Posts Tagged ‘Collapsing Cities’
Posted by feww on October 11, 2011
FIRST PHASE of GLOBAL CIVIC COLLAPSE STARTING as FORECAST.
Heavy monsoon and severe flooding in Pakistan affect about 9 million people
Food insecurity remains a major challenge, as floods destroy about 1 million hectares of standing crops including maize and rice.
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Continued hacking and content censorship
In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.
FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.
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United States of Censorship
Even Twitter Counters are disabled when Blog posts criticize Obama, or contain “forbidden phrases.” See also: Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’.
Disaster Calendar 2011 – October 11
[October 11, 2011] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,618 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
- Sindh Province, Pakistan. Heavy monsoon and severe flooding in Pakistan have affected about 9 million people since August, mostly in southern Pakistan’s Sindh province.
- “Official estimates indicate that, as of 27 September, over 8.9 million people have been affected and at least 880 000 hectares of standing crops have been damaged. The affected crop land represents 3.7 percent of the total national cropped area.” FAO said.
- “The affected crop land represents 3.7 percent of the total national cropped area. However, damage to the current paddy crop is moderate and is estimated by FAO and Pakistan’s space agency (SUPARCO), as of 20 September, at about 252 700 tonnes, or 2.5 percent of the normal national production.”
- Floods have also destroyed or damage about 1.5 million houses.
- Some 20,000 irrigation structures have also been destroyed.
- About 92,000 livestock have perished, and FIVE million surviving animals are at risk.
- Severe losses of crop, livestock and grain stock, as well as wholesale damage to housing and infrastructure have left at least 2.75 million people in immediate need of food [and shelter] assistance, especially in Sindh province, FAO report cited a joint UN-Government assessment.
Other Disasters
- UK. The nuclear inspector has given the green light to the decrepit and potentially catastrophic nuclear energy industry in the UK.
- “I remain confident that our UK nuclear facilities have no fundamental safety weaknesses (but) no matter how high our standards, the quest for improvement must never stop,” said the head of UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
- See also: US Nuke Plants Threatened by Extreme Heat
Related Links
Posted in environment, global deluge, global disasters | Tagged: Collapsing Cities, Food Security, global collapse, nuclear energy, Pakistan Floods, Sindh Province, UK nuclear industry | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on September 3, 2011
Governors of Louisiana and Mississippi declare states of emergency, as Lee moves closer to the Gulf Coast
Up to 40 centimeters of rain is expected to fall over southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) forecast in some areas, the hurricane center said.
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Continued hacking and content censorship
In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.
FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.
WordPress is HACKING this blog!
WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs
The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!
Disaster Calendar 2011 – September 3
[September 3, 2011] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,656 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
- Louisiana, USA. Governor Jindal has declared a state of emergency in 35 parishes expecting flash flooding and high tides as a result of the storm system. State officials have urged voluntary evacuations in parts of Lafourche Parish and Grand Isle, Jindal told reporters.
- Mississippi, USA. Governor Barbour has declared a state of emergency in seven counties expected to receive heavy rain and floods as the storm moves slowly north.
- Sindh Province, Pakistan. Flooding triggered by days of monsoon rains in Pakistan’s Sindh province have killed about 70 people, destroying or damaging about a half of a million homes, wiping out hundreds of villages, washing away roads, bridges and other infrastructure, breaching irrigation canals, inundating vast tracts of land, destroying or damaging 2.5 million acres of crop, leaving hundreds of thousands of cattle dead, and displacing or severely affecting more than 2 million people, officials have said.
- The latest disasters in the area is a double whammy for tens of thousands of 2010 flood victims who had already lost their homes and were living in thatched huts which have all collapsed.\
- Texas, USA. Some 18,612 wildfires in Texas so far this year have consumed at least 3,477,685 acres, destroying 2,450 homes/structures, Texas Forest Service reported. [Note: the actual figure may be closer to 3,100 structures - FEWW]
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Posted in global climate change, global disasters | Tagged: 2011 Disaster Calendar, 2011 disaster diary, 2011 Disasters, Collapsing Cities, first wave of collapsing cities, pakistan flooding, Texas Wildfires, tropical storm lee, TS Lee | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on September 2, 2011
Surprise, Surprise!!
