The current algal bloom being experienced along the Pacific coast is far larger than any previously recorded. They are cyclical and occur in the summer. The algae is extremely toxic. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this bloom stretches from California to Alaska, is 40 miles wide and as much as 650 feet deep. It is believed to be caused by the fact that ocean waters in the northeast Pacific are unusually warm. Researchers are calling it "the blob."
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2015 is now well on its way to be the hottest year on record, and a year of great extremes, with extraordinary heat in summer and profound cold in winter, and springs and autumns marked by weather of unusual violence. This is exactly what we are seeing this year. And yet climate change denial is, if anything, more strident–and more fallacious–than ever. Right now, Australia is experiencing an unusually cold winter while California is fighting a record number of wildfires, many of them completely out of control.read more

A ferocious heat wave is scorching the Middle East. A high pressure system has stalled over Iran and Iraq and is resulting in some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in populate areas. If the system should move north, it will affect Europe in coming weeks. Temperatures in Baghdad have reached up to 126F, and are predicted to remain above 115F for the next 10 days. The entire region is suffering exceptional heat, and the poor and displaced in conflict countries are having problems getting water. In many places, electricity is sporadic, and there is little air conditioning except in the wealthier countries such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.read more

Extreme levels of pollution across China are becoming catastrophic, and now Beijing has begun taking radical steps toward developing clean energy by beginning construction on a 10 square mile solar power station that will generate a massive 200 megawats of solar thermal energy.

Announced by the Qinghai development and reform commission, the plant is expected to cover 10 square miles (25.9 km²), with enough capacity to power one million households. It is also designed to store 15 hours of heat, which will enable continuous power generation. This move is expected to cut the region’s coal usage by 4.26 million tons annually, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 896,000 tons.
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