Everything, when it comes to climate, is connected

Wildfires (bushfires here in Australia) have been
costly, both in terms of  lives and property.

When it comes to our climate, everything is connected. And there has never been a year, and most especially a summer, that has so prominently and destructively showcased this.

Right now, wildfires are blazing across the drought-stricken western United States, overpowering firefighters in California. Earlier this summer, the already scorching Middle East saw all-time record heat. Meanwhile, from huge swaths of China to at least four states in the U.S., devastating flooding has inundated homes and uprooted lives.

And we still haven’t arrived at the peak of hurricane season.

The extreme weather events we’ve seen — and are still living through — around the world collectively bear the fingerprints of human-caused global warming. So, too, does the bevy of monthly heat records that have fallen so frequently that the news stories announcing them almost write themselves.

Read Andrew Freedman’s story on Mashable - “Cruel Summer: Floods, fires and heat.”

Aerial pictures illustrate extent of Mississippi River flooding

New aerial photography by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Monday are providing a glimpse of the extent and severity of last week's devastating flooding along hundreds of miles of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Along those rivers, thousands of Americans rang in the New Year with their homes and businesses underwater after three days of unusual winter rainstorms sent the rivers over their banks.

Read the Inside Climate News story - “New Aerial Photographs Show Midwest Flooding Devastation.”