It's Climate Change I tell'ya!! IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE!!

[spaminator]

Spain calls wildfires one of its worst disasters in years
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 26, 2025 • 1 minute read

As of Tuesday, there were still 15 active wildfires burning in Spain Photo by Cesar MANSO /AFP
Madrid (AFP) — The Spanish government on Tuesday described wildfires that have swept the country as one of the country’s worst environmental disasters in years, as it approved relief measures for affected areas.


Blazes that flared across Spain this month have ravaged over 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres), killed four people and forced thousands of people to temporarily evacuate.


“It is obvious we are facing one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in recent years,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting.

The cabinet declared areas hit by the wildfires a disaster area, a move that unlocks direct aid, tax breaks and other assistance for affected communities.

There were 15 still active wildfires fires at level two — meaning they pose a threat to people and property — on Tuesday.

The main opposition Popular Party (PP) has accused Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration of delaying support for regional governments, which are responsible for disaster response.


The worst-hit areas — Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia in the north and west — are governed by the PP.

PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo on Monday accused the government of poor planning, and proposed a 50-point plan that included creating a national registry of arsonists.

Grande-Marlaska insisted, though, that “all available state resources” had been deployed, with assistance also arriving from foreign fire crews.

He accused the PP of “using these difficult moments for many people as part of their political agenda”.

The minister said the government would review the opposition’s proposals, but stressed that arson accounted for only a small proportion of the fires.

The blazes started during a two-week heatwave that sent temperatures above 40C.

Scientists say climate change is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves worldwide, fuelling wildfires.

Spain calls wildfires one of its worst disasters in years

The worst-hit areas -- Castile and Leon, Extremadura, and Galicia in the north and west -- are governed by the PP.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Firefighters try to corral California forest blaze as lightning strikes bring new risk
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 26, 2025 • 2 minute read

Firefighters dig a line as the the Garnet Fire burns.
Firefighters dig a line as the the Garnet Fire burns Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Fresno County, Calif. Photo by Ethan Swope /AP Photo
FRESNO, Calif. — Firefighting crews tried to corral a fast-growing blaze churning through central California’s Sierra National Forest as forecasters warned Tuesday that lightning strikes from thunderstorms could spark new ignitions.


Since breaking out Sunday afternoon, the Garnet Fire has scorched 14 square miles (36 square km) of grass, chaparral and timber in a remote area known for camping and hiking about 60 miles (97 km) east of Fresno. There was no containment.


Firefighters were aided by scattered rain showers as they worked to protect the tiny Balch Camp community and nearby hydroelectric facilities along the Kings River, according to a Tuesday incident report.

“However, continued strong, erratic winds on top of dry, heavy vegetation will likely test containment efforts,” the report said.

Parts of central and northern California are under red flag warnings for increased fire threat from dry lightning that could accompany thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.


The 10-square-mile (26-square-km) Pickett Fire in Napa County wine country saw little growth Monday as crews kept flames contained to canyons about 80 miles (130 km) north of San Francisco. It was 17% contained on Tuesday.

There have been no reports of damage to any vineyards from the fire, a spokesperson for the trade group Napa Valley Vintners said Monday.

In central Oregon, rain and cooler temperatures helped crews make progress against the Flat Fire, which has charred 34 square miles (88 square km) of rugged terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties since igniting in dry, hot weather last Thursday. It was 7% contained on Tuesday.

“The incident, for the first time in the last three days, is really beginning to stabilize,” Travis Medema, the state’s chief deputy state fire marshal, told a community meeting Monday night.


Authorities at one point ordered evacuations for more than 4,000 homes but lifted orders for some areas on Monday.

Among those who evacuated were actor Rainn Wilson and his family. “The Office” star said on social media that they fled a mountain cabin near the town of Sisters, Oregon. In late 2024, Wilson’s home in Southern California was damaged by a wildfire.

“This is our fourth evacuation over the last six years,” Wilson said in a video posted Monday. “No matter where I go on the west coast, there’s fires ravaging the land, and it makes me really sad for our forests.”

