Independent Online News
Several US states want to criminalise atmospheric experiments, which could prevent meteorological studies
Conspiracy theories about weather manipulation go back centuries and are more dangerous than you might think.
In the ninth century, St Agobard of Lyon wrote a treatise called On Hail and Thunder attacking the popular superstition that storm-raisers could call up tempests at will.… Read the rest
Faye Hulton (Metdesk)
More than 200mm of rain fell in 24 hours, destroying 900 homes and leaving 40,000 people without power
Cyclone Jude was the third cyclone to hit Mozambique this season. First spotted as a depression last Friday to the south-west of the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, it intensified over the next few days to a moderate tropical storm, affecting northern Madagascar on Saturday and killing at least one person.… Read the rest
The world’s largest biodiversity summit, known as COP16, concluded this weekend in Colombia, with several landmark decisions, including first ever agreements on nature’s genetic data and on recognising people of Africa descent and Indigenous Peoples as key stewards in conservation efforts.… Read the rest
The UN chief on Thursday issued an urgent call to action to better protect billions around the world exposed to crippling effects of extreme heat, as global temperature rise continues unabated.
The appeal comes against the backdrop of record temperatures and deadly heatwaves – from the United States to Africa’s Sahel and Europe to the Middle East – that have killed several hundred people this summer.… Read the rest
Gabrielle Canon in Oakland and Dani Anguiano in Chico, California
Millions of Americans are sweltering as experts warn early heat could herald next record-smashing summer
With the official start of summer still weeks away, a record-setting heatwave is cooking the south-western US, causing dangerous conditions far earlier than normal.… Read the rest