Pope Francis to lay bare ‘terrible world war’ on nature in papal letter - “sacred gift from the creator”

 

Follow-up to 2015 encyclical on climate crisis urges people to take side of ‘victims of environmental injustice’ - Theguardian.com

Pope Francis attends a World Youth Day gathering of young Catholics in Lisbon on 3 August where he urged people to focus on caring for the planet. Photograph: Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty

Pope Francis has said he will issue a follow-up document on the protection of nature because a “terrible world war” against the environment was taking place.

The pontiff said the papal statement – a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical on the climate crisis – would be issued on 4 October, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment.

Describing nature as a “sacred gift from the creator”, Francis urged people to take the side of the “victims of environmental and climatic injustice” and called for an end to “the senseless war on our common home, it is a terrible world war”.

John Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state, told Reuters in an interview in June after meeting the pope that the 2015 encyclical had a profound impact on the climate conference that year which set goals to limit global heating.

Pope chides ‘backward’ conservatives in US for replacing faith with ideology

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In the eight years since Laudato Si was published, there has been an increase in extreme weather events such as more intense and prolonged heatwaves, more frequent wildfires and more severe hurricanes.

Francis said last month such events showed urgent action was needed to tackle the climate crisis and appealed to world leaders “to do something more concrete to limit polluting emissions”.

He said the new document would be an apostolic exhortation, another form of papal writing.

After Laudato Si was issued, some Catholics allied with conservative political movements and corporate interests, particularly in the United States, fiercely criticised the pope for backing the opinion of a majority of scientists who say global heating is at least partly due to human activity.

Food Security - Food Safety - Por que redes de fast food estão tirando o tomate de seus menus na Índia

 

 

Custo da fruta no país aumentou mais de 400% nos últimos meses devido a quebras de safra após ondas de calor escaldante e fortes chuvas 

 No mês passado, o McDonald's anunciou que muitos de seus restaurantes em todo o país removeriam temporariamente os tomates de seus hambúrgueres Getty Images 

 Tara Subramaniamda CNN

 

Os tomates estão fora do cardápio na Índia enquanto o Burger King se torna a mais recente rede de fast food a ser impactada pelo aumento dos preços do alimento básico da culinária.

No mês passado, o McDonald’s anunciou que muitos de seus restaurantes em todo o país removeriam temporariamente os tomates de seus hambúrgueres, citando problemas de qualidade e escassez de suprimentos.

 

Agora, as lojas indianas do Burger King dizem que são “incapazes de adicionar tomates”.

Em uma seção de perguntas frequentes em seu site, o Burger King garantiu aos clientes que os tomates voltarão em breve, dizendo que sua ausência atual foi “devido a condições imprevisíveis na qualidade e no fornecimento das safras de tomate”.

Não ficou claro se a remoção de tomates se aplicaria a todas ou apenas algumas de suas lojas.

A decisão do Burger King ocorre depois que o banco central da Índia elevou sua previsão de inflação para o atual ano financeiro para 5,4%, ante 5,1%, citando o aumento dos preços de certos alimentos no país mais populoso do mundo.

“No futuro, o aumento nos preços dos vegetais, liderados pelos tomates, exerceria pressões de alta consideráveis ​​na trajetória da inflação de curto prazo”, escreveu em um comunicado.

Na semana passada, a Subway anunciou que suas lojas indianas cobrariam 30 rúpias (US$ 0,40) a mais por uma fatia de queijo na maioria dos sanduíches, informou a Reuters.

Quanto aos tomates, a culinária indiana é impensável sem a onipresente fruta. Mas o amado ingrediente está cada vez mais fora do alcance de muitos.

O custo do tomate na Índia aumentou mais de 400% nos últimos meses devido a quebras de safra após ondas de calor escaldante e fortes chuvas, de acordo com agricultores e especialistas em agricultura, embora os preços tenham moderado um pouco em agosto.

Um quilo de tomate vendido na capital da Índia, Nova Délhi, esta semana custou 107 rúpias (US$ 1,29), um salto surpreendente em relação às 27 rúpias (US$ 0,33) registradas em janeiro, segundo dados do Departamento de Assuntos do Consumidor.

Os altos preços se devem em parte ao clima extremo associado à mudança climática, disse Jocelyn Boiteau, pós-doutoranda do Instituto Tata-Cornell de Agricultura e Nutrição.

