Alzheimer’s deaths increase 55% –CDC

Alzheimer’s: Sixth leading cause of death in the United States

Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s) is the most common cause and an ultimately fatal form of dementia. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and currently affects an estimated 5.5 million adults, accounting for 3.6% of all deaths in 2014.

A total of 93,541 Alzheimer’s deaths occurred in the United States in 2014 at an age-adjusted (to the 2000 standard population) rate of 25.4 deaths per 100,000 population, a 54.5% increase compared with the 1999 rate of 16.5 deaths per 100,000.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [CDC]

 

How Many Banksters Do You Need to Hijack a Corrupt Two-Party System?

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

World’s Worst Corporation Turned into a Banana Republic

[Prepared by affiliated scientists.]

• Presentation is available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Poll: Majority of Americans Worried Trump Could Plunge US Into Major War

Nearly two-thirds of [the so-called?] Americans worried about war

66 percent of Americans are worried that Donald Trump could plunge the United States into a major war in the next four years, according to results from the latest NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll.

“A plurality, 36 percent, are very worried about the United States’ becoming engaged in a major war in the next four years, while 30 percent are somewhat worried. A quarter are not too worried, and just 8 percent are not at all worried.”

More details posted HERE.

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part VI

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse — Plutocracy, Oligarchy & the Cabal

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Parts I – VI are available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part V

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse — Racketeering  & Unending Wars

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Parts I – V are available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part IV

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse — Mass Deception & Mind Control

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Parts I – IV are available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part III

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse — INJUSTICE & INEQUALITY

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Presentation is available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part II

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse – ENVIRONMENT

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Presentation is available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Global Consequences of Corrupt Politics in United States – Part I

• CJ Members
• EAC
• OC Teams

Presentation: Consequences of Corrupt U.S. Politics at the Edge of Apocalypse – ENERGY

[Prepared by Affiliated Scientists]

• Presentation is available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

Staggering Suicides Rates in Nunavut, Homelessness Emergency in City of ‘Angels’

Nunavut suicide rate 10 times that of Canada’s national average

The suicide rate in Nunavut, newest, and least populous territory of Canada, is 10 times that of the national average. In the case of Inuit boys 15 to 19, the suicide rate is 40 times higher than those of their peers in the rest of Canada, said a report.

“Since the territory was created in 1999, some 479 Inuit have killed themselves. The collateral damage that suicide inflicts means every one of the territory’s 36,000 residents has been devastated by the trauma.”

Nunavut’s chief coroner has pleaded for help from the territory’s minister of health and senior bureaucrats, asking them to declare a state of emergency, said the report.

“We have reached a breaking point and our community is under crisis,” Suramala wrote in an  email, addressed to the officials. “I leave it in your best hands to make the decision of calling [a] state of emergency.”

However, her pleas for help were ignored. Read more…

Los Angeles declares a State of Emergency as 60,000 homeless miss their dreams

The largest concentration of homeless people in the country are located just six blocks away from City Hall, Councilman Jose Huizar, who co-chairs the City Council’s homelessness and poverty committee told reporters.

“There are about 4,000 of them living in skid row,” he said. “Unfortunately, that is just a small percentage of the city’s homeless population.”

“[About] 85 percent of the city’s homeless population lives outside of Skid Row, throughout the city.” Councilman Mike Bonin told LATimes. “It’s time to get real, because this is literally a matter of life and death.”

“Many people here have compromised immune systems in these unsanitary conditions, and it can be deadly,” said the Rev. Andy Bales, an advocate for the homeless on Los Angeles’ skid row, where they often are the victims of violence, patient dumping and illness. [LATimes]

[Note: L.A. County puts the number of homeless in the city of Los Angeles at about 26,000, an increase of 12% in two years, though the actual figure is widely believed to be about 60,000.]

• In the U.S., more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year. 35% of the homeless population are families with children, which is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. 23% are U.S. military veterans.

• On a single night in January 2013, there were 610,042 people experiencing
  homelessness in the United States, including 394,698 people who were homeless in
  sheltered locations and 215,344 people who were living in unsheltered locations

• On a single night in January 2014, 578,424 people were experiencing homelessness — meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.

• Nearly one-quarter of all homeless people were children under the age of 18 (23 percent or 135,701). Ten percent (or 58,601) were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 66 percent
  (or 384,122) were 25 years or older.

• There were 216,261 homeless people in families on a single night in January 2014, accounting for 37 percent of all homeless people.

