IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Natural gas pipeline explodes in suburban Houston; Unprecedented, deadly storms and floods ravage Central Europe, West Africa, and North Carolina; PLUS: Trump threatens the entire state of California... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP US CELEBRATE WITH A DONATION!
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.
IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for --- a combined power outage with a heat wave; Climate scientists troubled by damage from floods ravaging central Europe - it shows how unprepared the world is; Scientists just figured out how many chemicals enter our bodies from food packaging; A decade after signing of California groundwater law, major challenges remain; Biden’s green policies will save 200,000 lives and have boosted clean energy jobs, data shows ... PLUS: Norway: electric cars outnumber petrol for first time in 'historic milestone'... and much, MUCH more! ...
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...
- Natural gas pipeline explodes in suburban Houston:
- Massive pipeline fire burning near Houston began after a vehicle struck a valve, officials say (AP):
Deer Park officials said police and local FBI agents initiated investigations and found no preliminary reports that would suggest a coordinated or "terrorist" attack and that "this appears to be an isolated incident." The investigation included efforts to learn more about the driver of a vehicle that was incinerated by the pipeline explosion as flames scorched the ground across a wide radius, severed adjacent power transmission lines and ignited homes at a distance. Police did not provide any information about the person’s condition. - A pipeline fire has burned for hours and prompted evacuations in a Houston suburb (CNN):
Deborah Gamel, 69, was in her home with her husband Carl, 63, directly across from the playground next to the pipeline when the fire erupted. Within minutes of the fire starting, "the heat inside the house was so intense it was like being in an oven," Gamel said. By the time Carl managed to get outside to their vehicle, their garage door had melted, as had the tailgate and back lights of his truck, she said. He managed to drive it around to their backyard to pick up his wife and drive them to safety.- VIDEO: Team coverage: Massive pipeline fire breaks out in Deer Park, Texas (KHOU-Houston)
- 'Everyone's freaking out' | Residents near Deer Park pipeline fire hoping their homes are spared (KHOU-Houston)
- Europe pummeled by latest 'flood of the century':
- Europe Staggers Under “Flood of the Century” – Worst May be Yet to Come (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Storm Boris toll rises to 21 in central Europe (AFP):
The death toll has risen to 21 in the extreme weather and flooding let loose by Storm Boris in central Europe, authorities said Tuesday after two more victims were reported in Poland and one in Austria. - Entire city evacuated after floods, 7 die in wildfires as extreme weather sweeps Europe (CNN)
- At least 17 killed in floods as a month’s worth of rain pounds central Europe (CNN)
- German government unveils financial aid for flood victims (DW News)
- Climate protesters are taking action against Big Oil. UK courts are handing them prison terms akin to rapists and thieves (CNN)
- Why were the Central Europe floods so catastrophic?:
- Europe’s Flooding is Epic, and You Can See Why (This Is Not Cool blog)
- The climate link to Central Europe's flooding catastrophe (Axios):
The storm has brought months' worth of rain in just four days to locations in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. And it's not over yet...Climate change is yielding more frequent and severe heavy precipitation events in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world...Studies have also shown an increase in the prevalence of "blocking" weather patterns tied this to climate change, though this is an emerging area of research.
- Unprecedented floods trigger humanitarian crisis in West and Central Africa:
- Unusual ingredients seed deadly African floods (Axios):
In recent weeks, flooding has hit many other areas that don't typically see more than an inch of rain at this time of year, including Chad, Morocco and Algeria...Particularly, there is the trend toward more frequent and intense heavy precipitation extremes, which is occurring globally as air and ocean temperatures warm. This sends more moisture into the atmosphere, which storms can tap into to deliver punishing downpours. - 'Water Is Coming': Floods Devastate West and Central Africa (NY Times):
Flooding caused by heavy rains has left more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed.
- State of emergency after surprise unnamed tropical storm slams into North Carolina:
- A once-in-1,000-year rainfall event from an unnamed storm floods homes and forces rescues in North Carolina (CNN):
Carolina Beach was placed under a state of emergency Monday after a “historic” 18 inches of rain fell there in 12 hours at one station, a once-in-1,000-year rainfall event, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. - Rapid intensification: How hurricanes gain strength and why it's so dangerous (Yahoo News)
- Recent increases in tropical cyclone rapid intensification events in global offshore regions (Nature)
- Trump threatens to withhold disaster aid from California:
- Trump says he would withhold California fire aid unless Newsom 'signs those papers' (LA Times):
Trump said if he were elected, he would stop sending California federal firefighting aid unless Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom he referred to repeatedly as "Newscum," enacted his policy priorities on issues such as water and taxes. - Donald Trump’s threat to withhold firefighting aid to California is blasted by firefighters union (San Jose Mercury News)
- VIDEO: Trump threatens to withhold disaster aid from California (Aaron Rupar, Twitter):
"You're gonna have water in California at a level you've never seen before... and maybe more important, you're not gonna have illegal immigrants pouring into your country and killing your family..." - Trump threatens to cut off California wildfire aid if Newsom doesn’t change water policy (The Hill)
- Trump threatens to block wildfire funding as he criticizes California Gov. Gavin Newsom (CBS News):
Newsom: "Every voter should be made aware of this. @realDonaldTrump just admitted he will block emergency disaster funds to settle political vendettas. Today it's California’s wildfires. Tomorrow it could be hurricane funding for North Carolina or flooding assistance for homeowners in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump doesn’t care about America — he only cares about himself." - Fact-checking Trump’s attacks on California and Kamala Harris (CalMatters)
'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page
- The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for --- a combined power outage with a heat wave (Washington Post)
- Climate scientists troubled by damage from floods ravaging central Europe - it shows how unprepared the world is (Guardian)
- Scientists just figured out how many chemicals enter our bodies from food packaging (Washington Post)
- A decade after signing of California groundwater law, major challenges remain (LA Times)
- Biden’s green policies will save 200,000 lives and have boosted clean energy jobs, data shows (Guardian)
- Officials ban swimming after medical waste washes ashore in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware (AP)
- Trust Issues: How schools, hospitals, and prisons in 15 states profit from land and resources on 79 tribal nations (Grist)
- How this one climate fix means a school nurse sees fewer students sick from the heat (AP)
- Climate protesters are taking action against Big Oil. UK courts are handing them prison terms akin to rapists and thieves (CNN)
- VIDEO: How to Say "No" to Big Oil Money (This Is Not Cool blog)
- As the UAW Moves Into Battery Plants, New Research Shows the Shift to EVs Doesn’t Lead to Job Losses (Inside Climate News)
- Norway: electric cars outnumber petrol for first time in 'historic milestone' (Guardian)
- How to power your home through an outage without a gas generator (Washington Post)
- VIDEO: John Oliver on Trump's Project 2025: Blueprint for the Death of Democracy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
- How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
- Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
- How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
- The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
- Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)