Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Heat kills more and more in China
Nearly two-thirds of the Chinese population are currently affected by an intense heat wave that is hitting the country. In some areas, the temperature has exceeded 41°C, and the government is asking citizens to limit the use of the electricity grid in order to meet demand. 900 million people would be affected by this heat wave. According to a study published in the journal The Lancetthe number of heat-related deaths more than quadrupled in China between 1990 and 2019. This number could double again if the average temperature rise exceeds 2 degrees by the end of the century.
Quiz
Is the Arctic free of ice in summer coming soon?
PHOTO KEREM YUCEL, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
Since 1979, the Arctic has lost at least 40% of its ice cover.
Since satellite data made it possible to document the phenomenon in 1979, the Arctic has lost at least 40% of its ice cover and the thickness of the ice has decreased by more than 50% during the same period. The ice cover is at its lowest in September, at the end of summer, a phenomenon called the summer ice minimum (summer ice cream minimum). However, the past decade has seen summer ice cover at its lowest in 40 years, scientists have found. An infographic prepared by the Carbon Brief group shows this decline in a spectacular way.
The number
2117
PHOTO DONNA HENDREN, REUTERS
As many as 2,117 cattle died of heat in southwestern Kansas in the week of June 11.
That’s the number of cattle that succumbed to the heat in southwest Kansas in the week of June 11. The temperature had then exceeded 38 ° C. Authorities expect the heat to cause a high cattle mortality rate this summer.
$100 million more for US forests
PHOTO DAVID SWANSON, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Numerous wildfires have devastated several regions of the United States in recent years.
The US Forest Service recently announced that its annual reforestation budget would be tripled to US$100 million. A decision that follows the numerous forest fires that have devastated several regions of the country in recent years. According to several experts, this sum will have to be further increased to meet the many challenges posed by climate change.
Pollution and dementia
PHOTO ALTAF QADRI, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
In addition to causing respiratory and heart problems, air pollution would accelerate the decline of cognitive functions in the elderly.
Experts recently warned the UK government about the consequences of air pollution for older people. In a report sent to the United Kingdom government, the expert group of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants recalled that nearly 70 studies have already shown that air pollution could accelerate the decline of cognitive functions in old people. The effects of air pollution are well known for respiratory and heart problems, but the links to dementia are more recent. In 2018, a study in London indicated that 60,000 of the 210,000 new cases of dementia that year were likely due to poor air quality.