• There were 45,205 unaccompanied homeless children and youth on a single night in 2014. Most (86 percent or 38,931) were youth between the ages of 18 and 24, and 14 percent (or 6,274) were children under the age of 18.

• In January 2014, 84,291 individuals and 15,143 people in families were chronically homeless.  https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2014-AHAR-Part1.pdf

Large Wildfires Devour Homes, Force Evacuations across U.S., W. Canada

Wildfires burning millions of acres across United States, W. Canada

Wildfire are burning more than 3.1 million acres across Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Alaska
As of July 2, some 750 wildfires have burned an estimated 2.4 million acres in Alaska so far #Alaska this summer, “which is at pace with the 2004 season when 6.59 million acres burned,” Kale Casey, a public information officer for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, told ABC News today. “In addition to the dry season we’re having, we’ve had a huge amount of lightning—about 6,000 to 10,000 bolts per day. There was three-day period in June where we had over 31,000 lightning strikes.”

Meanwhile, NOAA has issued the following statement:

Fires are raging in Alaska, and there’s no end in sight.

More than 600 fires have burned in excess of 1.8 million acres in the state, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, making this year the worst wildfire season so far in Alaska’s history. Fires have caused evacuations, highway closures, and rail and flight disruptions. More than 350 structures have been damaged, including about 70 homes.

Approximately 100,000 wildland fires occur each year in the United States, capable of severe destruction and loss of life. Above-average temperatures and a longstanding drought in the western U.S. are contributing to wildfires occurring in parts of Washington, Oregon and California.

“It’s only July 6 and this fire season ranks No. 9 on the list of the largest fire seasons on record in Alaska,” said AK Forestry.

A graph from the National Interagency Fire Center that shows how Alaska’s fire season compares to the Lower 48 so far, this year.

Idaho
A large blaze in Idaho has destroyed at least six multimillion-dollar homes forcing more than 200 people to evacuate from Bayview, a resort town on Lake Pend Oreille.

The Cape Horn fire, which was possibly sparked by lightning, and is now being fanned by strong winds and fueled by record temperatures, has consumed about 1,000 hectares, since Sunday.

“There have been multiple wildfires in eastern and central Idaho during the past week with the biggest being the Dietrich Butte fire, which started Friday afternoon. It’s scorched about 2,500 acres north of Dietrich, a town near Shoshone,” said a report.

California
A 400-acre wildfire threatens homes in Vacaville (between San Francisco and Sacramento), Northern California, forcing more than 100 people to evacuate.

Washington
The Sleepy Hollow fire destroyed dozens of homes and consumed about 80 square kilometers before being mostly contained.

In May, Gov. Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency for Washington after snowpack reached historic lows, and rivers began dwindling and irrigation districts were forced to cut off water to farmers.

Oregon
Wildfires have consumed about 160 square kilometers in Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In June, Gov. Brown declared drought emergencies in Coos, Douglas, Gilliam and Jefferson counties, bringing the total to 19 counties officially in a state of drought.

The counties covered by the declarations:

Baker, Coos, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Jefferson, Jospehine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler.

Saskatchewan, Canada

Saskatchewan First Nations Evacuate 13,000, Declare Wildfire State of Emergency

“Wildfires have forced more than 13,000 Lac La Ronge band members and others from their homes in aboriginal communities in the largest evacuation Saskatchewan has ever seen.”

Drought Disaster Declared in AZ, CA, NV, TX, UT

UPDATED: February 27, 2015

Crop Disasters Declared for 48 Counties across Five States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 48 additional counties in five states—Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought.

The disaster designations are for the following areas:

• Arizona: Coconino, Mohave, Gila, La Paz, Navajo and Yavapai counties.
• California: Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt,   Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Trinity, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba counties.
• Nevada: Clark, Lincoln, Carson City, Douglas and Washoe counties.
• Texas: Sutton, Crockett, Edwards, Kimble, Menard, Schleicher and Val Verde counties.
• Utah: Kane, San Juan and Washington counties.
  

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 794 counties across 16 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

All of the 2015 crop disaster designations so far are due to drought.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on February 25, 2015.

Related Links

• Drought destroys or damages crops in 15 counties across two states February 24, 2015
• Drought Disaster Declared for VA, WV Counties January 30, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared for 220 Counties in 3 States January 8, 2015
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Important Announcement: State of Washington

Stay Tuned for Important Announcements on Washington State

Starting 2014, FIRE-EARTH Blog will release important announcements concerning the state of Washington.

