Houses and wooden debris are shown in flood waters from Hurricane Katrina Sept. 11, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jerry Grayson / Helifilms Australia PTY Ltd / Getty Images
By Eric Tate and Christopher Emrich
Disasters stemming from hazards like floods, wildfires, and disease often garner attention because of their extreme conditions and heavy societal impacts. Although the nature of the damage may vary, major disasters are alike in that socially vulnerable populations often experience the worst repercussions. For example, we saw this following Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, each of which generated widespread physical damage and outsized impacts to low-income and minority survivors.
<p>Social vulnerability researchers seek to understand the impediments and capacities of people and communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme natural hazards. A major tool in this work is social vulnerability modeling, the use of which is expanding in large part because of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/30/opinions/hurricane-laura-hurricane-katrina-15-anniversary-climate-justice-russell/index.html" target="_blank">growing awareness</a> of the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/688786177/how-federal-disaster-money-favors-the-rich" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">social equity implications of disasters</a>.</p>
<p>This modeling applies knowledge garnered from disaster case studies describing how chronic marginalization translates to disproportionate adverse outcomes to identify the most vulnerable population groups. Such populations often include those living in poverty, the very old and young, minoritized ethnic and racial groups, renters, and recent immigrants [<a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25381/framing-the-challenge-of-urban-flooding-in-the-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine</em></a>, 2019]. Social vulnerability modelers select demographic variables representing these groups and combine them to construct spatial indicators and indexes that enable comparisons of social vulnerability across places.</p>
Mapping Social Vulnerability
<p>Figure 1a is a typical map of social vulnerability across the United States at the census tract level based on the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) algorithm of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1540-6237.8402002" target="_blank"><em>Cutter et al.</em></a> [2003]. Spatial representation of the index depicts high social vulnerability regionally in the Southwest, upper Great Plains, eastern Oklahoma, southern Texas, and southern Appalachia, among other places. With such a map, users can focus attention on select places and identify population characteristics associated with elevated vulnerabilities.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4NDI3Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTAzMjg0MH0.v1q8kvdcaspP-06Y3lP3-fpjepuK4DByrALDDlLLTuY/img.png?width=980" id="dabfe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cf5abb87eb49497c7585585a853aa449" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2740" data-height="1062" />
Fig. 1. (a) Social vulnerability across the United States at the census tract scale is mapped here following the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI). Red and pink hues indicate high social vulnerability. (b) This bivariate map depicts social vulnerability (blue hues) and annualized per capita hazard losses (pink hues) for U.S. counties from 2010 to 2019.
<p>Many current indexes in the United States and abroad are direct or conceptual offshoots of SoVI, which has been widely replicated [e.g., <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-016-0090-9" target="_blank"><em>de Loyola Hummell et al.</em></a>, 2016]. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html" target="_blank">has also developed</a> a commonly used social vulnerability index intended to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, and after disasters.</p><p>The first modeling and mapping efforts, starting around the mid-2000s, largely focused on describing spatial distributions of social vulnerability at varying geographic scales. Over time, research in this area came to emphasize spatial comparisons between social vulnerability and physical hazards [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9376-1" target="_blank"><em>Wood et al.</em></a>, 2010], modeling population dynamics following disasters [<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11111-008-0072-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Myers et al.</em></a>, 2008], and quantifying the robustness of social vulnerability measures [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0152-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Tate</em></a>, 2012].</p><p>More recent work is beginning to dissolve barriers between social vulnerability and environmental justice scholarship [<a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304846" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Chakraborty et al.</em></a>, 2019], which has traditionally focused on root causes of exposure to pollution hazards. Another prominent new research direction involves deeper interrogation of social vulnerability drivers in specific hazard contexts and disaster phases (e.g., before, during, after). Such work has revealed that interactions among drivers are important, but existing case studies are ill suited to guiding development of new indicators [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.013" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Rufat et al.</em></a>, 2015].</p><p>Advances in geostatistical analyses have enabled researchers to characterize interactions more accurately among social vulnerability and hazard outcomes. Figure 1b depicts social vulnerability and annualized per capita hazard losses for U.S. counties from 2010 to 2019, facilitating visualization of the spatial coincidence of pre‑event susceptibilities and hazard impacts. Places ranked high in both dimensions may be priority locations for management interventions. Further, such analysis provides invaluable comparisons between places as well as information summarizing state and regional conditions.</p><p>In Figure 2, we take the analysis of interactions a step further, dividing counties into two categories: those experiencing annual per capita losses above or below the national average from 2010 to 2019. The differences among individual race, ethnicity, and poverty variables between the two county groups are small. But expressing race together with poverty (poverty attenuated by race) produces quite different results: Counties with high hazard losses have higher percentages of both impoverished Black populations and impoverished white populations than counties with low hazard losses. These county differences are most pronounced for impoverished Black populations.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4NDI3OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTc3NjUwNX0.bfkxzYwjdvBUvGu3zsI0iI_710xQyiARxVgrww1ZhpA/img.png?width=980" id="52f88" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="799dc45654e18d5e42c72f96c704e218" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1464" data-height="1432" />
Fig. 2. Differences in population percentages between counties experiencing annual per capita losses above or below the national average from 2010 to 2019 for individual and compound social vulnerability indicators (race and poverty).
<p>Our current work focuses on social vulnerability to floods using geostatistical modeling and mapping. The research directions are twofold. The first is to develop hazard-specific indicators of social vulnerability to aid in mitigation planning [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04470-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Tate et al.</em></a>, 2021]. Because natural hazards differ in their innate characteristics (e.g., rate of onset, spatial extent), causal processes (e.g., urbanization, meteorology), and programmatic responses by government, manifestations of social vulnerability vary across hazards.</p><p>The second is to assess the degree to which socially vulnerable populations benefit from the leading disaster recovery programs [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2019.1675578" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Emrich et al.</em></a>, 2020], such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) <a href="https://www.fema.gov/individual-disaster-assistance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Individual Assistance</a> program and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) <a href="https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-dr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Disaster Recovery</a> program. Both research directions posit social vulnerability indicators as potential measures of social equity.</p>Social Vulnerability as a Measure of Equity
<p>Given their focus on social marginalization and economic barriers, social vulnerability indicators are attracting growing scientific interest as measures of inequity resulting from disasters. Indeed, social vulnerability and inequity are related concepts. Social vulnerability research explores the differential susceptibilities and capacities of disaster-affected populations, whereas social equity analyses tend to focus on population disparities in the allocation of resources for hazard mitigation and disaster recovery. Interventions with an equity focus emphasize full and equal resource access for all people with unmet disaster needs.</p><p>Yet newer studies of inequity in disaster programs have documented troubling disparities in income, race, and home ownership among those who <a href="https://eos.org/articles/equity-concerns-raised-in-federal-flood-property-buyouts" target="_blank">participate in flood buyout programs</a>, are <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063477407" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eligible for postdisaster loans</a>, receive short-term recovery assistance [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.102010" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Drakes et al.</em></a>, 2021], and have <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/25/texas-natural-disasters--mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">access to mental health services</a>. For example, a recent analysis of federal flood buyouts found racial privilege to be infused at multiple program stages and geographic scales, resulting in resources that disproportionately benefit whiter and more urban counties and neighborhoods [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120905439" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Elliott et al.</em></a>, 2020].</p><p>Investments in disaster risk reduction are largely prioritized on the basis of hazard modeling, historical impacts, and economic risk. Social equity, meanwhile, has been far less integrated into the considerations of public agencies for hazard and disaster management. But this situation may be beginning to shift. Following the adage of "what gets measured gets managed," social equity metrics are increasingly being inserted into disaster management.</p><p>At the national level, FEMA has <a href="https://www.fema.gov/news-release/20200220/fema-releases-affordability-framework-national-flood-insurance-program" target="_blank">developed options</a> to increase the affordability of flood insurance [Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2018]. At the subnational scale, Puerto Rico has integrated social vulnerability into its CDBG Mitigation Action Plan, expanding its considerations of risk beyond only economic factors. At the local level, Harris County, Texas, has begun using social vulnerability indicators alongside traditional measures of flood risk to introduce equity into the prioritization of flood mitigation projects [<a href="https://www.hcfcd.org/Portals/62/Resilience/Bond-Program/Prioritization-Framework/final_prioritization-framework-report_20190827.pdf?ver=2019-09-19-092535-743" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Harris County Flood Control District</em></a>, 2019].</p><p>Unfortunately, many existing measures of disaster equity fall short. They may be unidimensional, using single indicators such as income in places where underlying vulnerability processes suggest that a multidimensional measure like racialized poverty (Figure 2) would be more valid. And criteria presumed to be objective and neutral for determining resource allocation, such as economic loss and cost-benefit ratios, prioritize asset value over social equity. For example, following the <a href="http://www.cedar-rapids.org/discover_cedar_rapids/flood_of_2008/2008_flood_facts.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2008 flooding</a> in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, cost-benefit criteria supported new flood protections for the city's central business district on the east side of the Cedar River but not for vulnerable populations and workforce housing on the west side.</p><p>Furthermore, many equity measures are aspatial or ahistorical, even though the roots of marginalization may lie in systemic and spatially explicit processes that originated long ago like redlining and urban renewal. More research is thus needed to understand which measures are most suitable for which social equity analyses.</p>Challenges for Disaster Equity Analysis
<p>Across studies that quantify, map, and analyze social vulnerability to natural hazards, modelers have faced recurrent measurement challenges, many of which also apply in measuring disaster equity (Table 1). The first is clearly establishing the purpose of an equity analysis by defining characteristics such as the end user and intended use, the type of hazard, and the disaster stage (i.e., mitigation, response, or recovery). Analyses using generalized indicators like the CDC Social Vulnerability Index may be appropriate for identifying broad areas of concern, whereas more detailed analyses are ideal for high-stakes decisions about budget allocations and project prioritization.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4NDMyMy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTA2OTU2NX0.GKHtixn35Mwpubn_GE8KBYNs4P2npvnM_Y9bXC-ONoM/img.png?width=980" id="c2ef1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7d3650965f39a777c809cb3093c8bb76" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1308" data-height="860" /><p>Selecting the relevant modes of equity for analysis is crucial. Is the primary interest to quantify disparities in the distribution of hazard impacts or procedural disparities in accessing resources? Is the focus on individual populations or on combinations of population characteristics? As social inequities often accrue to low-income households, analysts should consider assessing economic losses in both absolute and proportional terms.</p><p>Creating valid measures of equity requires not only statistical expertise but also a fundamental understanding of the underlying processes of social marginalization. This facilitates selection of optimal proxy indicators and their geographic scales. However, practical considerations like data availability and cost can lead to indicator selection that diverges from conceptual bases. For example, for disaster assistance received by households, an equity analysis should ideally be conducted at the household scale. Unfortunately, data describing some dimensions of inequity, like race, are rarely collected by disaster agencies, necessitating analysis using census data at larger geographic scales.</p>
<p>The final major challenge is to develop statistically robust measures and best practices for assessing disaster equity that strengthen the foundation for policy interventions. Doing so may require expanding current approaches to include sensitivity analyses to assess how choices of parameters (e.g., input variables, geographic scale) in building social vulnerability indicators affect the statistical stability of resulting measures, and how these measures correlate with observed disaster impacts like dislocation, assistance eligibility, and recovery time.</p><p>The stakes for improving our understanding of relationships among hazards, vulnerability, and social equity are high, as climate disasters from flooding, drought, tropical cyclones, and wildfire have been increasing in their frequency and destruction. By definition, sustainable solutions that empower communities to resist, recover from, and adapt to these threats must be not only economically viable and environmentally sound but also socially equitable. Well-designed measures of disaster equity are an important tool for quantifying disaster disparities, which is the first step toward dismantling them.</p><p><em>This story originally appeared in <a href="https://eos.org/science-updates/assessing-social-equity-in-disasters" target="_blank">Eos</a></em> <em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></p>
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An aerial view shows Hurricane Delta flood waters surrounding homes destroyed by Hurricane Laura, on October 10, 2020 in Creole, Louisiana. Mario Tama / Getty Images
Residents of Southwest Louisiana continue to endure the turmoil set off by Hurricanes Laura and Delta, and rooted in systemic inequities and exacerbated by the fossil fuel industry, Southerly reports.
