Microplastics have been found in the bodies of people, animals and in various parts of the world – from snow in the distant Arctic to the clouds of Mount Fuji
Researchers are already finding microplastics in all environments and organisms. There is still no clear opinion about the dangers of micro- (particles less than 5 mm) and nanoparticles (less than 100 nm) plastic to humans and to the terrestrial biota in general. Apparently, common plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene are harmless in themselves. However, additives added by manufacturers to plastics to improve their performance properties and which are secret know-how to society and regulatory authorities can cause serious harm to the environment. And most importantly, plastic particles are adsorbents and carriers of chemical and bacterial pollution.
In the Russian city of Orsk on April 5, a dam broke, 1,121 people were evacuated, including 331 children
Water continues to arrive in Orsk. At the moment, about 600 houses on nine streets are flooded. Earlier, the Orsk mayor’s office reported that a dam that protected the city from the Ural River had broken. There is a massive evacuation of people from the Old City, where several villages are located that fell into the flood zone. Temporary accommodation centers have been prepared for those evacuated from the flooded area. The mayor’s office clarified that the protective dam in the area of Orenburgskaya Street broke through. 4,258 houses and 10,987 people fall into the flood zone. The city has prepared temporary accommodation centers for 6.5 thousand places, housing 235 people, including 73 children.
In Haiti, almost four thousand prisoners escaped from prison
According to Agence France-Presse, of the approximately 3.8 thousand prisoners held in the prison before the attack, about a hundred remain in prison at present. Armed men attacked the national prison in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, where unrest was taking place, and released an unknown number of prisoners. Ten people died in a mass escape of prisoners from Haiti’s largest prison.
A fire tornado was recorded in the Primorsky Territory and they are fighting large-scale forest fires
A rare natural phenomenon – a firespout (tornado) – was first recorded in the Primorsky Territory of Russia, where natural fires are raging, RIA Novosti reports. The area of natural fires in the south of Primorye increased from 3.8 thousand hectares to 4.9 thousand hectares in one day.
Fires uncharacteristic for this time of year are raging in South America
The fires in Colombia this month are unusual for a country where people are more accustomed to heavy rain and landslides than fires and ash. They have been linked to high temperatures and drought, exacerbated by the climate phenomenon known as El Niño. In Brazil, fires have destroyed large swaths of rainforest in recent years. Chile has declared two days of national mourning for those killed in the devastating forest fires that engulfed the Valparaiso region. Already 112 people have become victims of the disaster.
Natural disasters change the landscape and ecology in Japan
Several teams of scientists monitored the effects of the early 2024 earthquake in Japan using satellites and found that shifting tectonic plates raised parts of the Noto Peninsula by up to 4 meters, changing the position of coastlines and leaving some ports dry.
Increased volcanic activity has been recorded in Japan and Iceland
Volcanoes in seismically troubled island states have shown increased activity. A state of emergency has been declared in the south of Iceland due to the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano. Before the awakening of the giant, an earthquake occurred in the country. A volcano erupted on Suwanose Island in Japan’s southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture.
Seismic activity in Japan remains high
The death toll from earthquakes in Japan has reached 128 people, reports the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun. According to the latest data from the Ishikawa Prefectural Government, 195 people are missing. Seismic activity in the country is still high. The number of victims of the earthquakes reaches 560, more than 2,000 people are isolated due to the consequences of the tremors.
The beginning of 2024 was marked by an earthquake in Japan and the threat of a tsunami in the Primorsky Territory
Earthquake on the Noto Peninsula: Seismologists in Japan recorded more earthquakes in the first two days after the onset of 2024 than in the past three years. This is evidenced by statistics from the country’s national meteorological department. On the coast of Primorsky Krai, after a tsunami warning due to an earthquake in Japan, the maximum wave height reached 30 cm.
