30,000 residents under evacuation orders as wind-driven wildfire whips through Los Angeles hillsides
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 30,000 residents under evacuation orders as wind-driven wildfire whips through Los Angeles hillsides.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 30,000 residents under evacuation orders as wind-driven wildfire whips through Los Angeles hillsides.
Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency struggled to answer straightforward questions about science. At his confirmation hearing on Thursday, former Rep. Lee Zeldin faced scrutiny of his limited environmental experience. For one senator, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, this took the form of a science pop quiz—asking, in his words, “really basic no-tricks questions about climate change.” Whitehouse started off with a softball: “First, as a matter of law, is carbon dioxide a p
The average nationwide price of regular fuel was up 3.2 cents per litre between Jan. 9 and Jan. 16, according to data from Kalibrate.
Researchers newly identified a “supergiant” sea bug species off the coast of south-central Vietnam, but scientists worry about its vulnerability to overfishing.
An ambitious plan from celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary to build the "world's largest" AI data centre in northern Alberta is facing opposition from a First Nation in the region.In December, O'Leary Ventures announced plans to build Wonder Valley, a $70-billion data centre in the Municipal District of Greenview, near Grande Prairie.The project has been widely praised, including by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.Its location would put it on traditional territory of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. "
Using ocean water to fight wildfires sounds like a simple solution. However, salt water comes with a host of potential hazards. We explain what they are, and why the ocean is most often used as a last resort.
The Port of Argentia is North America’s first monopile marshalling port in support of the U.S. energy transition. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)The Port of Argentia is anxiously awaiting the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, to see whether or not his "drill, baby, drill" energy policy will become a reality. Trump is a supporter of the U.S. oil and gas industry. NPR reported late last year that the president-elect had adopted the campaign slogan "drill, baby, drill" to highlight his plans to i
A potent cold front will open the door to frigid Arctic air, with some of the coldest conditions in years set to spread across Ontario
BENGALURU, India (AP) — Over 400 endangered sea turtles have washed ashore on India's east coast near the city of Chennai in the last two weeks in an event not witnessed in over two decades.
As Canadian premiers work on a plan to deal with the tariffs threatened by incoming U.S. president Donald Trump, snow crab producers in New Brunswick worry about how tariffs would affect them.The U.S. market a huge one for snow crab fishermen and processors in the province, and tariffs could have a "very significant impact," said Gilles Theriault, head of the New Brunswick Crab Processors Association."We might be left as processors with a whole bunch of crabs on our hand, and then we would be in
Colossal Biosciences, which aims to revive extinct species, has raised an additional $200 million. Critics say de-extinction in its purest sense isn’t possible.
Sooner or later, a winter storm will hit, and deadly mudslides and debris flows that will likely follow.
A rush of Arctic air will plunge parts of North America into bitter cold this weekend, bringing heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures to parts of Canada.Meteorologists say temperatures could plunge by as much as 30 C in parts of the country over the coming days — so if the temperature in your neighbourhood has typically been hovering around 5 C, it could plummet to a shocking –25 C."For many places this will be the coldest weekend of the season so far," said CBC climate specialist Dar
A potent cold front will open the door to frigid Arctic air, with some of the coldest conditions in years set to spread across Ontario
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The windy, flame-fanning weather that put the nation's second most-populous metropolitan region on edge eased up Wednesday as firefighters made significant gains against the two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles.