<p>"People who are poorer than they were six months ago are expected to spend more on housing than they did six months ago," said Bill Quigley, a civil rights attorney and professor at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. </p><p>"It's just a vicious cycle for folks." </p><p>The region already faced an affordable housing crisis made worse by the gas boom over the last decade. </p><p>After the storms, landlords used loopholes to kick out tenants despite a national eviction moratorium, or simply evicted them illegally. </p>
<p>Now, amidst massive job losses fueled by the storms and the raging coronavirus pandemic, Lake Charles residents like Sasha Miller and her five-year-old daughter are caught in a tightening vise-set-on-spin-cycle of joblessness, homelessness, and COVID-19 exposure — all of which is made more stressful by a hard-to-navigate web of FEMA assistance processes.</p><p>After months of tumult, including at least one point at which she called a suicide crisis hotline, Miller and her daughter now live in a two-bedroom trailer with 11 other people and an unknown timeline for returning to their old apartment. </p><p>"I just hope it doesn't get more stressful," she said. </p><p>Last week, electricity in Lake Charles abruptly shut off as temperatures plummeted to 14°F.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://southerlymag.org/2021/02/17/its-just-a-vicious-cycle-evictions-homelessness-surge-in-southwest-louisiana-after-two-hurricanes/?utm_campaign=Hot+News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112313290&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8p2nvGgTlGkG3bbw6beXV-VXp5KCN4bYFHxwumDJn74u9ewly6oG4gMvqp9oFa1zEop3ceKYA3fB6H0WKkNszQ9eUlhDEmNSjXxgERv8AJHDnnQiw&utm_content=112313290&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Southerly Mag</a>; Cold: <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-louisiana-city-struck-by-two-hurricanes-last-year-i-1846315984?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112313290&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--r6KDP_PpGnyFOzIMCs_-GTc1jq_cwy_5shMZvobF5cENkUfq2t0t5gsnqNs9ERet_hCgkGCoWk87ZwoaFvwdFJvT4R76qg2N7yltGShAX6xJUxRk&utm_content=112313290&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Earther;</a> Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-change-hurricanes?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112313290&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-87Q_2fDASXPCIjTrSVwO4l2ygP8bmlXyt98Hd8tf0IQ_sQR8HCidS1RoDogo98kbtaJ0bozXNRxm_EXjQ5eV4fDjvTxquAgThlFSSnr-VrhdMJOZ4&utm_content=112313290&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Hurricanes</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/events/atlantic-hurricane-season-2020?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112313290&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9D4N8d761tJRJBsxi5_IzWv9YldFPPik5cFpwtivsk2ZtV1nvYamqG1xBJjG8w7JZJIFWbKxsB3nQ_CDtF968kwG1f1ea5KwWxpIHp_nTr1-UBHj8&utm_content=112313290&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">2020 Atlantic hurricane season</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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A girl sleeps under a bridge following the passage of Hurricane Iota in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on November 21, 2020. Orlando Sierra / AFP / Getty Images
Nory Yamileth Hernández lost nearly everything when Hurricanes Eta and Iota flooded her home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
<p>She and her three teenage children live in a tent under a bridge on the outskirts of the city, struggling to survive after the storms destroyed the inventory for her door-to-door lingerie sales business, as well as her customers' ability to pay for items purchased with credit. </p><p>Hernández, her children, and untold numbers of others like them are trapped in a cycle of extreme storms fueled by climate change, economic desperation, and gang violence, the AP reports. </p><p>Of Honduras' 10 million people, an estimated 4 million were impacted by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, and 3 million face food insecurity — six times higher than before the hurricanes, according to the World Food Program. </p><p>The climate-fueled cycle is compounded by <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWJrnG85-CpFW1XHLH77btj6tW2NZxg54mZGPKMpKrmh3p_9LV1-WJV7CgVwxW56_4bC7m5qJDW5m7dC83cgfp8W32z0Hs98y32DN9lNp4MYwrQqW8kFCxN1BkPp3W7r9XMD7lY8KZW5Y7CWz8BV24RW7fxPpM2zgrF_W7pDQbw5rWy1xN8t7PrGqLcS5W8H9mJY2ft7NmVGBpGH2kY2c8W1yJ_PZ19NDcmVbHb0C900HDjN3ZkLYXSgpKTW60rGq87PyWXNW5My-qP4JgLmlW60ZDL34W_p1QW82w7wB3MNK5kV16LnS1XKC4kW2Z0vXg4HkjsgW72qXMc9b6ZR6W56769P8JDRRCW4FR9mF266Mw_W6NRHtM8DTkSgW70GdgY5BWhqvW1bXgC127KDw_W6z9S-_6sJWTg33Lr1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dehumanizing Trump administration policies</a>, including family separation and its so-called "remain-in-Mexico" asylum policies, all of which the Biden administration is working — at varying speeds — to undo. </p>
<p>Biden also ordered a study on how to address the growing number of <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWJrnG85-CpFW1XHLH77btj6tW2NZxg54mZGPKMpKrmh3p_9LV1-WJV7CgMRLN4Z0WJK1J0L4W5lPlVG2YJJzdW2tQMkN2zs_d9W17j3bJ5XkjHxVTlZfG5HhtZzW7CVPyF6YwkLTW80c8VD1nhKgQW8fHPtZ5xj5CYW3Th_c165xt6cW3YRvfC3q9_khN4KqWvyFhVnZW8y-YkY4yNZMBW2w9n0M4tRwxfVslgss11mSwnW4TYxMl5DVxqNW5N63vl8DNX4jW2grD-Z2nCzLMW1Lkl8z1fyv-sW1TdLtF6h_82HW60Hhj952cB6lW5cGg6-7677TdVXsqMq8LYnhDW4nbgDt8ccH5_W6-vRvm4VnMqvVq7Jqq8T0BccW7rpNp67nvrNjN6hz4MJxrCwmW8xGt-B3r8L2p34vr1" target="_blank">people displaced by climate change</a> last week.</p><p>"There's no one way to address this issue — it's so complex," Kayly Ober, told E&E. </p><p>Ober works with Refugees International, which released a <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWJrnG85-CpFW1XHLH77btj6tW2NZxg54mZGPKMpKrl_5nxHDV3Zsc37CgS5DW59gMql7ss_nlW9kh5JX7r6vp-W8rBkfT8gjN-qW6Rvhbm6ZD9NtW5XlMsM375CJ4W1Y-xzY5y_gDXN3WJvm-LjSFVVGjyY88DllFFW42fmvB37GTHHW4dgYND78LCCgW4BHYrZ3NqbM5W5zPwKp1-ybGNW1td6KX6TP6DtW2g7yQT4bp3GMW6v9P-l19GjdTW4YLSxs2r71mVW1xsgv54NX-nvW1ZBQPg3r2gBdW8cCZj84hsD9VW6b-n-F8q9cD3W5lYg_67N43dZN1ssYbsf7VWxW6N8yFX1RK032W16dVBt9kQ7vPVZkkz51DpssrW5cdYp22BmhRNW6n9Hfj289MB3W3LGTTC3qwJK-W668ZY95X5wT2W8LTCvj8mFYZwV44Z7d1dzGbTW2p_KY45W4w3SW93Q3Tk1ykQc6W41SzRw3rYFdPW7-wTR-1T3LTHW5rxM0J5NDSN8W6FY5Hd3QWbVQN8vnfwVX5j_tW4fbQxr1tm9M0W2yM-5p3VMw_rW36sl8Q5d11MMW2RRKNN4Bz4mZ3lkZ1" target="_blank">report</a> on Thursday identifying the wide range of domestic and international policies the Biden administration could take to address the issue.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p>Honduran desperation: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/honduras-hurricane-iota-mexico-storms-immigration-3cf340e556ee767d1dd3dce351c934b5?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Dwt-hrEaNeZhwu0B2NH4lcUlijzDQ3DS5avYRC0ip4mKZ83FIlPIYBnduir2KxSFIAxcJiAfCo515MqBgjqyr2Da9YFt62Z2scitDTS6pzkL1X8k&utm_content=110788051&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a>; Climate displacement policies: <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2021/02/11/stories/1063724885?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-869NjBkHoBJGnDRU-q6aR2xQHJaVyt9xldO2Se4IVJypjHDEuTXg6FCEdLVXZ0ficyRsz900XRO0HX7kRmALjsb9f1N1xDECBG7D3rwOxGHUWP-bY&utm_content=110788051&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>; Immigration policy changes: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/12/967201293/biden-team-unveils-new-asylum-system-to-replace-trumps-remain-in-mexico?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_cAHlGqExn2dLjlRP3oOx-iZg403t8J0UyQqKxnVQuFJ9C7vCt5TseOoYN4GKqi2iq_vGZuT8-bl1fRAUfy3ubHskoGmTI6a0DXmri8lvXf5cUAso&utm_content=110788051&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/11/asylum-seekers-stuck-mexico-are-frustrated-angry-over-family-releases/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8onJWsB5cEE0-BuMLT1yQSo9Fa7DSUPnPty15_mWa0csI3y9OD_NiaHTtPVGfKqCAEQpsvz_F9wvsD_uX2uXGifykyOn_XmOaxYDxDx_6fOWIoBHU&utm_content=110788051&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-change-hurricanes?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=110788051&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-96cVUKCy0FBWhCUk6DV_9VvGM5s500g8nOUOxnEUNmlfRxXqla0lPdKQ2RvObXaqQmK8jsusPfawha4tbY4eAJy-7cgPmkq7hFhq9sV30YvGcD96U&utm_content=110788051&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Hurricanes</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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Kelsey Mueller, 16, pets Ruby while waiting with her family to be escorted from the evacuation zone at the Shaver Lake Marina parking lot off of CA-168 during the Creek Fire on Sept. 7, 2020 in Shaver Lake, California. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images
By Daisy Simmons
In a wildfire, hurricane, or other disaster, people with pets should heed the Humane Society's advice: If it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your animals either.
