWDs, especially children. Following the storm, CFSI provided 1,800 families with documented assistance. Each of these families had at least one elderly or disabled household member.

While much work is still required, CFSI sets the example for ensuring that these memebers of our society are accounted for. A paradigm shift toward equality emerges using a UN-backed framework called ‘disability inclusive disaster risk reduction’, or DiDRR. An essential component in the fight for the human rights of all persons, this guideline aims to change the attitudes of states and individuals towards a future of more comprehensive disaster readiness.

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Climate Change Creates Optimal Grounds for Human Trafficking

people riding boat on body of water during daytime

27 May 2022- by Willy Phillips

At the age of 12, Anjali thought she had been given a chance to advance her passion for dance. Her dance teacher approached her in West Bengal after cyclone Aila hit in 2009 with the opportunity to practice in Kolkata. Instead, she was whisked away to Delhi, where, for three consecutive months, she was tortured and raped. Anjali’s story is powerful, but it is not unique. 

Since recording began, the number of global climate migrants has been steadily rising. According to the World Migration Report, over 30 million people were displaced due to climate events in 2020 alone. These events are most commonly severe storms, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures, which cause individuals, families, and even entire communities to relocate. This rise in displacements juxtaposes the 60% decline in voluntary international travel due to Covid restrictions throughout the year. 

The connection between disasters and migration feels obvious. If an area becomes uninhabitable, people must go somewhere. However, an issue that’s much less obvious and lurks in the unchecked aftermath of a disaster is human trafficking. Trafficking runs rampant in post-disaster states. Social and systemic factors contribute to this sharp increase as social institutions collapse. Specifically, a lack of accountability from law enforcement and difficulty securing aid or resources creates a vacuum quickly filled by crime syndicates. Offering stable employment or promises of resources like food and water, these groups prey on the vulnerable and exploit necessity.

In post-disaster situations and times of high migration, rates of trafficking rise sharply by 30%. Moreover, as climate change exacerbates the impact of natural disasters, more individuals, mainly women and children, will fall victim to the chaos.

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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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Chile’s ”Flowering Desert” Reflects an Adaptation Process for Climate Change

yellow petaled flower

8 February 2022 – by Deniz Saygi

As the driest desert in the world, Chile’s Atacama Desert shows how plants adapt to climate change: Every few years, a little corner of the desert is covered with purple and yellow flowers. This extraordinary blossom event is locally known as the ”flowering desert.” 

Though it has been observed that some parts of the Atacama Desert can go years without seeing rain, amongst 200 species of flowers, the ”pata de guanaco” and ”yellow ananuca” can bloom in an uninhabitable environment of the desert. As a consequence, scientists have a chance to study the species that can adapt to extreme climate changes. 

To study this specific adaptation event occurring in the Atacama Desert, a complex ecosystem has been created for flower seeds to lie dormant in the soil for decades and wait for enough rainfall in order to allow them to bloom.

“When there is a certain amount of precipitation, which has been estimated at approximately 15 cubic millimetres, it triggers a large germination event,” said Andrea Loaiza, a biologist from La Serena University who works on this study. Loaiza also stated that the bloom is happening on an irregular schedule, and the last significant one occurred in 2017. In respect of its irregularity, this blossom event may not happen forever since the ecosystem of the area has a very fragile nature and any kind of disruption can break the balance.

“To adapt to a climate crisis, we need to understand the natural processes. We want to learn from these plants because these species demonstrate different adaptation mechanisms,” said Andres Zurita, a geneticist who also works on this study.

It should be remembered that it is crucial to study these endemic species to understand how they manage to survive in extreme conditions and take precautions for the regions (like the Atacama Desert) that are vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change.

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Argentina and Ecuador Offer their Creditors to Create Payment Mechanisms for Ecosystem Services

foamy wave rolling over azure sea surface

20 January 2022 – by Deniz Saygi

The COP26 Climate Talks in Glasgow introduced a new discussion about how the richest and developed countries can help the poorer ones to make a transition in terms of both cleaner and sustainable energy. In this regard, Argentina and Ecuador offered a solution to their creditors: Climate action instead of money. 

Alberto Fernández, the President of Argentina, stated the country needs more flexibility to pay the debt of US$45 billion that Argentina owes to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country’s efforts to slow the effects of climate change should be recognised. In this context, he pointed out that they are willing to link part of the payment to essential investments in green infrastructure. Fernández also declared that Argentina cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 27 per cent since 2016, as promised. 

“The health crisis of the pandemic only exposed a much bigger crisis affecting the environment, society and the economy. We must create mechanisms to pay for ecosystem services, swapping debt for climate action and installing the concept of environmental debt,” said Fernández during the COP26 United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow at the Forum gathering over 120 leaders.

In addition to Argentina’s demand, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso asked for the country’s foreign debts to be swapped for conserving the Galapagos Islands. Lasso declared that the marine reserve of the Galapagos Islands which are considered a natural treasure would be expanded by 60,000 square kilometres and required its creditors the debts of the country to be regulated as the conservation debt for the archipelago. 

“We estimate it will be the biggest debt swap for conservation that has taken place globally until now,” Lasso said during a news conference on the sidelines of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.

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Turkey at High Risk of Water Scarcity

turkey flag hanging on bridge

7 January 2022 – by Deniz Saygi

As a water-stressed country, Turkey has faced severe droughts since the 1980s on account of the combination of overpopulation, unplanned urbanization, industrialisation, climate change and global warming. The water in the dams supplying the major cities of Turkey has been reduced since there is no rainfall.

Istanbul, a prominent centre of trade and commerce of Turkey, is experiencing critically low levels of water. The megacity is at the risk of running out of water in the next few months, according to the report by the UCTEA Chamber Of Chemical Engineers. Consequently, Turkey’s most populous city is experiencing the lowest level of water in 15 years, and this situation raised fears of a persistent drought.

Not only Istanbul, but also Turkey’s major cities are facing water scarcity too: For example, Izmir and Bursa are struggling with dams that are at the risk of scarcity due to the poor rainfall. Moreover, farmers – especially from the Konya plain and Edirne province – are warning of increasing crop failures and food shortages because of the prolonged lack of rainfall by reason of climate change. Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, also has been going through the most severe period of drought in recent years. Citizens of Ankara has been warned about the lack of rainfall could cause a significant water shortage in the near future. 

According to the report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 60 per cent of Turkey’s land area is prone to desertification. The report also underlines the Mediterranean Basin as one of the world’s climate hotspots that occurred due to climate change and global warming. Under these circumstances, the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey will most likely become progressively drier and drastically warmer if necessary measurements are not taken. 

P.S. I would like to thank Mr. Mert Kocal for his contributions to this article.

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Auckland Proposes “World-First” Climate Tax for Residents

Auckland on sunset (landscape)

13 December 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

Residents of Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, will have to pay around 1 dollar per week under a proposed new climate tax. The money raised from the tax will go towards making the city greener and reducing emissions.

The plan was announced by Auckland mayor, Phil Goff, on December 1. Auckland officials have said that the proposal is one of the first of its kind in the world. 

Homeowners will be taxed on average $NZ1.10 a week, which is estimated to raise around $574m over 10 years. The proceeds will be added to a proposed fund which aims to design a more environmentally friendly city through a range of initiatives, including decarbonising the transport sector and making more green spaces.

One of the big aims is to decarbonise the ferry fleet, as this currently contributes 21% of the city’s emissions from transport. In addition to this, the fund will also create more routes for pedestrians and cyclists, and create a greener city by planting more trees.

In a statement, Mayor Goff said, “While nobody relishes the idea of paying more rates, we’ve heard clearly from Aucklanders that they want us to do more on climate change and to improve our public transport system. We must be able to say to future generations that we used every tool in the toolbox to tackle the climate crisis.”

“Long after COVID-19 ceases to be a major threat to us, there will be the ongoing crisis caused by climate change – we can’t afford to put off any longer the action needed to avoid a climate disaster,” the mayor added.

The rate is an important part of the “mayoral proposal” that will be voted on next year.