Some of the visuals coming out of Los Angeles County over the past week are ones we expect with wildfires: dramatic flames, orange skies and damaged structures. But what's with the pink powder blanketing some neighbourhoods? The eye-popping substance coating streets, cars and surfaces is actually fire retardant, dropped by aerial firefighting tankers in massive plumes of red or pink. Unlike water drops, which target active flames, fire retardant is dropped by planes ahead of a fire's path to slow the fire's progress and allow crews to construct fire lines. Thousands of gallons of fire retardant have been dropped in Los Angeles County since fires broke out last week, officials say. The deadly fires have killed at least 25 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and displaced tens of thousands of residents so far. A car is covered by fire retardant as the Palisades Fire, one of simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County, burns at the Mandeville Canyon, a neighbourhood of Los Angeles. (Ringo Chiu/Reuters)What exactly is fire retardant? Fire retardants are composed of fertilizer chemicals such as ammonium phosphates. They often include bright pigments to aid pilots in dropping the retardant accurately. They work to slow the rate of fires by cooling and coating plants that serve as fuel to a fire, depleting the fire's oxygen, and slowing the burning process "as the retardant's inorganic salts change how fuels burn," according to the U.S. Forest Service. Phos-Chek, made by the company Perimeter Solutions, is the retardant being used in Los Angeles County, and the most common one used in Canada. It's also the most-used fire retardant in the world, according to a 2022 report from The Associated Press. Although there are several formulations, it generally comes in a powder concentrate that is mixed with water before being dropped from tankers.An air tanker drops fire retardant in an attempt to fight the Palisades Fire, which has now been burning for a week. (Ringo Chiu/Reuters)Is it safe? Generally, fire retardants approved for use are not considered toxic to humans — though direct inhalation, eye contact or consumption can cause irritation, and scientists say more studies into long-term exposure are needed. But fire retardants can be toxic to fish or other aquatic animals if they get into waterways. For this reason, the U.S. Forest Service prohibits dropping fire retardant within 300 feet of waterways or specifically mapped out avoidance areas, "except when human life or public safety are threatened."A study released last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that some fire retardants, including Phos-Chek LC-95W, contained toxic metals, including lead and arsenic.A representative with the U.S. Forest Service told NPR that LC-95 had been phased out in 2025 in favour of the newer MVP-Fx formulation. According to Perimeter data, Phos-Chek MVP-Fx is much less toxic to fish than the older LC-95 formulations. A mailbox covered with fire retardant during the Palisades Fire is seen at the Mandeville Canyon, on Monday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)Perimeter has previously stated that residents should try to clean off retardant with water and mild soap as soon as safety allows. "The longer the retardant dries, the more difficult it is to remove completely," the company stated in a brief. Pressure washers can be used on larger surfaces, it added. The bright colour will slowly fade with exposure to sunlight. WATCH | B.C.-based aviation company talks about helping to battle L.A. fires: Wildfires are connected to a range of health issues, with studies showing long-term smoke inhalation can seriously impact the lungs and heart, and even raises the risk of dementia more than other forms of air pollution. The U.S. Forest Service has been using aerial fire retardants since the 1950s, according to their website, but its usage has gone through many transformations over the years as older formulations were phased out and regulations changed. In 2005, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled that the Forest Service had violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not carrying out proper analysis of aerial fire retardant's impact on the environment and endangered animals. After years of back and forth, the U.S. Forest Service carried out assessments and implemented the requirement of no dumping on waterways and avoidance zones in a 2011 decision. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service announced that they had decided against entering into a contract with Compass Minerals for magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants after inspections found corrosion in the aerial tankers used to deploy the company's retardant.
Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), President-elect Trump’s nominee for Interior secretary, sat for a largely cordial hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday. While some Democratic members of the panel questioned Burgum on the incoming administration’s climate policies, the hearing lacked the acrimony of earlier nominees’ appearances. Burgum, who…
A mother killer whale whose calf died more than two weeks ago was spotted recently in waters off Victoria, B.C., still carrying the carcass of her newborn. The Center for Whale Research spotted the southern resident killer whale, named Tahlequah, or J35, on Jan. 10, nine days after she was first seen pushing her dead calf while she swam. She's the same whale that made world headlines in 2018 when she spent 17 days carrying her first dead newborn calf around in a similar manner. In a Facebook pos
Beware changing conditions throughout southern Ontario into the Thursday evening commute
The term "green cement" is still relatively new, but a Cape Breton economic development group feels the Strait of Canso could be the newest home for carbon-removal technologies that have already enjoyed success in the province. The Cape Breton Partnership says unidentified business interests have shown interest in launching a green cement facility in Point Tupper Industrial Park.A survey commissioned by the partnership says the industry chalked up $84.5 billion in business globally two years ago
A time-lapse video taken from a roof cam at CBC Manitoba's Portage Avenue building shows a storm hitting Winnipeg on Friday, Jan. 17. Poor visibility in blowing snow across southern Manitoba prompted school closures, travel warnings and notices about possible delays in health services.