Author: Seth Borenstein
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Phoenix scorches at 110 for 19th straight day, breaking big U.S. city records
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PHOENIX • The extreme heat scorching Phoenix set a record Tuesday, the 19th consecutive day temperatures hit at least 110 degrees in a summer of suffering echoing around much of the globe. As human-caused climate change and a newly formed El Nino combine to shatter heat records worldwide, the Phoenix region, where it reached 116…
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La Nina, which worsens hurricanes and drought, is gone
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WASHINGTON • After three nasty years, the La Nina weather phenomenon that increases Atlantic hurricane activity and worsens western drought is gone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. That’s usually good news for the United States and other parts of the world, including drought-stricken northeast Africa, scientists said. The globe is now in…
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Toxic gases connected to Ohio derailment cause concern
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EAST PALESTINE, OHIO • Days after crews released and burned toxic chemicals transported by a wrecked train in Ohio, residents remain concerned about the toxic substances that could be lingering in their evacuated neighborhoods. About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash Friday in East Palestine, according to rail operator…
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U.N. report: Climate pollution reductions ‘highly inadequate’
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GENEVA • The world, especially richer carbon polluting nations, remains “far behind” and is not doing nearly enough to reach any of the global goals limiting future warming, a United Nations report said. That “highly inadequate” inaction means the window is closing, but not quite shut yet, on efforts to keep future warming to just…
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Calm before storms? Oddly quiet Atlantic despite forecasts
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NEW ORLEANS • It’s been quiet — too quiet — this Atlantic hurricane season, meteorologists and residents of storm-prone areas whisper almost as if not to tempt fate. A record-tying inactive August is drawing to a close and no storms have formed, even though it is peak hurricane season and all experts’ preseason forecasts warned…
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Baby stars, dancing galaxies: NASA shows new cosmic views
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GREENBELT, Md. • A sparkling landscape of baby stars. A foamy blue and orange view of a dying star. Five galaxies in a cosmic dance. The splendors of the universe glowed in a new batch of images released Tuesday from NASA’s powerful new telescope. The unveiling from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope began…
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Summit: Countries pledge to cut heavily polluting coal
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GLASGOW, Scotland • In the fight to curb climate change, several major coal-using nations announced steps Thursday to wean themselves — at times slowly — off of the heavily polluting fossil fuel. The pledges to phase out coal come on top of other promises made at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the…
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U.N.: Carbon-cutting pledges by countries nowhere near enough
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UNITED NATIONS • The newest pledges by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions are falling far short of what’s needed to limit global warming to what the Paris climate accord seeks, a new United Nations report finds. So the U.N.’s climate chief is telling nations to go back and try harder. Most countries — especially…
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Earth breaks September heat record, may reach warmest year
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WASHINGTON • Earth sweltered to a record hot September last month, with U.S. climate officials saying there’s nearly a two-to-one chance that 2020 will end up as the globe’s hottest year on record. Boosted by human-caused climate change, global temperatures averaged 60.75 degrees last month, edging out 2015 and 2016 for the hottest September in…
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3 scientists win Nobel physics prize for black hole research
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STOCKHOLM • Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for establishing the all-too-weird reality of black holes — the straight-out-of-science-fiction cosmic monsters that suck up light and time and will eventually swallow us, too. Roger Penrose of Britain, Reinhard Genzel of Germany and Andrea Ghez of the United States explained to the world…