The kowtow president reverses new rules on limiting deadly smog pollution
New rules to limit killer smog pollution would have cost big business “billions of dollars.”
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Continued hacking and content censorship
In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.
FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.
WordPress is HACKING this blog!
WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs
The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!
Disaster Calendar 2011 – September 2
[September 2, 2011] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,657 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
- USA. Bowing to big business, the white House has withdrawn the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard.
- The draft had proposed to limit ground-level ozone to between 60 and 70 parts per billion over eight hours [The previous standard was 75 parts per billion set by the Bush administration in 2008.]
- “The Obama administration is caving to big polluters at the expense of protecting the air we breathe. This is a huge win for corporate polluters and a huge loss for public health,” said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.
- “It’s good to see the administration recognizing the need to balance environmental rules with the potential impact on consumers and jobs,” said Melissa McHenry, a spokeswoman with American Electric Power.
- “We would hope that same consideration should be given to other rules that the EPA is moving forward with,” she added.
- “Smog kills more people than car crashes in the most heavily-polluted areas of the country: There were 2,521 vehicular deaths in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Basin in 2006, compared to 3,812 deaths attributed to respiratory illness caused by particulate pollution, according to a study by researchers at Cal State Fullerton.” Source
Other Disasters
- Sudan. Sudan has declared a state of emergency in the state of Blue Nile following a third outbreak of fighting on the country’s border states with South Sudan, reports said.
- Since South Sudan’s declaration of independence in July, at least a quarter of a million people have fled their homes, most of them from the South Kordofan state (population: ~ 1.2 million).
- Connecticut River Valley. Flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Irene have submerged farmland in the Connecticut River Valley, destroying crops both in Connecticut and Massachusetts and washing away topsoil, a report said.
- Iowa, USA. The town of Hamburg in southwest Iowa (pop: 1,100) may soon become a ghost town as many of its residents may leave because of chronic flooding. The summer-long flooding along the Missouri River have limited access to the town since June, a report said.
- Southern California, USA. Authorities have ordered the residents of 1,500 homes to evacuate after a wildfire engulfed a large section of I-15, the main interstate between SoCal and Las Vegas, AP reported.
- The blaze began about1 pm Friday and consumed 500 acres in two hours, the report said.
- Georgia, USA. Governor of Georgia has requested a disaster designation for 157 of Georgia’s 159 counties because of the ongoing drought and exceptional heat conditions that have plagued the state since April, a report said.
- ”Earlier this summer, Vilsack [USDA] had granted a disaster designation for 22 counties and an additional 26 counties were declared contiguous disaster areas due to drought and heat conditions. Those counties were all in the southern portion of the state and reflected crop losses early in the year as a result of drought conditions.”
- Shikoku Island, Japan. Typhoon Talas, the 12th of the season, made landfall on Shikoku Island, killing at least one person with half dozen others missing, and injuring dozens of others, a report said.
- Some 3,200 others were forced to evacuate in 16 prefectures in western to central Japan.
- Typhoon Talas also disrupted air and rail traffic in western Japan, with hundreds of domestic and international flights cancelled.
- Mudslides caused by torrential rains blocked roads, isolating hundreds of people in Saijo, Ehime Prefecture, on Shikoku.
- A record 1,150 millimeters of rain fell in 72 hours over a village in Nara Prefecture.
- Rain records for at least 4 other prefectures in western Japan have also been broken, reports said.
Related Links
Posted in global disasters | Tagged: 2011 Disaster Calendar, 2011 Disasters, Blue Nile emergency, Brattleboro, Collapsing Cities, Connecticut River Valley, first wave of collapsing cities, Ghost towns, Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard, Typhoon Talas | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on August 30, 2011
Flooding Continues to Swamp Towns in Vermont, New Jersey and New York as Rivers Crest, Death Toll Rising
Death toll from IRENE climbs to at least 43 in 11 states in addition to 3 reported dead in the Dominican Republic and one in Puerto Rico.
