Climate Threat

Global Challenges
Climate Crisis Makes Earth Spin Slower

Human-caused climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation in a way that is unprecedented in the last 3.6 million years, a new study shows according to Euronews.

Previous research has established that the day is getting longer when meltwater from polar ice caps and glaciers moves from the poles towards the equator, causing the Earth to spin slower.

- What was unclear was whether there had been previous periods when the climate had lengthened the day at the same rate, says Mostafa Kiani Shahvandi at the University of Vienna.

From 2000 to 2020, the day got longer at a rate equivalent to 1.33 milliseconds per century. This has not happened in the last 3.6 million years, and is mainly due to human influence, according to the study.
 

Extreme Weather in Africa
Massive Rains Claim Victims in Kenya and Ethiopia

62 people have been confirmed dead in Kenya and more than 100 have died in neighboring Ethiopia after torrential rains hit the region, reports the BBC.

It has been raining all week and the masses of water have led to so-called flash floods. More than half of those who have died in Kenya have been in the capital Nairobi, where the situation has been worsened by the city's poor drainage system.

The BBC writes that there are several explanations for why extreme rainy weather like these has such serious consequences, but that climate change is the clearest factor.

Greenpeace Calls for “Immediate Climate Action”

The African branch of the climate organization Greenpeace mourns the victims of the torrential rains in Kenya and Ethiopia and calls for “immediate climate action,” they write in a statement.

On Sunday, the death toll has risen to almost 200. Greenpeace refers to a study that shows that climate change is making deadly torrential rains significantly more common. They also accuse the Kenyan government of weakening climate and environmental laws in the pursuit of faster urbanization.

“Kenya is actively dismantling the natural systems that protect the country’s population,” they write.