Disasters

"Water Is Disappearing From Mexico's Vital Desert Oasis Cuatro Cienegas"

"Alfalfa plants sway under a thin veil of mist as towering irrigation equipment rolls above the crops, spraying the vast fields with water. It's an important agriculture product in Mexico's northern state of Coahuila, grown there for hundreds of years."

Source: Reuters, 03/26/2024

Chevron Will Pay Record $13M Fines for Oil Spills in California

"Chevron has agreed to pay a record-setting $13 million to two California agencies in the wake of investigations by The Desert Sun and ProPublica of dozens of oil spills, and of lax enforcement by the state's oil and gas division. But the announcement late Wednesday masks ongoing issues."

Source: Palm Springs Desert Sun, 03/26/2024

"Reading The Ruins Of Amazon Fires, Scientists See Crisis Ahead"

"The Amazon is battling record early-year fires, fuelling fears of a worse climate crisis to come as blazes kill vegetation that is key to absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide. Fanned by drought, high winds and human felling, the forest is suffering unprecedented fires this early in the year, satellite images show, with the dry season still to reach critical parts of the Amazon."

Source: Thomson Reuters Fdn., 03/26/2024

Warm, Dry Spring Has US Forecasters Worried About Upcoming Wildfire Season

"Most of the United States is expected to see warmer-than-average temperatures this spring, federal forecasters say, with dry conditions likely in the West. That's raising concerns about wildfires, especially in parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley, said Jon Gottschalck, operations branch chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center."

Source: NPR, 03/25/2024

"Oil Executives, Meeting in Texas, Cast Doubts on ‘Fantasy’ Energy Transition"

"To some, it felt like the oil executive blurted the quiet part out loud. “We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas,” said Amin Nasser, head of what is, by far, the world’s biggest oil producer, Saudi Aramco."

Source: NYTimes, 03/20/2024

The U.S. Needs Wildland Firefighters More Than Ever, but Is Losing Them

"Black Butte is an inactive volcano that rises from the high desert in eastern Oregon. In May 2022, a turboprop plane approached its pine-blanketed slopes, carrying about 10 men wearing bulky Kevlar outfits. They were smokejumpers with the United States Forest Service, the agency that directs the majority of the nation’s efforts to manage wildfires."

Source: ProPublica, 03/19/2024

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