skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for the first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Disaster Map Shows How Vulnerable Colorado Is to Wildfires

play audio
Play

Friday, November 29, 2019   

SALIDA, Colo. – The National Wildlife Federation's updated interactive map marking wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events linked to climate change hits especially close to home for Aaron Kindle, senior manager for the group's Western Sporting Campaigns.

Kindle and his family recently were evacuated as the Decker Fire near Salida began to spread. Kindle says he hopes the updated map will help Americans see how climate change has become the new normal.

"And that's the thing that really should wake us up, get our leaders doing something about it and take this more seriously,” says Kindle. “It's not a slow, creeping force any more. It's becoming an everyday, in-your-face type of thing that we need to get after doing something about."

Kindle's home was spared, but he says anxiety remains for residents across the West as they brace for longer wildfire seasons.

In addition to pulling the U.S. out of the international climate accord signed in Paris, the Trump administration has doubled down on promises to remove barriers to fossil-fuel production, the primary source of CO2 emissions driving climate change, in an effort to achieve energy dominance.

Recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warn that the window to prevent the most catastrophic impacts is closing.

Kindle points to proposals before Congress designed to mitigate the impacts of a warming planet, including expanding tax credits for solar and offshore wind power, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, battery storage and carbon-removal technologies.

"There's some things we can be doing right now that Congress just needs to act on, and take a leadership role,” says Kindle. “Essentially we can't afford to sit around any longer, we need to get moving toward these solutions right away."

Kindle notes the federation's "Unnatural Disasters" map shows that no state or region is immune to the threats of climate-fueled natural disasters.

2018 was the worst year on record for fires in Colorado, costing taxpayers $130 million in damages. The same year's hurricane season brought more than $50 billion in damages.

Disclosure: National Wildlife Federation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Energy Policy, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, Salmon Recovery, Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021