Hello, Deadly downpours hit Texas, United States, over the weekend, with a death toll from the catastrophic floods reaching at least 96 people, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continues. Meanwhile, a powerful typhoon struck southern Taiwan this week, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast. But before we get into the details of the flooding in Texas, please note that Sustainable Switch will be taking a short summer break, returning on July 24 with all the latest environmental, social, and governance developments. Now, in Texas, as search teams waded through muddy riverbanks and flew aircraft over the state's flood-ravaged central areas on Monday, hopes dimmed of finding survivors among dozens still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 96 lives, many of them children. Taiwan also experienced extreme downpours as Typhoon Danas lashed the island with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast. The National Fire Agency said one person was killed by a falling tree while driving, and another died after their respirator malfunctioned due to a power cut. Also on my radar today: |
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People stand near debris following flash flooding, in Kerrville, Texas, U.S. REUTERS/Marco Bello |
The flooding in Texas occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July 4 holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of flash floods based on National Weather Service forecasts. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Rice said the outcome was unforeseen and unfolded in a matter of two hours, leaving too little time to conduct a precautionary mass evacuation without the risk of placing more people in harm's way. Among the worst affected was Camp Mystic summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Officials confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who had died, while 10 girls and a camp counselor were still unaccounted for, as search-and-rescue personnel faced the potential of more heavy rains and thunderstorms while clawing through tons of muck-laden debris. |
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Questions over accountability |
Debates intensified over questions about how state and local officials reacted to weather alerts forecasting the possibility of a flash flood and the lack of an early warning siren system that might have mitigated the disaster. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration made it harder for officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Department of Commerce's acting inspector general to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected its response to central Texas flooding. He asked the watchdog to scrutinize the office's communications with Kerr County officials. On Monday, Patrick vowed that the state would "step up" to pay for installing a flash-flood warning system in Kerrville by next summer if local governments "can't afford it." |
A Palestinian girl reacts as she asks for food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj |
- Gaza aid: A proposal seen by Reuters and bearing the name of a controversial U.S.-backed aid group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, described a plan to build large-scale camps called "Humanitarian Transit Areas" inside – and possibly outside – Gaza to house the Palestinian population, outlining a vision of "replacing Hamas' control over the population in Gaza." Click here for the full Reuters exclusive story.
- Kenya protests: Kenyan police opened fire on a crowd of advancing protesters in Nairobi on Monday, a Reuters reporter said, as scattered demonstrations broke out across the country to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies. The death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month also gave fresh impetus to public protests, which expanded to cover issues such as graft, police brutality, and unexplained disappearances of government critics.
- Brazil illegal loggers: Reuters reporters analyzed 36 conservation projects in the Brazilian Amazon offering voluntary carbon offsets on the global market's biggest registries. At least 24 of those involved landowners, developers, or forestry firms have been punished by Brazil's environmental agency Ibama for their roles in illegal deforestation, Reuters found. Click here for a Reuters investigation on how a system designed to protect the world's biggest rainforest is funding businesses with a track record of illegal deforestation.
- BRICS climate talk: Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations addressed the shared challenges of global warming on the final day of their summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, demanding that wealthy nations fund mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in poorer nations.
- ICJ ruling: The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, will issue a non-binding opinion on countries' legal obligation to fight climate change on July 23, a decision expected to be cited in climate change-driven litigation around the world, the court said. The advisory opinion will also address whether large states contributing the most to greenhouse-gas emissions should be liable for damage caused to small island nations.
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U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, telling 14 nations, from powerhouse suppliers such as Japan and South Korea to minor trade players, that they now face sharply higher tariffs from a new deadline of August 1. Trump also threatened leaders of developing nations in the BRICS grouping meeting in Brazil with an additional 10% tariff if they adopt "anti-American" policies. The bloc includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China among others. Click here to sign up for the Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter to keep up with all the latest tariff news. |
A worker, wearing an air-conditioned jacket which has cooling fans on its back, takes a break at an under-construction apartment building, in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS/Issei Kato |
The global northern hemisphere is experiencing extreme heat, with countries like Japan facing temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time this year on Monday. Employers are now required to ensure employees wear clothing that allows air to pass through easily, to install a ceiling to block sunlight and to provide a break space with air-conditioning or shade. Workers for Daito Trust Construction in Tokyo donned puffy air-conditioned jackets equipped with cooling fans on their backs while at work. The custom-made jacket, which the company developed with a construction supplies manufacturer, uses thermoelectric effects to enhance cooling and has been distributed to 1,500 workers. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Tomasz Janowski. |
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