Hurricanes Should Be Named After Fossil Fuel Firms: Mikaela Loach, Jamaican British Climate Activist

Jamaica remains in a state of emergency after being battered by Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic cyclones in history. The Category 5 storm slammed into Jamaica on Tuesday with 185-mile-per-hour winds, and the extent of the damage is not yet known because communication remains limited. Mikaela Loach, a Jamaican British climate justice activist, says the hurricane was “caused by the climate crisis,” and says fossil fuel companies are to blame. It’s important to “direct that anger towards people who are responsible,” Loach says, suggesting that hurricanes be named after oil executives.

Bluesky

Smoke Blankets Bolivian Skies After Wildfires Char Record 25 Million Acres

In Bolivia, new data show wildfires have burned a record 25 million acres this year, driven by hot and dry conditions due to the climate crisis. On Tuesday, officials in Bolivia’s hard-hit city of Santa Cruz advised residents to stay indoors and wear face masks in open areas, as wildfire smoke blanketed the region, triggering air quality alerts. Airline flights were delayed due to poor visibility, while school district officials canceled classes. Valeria Vargas: “We have many breathing problems. This makes learning more difficult, because the students have coughs, sore throats, headaches and itchy eyes. Then it’s impossible to hold in-person lessons now.” Bolivia’s record wildfires come as a scientific study by the organization Forest Declaration Assessment found deforestation soared in 2023, with nearly 16 million acres of forest chopped down or burned — an area roughly the size of Ireland. That puts the world behind a target for eliminating deforestation by 2030, agreed to by 140 countries at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow three years ago.

Northeast B.C. was parched throughout winter. It's already on fire

Holdover fires, extreme drought and the driest winter in half a century have set the stage for an early and aggressive start to B.C.’s wildfire season, with more than 4,000 people in the Fort Nelson area evacuated this week

Brandbrief aan het kabinet | Stop fossiele subsidies

Brandbrief aan het kabinet: Fossiele subsidies kosten miljarden, verergeren de klimaatcrisis en staan in de weg van een gezonde toekomst. Stop fossiele subsidies.