Dutch Begin Preparing for Rising Seas

The Dutch have always been a little bit ahead of the curve, so it’s no surprise to learn that they’re not just sitting on their hands waiting for global warming to cause the seas to rise up around them. They’re being proactive to ensure that the Netherlands, which is well below sea level, survives the coming challenges.

As glaciers in Switzerland melt, the water level of the Rhine will rise, necessitating a long-term solution to keeping water out of the city. Dutch people remember all too well the great flood of 1953, which killed over 1800 people and wiped too villages off the map, and they don’t want a repeat performance.

From Reuters:

Some 70 percent of the country’s economic output is generated below sea level, protected by a complex-system of ancient dikes and modern cement barriers that hold back water from the sea and the multitude of rivers that weave through the country.

Now, with scientists’ predicting that sea levels will rise by about one meter (3.3 feet) this century, the Dutch are reversing centuries of tradition to create natural flood plains for rivers as well as rebuild mangrove swamps as buffers against the sea.

“We’ve been adapting for 1,000 years. That’s nothing new. It’s just that climate change is going faster than it was before,” said Lennart Silvis, the operational manager of the public-private Netherlands Water Partnership.

Instead of raising dikes, the Dutch want to reclaim land and build public recreation areas that can absorb storm surges.

Plans in the works include developing floating housing that rises and falls with the water level. And, even if there were to be dangerous flooding, these people are prepared – children start a five-year course of swimming lessons at the age of four, which requires a test that includes swimming 100 meters while fully dressed in heavy winter clothing.

If you’re going to live in a vulnerable area, it’s important to accept reality and not just wait until a crisis happens. Communities around the world could definitely learn a thing or two from the Dutch.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user Daveness_98

Climate Change Causes 300,000 Deaths a Year, Controversial Study Claims

300,000 people across the world die every year as a result of global warming, according to a new report by the Global Humanitarian Forum. Human-influenced climate change is elevating the global death rates from illnesses including malaria, malnutrition and heat-related ailments, mostly by worsening flooding and droughts.

The report said that the lives of 325 million people were being seriously affected by global warming and that the number will double by 2030. It also stated that global warming is causing $125 billion in economic losses each year.

The report has met with criticism from some who question the methods used and say the conclusions are oversimplified.

From The New York Times:

Roger A. Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the forum’s report was “a methodological embarrassment” because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable regions. Dr. Pielke said that “climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost attention.” But the report, he said, “will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed.”

However, Soren Peter Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. The report appeared aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.

While the numbers may be rough, the message is important. Climate change is already impacting millions of people across the world, and it’s going to get worse. There’s no time to waste.

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: FootprintFriends.com

Australia Wildfires Spurred Partially by Global Warming

The wildfires that have devastated a large swath of southeastern Australia were caused by arson, and spurred on – at least in part – by global warming, which has caused excessive drought and heat in the region. The wildfires are the worst in the nation’s history and have killed at least 135 people as of Monday morning.

From The Daily Green:

The wildfires have struck a region suffering through the Big Dry, a multi-year period marked by drought and heat waves that has led many Australians to a new and immediate understanding of climate change. Even before the wildfires hit this summer (it’s the height of the Southern Hemisphere summer, but the Northern Hemisphere winter has produced its own signs of global warming in the Arctic) several people had died as temperatures in and around Adelaide topped 114 degrees (F).

The NASA map below shows the land surface temperature anomaly across Australia between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, 2009. The darkest reds and the darkest blues show a 10-degree (C) differential from normal (white).

It’s a pretty dangerous recipe: dried-out landscapes and trees weakened by insect infestations easily go up in flames with the slightest spark. If it hadn’t been caused by arson this time, it may have happened accidentally at some other point with just a tiny spark from lightning or electrical equipment. This area of Australia is already prone to wildfires – having suffered several major ones in the past century – and global warming will only continue to make it worse.

All nations that contribute significantly to global warming bear a little bit of the blame (though of course, the arsonists are ultimately responsible for what happened in this specific instance). Unfortunately, we are looking at disasters like this happening more frequently as the effects of global warming continue to proliferate around the globe.

Link [The Daily Green]
Photo credit: Andrew Brownbill/EPA

Unusual Cluster of Earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park has been experiencing an unusual string of earthquakes lasting three days in a row, from Saturday to Monday. Although such clusters of earthquakes are fairly common in the area due to Yellowstone’s 10,000 geysers and hot springs, scientists say the recent quakes are far more intense than usual.

From LiveScience:

The largest of the earthquakes was a magnitude 3.9 at 10:15 pm MST on Dec. 27, a day after the swarm began. The sequence has included nine events of magnitude 3 to 3.9 and approximately 24 of magnitude 2 to 3 at the time of this release. A total of more than 250 events large enough to be located have occurred in this swarm.

