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

 

[spaminator]

California's hills are ready to burn as wind season nears
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Brian K Sullivan and Lauren Rosenthal
Published Sep 04, 2025 • 3 minute read

A resident uses a garden hose on a destroyed barn during the Canyon Fire last month.
A resident uses a garden hose on a destroyed barn during the Canyon Fire last month. Photo by Kyle Grillot /Bloomberg
Away from California’s coastline, the interior hillsides are a carpet of brown, dry brush and grasses.


Nearly 40% of the state is in drought, and with the state’s Santa Ana and Diablo winds set to pick up in the coming weeks, any errant spark threatens to race across a landscape ready to ignite.


“The grass levels are very thick, and the brush is very dry,” said David Acuna, spokesman and battalion chief for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, comparing the state to a haystack.

California started 2025 with tragedy on the fire front, as 31 people died in the Los Angeles area from the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. The fires were the state’s second- and third-most destructive, according to Cal Fire. In all, 6,504 fires have burned so far in 2025. Through the end of August, they consumed 425,680 acres, which is more than last year but less than the five-year average of 772,489 for the same time period.


But the worst of California’s fire season is likely ahead as the windy season nears. Powerful, sustained wind events usually begin in October and spill over into early winter. Known as Santa Anas in Southern California and Diablo or Sundowner winds in other parts of the state, they’re driven by pockets of high pressure across Nevada and Utah that push winds west toward the Pacific. The winds gain speed as they cross mountains while also becoming drier and hotter as they roll down slopes.

The other key ingredient for fires is fuel, and that’s abundant in California after several winters in a row of plentiful rainfall that’s allowed natural and invasive plants to thrive. Now, all that kindling is dry following the long, arid months of summer. Any fire “is going to grow exponentially,” Acuna said.


That may come as a surprise to people living in coastal California after a summer of unusually mild weather, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California system.

“It’s been a relatively cool summer in places like San Francisco and LA,” he said, but the same isn’t true for California’s mountains and foothills, where temperatures have been above-average at higher elevations.

While nature sets the stage, most fires are caused by human activities, Acuna said. Many fires are sparked by accident: A car might set off a grass fire or a power line may touch off brush. Even a person mowing their lawn on a windy day might send embers into the air. Cal Fire has been trying to drive home this message in 2025 by repeating an old adage: “One less spark causes one less wildfire.”


The state’s utilities have faced lawsuits over deadly blazes in the state linked to power equipment. In an effort to lower the risk of explosive fires and potential liability, some have implemented measures that include cutting power when winds rise. Human-caused climate change is also increasing the risk of larger, more explosive fires.

Acuna said one of the biggest lessons of 2025 has been that no one in California should think they are immune to wildfires: “Even urban areas can be wildfire-prone, so it is important to be ready to evacuate.” Residents should prepare “go bags” with clothes, medicines and important documents; know where they and their pets and livestock can shelter; and have at least two escape routes from their neighbourhoods memorized.

Nationally, there have been 47,183 wildfires across the US burning nearly 4.2 million acres in 2025, which is more blazes than the 10-year average but lower than the almost 5.6 million acres usually burned to date, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Large parts of the US Mountain West, though, will see wildfire risk decrease as colder weather sets in.

California's hills are ready to burn as wind season nears

Away from California’s coastline, the interior hillsides are a carpet of brown, dry brush and grasses.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

California's hills are ready to burn as wind season nears
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Brian K Sullivan and Lauren Rosenthal
Published Sep 04, 2025 • 3 minute read

A resident uses a garden hose on a destroyed barn during the Canyon Fire last month.
A resident uses a garden hose on a destroyed barn during the Canyon Fire last month. Photo by Kyle Grillot /Bloomberg
Away from California’s coastline, the interior hillsides are a carpet of brown, dry brush and grasses.


Nearly 40% of the state is in drought, and with the state’s Santa Ana and Diablo winds set to pick up in the coming weeks, any errant spark threatens to race across a landscape ready to ignite.


“The grass levels are very thick, and the brush is very dry,” said David Acuna, spokesman and battalion chief for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, comparing the state to a haystack.