Stay Tuned!

Floods Threaten Niger’s Rice Crop

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,279 Days Left

[September 14, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. 

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,279 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

  Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011...

  .

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Republic of Niger. Flooding in Niger could destroy its main rice harvest, reports said.
  • Floods have already claimed dozens of lives since the annual rainy season began.
  • Niger produces about 130,000 tons of rice a year.
  • “Most of the rainy season rice crop, estimated at over 80,000 metric tons, risks being destroyed this year,” a Malian official said.

• United States. The Department of Commerce has declared Fisheries Disasters in Northeast, Alaska, and Mississippi.
  • Northeast – Several key fish stocks in the Northeast groundfish fishery are not rebuilding and further cuts are expected in 2013.  More information here.
  • Alaska – Low returns of Chinook salmon to the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Cook Inlet have resulted in a fishery resource disaster have caused a continuation of the Yukon River commercial fishery failure in 2010 – 2012, a Kuskokwim River commercial fishery failure in 2011 – 2012, and a Cook Inlet commercial fishery failure in 2012.  More information here.
  • Mississippi – Impacted by the massive freshwater impacts from the historic flooding in the lower Mississippi River in the spring of 2011, a commercial fishery failure has been declared for the Mississippi oyster fishery and the state’s blue crab fishery. More information here.

• North Korea. Death toll from recent floods in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has risen to 300, with 600 others reported as missing and many injured, reports said.
  • “The floods between mid-June and late August destroyed 87,280 houses and affected roughly 298,050 residents, damaging farmland and social infrastructure such as electric cables, coal mines and railways, according to the KCNA, said a report.
    

• Pakistan.  Flooding in Pakistan has left hundreds of people dead, injured or missing.  Thousands of others are left homeless.

• Ryukyu Islands. Super Typhoon SANBA (TY 17W), near 23.5ºN, 129.1ºE,  continues to intensifies moving north (345 degrees) toward Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.

Super Typhoon SANBA (TY 17W) and its project path – enhanced IR satellite image.  Image source:  CIMSS

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Earthquake Cluster Hits Yellowstone National Park

More than two dozen earthquakes magnitude 2.5 and larger strike Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

FEWW Forecast: There could be as much as 37 percent more earthquakes in the United States in 2009;  some may occur in areas not prone to quakes, e.g., north, northeast, south and central U.S.

Magnitude 3.5 quake strikes  YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

Source: USGS

This Earthquake
Magnitude: 3.5

Date-Time:

• Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 09:02:28 UTC
• Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 02:02:28 AM at epicenter

Location: 44.523°N, 110.362°W
Depth: 0.4 km (~0.2 mile) (poorly constrained)
Region: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
Distances:

• 61 km (38 miles) ESE (104°) from West Yellowstone, MT
• 64 km (40 miles) SSE (154°) from Gardiner, MT
• 64 km (40 miles) SSW (211°) from Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT
• 437 km (272 miles) NNE (16°) from Salt Lake City, UT

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles); depth +/- 7.9 km (4.9 miles)
Source: University of Utah Seismograph Stations [via USGS]
Event ID: uu00002649

FEWW Team will provide a more definitive earthquake forecast for the US in 2009 once it’s had a chance to re-examine the data to confirm the preliminary analysis.

How Dirty Is Your Money?

How Much CO2 Does Your Money Produce?

Did you know?

Each dollar you earn (or spend) produces 450g of CO2 pollution!

Original Entry >> Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar

Image of the Day: Elk Bath

“Elk Bath” – A wildfire in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana, United States. Photo [dated: 2000-08-06] taken by John McColgan, Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikipedia/USDA

Images of the Day: California Fires

4th of July Red, white and Blue Recipes!

US President George W Bush has declared a state of emergency for the whole of California. BBC/Getty Images. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

.

The Bad News: You Have Diabetes

Nearly 24 Million in the United States Have Diabetes: CDC

The Good News: Don’t need to have both your legs amputated

Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately two years, according to new 2007 prevalence data estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that nearly 8 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes. [More precisely, about 13 percent of the adults in the ]

• Number of people with diabetes: About 24 million, or 8% of the population
• Cases of diagnosed diabetes: 18 million
• Undiagnosed cases: 6 million
• New cases diagnosed in adults in 2007: About 2 million
• Younger than 20 with diabetes: About quarter of a million
• Percent of population 60 years and older with diabetes in 2007: 25 percent.
• Percent of all adults in the U-S with diabetes: 12.5 percent

The seventh leading cause of death in the U-S, diabetes is a disease associated with high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production that causes sugar to build up in the body. It can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations.