“Scientists cannot identify any causative fault or other feature without further analysis,” according to the statement.

Most of these temblors would not be felt by humans. Earthquakes generally have to exceed magnitude 4.0 to cause light damage.

Scientists wonder if the shaking might presage a larger event. This month’s swarm is the most intense in this area for some years, scientists said. It is centered on the east side of the Yellowstone caldera, a giant basin created in a colossal eruption some 620,000 years ago.

Researchers have been predicting for decades that the Yellowstone super volcano will eventually erupt once more, blanketing more than half the country with up to three feet of ash. Yellowstone remains very geologically active, and though it is being monitored, those same researchers say there isn’t any evidence that an eruption is imminent.

If it were to blow, humanity might not survive. Geologists say an eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano would dwarf those of Mount St. Helens, Krakatoa and others that have occurred during the last few dozen millenia. Due to the effects on global climate, agriculture would be devastated and many people would starve.

It’s just another uneasy reminder of how fragile our place in the world really is.

Link [LiveScience]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

After Hurricane Ike, Receding Floodwaters Leave Toxic Mix

Hurricane Ike may be long gone from Galveston, Texas, but for the residents who live there, the storm’s effects are far from over. One of the worst side effects of hurricanes is the toxic sludge left behind as floodwaters recede.  The mix is full of human waste, asbestos, lead, gasoline, bacteria and other substances and organisms that pose serious health and environmental risks.  Mosquitoes breed in the stagnant water, and as the water dries the sludge turns to dust that can cause respiratory issues.

The New York Times reported some of the issues Galveston and other areas affected by Hurricane Ike are currently facing:

Homes must be inspected for structural damage and for leaks before natural gas service can be restored.  And before debris can be hauled away, hazardous material has to be separated from what can be sent to recycling centers, burned or chipped into mulch.

“At 60,000-feet altitude, the damage just looks like a lot of debris,” said Steve LeBlanc, the city manager. “Just clean it up. Flip a switch. And we can be back online. It’s a whole lot more complicated than that.”

Total damages to the island are estimated to be more than $10 billion, city officials said.

Officials said that they did not expect electricity and natural gas to be restored on the entire island for at least a month and that it might take more than a year to remove all the debris. Water should be running within the next couple of weeks, they said.

A hurricane and its aftermath is, of course, an environmental disaster.  Animals are killed and displaced and plants are ripped from the ground.  Debris from ruined structures ends up in landfills.  Large swaths of land are sprayed with pesticide to kill mosquito larvae, and toxic substances in the floodwater make their way into the drinking water supply.  The desire to get things back in order as quickly as possible can lead to the improper disposal of toxic chemicals.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be taking samples of the sludge and floodwaters this week, and testing them for contaminants.  The EPA generally sends out HazMat teams to areas affected by flooding to properly clean up toxic waste.  It’s scary to think of what might be lurking in that water, and whether the methods the EPA uses are actually good enough.  Seems like residents would be better off waiting a while before returning to their homes.

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Mother Nature Smackdown: 9 Natural Disasters Throughout the Ages

When it comes down to it, we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. Natural disasters will always occur, no matter what we do, though our careless treatment of the planet can make them more frequent and severe. As modern civilization marches on, belching chemicals into the air, tearing up forests and rapidly changing ecosystems, the earth will occasionally flex to show us the raw power that it’s capable of. It’s just another reminder that though the earth will go on, we as humans may not.

As we’ve seen throughout history, nature can throw some pretty crazy disasters at us, from droughts and floods to hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Here are 9 of the most dramatic natural disasters through the ages.

AD 79 – The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Mount Vesuvius, located on the southwestern coast of Italy near Naples, gifted the surrounding area with extremely fertile soil that attracted a large population who lived off its renowned agricultural bounty. During the first century, Pompeii was just one of a number of cities that flourished in the area, including nearby Herculaneum. A series of small earthquakes that began on August 20, 79 should have been a warning, but people in the area were used to frequent tremors, which were common in that area of Italy.

On the afternoon of August 24th, the eruption started, and soon devastated the entire region, burying Pompeii and other cities. The people who weren’t able to get out in time were burned or asphyxiated. The death toll is unknown, but about 1,150 remains of bodies have been found in and around Pompeii, and 350 in Herculaneum. Neither city was ever rebuilt, and they were forgotten until their accidental recovery in the 18th century. Vesuvius, which has erupted many times since then and is still active, is now a national park.

1200-1202 – The Nile Drought and Famine

Image via Flickr user Nasser Nouri

Inhabitants of the fertile Nile River valley in Egypt depended upon annual flooding brought on by heavy rains to replenish farm fields and irrigate crops. In the year 1200, about two months before the floods were expected, Egyptians noticed a foul smell and green tint to the Nile, caused by insufficient rain at the Nile’s source.