California started 2025 with tragedy on the fire front, as 31 people died in the Los Angeles area from the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. The fires were the state’s second- and third-most destructive, according to Cal Fire. In all, 6,504 fires have burned so far in 2025. Through the end of August, they consumed 425,680 acres, which is more than last year but less than the five-year average of 772,489 for the same time period.


But the worst of California’s fire season is likely ahead as the windy season nears. Powerful, sustained wind events usually begin in October and spill over into early winter. Known as Santa Anas in Southern California and Diablo or Sundowner winds in other parts of the state, they’re driven by pockets of high pressure across Nevada and Utah that push winds west toward the Pacific. The winds gain speed as they cross mountains while also becoming drier and hotter as they roll down slopes.

The other key ingredient for fires is fuel, and that’s abundant in California after several winters in a row of plentiful rainfall that’s allowed natural and invasive plants to thrive. Now, all that kindling is dry following the long, arid months of summer. Any fire “is going to grow exponentially,” Acuna said.


That may come as a surprise to people living in coastal California after a summer of unusually mild weather, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California system.

“It’s been a relatively cool summer in places like San Francisco and LA,” he said, but the same isn’t true for California’s mountains and foothills, where temperatures have been above-average at higher elevations.

While nature sets the stage, most fires are caused by human activities, Acuna said. Many fires are sparked by accident: A car might set off a grass fire or a power line may touch off brush. Even a person mowing their lawn on a windy day might send embers into the air. Cal Fire has been trying to drive home this message in 2025 by repeating an old adage: “One less spark causes one less wildfire.”


The state’s utilities have faced lawsuits over deadly blazes in the state linked to power equipment. In an effort to lower the risk of explosive fires and potential liability, some have implemented measures that include cutting power when winds rise. Human-caused climate change is also increasing the risk of larger, more explosive fires.

Acuna said one of the biggest lessons of 2025 has been that no one in California should think they are immune to wildfires: “Even urban areas can be wildfire-prone, so it is important to be ready to evacuate.” Residents should prepare “go bags” with clothes, medicines and important documents; know where they and their pets and livestock can shelter; and have at least two escape routes from their neighbourhoods memorized.

Nationally, there have been 47,183 wildfires across the US burning nearly 4.2 million acres in 2025, which is more blazes than the 10-year average but lower than the almost 5.6 million acres usually burned to date, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Large parts of the US Mountain West, though, will see wildfire risk decrease as colder weather sets in.

California's hills are ready to burn as wind season nears

Away from California’s coastline, the interior hillsides are a carpet of brown, dry brush and grasses.

torontosun.com

A couple dozen of these permanently strung through the hills would have stopped the LA fires in their tracks...


$400CAD a pop....

 

[spaminator]

Wildfires producing 'witches' brew' of air pollution: UN
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
by Robin MILLARD
Published Sep 05, 2025 • 3 minute read

Wildfires in the Amazon, Canada and Siberia have brought home how air quality can be impacted on a vast scale. (Colby Rex O'Neill/AFP)
Wildfires in the Amazon, Canada and Siberia have brought home how air quality can be impacted on a vast scale. (Colby Rex O'Neill/AFP) Photo by Colby Rex O'Neill /AFP
GENEVA — Wildfires are releasing a “witches’ brew” of pollutants that can end up wrecking air quality a continent away from the blaze, the UN’s weather and climate agency said Friday.


The World Meteorological Organization said the quality of the air people breathe was interlinked with climate change, and the two issues needed to be tackled together.


Wildfires in the Amazon, Canada and Siberia have brought home how air quality can be impacted on a vast scale, the WMO said in its fifth annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin.

“Climate impacts and air pollution respect no national borders — as exemplified by intense heat and drought which fuels wildfires, worsening air quality for millions of people,” said WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett.

Wildfires cause surges in PM 2.5 particles, which can penetrate deep into the lungs. (Cesar Manso/AFP)
The bulletin looked at the interplay between air quality and the climate, highlighting the role of tiny particles called aerosols in wildfires, winter fog, shipping emissions and urban pollution.


Particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres (PM 2.5) are considered particularly harmful since they can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.

Wildfires in 2024 led to above-average PM 2.5 levels in Canada, Siberia and central Africa, the WMO said. The biggest PM 2.5 surge, however, was in the Amazon basin.

Wildfire season stronger, longer
“The wildfire season has the tendency to be stronger and longer every year as a result of climate change,” said WMO scientific officer Lorenzo Labrador, who coordinated the bulletin.

The terraced vineyards of the Swiss shores of Lake Geneva were left blanketed in haze from smoke from Canadian wildfires in June 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP)
Wildfires in Canada have ended up causing air pollution in Europe.

“We had that last year and this year as well. So you have a degradation in air quality across continents when the meteorological conditions are right,” Labrador told a press conference.


“What we have from these fires is essentially a witches’ brew of components that pollute the air.”

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths each year.

The WMO called for improved monitoring and better policies to safeguard human and environmental health — and reduce agricultural and economic losses.

The WMO said winter fog episodes in northern India were growing in frequency and duration. (Narinder NANU/AFP)
The bulletin highlighted pollution hotspots in northern India.

It said the Indo-Gangetic Plain, home to more than 900 million people, had seen a marked rise in air pollution and winter fog episodes, which are growing in frequency and duration due to pollution, notably from agricultural biomass burning.

“Persistence of fog is no longer a simple, seasonal weather event — it is a symptom of escalating human impact on the environment,” it said.


Dramatic improvements in China
PM 2.5 levels continued to decline in eastern China last year, which the WMO put down to sustained mitigation measures.

When countries take measures to combat poor air quality, the improvement can be clearly seen in meteorological data, said Paolo Laj, the WMO’s global atmosphere chief.

Shanghai has seen improvements in air quality along with other parts of eastern China. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP)
“Look at Europe, Shanghai, Beijing, cities in the United States: many cities have taken measures and you see in the long term, a strong decrease” in recorded air pollution, he told AFP.

“Over a 10-year period, Chinese cities have improved their air quality in a dramatic way. It’s really impressive what they have done.”

Laj said there was no all-purpose measure that could bring about drastic change, such as switching to electric cars, “but when measures are taken, it works.”

In Europe, “we don’t realize what we were breathing in 20 years ago, but it was much worse than today,” he added.

Wildfires producing 'witches' brew' of air pollution: UN

Wildfires are releasing a "witches' brew" of pollutants that can end up wrecking air quality a continent away from the blaze.

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

Carney announced Friday that his government will pause the 2026 electric vehicle (EV) target, launch a review of the overall mandate and amend federal Clean Fuel Regulations.

The move follows Carney’s decision to zero out the consumer price on carbon in March, his first move as prime minister.

Speaking to reporters following his announcement on Friday, Carney signalled the door is open to other changes on climate policy, except for the industrial price on carbon.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney announces he’s pausing yet another cornerstone environmental policy laid out by his predecessor Justin Trudeau, Industry Minister Melanie Joly won’t say whether the federal government will maintain its 2030 and 2035 emissions reduction targets.

When asked by Kapelos whether the delay in pausing the 2026 EV targets and reviewing the overall mandate was to avoid giving the Conservatives a win, Joly said: “I think you’re overthinking it.”

“Forget the Conservative rhetoric that it’s all about EVs,” she said. “No. It’s about tariffs. It’s about the fact that the U.S. is putting tariffs on our auto sector, and that’s affecting jobs.”

Industry minister Joly won’t say if federal climate targets are here to stay — CTV News

As Prime Minister Mark Carney announces he’s pausing yet another cornerstone environmental policy laid out by his predecessor Justin Trudeau, Industry Minister Melanie Joly won’t say whether the federal government will maintain its 2030 and 2035 emissions reduction targets.

apple.news

(61 per cent of Canadians listed the rising cost of living as one of their top three concerns, ahead of the economy at 39 per cent, and the Trump administration at 38 per cent)

Donald Trump no longer top of mind for many Canadians as worries shift to economy, cost of living, poll finds

Despite the slight changes over what's worrying Canadians, Mark Carney's Liberals are still holding their ground against the Conservatives, a new Abacus poll shows.

www.thestar.com

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

As Prime Minister Mark Carney announces he’s pausing yet another cornerstone environmental policy laid out by his predecessor Justin Trudeau, Industry Minister Melanie Joly won’t say whether the federal government will maintain its 2030 and 2035 emissions reduction targets.