<p>Whether your charge is a lap dog, bird, outdoor cat, or farm animal, planning ahead for a potential evacuation can help you protect your animals and also first responders, who may risk their safety to save your pets.</p><p>Take the following measures now to help keep family pets safe should an evacuation become necessary:</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/01/how-to-evacuate-with-pets-during-a-wildfire-hurricane-or-other-disaster/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2650067972#/" target="_self"></a></p>
1. Stay Informed
<p>A first order of business in pet evacuation planning is to understand and be ready for the possible threats in your area. Visit <a href="https://www.ready.gov/be-informed" target="_blank">Ready.gov</a> to learn more about preparing for potential disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. Then pay attention to related updates by tuning <a href="http://www.weather.gov/nwr/" target="_blank">NOAA Weather Radio</a> to your local emergency station or using the <a href="https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app" target="_blank">FEMA app</a> to get National Weather Service alerts.</p>2. Ensure Your Pet is Easily Identifiable
<p><span>Household pets, including indoor cats, should wear collars with ID tags that have your mobile phone number. </span><a href="https://www.avma.org/microchipping-animals-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Microchipping</a><span> your pets will also improve your chances of reunion should you become separated. Be sure to add an emergency contact for friends or relatives outside your immediate area.</span></p><p>Additionally, use <a href="https://secure.aspca.org/take-action/order-your-pet-safety-pack" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'animals inside' door/window stickers</a> to show rescue workers how many pets live there. (If you evacuate with your pets, quickly write "Evacuated" on the sticker so first responders don't waste time searching for them.)</p>3. Make a Pet Evacuation Plan
<p> "No family disaster plan is complete without including your pets and all of your animals," says veterinarian Heather Case in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NRJkFKAm4" target="_blank">a video</a> produced by the American Veterinary Medical Association.</p><p>It's important to determine where to take your pet in the event of an emergency.</p><p>Red Cross shelters and many other emergency shelters allow only service animals. Ask your vet, local animal shelters, and emergency management officials for information on local and regional animal sheltering options.</p><p>For those with access to the rare shelter that allows pets, CDC offers <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/emergencies/pets-in-evacuation-centers.html" target="_blank">tips on what to expect</a> there, including potential health risks and hygiene best practices.</p><p>Beyond that, talk with family or friends outside the evacuation area about potentially hosting you and/or your pet if you're comfortable doing so. Search for pet-friendly hotel or boarding options along key evacuation routes.</p><p>If you have exotic pets or a mix of large and small animals, you may need to identify multiple locations to shelter them.</p><p>For other household pets like hamsters, snakes, and fish, the SPCA recommends that if they normally live in a cage, they should be transported in that cage. If the enclosure is too big to transport, however, transfer them to a smaller container temporarily. (More on that <a href="https://www.spcai.org/take-action/emergency-preparedness/evacuation-how-to-be-pet-prepared" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.)</p><p>For any pet, a key step is to establish who in your household will be the point person for gathering up pets and bringing their supplies. Keep in mind that you may not be home when disaster strikes, so come up with a Plan B. For example, you might form a buddy system with neighbors with pets, or coordinate with a trusted pet sitter.</p>4. Prepare a Pet Evacuation Kit
<p>Like the emergency preparedness kit you'd prepare for humans, assemble basic survival items for your pets in a sturdy, easy-to-grab container. Items should include:</p><ul><li>Water, food, and medicine to last a week or two;</li><li>Water, food bowls, and a can opener if packing wet food;</li><li>Litter supplies for cats (a shoebox lined with a plastic bag and litter may work);</li><li>Leashes, harnesses, or vehicle restraints if applicable;</li><li>A <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/emergencycare/pet-first-aid-supplies-checklist" target="_blank">pet first aid kit</a>;</li><li>A sturdy carrier or crate for each cat or dog. In addition to easing transport, these may serve as your pet's most familiar or safe space in an unfamiliar environment;</li><li>A favorite toy and/or blanket;</li><li>If your pet is prone to anxiety or stress, the American Kennel Club suggests adding <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/create-emergency-evacuation-plan-dog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stress-relieving items</a> like an anxiety vest or calming sprays.</li></ul><p>In the not-unlikely event that you and your pet have to shelter in different places, your kit should also include:</p><ul><li>Detailed information including contact information for you, your vet, and other emergency contacts;</li><li>A list with phone numbers and addresses of potential destinations, including pet-friendly hotels and emergency boarding facilities near your planned evacuation routes, plus friends or relatives in other areas who might be willing to host you or your pet;</li><li>Medical information including vaccine records and a current rabies vaccination tag;</li><li>Feeding notes including portions and sizes in case you need to leave your pet in someone else's care;</li><li>A photo of you and your pet for identification purposes.</li></ul>5. Be Ready to Evacuate at Any Time
<p>It's always wise to be prepared, but stay especially vigilant in high-risk periods during fire or hurricane season. Practice evacuating at different times of day. Make sure your grab-and-go kit is up to date and in a convenient location, and keep leashes and carriers by the exit door. You might even stow a thick pillowcase under your bed for middle-of-the-night, dash-out emergencies when you don't have time to coax an anxious pet into a carrier. If forecasters warn of potential wildfire, a hurricane, or other dangerous conditions, bring outdoor pets inside so you can keep a close eye on them.</p><p>As with any emergency, the key is to be prepared. As the American Kennel Club points out, "If you panic, it will agitate your dog. Therefore, <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/create-emergency-evacuation-plan-dog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pet disaster preparedness</a> will not only reduce your anxiety but will help reduce your pet's anxiety too."</p>Evacuating Horses and Other Farm Animals
<p>The same basic principles apply for evacuating horses and most other livestock. Provide each with some form of identification. Ensure that adequate food, water, and medicine are available. And develop a clear plan on where to go and how to get there.</p><p>Sheltering and transporting farm animals requires careful coordination, from identifying potential shelter space at fairgrounds, racetracks, or pastures, to ensuring enough space is available in vehicles and trailers – not to mention handlers and drivers on hand to support the effort.</p><p>For most farm animals, the Red Cross advises that you consider precautionary evacuation when a threat seems imminent but evacuation orders haven't yet been announced. The American Veterinary Medical Association has <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/emergencycare/large-animals-and-livestock-disasters" target="_blank">more information</a>.</p>Bottom Line: If You Need to Evacuate, So Do Your Pets
<p>As the Humane Society warns, pets left behind in a disaster can easily be injured, lost, or killed. Plan ahead to make sure you can safely evacuate your entire household – furry members included.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Commuters make their way through a flooded street after heavy monsoon rains in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 21, 2020. Munir Uz Zaman / Getty Images
By Ajit Niranjan
World leaders and businesses are not putting enough money into adapting to dangerous changes in the climate and must "urgently step up action," according to a report published Thursday by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
<p>Last year was the joint-hottest year on record and disasters struck every continent. Smoke-belching wildfires burned through communities from Australia to the Arctic. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/climate-storms-cyclones-hurricanes-typhoons-explained/a-55521226" target="_blank">Extreme storms</a> battered coastal cities from the Philippines to Nicaragua, while floods put a third of Bangladesh underwater and covered entire villages in Nigeria.</p><p>Extreme weather and climate-related disasters have killed more than 410,000 people in the past 10 years, almost all of them in poorer countries, according to the <a href="https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201116_WorldDisasters_Full.pdf" target="_blank">International Federation of the Red Cross and Crescent.</a></p><p>"The hard truth is that climate change is upon us," said UNEP Executive Director <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-we-are-close-to-the-point-of-no-return/a-56122609" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inger Andersen</a>, in the foreword to the report. "Its impacts will intensify, even if we limit global warming. We cannot afford to lose the race to adaptation."</p>
Adaptation Has a Long Way to Go
<p>The Adaptation Gap Report, now in its 5th year, finds "huge gaps" between what world leaders agreed to do under the 2015 <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/5-years-paris-climate-agreement/a-55901139" target="_blank">Paris Agreement</a> and what they need to do to keep their citizens safe from climate change.</p><p>A review by the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative of almost 1,700 examples of climate adaptation found that a third were in the early stages of implementation — and only 3% had reached the point of reducing risks.</p><p>Disasters like storms and droughts have grown stronger than they should be because people have warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels and chopping down rainforests. The world has heated by more than 1.1 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution and is on track to warm by about 3°C by the end of the century.</p><p>If world leaders <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-performance-index-how-far-have-we-come/a-55846406" target="_blank">deliver on recent pledges</a> to bring emissions to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/joe-bidens-climate-pledges-are-they-realistic/a-56173821" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">net-zero</a> by the middle of the century, they could almost limit warming to 2°C. The target of the Paris Agreement, however, is to reach a target well below that — ideally 1.5°C. </p><p>There are two ways, scientists say, to lessen the pain that warming will bring: mitigating climate change by cutting carbon pollution and adapting to the hotter, less stable world it brings.</p>The Cost of Climate Adaptation
<p>About three-quarters of the world's countries have national plans to adapt to climate change, according to the report, but most lack the regulations, incentives and funding to make them work.</p><p>More than a decade ago, rich countries most responsible for climate change pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 in climate finance for poorer countries. UNEP says it is "impossible to answer" whether that goal has been met, while an OECD study published in November found that between 2013 and 2018, the target sum had not once been achieved. Even in 2018, which recorded the highest level of contributions, rich countries were still $20 billion short.</p><p>The yearly adaptation costs for developing countries alone are estimated at $70 billion. This figure is expected to at least double by the end of the decade as temperatures rise, and will hit $280-500 billion by 2050, according to the report.</p><p>But failing to adapt is even more expensive.</p><p>When powerful storms like cyclones Fani and Bulbul struck South Asia, early-warning systems allowed governments to move millions of people out of danger at short notice. Storms of similar strength that have hit East Africa, like <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/zimbabwe-after-cyclone-idai-building-climate-friendly-practices/a-54251885" target="_blank">cyclones Idai</a> and Kenneth, have proved more deadly because fewer people were evacuated before disaster struck.</p><p>The Global Commission on Adaptation estimated in 2019 that a $1.8 trillion investment in early warning systems, buildings, agriculture, mangroves and water resources could reap $7.1 trillion in benefits from economic activity and avoided costs when disasters strike.</p>Exploring Nature-Based Solutions
<p>The report also highlights how restoring nature can protect people from climate change while benefiting local communities and ecology.</p><p><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/climate-fires-risk-climate-change-bushfires-australia-california-extreme-weather-firefighters/a-54817927" target="_blank">Wildfires</a>, for instance, could be made less punishing by restoring grasslands and regularly burning the land in controlled settings. Indigenous communities from Australia to Canada have done this for millennia in a way that encourages plant growth while reducing the risk of uncontrolled wildfires. Reforestation, meanwhile, can stop soil erosion and flooding during heavy rainfall while trapping carbon and protecting wildlife.</p><p>In countries like Brazil and Malaysia, governments could better protect coastal homes from floods and storms by restoring <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/mudflats-mangroves-and-marshes-the-great-coastal-protectors/a-50628747" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mangroves</a> — tangled trees that grow in tropical swamps. As well as anchoring sediments and absorbing the crash of waves, mangroves can store carbon, help fish populations grow and boost local economies through tourism. </p><p>While nature-based solutions are often cheaper than building hard infrastructure, their funding makes up a "tiny fraction" of adaptation finance, the report authors wrote. An analysis of four global climate funds that spent $94 billion on adaptation projects found that just $12 billion went to nature-based solutions and little of this was spent implementing projects on the ground.</p><p>But little is known about their long-term effectiveness. At higher temperatures, the effects of climate change may be so great that they overwhelm natural defenses like mangroves.</p><p>By 2050, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/rising-sea-levels-should-we-let-the-ocean-in-a-50704953/a-50704953" target="_blank">coastal floods</a> that used to hit once a century will strike many cities every year, according to a 2019 report on oceans by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the gold standard on climate science. This could force dense cities on low-lying coasts to build higher sea walls, like in Indonesia and South Korea, or evacuate entire communities from sinking islands, like in Fiji.</p><p>It's not a case of replacing infrastructure, said Matthias Garschagen, a geographer at Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany and IPCC author, who was not involved in the UNEP report. "The case for nature-based solutions is often misinterpreted as a battle... but they're part of a toolkit that we've ignored for too long."</p>From Your Site Articles
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A person surveys the aftermath of Hurricane Sally on September 16, 2020 in Pensacola, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A record-smashing 22 weather disasters inflicted at least $1billion of damage on the U.S. in 2020, according to NOAA, as the toll of human-caused climate change mounts in real time.
