On July 19 and 20, 2022, NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites captured these images of smoke plumes from wildfires burning in Portugal, Spain, and France. The orange dots are where the spacecraft measured active fires.
The blazes were fueled by hot, dry conditions stemming from a drier-than-normal winter and spring that has worsened drought conditions across much of Europe, according to the @europeancommission.
The heat wave rolling across western Europe produced record-high temperatures, with many regions rising above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
#nasa#globalwarming#climatechange#wildfires#heatwaves#europe#satellitedata#earthdata#climatedata#satelliteimagery#portugal#spain#france#smoke#drought
The phrase 'It never rains, but pours' seems somewhat fitting to describe the flurry of rescues we had last week. In the span of three days, we rescued three young calves - orphaned due to reasons related to extreme drought.
Nowadays, most of our rescues are from calves who have became separated from their herd because they have not been able to keep up with the vast distances that their herd has had to cover to find food and water, and fallen behind. Other times, because they have fallen down a well searching for water.
The first few days at Reteti are understandably hard for a new orphan and the bond that these calves form with the keepers is crucial, and the younger babies especially suckle their keepers hand or dust coat for comfort. ❤️
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Video @Amivitale#reteti#retetielephants#elephants#northernkenya#rescue#drought#climatechange#communityconservation#namunyakconservancy
Photos by Pete McBride @pedromcbride | I've spent more than a decade documenting my “backyard” river—the Colorado—trying to make more people aware of how much we collectively ask of this lifeline of the American Southwest. It is one of the most loved and litigated bodies of water in the world, and yet it continues to struggle.
Photos: (1) Author Jon Waterman walks the dry Colorado River Delta; (2) a defunct boat ramp at Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona; (3) the Central Arizona Project carries water 336 miles (541 km) to Phoenix and Tucson; (4) dried tendrils in the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, where the river no longer reaches the sea.
American Rivers named the Colorado River the number one most endangered river in the United States, highlighting the threat climate change and outdated water management pose to 30 federally recognized tribal nations, seven states, and Mexico, and to the drinking water for 40 million people. Also threatened is vital habitat for wildlife, as the Colorado River Basin is home to 30 native fish species—two-thirds of which are threatened or endangered—and more than 400 bird species. To learn more, follow @pedromcbride and go to @americanrivers. #mostendangeredriver#water#drought#conservation#awareness#SeeingSilence#ColoradoRiver#petemcbride
It’s an inconvenient truth: more than a quarter of the world’s wheat exports come from Russia and Ukraine.
The #WarInUkraine is already sending shockwaves around the world - including in the Horn of Africa, which is facing one of its worst droughts on record.
Thanks to a perfect storm of disruptions to harvests and exports in Ukraine, as well as climate change-related disasters and rising fuel prices, up to 14 million are facing hunger and food shortages across the Horn of Africa.
Hibo Aden, women’s rights officer at ActionAid Somaliland, said the situation has become so desperate for some families that girls are being forced to marry in exchange for food and water.
Figures show a 24% increase in gender-based violence.
Please share to your stories to help raise awareness.
#drought#droughtinsomalia#ramadan#somaliland#climatechange#hornofafrica#somalilanders
Photo by @stuartpalley | In this long-exposure image, the foreground light-painted with a headlamp, a firefighting aircraft circles over a wildfire in Sequoia National Forest in 2014. The blaze burned in early June under severe drought conditions, leading to extreme fire behavior and evacuations in the mountain communities west of Lake Isabella.
The California Department of Water Resources reports that January and February 2022 were the driest in the state's modern history. In March, large wildfires have started in Southern and Northern California. The Jim fire in Orange County and the Flanagan Fire near Redding have both moderated in intensity, but fuels burned with ferocity months ahead of typical winter conditions. All indicators point toward another active wildfire season across the state.
#CAFire#Drought#Climate#TerraFlamma