Your Weekend Reading: A Planet Approaching the Tipping Point
Get caught up.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wildfire smoke from the U.S. West arrived in the New York area this week, creating decreased visibility and a foreboding haze.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesThe world can be a dangerous place. Natural forms of destruction have blighted the Earth since the dawn of time. But thanks to human intervention, the planet may seem closer than ever to a tipping point. This reality makes the failure of leaders to agree on a deal to address the climate crisis all the more worrisome. From catastrophic floods in Europe and China to massive wildfires in North America that reddened the skies over New York City, a key culprit appears to be a misbehaving jet stream. In Iran, there’s a water crisis that should surprise nobody. Meanwhile, the big polluters still need to figure out how to navigate the transition to clean energy.
The Tokyo Olympics finally kicked off in the shadow of Covid-19 and yet another public relations disaster. Compare these Games with those of 1964 and see the long arc of Japan’s technological decline.