<p>The 22 disasters blew away the previous record of 16, killed 262 people, and inflicted $95 billion in damages in 2020, which European scientists say is tied for the hottest year on record. </p><p>Climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels, makes wildfires more extreme, hurricanes more intense and intensify more quickly, and extreme rainfall more severe as warmer air holds more moisture that can then be dumped in overwhelming volumes. </p><p>The fact that more people are living in areas vulnerable to climate disasters also contributed to the record number of billion-dollar events. </p><p>Weather disasters ravaged areas across the Lower 48 states, as wildfires incinerated more than 10 million acres across the West, thunderstorms deluged the Midwest, and hurricanes repeatedly pummeled the Gulf Coast.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p>Disasters: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/weather/billion-dollar-us-disasters-2020-noaa-climate/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_A4TmzPUgpDqIKMplTCNLSwock-VCo-EPMaIbT_2DdRccDmE0dsdItNYj891S_ChzIXmXX3q3ETFhKNTPnfCEgj3x_1PQNf01vrukBayfsqg3iNms&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CNN</a>, <a href="https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2021%2F01%2Fnoaa-us-suffered-record-number-of-major-climate-events-in-2020-3986236%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--m05mgaWGPUKgHewpx0Ajo-k6nYKCKnsNl4MnG72265YaYr6tCvXQuDAYgcL3vQ1fnbz5cAoJ6L7bErBxMltu3WU3JUjZmIwUR0Yqt1nu3CxGzIww&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/08/us-2020-record-year-climate-disasters-wildfires-hurricanes?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8xO35cec3_ODvPHfl2EgTUOVcEoCMK1rMmRFSz8LE_voP495aCb4dg5WLWDHLukxc3isJUaQ4IXiLiNabdx-x7KrIbliXt6a9naBW9p7vlNn1ZTQc&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2021/01/08/stories/1063722053?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-83bBOqfg7rBbqfKzN_ej6CBsayOSgHP7eu8tzPMPdNTMf52ESTORJtdvvY6aSwSDb9LvMJ1a74zTYOKPe7WQt1orKyddOhntMlg3gYkwiZYohw8to&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/533366-record-broken-for-number-of-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Pij0koL7NKE9S-Q0YtmrGaMWWK9A0262uUYB4BnC6jBf2g6Nu1Tlt79YotsaUVdxNVfMID1AsqAM4xzZ35aHRACA5vnUEJqpp6eBgCSoqKMBKbaQ&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill,</a> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-08/record-number-of-1-billion-disasters-hit-the-u-s-in-2020?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9df6oxhYBC4kjFPOSLGonKU4vnJcsJ5X5eDNtBtJvqZ_kwipx8JpEYmqZWZvsfQB1_64g1jaBM6Lr06AlVAOskIrjHAH5usy7ztfB0hQndLjTalpI&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>; Hottest year:<a href="https://www.axios.com/warmest-year-record-2020-51aa61c0-9f62-4ddb-b64e-d44e6777be5c.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8hRvLZbl_7X9hdSXyjoUFcxeJuReLLX0Bj7xbRQ0uHDyMaibRazBTU-BVgtspiUPMOeu0MgcmqAByb58vnT_9R0B8w_IJfpBhHSLKyuuBdC3NtmRo&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> Axios</a>, <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20210108060129-7uwpt/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--wjansxEAz2OBIdnFGXTI1DmKhEWKJzkSRsqfWAbQc4i0EwDcDlhDTgHbOpLEZ_MkisjbwZiuA8Jj91wcjZVjSjM5gXENaiG30BGG3hhW8HReivdM&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/last-year-was-the-hottest-in-human-history-despite-rec-1846017595?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--O9CqUkoFI1DHdIAc9Y9O7wgul_Q6gfGp69h94xMFVldxWqT8bVEan4AI0jdogjYo3PwhMAjNZJfm1iOXIJa4eC_7qicWpdp9fIErNTclaeAmi0H0&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Earther;</a> Both: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/weather/2020-global-temperatures-tied-for-warmest-on-record-copernicus/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9aynu5m4jNRnMvpLeMwx3olDFke1xueE1Y_k96HUVuLBcpzoR-w3su-9FmTl_ymqID3Iid0V_1Y1NXvB2vgIfuDFFW_vJR-2IivyRzsQt7WkVVUPU&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CNN</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/01/08/billion-dollar-disasters-2020/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--7ijhudKawfR3XePBWgTpnn6QKgxP8vdvKZTfrRb2WPQH9YvbUtVfzjUj8j-An2RJcvApzX9NfRpg0fZFCbpECwnLCN5hM2GiGGmXlV7wQOtN5TjA&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post,</a> <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zahrahirji/2020-record-billion-dollar-disasters?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--_D4VKuGs1zsO2qjqLoaCRxYs9f6kVUg6XVXcWFe6vIfnPUKv97-YyC0X3fNorfO9JE9wCO3dVKWIBlKo5PUEi14c7wXnquqqL2cjstjKrErvjTmg&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/events/western-wildfire-season-2020?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--2-NVzH8yc4w0USXB76ynLvedWBnQZe5A9XB86lGTGrLjAm4AClZEuXJWg2OP6QG_Ch__p6VJXBkZaa6FaQHwgCkjtuu1ErfwiOur5cSpWCATzJC8&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">2020 Western wildfire season</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/events/atlantic-hurricane-season-2020?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8DqsWmT1ph9tcZasZx9eWdqBbXcH5R4sBsVISpCI-a6iq16DNgwwIUaL5rm390q6tMaFk5pzRwplW4ZXzp2CtnThPqu40WpmbD8q1bwF4isH96Qe8&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">2020 Atlantic hurricane season</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/extreme-precipitation-increase?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106075641&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--L3FwTuciPEFVY54XXPHML_zeXJmLv6yN6hO4f6efdSqEBJXQKoy33P2cijxT2dwlE207TkYoFkwb5xPfmkV7Rm6ibQgmnwstbqnWUI1IhQLgo2xs&utm_content=106075641&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Extreme precipitation</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Mongabay's longtime editor and senior correspondent Jeremy Hance published his memoir, Baggage, this year. Jeremy Hance / YouTube
By John C. Cannon
Books have provided a welcome refuge in 2020. The global pandemic has, in many cases, turned even routine travel into a risk not worth taking, and it has left many longing for the day when we will once again set off for a new destination. At the same time, this year has also been a time to reflect on the sense of place and what home means to each of us.