Although it’s difficult to tie a single fire or weather event directly to climate change, scientists say human-caused warming from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas is causing more intense heat waves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires.

Firefighters try to corral California forest blaze as lightning strikes bring new risk

Firefighting crews tried to corral a fast-growing blaze churning through central California's Sierra National Forest.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Firefighters try to corral California forest blaze as lightning strikes bring new risk

OK, I think I see the problem here.

Quit trying to corral the fire. Extinguish it!

Morons.

 

[petros]

OK, I think I see the problem here.

Quit trying to corral the fire. Extinguish it!

Morons.

Even less less domestic softwood.

 

[spaminator]

Wildfires in 2023 drove Canada’s air pollution. How could it affect life expectancy?
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Aug 28, 2025 • 3 minute read

A new global report says record-breaking 2023 wildfires drove Canada’s air pollution to levels not seen since at least the late 1990s and exposed half the country to pollution concentrations above the national standard.


Canada’s average pollution levels were near the middle of the pack among the countries and territories included in the report, but some of its hard-hit wildfire regions rivalled some of the world’s most polluted places.


The researchers estimate if 2023 levels of pollution in areas of Northwest Territories and northeastern parts of British Columbia were sustained over a lifetime, compared to staying within the World Health Organization’s guideline, that could cut life expectancy by about four years.

The report produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago says Canada’s 2023 national average air pollution was the worst it’s been since the group’s records began in 1998.

The annual Air Quality Life Index update combines data from satellites and ground monitoring stations to come up with estimates of average levels of pollution called PM2.5, fine particulate matter so small it can travel deep into the lungs and pose serious risks to human health.


The report says air pollution and climate change, which is leading to more severe wildfires, are “deeply connected” and are driven by the same source: the burning of fossil fuels.

“If we want to solve this, we need to go to the root of the issue, which is fossil fuel burning,” said Christa Hasenkopf, the director of the Clean Air Program at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

The report estimates Canada’s 2023 average PM2.5 concentrations were around 9.2 micrograms per cubic metre, slightly higher than the national standard of 8.8, but almost twice as high as the WHO’s guideline of 5.

The researchers estimate that if those levels were maintained over a lifetime, compared to WHO guidelines, it would cut life expectancy by about half a year.


The report says about 50 per cent of Canadians were exposed to levels above the national standard in 2023, “a stark jump” from less than five per cent in the previous five years.

Globally, the report says air pollution is the greatest external threat to life expectancy. In Canada, 2023 levels would make air pollution the fifth biggest external threat, ahead of self-harm and interpersonal violence, and just behind alcohol use and unintentional injuries.

While 2023 was an unprecedented wildfire year in Canada, this year now ranks as the second worst on record.

The researchers’ life expectancy methodology comes from two peer-reviewed studies that analyzed a “unique natural experiment,” based on China’s Huai River policy, the report says.


The 1950s policy provided people north of the river with free or heavily subsidized coal for indoor heating during the winter, but not those to the south, the studies say.

Those studies found a significant drop in life expectancy north of the river where pollution levels were higher, mainly due to a significant rise in deaths from heart and lung disease. There was no clear change in deaths from other causes north of the river, the studies say.

By comparing two subgroups of the same population that experienced prolonged exposure to different levels of air pollution, the studies were able to “plausibly isolate” the effect of air pollution from other facts that affect health, the report says.

Wildfires in 2023 drove Canada’s air pollution. How could it affect life expectancy?

A new global report says record-breaking 2023 wildfires drove Canada's air pollution to levels not seen since at least the late 1990s.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Wildfires in 2023 drove Canada’s air pollution. How could it affect life expectancy?
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Aug 28, 2025 • 3 minute read

A new global report says record-breaking 2023 wildfires drove Canada’s air pollution to levels not seen since at least the late 1990s and exposed half the country to pollution concentrations above the national standard.


