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[oioioi]

Farmer protests spread across the globe

A wave of agricultural protest has swept Europe and the wider world, as a host of issues conspire to pit farmers against national politics.

Farmer-led protests in Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland have sprung up in the wake of action by Dutch farmers, who were first to take to the streets to complain about the impact of new emissions rules.



The initial anger from Dutch farmers arose from fears that they would have to downscale or stop their business to meet reduction targets for the nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions produced by their livestock. While the Dutch government has announced large investments in farm housing and technology, they will also have the option to force farmers to sell their land in case enough volunteers for the technology shift are not found.

Further afield, in the Imphal West district in India there were protests at the non-availability of fertilisers. Reports from local newspapers said farmers across the state were facing short supply of fertiliser for the on-going paddy crop season even as the state government, particularly the agriculture minister, claimed that there was no dearth of urea in the government warehouse.

https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/20278342.farmer-protests-spread-across-globe/

https://democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1127


Wildfires ravage France and Spain as heat wave sweeps Europe

Fires in southwestern France have displaced around 14,000 people, while Spain's National Defense Department said it has deployed "the majority" of its fire-fighting aircraft to combat more than 30 forest fires across the country. In Portugal, the pilot of a firefighting plane died in a crash on Friday.

Major wildfires are also raging in Hungary, Croatia, and Crete.

Even where Europe's not burning, it's still sweltering. Water levels in Italy's Po River have hit a record low, and multiple municipalities in the country's northern Piedmont region are imposing 500-euro fines on anyone caught using water to wash their cars or water their gardens.

Between July 5 and July 9, Spain recorded 25 deaths due to high temperatures. That number soared to 237 for the 5-day period between July 10 and July 14. In Portugal, one person died from the heat every 40 minutes between July 7 and July 13.

https://news.yahoo.com/wildfires-ravage-france-spain-heat-182835276.html


Farmers watch crops wither amid Italy’s worst drought in 70 years

Last week, the boot-shaped peninsula declared a state of emergency in five of its normally lush northern regions, with Italy’s farmers’ confederation Coldiretti estimating three billion euro ($3bn) worth of damage to agriculture.

Italy’s agriculture ministry warned the country’s parliament on Wednesday that a third of the national agricultural output was at risk, adding that the situation would get worse in years to come.

The crisis, which Prime Minister Mario Draghi said was “undoubtedly” linked to climate change, came amid rising grain prices linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Climate change has also threatened the hydropower system, adding to Italy’s energy woes as it disinvested from the Russian gas and exacerbating tensions around the use of the scarce resource.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/farmers-watch-crops-wither-amid-italys-worst-drought-in-70-years/ar-AAZzQF3


Several Moroccan regions reel under forest fires

Scientists say the climate-change induced phenomenon is likely to intensify in its frequency and duration in the future.

Hundreds of Moroccan firefighters battled late Thursday, July 15, to put out at least four infernos ripping through forests in the north of the kingdom, officials said. The North African nation, which is struggling under intense droughts, has in recent days been hit by soaring temperatures approaching 45°C (113°F).

Since Wednesday night, at least 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of forest have burned in Larache and Ouezzane, according to initial reports, leaving burnt trees smoldering under a sky blanketed by plumes of smoke.



Shocked by how fast the flames were spreading, residents fled their homes, with some families herding their cattle and horses – upon which their livelihoods depend – ahead of them. "I was with my family, and at one point, we heard people shouting, 'Fire! Fire!'" said Samir Boundad, from Larache. A village in the Ksar El Kebir region was destroyed by the flames.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2022/07/15/several-moroccan-regions-reel-under-forest-fires_5990251_114.html


Alice Springs freezes through longest streak of sub-zero days on record

The centre of Australia is known for scorching hot summers and year-round blue skies but lately, locals have been rugged up as the region experiences its coldest winter in years.

The temperature in Alice Springs has dropped below zero degrees Celsius for 12 consecutive mornings.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-14/alice-springs-record-breaking-winter-below-zero-bom/101237700


Extreme weather creates chaos across Pakistan, a country ill-prepared and underfunded to cope with climate change

After facing temperatures which repeatedly neared 50 degrees earlier this year, the southwestern province of Balochistan is now battling flooding that has left 63 people dead in less than a month. Across Pakistan almost 150 people have died in monsoon rainfall that is 87 per cent heavier than what the country usually experiences, according to its Ministry for Climate Change.



The South Asian state is one of the most vulnerable to climate change and a study completed in May by international scientists found that the extreme heat that swept across Pakistan in March this year was made 30 times more likely because of human-induced climate change.

Rising temperatures have disrupted monsoon cycles and increased the rate at which Pakistan’s 7,000-odd glaciers are melting. These developments have contributed to this year’s intense rainfall and flooding that has swept away lives and infrastructure across the country.

With flooding and extreme heat now regularly destroying livelihoods, many rural dwellers in Pakistan have been left with few options but to migrate to cities that are ill-equipped to deal with their rapidly expanding urban population. But despite these now frequent bouts of destruction, there is little focus on climate change and its causes among Pakistan’s political parties and Urdu language media.

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/asia-pacific/2022/07/17/extreme-weather-creates-chaos-across-pakistan-a-country-ill-prepared-and-underfunded-to-cope-with-climate-change/


Mexico declares drought emergency

Authorities in parts of Mexico, including the northern industrial powerhouse of Monterrey, have been forced to ration water use due to depleted reservoirs.

A heat wave and dearth of rain means that households in Monterrey have had running water for only a few hours a day for several weeks.

In some hillside neighborhoods, it has been more than 50 days since residents last saw a drop from their faucets.

In the northwestern state of Baja California, a lack of water supplies has sparked protests in some towns.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/mexico-declares-drought-emergency/ar-AAZxmVs

https://democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1127

[JudyM]

1. Excellent post. Thanks for pulling this all together for the broad perspective.

[Duppers]

2. K & R & R & R!

For the most IMPORTANT ISSUE of our times: GLOBAL WARNING.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. Imbalances will be corrected. Decide how much correction you can stand.