READ THIS FIRST
Continued hacking and content censorship
In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.
FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.
WordPress is HACKING this blog!
WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs
The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!
Disaster Calendar 2011 – August 30
[August 30, 2011] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,660 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
- Vermont, USA. The states worst flooding since 1928 has left hundreds of thousands of homes damaged, swamped many towns and cities and destroyed much of the public infrastructure.
- New Jersey, USA. Flooding is expected to continue for at least two more days, Governor Chris Christie said.
- Pennsylvania, USA. The White House has declared a state of emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene beginning on August 26, 2011, and continuing.
Other Disasters
- Uganda. Death toll from landslides in the eastern Uganda has climbed to 43, officials have said.
- Louisiana, USA. Mayor Mitch Landrieu has declared a state of emergency as a large marsh fire in eastern New Orleans continues to send thick plumes of smoke smoke over the metro area, reports said.
- Northern Rockies, USA. At least 42,000 lightning strikes struck the Northern Rockies over a 36-hour period, sparking new wildfires in Montana and Idaho in addition to about 40 other fires already burning across the region, AP reported fire officials as saying.
- “The lightning strikes from Sunday to Tuesday also started new wildfires in the Clearwater and Nez Perce national forests in Idaho, according to Bryan Henry of the Northern Rockies Coordination Center. There were at least three dozen active wildfires burning Tuesday in those two states and in northern Wyoming.”
- Texas, USA. “Dozens of elementary students at a camp and several towns were being evacuated Tuesday as a fast-moving wildfire raged in a North Texas lakeside community,” said a report.
- Texas fires since January: 17,169
- Acres burned: 3,414,454
- Structures lost: 2,392 [possibly as many as 3,000]
- In the past seven days Texas Forest Service has responded to 219 fires for 17,857 acres.
- Source: Texas Forest Service
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Posted in global disasters | Tagged: 2011 Disaster Calendar, 2011 Disasters, Bioethical Issues Commission, Brattleboro, Collapsing Cities, first wave of collapsing cities, texas wildfire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on November 21, 2010
Brief History of Mankind
A Last Look at Planet Earth – II
“Troubled Waters” by U.S. PRIG
Accumulation of toxic pollution in the environment is one of the dynamics that is driving the ecosystems to the verge of collapse. In the worst case scenario, which could unfold by as early as 2012¹, about 20% the world’s cities become unsustainable and begin to collapse. Massive waves of human migration from the affected areas create domino effect that causes the collapse of most of the remaining population centers. It may be too late to make a significant difference to the final outcome; however, we still have the option to change the worst case scenario! See Collapsing Cities
Mother Nature using her defense mechanisms to ensure the cycle of life? Or our lifestyles killing what’s left?
NASA satellites capture images of about 14 massive wildfires raging in Southern California, which have scorched about 1,500 square kilometers from Ventura to Mexico. Posted on October 24, 2007
NASA: Satellite image of the New York metropolitan area
What would you say [do] to the Mayor when 6 feet of flood waters inundates the entire NYC metropolitan area well before 2050 because he didn’t cut the emissions to zero in 2007?
According to a National Snow and Ice Center report in May, the Arctic ice cap was melting much faster than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and was now about 30 years ahead of IPCC forecast.
Google: Pornography, Online Gambling and Energy
“We’re busy assembling our own internal research and development group and hiring a team of engineers and energy experts tasked with building 1 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. Google’s R&D effort will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas.” Google said.
The Shrinking Antarctic Ice Sheet
Earth’s Shrinking Antarctic Ice Sheet
Credit: Ben Holt Sr., GRACE team, DLR
“Dust fall” in the West in the last 100 years is up to seven times heavier than at any period in history.
