Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Fanning the Flames in Russia

I don't think they need the help.

Related:
Heat is on in Russia

Maybe someone should put 'em out.

"40 now dead as wildfires blacken swaths of Russia" by Associated Press | August 3, 2010

MOSCOW — The death toll from wildfires raging across central and western Russia rose to 40 yesterday, as millions of Muscovites coughed through a haze of smoke from burning peat bogs and firefighters scrambled to put out hundreds of new blazes....

The fires follow weeks of searing heat and practically no rain.

Nothing about the drought and destruction of nearly one-third of the Russian harvest though.

Although temperatures in the Moscow area dipped modestly over the weekend, they are forecast to climb back to around 100 degrees this week. Still, firefighters reported making some headway against the blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes, burned through vast sections of tinder-dry land, and forced thousands to evacuate.

Vladimir Stepanov, head of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry’s crisis center, said yesterday that about 500 new wildfires were sparked nationwide in the previous 24 hours but most of them were immediately doused.

Muscovites awoke yesterday to a sharp burning smell from the smoldering peat bogs south and east of the capital, haze that has increased the city’s already-high pollution readings.

Wildfires were still burning across some 300,000 acres, mostly in central and western Russia, slightly less than the area engulfed in flames over the weekend, Stepanov said....

In a separate development, a twin-engine passenger plane crashed early today near a northern Siberia town, killing at least 11 of the 15 people on board, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said. The plane was approaching the airport of the town of Igarka, above the Arctic Circle, said Irinia Andryanova, a ministry spokeswoman.

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I don't suppose this hot wind will help:

"US affirms effort on greenhouse gases" by Associated Press | August 3, 2010

AMSTERDAM — The United States assured international negotiators yesterday that it remains committed to reducing carbon emissions over the next 10 years, despite the collapse of efforts to legislate a climate bill.

US delegate Jonathan Pershing told a climate conference in Bonn that Washington is not backing away from President Obama’s pledge....

No, he only backs away from those he made to the American people.

But the withdrawal of a scaled down climate bill last week in the Senate raised concern about US commitment to fight global warming and disappointed developing countries that had hoped Obama would seize international leadership on the issue.

Wow, they had to drop it completely (to little MSM focus, notice)?

The European Union said the failure of the bill encumbered its talks among its 27 member states on whether the EU should increase its pledge to rein in the gases blamed for global warming....

You mean the carbon-belching, flighted globalists spewing the breeze?

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