In August this year, Maricopa county, which encompasses Phoenix, recorded 1,000 Covid-19 deaths. That same month, the county was investigating more than 260 heat-related deaths. This summer, temperatures here stayed above 90F (32C), even at night, for 28 days straight, with the scorching weather in July and August breaking records. It was so hot and dry that towering saguaro cactuses that dot the landscape began to topple over and die. At the same time, wildfires across the western US this year cast a foreboding orange glow over the region and clouded Phoenix communities, already breathing some of the highest concentrations of toxic pollution in the nation, with even more smoke. Asked to choose between a Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who recognizes global heating as an emergency, and a Republican, Donald Trump, who has called it a “hoax”, a growing number of voters in the Valley of the Sun say they are seeking leadership that will address climate and help their desert home survive an increasingly precarious future.
Guardian 1st Nov 2020 read more »
A message to Scotland from Malawi ahead of COP26. I’m told that in Scotland it rains a lot. Here in Malawi, where I’m from, we can spend long, hard months praying for rain that never comes. When it does, the consequences can be devastating, as we discovered to our peril 18 months ago when Malawi was devastated by flooding associated with Cyclone Idai.
Scotsman 1st Nov 2020 read more »