sataniccapitalist reblogged
The Amazon is releasing vast amounts of CO2 due to severe drought and heat
sataniccapitalist reblogged
Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. is currently experiencing drought-related ‘water stress’ (Heatmap AM)
Almost two-thirds of the United States is currently experiencing “some level of water stress related to drought,” according to a newly updated Drought Aware map from Esri. Using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, the USDA, the National Water Model, and other government agencies, the new maps can show users weekly national drought conditions ranging from 2000 to 2024. According to the maps, roughly 4% of the country is currently experiencing “exceptional drought” — which describes “widespread crop/pasture losses” and “shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells [creating] water emergencies” — including parts of Montana, Texas, West Virginia, and Ohio.
Zambia and Zimbabwe are facing the unprecedented prospect of having to shut down their major hydropower plants as the El Nino-induced drought takes its toll on the two economies. The drought, caused by climate change, has led to a significant drop in water levels at Kariba Dam -- the world's largest man-made lake and a shared source of hydropower between the two countries. The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a bi-national body that manages the water resources of the shared lake, said this week that as of August 26, the water available for power generation had dropped to just eight percent of normal levels. “The lake level is steadily decreasing due to low inflow, closing the period under review at 476.76 metres (8.71 percent usable storage on August 26, 2024,” ZRA said in its latest weekly report. Zambia immediately announced that the hydropower plant on its side of the lake would be shut down on September 14, which would see households and businesses only getting three hours of electricity supply per day. Zimbabwe for its part, said it might be forced to turn off the turbines at its hydropower station on the southern side of the lake in December, when it expects to have exhausted its quota of water allocated for electricity generation.
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El Niño only exacerbated the drought. The real culprit is climate change.
Source: theeastafrican.co.ke
sataniccapitalist reblogged
Images of steelhead and trout flicker over long sheets of paper, brought to life in blue and green crayon rubbings by the thousands.
It's called Project 84,000 and is intended to depict the number of fish that died in the drought-stricken Cowichan River on southern Vancouver Island last July.
Jennifer Shepherd has been managing the project, which involves a series of gatherings in the community to create the rubbings that will go on display later this year — in what will be an art event, an environmental awareness campaign and an act of mourning for the fish.
"The enormity of the loss was something that really struck me," said Shepherd, a community researcher with water sustainability group Xwulqw'selu Connections, who said the project aimed to help people comprehend the scale of the loss of life.
"It felt really tragic and sad to me, and I thought this would be a good idea for us to mark together in the community, for us to really honour and acknowledge."
Scientists and others like Shepherd worry that climate change and the threat of another year of drought could have further dire consequences for populations of salmon, trout and other fish in B.C.
Tagging: @newsfromstolenland