<p>This year's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> book list draws on those two themes. Satisfying the urge to light out into the unknown, several authors share tales and observations from the field. Others delve deeply into a single spot, examining its importance to a people and the way we as a species fit into it, however uncomfortably. In the end, each reinforces a lesson that the pandemic has laid bare: Pull a thread on the web of life and even distant strands will reverberate as a result.</p>
<h3>1. <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250173348" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty and Achieve Peace</a></h3><p>By Carl Safina</p><p>Biologist Carl Safina has made a career of working on the front lines of conservation and then imparting what he has learned in a way that makes us, his readers, take notice. Broken down into three parts, <em>Becoming Wild</em> explores the lives and cultures of three species: sperm whales, scarlet macaws, and chimpanzees.</p><p>By turns fascinating, heartwarming and tragic, traveling with Safina as a guide is engrossing. And, as you might suspect, there's an agenda here. <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">Biodiversity</a>, all the weird and wondrous speciation that evolution has molded from the building blocks of life on this planet, is under threat, now more so than at any other time since humans emerged from that same swirling mix of forces. But beyond the staggering loss of species and individual lifeforms currently underway, Safina demonstrates that the sum total of what we lose will be far more than just a statistic if we don't work to protect the life that remains.</p>
<h3>2. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547092/oak-flat-by-lauren-redniss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oak Flat</a></h3><p>By Lauren Redniss</p><p>Cutting across social justice, economic and environmental lines, <em>Oak Flat</em> chronicles the real-life struggle of a family to protect sacred land from destruction after the discovery of a copper deposit in the desert in the U.S. Southwest. The family lives on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona and must contend with the substantial resources of a massive mining corporation, not to mention a set of laws that seem designed to put profits before people.</p><p>Told in the style of a graphic novel, author and illustrator Lauren Redniss draws on her earnest reporting and skill as an artist to shine a light on the issue, made all the more urgent because today the Apache of San Carlos are still fighting to protect their land.</p>
<h3>3. <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374228484" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl</a></h3><p>By Jonathan Slaght</p><p>The Blakiston's fish owl doesn't make conservation efforts on its behalf easy. Inhabiting the unforgiving mountains and forests of Russia's Far East, its dwindling numbers are threatened by logging and fishing in Primorye province.</p><p>Enter WCS scientist Jonathan Slaght and an intimate look at meeting the owl on its own turf. Just as fascinating as the quirky bird he's pursuing are the characters who people Slaght's book, the hardy folk who at once represent both a threat to the Blakiston's fish owl and invaluable accomplices in his mission to save the species.</p>
<h3>4. <a href="https://www.enricsala.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild</a></h3><p>By Enric Sala</p><p>Ecologist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence Enric Sala says he didn't want his career as a scientist to be spent just writing obituaries, cataloging the final days of so many of the species he studies. <em>The Nature of Nature</em> is both an homage to the diversity of life on Earth and a warning of the steps we must take to ensure it persists. Vividly told stories from decades of observing and probing the natural world serve as a testimony to the interconnectivity that binds all life — including humans — together.</p><p>As Sala told Mongabay in an <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/tamper-with-nature-and-everyone-suffers-qa-with-ecologist-enric-sala/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">interview</a> in August, "You tamper with nature in one part of the planet, and everyone suffers. That's why we need to protect the wild."</p>
<h3>5. <a href="https://msupress.org/9781611863581/the-medicine-wheel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Medicine Wheel: Environmental Decision-Making Process of Indigenous Peoples</a></h3><p>By Michael E. Marchand, Kristiina A. Vogt, Rodney Cawston, John D. Tovey, John McCoy, Nancy Maryboy, Calvin T. Mukumoto, Daniel J. Vogt and Melody Starya Mobley</p><p>In the most academic-leaning book to make this year's list, a group of predominantly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/indigenous-peoples">Indigenous</a> authors draw on the history, art and culture of Native societies from around the world with an eye toward how we might better coexist with nature. Their aim is to provide a guide for the ways in which Indigenous thinking and science, too often viewed as working at cross purposes, can come together to solve environmental problems.</p>
<h3>6. <a href="https://saraband.net/sb-title/cottongrass-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cottongrass Summer</a></h3><p>By Roy Dennis</p><p>Like many of the other authors on this list, ornithologist and conservationist Roy Dennis thankfully doesn't disguise his fascination with the intricacies of nature in <em>Cottongrass Summer</em>. The stories he tells have been gleaned from countless years of fieldwork and, at times, battles with the prevailing conservation establishment of the day. Still, the iconoclastic 80-year-old carries on, offering a measure of hope in a book for a wilder and healthier planet.</p><p>Orangutan biologist Erik Meijaard, who <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/book-review-cottongrass-summer-the-book-every-eco-anxious-conservationist-should-read/" target="_blank">reviewed</a> Dennis's book for Mongabay in August, said, "[C]ynics among you turn away, this book is not for you. To me this book is about belief and love. Belief in a better world where wild animals and plants can once again thrive alongside people. And a deep love for the natural world around us."</p>
<h3>7. <a href="https://www.ericjaydolin.com/a-furious-sky" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes</a></h3><p>By Eric Jay Dolin</p><p>In <em>A Furious Sky</em>, author Eric Jay Dolin digs deep into the annals of humans' history with the awe-inspiring and destructive hurricane. Along the way, he unearths a trove of engaging characters and entrancing struggles to find a way to coexist with Earth's most powerful storms. In the end, we find that, as the planet's climate changes, hurricanes will likely only grow stronger.</p>
<h3>8. <a href="https://www.workman.com/products/natures-best-hope" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard</a></h3><p>By Douglas W. Tallamy</p><p>Many of the world's environmental crises can feel beyond the reach of human problem solving. University of Delaware professor Douglas Tallamy takes a different tack, instead suggesting that the ideal place to begin a necessary revolution is right where we live. Instead of depending on the seep of political compromise that's so often inadequate and short-sighted in addressing issues like biodiversity loss, deforestation and climate change, Tallamy's belief is that by starting small — creating hospitable habitats for native plants and insects in our backyards, for example — we can realize the dreams of the pantheon of conservation's great thinkers, Aldo Leopold, E.O. Wilson and Rachel Carson among them.</p>
<h3>9. <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fathoms/Rebecca-Giggs/9781982120696" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fathoms: The World in the Whale</a></h3><p>By Rebecca Giggs</p><p>Over centuries, technological innovations, capitalist incentives and sheer grit led to many species of whales being hunted to near extinction. But the moratorium on hunting whales that coalesced in the 1980s around the awe these animals inspire and the outrage so many felt at witnessing their slaughter helped bring them back from the brink. All but a few of the world's most fervent whale-hunting nations signed on, and the rebound in whale numbers seems like a great success. But in what kind of world have we ensured their survival?</p><p>That's one of the questions that author Rebecca Giggs ponders in <em>Fathoms</em>, as she puts the survival of whales in the context of an increasing plastic-filled and polluted ocean, where warming waters and a paradoxically destructive ecotourism industry wait to confront them at every turn.</p>
<h3>10. <a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/chris-hamby/soul-full-of-coal-dust/9780316299497/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Soul Full of Coal Dust: A Fight for Breath and Justice in Appalachia</a></h3><p>By Chris Hamby</p><p>2020 has proven, if there were any doubt, that human and environmental health are inextricably linked. Investigative journalist Chris Hamby probed a paragon of this connection in <em>Soul Full of Coal Dust</em>. As the worldwide debate over the continued use of coal for steady but dirty energy production has taken center stage, the people who haul it from the ground have been fighting for their lives just behind the curtain.</p><p>Hamby takes his readers to the mountains of Appalachia, the epicenter of U.S. coal production, where fortunes rise and fall with the industry itself. He details the David-and-Goliath struggle to take on "Big Coal" and bring much-needed help to the miners afflicted with black lung disease.</p>
<h3>11. <a href="https://jeremyhance.com/baggage-confessions-of-a-globe-trotting-hypochondriac/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Baggage: Confessions of a Globe-Trotting Hypochondriac</a></h3><p>By Jeremy Hance</p><p>A 2020 Mongabay book list wouldn't be complete without a nod to the site's longtime editor and senior correspondent, Jeremy Hance (as well as the site's first staff writer), who published his own <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/diary-of-a-great-environmental-journalist-and-bad-traveler-qa-with-jeremy-hance/" target="_blank">memoir</a> this year. Hance has traveled the world in pursuit of the engaging environmental stories he's written for Mongabay, the Guardian, and Ensia, among other publications. He's also lived with hypochondria and obsessive-compulsive disorder for decades, conditions that can make the dream of travel an anxiety-producing nightmare. Fortunately for his readers, they haven't deterred him, and in <em>Baggage</em>, Hance recounts his voyages in a book that's as witty and self-effacing as it is poignant and instructive.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/11-notable-books-on-conservation-and-the-environment-published-in-2020/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Hurricane Iota is the latest category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, with the aftermath seen here in Cortes, Honduras on November 19, 2020. Orlando SIERRA / AFP / Getty Images
By Jeff Masters, PhD and Dana Nuccitelli
Calendar year 2020 was an extreme and abnormal year, in so many ways. The global coronavirus pandemic altered people's lives around the world, as did extreme weather and climate events. Let's review the year's top 10 such events.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f24930d9e63f791dd2d2c80873d1dd77"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gjQS48xT2RA?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
1. Hottest Year on Record?
<p>The official rankings will not be released until January 14, but <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateOfGavin/status/1338518056457396226" target="_blank">according to NASA</a>, Earth's average surface temperature in 2020 is likely to tie with 2016 for the hottest year on record, making the last seven years the seven hottest on record.</p><p>Remarkably, the record warmth of 2020 occurred during a minimum in the solar cycle and in a year in which a moderate La Niña event formed. Surface cooling of the tropical Pacific during La Niña events typically causes a slight global cool-down, as does the minimum of the solar cycle, making it difficult to set all-time heat records. The record heat of 2020 in these circumstances is a demonstration of how powerful human causes of global warming have become.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDEyMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjY2ODU3NX0.KU1_aeaWbfXh5ZtQIYIArT1qqOI01KFE-yRXqqgecCs/img.jpg?width=980" id="da971" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4b9e666e12bd344a3db3815c6c63c6bc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2048" data-height="1038" />
Figure 1. The eye of category 5 Hurricane Iota on November 16, the strongest hurricane of the 2020 season, as seen by the Sentinel-2 satellite. Image credit: Pierre Markuse
<h4>2. The Wild 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season</h4><p>The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced an extraordinary 30 named storms (highest on record), 13 hurricanes (second-highest on record), and six major hurricanes (tied for second-highest on record): more than double the activity of an average season (12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes).</p><p>The 2020 season was notable not only for its record number of named storms (after breaking into the Greek alphabet by the ridiculously early date of September 18), but also for its record number of rapidly intensifying storms (10), record number of landfalling U.S. named storms (12), and record number of landfalling U.S. hurricanes (six). Every single mile of the mainland U.S. coast from Texas to Maine was under a watch or warning related to tropical cyclones at some point in 2020. U.S. hurricane damage exceeded $37 billion, according to insurance broker Aon, the eighth-highest annual total on record.</p><p>Two catastrophic category 4 hurricanes hit Central America in November: Hurricane Iota, the latest category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, and Hurricane Eta, the deadliest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2020, with at least 274 people listed as dead or missing. At least seven hurricanes from 2020 will be worthy of having their names retired: Iota, Eta, Zeta, Delta, Sally, Laura, and Isaias – although there is still <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/17/greek-letter-hurricane-names-retire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">no official mechanism</a> for retiring storm names from the Greek alphabet. The record for most names retired in one Atlantic season was set in 2005, when five hurricanes had their names retired.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDEyNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDUxODI5N30.XnYLzKRhXOlT6sbQUTUpHbmaobQCc14ApUzPHj99kKg/img.png?width=980" id="21ac3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="00d3b41ac2fa9641bf0f6fcd62c2e730" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="900" data-height="781" />