It didn’t take long before the lack of rain and floods caused widespread famine. Chroniclers maintain that the lack of food got so bad, the population turned to cannibalism. People began eating their dogs, and then moved on to fresh corpses. Over time, young children began to vanish, and grotesque accounts by eyewitnesses claim to have seen cauldrons with children’s heads floating in them. Then, people reportedly got really desperate and started killing and eating each other. One inheritance was reportedly passed on to 40 heirs in one month.

When the Nile failed to rise again the following year, the devastation was on a smaller scale due to the simple fact that the population was so dramatically reduced.

1815 – The Eruptions of Mount Tambora

Image via Nature.com

Though the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa is more renowned, the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in 1815 had more far-reaching, dramatic consequences. It led to incredibly strange weather patterns that crossed the globe, including what has been called ‘The Year Without a Summer’.

A series of eruptions of Mount Tambora between April 5th and 15th in 1815 seems to have caused a volcanic winter, during which severe summer climate abnormalities destroyed crops throughout Northern Europe, the American Northeast and eastern Canada. In May of 1816, a frost killed off most of the crops that had been planted, and large snowstorms blanketed the eastern Canadian and New England countryside. Lake and river ice were reported as far south as Pennsylvania in July and August. A widespread famine resulted from the strange temperatures. Hungary saw brown snow, while the flakes falling in Italy were red. Unusually severe storms, abnormal rainfall and floods were also attributed to the eruptions.

The Mount Tambora eruption was the biggest in 1,600 years, and ejected enormous amounts of volcanic ash into the atmosphere.

1888 – The Great Blizzard

Image via Wikimedia Commons

In the year 1888, America experienced a snow storm like no other. Referred to as The Great White Hurricane, the blizzard that devastated much of the Northeastern United States seemed to come out of nowhere – temperatures had previously been unseasonably mild. Heavy rains rapidly turned to snow as temperatures fell dramatically. The snowstorm started on March 12th and lasted a day and a half, dumping nearly 50 inches of snow on Connecticut and Massachusetts, while New Jersey and New York saw 40 inches. Drifts up to 40 feet were reported.

Despite the severity of the situation, many people still tried to get to work for fear of losing their jobs. On their way home, 30 of them in New York alone froze to death on their way home after finding that the electricity was out. The resulting transportation crisis led in part to the creation of the New York City subway system.

1921-1922 – The Soviet Union Drought and Famine

Image via Wikimedia Commons

A drought in the Soviet Union in 1921, combined with disruption of agricultural production due to war, caused massive crop failures, with 20 percent of Soviet farmland seeing total crop destruction. The rules at the time, the Bolsheviks, ignored the famine and failed to react to the natural disaster. Lenin reportedly ordered food purchases from other countries, but had them delivered only to politically important cities, while peasants died in huge numbers.

But, even if the government had reacted to the best of their abilities, it’s unlikely that they could have stopped the deaths in such a large population. The famine had devastating consequences: it killed an estimated 5 million people.

1931 – The Great Flood of China

Image via Nature.com

In 1931 came the greatest natural disaster of the 20th century: the China floods. Up to 4 million are estimated to have been killed. In the period before the floods began, the country was in the grips of a severe drought, so when the snowstorms began in the winter months of late 1930, people were grateful. However, a quick spring thaw turned all of that snowfall into water very rapidly, and heavy rains raised the water levels even higher. The rains continued into the summer, when the country was also hit by 7 cyclones in July alone.

The majority of China’s rivers flooded including The Yellow River, the Yangtze and the Huai. The Yangtze river basin is one of the most populated places on earth, and the rising waters drove 500,000 people from their homes in that area by the beginning of August. Many of those who died were victims of starvation and waterborne disease after the flood waters receded.

1993 – The Great American Flood

Image via Wikimedia Commons

In 1993, the Mississippi and Missouri rivers overtook their boundaries in response to unusually heavy precipitation. Storms battered the Midwest with inch after inch of rainfall, swelling the rivers to the point of no return. This Midwestern flood was among the most costly and devastating natural disasters ever to hit America, and caused $15 billion in damages. The flooded area totaled 30,000 square miles, displaced thousands of people and caused catastrophic crop damage.

It surpassed the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, which was at the time the largest flood ever recorded on the Mississippi. 1,000 levees failed. Some locations along the Mississippi remained flooded for nearly 200 days. The towns of Valmeyer, Illinois and Rhineland, Missouri were subsequently relocated to higher ground.

