AFP

Hundreds of firefighters were battling to protect several groves of giant sequoias in the United States on Monday, warning the enormous ancient trees were at risk from out-of-control blazes.

A number of separate fires were converging on the California woodland that is home to the huge trees, highlighting the terrifying power of wildfires to consume everything in their path.

Incident commanders said the Windy Fire, which has already charred 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) has burned into the remote Peyrone Sequoia Grove and the Red Hill Grove.

“We don’t know that those are destroyed,” Windy fire incident spokeswoman Amanda Munsey said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “But the fire has completely surrounded those two groves.”

In nearby Long Meadow Grove, the blaze had spread to the vulnerable top of at least one of the trees.

“It was running toward multiple trees and (firefighters) were able to get it out, but it did get into the crown of one of the sequoias.”

Wildfires that spread to the tops of trees — especially very tall trees — can move quickly through the forest, as the tops of the trees explode, showering embers over a large area below them. 

Further north, the KNP Complex fire continued to threaten the renowned Giant Forest, home to General Sherman, the world’s biggest tree by volume, and standing at 275 feet (83 meters).

General Sherman, which is estimated by the National Parks Service to be 2,200 years old, was wrapped in fireproof foil blankets last week.

Incident commanders said they believed they could protect the tree from the 24,000-acre blaze, which was sparked by lightning just over a week ago

They point to meticulous forest management over the last few decades, including prescribed burns that deplete available fuels, and slow the progress of fires.

California and other parts of the western United States are laboring under a years-long drought that has left swathes of the region’s magnificent forests tinder dry.

Scientists say human activity, including the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is warming the planet and changing weather patterns, making wildfires hotter, more intense and more destructive.

The giant sequoias are the world’s largest trees by volume. Their relatives, the California redwoods, can grow taller — well over 100 meters — but are not as wide.

Both kinds of tree are adapted to fires, with thick bark that protects them from heat.

In their lifetimes, which are measured in thousands of years, they typically endure lots of fires, the heat from which helps their cones to open, allowing the seeds to disperse.

But longer, hotter and more aggressive fires can damage them, sometimes irreparably, and California has recently seen multiple severe fire seasons in a row.

One fire last year killed up to 10,000 of the trees. 

Rising temperatures and increased dryness due to changing rainfall patterns thanks to climate change create the ideal conditions for forest fires. The World Meteorological Organization said that the five-year period to 2019 was “unprecedented” for fires, especially in Europe and North America. 

NASA on Monday announced it would land an ice-seeking rover on a region of the Moon’s south pole called the Nobile Crater in 2023.

The space agency hopes the robot will confirm the presence of water ice just below the surface, which could one day be converted into rocket fuel for missions to Mars and deeper into the cosmos.

“Nobile Crater is an impact crater near the south pole that was born through a collision with another smaller celestial body,” Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division told reporters.

It is one of the solar system’s coldest regions, and has only so far been probed from afar using sensors such as those aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.

“The rover is going to get up close and personal with the lunar soil, even drilling several feet down,” said Glazer.

The robot is called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. 

Its dimensions are similar to a golf cart —  five feet by five feet by eight feet (1.5 meters by 1.5 meters by 2.5 meters) and looks somewhat similar to droids seen in Star Wars. It weighs 950 pounds (430 kilograms).

Unlike rovers used on Mars, VIPER can be piloted in near real time, because the distance from Earth is much shorter — only around 200,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) or 1.3 light seconds.

The rover is also faster, topping out at 0.5 mph (0.8 kph).

Solar-powered VIPER comes with a 50-hour battery, is built to withstand extreme temperatures, and can “crab walk” sideways so that its panels keep pointing toward the Sun to maintain charging.

In terms of the mission’s scientific goals, the VIPER team wants to know how frozen water reached the Moon in the first place, how it remained preserved for billions of years, how it escapes and where the water goes now.

The mission is part of Artemis, America’s plan to return humans to the Moon. 

The first crewed mission is technically set for 2024, but will likely take place significantly later as various aspects are running behind schedule.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling to protect several groves of giant sequoias in the United States on Monday, warning the enormous ancient trees were at risk from out-of-control blazes.

A number of separate fires were converging on the California woodland that is home to the huge trees, highlighting the terrifying power of wildfires to consume everything in their path.

Incident commanders said the Windy Fire, which has already charred 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) has burned into the remote Peyrone Sequoia Grove and the Red Hill Grove.

“We don’t know that those are destroyed,” Windy fire incident spokeswoman Amanda Munsey said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “But the fire has completely surrounded those two groves.”

In nearby Long Meadow Grove, the blaze had spread to the vulnerable top of at least one of the trees.

“It was running toward multiple trees and (firefighters) were able to get it out, but it did get into the crown of one of the sequoias.”

Wildfires that spread to the tops of trees — especially very tall trees — can move quickly through the forest, as the tops of the trees explode, showering embers over a large area below them. 

Further north, the KNP Complex fire continued to threaten the renowned Giant Forest, home to General Sherman, the world’s biggest tree by volume, and standing at 275 feet (83 meters).

General Sherman, which is estimated by the National Parks Service to be 2,200 years old, was wrapped in fireproof foil blankets last week.

Incident commanders said they believed they could protect the tree from the 24,000-acre blaze, which was sparked by lightning just over a week ago

They point to meticulous forest management over the last few decades, including prescribed burns that deplete available fuels, and slow the progress of fires.

California and other parts of the western United States are laboring under a years-long drought that has left swathes of the region’s magnificent forests tinder dry.

Scientists say human activity, including the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is warming the planet and changing weather patterns, making wildfires hotter, more intense and more destructive.

The giant sequoias are the world’s largest trees by volume. Their relatives, the California redwoods, can grow taller — well over 100 meters — but are not as wide.

Both kinds of tree are adapted to fires, with thick bark that protects them from heat.

In their lifetimes, which are measured in thousands of years, they typically endure lots of fires, the heat from which helps their cones to open, allowing the seeds to disperse.

But longer, hotter and more aggressive fires can damage them, sometimes irreparably, and California has recently seen multiple severe fire seasons in a row.

One fire last year killed up to 10,000 of the trees. 

Rising temperatures and increased dryness due to changing rainfall patterns thanks to climate change create the ideal conditions for forest fires. The World Meteorological Organization said that the five-year period to 2019 was “unprecedented” for fires, especially in Europe and North America. 

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce “good news” on addressing a shortfall in a $100 billion global climate fund, a UN official said Monday following a closed-door meeting between countries on the sidelines of the general assembly.

Biden, who will make his first speech to the world body as the American leader on Tuesday, was represented by his climate envoy John Kerry at the meeting convened by Britain and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Ahead of the Paris agreement, developed countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year from 2020 to support poorer nations with climate adaptation, but there is currently around a $20 billion shortfall.

“We did hear from the US representative in the room that… some good news was imminent,” the UN official said, adding there were “really positive views and signals coming from the US representative.”

“We don’t have the details, of course, but hopefully it will help to provide that clarity on how the US intends to step up to support the mobilization of the $100 billion.”

The announcement was a sliver of hope on the climate front following a slew of recent scientific reports painting a bleak picture of the planet’s future, as the world’s top polluters continue to spew greenhouse gases at alarming rates.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who co-hosted the meeting, took leaders to task over their failure to honor their pledges for the fund, which is meant to deliver $100 billion every year from 2020 to 2025.

“Everyone nods and we all agree that ‘something must be done,'” said Johnson, whose country will host the all-critical COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

“Yet I confess I’m increasingly frustrated that the something to which many of you have committed is nowhere near enough,” he added, in remarks shared by his office.

Last week, the OECD confirmed that only $79.6 billion was mobilized in 2019. 

“We heard from some of the industrialized countries… the faint signs of progress,” Johnson told reporters after the meeting, mentioning Sweden and Denmark.