Figure 2. Global energy-related emissions (top) and annual change (bottom) in gigatons of carbon dioxide, with projected 2020 levels highlighted in red. Other major events are indicated to a give a sense of scale. Image credit: Carbon Brief, using data from the Global Energy Review
3. Record-High Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Despite Record Emissions Drop
<p>As a result of restrictions taken to curb the coronavirus pandemic, carbon emissions to the atmosphere in 2020 declined by 9 to 10% in the U.S. and 6 to 7% globally, although some of those reductions were offset by carbon released by wildfires. Those are the largest annual carbon emissions declines since World War II and far more than the 1% global and 6% U.S. emissions drops brought about by the 2008 Great Recession.</p><p>Nevertheless, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose by 2.6 parts per million from 2019 to 414 ppm in 2020. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere will not decline until human emissions reach net zero. Moreover, as coronavirus restrictions were lifted during 2020, global carbon pollution nearly rebounded to pre-COVID levels.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDEyOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDA5NTg4Nn0.ypENT7I4ZfF4LOwG9o9kFXU97xnPicniu65cuchVJRE/img.jpg?width=980" id="e2dec" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1b5f508352cc34f6eb10ea76744f7c35" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2047" data-height="1039" />
Figure 3. A wildfire in the Sakha Republic, Arctic Circle, Siberia, Russia creates smoke and pyrocumulus clouds on July 9, 2020. A record heat wave in Siberia during June led to the Arctic's first-ever 38.0°C (100.4°F) temperature and helped drive the Arctic's worst wildfire season on record. Image credit: Copernicus Sentinel data via Pierre Markuse
<h4>4. An Apocalyptic Wildfire Season</h4><p>The year 2020 brought record levels of fire activity to the U.S. and Arctic, but unusually low levels in Canada and tropical Africa, resulting in a below-average year for global fire activity, according to the <a href="https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/wildfires-americas-and-tropical-africa-2020-compared-previous-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service</a>. According to Insurance broker Aon, the global direct cost of wildfires in 2020 was $17 billion, ranking as the fifth-costliest wildfire year, behind 2017, 2018, 2015 (major Indonesian fires), and 2010 (major Russian fires).</p><p>The Australian bushfire season ending in early 2020 (due to seasons in the Southern hemisphere being the reverse of those in the Northern hemisphere) was also <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/01/how-climate-change-influenced-australias-unprecedented-fires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a record-breaker</a>, having burned more than 46 million acres and destroyed more than 3,500 homes.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Interagency Fire Center</a> reported that U.S. wildfires burned 10.25 million acres as of December 18, 2020, the highest yearly total <a href="https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">since accurate records began in 1983</a>. The previous record was 10.13 million acres in 2015. <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/regional/time-series/109/tavg/3/10/1895-2020?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1901&endbaseyear=2000&trend=true&trend_base=10&begtrendyear=1895&endtrendyear=2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The hottest August through October period</a> in Western U.S. history, combined with severe drought and a once-in-a-generation offshore wind event, conspired to bring about an apocalyptic western U.S. wildfire season. Total U.S. wildfire damages in 2020 were $16.5 billion, said Aon, ranking as its third-costliest year on record, behind 2017 ($24 billion) and 2018 ($22 billion). Wildfires caused at least 43 direct U.S. deaths. But the indirect death toll among people 65 and older in California alone during the period August 1-September 10 – due to wildfire smoke inhalation – was likely between 1,200 and 3,000, researchers at Stanford University reported in <a href="http://www.g-feed.com/2020/09/indirect-mortality-from-recent.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a September 11 study</a>. The 4.2 million acres burned in California in 2020 was more than double the previous record set in 2018.</p><h4>5. Super Typhoon Goni: Strongest Landfalling Tropical Cyclone on Record</h4><p>Super Typhoon Goni made landfall near Bato, Catanduanes Island, Philippines, on November 1 with sustained winds of 195 mph and a central pressure of 884 mb, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, or JTWC. Goni was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone in world recorded history, using one-minute average wind speeds from the National Hurricane Center for the Atlantic/Northeast Pacific and one-minute average winds from JTWC for the rest of the planet's ocean basins.</p><p>Goni killed 31 people, damaged or destroyed 250,000 homes, and caused over $1 billion in damage, tying it with Typhoon Bopha in 2012 and Typhoon Vamco in 2020 as the Philippines' second-most expensive typhoon on record, adjusted for inflation. Only Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 ($11.1 billion) was more damaging.</p><p>Ominously, seven of the 10 strongest landfalls in recorded history have occurred since 2006.</p><h4>6. Hottest Reliably Measured Temperature: 130°F in Death Valley</h4><p>Death Valley, California, hit an astonishing 129.9 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4°C) at 3:41 p.m. PDT, August 16, 2020, at the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center. This reading was rounded to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1295137837361139712" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">daily summary from NOAA</a>. According to weather records experts Christopher Burt, who wrote the comprehensive weather records book "Extreme Weather," and Maximiliano Herrera, who tweets under the Twitter handle, <a href="https://twitter.com/extremetemps?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Extreme Temperatures Around the World</a>, the observation may be the hottest reliably recorded temperature in world history, breaking the 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit readings <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/historic-heat-wave-reponsible-for-death-valleys-129f-gradually-weak.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at Death Valley in 2013</a> and <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/eastern-hemispheres-alltime-temperature-record-kuwait-fries-in-54.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in Kuwait in 2016</a>.</p><p>The World Meteorological Organization is conducting a review of the site's observing equipment. "If the observation passes an investigation (instrument calibration, etc.) then, yes, this is a new reliably measured global extreme heat record," Burt wrote by email. However, the <a href="https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-meteorological-organization-global-weather-climate-extremes-archive" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official world record</a> will remain a 134 degrees Fahrenheit measurement taken at Death Valley on July 10, 1913, a record <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/08/death-valley-california-may-have-recorded-hottest-temp-in-world-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">widely viewed as bogus</a>.</p><h4>7. Most Expensive 2020 Disaster: Flooding in China Causes $32 billion in Damage</h4><p>Seasonal monsoon flooding in China in June through September killed 278 people, damaged or destroyed 1.4 million homes and businesses, and did $32 billion in damage, according to insurance broker Aon. EM-DAT, the international disaster database, ranks that total as the third-most expensive non-U.S. weather disaster since accurate records began in 1990 (adjusted for inflation), behind 1998 flooding in China ($48 billion) and 2011 flooding in Thailand ($47 billion).</p><p>In a September 2020 study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, "<a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/bams/article/101/8/E1464/345591/Each-0-5-C-of-Warming-Increases-Annual-Flood" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Each 0.5°C of Warming Increases Annual Flood Losses in China by More than US$60 Billion</a>," researchers found that annual average flood losses in China during the period 1984-2018 were $19.2 billion (2015 dollars), which was 0.5% of China's GDP. Annual flood losses increased to $25.3 billion annually during the period 2006-2018. The study authors predicted that each additional 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming will increase China flood losses by $60 billion per year.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDEzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTQ3MzUwOX0.oao5yK9yRRggMbMxirT8h4SicN9QSGMi72cm5KDxiYU/img.jpg?width=980" id="e5190" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9ad394b10d6702921de5c865a0786dc0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="974" data-height="545" />
Figure 5. Arctic sea ice age near the time of the annual minimum in 1985 (left) and in 2020 (right). There is very little old, thick ice left in the Arctic, increasing the chances of a late-summer ice-free Arctic by the 2030s. Image credit: Zack Labe
<h4>8. Near-Record Low Arctic Sea Ice</h4><p>Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum on September 15, 2020, bottoming out at its second-lowest extent and volume ever recorded, behind 2012. A <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/10/warmer-climate-and-arctic-sea-ice-in-a-veritable-suicide-pact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study suggests</a> that the 2012 record hasn't been broken despite ever-rising temperatures because the rapidly-warming Arctic has altered the jet stream, leading to cloudy summer Arctic conditions that have acted to temporarily preserve some of the sea ice. However, long-term global warming will inevitably win out, and scientists expect the Arctic to be ice-free in the summer beginning sometime between 2030 and 2050. Overall, three-quarters of the volume of summer sea ice in the Arctic has melted over the past 40 years.</p><p>The Northern Sea Route along the northern coast of Russia finally froze shut on November 3, after being open a <a href="https://twitter.com/RARohde/status/1323746737316679680" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">record 112 days</a>, and 2020 was the busiest shipping season ever for natural gas tankers in the Arctic, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-12/melting-arctic-ice-means-longest-lng-sailing-season-in-northern-sea-route" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Bloomberg</a>.</p><h4>9. U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord and Election of Joe Biden</h4><p>The U.S. officially withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/covid-19-put-u-s-back-on-track-with-reneged-paris-targets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the day after the November 3, 2020 election</a>. But Joe Biden, who won that presidential election, has announced his intent to immediately rejoin the Paris agreement on the day of his inauguration: January 20, 2021.</p><p>President-elect Biden considers tackling climate change a top priority and has proposed a plan to invest $2 trillion over four years in deploying climate solutions. He has <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/12/heres-the-team-tasked-with-carrying-out-bidens-incredibly-ambitious-climate-plans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">assembled a team</a> tasked with carrying out that plan, including several climate-focused cabinet member-nominees and the first national adviser on climate change.</p><p>It's a dramatic change from the previous administration's record of <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/06/most-trump-environmental-rollbacks-will-take-years-to-be-reversed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate and environmental protection rollbacks</a>.</p><h4>10. A Near-Record Number of Global Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters</h4><p>Through the end of November, 44 billion-dollar weather disasters had occurred globally in 2020, <a href="http://thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com/Pages/home.aspx?reportcategory=impact%20forecasting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the November 2020 Catastrophe Report</a> from insurance broker Aon. The record in the Aon database is 47, set in 2010, and 2020 could challenge that record when the final tallies are announced on January 25, 2021.</p><p>The United States suffered 25 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2020, surpassing Aon's previous U.S. record of 20 in 2017. The record number of U.S. disasters led to the American Red Cross's providing record levels of disaster sheltering in 2020, according to <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/2020-is-a-record-year-for-disaster-shelters-red-cross-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a December 2 article</a> by E&E News.</p><p>An <a href="https://www.undrr.org/publication/human-cost-disasters-overview-last-20-years-2000-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">October 13 report</a> by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction found a "staggering" rise in climate-related disasters, including extreme weather events: those nearly doubled, from 3,656 in 1980-1999 to 6,681 in 2000-2019. The number of major floods more than doubled, from 1,389 to 3,254, and the incidence of destructive storms increased from 1,457 to 2,034.</p><p>The report blamed human-caused climate change as a significant factor in the increased disasters. It warned: "It is baffling that we willingly and knowingly continue to sow the seeds of our own destruction, despite the science and evidence that we are turning our only home into an uninhabitable hell for millions of people." The U.N. report authors called attention to "industrial nations that are failing miserably on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to levels commensurate with the desired goal of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Agreement."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/12/the-top-10-weather-and-climate-events-of-a-record-setting-year/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649628910#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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Kids play on a flooded Arizona Avenue on October 4, 2015 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images
The threat to affordable housing from flooding driven by climate change will likely triple in the next 30 years, new research shows.