De acordo com Boiteau, apenas algumas regiões no sul da Índia têm condições adequadas para o cultivo de tomates durante os meses de verão, portanto, quaisquer “problemas relacionados ao clima” nessas áreas podem ter um impacto em nível nacional no fornecimento de tomates frescos.

Neste verão, o país foi abalado por quantidades sem precedentes de chuva e ondas de calor intensas, destacando como a nação mais populosa do mundo está entre as mais vulneráveis ​​aos efeitos da crise climática.

 

Martianization, Extreme water stress faced by countries home to quarter of world population

 Twenty-five countries are using 80% of their water supplies each year, research shows

 

Twenty-five countries that are home to a quarter of the world’s population are facing extreme water stress, according to research.

Data from the World Resources Institute suggests these countries are regularly using 80% of their water supplies each year.

WRI’s Aqueduct water risk map reveals demand for water is increasing around the world and has more than doubled since 1960.

While demand for water has plateaued in Europe and the US, it is soaring in Africa. By 2050, water demand around the world is projected to increase by between 20% and 25%.

The 25 countries under the most water stress include Saudi Arabia Chile, San Marino, Belgium and Greece. The five facing the highest water stress are Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman.

 

By 2050 close to 60% of the world’s population could experience extremely high water stress at least one month a year

 Globally, about 4 billion people, or half the world’s population, are exposed to extremely high water stress at least one month a year, according to the Aqueduct analysis. By 2050 the number could be closer to 60%.

“Living with this level of water stress jeopardises people’s lives, jobs, food and energy security. Water is central to growing crops and raising livestock, producing electricity, maintaining human health, fostering equitable societies and meeting the world’s climate goals. Without better water management, population growth, economic development and climate change are poised to worsen water stress,” the report’s authors say.

According to data from Aqueduct, 31% of global GDP – worth $70tn – will be exposed to high water stress by 2050, up from 24% ($15tn) in 2010. Four countries – India, Mexico, Egypt and Turkey – will account for more than half of the exposed GDP in 2050.

The water risk research says increased water stress threatens countries’ economic growth. It also affects food production. The research says 60% of the world’s irrigated agriculture faces extremely high water stress, particularly sugarcane, wheat, rice and maize. By 2050 the world will need to produce 56% more food calories than in 2010 to feed a projected 10 billion people.

In India, a lack of water to cool thermal power plants between 2017 and 2021 resulted in 8.2 terawatt-hours in lost energy– enough electricity to power 1.5m Indian households for five years.

The report says interventions can stop water stress leading to water crises. Singapore and Las Vegas have been able to thrive even under the most water-scarce conditions, the report notes. Authorities there have saved water using desalination and other techniques such as wastewater treatment and reuse.

Political will is needed to introduce water efficiency and reduce water stress, the report’s authors argue.

The 25 most water stressed countries are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Botswana, Iran, Jordan, Chile, San Marino, Belgium, Greece, Tunisia, Namibia, South Africa, Iraq, India and Syria.

UK homes install ‘record number’ of solar panels and heat pumps

TheGuardian - Head of industry standards body says more people are turning to renewable technology as energy costs grow

 Solar panels on a narrowboat in Henley-on-Thames. An average of 20,000 households installed solar panels every month this year. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock

 

British households are making more green energy upgrades than ever before after installing a record number of solar panels and heat pumps in the first half of the year, according to the industry’s official standards body.

The industry figures show there were more green energy installations in June alone than in any six-month period in previous years.

On average, more than 20,000 households installed solar panels every month this year, while the number of homes installing heat pumps reached 3,000 a month for the first time, according to the data.

Each month of 2023 was a record month for battery technologies, as installation figures consistently surpassed the month before, bringing the total number of batteries installed in homes and businesses across the UK to more than 1,000 in 2023 so far.

The industry’s accreditation body, MCS, said the green energy boom has put households on track to install more renewable energy than the last record set in 2012, when many raced to install solar panels before government subsidies were reduced.

Ian Rippin, the chief executive of MCS, said: “As the cost of energy continues to grow, we are seeing more people turn to renewable technology to generate their own energy and heat at home.”

Small-scale renewable energy installations at homes and businesses across the UK now have a total capacity of 4 gigawatts (GW), greater than the nuclear power plant under construction at Hinkley Point and almost double the capacity of Europe’s biggest gas power plant near Pembroke in Wales.