Canada’s average pollution levels were near the middle of the pack among the countries and territories included in the report, but some of its hard-hit wildfire regions rivalled some of the world’s most polluted places.


The researchers estimate if 2023 levels of pollution in areas of Northwest Territories and northeastern parts of British Columbia were sustained over a lifetime, compared to staying within the World Health Organization’s guideline, that could cut life expectancy by about four years.

The report produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago says Canada’s 2023 national average air pollution was the worst it’s been since the group’s records began in 1998.

The annual Air Quality Life Index update combines data from satellites and ground monitoring stations to come up with estimates of average levels of pollution called PM2.5, fine particulate matter so small it can travel deep into the lungs and pose serious risks to human health.


The report says air pollution and climate change, which is leading to more severe wildfires, are “deeply connected” and are driven by the same source: the burning of fossil fuels.

“If we want to solve this, we need to go to the root of the issue, which is fossil fuel burning,” said Christa Hasenkopf, the director of the Clean Air Program at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

The report estimates Canada’s 2023 average PM2.5 concentrations were around 9.2 micrograms per cubic metre, slightly higher than the national standard of 8.8, but almost twice as high as the WHO’s guideline of 5.

The researchers estimate that if those levels were maintained over a lifetime, compared to WHO guidelines, it would cut life expectancy by about half a year.


The report says about 50 per cent of Canadians were exposed to levels above the national standard in 2023, “a stark jump” from less than five per cent in the previous five years.

Globally, the report says air pollution is the greatest external threat to life expectancy. In Canada, 2023 levels would make air pollution the fifth biggest external threat, ahead of self-harm and interpersonal violence, and just behind alcohol use and unintentional injuries.

While 2023 was an unprecedented wildfire year in Canada, this year now ranks as the second worst on record.

The researchers’ life expectancy methodology comes from two peer-reviewed studies that analyzed a “unique natural experiment,” based on China’s Huai River policy, the report says.


The 1950s policy provided people north of the river with free or heavily subsidized coal for indoor heating during the winter, but not those to the south, the studies say.

Those studies found a significant drop in life expectancy north of the river where pollution levels were higher, mainly due to a significant rise in deaths from heart and lung disease. There was no clear change in deaths from other causes north of the river, the studies say.

By comparing two subgroups of the same population that experienced prolonged exposure to different levels of air pollution, the studies were able to “plausibly isolate” the effect of air pollution from other facts that affect health, the report says.

Wildfires in 2023 drove Canada’s air pollution. How could it affect life expectancy?

A new global report says record-breaking 2023 wildfires drove Canada's air pollution to levels not seen since at least the late 1990s.

torontosun.com

How did we manage to survive with wood heat for hundreds of thousands of years?

 

[Ron in Regina]

Shorter lifespans, and there wasn’t 8,200,000,000 and counting humans alive at the same time? You gotta use what you have, be it coal or wood or buffalo chips or natural gas, etc…to live outside of the temperate zones bracketing the equator.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Shorter lifespans, and there wasn’t 8,200,000,000 and counting humans alive at the same time? You gotta use what you have, be it coal or wood or buffalo chips or natural gas, etc…to live outside of the temperate zones bracketing the equator.

Technical point. . . those are "tropical zones." Up to 23 degrees from the equator. The "temperate zones" are those which experience the full seasonal cycle, from the tropics at about 23 North and south to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Technical point. . . those are "tropical zones." Up to 23 degrees from the equator. The "temperate zones" are those which experience the full seasonal cycle, from the tropics at about 23 North and south to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

Ok. I meant the zones where you could wear clothing, or not, optionally, 12 months of the year, and not have your fingers and toes (or other bits and pieces) fall off due to the cold.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Ok. I meant the zones where you could wear clothing, or not, optionally, 12 months of the year, and not have your fingers and toes (or other bits and pieces) fall off due to the cold.

OK, that's pretty much the tropics. Get a mite chilly in most of the "temperate zones."

 

[Ron in Regina]

OK, that's pretty much the tropics. Get a mite chilly in most of the "temperate zones."

