Why are more trees dying along the Monaro Highway near the Snowy Mountains?

Almost five years after revealing images of vast swathes of dead trees on the Monaro were first published on these pages, queries about the extent of the tree graveyard continue to fill this column's inbox.

A typical vista of dead trees in the Monaro.

The widespread form of dieback which covers an area of over 2000 square kilometres and has resulted in thousands of gum trees, mainly Ribbon Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis), is especially noticeable alongside the highway between Cooma and Jindabyne, where in some spots it appears as if every tree is dead.

Read The Canberra Times story - “Why are more trees dying along the Monaro Highway near the Snowy Mountains?”

The Energy 202: Scott Pruitt's climate message is now official EPA guidance

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt has long insisted it is difficult for scientists to precisely measure the extent to which humans cause climate change.

Chief of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt,
insists it is too difficult for scientists to precisely measure the
extent to which humans cause climate change.

Now EPA's regional staff engaging with local communities and Native American tribes have been instructed to push the same message too.

This week, EPA staffers received an email instructing them to underscore the uncertainties about how human activity contributes to climate change.

Read Dino Grandoni’s story from The Washington Post - “The Energy 202: Scott Pruitt's climate message is now official EPA guidance.”

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.”