Contents:
Today, we start off with some amazing news about the Amazon rainforest. Voters opted on Monday to decide in a "historic" vote to stop oil drilling in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, which is a huge step forward in their plans to save the Amazon. Yasuni is described as one of the world's most biodiverse areas, and it has been exploited for oil drilling in the past few years- and they were planning to expand. In the decision, over 60% of the voting population voted to ban drilling in the park, which is extremely biodiverse and high in oil deposits. In 2007, the president at the time tried to start an initiative for $3.6 billion to be used to save the area, but it never happened. Oil drilling continued and increased after that, threatening to unbalance the Amazon's delicate rainforest network. But thanks to this new ban, the area will be protected and oil drilling will become illegal in the park. However, there is a catch. Oil is a huge part in Ecuador's economy, and a step like this could result in a loss of, as one estimate puts it, $1.2 billion per year. This is still a huge step forward in saving not just the Amazon rainforest, but the Indigenous peoples in the area, and it could become a model for other countries around the world to follow.
On another note, Tropical Storm Hilary has finally dissipated after bringing severe conditions to Mexico and California, but it impacted Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as well. The storm arrived in California on Sunday with high winds and heavy rain, the latter of which caused a huge problem. A lot of Southern California is desert, so it receives about 2.2 inches of rain per year. However, at least 3 inches was seen in most areas, with one area near San Diego getting 11.74 inches of rain. Hilary was the first storm system to hit California in 26 years, after Nora in 1997, which dumped over 20 inches of rain in some parts of Mexico and about 4-5 inches in some of California. About 30,000 people are still out of power, and the infrastructure damage is also extremely costly. Interstates have been shut down, roads have been washed away, rockslides have destroyed homes, buildings have been flooded, and more. Thousands of flights were canceled through Monday and schools were closed in all of Southern California- including the second-largest and 27th largest school districts in the country (Los Angeles and San Diego, respectively). So far, there have been no deaths in the US, but one person has been confirmed dead in Mexico's Baja California.
Quote of the Day: Don't count the days. Make the days count. (Muhammad Ali)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Frisson (noun)- Frisson refers to a brief moment of emotional excitement.
In a Sentence: He felt a frisson of delight as he stepped tentatively through the door to the walled garden.
Comments