As the Amazon Burns, Europe Seizes Title of Climate Champion

PARIS — As the Amazon burned and the world faced an ecological disaster, President Emmanuel Macron of France bluntly criticized Brazil’s leader this week and threatened to kill a major trade deal between Europe and Brazil.

Under increasing international pressure to contain
fires sweeping parts of the Amazon, President Jair
Bolsonaro of Brazil on Friday authorized use of the
 military to battle the massive blazes.

President Trump, on the other hand, posted a tweet only Friday evening, saying that the United States was ready to help contain the fires, but adding that “future trade prospects” between the United States and Brazil “are very exciting.”

The contrast highlighted the gap in leadership on issues affecting the global climate. As the Trump administration denies established climate science and has abandoned an international accord intended to fight global warming, European leaders have energetically stepped in to take up the mantle of leadership.

Read the story from The New York Times by Norimitsu Onishi - “As the Amazon Burns, Europe Seizes Title of Climate Champion."

Ecological disaster unfolds in arid California as millions of trees die

 

(Human behaviour is beyond question the root cause of this 'ecological disaster' in California and the solution rests, equally, with human behaviour, but as history suggests we will have neither the courage or intent to implement the social and political decisions such action demands - Robert McLean)

Dead trees along mountain road
 in the Sierra Nevada ranges.

The number of dead trees in California's drought-stricken forests has risen dramatically to more than 102 million in what officials described as an unparalleled ecological disaster that heightens the danger of massive wildfires and damaging erosion.

Officials said they were alarmed by the increase in the number of dead trees, which they estimated to have risen by 36 million since the government's last aerial survey in May. The US Forest Service, which performs such surveys of forest land, says that 62 million trees have died this year alone.

"The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history," said Randy Moore, forester for the region of the US Forest Service that includes California. Trees are dying "at a rate much quicker than we thought".

Scientists say five years of drought are to blame for much of the destruction. The lack of rain has put California's trees under considerable stress, making them more susceptible to the organisms that can kill them, such as bark beetles.

Read Matt Stevens’ story in today Melbourne Age - “Ecological disaster unfolds in arid California as millions of trees die.”