Environment – Winnipeg Free Press

FILE - Keyla Herrera entertains her eight-month-old daughter, Emma, with a movie on her cell phone next to her husband, Edgar, as they sat inside of the cooling center set up inside of Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. As of Thursday, July 18, most Houston residents finally had electricity after more than a week of widespread outages. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

Heat-related Texas deaths climb after Beryl left millions without power for days or longer

Jamie Stengle And Lekan Oyekanmi, The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 12:34 AM CDT

SPRING, Texas (AP) — As the temperature soared in the Houston-area home Janet Jarrett shared with her sister after losing electricity in Hurricane Beryl, she did everything she could to keep her 64-year-old sibling cool.

But on their fourth day without power, she awoke to hear Pamela Jarrett, who used a wheelchair and relied on a feeding tube, gasping for breath. Paramedics were called but she was pronounced dead at the hospital, with the medical examiner saying her death was caused by the heat.

“It’s so hard to know that she’s gone right now because this wasn’t supposed to happen to her,” Janet Jarrett said.

Almost two weeks after Beryl hit, heat-related deaths during the prolonged power outages have pushed the number of storm-related fatalities to at least 23 in Texas.

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Man dies after being struck by lightning on Germany’s highest peak

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Man dies after being struck by lightning on Germany’s highest peak

The Associated Press 2 minute read 4:08 AM CDT

BERLIN (AP) — A man died after being struck by lightning near the summit of Germany's highest peak, police said Monday.

The 18-year-old German resident was one of a group of three young men who took the mountain railway up the Zugspitze late Sunday afternoon and then continued to the summit, which is a climb of about 80 meters (260 feet) from a terrace used by many visitors.

Lightning struck repeatedly as the men descended from the summit and the 18-year-old suffered a fatal electric shock, police said. Recovery efforts were complicated by the ongoing storm.

The Zugspitze sits at 2,962 meters (9,718 feet) above sea level and is located in the Alps on Germany's border with Austria.

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4:08 AM CDT

FILE - Snow covers the Schneeferner glacier near the top of Germany's highest mountain 'Zugspitze' (2962 meters) near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. A man has died after being hit by lightning near the summit of Germany's highest peak, police said Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

EPA awards $4.3 billion to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

EPA awards $4.3 billion to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 8:47 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $4.3 billion in grants to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution. The money will go to 25 projects targeting greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electric power, commercial and residential buildings, industry, agriculture and waste and materials management.

The grants are paid for by the 2022 climate law approved by congressional Democrats. The law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes nearly $400 billion in spending and tax credits to accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, speeding the nation's transition away from the oil, coal and natural gas that largely cause climate change.

The latest round of grants includes $396 million to Pennsylvania to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions from cement, asphalt and other material. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in Pittsburgh on Monday to announce grant recipients in his state, a political battleground in the 2024 election, and across the nation.

Senior EPA leaders also will join Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California on Monday to announce nearly $500 million for transportation and freight decarbonization at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The grants will provide incentives for electric charging equipment, zero-emission freight vehicles and conversion of cargo handling equipment to lower emissions.

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Updated: 8:47 AM CDT

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks to employees in Washington, Thursday, June 27, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Rescuers search for dozens missing after flooding and a bridge collapse in China kill at least 25

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Rescuers search for dozens missing after flooding and a bridge collapse in China kill at least 25

The Associated Press 2 minute read 1:02 AM CDT

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers on Monday were searching for dozens missing after heavy rains caused flash flooding and a bridge collapse in different parts of China, killing at least 25 people.

Flash flooding tore through a village in southwestern Sichuan province in the middle of the night Saturday, and rescuers said 10 people died and they were searching for another 29 missing. Days of heavy rain swelled the river that runs through the village of Xinhua in Hanyuan county. The water swept away 40 houses on the riverbank, according to local media, while also breaking bridges and cutting off roads.

In northwestern Shaanxi province, vehicles fell into a rushing river when part of a highway bridge collapsed late Friday, and state broadcaster CCTV reported at least 15 deaths confirmed as of Monday. A photo released by China's Xinhua news agency showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.

Rescuers said Saturday some 20 cars and 30 people were missing.

