Trump Would Attack Climate Programs in First 100 Days: If elected president, Donald Trump promised he would immediately redistribute funds earmarked for UN climate change programs and channel them to domestic projects. In a speech in Gettysburg, Trump said during his first 100 days in office, he would also lift restrictions on energy production, including oil, natural gas and “clean coal,” and greenlight projects such as the Keystone XL Pipeline. ( Wall Street Journal $, USA Today, LA Times $, VOA News, Deutsche Welle, New York Post)
Climate Change Brings Dermatology Woes: Skin diseases are expanding across North America as rising temperatures make new regions habitable for bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, a recent research review shows. Lyme disease, for example, is spreading north from North England into parts of Canada and Valley Fever is expanding in the Southwest. The research also notes higher skin cancer risk and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika from tropical regions to Texas and Florida. (Reuters)
China’s Climate Refugees: China’s deserts have been expanding at an accelerated pace due to climate change and human activities, swallowing villages and creating tens of thousands of “ecological migrants.” Since 1975, desert regions have expanded by about 21,000 square miles — an area approximately the size of Croatia. The worsening drought across northern China and rapid desertification have made it difficult to farm and plant the trees required to stabilize the soil. Sand storms have become more frequent and intense, increasingly affecting major cities such as Beijing. (New York Times $)
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