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As the Taal volcano in the Philippines continues to simmer toward a possible eruption, volcanologists are warning locals that they should expect more surface manifestations of underground magma’s movement. As per CNN Philippines, “The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said cracks — called fissures — were found in several barangays… The fissures caused several houses to partially collapse following the steam-driven and magmatic eruptions that have been happening since January 12.” The water has also drained from central parts of the volcano’s caldera. http://bit.ly/30pGxgV
Australia’s tragic bushfire crisis is being turned into yet another opportunity for climate change deniers to go on the offensive. According to some of the country’s politicians, arson is to blame for the devastation. That’s a shame on so many levels it doesn’t register in our simple minds here at SCINQ. https://ab.co/2FUjJfS
On the other side of the Australian political coin, Australian Science Minister Karen Andrews has a suggestion. Rather than wasting time debating whether climate change exists, why not just save that energy and use it to fight the conditions that are causing climate change. https://ab.co/3adiars
In China, President Xi Jinping presented the country’s top science award to Huang Xuhua and Zeng Qingcun on Jan 10 for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation. Zeng Qingcun, 85, is a famous meteorologist from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Huang Xuhua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is the chief designer of the country’s first-generation nuclear submarines. http://bit.ly/2QUrDfw
A thought-provoking opinion piece in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, makes the case for a form of climate injustice that further disenfranchises the disenfranchised. According to its authors, “We argue here that an emerging fifth type of climate injustice arises because these populations are among the social groups most likely to experience residential and social displacement—in the short and mid-term—from green climate infrastructure and its associated gentrification risks. It’s what we call green “climate gentrification.” http://bit.ly/2NvE6nV
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons