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euronews •

Papua New Guinea: This expedition is revealing secrets of the ocean

Hours of scuba diving and sending cameras thousands of metres down will help the government to preserve biodiversity.
Cutting edge tech and local knowledge are helping a group of scientists in Papua New Guinea survey the country’s highly biodiverse ocean ecosystems. They are hoping it will provide the government with data to improve conservation efforts. Papua New Guinea lies in the coral triangle, one of the most biologically diverse places in our oceans. It is home to more than 2,000 speci...
The Guardian •

Greece becomes first European country to ban bottom trawling in marine parks

Greece has become the first country in Europe to announce a ban on bottom trawling in all of its national marine parks and protected areas.The country said will spend €780m (£666m) to protect its “diverse and unique marine ecosystems”.The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told delegates at the Our Ocean conference in Athens on Tuesday: “We’ve established two additional marine national parks, one in the Ionian and one in the Aegean, increasing the size of our marine protected areas by 80...
National Geographic •

Scientists Uncover New Marine Source of Carbon Emissions into Atmosphere, Finding Bottom Trawling Contributes to Global Warming

(WASHINGTON, DC) 18 JANUARY 2024 — Bottom trawling is a previously unaccounted for source of atmospheric carbon emissions, scientists reveal in a study published today in Frontiers in Marine Science. As the world scrambles to slash emissions caused by fossil fuels, deforestation and other sources, the study finds bottom trawling — the act of dragging a heavy fishing net across the ocean floor and resuspending some of the carbon in the seafloor sediment — to be a significant source of atmospheric
WNYC Studios •

The Dangerous Journey Across the Mediterranean | The Takeaway

Melissa Harris-Perry: Welcome to The Takeaway. I'm Melissa Harris-Perry.

Rescue Worker: Hey, on the port side, the three board is very low. Can you move a couple of people on the other side, please?

Melissa Harris-Perry: These are rescue workers in the Mediterranean Sea. They're working on the Ocean Viking, a humanitarian ship, which carried out five rescue operations during two days this past February. Together, these small dangerous missions saved the lives of 247 people, people who were try
The New Yorker •

Creating a Map to Navigate the Post-Earthquake Landscape in Ecuador

When the shaking, faint but jarring, began, Daniel Orellana, a geographer at the University of Cuenca, in southern Ecuador, was at home with his wife and daughter. It was Saturday evening, around 7 P.M. The tremors subsided, and Orellana eventually went back to a paper he was writing, then took his family to his mother’s house for her birthday. Ecuador, which sits on the seismically volatile part of the the Pacific basin called the Ring of Fire, has a number of active volcanoes and regular small
ABC Pacific •

Niue's ambitious conservation efforts documented in National Geographic film - ABC Pacific

The bold plan that saw Niue ban commercial fishing and place a protection on close to half of its ocean territory has been documented in a new film from National Geographic. The film is titled Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue, and it  brings viewers inside a research vessel where international experts and local Niueans investigate the health of the Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area. The massive reserve covers 127,000 km2 of ocean, almost double the size of Tasmania." This is a conservation eff...
Good Morning America •

National lifeguard shortage

"We realize this decision will disappoint the hundreds of youngsters and adults who enjoy spending summer hours at our outdoor swimming pools, but the bottom line is we don’t have the number of lifeguards required to keep our residents safe," Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement, adding that the city would waive fees at their two indoor pools in the interim and offer free lifeguard training this summer.

The dearth of trained swimmers isn't a new problem. For the last two decades, the U.S. has
Washington Post •

Here’s how to help Beirut

As rescue workers comb through the rubble, here are some organizations that have launched initiatives to help.

The Lebanese Red Cross is helping with the medical response. The organization says it deployed more than 125 ambulances after the explosion. Red Cross emergency workers are helping to find the injured or dead, distributing food and offering shelter to the displaced.

“Lebanese Red Cross teams are working around-the-clock to provide first aid, transport people to hospitals, and distribu
USA TODAY •

Turkey rocked by 6.3 magnitude quake 2 weeks after temblors killed more than 41,000: Live updates

Turkey rocked by 6.3 magnitude quake 2 weeks after temblors killed more than 41,000: Live updates

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey’s Hatay province Monday, two weeks after the region was devastated by massive temblors and a series of strong aftershocks, injuring or trapping people inside already-damaged buildings.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said three people were killed and 213 injured. An aid group with workers in Syria said people jumped from buildings in a panic.