A dusty scene near Canyonlands in Utah. Dust in the West has increased by 500 percent since the 1800s. [Photo Credit: Jason C. Neff, University of Colorado at Boulder.
Average national water footprint per capita (m³/capita/yr). Green indicates a national average water footprint of equal to or smaller than global average. Countries marked in red have a larger water footprint than the global average. Source: A. Y. Hoekstra et al. 2005. Water footprints of nations: Water use by people as a function of their consumption pattern.
This Planet NO GOOD for Farming!
Once A Forest!
From Chernobyl with Love
Doomsday Vault (Image Credit: AFP)
Photo Credit: Mari Tefre/Global Crop Diversity Trust
Continued …
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Posted in satellite images of earth | Tagged: A Last Look at Planet Earth, Brief History of Mankind, Collapsing Cities, Death by Lethal Pollution, nature's defense mechanism | 8 Comments »
Posted by feww on November 8, 2010
Nile River valley and Nile Delta
Almost 99 percent of Egypt’s population lives in the Nile River valley and Nile Delta
Nile Delta. False-color image acquired by Landsat 7 on 17 September 2006. Source: NASA
ISS View: Nile River Delta at Night
An astronaut photograph of the SE Mediterranean Sea, viewed from the International Space Station. Image taken on October 28, 2010. Astronaut photograph ISS025-E-9858 was taken on October 28, 2010. Source: NASA-EO
The light intensity show the distribution of population in Egypt as well as its neighboring countries/regions. Almost 99 percent of Egypt’s 80 million population lives in the Nile River valley and Nile Delta, in an area of about 40,000 km², or less than 4 percent of the country’s total area.
Posted in Egypt, Egypt collapse, Nile Delta, Nile River valley | Tagged: Collapsing Cities, Drought, drought and deluge, Egypt population, rivers | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on August 8, 2010
NOW YOU DON’T SEE THEM!!
The First Phase of Collapse in Central Europe Has Started.
Severe flooding caused by torrential rain in central Europe has killed at least a dozen people, cutting off towns and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents from drowning towns and villages by helicopter, reports say.
People look at a flooded street in the town of Chrastava, Czech Republic, August 7, 2010. Credit: Reuters/David W Cerny. Image may be subject to copyright. See Fair Use Notice.
Swollen rivers are overflowing their banks and large scale flooding in parts of Czech Republic, Germany and Poland are causing bridges, roads and buildings to collapse.
“Water levels have reached record highs in eastern Germany and central Europe as a broken dam in Poland flooded rivers and forced residents from their homes.” A report said.
Water levels in Goerlitz, Saxony, Germany, reached their highest ever, the report said.
“Water levels were highest in Zgorzelec on the river Neisse at 7.4 meters [normal water levels are 1.7m,]” Polish broadcaster TVN24 said. Parts of the city were submerged and several historic buildings have been damaged.
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Posted in Climate Change, Climate Chaos, climate disasters, Climate-related Disasters | Tagged: central Europe flooding, Collapsing Cities, First Phase of Collapse, Goerlitz, river Neisse, Zgorzelec | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on August 2, 2010
Flooding near the North Korean border has cut water supplies to a third of a million people in China
Flooding has damaged water pipelines leaving about a third of a million people without tap water since Saturdays in Tonghua, an industrial city in NE China’s Jilin Province bordering N. Korea, officials said Monday, the official media reported.
How Many Gorges Dam?
Massive amounts of garbage and debris washed down the Yangtze River by recent floods pose a new threat to China’s Three Gorges Dam. The garbage is so thick in some places, people can stand on it, state media quoted a senior official as saying.
“The large amount of waste in the dam area could jam the miter gate of the Three Gorges Dam,” Chen Lei, director of the key water project department under the China Three Gorges Corporation, told China Daily in an interview, the report said.
“Such a large amount of debris could damage the propellers and bottoms of passing boats,” he said. “The decaying garbage could also harm the scenery and the water quality.”
