TenochtitlÁn has been rebuilt, or at least a 3D version of it has, and the fascinating work has quickly gone viral. Digital artist Thomas Kole, originally from Amersfoort, Netherlands, has re-created the capital of the Aztec, or Mexica, empire with so much detail that it looks like a living metropolis. …
Read More »A Global Surge in Cholera Outbreaks May Be Fueled by Climate Change
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In early 2022, nearly 200,000 Malawians were displaced after two tropical storms struck the southeastern part of Africa barely a month apart. Sixty-four people died. Amid an already heavy rainy season, the storms Ana and Gombe …
Read More »Electrifying Your Home Is About to Get a Lot Cheaper
THIS STORY FIRST appeared on Grist, a nonprofit media organization covering climate justice and solutions. Making homes more efficient and more electric is critical to combating climate change. But the undertaking can be expensive and beyond the financial reach of many families. Help, however, is on the way. Residential energy use accounts …
Read More »Your New Apple Watch Won’t Be Carbon Neutral
“Mother Nature” took this week’s fall Apple event by storm. She appeared in the form of actress and producer Octavia Spencer, playing the role of a sardonic inquisitor who cross-examines CEO Tim Cook on his company’s climate promises. Luckily, Cook knew how to win her over: with a new product. …
Read More »Libya’s Deadly Floods Show the Growing Threat of Medicanes
Storm Daniel, which has killed at least 5,000 people in Libya, with 10,000 more missing, was no normal weather. This rare, destructive, subtropical monster was supersized by unusually warm Mediterranean waters. When it slammed into the Libyan coast, it did so with such force that it caused two dams inland …
Read More »Why Some Animals Thrive in Cities
Eat almost anything. Sleep almost anywhere. These, it seems, are the secrets to surviving in the city as a wild animal. Among the species that dominate urban spaces—pigeons, cockroaches, rats, foxes—these are the most obvious characteristics successful city dwellers have. But they aren’t the only tactics for urban survival. A …
Read More »Rivers Are Drowning in Toxic Sludge
Standing on the marina, Rob Skelly peers into the darkness of the river where bright speckles of algae drift in the water. A neon green invader. “It’s starting to build,” he says. “Tomorrow, you’ll find that there’s clumps like that all over the river—and then the day after that there’ll …
Read More »A Summer of Record Heat Deals Costly Damage to Texas Water Systems
This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The hottest summer on record for many Texas cities has brought millions of dollars in damage to municipal plumbing and the loss of huge volumes of water during a severe drought. Authorities across the …
Read More »The Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Lee Is a Warning
Just a week after Hurricane Idalia “rapidly intensified” and slammed the Florida coast with monster storm surges, Tropical Storm Lee has grown into a massive hurricane in the Atlantic. By feeding on exceptionally warm waters, it has undergone rapid intensification, a transformation that scientists define as an increase in sustained …
Read More »Big Batteries Are Booming. So Are Fears They'll Catch Fire
People don’t take electricity for granted in Raquette Lake, New York, in the remote high peaks of the Adirondacks. In winter, when ice and wind often down the power line into the hamlet, the 100 or so year-round residents stay warm by cranking up diesel generators. Prep for the busy …
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