They weren't going to anyhow.

 

[spaminator]

Scientists warn against plans to artificially cool polar regions
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Joe Wertz and John Ainger
Published Sep 09, 2025 • 3 minute read

The Arctic and Antarctic are warming faster than the rest of the world. Photo by Sean Gallup /Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty
(Bloomberg) — Proposals to artificially cool the world’s polar regions — to stem the impact of global warming — are both expensive, unfeasible and potentially dangerous, according to new scientific research.


The Arctic and Antarctic are warming faster than the rest of the world, which has led some think tanks and entrepreneurs to propose large-scale technological interventions.


But those ideas — including spraying reflective particles high into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, erecting sea “curtains” to block warm water from melting glaciers and seeding oceans with nutrients to boost the growth of carbon-absorbing algae — aren’t workable and could irreversibly damage polar regions, according to a paper published Tuesday in the journal “Frontiers in Science.”

“Some of these ideas have been given a disproportionately high amount of visibility compared with their maturity and their feasibility,” said lead author Martin Siegert, a polar scientist and vice president at the University of Exeter.


A group of more than three dozen scientists used a set of six criteria to evaluate some of the most well-publicized ideas to cool polar regions, which also include scattering glass beads to reflect sunlight, spraying seawater to thicken sea ice, and drilling into glaciers to remove subsurface water to slow their slide into the ocean. They found the scale, technological requirements and cost were far beyond current capabilities.

Many of the proposals would be hampered by employing unproven technologies across some of the world’s coldest and most isolated regions. They would also be almost impossible to manage through international agreements, the scientists said, adding that unilateral interventions would foment global tensions.


The European Union has been among those saying that the implications of such interventions should be thoroughly assessed, given the potential knock-on effects on food and water supplies. While still in their infancy, such geoengineering technologies are gaining traction as international efforts to curb emissions falter.

The scientists said media interest in the proposals far outstrips their practicality and distracts from the need to invest in adaptation and decarbonization, which they say could reverse warming trends in a matter of decades.

“We have a known method to improve our situation that has scientific consensus,” said Sammie Buzzard, a professor at the University of Northumbria and one of the paper’s authors. “We know how to decarbonize, so we should be doing it.”


Proponents of exploring polar cooling, however, say some scientists are too quick to dismiss ideas that feel unnatural and the trajectory of climate threats is too great to make snap judgments about potential fixes.

“This doesn’t mean we should uncritically embrace yet unproven technologies at the first promise of reducing those climate risks,” said Matthias Honegger, senior program director at the Centre for Future Generations and project leader of the EU-funded Co-CREATE project with the research and advisory firm Perspectives. “But it does mean we must examine their potential and limitations seriously.”

Scientists, who wrote a separate paper published in the same journal, said decades of lobbying has failed to produce significant political or public will for deep decarbonization. In that context, it’s ethically necessary to embrace any research that could slow global warming, they added.

“We want to move talking about this away from it being a taboo and into the mainstream, where it can be assessed in the normal kinds of ways,” said John Moore, a researcher at the University of Lapland, who wrote the paper. “It may well be that all of these ideas won’t work, but the easiest way to debunk them is to actually do some research and find the red flags and the off-ramps.”

Scientists warn against plans to artificially cool polar regions

The Arctic and Antarctic are warming faster than the rest of the world.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Mild fall with fewer storms could end with abrupt wintry switch: Weather Network
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Sep 10, 2025 • 4 minute read

The dramatic start to Canada’s fall weather will give way to mild temperatures in the middle of the season, the Weather Network’s seasonal forecast suggests, but not before a possibly abrupt transition into early winter.