“A layer of garbage about 60 cm thick covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters began to form in front of the dam when the rainy season started in early July, the Hubei Daily reported.” The report said.
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Posted in china energy, china flooding, china floods, Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River | Tagged: collapse, Collapse Diary, Collapsing Cities, First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 23, 2010
This blog has now been dedicated to the ‘survivors’ of the planetary collapse forced by man-made cataclysms
The blog Moderators believe that in less than a decade from now the total human population on Earth will fall below 200,000 people.
Most of the ‘survivors’ would be highly evolved, ethical and altruistic humans with the ability to overcome the immense difficulties they will have inherited . . .
Nevertheless, the Moderators believe by identifying the major man-made obstacles that stand in the way, they could, for their part, help to keep the flow of life on this planet uninterrupted.
The Moderators
Posted in collapse, Collapse Mechanisms, collapsing ecosystems, Man-made Planetary Cataclysms, Planetary collapse | Tagged: Collapsing Cities, life on earth, life or death | 6 Comments »
Posted by feww on November 25, 2009
Why Are ‘Scientists’ Deferring Impacts of Global Catastrophes?
Sea level rise projections for 22nd Century sideline impacts of current climatic catastrophes and make them seem like someone else’s problem!
Why don’t scientists report the short term impact of the climate change? What’s happening now? What’s going to happen next year, in 2 years, 3 years and 5 years from now?
Like them or not, you can’t live without them. Polar bears are ‘canaries in ice’; they tell you how much time you have left. Photo Credit: Dan Crosbie
Perhaps they have the best of intentions. Perhaps they don’t! Perhaps they want to give the governments a last chance to act. But that’s not the job of scientists.
In February 2005 our colleagues at MSRB postulated that the ‘Point of No Return’ would be reached by about June 2006.
Unless global energy consumption is reduced rapidly—by mid 2006—to levels below 60EJ/year (6E+19 joules/year), the runaway positive feedback loops that are destroying Earth’s ecosystems including ozone holes, global heating, extreme climatic events, toxic pollution, resources depletion, unethical conduct, war, and disease pandemics would reach the point of no return, overwhelm our life support systems and render most of our population centers uninhabitable by as early as 2015, possibly earlier, according to our dynamic energy models.
And argued:
Failure to rein back global energy consumption to levels below 60 exajoules by June 2006 would render the concept of sustainable management redundant (it seems highly unlikely that post industrial civilization would voluntarily sacrifice its perceived privileges and values in favor of sustaining life on Earth).
Then in November 2007 colleagues at EDRO revealed that, based on their models, about 20 percent of the world cities could collapse partially or completely by as early as 2012, citing a list of probable mechanism that would accelerate the collapse.
[About 20 percent of the] world’s cities [could] collapse completely or partially by or before 2012 in the first wave of collapse. The collapse would be caused by a combination of failing ecosystems, human-enhanced environmental catastrophes; failing infrastructure; food, water and fuel shortages; infectious disease; war, civil conflict and other dynamics. Following the first phase of collapse, massive waves of human migration from the affected areas create a domino effect that causes the collapse of the remaining population centers shortly after.
Now 26 ‘experts’ who have authored a new report [Update] called The Copenhagen Diagnosis have urged world governments to cap rising greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 or 2020 [thanks for the 5-year grace period] to avoid the deadliest impacts of climate change. Ironically, many of these authors were on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and they in 2007 effectively downplayed the sea level rises, limiting the upcoming disaster to between 18 cm and 59 cm (7-24 inches) by 2100 [they were completely surprised when melting of Greenland and Antarctica ice accelerated.]
Current sea-level rise underestimated: Satellites show recent global average sea-level rise (3.4 mm/yr over the past 15 years) to be ~80% above past IPCC predictions. This acceleration in sea-level rise is consistent with a doubling in contribution from melting of glaciers, ice caps, and the Greenland and West-Antarctic ice-sheets. —The Copenhagen Diagnosis
In a joint statement the group citing catastrophic factors including the Arctic sea ice retreat in summer and accelerated melting of Greenland ice sheets and Antarctica said:
Climate change is accelerating beyond expectations.