Both countries have announced they would allocate 50 percent or more of their climate financing for adaptation in the developing world, another key UN goal.

“Let’s see what the president of the United States has to say tomorrow,” he added, hinting at the news to come.

– Transition from coal –

Britain for its part trumpeted its $15 billion climate finance pledges over the next five years, and announced Monday that $750 million of that would be allocated to supporting developing countries to meet net zero targets and end the use of coal.

“We’re the guys who created the problem — the industrial revolution started more or less in our country,” said Johnson.

“So of course I understand the feelings of injustice in the developing world… But I say to them, that’s why we’ve got to get the funding to help you to make the progress that you need.”

The meeting came days after Guterres warned the world was on a “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, after the latest bombshell report by UN scientists unveiled last week.

The figure would shatter the temperature targets of the Paris climate agreement, which aimed for warming well below 2C and preferably capped at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Guterres told reporters he called the conference with Johnson as “a wake-up call to instill a sense of urgency on the dire state of the climate process ahead of COP26.”

While recognizing “developing countries need to take the lead,” the secretary-general also called on “several emerging economies” to “go the extra mile.” 

This is taken to mean the likes of China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa.

The Paris agreement calls for net zero emissions by 2050, with strong reductions by 2030, to meet the 1.5C goal.

With only 1.1C of warming so far, the world has seen a torrent of deadly weather disasters intensified by climate change in recent months, from asphalt-melting heat waves to flash floods and untamable wildfires. 

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce “good news” on addressing a shortfall in a $100 billion global climate fund, a UN official said Monday following a closed-door meeting between countries on the sidelines of the general assembly.

Biden, who will make his first speech to the world body as the American leader on Tuesday, was represented by his climate envoy John Kerry at the meeting convened by Britain and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Ahead of the Paris agreement, developed countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year from 2020 to support poorer nations with climate adaptation, but there is currently around a $20 billion shortfall.

“We did hear from the US representative in the room that… some good news was imminent,” the UN official said, adding there were “really positive views and signals coming from the US representative.”

“We don’t have the details, of course, but hopefully it will help to provide that clarity on how the US intends to step up to support the mobilization of the $100 billion.”

The announcement was a sliver of hope on the climate front following a slew of recent scientific reports painting a bleak picture of the planet’s future, as the world’s top polluters continue to spew greenhouse gases at alarming rates.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who co-hosted the meeting, took leaders to task over their failure to honor their pledges for the fund, which is meant to deliver $100 billion every year from 2020 to 2025.

“Everyone nods and we all agree that ‘something must be done,'” said Johnson, whose country will host the all-critical COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

“Yet I confess I’m increasingly frustrated that the something to which many of you have committed is nowhere near enough,” he added, in remarks shared by his office.

Last week, the OECD confirmed that only $79.6 billion was mobilized in 2019. 

“We heard from some of the industrialized countries… the faint signs of progress,” Johnson told reporters after the meeting, mentioning Sweden and Denmark.

Both countries have announced they would allocate 50 percent or more of their climate financing for adaptation in the developing world, another key UN goal.

“Let’s see what the president of the United States has to say tomorrow,” he added, hinting at the news to come.

– Transition from coal –

Britain for its part trumpeted its $15 billion climate finance pledges over the next five years, and announced Monday that $750 million of that would be allocated to supporting developing countries to meet net zero targets and end the use of coal.

“We’re the guys who created the problem — the industrial revolution started more or less in our country,” said Johnson.

“So of course I understand the feelings of injustice in the developing world… But I say to them, that’s why we’ve got to get the funding to help you to make the progress that you need.”

The meeting came days after Guterres warned the world was on a “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, after the latest bombshell report by UN scientists unveiled last week.

The figure would shatter the temperature targets of the Paris climate agreement, which aimed for warming well below 2C and preferably capped at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Guterres told reporters he called the conference with Johnson as “a wake-up call to instill a sense of urgency on the dire state of the climate process ahead of COP26.”

While recognizing “developing countries need to take the lead,” the secretary-general also called on “several emerging economies” to “go the extra mile.” 

This is taken to mean the likes of China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa.

The Paris agreement calls for net zero emissions by 2050, with strong reductions by 2030, to meet the 1.5C goal.

With only 1.1C of warming so far, the world has seen a torrent of deadly weather disasters intensified by climate change in recent months, from asphalt-melting heat waves to flash floods and untamable wildfires. 

A wildfire broke out in a Greek seaside town northeast of Athens on Monday, burning through brush and pine trees and causing precautionary evacuations, firefighters said.

The latest fire comes after Greece was shaken by deadly blazes last month fanned by a heatwave that officials blamed on global warming.

Around 70 firefighters and 20 vehicles were battling flames on Monday night in the town of Nea Makri, 38 kilometres (24 miles) northeast of the capital, an official for the firefighters’ press service said.

“The fire broke out at 10.35 pm local time (1935 GMT) near homes in Nea Makri, and evacuations have been recommended as a precaution,” the official told AFP.

A series of devastating forest fires claimed three lives and ravaged more than 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) across Greece in early August, mainly northwest of the capital, on the island of Evia and in the southern Peloponnese.

It was also a brutal summer fire season for a swathe of southern European countries, including Spain, Italy, Croatia, France and Cyprus, while blazes also claimed lives in Turkey and Algeria.

Scientists have warned that extreme weather and fierce fires will become increasingly common due to man-made global warming, and Greece’s prime minister has linked the blazes to climate change. 

At a summit in Athens on Friday, nine southern European Union members pledged their “firm commitment” to implementing the Paris 2015 agreement, which aims to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

Also on Friday, the United Nations warned that the world is on the “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating because it is failing to slash global emissions.

Over the weekend the temperature rose above 35C in parts of Greece before dropping to 32C on Monday. It is forecasted to fall further this week.

NASA on Monday announced it would land an ice-seeking rover on a region of the Moon’s south pole called the Nobile Crater in 2023.

The space agency hopes the robot will confirm the presence of water ice just below the surface, which could one day be converted into rocket fuel for missions to Mars and deeper into the cosmos.

“Nobile Crater is an impact crater near the south pole that was born through a collision with another smaller celestial body,” Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division told reporters.

It is one of the solar system’s coldest regions, and has only so far been probed from afar using sensors such as those aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.

“The rover is going to get up close and personal with the lunar soil, even drilling several feet down,” said Glazer.

The robot is called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. 

Its dimensions are similar to a golf cart —  five feet by five feet by eight feet (1.5 meters by 1.5 meters by 2.5 meters) and looks somewhat similar to droids seen in Star Wars. It weighs 950 pounds (430 kilograms).

Unlike rovers used on Mars, VIPER can be piloted in near real time, because the distance from Earth is much shorter — only around 200,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) or 1.3 light seconds.

The rover is also faster, topping out at 0.5 mph (0.8 kph).

Solar-powered VIPER comes with a 50-hour battery, is built to withstand extreme temperatures, and can “crab walk” sideways so that its panels keep pointing toward the Sun to maintain charging.

In terms of the mission’s scientific goals, the VIPER team wants to know how frozen water reached the Moon in the first place, how it remained preserved for billions of years, how it escapes and where the water goes now.

The mission is part of Artemis, America’s plan to return humans to the Moon. 

The first crewed mission is technically set for 2024, but will likely take place significantly later as various aspects are running behind schedule.

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce “good news” on addressing a shortfall in a $100 billion global climate fund, a UN official said Monday following a closed-door meeting between countries on the sidelines of the general assembly.

Biden, who will make his first speech to the world body as the American leader on Tuesday, was represented by his climate envoy John Kerry at the meeting convened by Britain and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Ahead of the Paris agreement, developed countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year from 2020 to support poorer nations with climate adaptation, but there is currently around a $20 billion shortfall.