“We need to continue to push this expansion to meet our shared national ambitions to reach net zero by 2050. More consumers have the confidence to invest in small-scale renewables now than ever, but we have to make that transition even easier,” Rippin said.

The UK government has set targets to reach 70GW of solar capacity by 2035 and to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. But the uptake of heat pumps has fallen far short of the government’s aim, despite £5,000 grants to reduce the cost of replacing an old gas boiler.

In total there were 17,920 heat pump installations in the first six months of 2023, according to MCS data, meaning that if the same pace continued over the second half of the year, heat pump installations would reach just 6% of the government’s target.

Bean Beanland, the director of external affairs at the Heat Pump Federation, said there was “a tremendous job of work to do” to ensure that heat pump technology becomes mainstream over the remainder of this decade.

The accreditation body believes that one of the biggest barriers to the government’s heat pump ambitions is the need to recruit enough qualified, skilled installers to meet the demand for trustworthy advice and installations.

There are 1,500 heat pump installation companies certified in the UK, but an estimated 50,000 workers will be needed to meet government targets. So far this year, more than 850 new contractors have become MCS certified, more than the number who signed up during the whole of 2022.

Beanland added: “It is essential that the lowest-carbon heat becomes the lowest-cost heat, so that homeowners and landlords can justify the transition away from polluting fossil fuels. If this is coupled to a genuine affordability and future funding package, then households will be able to contribute to climate change mitigation with confidence and at a cost that is fair to all.”

 

Nytimes link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/12/climate/wind-solar-clean-energy.html

 

 

Martianization, Moradores do Havaí se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo, diz Guarda Costeira dos EUA

 Death toll from Hawaii wildfires increases to 55 as search for survivors continues

 At least 67 people have been killed in the deadliest disaster in the state’s history, as questions are asked about the local warning system

 

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas das águas pela Guarda Costeira; incêndios que atingiram ilhas do arquipélago provocaram grande destruição, com relatos de horror da população

População relatou cenas de terror devido ao incêndio; muitas se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo Zeke Kalua County of Maui

 Um cenário de horror dominou a ilha de Maui, no Havaí, com os fortes incêndios que atingiram a região nesta quarta-feira (09). Alguns moradores chegaram a pular no mar para fugir do fogo que avançava rapidamente, destruindo casas e carros por onde passava. A fumaça também cobria a região, provocando mais ameaças às vidas da população.

A Guarda Costeira dos EUA (USCG, na sigla em inglês) precisou ir à água para resgatar os moradores, segundo informações de um comunicado de imprensa do condado de Maui. A Cruz Vermelha Americana abriu um centro de evacuação em Maui High School, disse o condado.

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas por uma embarcação da Guarda Costeira nas proximidades de Lahaina, em Maui. “O USCG continua a resposta conjunta com parceiros federais e estaduais, enquanto o USCG Cutter Kimball está a caminho de Maui para intensificar os esforços”, informou a Guarda Costeira, pelas redes sociais.

Os incêndios florestais em Maui se espalharam tão rapidamente que muitas pessoas não tiveram tempo de se preparar, de acordo com o relato angustiante de um morador que testemunhou os momentos em que o fogo varreu sua cidade.

Claire Kent disse que sua casa em Lahaina foi incendiada no inferno em movimento rápido.

“Aconteceu tão rápido”, disse ela, descrevendo como o dia começou como qualquer outro. Kent disse que estava fora do trabalho por causa dos ventos fortes do furacão Dora. Ela trabalha em um barco no porto e todas as viagens foram canceladas por causa do clima.

“Ouvi as primeiras explosões dos postos de gasolina explodindo e depois vi a fumaça preta a algumas ruas de distância e, em meia hora, estávamos fora de casa”, disse Kent. “Estava na casa de uma amiga. Eu nem fui para casa, não tinha nada comigo.”

Ela disse que em uma hora os incêndios haviam se espalhado até o final do bairro. Foi quando ela percebeu que eles não seriam capazes de voltar.

“Há chamas em ambos os lados da estrada – como algo saído de um filme de terror”, disse Kent, descrevendo a cena enquanto os carros trabalhavam para evacuar.

Ela disse que, devido ao serviço de celular irregular, os avisos de evacuação foram entregues por “pessoas correndo pela rua”.

“Havia caras andando de bicicleta gritando para as pessoas irem embora”, disse Kent.

Algumas pessoas, no entanto, não conseguiram sair. Ela descreveu as chamas se movendo rapidamente, envolvendo algumas áreas em questão de meia hora. Algumas pessoas estavam pulando na água para fugir do fogo, disse ela.