The operator of the emergency Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant discharges low-level radioactive water, but in very large quantities
According to the company’s materials, the concentration of tritium in the water to be discharged is 55-77 becquerels per liter, which is significantly less than the established standard of 1,500 becquerels per liter. The total volume of water released from the emergency Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan during the 2023 fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2024, will be 31.2 thousand tons with a radioactive tritium concentration of 5 trillion becquerels.
In Turkey, a series of earthquakes killed more than 45 thousand people and created a giant tectonic fault
In Turkey, a series of earthquakes killed 45,089 people, Anadolu Agency reports, citing data from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). Previously, 44,374 deaths were reported.
Forest fires are raging in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, residential buildings have been damaged, there is a victim
Aviation was brought in to extinguish wildfires in the Emelyanovsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the press service of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reports. Emelyanovsky district is partially located in the suburbs of the regional capital, Krasnoyarsk. The department explained that at the moment many citizens have left for this territory.
New Delhi was blanketed in toxic smoke from a burning landfill amid extreme heat. The country recorded record high temperatures in more than 120 years
In India, on the outskirts of New Delhi, a landfill burned down. The flames engulfed a mountain of garbage taller than a 17-story building and covering an area of 50 football fields. The Prime Minister of India called on regional governments to pay special attention to fire safety due to the difficult climatic situation in the country.
In the Kurgan region, about 1,300 residents were evacuated from settlements affected by major fires
Together with employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 1,270 citizens were evacuated from settlements threatened by a natural disaster. To eliminate the consequences of landscape fires in the Kurgan region, over 470 employees of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs were involved, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.
One of the most active volcanoes in the world in Kamchatka threw out two columns of ash to a height of up to 10 thousand meters
According to seismic data, on April 20, ash emissions occurred at the Karymsky volcano to a height of 6 thousand meters. and about 10 thousand m. above sea level, respectively. As noted by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, the ash plume spread to the southwest of the volcano.
Bezymyanny volcano in Kamchatka continues active volcanic activity
On March 16, a powerful eruption occurred with the release of lava and ash from the Bezymianny volcano. The resulting huge cloud of ash flies to Chukotka, reports the Kam 24 news agency. Bezymyanny’s aviation hazard code is orange. This means that ash emissions from the volcano’s crater could pose a threat to local airlines.
The seismically active zone of Southeast Asia has been rocked by a series of earthquakes in recent months
An earthquake of magnitude 3.2 occurred on March 15, the epicenter of the earthquake was concentrated on land approximately 21 km from Garut district, the earthquake center was at a depth of 17 km. The second earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred on March 15 at 23:53 West Indonesia time, the epicenter of the earthquake was 17 km from Bandung. Strong undersea earthquakes have rocked western Indonesia and the Philippines capital region.
Malaysia and Australia have been suffering from floods all year, which have not happened for almost 50 years
In Australia and Malaysia, heavy downpours have caused the worst flooding in 50 years, there are casualties, and residents are being evacuated. At the end of February alone, floods in Australia killed more than 200 people.
Dmitry Peskov explained the military operation against Ukraine as a purge of “pro-Nazi people”
“The goals were told by the president – demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. Actually, both of them pose a threat to our state and our people,” Peskov told reporters during a briefing, the BBC Russian news service reported.
In several European countries, 16 people died during Hurricane Eunice
In the Netherlands and Poland, four people each died, in Britain – three, in Germany and Belgium – two each, in Ireland – one, in addition, many were injured in car accidents. In northern France, 30 people were injured in a road accident.
More than a hundred people became victims of floods in Brazil
On February 15, in just 6 hours, more than a month’s rainfall fell in the city of Petropolis. At least 104 people were killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains.
The island of Madagascar and the southeast coast of Africa were hit by devastating cyclones
On February 6, 2022, a second cyclone, Batisirai, hit Madagascar, killing at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, causing floods, collapsing buildings, and knocking out power.
The coasts of Peru and Thailand have been declared environmental disaster zones
The oil slick in Thailand covers an area of about 47 square meters. kilometers, more than a million liters of oil entered the sea in Peru