Yeah…yep. In ways that’s difficult to explain to someone who’s never left the tropics and has never experienced the joy of whacking their thumb with a hammer at -30°C, or wondering where their balls went at -40°C.

 

[spaminator]

This hidden electricity drain can have a massive impact
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Aya Diab
Published Sep 03, 2025 • 3 minute read

Electronics are plugged in at a home Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Electronics are plugged in at a home Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. Photo by Joshua A. Bickel /AP Photo
The lights are off, the house is quiet and nothing seems to be running. But electricity is silently flowing through the plugs in your home. This hidden drain is known as phantom energy.


Also called vampire energy, the wasted electricity comes from leaving devices plugged in when they’re not in use. That could range from household items such as phone chargers and microwaves to TVs and gaming consoles.


This wasted electricity accounts for about 5% to 10% of home energy use, depending on factors like the age of the equipment, according to Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia Climate School.

“Phantom energy depends on … what kind of systems you have and how much they’ve improved over time,” said Abramson.

For example, televisions that are connected to the internet and have smart wake features that allow them to interact with phones and other devices can consume up to 40 watts of energy during the hours of the day that the TV would normally be off, according to Matt Malinowski, director of the buildings program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. That’s almost 40 times as much as a regular television.


“The good news is there have been new, renewed efforts to tackle this,” said Malinowski.

He said advocates and manufacturers have come up with a voluntary agreement seeking to reduce the amount of energy smart televisions use when they’re in standby mode.

Phantom energy contributes to climate change because power drawn by unused devices can increase demand for electricity from sources that release planet-warming emissions. Aidan Charron, associate director of Global Earth Day, said that while the amount may seem small when a person looks at their individual utility bill, the environmental toll of phantom energy is significant when multiplied over homes across the country.

“Just take a little step of unplugging the things that you’re not using,” said Charron. “It will save you money and it’ll save emissions in the long run.”


What you can do
Some of the main culprits when it comes to draining energy are appliances that are constantly connected to electricity, such as those with a clock.

“Do you really need your microwave to tell you the time, or can you unplug your microwave when you’re not using it?” said Charron.

While unplugging devices may seem burdensome, it significantly contributes to reducing emissions.

Charron recommends starting with small steps like unplugging chargers for phones and other devices once the battery is fully charged. The next step is moving to other appliances such as unplugging an unused lamp.

If unplugging sounds too hard, regularly checking your settings and disabling any extra feature you’re not using that could be draining energy help, too. For example, smart televisions often have optional features that can be turned off so the television isn’t listening for signals from other devices while in standby mode.


“If you’re not using it, then you’re getting no benefit, yet you’re paying the price and increased the energy use,” said Malinowski.

How individual actions can make a difference
Individuals also tend to take more sustainable actions, such as unplugging devices, once they learn what they can do to decrease their household emissions efficiently. Those actions could contribute to reducing U.S. emissions by about 20% per year, which equals about 450 tons (408 metric tons) of carbon dioxide, according to Jonathan Gilligan, a professor of earth and environmental science at Vanderbilt University.

The choices individuals take in their daily lives all add up, Gilligan said, mainly because of how much the U.S. population contributes to direct greenhouse gas emissions.


“The question becomes, what can we do to try to address this?” said Gilligan. “Phantom power is one part of this.”

The more individuals decrease their footprint, the more likely it is that others will follow, too, and eventually, those actions may turn to societal norms, according to Gilligan, because individuals don’t want to feel like they’re being irresponsible.

“This is a place where psychologists find that this effect is real. If people see that other people are doing actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they want to do that” said Giligan.

When it comes to daily choices, individuals may think what they’re doing isn’t really making a big difference. But what they tend to overlook is how they influence others around them by choosing to live a more sustainable life.

The impact may be much stronger than a lot of people realize, Gilligan said.

