Ecuador declares 60-day state of emergency to help battle wildfires | Climate News

Ecuador declares 60-day state of emergency to help battle wildfires | Climate News

State of emergency to allow government to send more money, people to help bring blazes under control, minister says. Ecuador has declared a 60-day state of emergency as the South American country has been hit by a severe drought and record wildfires that have razed large swaths of territory over…

Heat-related deaths and diseases rising due to climate change, experts warn | Climate Crisis News

Heat-related deaths and diseases rising due to climate change, experts warn | Climate Crisis News

Climate change is raising temperatures to dangerous levels, causing more deaths and the spread of infectious diseases, while worsening drought and food security, a new report by health experts has warned. In 2023 – the hottest year on record – the average person experienced 50 more days of dangerous temperatures…

Water levels in major Amazon tributary tumble to record lows amid drought | Drought News

Water levels in major Amazon tributary tumble to record lows amid drought | Drought News

It’s one of the largest rivers in the world. And its water levels have fallen to a record low. Amid drought and wildfires, the Rio Negro plummeted to a depth of 12.66 metres (41.5 feet) on Friday, according to the Geological Service of Brazil, a government agency. That’s the shallowest…

Firefighters battle wildfires choking Brazilian capital | Drought News

Firefighters battle wildfires choking Brazilian capital | Drought News

Firefighters have been battling wildfires spreading through a national park in Brazil and choking the capital, Brasilia, in smoke. More than 490 firefighters on Monday were trying to extinguish blazes that have already burned through 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of the Brasilia National Park conservation area. It’s just the latest…

Why is Namibia culling elephants and hippos for meat? | Wildlife News

Why is Namibia culling elephants and hippos for meat? | Wildlife News

More than 700 wild animals, including hippos and elephants, are being culled in Namibia’s game parks to provide meat for the country’s hungry, the government has said, as the arid Southern African region battles its worst drought in 100 years. A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the…

Nearly 68 million people reeling from drought in Southern Africa: Official | Climate Crisis News

Nearly 68 million people reeling from drought in Southern Africa: Official | Climate Crisis News

Head of regional bloc SADC says 17 percent of people across region in need of aid amid climate change-fuelled drought. Tens of millions of people in Southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought, a regional bloc has warned, with a drop in crop and livestock production…

Zambia declares national disaster after drought devastates agriculture | Climate Crisis News

Zambia declares national disaster after drought devastates agriculture | Climate Crisis News

Drought crisis brought on by El Nino and climate change will affect more than a million households, President Hakainde Hichilema says. Zambia has declared the drought the country is currently going through a national disaster, with President Hakainde Hichilema saying the lack of rain has devastated the agricultural sector, affecting…

Natural disasters that plagued the world in 2023 | Climate Crisis

Natural disasters that plagued the world in 2023 | Climate Crisis

Natural calamities and harsh weather dominated news headlines in 2023. Seismic tremors, massive floods, raging wildfires, unrelenting droughts, landslides, cyclones and storms hit around the world, killing and displacing tens of thousands of people. The most destructive event of the year was a twin earthquake with magnitudes of 7.8 and…

’Everything is dead’: How record drought is wreaking havoc on the Amazon | Drought News

’Everything is dead’: How record drought is wreaking havoc on the Amazon | Drought News

Curralinho, Brazil – For communities on the Brazilian island of Marajó, the ebb and flow of the Canaticu River marks the turn of the seasons. During the rainy months, the river is several metres deep, lapping below the wooden houses that rise from its shores on stilts. Residents rely on…