Disasters

"The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule Tuesday increasing the minimum size for train crews to two people, a longtime ask for rail worker unions, which nearly led to a strike in 2022."

"Delicately and with intense concentration, Zanyiwe Ncube poured her small share of precious golden cooking oil into a plastic bottle at a food aid distribution site deep in rural Zimbabwe." "They’re aiming to help some of the 2.7 million people in rural Zimbabwe threatened with hunger because of the drought that has enveloped large parts of southern Africa since late 2023."

"Extreme flooding and droughts may be the new norm for the Amazon, challenging its people and ecosystems."

"Surveying the stripped landscape of her farm - dotted with pools of cyanide-tainted, tea coloured waste water left by illegal gold miners - is enough to make Janet Gyamfi break down. Only last year, the 27-hectare plot in western Ghana was covered with nearly 6,000 cocoa trees. Today, less than a dozen remain."

"State conservation officials have found no living fish in the East Nishnabotna River south of Red Oak — the result of a massive fertilizer spill at a farmers cooperative."

"Companies that produce power and grid operators that deliver it are at odds over response to deep freezes."

"Flooding could affect one out of every 50 residents in 24 coastal cities in the United States by the year 2050, a study led by Virginia Tech researchers suggests."

"The blazes come after a record dry winter in the region. “Year to date, we've had close to 300 wildfires statewide,” a Wisconsin official said. “The normal year-to-date 10-year average is about 40 fires.”"

"The oil and gas company-owned Richmond Standard tells mostly positive stories about the major industry that dominates this California city and its skyline."

"Line 5 crosses tribal lands, runs beneath the water and needs major upgrades. Opponents fear spills. Supporters envision jobs. Everyone sees a fight."