“Tudo se foi”, disse ela. “É a história de Lahaina que é tão devastadora.”

(Publicado por Fábio Mendes)

Sobe para 36 o número de mortos em incêndios no Havai

Floods, Fires and Torrential Rains Further Bedevil Europe

The extreme weather across the continent this summer has destroyed huge amounts of land, forced many to evacuate, and in some cases caused deaths.

Dropping water over a fire in Apesia, southern Cyprus, on Monday.Credit...Philippos Christou/Associated Press

By Emma Bubola Aug. 8, 2023 

Floods, fires and heavy rains have landed more blows across Europe this week, with the authorities on the continent scrambling to respond to the extreme weather that has become increasingly common in the past few years. 

The most recent events have destroyed large amounts of land, left dozens of people injured, forced thousands to evacuate and, in some cases, caused deaths, and they come on the heels of scorching temperatures that have engulfed much of Southern Europe this summer. 

Climate change has made extreme heat a fixture of the warmer months in Europe, but experts say that the continent has failed to significantly adapt to the hotter conditions. Governments in many countries are now struggling to address the devastating effects. 

“The extreme weather conditions across Europe continue to be of concern,” Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “The EU is showing solidarity with all those in need.”

Deadly Floods in Slovenia Heavy rains in recent days have led rivers to overflow across Slovenia in what the authorities there said was the worst natural disaster since the country’s independence in 1991. 

At least six people have died, according to the Slovenian news agency STA, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes to escape the floods. Several countries have tried to help, with France and Germany sending equipment such as prefabricated bridges, and even Ukraine, in the middle of a war with Russia, promising to send a helicopter. A flooded area in the northern Slovenian town of Crna na Koroskem on Sunday.

Entire villages have been left underwater, and huge rivers of mud have filled roads and sports fields and flowed below collapsed bridges, with cars stuck in the debris of landslides caused by the flooding. Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, said she would travel to Slovenia on Wednesday. Floods have also been reported in Austria, Slovenia’s northern neighbor, killing at least one person, according to the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer.

Wildfires in Cyprus, Italy and Portugal Hundreds of firefighters were continuing to battle rural wildfires in Portugal on Tuesday. The blazes have prompted the evacuation of more than a thousand locals and tourists, and several firefighters have been injured while tackling the flames. The risk of fire in the past few days was at the highest level in large parts of the country, with strong winds and temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Portugal has struggled with wildfires various times in recent years. Blazes killed more than 60 people in 2017.

A tractor cleaning up land during a wildfire in Aljezur, Portugal, on Monday.Credit...Pedro Nunes/Reuters 

Elsewhere, the European Union has sent firefighting planes to assist with efforts to tackle wildfires burning on Cyprus in recent days; Greece, which has also been plagued by wildfires this summer, has sent liquid flame retardant to the island to help. Israel has also provided aid, including firefighting planes, a crew of four pilots and ground crews. Jordan and Lebanon also sent support. Hundreds of people have also been evacuated on the Italian island of Sardinia, a popular tourism destination, after fires burned across large areas in recent days. 

Torrents in Norway and Sweden Heavy rains have been recorded in the two Nordic countries this month, causing the derailment of a train on Monday that left three people injured in eastern Sweden. The police said that the deluge had undermined the embankment where the accident occurred, causing it to collapse. More downpours were expected in both countries in the coming days. 

The Swedish meteorological and hydrological institute said that the amounts of rain that have fallen were unusually high for August in many locations. “Quite a few places have received more rain in one day than you normally get in the entire month of August,” said Ida Dahlstrom, a meteorologist with the Swedish meteorological institute. She added that the city of Lund, in Southern Sweden, had not received so much rain in one day for more than 160 years. 

The institute issued red alerts — the highest level of flood warning — for some areas of Sweden on Monday night and said that copious amounts of rain forecast in the south of the country could send water in streams and ditches to extremely high levels. The stormy weather has heralded not only heavy rain but also uncharacteristically high temperatures, with the town of Haparanda, in northern Sweden, reaching a balmy 86 on Tuesday, its highest temperature for August since 1969.

A stream overflowed its banks on Tuesday in Gran, Norway. Credit...Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix, via Associated Press Christina Anderson contributed reporting. Emma Bubola is a reporter based in London. More about Emma Bubola - Nytimes.com