For more information on diabetes, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes. To access the National Diabetes Fact Sheet and county-level estimates of diagnosed diabetes, click on the “data and trends” link at the left.

Google Censorship Violates the US Constitution and International Law

The Human Rights of an Octogenarian Chinese Woman

Google has effectively blocked the following posts from its search engines:

Brave New Zealanders Bash Octogenarian Chinese Woman to Death and

New Zealand Racist Storm Worse Than China Quake at

New Zealand: Plumbing the Depth of Depravity

Google Censorship is a Flagrant Violation of Our Freedom of Speech!

Freedom of speech is being able to speak freely without censorship. The United States Constitution protects opinions under inalienable 1st Amendment free speech rights.

The right to freedom of speech is also guaranteed under international law through numerous human-rights instruments, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

How much longer is Google allowed to continue its censorship in violation of the United States Constitution and the international law?

Soputan volcano erupts

Lava from Mount Soputan flows 2 km from crater

Indonesia’s Vulcanology Survey raised alert level for Soputan volcano located on Sulawesi island to level IV, the highest level, after it began ejecting hot lava and clouds of ash. Pyroclastic flows were extending about 2 km from Mount Soputan’s summit, but haven’t reached the foot of the mountain.

The authorities placed a 6-km exclusion zone around the volcano. Climbers are not allowed in the danger zone which also covers camping areas in the eastern part of the mountain about 4 km from the summit. According to a report, 6 volcanic earthquakes struck Mount Soputan on June 6.

People from a district in Minahasa look at columns of ash spewed from Mount Soputan, in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province June 6, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“Stronger explosion may happen, which can emit dangerous materials from the crater,” Saut Simatupang, head of Indonesia’s Vulcanology Survey said.

The volcano has been erupting since Friday, spewing ash and debris to a height of about 2 km and covering an 8-km radius area around the crater.

“There is no need to displace the villagers. The frequency of the eruption has decreased since 2 a.m. Saturday,” he said.

Although no casualties have been reported, an eye witness in the village of Molompar in the Tombatu subdistrict in Southeast Minahasa, reported that a number of houses in Lobu, Silian, and Tombatu villages had collapsed as a result of volcanic ash deposits that had accumulated on the roofs.

Mount Soputan, a stratovolcano, is one of Indonesia’s 130 or so active volcanoes, which previously erupted 24–30 October 2007. In a 2004 eruption lava extended its southwest slope, but no fatalities were reported.

Related Links:

• Chaitén’s Fury Ending?
• Volcanoes
• Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China

Related Video:

• Indonesian volcano alert

2008: Year of the Fire

Raging Fire Forces Evacuation in Silicon Valley

As the wildfire consumed more than 3,000 acres with no containment, the governor issued an emergency declaration for Santa Cruz County.

About 300 people whose homes are in the path of the rapidly spreading fire have been evacuated under a mandatory order, according to officials in city of Gilroy, California.

It’s believed that the fire, which is moving southeast toward the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, could grow to 10,000 acres before it burns out.

Acording to CalFire at least 12 structures have been burned, but no injuries have been reported. Power is out in much of the area due to falling trees.

Some 600 firefighters are fighting the blaze and another 2,000 are expected to arrive soon. (Source)

Sun through the smoke! (Credit: Michael Congdon, via Mercury News.) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The experts at Creating A Sustainable Future (CASF) believe that 2008-2010 would be the worst ever period for catastrophic wildfires throughout the United States and elsewhere on the globe!

• Fire map

• Acres burned: 3,000, including at least 15 structures. (Fire officials say it could grow to 10,000 or more.) No injuries reported.
• Evacuation information: Evacuation facilities set up at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. For information, 335-6717, 335-6718, 335-6719.
• Volunteer:Volunteer Centers of Santa Cruz County, call 427-5070
• Animal Services: Santa Cruz Animal Services helping with large animal evacuations. For information, 454-7303.
• Evacuation checklist

Related Links:

• Climate-enhanced catastrophes in the US
• UPDATE 1-Wildfire near Silicon Valley forces evacuations
• California eyes another tough wildfire season
• Fire managers predict bad year for blazes

Video Links:

• California wildfire burns

Ich bin eine Coal Girl!

How do you say you’re a “hypocrite” without calling yourself “hippo turd” in German?