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1:02 AM CDT

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers search for victims in the aftermath of a bridge collapse that sent vehicles and people into a river in Zhashui County in Shangluo City, northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, Sunday, July 21, 2024. Chinese authorities say several people have died and more than dozen are missing in the partial collapse of a highway bridge in the northwest of the country following heavy storms and flooding. A similar number are missing in the southwest after dozens of houses were destroyed by storms.(Zou Jingyi/Xinhua via AP)

A 7-month-old tree kangaroo peeked out of its mom’s pouch at the Bronx Zoo and here are the photos

Julie Walker And Cedar Attanasio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

A 7-month-old tree kangaroo peeked out of its mom’s pouch at the Bronx Zoo and here are the photos

Julie Walker And Cedar Attanasio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 5:54 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The second baby of a tree-dwelling kangaroo made its public debut this week in New York, poking its pink head head out of its mom's furry white pouch.

The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, was born in December and is the second born to the same mother since 2022. It also was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008.

The tree kangaroo species only gestate for about six weeks before they are born and immediately crawl into their marsupial moms' pouches, the zoo said in a statement. It takes around seven months for the young to start peeking out of the pouch.

There are only around 2,500 tree kangaroos in the wild and 42 in captivity, the zoo said. In a statement Friday, a Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals.

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Updated: 5:54 AM CDT

This photo, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, shows a Matschie's tree kangaroo joey that made its first appearance from its mother's pouch at New York's Bronx Zoo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. The joey, born at the end of December, is the second of its species born at the Bronx Zoo and to this female since 2021. (Wildlife Conservation Society/Terria Clay via AP)

Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrested in Greenland. He faces possible extradition to Japan

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrested in Greenland. He faces possible extradition to Japan

The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 7:59 AM CDT

BERLIN (AP) — Greenland police said they apprehended veteran environmental activist and anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson on an international arrest warrant issued by Japan.

Watson, a 73-year-old Canadian-American citizen, is a former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society whose direct action tactics, including high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels, have drawn support from A-list celebrities and featured in the reality television series “Whale Wars.”

He was arrested Sunday when his ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, a police statement said. He later appeared before a district court to look into a request to detain him pending a decision on his possible extradition to Japan, the statement said.

On Monday, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation said in an emailed comment the veteran environmentalist would be detained in Nuuk at least until Aug. 15, following the court’s decision, to give the Danish justice ministry time to investigate the case and possible extradition. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison in Japan, according to the foundation.

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Updated: 7:59 AM CDT

FILE - Paul Watson, then founder and President of the animal rights and environmental Sea Shepherd Conservation, attends a demonstration against the Costa Rican government near Germany's President residence during a visit of Costa Rica's president in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Greenland police said they arrested Watson on Sunday, July 21, 2024, on an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)

Climate-related extreme weather puts oil and gas assets, production at risk

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Climate-related extreme weather puts oil and gas assets, production at risk

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CDT

CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. filed a disclosure document last year laying out what would happen if extreme weather were to force a 10-day shutdown of its massive Base Plant oilsands mine in northern Alberta.

The document — which Suncor filed with CDP, a global non-profit that maintains a database on corporate environmental action and climate risk — details the financial risk to the company posed by such a scenario.

While the likelihood of extreme weather events remains "unknown," Suncor said in the document that a 10-day Base Plant shutdown could cost the company $56 million per day (more than half a billion dollars in total) in the form of lost revenue due to production losses.

When analysts talk about the oil and gas sector's exposure to climate change-related risk, they often come at it from a policy or demand forecast perspective. They look at the risk that climate change will prompt governments to impose more regulation on the fossil fuel sector, or that the energy transition will lead to a decline in demand for oil and gas.

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Yesterday at 5:00 AM CDT

The oil and gas sector, like all industries, is exposed to climate risk from events like fires and extreme weather. Trees line Suncor's oilsands operation near Fort McMurray, Alta. on Friday, Sep. 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Victor R. Caivano

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‘Not OK’: Closing only pool in Ontario town points to growing climate challenge

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CDT

CLINTON, Ont. _ Randy Marriage was a regular at his hometown's only pool when he was growing up, cooling off with friends on summer days. His grandchildren won't have the same chance.