<p>The study, from Climate Central and the National Housing Trust and published in <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VWyv3j3TqwvYW55kmdx2zg3MJW7vv0b_4k5j4KN7Mjfyc3p_9rV1-WJV7CgWL8W680rSp8RGNshW5jCNHT7015NFN43-mt9z5W83W2DBcf36vL9qCW5Hcxx-2YPy7qW4dFmnK3DP3tmW2GQMTH744SCzW1jvqQ03wPw0xW3XxM3m8xLwJ1VbfhMt90qHK6W5mZWR-83Prj3W4sRJpP658WdMW5y9Gxl5XtCy3W359gMy8jH67CW3RTx1F90Rkc4W94XVbN7nRDwNW2NPjxZ1m95jjW1Lnqhx89Vvd-W1L5B6p92bWXyW4JVd4x6J-__bW4fVVqM6MgnrbW4wCpDP2g4hg0W1zGkxf346V_6W1QljWm823SWWW2rdShC2NNxJCW5ZLqKt84v5C2354V1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Research Letters</a>, examined risk posed not just by extreme events like hurricanes, but also at the increasingly common threat of "sunny-day" flooding caused by sea level rise. </p><p>The threats driven by the climate crisis exacerbate the underlying affordable housing crisis — the study identified communities in which up to ninety percent of affordable housing is being put at risk. </p>
<p>The U.S. already lacks sufficient affordable housing, and "low-income renters typically have very few alternative housing options if a disaster damages their homes," Andrew Aurand, VP of research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told Thomson Reuters.</p><p>"When affordable rental housing is significantly damaged, the private market provides little incentive to repair or rebuild that housing to keep it affordable," he added.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20201201090351-gpvnb/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8PipzwzR9xDdKLBvMHD1m7q-g5MtRrsbvtBvhnfB7bbVLiUgRKghQyQm8WkMKcIuHQYHkhzXlmQX7HCzqKVxFEuGphhhtJkuPbjj6g-sz1CU1vwcE&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/1/21747466/rising-sea-levels-flood-affordable-housing-2050?_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--J2BMybiHu7o60QOHnCMPXIvu1vcT_KWMZ2IJaUgG2G3OYg_A7lzSDEgWO8dMig1I9CSeHwD1_CLLlhSJNNCCE3ox_U7C5ZyE_7W0AuEaBLlo6l_Y" target="_blank">The Verge</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-01/how-climate-change-is-targeting-affordable-housing?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--JHyIz7WbmZLCWsqSpK7O_CjdqyRmOCV25tuBoxK3BDysgZux0g2i9Wpe24Jk8n3G7o2pfWW8E7I-x4Y7ww9t6fX5ZWerreFjt14nmyiBPWSRV7ms&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/12/affordable-housing-sea-level-rise-flooding-poverty-climate-change-nj/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--IY8lZYXSmq0L04W6a0itM-lpokYwn8Qy74iwpA2j71MuansUlDjcZdG-PUwj2pP8eJNYdsPNvreB_ngh6cgUKCq58m14UTfutCcQre4r1wgiNCHw&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NJ Spotlight</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1063719523?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net%2Fstories%2F1063719523%3F_hsenc%3Dp2ANqtz--ouG8iT57AryuaQqhtjZz4MI7mxNjXPSCSVMt010E1jFnXCjexwVrbUp7NFkrPB07VG7cRRvQLdFsai-DIEj6p4qwY-UQG5WTbeOctVCyjX2Qkfe0%26_hsmi%3D101597928%26utm_campaign%3DHot%2520News%26utm_content%3D101597928%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dhs_email" target="_blank">E&E;</a> Interactive Map: <a href="https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/8/285.6044/39.7071/?theme=sea_level_rise&map_type=coastal_dem_comparison&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&pathway=rcp45&percentile=p50&return_level=return_level_1&slr_model=kopp_2014" target="_blank">Climate Central</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/coastal-flooding-increase?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--1eTUNVHb6GU9G0enF_KBIMvYZx8pYebF-ifHivrZNu5uNDkfaaZNC6W23BYTBByMlzUIvuFNaNH2BYimFpY9FK5dwyzFmVbvvm2QRMg3d1ru3HcI&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Coastal flooding increase</a>, <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/rising-sea-levels?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=101597928&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8OUslytYA_sh1-CKrRJHldE6467AwBh_fzHH2kHhENsuwR6_5ZbKEEXqHsVEfHy9jgCbzmCNFr9Exc4eJKTOLyv5hjtRwb3SFS0JEzMzmnrsOrqA4&utm_content=101597928&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Sea level rise</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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27 June 2016
Rapid Intensification and Number of Storms Make 2020 a Record Hurricane Season
30 November 2020
Climate
Map shows tracks and strength of Atlantic tropical cyclones in 2020. Blues are tropical depressions and tropical storms; yellow through red show hurricanes, darker shades meaning stronger ones. Master0Garfield / Wikimedia Commons
By Astrid Caldas
As we reach the official end of hurricane season, 2020 will be one for the record books. Looking back at these long, surprising, sometimes downright crazy past six months (seven if you count when the first named storms actually started forming), there are many noteworthy statistics and patterns that drive home the significance of this hurricane season, and the ways climate change may have contributed to it.
<p><br/></p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NzU0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTk3NzI3M30.nuos3jK9lDTK2Y7lsUuwGwoYLSDW0lvEYLwvBPs60OM/img.jpg?width=980" id="8e32e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="56d35cc370ede3d2f965a897182686ca" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="960" />
NOAA
<p>Hurricane activity this year <a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/1329930734635630593" target="_blank">broke some records</a>. As of today, we have had a record 30 named storms, of which 13 turned into hurricanes. The first two, Arthur and Bertha, even formed before June 1, the official start of hurricane season. The third formed on June 1 itself.</p><p>This is also only the second time in tropical storm naming history, the first time being in 2005, that the National Hurricane Center <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml" target="_blank">had to use the Greek alphabet letters</a> to name storms after the regular list of names was exhausted. As the season progressed, storms generally got stronger – the image below gives a good idea of this progression. While a pattern like this is not unseen, it certainly is not usually this striking (for instance, see timelines of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2005</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2017_Atlantic_hurricane_season" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2017</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2018_Atlantic_hurricane_season" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2018</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2019_Atlantic_hurricane_season" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019</a>).</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NzU2MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTAyMDY3Nn0.BhJhN_ErgAy_w5VzMcYKPf9KHfLF6NvhQqJS8cj3HEY/img.png?width=980" id="e8972" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ea63282304cdf72c8bf095c11469abf9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="800" data-height="270" />
<p>Fortunately, the high level of activity did not translate into a higher number of major hurricanes this season. The August <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/extremely-active-hurricane-season-possible-for-atlantic-basin" target="_blank">updated forecast</a> from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had called for 19-25 named storms, with 7-11 turning into hurricanes, 3-6 of which would be major (Category 3 or higher). The total number of named storms and hurricanes went up, but the latter prediction did not change from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/busy-atlantic-hurricane-season-predicted-for-2020" target="_blank">original forecast released in May</a> (see infographics below).</p><p>So, even though 2020 surpassed the predicted number of named storms and hurricanes, as of today, six of the 13 hurricanes were major, still (barely) within the prediction. Of all the named storms, 12 made landfall in the U.S., six as hurricanes. As of today, the season was record-setting for named storms. It ranks <a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/1329930734635630593" target="_blank">second</a> for hurricanes & major hurricanes.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NzU2NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDQwNzE4OH0.BqYImnv3vRtvgqZvRcIk8ESQX7eOePgn1Vp4RHivhT0/img.png?width=980" id="dc297" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68446095682eb5c2bd085d14e6f920b7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="968" data-height="598" />
A summary infographic showing hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms predicted from NOAA's 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. NOAA
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NzU2NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTkxMzk3OX0.a7NktMsiV-68Dtwf8uURYvGtByvjbcvPIxbS-itZz4E/img.png?width=980" id="d2ccc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9a1b178bc5490c39407c8b0d2293ed16" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="976" data-height="604" />
The updated 2020 Atlantic hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms. NOAA
<p>Both Gulf and East Coast states were affected by landfalling hurricanes, and, strikingly, very <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/16/tropical-storm-winds-lower-48/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">few coastal counties have not been affected</a> by tropical storm winds this season. Many of the 2020 storms formed in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico, hence nine out of the 12 U.S. landfalling storms targeting the Gulf states. Louisiana, for example, suffered five landfalls starting in May with TS Bertha.</p><p>This is the 6th year in a row that named storms formed before the official start of the season, and the 5th season in a row with at least one category 5 hurricane. It was also the first year to have two major hurricanes in the month of November (Eta and Iota, a Category 4 and 5 respectively), and September 2020 alone had 10 storms – almost equal to the number of total storms for the entirety of an average season, which is currently 12.</p><p>The 2020 season also had 27 named storms that hold the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atlantic_hurricane_records" target="_blank">record for earliest formation by initial letter</a> – most of the previous records were set in 2005.</p>
<h3>A Bit of Science</h3><p>One characteristic of the 2020 season that will be discussed for quite a while is the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutgloss.shtml#r" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rapid intensification</a> of storms. <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-11-15-atlantic-hurricane-season-ten-storms-rapidly-intensify" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ten storms</a> so far this year have seen sustained winds gain 35 mph or more in speed within 24 hours or less, with Eta and Iota beating all records with 80 mph increases as they neared landfall on the coast of Nicaragua. The <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-11-15-atlantic-hurricane-season-ten-storms-rapidly-intensify" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1995 season also had 10 rapidly intensifying storms</a> – but not at the same rate. Some scientists <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/bams/article/98/3/495/70036/Will-Global-Warming-Make-Hurricane-Forecasting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">argue</a> that rapid intensification is likely to become a more common feature of future storms, making forecasting trickier. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08471-z.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Research has shown</a> that rapid intensification, observed over the past 40 years, has become more frequent, a pattern that is not supported by models of internal climate variation alone, suggesting that human-caused global warming might be a factor. <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/jcli/article/31/20/8281/92614/Projected-Response-of-Tropical-Cyclone-Intensity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Another study</a> determined that the chance of a hurricane intensifying went from 1 in 100 in the early 80s to 1 in 20 by mid-2005.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg0NzU2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NTMzODM3MX0._aeYFI5NdjbEZPsqGk7m0Mz5IwuGcPilokloRjhDGSI/img.jpg?width=980" id="50621" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="021f4862a8df4f5a055d450e7a7b0522" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="270" />
<p>What we are seeing in the U.S. is also being seen across the globe. Rapidly intensifying <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/10/07/tropical-storm-category-hours-super-typhoon-hagibis-intensifies-one-fastest-rates-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">typhoons</a> have wreaked havoc in Asia this year, and we saw storms crossing the Caribbean and hitting Central American countries as major hurricanes formed in less than 24 hours. Nicaragua was hit by two category 4 hurricanes in two weeks, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/17/nicaragua-eta-iota-landfalls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">something never seen before</a>.</p><p>I have <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/astrid-caldas/dangerous-hurricane-season-to-open-amidst-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previously written</a> that hurricanes are becoming <a href="https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-013-1713-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stronger</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0673-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wetter</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-019-0074-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slower</a>, and <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/48/23942" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more destructive</a>, and all these trends have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/climate/climate-change-hurricanes.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">linked to anthropogenic global warming</a> in one way or another. <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/link-between-heat-and-hurricanes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New studies</a> since have also pointed to the fact that the link between heat and the intensity of tropical cyclones is becoming clearer, and that their <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/22/11975" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">intensity over the past four decades</a> has increased.</p><p>Another new characteristic of Atlantic hurricanes determined in a study is that they are losing strength more slowly. Whereas in the 60's hurricanes lost 75 percent of their strength within 24 hours of making landfall, today they lose only 50 percent in the same amount of time. That certainly contributes to a higher impact from rainfall and winds.</p><p>The very active forecast released in August by NOAA was based on some variables that historically affect Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. In addition to the <a href="https://climatereanalyzer.org/wx/DailySummary/#sst" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">abnormally warm sea surface temperatures</a>, which act as a type of "fuel" to the formation of storms, there were other factors at play.</p><p>The establishment of a <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">La Niña</a> pattern, which historically affects high winds in the Atlantic, tends to diminish the vertical wind shear that could help prevent the formation of a tropical cyclone. Also, according to <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/extremely-active-hurricane-season-possible-for-atlantic-basin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NOAA</a>, a large-scale climate pattern called the <a href="https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/atlantic-multi-decadal-oscillation-amo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation</a> has also been favoring more active hurricane seasons since 1995 by making wind conditions in the tropics more conducive to tropical cyclone formation. This favors weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon, which also affect Atlantic tropical cyclone formation.</p>
