Hurricane Zeta makes landfall in the US

The US has seen another powerful hurricane make landfall this week after building up speed and strength in the Gulf of Mexico.  Hurricane Zeta moved inland through Louisiana and Mississippi on Thursday and left more than 2.6 million people without power across a number of southern states.  Wind speeds are thought to have reached 100mph and six people are known to have died.  

A lot of damage has been done to buildings and power lines as the fierce winds ripped through the streets and brought down trees and electrical cables.  In coastal areas, flood waters have risen and flooded people's homes and businesses.  For residents of New Orleans who remember the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, this has brought back some difficult memories from that time.

The US has seen 27 storms so far in this year's hurricane season.  It normally sees around 6 hurricanes and 12 large named storms.  This increase in storm frequency is becoming part of an all too common change in global weather patterns.  Climate change is adding warmth and moisture to these storms which makes them more powerful, more frequent, and more likely to cause devastating damage when they reach land.  If the US and other countries around the world can work together to reduce carbon emissions, it should help stop the frequency of these storms which will help save lives and save money from the cost of damage caused.  

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News in brief: 19th - 25th October 2020

Saving ancient forest from HS2

Many areas of forest, some incredibly ancient, are being cut down to make way for the high speed rail link HS2; the company behind the tree cutting is attempting to move the rich woodland soils, saplings and small animal species to other sites so that the biodiversity of these areas is not lost, however scientists are doubting the efficacy of the project

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Arctic ice refreeze uncertain

Each year, the Arctic ice goes through a cycle of melting and refreezing, but this year the data shows that the ice has not started refreezing when it should; warming air and warming waters in Siberia are thought to be the cause of the delay in refreezing as this area has seen a protracted spell of warm weather conditions over summer and into the autumn

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Norway publishes rainforest maps

Norway is continuing to pave the way with forest conservation by creating and publishing a satellite dataset on the world's tropical rainforests for free; the data is available to anyone who wishes to view it and offers a realtime understanding of how much deforestation is occurring rather than counting how much has been lost at the end of a period of time

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Losing the Great Barrier Reef

Scientists have been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef for several decades. The phenomenon of coral bleaching is now widely known as a devastating impact of the warming oceans that they live in.  This is a stress response by the coral that causes them to expel the algae that live inside them, resulting in the coral losing the bright colours that the algae give them and returning them to their white skeletal colour. 

The warming seas are a direct result of climate change.  When the earth's atmosphere warms, the water warms with it. Marine life such as coral are extremely sensitive to these changes and cannot tolerate even a small rise in temperature.   The coral starts to die and this has a knock on effect on the species and organisms that feed on and live off the coral.  

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is now thought to have lost around half of all its coral since 1995. This has occurred across all types and sizes of coral, and we are now seeing reduction in the sealife that use the coral as a habitat too. 

The warming has also contributed to the growth of other organisms that thrive in warmer waters and this is changing the balance of the ecosystems.  So what can be done?  The main answer would be to halt the rise in global temperatures.  This is a difficult challenge and can only be done by committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in renewable energies.  We can also try to limit our plastic pollution as this can also harm the wildlife that live in this delicate ecosystem.  Scientists are also looking at ways to restore coral reefs and grow it back by creating coral nurseries.  This looks to be a successful option but will take time to establish and will only be sustainable if temperatures don't continue to rise.

To find out more and get involved, click on the links below:

🐚 The WWF

🐚 The Coral Reef Alliance 

🐚 The United Nations 

News in brief: 5th - 11th October 2020

UK to invest more in wind power
Boris Johnson is to pledge to increase wind power for the whole of the UK with the intention that every home will be powered by wind within the next decade; this push towards green energy will form part of the government's plan to invest in a green future and create thousands of new green jobs, particularly as there will be a rise in unemployment due to coronavirus

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Threat of extinction to whales

A letter has been signed by hundreds of scientists and conservationists calling for the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises; although saving whales has been an issue since the 1970s and 1980s, the issues around overfishing and illegal fishing have not been resolved and more action is needed to ensure that these species don't become extinct in the near future

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New 'Earthshot' Prize to encourage environmental innovation

A new Earthshot Prize has been announced by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough which offers five awards of £1million a year for ten years to the best environmental solutions or strategies to help save our planet; the goals are centred around protecting nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste free world and fixing our climate

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The future of wind power

There has been a lot in the news this week about the future of wind power.  Britain is looking to invest more money than ever in new offshore wind farms in order to make this the main source of energy for homes and businesses.  This is a good move as it will make our energy cleaner and more sustainable, and it will reduce our reliance on importing energy and being subject to sudden changes in oil and gas prices.  

The government is proposing to spend £160 million on building turbines and updating existing facilities, and in the process will create 2,000 new jobs. This will generate more security in the green economy and should hopefully make a good base to support more green jobs in the future. 

The main benefit of investing in wind power is that it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are pumped into our atmosphere every day.  This will help the UK reach its climate change goals for 2050 and will contribute to the global effort to minimise the impacts of climate change.  If carbon emissions were to continue at the current rate, we would start to see even more extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires, and our oceans would be at risk from increased warming.  This endangers all wildlife on land and in the sea and so it is vital that we don't let our ecosystems deteriorate any further. 

The investment in clean energy is part of what is being called the 'green recovery' from the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.  Making sure we 'build back greener' is essential to ensuring we meet climate targets, become independent in our energy generation, and ultimately protect our planet so that we don't interfere and damage any further the wilderness areas. 

To find out more about wind power, click on the following links:

♻ Renewable UK

♻ Energy Saving Trust

♻ BBC News

News in brief: 28th September - 4th October 2020

Trees felled due to ash die back
Ash die back is a fungus that affects ash trees and has been spreading throughout the UK for some years; more ash trees than ever will be felled this year as the dry spring conditions and lockdown delays have allowed the fungus to grow and spread

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Plastic straws now officially banned

A ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds has now come into force in England; it is hoped that the ban will save the use of 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds every year 

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Air pollution falls in London

The air quality in London has significantly improved since 2016 due to the banning of high-pollution vehicles in central London and the introduction of cleaner vehicles, particularly clean buses on the most polluted routes; thousands of people were thought to have been dying early due to high levels of pollution, and although improvements have been made there is still more progess to be made in the capital 

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