Brazil biofuels must respect Amazon: Merkel

German coal-powered plants must respect Earth: The World

German Chancellor Merkel urged Brazil to adopt tougher environmental standards in biofuels production. [She added rich nations needed to pay up to help protect the rainforests’ biodiversity.]

“Biofuels are a way to replace traditional fossil fuels but only if they are produced sustainably,” Merkel said in Brasilia. [She could hardly hide her disgust at the fact that Germany couldn’t import “cheap” Brazilian ethanol anytime soon.]

Merkel and Sarkazy. Two turds of the EU powerhouse. (Credit: Gerald Herbert, AP) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“There are statistics that raise concerns about deforestation, the process of displacement between soybeans, beef and the rain forest,” Merkel said at a joint news conference with Brazilian President Lula.

Merkel with the other one turd of the EU powerhouse. (Credit: global-metropolis) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Meanwhile Lula made his statement of the year saying that “Brazil was the most interested of all countries in protecting the Amazon but that the millions of people living there also had a right to prosperity.” (Source)

So, remember children, Lula style “prosperity” first, ecosystems second! Because if you are prosperous, you can tell mother Earth to go F*ck herself!

Previously …

Dr Hansen at Columbia University Earth Institute wrote to Dr Merkel (April 2008 ):

Dear Chancellor Merkel,

Your leadership is needed on a matter concerning coal-fired power plants in your country, a
matter with global ramifications, as I will clarify.

For the sake of identification, I am a United States citizen, director of the NASA Goddard
Institute for Space Studies and Adjunct Professor at the Columbia University Earth Institute. I
write, however, as a private citizen, a resident of Kintnersville, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the
planet and life on Earth, including all species.

I recognize that you strongly support policies aimed at reducing the danger of global warming.
Also Germany has been a leader in pressing for appropriate international actions.

Yet there are plans for construction of new coal-fired power plants in Germany. Consummation
of those plans would contribute to foreseeable adverse consequences of global warming.
Conversely, a choice not to build could be a tipping point that seeds a transition that is needed to
solve the global warming problem. […] (Source)

Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China

*** Breaking News: May 19, 2008 Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!

A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun

Where Could The Next Supervolcanic Eruption Occur?

1. Pico del Teide?
2. Mauna Loa?
3. Mount Vesuvius?
4. Mount Rainier?
5. Taal?
6. Thera?

Volcanoes

A volcano is an opening in a planet’s crust that allows ash, gases and molten rock to escape from below the surface.

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates converge or divrge. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by “divergent tectonic plates” pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by “convergent tectonic plates” coming together.

Author:MesserWoland via Wikimedia Commons.This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license versions 2.5, 2.0, and 1.0

Cross-section through a stratovolcano:

1. Large magma chamber ◊ 2. Bedrock ◊ 3. Conduit (pipe) ◊ 4. Base ◊ 5. Sill ◊ 6. Branch pipe ◊ 7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano ◊ 8. Flank ◊ 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano ◊ 10. Throat ◊ 11. Parasitic cone ◊ 12. Lava flow ◊ 13. Vent ◊ 14. Crater ◊ 15. Ash cloud

Eruption Types

There are many different kinds of volcanic activity and eruptions: phreatic eruptions (steam-generated eruptions), explosive eruption of high-silica lava (e.g., rhyolite), effusive eruption of low-silica lava (e.g., basalt), pyroclastic flows, lahars (debris flow) and carbon dioxide emission. All of these activities can pose a hazard to humans. Earthquakes, hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots and geysers often accompany volcanic activity. (Source)

Image by USGS

The concentrations of different volcanic gases can vary considerably from one volcano to the next. Water vapor is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Other principal volcanic gases include hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. A large number of minor and trace gases are also found in volcanic emissions, for example hydrogen, carbon monoxide, halocarbons, organic compounds, and volatile metal chlorides.

Large, explosive volcanic eruptions inject water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and ash (pulverized rock and pumice) into the stratosphere to heights of 16–32 kilometres (10–20 mi) above the Earth’s surface. (Source)

Decade Volcanoes

The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. The Decade Volcanoes project encourages studies and public-awareness activities at these volcanoes, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the volcanoes and the dangers they present, and thus being able to reduce the severity of natural disasters. They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated as part of the United Nations sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. (Source)

The 16 current Decade Volcanoes

Avachinsky–Koryaksky, Kamchatka, Russia Colima, Jalisco and Colima, Mexico Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy Galeras, Nariño, Colombia Mauna Loa, Hawaii, USA Mount Merapi, Central Java, Indonesia Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo Mount Rainier, Washington, USA

Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan Santamaria/Santiaguito, Guatemala Santorini, Cyclades, Greece Taal Volcano, Luzon, Philippines Teide, Canary Islands, Spain Ulawun, New Britain, Papua New Guinea Mount Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan Vesuvius, Naples, Italy

Mount St. Helens shortly after the eruption of May 18, 1980

1 km steam plume ejected from Mount St. Helens photo taken by USGS on May 19, 1982 [Mount St. Helens is located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.]