Despite hotter summers and more intense heat waves, partly induced by man-made climate change, local authorities have decided to close the only pool in the small southern Ontario community of Clinton, citing its high refurbishing and maintenance costs.

"It is a terrible decision to close this pool,” said Marriage, 58, a lifelong Clinton resident, standing by a splash pad next to a now waterless pool.

“Our council is trying to tell us, you know, it is OK," he added. “It is not OK.”

Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

Cody Jackson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

Cody Jackson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 12:16 AM CDT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Malayan tigers and Aldabra tortoises are native to hot and humid lands, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy a frozen treat on a hot Florida summer day.

Temperatures in South Florida this month have reached the upper 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) with humidity reaching 70%, combining for “feels like” temperatures regularly exceeding 100 F (38 C).

Staff at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool. Zookeepers throw large piles of ice into the black bear enclosure for the animals to wallow in, chilling their pool to 74 F (23 C). The otters get ice blocks and frozen fish tossed into their water for playing and eating.

Tigers feast on more ingenious treats: They get frozen cow bones crammed into blocks of ice, along with a side of frozen goat milk. The big cats also like to swim.

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Yesterday at 12:16 AM CDT

A Malayan tiger named Api licks on a frozen cube of goat milk next to a cow bone in a block of ice at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The staff at the zoo use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool during the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Salt Lake City wildfire prompts mandatory evacuations uphill from Utah’s state capitol

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Salt Lake City wildfire prompts mandatory evacuations uphill from Utah’s state capitol

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:23 PM CDT

A wildfire in Salt Lake City forced people living uphill from Utah's state capitol to evacuate, and it remained uncontained Sunday as more than 100 firefighters worked to protect nearby homes.

Helicopters and airplanes were dropping buckets over the flames as ground crews tried to contain the fire on Ensign Peak. Firefighters were working to save homes about about 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) up East Capitol Boulevard, and evacuees were offered a space in the capitol complex where they could escape the heat.

“With the heat, as well as the wind direction and just the temperatures out here and the fuel moisture, it’s kind of a recipe that we could have a quickly running fire,” Division Chief Bob Silverthorne of the Salt Lake City Fire Department said at a Saturday news briefing.

The first fire crew was dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Saturday and more than six different emergency agencies joined the effort, Silverthorne said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:23 PM CDT

The Salt Lake City Fire Department, with help from other departments, prepares to battle a wildfire around Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 20, 2024. (Brice Tucker/The Deseret News via AP)

India has ramped up its wind and solar energy. It now needs to expand places to store it

Sibi Arasu, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

India has ramped up its wind and solar energy. It now needs to expand places to store it

Sibi Arasu, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:55 AM CDT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — At a Coca-Cola factory on the outskirts of Chennai in southern India a giant battery powers machinery day and night, replacing a diesel-spewing generator. It's one of just a handful of sites in India powered by electricity stored in batteries, a key component to fast-tracking India’s energy transition away from dirty fuels.

The country's lithium ion battery storage industry — which can store electricity generated by wind turbines or solar panels for when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing — makes up just 0.1% of global battery storage systems. But battery storage is growing fast, with around a third of India's total battery infrastructure coming online just this year.

“Our orders are growing exponentially,” said Ayush Misra, CEO of Amperehour Energy, the company that installed the batteries at the Chennai factory. “It’s a really exciting time to be a battery storage provider."

India currently has around 100 megawatts of storage capacity from batteries, with another 3.3 gigawatts of clean energy storage coming from hydropower. The Indian government estimates that the country will need about 74 gigawatts of energy storage from batteries, hydropower and nuclear energy by 2032, but experts think the country actually needs closer to double that amount to meet the country's energy needs.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:55 AM CDT

A worker walks in front of the 500-kilowatt battery energy storage system inside the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages factory in Thiruvallur district, on the outskirts of Chennai, India, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Lightning strikes kill cattle, start fires in Greece during heat wave

The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Jul. 20, 2024

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Lightning strikes in northern Greece killed cattle and started fires during a dayslong heat wave affecting most of southern Europe.

Several fires were reported near the city of Kozani, 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Athens following a dry thunderstorm in the area, authorities said Saturday.

Further north, near the Greek town of Florina, officials from a public agricultural insurance organization said nine cows were killed by lightning strikes at a cattle farm and several other animals were injured.