This hidden electricity drain can have a massive impact

The lights are off, the house is quiet and nothing seems to be running. But electricity is silently flowing through the plugs in your home.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Greek wildlife suffers as climate changes
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
by Anna Maria JAKUBEK
Published Sep 03, 2025 • 3 minute read

A member of Greek wildlife protection group Anima treats a turtle burned in a forest fire.
A member of Greek wildlife protection group Anima treats a turtle burned in a forest fire. Photo by Aris MESSINIS /AFP
ATHENS — A badly burned tortoise that survived a Greek wildfire wriggles in an Athens animal clinic despite lots of painkillers, one of the latest victims of climate change that is playing havoc with the country’s wildlife.


Most of the scorched scales on its back had to be removed with forceps.


“It was really depressed and had its mouth open trying to breathe because of the smoke” when volunteers brought it in, said vet Grigorios Markakis.

Even though “it’s much better” now, the prognosis is not good, he told AFP. “If the whole shell is burned, imagine what happened inside… All the internal organs will be dysfunctional.”

Markakis, 28, cares for orphaned, injured or sick creatures, from hedgehogs to snakes to storks, from a first aid station of the Greek wildlife protection group Anima.

The NGO has seen a surge in animal admissions — largely because of climate change, which scientists say is driving longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves worldwide, fuelling wildfires and generating other dangers for wildlife.


Greece suffered several major forest fires this summer amid high temperatures, especially around Athens and in the western Peloponnese.

The government said around 45,000 hectares (111,200 acres) have burned this year.

The group has seen a surge in animal admissions as forest fires become worse and more frequent. (Aris MESSINIS/AFP)
“These fires are now harder to suppress and often wipe out vast areas of critical habitat, killing animals directly and displacing many more,” said Nikos Georgiadis, from the World Wildlife Fund Greece.

“Prolonged droughts, rising temperatures, and forest dieback all degrade habitats, reduce food and water availability, and make survival more difficult for many species,” he told AFP.

Thirsty vultures
Anima staffer Anna Manta said “more and more animals” are being brought to them because of the prolonged heat.


“Most get exhausted or they are forced to leave the nests really, really early,” she told AFP. Birds “just jump off the nests… because they get roasted alive,” she told AFP.

In July, when Greece suffered a searing heatwave with temperatures above 40C, Anima admitted 1,586 animals. In June it was 2,125 — nearly 300 more than during the same period last year.

“Last year we thought that it was the worst year we had ever seen… And then we had June,” Manta said.

The centre has received many young emaciated and exhausted vultures.

“Down in Crete, they can’t find water. Most of them go to the sea to drink water. They get poisoned because their body cannot process salt,” said Manta.

A member of the group feeds a baby squirrel. (Aris MESSINIS/AFP)
The team treats them with medicine and fluids for a few days, before taking them to outdoor cages to socialize. They are released back into the wild after six months.


One such juvenile griffon vulture had just received IV fluids into a vein. Afterwards an employee carried it out — with a pained look on her face because lice from the weak bird were crawling onto her.

“Climate change affects also the microorganisms, the parasites, the diseases, by affecting their transmission,” said Markakis.

“The transmission is probably easier because these microorganisms can live for longer periods,” he said.

‘It was magic’
Perched on a computer monitor was a long-eared owl. When Anima president Maria Ganoti began typing, the bird turned and looked down at the keyboard with its big orange eyes.

Later, it turned again to stare when people brought in a shoebox with a quail attacked by cats, followed by a fox hit by a car — an increasing phenomenon.

Georgiadis said the root cause of such incidents was habitat degradation and “the expansion of urban areas close to or into forests, (which) pushes foxes and other animals to venture into cities.”

Before Markakis took the injured fox to the operating table, he told how one of his “best life moments” was treating and releasing a cub that had severe head injuries back into the wild.

“I just gave it a last look, I opened the door (of its cage) and it immediately disappeared — without even a thank you!” he laughed. “But it was magic.”

'ROASTED ALIVE': Greek wildlife suffers as climate changes

A badly burned tortoise that survived a Greek wildfire wriggles in an Athens animal clinic despite lots of painkillers.

torontosun.com