2004 – The Earthquake and Tsunami in the Indian Ocean

Image via Wikimedia Commons

On December 26th, 2004, an earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean, shaking the ground violently and spurring giant waves that are said to have traveled across the ocean at the speed of a jet airliner. The earthquake – estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs – instigated the tsunami that went on to kill over 150,000 people. Millions were suddenly homeless in 11 countries as the giant waves overtook communities. Property was demolished from Thailand to Africa. The 2004 tsunami is thought to have been the most dangerous in history.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake had been caused by the shifting of a portion of the Earth’s crust known as the India plate under the section called the Burma plate. The rupture has been estimated at 600 miles long.

2005 – Hurricane Katrina

Image via Wikimedia Commons

After crossing Southern Florida as a mild Category 1 hurricane, Katrina regained strength in the Gulf of Mexico and slammed into southeastern Louisiana on Monday, August 29th, 2005 as a Category 3. Severe destruction was left in its wake, with the worst effects felt in New Orleans, which flooded catastrophically after the levees failed. 80% of the city became flooded, buildings were destroyed and a failure on the part of the U.S. government to properly respond left thousands of people stranded and starving. The coasts of Mississippi and Alabama were also greatly affected.

An estimated 1,836 people lost their lives from the hurricane and floods, and 705 remain categorized as missing. That makes Katrina the second-deadliest hurricane in terms of lives lost (the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane was the deadliest). The total damage from the storm totaled an estimated $81.2 billion.

Giant Turtle Airships: The Future of Aviation?

An ambitious company has created the plans for a humanitarian aid aircraft shaped like a giant turtle that would run on renewable energy and have the ability to land and take off straight up and down like a helicopter. The company hopes to use it for aid and rescue missions. We sure could have used something like this during the recent Midwest floods, the earthquakes in China, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami and countless other natural disasters.

From Environmental Graffiti:

Powered by solar panels during the day and bio-diesel at night, the airship is an intriguing concept. It cruises at speeds comparable to some airplanes and can take off and land straight up and down like a helicopter. It can even to take on water ballast and act like a boat, enabling it to land just about anywhere – deserts, mountain lakes, swamps or the middle of the ocean – and the first prototype will make its maiden flight in 2009.

The plan is to use the airships to carry humanitarian relief to disaster victims around the world, where they can function as flying hospitals complete with emergency surgery rooms and medical equipment. The craft can also carry large amounts of supplies such as food, water purification systems and medicine, as well as doctors, nurses and search and rescue personnel. There’s more in the press release about the company’s investment plans ($200 million by 2012) and expected initial public offering ($3 billion in 2015), including dashed plans for deployment by the US Department of Defense as military transport.

It hardly looks like it could be real, but, this is an exciting time to be alive – green technology is advancing quickly and I think we’re going to be seeing some really amazing things in the next couple of decades.

Link [Environmental Graffiti]

Iowans Left Swimming in Toxic Floodwaters

As the Mississippi River continues to flood towns along its banks, residents of Iowa are trying to put their lives back together. The water level in many Iowa towns reached the roofs of homes. As the water has receded, it’s left broken gas lines, sink holes, structural problems, and untold amounts of chemicals from nearby farms and factories in its wake. Residents watch as propane tanks, 55-gallon drums labeled ‘corrosive’, wooden fences, railroad ties and dead animals float by.

From CBS News:

Where floodwaters remained, they were a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel. Bob Lanz used a 22-foot aluminum flatboat to navigate through downtown Oakville, where the water reeked of pig feces and diesel fuel.

“You can hardly stand it,” Lanz said as he surveyed what remained of his family’s hog farm. “It’s strong.”

LeRoy Lippert, chairman of emergency management and homeland security in nearby Des Moines County, warned people to avoid the floodwaters: “If you drink this water and live, tell me about it. You have no idea. It is very, very wise to stay out of it. It’s as dangerous as anything.”

All areas of the midwest that were affected by flooding are now facing a major clean-up effort. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the city has reopened a once-closed landfill to handle flood-damaged goods. The EPA is coordinating a hazardous materials response to retrieve hazardous containers and drums, respond to oil and chemical leaks, collect flood-damaged hazardous household waste and sample the air and water.

Link [Boston.com] + [CBS News]
Photo credit: David Greedy/Getty Images
Note: No AP photos have been used in this post, because we think the AP sucks.

Tornado Hits University’s Nuclear Reactor in Kansas

This could have gone really, really badly. A tornado hit a nuclear research reactor on the Kansas State University campus last week. Though the tornado flattened other buildings on the campus, including the Wind Erosion Laboratory, the reactor was untouched. Luckily, someone had the forethought to shut the thing down properly earlier in the day.

From Reuters:

The tornado caused extensive damage to the building, but no damage to the reactor, which had been shut down properly earlier in the day, the university said.

The reactor is located in Manhattan in Riley County, about 120 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri.

Because of the event, the university declared an alert, which is the second lowest of the NRC’s four emergency classifications.

There are more than 30 operating research and test reactors in the United States, according to the NRC’s website.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user Chimothy27