Cattle farm owner Alexandros Tsikos told The Associated Press that he found the animals dead in a grazing area next to the cattle barn.

Superstorm Sandy group eyes ballots, insurance surcharges and oil fees to fund resiliency projects

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Superstorm Sandy group eyes ballots, insurance surcharges and oil fees to fund resiliency projects

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — A 2% surcharge on property insurance policies, mandatory fees on the oil and gas industries, and holding a public referendum are ways a public-private group formed in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy recommends to pay for projects to protect New Jersey from the next big storm.

In a report released this week, Rebuild By Design, which formulates plans for disaster resilience, says New Jersey is being pummeled by climate-related disasters, costing taxpayers $7.2 billion over a decade.

It urges the state to hold a public referendum for voters to approve investments in climate-related resiliency projects. It also advocates for a surcharge on property and casualty insurance policies, as well as the creation of a “Superfund” for the resiliency projects to be paid for through mandatory charges to the oil and gas industries.

Two Democratic state lawmakers introduced a bill to do that in New Jersey earlier this month. New York passed a similar law, which is awaiting action by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and similar efforts have happened in Massachusetts, Vermont and Maryland, the group said.

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Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

FILE - Peter Green surveys the wreckage of an oceanfront home in Bay Head N.J. on Oct. 31, 2012, two days after Superstorm Sandy hit. A public-private group formed after Sandy, Rebuild By Design, is recommending New Jersey adopt three permanent sources of money for climate resiliency projects, including a public referendum, a 2% surcharge on property insurance policies, and mandatory payments from the oil and gas industries. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)

Heavy rain collapses part of ancient Michigan cave where ‘The Great Train Robbery’ was filmed

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. (AP) — Part of an ancient Michigan cave where “The Great Train Robbery” was filmed has collapsed under heavy rain.

A wall of Bear Cave in Buchanan collapsed this week, Adam Morris, the property manager at a campground that operates near the cave, told MLive.com. The wall collapsed at night and was already closed to the public due to flooding, Morris said. He didn't clarify what night the collapse happened.

The cave will remain closed pending an inspection, Morris said. It was unclear how soon the inspection might take place.

Storms on July 9, 10 and 15 dumped up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain across Berrien County. Michigan's average July rainfall is between 3 inches (8 centimeters) and 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service.

A man kills a grizzly bear in Montana after it attacks while he is picking berries

Mead Gruver And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

A man kills a grizzly bear in Montana after it attacks while he is picking berries

Mead Gruver And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A 72-year-old man picking huckleberries in Montana shot and killed a grizzly bear after it attacked in a surprise encounter and injured him badly enough that he had to be hospitalized, authorities said Friday.

The man was alone on national forest land when the adult female charged him Thursday. He suffered significant injuries before killing the bear with a handgun, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials said.

The bear was likely reacting defensively to protect cubs, agency spokesperson Dillon Tabish said.

Wildlife workers set out game cameras in the area to try to confirm the presence of any cubs. If cubs are found, it's uncertain if they would be captured because it is difficult to find facilities qualified to take them, he said.

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Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

FILE - U.S. Highway 89 is shown near Gardiner, Mo., on July 15, 2020. A a grizzly bear was shot and killed by wildlife officials in the area after the animal became accustomed to seeking out food from people and had broken into houses. A second grizzly was also shot and killed Thursday, July 18, 2024, in northwestern Montana, by a 72-year-old man who was attacked by the bruin while picking huckleberries and had to hospitalized. (Brett French/Billings Gazette via AP)

B.C. brings in more restrictions to limit spread of chronic wasting in deer, elk

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

B.C. brings in more restrictions to limit spread of chronic wasting in deer, elk

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

VICTORIA - The B.C. government is taking further steps to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer, moose and caribou, including removing urban deer from Cranbrook and Kimberley.

A statement from the government says updated hunting regulations will see mandatory testing for the disease in deer, elk and moose in certain zones in the Kootenay region.

Two deer in the Kootenay region were confirmed with the disease in January, but testing since then on roadkill and a targeted hunt of 50 deer has turned up no other positive cases.

The statement says the findings suggest that the illness was detected early and is affecting a small portion of the population, but without active management it would continue to spread, devastating cervid populations.

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