Climate Crisis AM Edition 1.12.24
Military action escalated in the shipping lanes to the Suez Canal, which will affect tanker and container ship traffic. This, in turn, could tighten supply change and trigger inflation. Oil prices rose as the Iranian-backed Houthi forces attacked more ships, and the US and the UK militaries attacked Houthi facilities. If the problems escalate, oil prices could rise because of the volume of crude that goes through the canal. The alternative route is around the Cape of Good Hope, which adds two weeks to the journey.
A climate danger to humans: plastic in drinking water.
On the other side of the world, the drought in the Panama Canal has caused one shipping company to change to an alternative. It has created a “land bridge.” Maersk will take cargo by land across Panama and load ships on the far side. According to CNBC,
Instead of going through the Panama Canal, the vessels would call the Ports of Balboa, Panama, on the Pacific side — dropping off cargo heading for Latin America and North America and picking up cargo heading for Australia and New Zealand. The Port of Manzanillo, Panama, on the Atlantic side, will be used for dropping off cargo heading for Australia and New Zealand and picking up cargo heading for Latin and North America.
A quarter of the world’s people are affected by drought each year, which the US calls an overwhelming problem. According to The New York Times, “The United Nations estimates that 1.84 billion people worldwide, or nearly a quarter of humanity, were living under drought in 2022 and 2023, the vast majority in low- and middle-income countries.”
The battle over the source of climate change has made its way to Congress. Republicans have started to say that China is the primary culprit. According to The Hill, “GOP presidential candidates former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointed to emissions from China and promised to eliminate the Biden administration’s environmental policies when asked about the threat of climate change at an Iowa debate Wednesday.”
