Tokyo (AFP) Oct 20, 2021 Japan’s Mount Aso erupted Wednesday, spewing a giant column of ash thousands of metres into the sky as hikers rushed away from the popular tourist spot. No injuries were immediately reported after the late-morning eruption in southwest Japan, which sent rocks flying in a dramatic blast captured by nearby CCTV cameras. People were warned not to approach the volcano as … Continue reading Japan’s Mount Aso volcano erupts

Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 18, 2021 The cutting-edge Earth science satellites launching in the next couple of years will give more detailed views of our planet than ever before. We’ll be able to track small-scale ocean features like coastal currents that move nutrients vital to marine food webs, monitor how much fresh water flows through lakes and rivers, and spot movement in Earth’s surface of … Continue reading NASA Turns to the Cloud for Help With Next-Generation Earth Missions

Sao Paulo (AFP) Oct 19, 2021 Tired of seeing the lush Amazon destroyed over many years, Brazilian street artist Mundano decided to let nature speak for itself: he painted a giant mural in Sao Paolo using ashes he collected from the scorched rainforest to raise awareness of climate change. The giant 1,000-square meter fresco titled “The Forest Firefighter” – featuring a heroic figure who is … Continue reading Ashes from Amazon transformed into city mural to raise climate awareness

Lausanne (AFP) Oct 16, 2021 Lausanne, the capital of Olympic sport overlooking Lake Geneva, is reeling after discovering that much of its soil is polluted with toxic compounds belched out by an old incinerator. The situation, which has troubling implications for children and eating home-grown food, is unprecedented in wealthy Switzerland, which prides itself on its pristine mountains, lakes and pastures. A domestichttp://dlvr.it/S9slvm Continue reading Lausanne tackles toxic soil after shock discovery

Washington (AFP) Oct 18, 2021 Commonly known as “forever chemicals,” PFAs can be found in water, air, food, packaging or even in shampoo or makeup, but on Monday the United States unveiled plans to tackle these ubiquitous and potentially harmful substances. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a three-year plan aimed at setting maximum thresholds in drinking water for the chemicals, technically called per-http://dlvr.it/S9sltc Continue reading US plans to tackle toxic, widespread ‘PFAS’ chemicals

Baghdad (AFP) Oct 18, 2021 Extreme water shortages in Iraq will halve the area of crops being grown next harvest, the authorities said Monday, following UN warnings calling for “urgent” action. Iraq’s government said the area of farmland with crops would this 2021-2022 season cover “50 percent of the cultivated area last year”, according to a statement published by the state news agency INA. Iraq … Continue reading Drought-hit Iraq’s crop farmland to be halved

Madrid (AFP) Oct 14, 2021 The “uncontrolled” growth of industrial farming of livestock and poultry in Spain is causing water pollution from nitrates to soar, Greenpeace warned in a new report on Thursday. The number of farm animals raised in Spain has jumped by more than a third since 2015 to around 560 million in 2020, it said in the report entitled “Mega-farms, poison for … Continue reading Greenpeace sounds alarm over animal farming in Spain

Okomu, Nigeria (AFP) Oct 3, 2021 Standing beside the piles of dark red palm fruits ready for crushing for their essence, Nigerian farmer Micah Ojo hopes to cash in on the government’s drive to revive the country’s once thriving palm oil business. His farm is one of the small plantations scattered across southern Nigeria where the government is investing heavily in the industry as part … Continue reading Nigeria looks to revive ailing palm oil sector

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 4, 2021 The number of days during which city residents worldwide are exposed to extreme heat and humidity has tripled since the 1980s, a study published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. The growing number of days with extreme heat and humidity in urban areas now affects nearly one-quarter of the global population and is the … Continue reading Urban heat exposure has increased 3-fold globally since 1980s, study finds

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 5, 2021 The supposed healing properties of spider silk may have no basis in science, according to the authors of a study published Tuesday by iScience. Earlier studies showing that extracts of spider silk, when applied to surgical sutures on skin, for example, can help protect against infection may have been compromised, the said. In their analysis of silk from seven … Continue reading Study: Medicinal properties of spider silk have no basis in science