Decades after the US buried nuclear waste abroad, climate change could unearth it – Grist Magazine

Aerial view of the Runit Dome (or Cactus Dome), Runit Island, Enewetak Atoll c. 1977-1980. The crater created by the Cactus shot of Operation Hardtack I was used as a burial pit to inter 84,000 cubic meters of radioactive soil scraped from the various contaminated Enewetak Atoll islands Courtesy of US Defense Special Weapons Agency, Public domain, via Wikimedia).

A new report says melting ice sheets and rising seas could disturb waste from U.S. nuclear projects in Greenland and the Marshall Islands…The report summarizes disagreements between Marshall Islands officials and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the risks posed by U.S. nuclear waste. The GAO recommends that the agency adopt a communications strategy for conveying information about the potential for pollution to the Marshallese people.

Can the tourism industry survive the climate crisis? – the Guardian

The easternmost Teklanika glacier has retreated approximately 450 yards (410 m) and downwasted (surface elevation decreased) approximately 300 feet (90 m) between 1959 and 2010. (Courtesy of National Park Service, 1919 photo by Stephen R. Capps, 2004 photo R.D. Karpilo).

From the Solomon Islands to Denali national park, how five communities reliant on tourism are coping as climate change upends their industry…One of the terrible ironies of the climate crisis is that some of the most beautiful – and popular – places in the world are also the most vulnerable. Which means as temperatures rise, extreme weather events increase, water sources dry up and natural habitats die, these places are facing another devastating loss: tourists…

Earth on verge of five catastrophic climate tipping points, scientists warn – the Guardian

Watercolor painting of the earth with hot gradient (by Martin Eklund, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons).

Humanity faces ‘devastating domino effects’ including mass displacement and financial ruin as planet warms…“Tipping points in the Earth system pose threats of a magnitude never faced by humanity,” said Tim Lenton, from the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute. “They can trigger devastating domino effects, including the loss of whole ecosystems and capacity to grow staple crops, with societal impacts including mass displacement, political instability and financial collapse…”