global warming News

Australia’s Wildfire Crisis Intensifies as Locals, Tourists Seek Refuge on Beaches

Australia’s wildfire crisis intensified on Tuesday as coastal towns across the southeast caught ablaze, forcing thousands of stranded tourists and locals to seek refuge on beaches. Thick black smoke billowing from infernos in Victoria and New South Wales states turned …

Venice Floods to Cost St. Mark’s Cathedral at Least $5.5 Million in Damage

“Every stone is a treasure,” says the technical director of St. Mark’s Basilica’s vestry board, indicating the prized gold-leaf mosaics overhead, the inlaid stone pavement and the marble clad walls of the 923-year-old masterpiece. And many are vulnerable to the …

Financial Services Industry Must Act Faster on Climate Change: Bank of England Chief

Financial services have been too slow to cut investment in fossil fuels, a delay that could lead to a sharp increase in global temperatures, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said in an interview broadcast on Monday. Carney, due to …

Venice Hotels Suffer Nearly $34M in Damages from November’s Floods

Venice’s hoteliers association estimates that the city’s hotels suffered about 30 million euros ($34 million) worth of structural damage during November’s floods. The overall losses, though, are higher after adding in the lower revenues that local hotels have reported in …

Insured Losses in 2019 Estimated at $56B, Down from $93B Last Year: Swiss Re

Global insured losses in 2019 dropped to an estimated US$56 billion, from US$93 billion in 2018 and below the annual average (US$75 billion) of the previous 10 years, according to preliminary sigma estimates from Swiss Re Institute. During the year, …

European Investors Urge Big-Four Auditors to Take Action on Climate Risks

European investors managing assets worth more than 1 trillion pounds ($1.28 trillion) are pressing top auditors to take urgent action on climate-related risks, warning that failure to do so could do more damage than the financial crisis. The case for …

France to Require Insurers, Banks to Run Climate Change Stress Tests in 2020

France’s financial regulator will subject banks and insurers to climate change stress tests next year, central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Friday. Investors are increasingly putting pressure on companies to make concrete steps to helping implement the …

Coastal Damages from Climate Change Could Cost U.K. Economy Billions by 2050: WWF

The U.K. economy could face hits of more than 12 billion pounds ($15.4 billion) a year by 2050 from coastal damages alone if no action is taken to combat climate change, according to the WWF. The calculations — made on …

Extreme Weather in Greece Brought $1.1 Billion in Crop Damages Since 2011

In the hills of northern Greece, peach farmer Makis Antoniadis is sweating in unseasonably warm November weather as he toils with his most recent harvest. It might be one of his last. Already grappling with the effects of climate change, …

Venice Suffers 2nd High Tide in a Week as Italy Declares State of Emergency

Venice suffered its second exceptionally high tide in a week, with waters rising 154 centimeters (61 inches) above their benchmark late morning Friday, the Ansa news agency reported. The historic city is still reeling from the 187-centimeter tide it recorded …