Temperatures

Hundreds told to evacuate as out-of-control bushfire threatens Victoria’s Otways amid record heat MELBOURNE, Australia — Authorities ordered hundreds of people to evacuate rural communities in southeast Australia as an out-of-control bushfire threatened towns in Victoria’s Otways region during a punishing heatwave that pushed temperatures toward state records. Emergency warnings expanded to additional rural districts as fire conditions deteriorated. “Due to extreme weather today, the fire is predicted to rapidly expand and…

As the climate clock ticks, keeping the global temperature rise beneath the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is proving to be a monumental challenge. This escalating predicament is echoing in the halls of power at the United Nations, where top advisers are sounding alarm bells. The urgency was starkly highlighted in an open letter that made waves this week, calling for massive reforms in the COP climate talks framework. To add fuel to the fire, the election of Donald Trump, coupled with rising political divisions…