"The
WIRED •

The race to contain West Africa's Ebola outbreak

This time around, the network sprung into action after a team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) realised there was little to no map data for the regional districts where outbreaks had occurred in Guinea. The team was working blind, going off of local knowledge and news. Now, this is what Guinea looks like in digital form. Zoom in and you can see road networks and important linkages between towns and countries, where there were none before. Overlay this with victim data, and it can help explain
Fox Weather •

Aid workers struggle to reach the 3.1 million homeless survivors of Pakistan’s monsoon flooding

After one of the deadliest monsoon seasons in Pakistan’s history, aid workers and agencies scramble to get essential supplies to millions.

Months of monsoon rains triggered mudslides and overflowing rivers leaving a third of Pakistan underwater.

Over 3.1 million people had to flee from their homes, and more than 1,100 died. An official estimates that one out of every seven Pakistanis has been affected.

"People are still having to evacuate their homes. Some people are stuck where they are beca
CBS Evening News •

Red Cross declares first-ever national blood crisis

The nation's blood supply is dangerously low, prompting the Red Cross to announce a national blood crisis for the first time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in donor turnout, the cancellation of blood drives and staffing challenges, leading to the worst blood shortage in more than a decade, the Red Cross said. Last year, the Red Cross saw a 34% decline in new donors.

"If the nation's blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when
PBS.org •

PBS NewsHour | Bahamas face critical shortages in Dorian’s ‘horrific’ wake | Season 2019 | PBS

The death toll continues to climb days after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, and government-run shelters there have reached their brinks, leaving thousands of residents sleeping in the streets and facing shortages of food, water and medical care that are exacerbating an already dire situation. Jenelle Eli of the International Federation of Red Cross joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.
British Medical Journal •

Cholera on the rise

In a single week last October eight members of the 3200 strong fish farming community at Mulirasambo, in northern Malawi, were infected with cholera, four of whom died.

“It was the dry season, a time when cholera outbreaks are least expected,” says Prisca Chisala, director of programmes and development at Malawi Red Cross Society.

Unlike other pathogens that cause diarrhoea, cholera, transmitted through the faecal-oral route, can be fatal within hours for children and frail elderly people, and
The New York Times •

Facing Disaster After Disaster, the American Red Cross C.E.O. Stays Optimistic (Published 2020)

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

“I really believe when we’re all set free from captivity, we are going to be so happy and kind to each other,” Gail McGovern says.

When Gail McGovern took over the American Red Cross in 2008, the organization was running a deficit and tarnished by scandal. Annual budget shortfalls ran into the hundreds of millions, and her predecessor was ousted after having an inappropriate relationship with a subor
USA TODAY •

What is a flash flood watch or warning? Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard

What is a flash flood watch or warning? Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard

Flash floods are among the nation's most deadly weather hazards. But what are they?

Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory.

Flash floods occur when heavy rainfall exceeds the ability of the ground to absorb it, or when enough water accumulates for streams to overt
the Skimm •

How You Can Support the People of Ukraine Right Now

On Feb. 24, after months of rising tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine. And in a matter of days, the attack has resulted in a major humanitarian crisis. Citizens have volunteered to arm themselves and fight against the No. 2 military in the world. More than 3.7 million people have fled to neighboring countries. And more than 1,000 civilians have died. For many of us living in the US, it's easy to feel helpless in a crisis unfolding thousands of miles away.

Below, we Skimm'd and verified resources

A look back at Irma and the role of technology in disaster response

The University of Miami and Facebook joined forces Monday to host a Disaster Response Forum, bringing together local residents, nonprofit organizations, technology leaders, and industry experts to discuss the role that technology can play in emergency relief. Participants included Jeong-Suh Choi of Facebook, Jenelle Eli with the American Red Cross, Dwight Witherspoon with Ericsson, and Enrique Acevedo with Univision.
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