Washington (AFP) April 14, 2023 Colombian President Gustavo Petro will travel to Washington next week for his first meeting with President Joe Biden, the two countries announced Friday, as the longstanding US ally charts a new course under its first leftist leader. Biden will welcome Petro on Thursday to discuss key issues involving Colombia including climate change, drug trafficking and migration, the White House said.http://dlvr.it/SmX95Y Continue reading Biden to hold first meeting with Colombia’s leftist president

Washington (AFP) April 15, 2023 The World Bank must ensure that its ambitious climate agenda does not come at the expense of the pressing development needs of its African members, a senior bank official said Friday. “We want to make sure that the development agenda is not diluted in the climate agenda,” Abdoul Salam Bello, a member of the bank’s executive board, said in an … Continue reading Climate focus shouldn’t ‘dilute’ Africa development needs: World Bank official

Ankara (AFP) April 15, 2023 Ali, a 23-year-old student, lost everything in Turkey’s earthquake. His parents are missing and his ancient hometown, Antakya, lies in ruins. To fight back, Ali, who like many survivors declines to give his full name, has launched a drive to ensure that more than three million people displaced by the February disaster can vote in next month’s general election. The … Continue reading Turkey’s quake survivors fear being left out of May vote

Washington (AFP) April 13, 2023 Dry-spells known as flash droughts, with a surprisingly rapid onset and often devastating impact, are becoming more frequent as human activity warms the planet, according to a study published Thursday. Though droughts are generally thought of as long-term phenomena, some can occur quite suddenly, in a matter of weeks, when the conditions are right. Global warming is a recipe for … Continue reading ‘Flash drought’ frequency increasing due to climate change: study

Blacksburg VA (SPX) Apr 13, 2023 It’s been said that a rug can really tie a room together. In a similar fashion, Manoochehr Shirzaei and his research team are hoping that weaving together millions of data points into terrain-covering, digital maps can help connect the realities of sinking landscapes to the overall impact of climate change. “It’s like a carpet over the desert,” Shirzaei, associate … Continue reading Critical observations of sinking coasts

Corona, United States (AFP) April 13, 2023 An explosion of oranges, yellows, purples and whites has covered California’s hillsides, as a rare “super bloom” bursts into life in the wake of a very wet winter. Vast stretches of countryside that spend months of the year as a muted, dry brown have been transformed into a carpet of color that can be seen from space. “It … Continue reading California bursts into ‘super bloom’ after wet winter

Medjez El Bab, Tunisia (AFP) April 13, 2023 A severe drought in North Africa has left Tunisian farmers bracing for a catastrophically poor harvest, imperilling food security in the cash-strapped country. At a time when the global cereals market has been disrupted by the Ukraine war, Tunisia’s domestic grain production has also withered under a lack of rainfall that has killed off crops. Even before … Continue reading Tunisia drought threatens ‘catastrophic’ grain harvest

Ithaca NY (SPX) Apr 06, 2023 Ursa Space Systems, a global satellite intelligence infrastructure provider, has announced that Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, will join its Virtual Constellation and Partner Network. The addition of Planet provides Ursa Space customers with access to daily satellite data that unlocks solutions to some of the most pressing challengeshttp://dlvr.it/SmTZq7 Continue reading Planet joins Ursa Space’s Virtual Constellation and Partner Network

Mogadishu (AFP) April 11, 2023 Visiting UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed Tuesday for significant international support for Somalia as it battles a desperate humanitarian crisis caused by “a perfect storm” of drought and protracted armed conflict. Guterres said at a press conference with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu that he was on a “visit of solidarity” to the troubled Horn of Africa nation, where … Continue reading UN chief sounds alarm on Somalia’s ‘massive’ need for aid

Cincinnati OH (SPX) Apr 10, 2023 At least five ice ages have befallen Earth, including one 635 million years ago that created glaciers from pole to pole. Called the Marinoan Ice Age, it’s named for the part of Australia where geologic evidence was first collected in the 1970s. Scientists say the Marinoan Ice Age was one of the most extreme in the planet’s history, creating … Continue reading Snowball Earth might have been a slushball