Richard C. J. Somerville, Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, and a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report said:
Carbon dioxide emissions cannot be allowed to continue to rise if humanity intends to limit the risk of unacceptable climate change.
For heaven’s sake, give it to them straight: QUANTIFY!
Arguably the most prominent member of the group Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Director of the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany, Chair of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) and a longstanding member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said:
This is a final scientific call for the climate negotiators from 192 countries who must embark on the climate protection train in Copenhagen.
The report doesn’t tell us what the members think about the short term impact of climate change. Colleagues at EDRO do! In a recent conversation
EDRO estimated that climate change could directly affect about half the population in the UK in the next 3 to 5 years.
Related Links:
The Copenhagen Diagnosis, 2009: Updating the world on the Latest Climate
Posted in collapse, Copenhagen Diagnosis, energy consumption, global change, melting of glaciers, sea level rise | Tagged: 2012, canary in ice, canary on ice, Climate Change, CO2 Emissions, Collapsing Cities, Global Catastrophe, greenhouse gas emissions, Greenland ice, IPCC predictions, the Copenhagen Diagnosis | 3 Comments »
Posted by feww on October 6, 2009
Recommended by EDRO
Plume of Dust Plague Blinds Eastern Washington
Dust Plagues: An Increasingly Significant Threat as a Collapse Mechanism
Dust Storm in Eastern Washington [NASA Earth Observatory]
Visibility dropped to zero in parts of eastern Washington on October 4, 2009, as a large dust storm blew through. This image of the storm was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite shortly after noon (Pacific Daylight Time). According to local news, the storm brought strong winds gusting to 43 miles per hour in places that propelled the dust across the southeast corner of the state. After numerous multi-vehicle accidents, sections of Interstate 90 near the town of Moses Lake and several local roads had to be closed for several hours.
The dust storm persisted for several hours and was still visible when Aqua MODIS flew over the region at 2:00 p.m. local time. The Terra MODIS image shown here is available in multiple resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System.
A thick, rippling plume of dust runs northeast to southwest through the center of the image. Dust stretches as far south as the cities of Pasco and Kennewick, which sit on opposite banks of the Columbia River. In the north, the dust seems to rise primarily from the pale golden squares of fields farmed using dryland agriculture, a common practice in arid eastern Washington. The dryland fields are larger and less colorful than the bright green and gold fields of irrigated agriculture near the Columbia and Snake Rivers in the center of the image.
Dryland farmers rely entirely on rainfall to sustain their crops, and as a result, do many things to preserve moisture in the soil. Some of these practices—leaving a field fallow after harvest to allow water to build in the soil for a year or covering the field with dry soil to prevent underlying moisture from evaporating—make dryland agriculture very prone to dust storms. These fields are likely either fallow or newly planted, probably with winter wheat, a common dryland crop in eastern Washington.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey and Holli Riebeek. [Edited by FEWW]
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Posted in Columbia River, dryland fields, Dust Plague, dust storm, dust to dust, Eastern Washington, Kennewick, Moses Lake, multi-vehicle accidents, Pasco | Tagged: Collapsing Cities, dryland farming, First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities, Iraq Ecocide, Mesopotamian Dust Bowl, Riyadh City, Sandstorm in Saudi Desert, strong winds, The Dust Bowl, topsoil | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on February 12, 2009
What is it that the governments around the world don’t understand about the climate change?
Your Majesties, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Excellencies: The banksters that you serve are destroying the world’s ability to support life. Don’t be party to the crimes of ecocide and mass murder of species.
Stop the exponential growth economy!
Australian Firefighters Tell Their Government to ‘Stick’ its Policies and Stop the Climate Change!
After a week of deadly bushfires that killed 181 people [the death toll would probably rise further,] and destroyed more than a thousand homes making 5,000 homeless, the Australian firefighters called on their government to change its disastrous policies.