“We did hear from the US representative in the room that… some good news was imminent,” the UN official said, adding there were “really positive views and signals coming from the US representative.”

“We don’t have the details, of course, but hopefully it will help to provide that clarity on how the US intends to step up to support the mobilization of the $100 billion.”

The announcement was a sliver of hope on the climate front following a slew of recent scientific reports painting a bleak picture of the planet’s future, as the world’s top polluters continue to spew greenhouse gases at alarming rates.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who co-hosted the meeting, took leaders to task over their failure to honor their pledges for the fund, which is meant to deliver $100 billion every year from 2020 to 2025.

“Everyone nods and we all agree that ‘something must be done,'” said Johnson, whose country will host the all-critical COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

“Yet I confess I’m increasingly frustrated that the something to which many of you have committed is nowhere near enough,” he added, in remarks shared by his office.

Last week, the OECD confirmed that only $79.6 billion was mobilized in 2019. 

“We heard from some of the industrialized countries… the faint signs of progress,” Johnson told reporters after the meeting, mentioning Sweden and Denmark.

Both countries have announced they would allocate 50 percent or more of their climate financing for adaptation in the developing world, another key UN goal.

“Let’s see what the president of the United States has to say tomorrow,” he added, hinting at the news to come.

– Transition from coal –

Britain for its part trumpeted its $15 billion climate finance pledges over the next five years, and announced Monday that $750 million of that would be allocated to supporting developing countries to meet net zero targets and end the use of coal.

“We’re the guys who created the problem — the industrial revolution started more or less in our country,” said Johnson.

“So of course I understand the feelings of injustice in the developing world… But I say to them, that’s why we’ve got to get the funding to help you to make the progress that you need.”

The meeting came days after Guterres warned the world was on a “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, after the latest bombshell report by UN scientists unveiled last week.

The figure would shatter the temperature targets of the Paris climate agreement, which aimed for warming well below 2C and preferably capped at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Guterres told reporters he called the conference with Johnson as “a wake-up call to instill a sense of urgency on the dire state of the climate process ahead of COP26.”

The Paris agreement calls for net zero emissions by 2050, with strong reductions by 2030, to meet the 1.5C goal.

With only 1.1C of warming so far, the world has seen a torrent of deadly weather disasters intensified by climate change in recent months, from asphalt-melting heat waves to flash floods and untamable wildfires. 

Britain’s Boris Johnson took leaders of wealthy nations to task Monday in a closed-door meeting he co-hosted with UN chief Antonio Guterres, saying he is “increasingly frustrated” at their failure to honor ambitious climate fund pledges.

Ahead of the Paris agreement, developed countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year from 2020 to support poorer nations to cut their carbon emissions, minimize the impact of climate change and adapt their economies to deal with its effects.

“Everyone nods and we all agree that ‘something must be done,'” said Johnson, whose country will host the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

“Yet I confess I’m increasingly frustrated that the something to which many of you have committed is nowhere near enough,” he added, in remarks shared by his office.

Last week the OECD confirmed that only $79.6 billion was mobilized in 2019. 

Johnson and Guterres called the meeting to facilitate a frank dialogue between leaders of developed and developing nations, especially those at greatest risk from climate change.

But leaders of the world’s top three polluters — China, the United States and India — did not attend the meeting, according to British officials.

The US was represented by climate envoy John Kerry, while his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua appeared virtually.

“We heard from some of the industrialized countries… the faint signs of progress,” Johnson told reporters after the meeting.

“Let’s see what the president of the United States has to say tomorrow,” he added, hinting at a new announcement.

– Transition from coal –

Britain for its part trumpeted its $15 billion climate finance pledges over the next five years, and announced Monday that $750 million of that would be allocated to supporting developing countries to meet net zero targets and end the use of coal.

“We’re the guys who created the problem — the industrial revolution started more or less in our country,” said Johnson on the use of coal.