<h3>Costs and Future of Hurricanes</h3><p>Tropical cyclones are the <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/calculating-cost-weather-and-climate-disasters" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">costliest of weather and climate disasters</a>, no doubt due to their widespread impacts: storm surge, wind, rain, all come together to create compound risks in the areas affected. In addition, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/nyregion/rebuild-home-hurricane.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hurricane recovery</a> – ecological, structural, economic – tends to last for years, and <a href="https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Looking-lingering-health-effects-Hurricane/96/i37" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">health impacts</a> add to the costs.</p><p>The trend in rapid intensification, especially as a storm approaches landfall, can make preparations and evacuations more difficult, if not impossible, and is bound to increase the danger to people and the costs of these disasters. Plus, we cannot forget that storms are more consistently forming before and after the official hurricane season, and that extension can signify a longer period of disaster recovery, as well as a longer period during which communities will have to stay in a state of preparedness.</p><p>Especially costly and worrisome from the point of view of preparedness and recovery is when storms hit the same area successively. Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana Lake Charles area in August as a Category 4, one of the strongest storms to hit the state. Then Hurricane Delta hit the same general area only six weeks later, while many houses still <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/10/922637167/hundreds-of-thousands-without-power-after-hurricane-delta-sweeps-through-south" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">had tarps covering their roofs</a>, and people in the region, especially low-income segments of the population, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/10/922637167/hundreds-of-thousands-without-power-after-hurricane-delta-sweeps-through-south" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were far from recovered</a>.</p><p>Last but certainly not least, we are dealing with a pandemic that added to the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/kristy-dahl/as-hurricane-laura-bears-down-on-gulf-coast-data-shows-how-covid-19-may-affect-evacuations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">challenges of evacuations, sheltering, and recovery</a>. Because of the unprecedented confluence of hurricane season and the pandemic, many emergency preparedness officials <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/astrid-caldas/real-time-lessons-on-covid-19-and-us-hurricane-response-what-weve-learned-from-hanna-and-isaias" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">learned on the fly</a> how to best accommodate evacuees while trying to contain spread of the novel coronavirus.</p><p>The economic crisis from the pandemic is also leading to a lack of resources for both the people and the authorities to deal effectively with the disaster and take suitable action, something that could take years to resolve. The pandemic is of course a concern around the world, and everywhere people are scrambling to deal with these compound risks.</p>
<h3>The Need for Action</h3><p>There is an urgent need for policies and funding for equitable pre-disaster preparedness to help curtail post-disaster costs and recovery. Resources and technical assistance also must be allocated equitably so that those most in need and with the least capability of rebounding have the means to do so.</p><p>We know that human-induced global warming is making storms worse and bringing more destruction with them. We also know we have a path to reduce the carbon emissions that are driving our temperatures up. It is imperative that countries – including the U.S. – continue to increase the ambition of their pledges to reduce global warming emissions and cap warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, as promised in the Paris Agreement. Only by keeping the worst of climate change at bay will we also limit the wrath of hurricanes, saving lives, property, and resources.</p><p>But for now, any way you look at it, the unprecedented 2020 season is one for the history books.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/astrid-caldas/rapid-intensification-unprecedented-number-of-storms-make-2020-a-record-hurricane-season" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Tropical Storm Theta Is Record-Breaking 29th Storm of 2020 ... ›
- Hurricane Delta Breaks Record for Earliest 25th Named Storm ... ›
- 2 Killed, Thousands Evacuated as Cyclone Yesa Slams Fiji - EcoWatch ›
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Cyclone Gati on Sunday had sustained winds of 115 miles per hour. NASA - EOSDIS Worldview
Cyclone Gati made landfall in Somalia Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, the first time that a hurricane-strength storm has made landfall in the East African country, NPR reported.
<p>Furthermore, at one point before making landfall, Gati strengthened to sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, the equivalent of a Category 3 storm. It is the strongest storm on record for the entire geographical area.</p><p>"Gati is the strongest tropical cyclone that has been recorded in this region of the globe; further south than any category 3-equivalent cyclone in the North Indian Ocean," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researcher Sam Lillo <a href="https://twitter.com/splillo/status/1330554977870200838" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p>
<div id="eb022" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a22e81d6d14760e4c92ea8fa70eaf9d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330554977870200838" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Gati is the strongest tropical cyclone that has been recorded in this region of the globe; further south than any c… https://t.co/p77EMJ3mUw</div> — Sam Lillo (@Sam Lillo)<a href="https://twitter.com/splillo/statuses/1330554977870200838">1606064001.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> is making storms both <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tropical-storm-intensity-climate-crisis-2646033123.html" target="_self">stronger and wetter</a>, and Gati is an example of both. First, it intensified rapidly. The storm began as an area of low pressure observed on Thursday by India's Meteorological Department (IMD), <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/severe-cyclonic-storm-gati-bearing-down-on-somalia/852100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AccuWeather reported</a>. By Sunday, it had strengthened to a tropical depression; 12 hours later, it was a severe cyclonic storm. Lillo noted that its 12-hour intensification was the largest on record in the basin.</p><p>Gati intensified partly because of warm <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ocean" target="_self">ocean</a> temperatures, according to AccuWeather. Other factors included low wind shear and the fact that it was relatively small, Lillo told NPR.</p><p>"With climate change we're seeing warmer ocean temperatures and a more moist atmosphere that's leading to a greater chance of rapid intensification for tropical cyclones like Gati," meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus told NPR. "Gati's strength is part of that broader global pattern of stronger storms."</p>
<div id="8d78f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="78b74a8fa911068186256663c6020cdd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330520441929293824" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Cyclone #Gati striking #Somalia with Category 2 force. https://t.co/qGdHTcDE3G https://t.co/QJ5RMCy0e7</div> — UW-Madison CIMSS (@UW-Madison CIMSS)<a href="https://twitter.com/UWCIMSS/statuses/1330520441929293824">1606055767.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The storm is also predicted to be very wet. Somalia usually experiences four inches of rain every year. Gati could dump eight inches, doubling that amount in just two days.</p><p>"The system may impact Socotra, Somalia, Yemen and western Oman from [Sunday] night into Monday and potentially Tuesday, with the main threat being heavy rain and flash <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>," AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.</p><p>Holthaus <a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1330558089779683329" target="_blank">noted</a> on Twitter that Somalia only accounts for about 0.002 percent of the total greenhouse gases emitted since the start of the industrial revolution.</p><p>"Today, they're experiencing a rapidly strengthening tropical cyclone that will bring two years worth of rainfall in just two days," he wrote. "This is the heart of climate injustice."</p>
<div id="5b55b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="48485c27d58cba8f2b923a207db706d4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330621846497103873" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tropical Cyclone Gati landfalling in Somalia. https://t.co/3KQcpXgoTQ</div> — CIRA (@CIRA)<a href="https://twitter.com/CIRA_CSU/statuses/1330621846497103873">1606079944.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>There is usually an average of one cyclone in the Arabian Sea every year, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/years-second-in-arabian-sea-severe-cyclone-gati-headed-to-somalia-7061376/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Indian Express reported</a>. However, Gati is the second to form this year after <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cyclone-nisarga-mumbai-coronavirus-2646150409.html" target="_self">Cyclone Nisarga</a> made landfall south of Mumbai in June. The number of cyclones forming over the Arabian Sea has increased since 2015, according to IMD data reported by The Indian Express. There were four in 2019 and three in 2018. The uptick in activity has been linked to the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that the Arabian Sea's surface temperatures are rising.</p>
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A dog is seen amongst rubble left behind from Hurricane Eta, in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, on November 15, 2020, before the arrival of Hurricane Iota. STR / AFP / Getty Images
Hurricane Iota made landfall along the coast of northeastern Nicaragua at 10:40 p.m. Monday night as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm.
<p>The landfall location was just 15 miles away from where the devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-eta-florida-central-america-2648793233.html">Hurricane Eta</a> made landfall 13 days earlier, according to the <a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1328546095329202177" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center</a> (NHC). It was also the most powerful storm to make landfall in Nicaragua in November, Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach <a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/1328547531815456768" target="_blank">noted on Twitter</a>, breaking the record set by Eta.</p><p><span></span>"This is double destruction," Nicaraguan Business owner Adán Artola Schultz told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-nicaragua-storms-hurricanes-38bd0f02ad8733c54ab61a6dd19306de" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>. "This is coming in with fury."</p><p>Artola Schultz lives in Puerto Cabezas, or Bilwi, a Nicaraguan city about 30 miles from where the storm made landfall. He said he watched the wind tear a metal roof off of a two-story home.</p><p>Bilwi university student Jason Bermúdez also reported destruction.</p>
<p>"This hurricane is definitely worse" than Eta, Bermúdez told The Associated Press. "There are already a lot of houses that lost their roofs, fences and fruit trees that got knocked down. We will never forget this year."</p><p>Before it even made landfall, the storm blew a metal roof off of a hospital in Bilwi where victims of Hurricane Eta were being treated, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/world/americas/hurricane-iota-updates.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>. Most of the city has been without power since 3 p.m. Monday.</p><p>Iota is the 30th named storm of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tropical-storm-theta-2648850210.html" target="_self">record-breaking</a> 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, the most of any season. It is also the ninth storm this season to rapidly intensify, a phenomenon linked to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, The Associated Press reported.</p><p>Iota strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane but weakened before coming ashore. It was the latest Category 5 storm on record, Klotzbach <a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/1328350540904861697" target="_blank">said</a>.</p>
<p>While it was still a Category 5 storm, Iota lashed the Columbian islands of San Andres and Providencia, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/17/weather/hurricane-iota-tuesday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>"It's the first time that a Category 5 Hurricane has reached our territory since records began," Colombia President Ivan Duque told reporters. "We are facing an issue with characteristics never before witnessed by our country."</p><p>At least one person died on Providencia and 90 percent of the island's infrastructure has been impacted. Both islands also lost electricity, The New York Times reported. The Colombian city of Cartagena also experienced <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>.</p><p>Iota has now weakened into a tropical storm with winds reaching 75 miles per hour, according to a 9 a.m. <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT1+shtml/171146.shtml" target="_blank">update</a> from the NHC. It is currently located about 85 miles west of Bilwi and heading further inland across northern Nicaragua today and over southern Honduras tonight.</p>
<p>The storm is still forecast to inundate the region with a dangerous amount of rain; 10 to 20 inches is projected over northern Nicaragua, Honduras, southeast and central Guatemala and southern Belize. Some places could see up to 30 inches of rain. That rain could produce life-threatening flooding, made worse by ground that is still wet from Hurricane Eta.</p><p>"Flooding and mudslides across portions of Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala could be exacerbated by Hurricane Eta's recent effects there, resulting in significant to potentially catastrophic impacts," the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIATCDAT1.shtml" target="_blank">NHC warned</a>.</p><p>Hurricane Iota is expected to dissipate over Central America in the next 48 hours.</p>
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