On August 7, a wildfire broke out in southern California, quickly expanding to 21.7 square kilometers and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Not only did the fires cause a severe deterioration in air quality, but the smoke from the fires caused mysterious yellow clouds to appear in the Pacific Ocean. Harmful substances in…

In the summer of 2025, Norway, Finland, Sweden and other Arctic Circle countries suffered persistent high temperatures, the Norwegian Arctic Circle for 13 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 30 ℃, the Finnish Arctic region for three consecutive weeks exceeded 25 ℃, breaking the longest heat wave record since 1961. High temperatures led to the paralysis…

As of August 4, 740 wildfires were still burning in Canada, covering more than 22,000 square kilometers, with smoke covering large areas of the eastern U.S. and the New York City Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding the “hazardous” level for the third consecutive day. The fires from the Arctic Circle to southern Ontario have led…

Between May and July 2025, Europe suffered the worst heat disaster in 150 years, with more than 2,300 people killed by extreme heat across Europe, and 1,180 killed in Spain alone, a ten-fold increase in the death rate year-on-year. The EU report shows that Europe is warming twice as fast as the world, extreme heat…

In July 2025, a tanker truck rollover on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, spilled some 10,590 liters of gasoline into Indian Creek, killing at least 2,130 fish, including thousands of salmon fry. The spill rippled through newly restored salmon habitat (a tributary of the Elwha River), which the governor called a “heartbreaking” ecological…

In the first half of 2025, Saharan dust was repeatedly transported long distances through the atmospheric circulation, affecting Central European countries such as Austria and Italy, leading to significant increases in PM10 concentrations. Meanwhile, the dust cloud reached the Caribbean Sea in April, and scientists warn that such events may become more frequent as the…

Laos suffers from severe haze during the dry season, with PM2.5 concentrations reaching up to 218 µg/m3 (the safety threshold is 50 µg), and the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the capital city of Vientiane and other places persistently ranging from 117 to 269. The causes and impacts of the crisis are a combination of…

On July 24th, a serious diesel spill occurred in Kilbogget Park, south of Dublin, Ireland, from the Bank of Ireland Cabinteely site. The spill caused a noxious odor throughout the lagoon and covered a number of swans in contaminated sludge, in what wildlife rescue organizations described as the worst oil spill in 12 years. Local…

Microorganisms sealed by glaciers have survived extreme cold and high-pressure environments and may have evolved unique resistance (including drug resistance). For example, Bacillus anthracis found in the Siberian tundra was responsible for the 2016 outbreak that killed thousands of reindeer, and “P-bacteria” in the Alaskan tundra are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, and…

A report released by the UK Environment Agency shows that water company pollution in England continues to worsen, with serious pollution incidents surging by 60% in 2024 compared to the previous year, and three companies, including Thames Water, responsible for 81% of serious incidents. The report notes that leaks upstream of sewers directly affect protected…