“So of course I understand the feelings of injustice in the developing world…. But I say to them that’s why we’ve got to get the funding to help you to make the progress that you need.”

The meeting was part of UN climate week, and came days after Guterres warned the world was on a “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, after the latest bombshell report by UN scientists.

The figure would shatter the temperature targets of the Paris climate agreement, which aimed for warming well below 2C and preferably capped at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Guterres told reporters he called the meeting with Johnson as “a wake-up call to instill a sense of urgency on the dire state of the climate process ahead of COP26.”

He singled out Sweden and Denmark for praise, after the two countries announced they would allocate 50 percent or more of their climate financing for adaptation in the developing world, a key UN goal.

“The developed countries need to take the lead, but it is also essential for several emerging countries to go the extra mile, and to effectively contribute to emissions reduction,” Guterres said, referring to the likes of China and India.

The Paris agreement calls for net zero emissions by 2050, with strong reductions by 2030, to meet the 1.5C goal.

With only 1.1C of warming so far, the world has seen a torrent of deadly weather disasters intensified by climate change in recent months, from asphalt-melting heat waves to flash floods and untameable wildfires. 

Throwing a handful of belongings into her car alongside goats, chickens and a turtle, Yahaira Garcia fled her home just before the volcano erupted, belching molten lava down the mountainside.

She and her husband, who live near the Bodegon Tamanca winery at the foot of La Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, decided to leave on Sunday afternoon just before the eruption kicked off. 

“We decided to leave even before they gave the evacuation order after a really terrible night of earthquakes… my house shook so much it felt like it was going to collapse,” the 34-year-old told AFP by phone.

“We were on our way when we realised the volcano had erupted.” He left in his car and she took hers to go and pick up her parents and their animals: four goats, two pigs, 20 chickens, 10 rabbits, four dogs and a turtle. 

“I am nervous, worried, but we are safe,” Garcia said. 

In residential areas flanking the volcano, hundreds of police and Guardia civil officers were charged with evacuations, with the work continuing well into the night, police footage showed. 

“This is the police. This is not a drill, please vacate your homes,” they shouted through loud speakers, their vehicles flashing blue lights on the drive through dark streets. 

Elsewhere, the footage showed officers evacuating goats in pick-up trucks in an area which is above all agricultural. 

They also filmed the slow collapse of a building whose walls caved in under a wall of red hot lava. 

– ‘700 metres from our home’ –

Although some 5,500 people have been evacuated and “around 100 homes destroyed”, there have so far been no reports of injuries. 

As the lava beat an unstoppable path down the mountainside, Angie Chaux, who wasn’t home when the alarm was raised, rushed back to try and salvage some possessions. 

“When we got there, the road was closed and the police gave us three minutes to get our things,” said the 27-year-old. 

It was 4:30 am and there were people and cars everywhere. 

“Right now, we’re watching the news and the lava is 700 metres from our home. I’m really worried because I don’t know what’s going to happen to it.”

Miriam Moreno, another local resident, said they had been ready to leave when the order came with emergency backpacks stocked with food and water. 

“You can hear a rumble as if planes were flying overhead and see smoke out of the window although at night you could actually see the lava about two kilometres away,” she said, admitting they were worried about “toxic gases”.

– Anguished wait –

For the evacuees, it is an anguished wait to see what happens with no-one sure when they will be able to go home — or what they will find when they get there. 

“The worst of it is the anxiety about losing your home. My house on the beach is fine for the moment but I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back,” said 70-year-old Montserrat Lorenzo from the coastal village of El Remo. 

And experts do not know how long the volcano will remain active nor when the flow of lava, which officials said was “about six metres (20 feet) high”, will stop.

“Now they are saying the volcano could continue erupting for three months… we don’t know when the volcano will settle down,” said Garcia.

Volcanology expert Stavros Meletlidis from Spain’s National Geographic Institute said it was too early to say. 

“There are volcanoes in the Canary Islands that have erupted for days and others that have continued for several years,” he told Spain’s public television.