The Guardian (September 24)
“The supreme court has delivered a comprehensive demolition of Boris Johnson’s government and its handling of Brexit. The unanimous judgment of the 11 justices…amounts to a root and branch rejection of the prime minister’s attempts to rule without parliament, to take Britain out of the European Union by 31 October without a deal, and to contrive a premature general election…. The immediate effect of the judgment is devastating for Johnson. It is expressed so cogently and unambiguously that it will be difficult for him to wriggle out of it – even though he is certainly foolish enough to try.”
Tags: Brexit, Devastating, EU, Foolish, Johnson, Judgment, Parliament, Rejection, Supreme Court, UK, Unanimous
CNN (August 22)
“Fires are raging at a record rate in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and scientists warn that it could strike a devastating blow to the fight against climate change.” If the Amazon is “the planet’s lungs,” then they are turning black. Brazil’s space agency estimated “more than 1½ soccer fields of Amazon rainforest are being destroyed every minute of every day” and 1,700 miles away Sao Paulo was engulfed in mid-afternoon darkness with “the sky pitch-black…the sun blanketed by smoke and ash.”
Tags: Amazon, Brazil, Climate change, Devastating, Fires, Raging, Rainforest, Sao Paulo, Scientists, Smoke
New York Times (August 5)
“North Korea had launched its third barrage of short-range missiles in just over a week, parading its growing ability to strike its neighbors with devastating firepower. But instead of banding together against a common adversary last week, the two American allies in the path of the missiles—Japan and South Korea—were locked in their own bitter battle, whose roots stretch back over 100 years.”
Tags: Adversary, Allies, Devastating, Firepower, Japan, Launch, Missiles, North Korea, Short range, South Korea, U.S.
Mashable (December 27)
“Temperatures have soared above average across much of the continent, peaking at 49.1°C (120.38°F) in the town of Marble Bar.” This is “not the only extreme heat event Australia has experienced of late.” Blistering heat waves have been common since 2017 and the “Great Barrier Reef will never be the same following the devastating marine heat wave of 2015 and 2016.” Climate change is continuing “to rear its undeniable head… we can expect more extreme weather events like this up ahead.”
Tags: Australia, Climate change, Devastating, Extreme heat, Great Barrier Reef, Marble Bar, Temperatures, Undeniable
Fortune (February Issue)
The cost of “suffocating air pollution” is higher than imagined. The World Bank had estimated in 2016 that air pollution resulted in health costs of $5 trillion a year, but other losses could especially hit developing countries. “High pollution levels are capable of causing net out-migration of 5%—a potentially devastating economic blow, especially because those most likely to leave are wealthy and educated.”
Tags: Air pollution, Cost, Devastating, Educated, Health, Migration, Suffocating, Wealthy, World Bank
Time (July 15)
First there was the Charlie Hebdo attack that killed 17 people. “Then came the Paris attacks—a devastating blow, from which the country had only just begun to shake off the anxiety and grief.” And now the deadly tragedy in Nice. All within a year and a half. “For France, the attack on Thursday night is likely to be deeply distressing—and to raise the question about how the country can possible avoid further attacks, given the extraordinary security measures already in place.”
Tags: Anxiety, Attacks, Charlie Hebdo, Devastating, Distressing, France, Grief, Nice, Paris, Security, Tragedy