The remains of cars destroyed by bushfires are seen in the town of Flowerdale, 80km (50 miles) north of Melbourne February 11, 2008. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas. Image may be subject to copyright.
“Without a massive turnaround in policies, aside from the tragic loss of life and property, we will be asking firefighters to put themselves at an unacceptable risk,” United Firefighters Union of Australia said in an open letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
“We understand that our job is dangerous by its very nature. However, we are gravely concerned that current … policies seem destined to ensure a repeat of the recent tragic events,” said the union.
The firefighters union together with Green politicians and environmental activists assert that “the deadly infernos are a climate change wake-up call to Australia.” Reuters said.
“Australia is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change because of its hot, dry environment, but with its dependence on coal-fired power, Rudd has set a target to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by only 5 percent by 2020.” The report said.
As strong winds amid soaring temperatures fanned several bushfires which ripped through small towns north of Melbourne on Saturday night, Melbourne’s temperature reached a record 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
The cost of damage could exceed $2 billion, according to Standard & Poors.
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Posted in cliamte change, Kevin Rudd, mass extinction, natural disasters, United Firefighters Union of Australia | Tagged: 'Dying' Continent, australia, bushfires, Collapsing Cities, ecocide | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terres on August 18, 2008
The most widely used phrase by “scientists” in 2009
“We were completely surprised!”
Surprised! (source: bp1.blogger.com). Image may be subject to copyright.
Posted in Climate Change, energy, environment, food, Global Warming, health, politics, Tourism, Travel | Tagged: CO2 pollution, Collapsing Cities, collapsing fisheries, dead zones, disease outbreaks, Drought, ecosystems collapse, extreme climatic events, flooding, GHG, high temperatures, the expected unexpected, Water pollution | 5 Comments »
Posted by feww on July 17, 2008
Cyprus’ extreme environmental stress may lead to early collapse!
Former offical: “We are going through a visual process of desertification.”
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Posted in Climate Change, energy, environment, food, Global Warming, health, politics, topsoil, Tourism, Travel, water, wildfires | Tagged: collapse, Collapsing Cities, Cyprus, desertification, ecosystems collapse, environmental stress | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 18, 2008
The Year of Volcanoes, Too?
Steam, hot volcanic plumes rise near Mt. Kurikoma
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces personnel observed Monday hot volcanic plumes about seven kilometers southwest of the summit of Mt. Kurikoma, a 1,627-meter-high volcano located on the border of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita prefectures, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
Aerial observation from a helicopter showed plumes rising from several spots near both Hanayama in Kurihara, and Yu no Hama hot-spring spa.
Sadato Ueki of Tohoku University’s Research Center for the Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions said the plumes might be volcanic gases rising to the surface, or steam coming from underground hot water channels whose course was diverted by the powerful Mw 6.8 quake Saturday. The Iwate quake struck about 22km NW of the Mt. Kurikoma summit.
“There’s a possibility that volcanic gases that had been confined below ground are gushing out through fissures in the mountain created by the earthquake,” he said. However, he ruled out increased volcanic activity on Mt. Kurikoma, because the plumes were very far from the volcano’s summit.
Kurikoma volcano last erupted in 1950.
MT. KURIKOMA is a dormant stratovolcano stretching across three prefectures (states) of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita, standing high at an altitude of 1,627.7m.
Kurikoma volcano seen from the SSE with its summit at the right-center, the satellitic cone of Daichimori on the left, and Higashi-Kurikoma on the right. On the opposite side of the volcano, the summit is cut by a 4-km-wide caldera breached to the north that is partially filled by the Tsurugi-dake central cone, once mined for sulfur. (Caption: Source) Image Copyright: Shingo Takeuchi (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/strata/VOL_JP/index.htm). See FEWW Fair Use Notice!
Coordinates: 38° 57′ 0″ N, 140° 46′ 48″ E
Decimal: 38.95°, 140.78°
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