Record-breaking heat in British Columbia and early shots of cold weather in Central and Eastern Canada have already provided some “dramatic contrast” this month, said the network’s senior meteorologist Doug Gillham.


From mid-September through October, most of Canada is expected to “hit the pause button” on those temperature extremes, he said. Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate with fewer storms through the heart of the season.

“It just means that in the temperature roller-coaster that’s normal with the season, that the milder periods will outweigh the periods of cooler weather,” said Gillham.

“That’ll give most Canadians some great stretches of weather to get outside and enjoy our fall foliage and enjoy outdoor activities.”


Those mild temperatures are expected to give way to a more active and changeable conditions in November, typical of late fall. Storms will be expected to bring precipitation levels up to near normal for most of Canada, according to The Weather Network’s seasonal forecast for the months of September, October and November.

Some areas could wind up a bit wetter than normal, primarily Northern Canada, the B.C. coast and a swath of northeastern Ontario through to central Quebec and Labrador, the forecast said.

“So, kind of a wild start, (then) we hit the pause button, get some mild quieter weather in the middle before we have a more typical finish to the season,” Gillham said.

The near-normal precipitation forecast will likely come as welcome news to parched parts of the northern Prairies where drought conditions have persisted through the summer, said Gillham.


Yet, the “biggest question mark” on the season’s precipitation forecast may be Atlantic Canada, Gillham said. Most of the region has been exceptionally dry and the forecast is calling for fewer fall storms there too.

“The wild card there though is the tropics,” said Gillham.

The second half of hurricane season could bring more activity in late September and early October, Gillham said. It looks like Florida will be the primary target and cooler waters in the North Atlantic Ocean compared to recent years could help weaken storms as they approach the Canadian coast, he said.

“But again, we’re not going to let our guard down in Atlantic Canada. We know it only takes one system to have a significant impact on the region,” he said.


After a chilly start to September, Ontario and Quebec are expected to see some warmer-than-normal temperatures before storm activity picks up again in November, the forecast suggests.

A similar story is shaping up in the Prairies. Shots of cold weather may interrupt otherwise extended periods of pleasant fall weather, the forecast says, but a flip to a colder and active pattern in November will set up a strong start to winter across the region, the forecast suggests.

Wildfire smoke will still be a concern for a few more weeks in Western Canada until the rainy season gets underway. While temperatures will start to drop off over the next couple of weeks, it will still be warmer than normal through the end of September and into early October, and any rain between now and then will likely be insufficient to significantly bring down the fire danger, Gillham said.


Meanwhile, the recent B.C. heat will give way to near-normal temperatures in that province as the season progresses, the forecast says. A typical number of fall storms and rainy days are in the forecast, but the coast could end up with above-normal precipitation because of the warm waters along the northern Pacific coast, Gillham said.

“I wouldn’t classify it as more stormy than normal but the storms that come have a higher risk to bring excessive rain,” he said.

“Hopefully we can avoid the flooding and just get the beneficial rain and alpine snow.”

Those warm waters in the northern Pacific Ocean are helping to push north the jet stream, the band of high-altitude winds circling the globe and acting as a boundary between cold arctic air and lower latitudes. The more northern jet stream position is part of what’s informing the forecast of a quieter and warmer heart of the fall season, Gillham said.


But “we can’t hold off the season forever,” Gillham said, and as the jet stream gradually shifts south, so too will the storm track.

“That’s why we expect more of an active November. More shots of arctic air will be showing up,” said Gillham.

The forecast is calling for near normal precipitation across most of Yukon and the Northwest Territories, with above-normal precipitation for much of Nunavut, Gillham said. Most of Northern Canada will see above-normal temperatures for the season, he said.

Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has also shifted what meteorologists consider normal across Canada. The forecasts of above- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation are based on average conditions over roughly the past 30 years.

Yet, autumn average temperatures have increased by 2.4 degrees since 1948 across Canada, federal data suggests.

Mild fall with fewer storms could end with abrupt wintry switch: Weather Network

The dramatic start to Canada's fall weather will give way to mild temperatures in the middle of the season

torontosun.com