Hellish Heat May Lead to Climate Exodus

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It seems ironic that some of the areas of the world most conflict-ridden at the present time may become undesirable to live in due to high temperatures rather than war. See: Hellish Heat Could Spark ‘Climate Exodus’ In Africa And Middle East. A study predicts climate change will cause sweltering temperatures and extreme dust storms that will leave the region uninhabitable.

Scorching temperatures brought on by climate change could leave large swaths of the Middle East and North Africa uninhabitable by the middle of this century, a new study predicts.

Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and The Cyprus Institute in Nicosia crunched the numbers and found that this area, a “climate change hotspot“ where days of extreme heat have doubled since 1970, could soon be plagued by weather so brutal that it triggers a “climate exodus.”

On the hottest of days, temperatures in North Africa and the Middle East can reach highs of around 109 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the findings. But that figure could soar to 114 degrees by 2050, and 122 degrees by 2100 — extremes the researchers say could have “important consequences for human health and society.”

 

 

“The Role of States in Disaster Recovery” – a video

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From the Coastal States Resilience center this video titled the Role of States in Disaster Recovery.

“The Role of States in Disaster Recovery,” is an instructional video combining research and oral history to address dealing with the type of large-scale natural disasters that coastal states face. It focuses on the recovery from Hurricane Floyd (North Carolina, 1999) and Hurricane Katrina (Mississippi, 2005). Both storms were the costliest in their states’ respective histories.

Canadian Oil-Sands Town on Fire

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Update on May 6: Here is the website for the Alberta Province, which contains situation reports on the fired.  I just learned that 49 wildfires are burning in the province. that must be a record!

Update on May 5: Up to 90,000 evacuated from Fort McMurray; some ordered to move again as fire spreads

May 4: From the Washington Post today, this article: A Canadian oil-sands town is on fire; 80,000 residents must evacuate.

This quite a scary situation, with the number of people affected jumping significantly each day.  As of 3pm today, the entire town – 88,000 were ordered out. Where and how do you handle that many evacuees?

Here is another article, from the HuffPost Canada, on the fire.  The photos are quite dramatic. And it looks like a lot of spontaneous offers of help from residents outside the fire zone.

A provincial declaration was issued in early evening.

 

 

The Rising Tide of Migration

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Presently, we are focused on migration of refugees from war and issues of statelessness. As this piece warns, we soon will be seeing refugees from sea level rise.

Emerging threats- As a rising tide of migration. Two excerpts:

With sea levels on the rise, several island nations are scrambling to stay above water and ensure citizens will have a place to go when the ocean engulfs their homeland. The humanitarian-crisis phase of climate change has officially begun.
In total, climate change may displace up to a quarter-billion people by 2050, according to research cited by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. That means, within our lifetimes, climate change could become a human rights emergency that grinds global governance to a halt. How the global community chooses to address this seemingly inevitable problem will help define international relations for the rest of this century.”