Mount St. Helens is most famous for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, which was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 24 km of railways, and 300 km of highway were destroyed. The eruption caused a massive debris avalanche, reducing the elevation of the mountain’s summit from 2,950 to 2,550m and replacing it with a 1.5 km-wide horseshoe-shaped crater. The debris avalanche was up to 2.9 km³ in volume (VEI = 5). (Source)

A large eruption at Mount Etna, photographed from the International Space Station

Mount Etna, Sicily . Last Eruption 2007. [Photo Credit: Josep Renalias, via Wikimedia commons]
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

Koryaksky Volcano seen in the background. Last Eruption: 1957. GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version. See file detail.

Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station.

Mount Nyiragongo volcano, Virunga Mountains, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [The main crater is 250 m deep, 2 km wide and sometimes contains a lava lake. Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40% of Africa’s historical volcanic eruptions. (Source: USGS) Last Eruption: 2008 (continuing)

The three summits of Mount Rainier: Liberty Cap, Columbia Crest, and Point Success [Last Eruption 1854]

The snow-capped summit of Pico del Teide in December 2004 – Active but dormant volcano, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Last eruption 1909. Photo: M. D. Hill. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

An aerial photo of Vesuvius. last Eruption 1944 [Author: Pastorius? Via Wikimedia Commons. ] This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License

Taal Volcano seen from across Taal Lake on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Last Eruption: 1977.

Supervolcanoes: Nature’s “Thermonuclear” Arsenal

Satellite image of Thera, November 21, 2000. The Minoan caldera is at the lower part of the image and formed in the Minoan eruption 1630 and 1600 BCE. The whole caldera is formed of three overlapping calderas.

The Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to as the Thera eruption or Santorini eruption, was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption (VEI = 6, DRE = 60 km3) which is estimated to have occurred in the mid second millennium BCE. The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history. The eruption destroyed most of the island of Thera, including the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and on the coast of Crete. The eruption contributed to the collapse of the Minoan culture.

The eruption caused significant climatic changes in the eastern Mediterranean region, Aegean Sea and much of the Northern Hemisphere. There is also evidence that the eruption caused failure of crops in China, inspired certain Greek myths, contributed to turmoil in Egypt, and influenced many of the biblical Exodus stories. It has been theorized that the Minoan eruption and the destruction of the city at Akrotiri provided the basis for or otherwise inspired Plato’s story of Atlantis. (Source)

Volcanic craters on Santorini. This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License [ photo: Rolfsteinar, via Wikimedia Commons]

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a perimeter of approximately 193km, a deepest point of 186 m and a surface area of 616 square km.

The lake lies in a caldera created following a huge volcanic eruption (see supervolcano) approximately 26,500 years ago. According to geological records, the volcano has erupted 28 times in the last 27,000 years. It has predominantly erupted rhyolitic lava although Mount Tauhara formed from dacitic lava.

The largest eruption, known as the Oruanui eruption, ejected an estimated 1,170 km³ of material and caused several hundred square kilometres of surrounding land to collapse and form the caldera. The caldera later filled with water, eventually overflowing to cause a huge outwash flood.

NASA satellite photo of Lake Taupo

Several later eruptions occurred over the millennia before the most recent major eruption, which occurred in 180 CE. Known as the Hatepe eruption, it is believed to have ejected 120 km³ of material, of which 30 km³ was ejected in the space of a few minutes. This was one of the most violent eruptions in the last 5,000 years (alongside the Tianchi eruption of Baekdu at around 1000 and the 1815 eruption of Tambora), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index rating of 7. The eruption column was twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980, and the ash turned the sky red over Rome and China. The eruption devastated much of the North Island and further expanded the lake. Unlike today, the area was uninhabited by humans at the time of the eruption, since New Zealand was not settled by the Māori until several centuries later. Taupo’s last known eruption occurred around 210 CE, with lava dome extrusion forming the Horomatangi Reefs. (Source)

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