Tag Archives: environmental disaster

‘Doomsday’ clock remains at 3 minutes to midnight

CLOSE TO ‘DOOMSDAY’ Lawrence Krauss, director of the Arizona State University New Origins Initiative, helps unveil the ‘Doomsday Clock’ after the announcement that the historic clock would remain at 3 minutes to midnight, in Washington, DC, USA, January 26, 2016. Michael Reynolds/EPA
The clock serves as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying the planet, and was most recently moved closer to midnight in 2015

WASHINGTON DC, USA (Jan. 27, 2016) — Nuclear threats and climate change pose strong threats to the planet and a symbolic “doomsday” clock will stay at three minutes to midnight, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said Tuesday, January 26.

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Lead poisoning strikes another US town

The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on January 23, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images/AFP
Elevated lead levels were detected months ago in Sebring, Ohio, but local officials failed to warn residents until last week

CHICAGO, USA (Jan. 26, 2016) — A lead poisoning scandal has struck a second US town, with schools closed Monday, January 25, in Sebring, Ohio, and the water treatment plant operator accused of falsifying reports.

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Washington DC digs out after monster blizzard

BREAK TIME. Joel Clement, 50, left, and Brad Farster, 35, right, both U.S. government employees, take a break in front of the U.S. Capitol building after a day of cross country skiing on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. USA, January 25, 2016. Allison Shelley/EPA
For many the thrill of a weekend spent playing in the snow, or in warm homes watching a stunning display of nature’s power, gave way to the realization that, in Washington DC at least, the cleanup will be long and messy

WASHINGTON DC, USA (Jan. 26, 2016) — The US capital struggled to plow and shovel its way back to life Monday, January 25, after a blizzard smothered the East Coast, with mountains of snow lining streets, and schools and the federal government shut down.

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Asia shivers, slips and slides in record low temperatures

FROZEN. Ice forms on the roof of a bus stop on the slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak in the New Territories, in Hong Kong, China, January 24, 2016. Jerome Favre/EPA
While the cold snap is by no means on the scale of the weather now affecting the snow-bound eastern United States, such temperatures are a novelty for many residents of the region

HONG KONG (Jan. 25, 2016) — Snow, sleet and icy winds across Asia caused deaths, flight cancellations and chaos over the weekend as areas used to basking in balmier climates struggled with record-low temperatures.

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Plastic banderitas ‘extremely wasteful’

TRASH. After events like the Feast of the Black Nazarene, trash, plastic in particular, litter the streets. File photo by Alecs Ongcal/Rappler
After fiestas and when cleanups begin, plastic bags used as banderitas make garbage disposal harder and more expensive

MANILA, Philippines (Jan. 24, 2016) — Fiestas do not end when people go home. After the parades and the parties, trash still have to be cleared.

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