Hawaii: world's largest active volcano erupts
Mauna Loa volcano is the largest active volcano in the world. On 1 December the alert level code was upgraded to red, the highest classification. The lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert and warned about the risk of falling ash. The US Geological Service said the situation could change rapidly. The eruption of Mauna Loa has two active fissures feeding lava flows downslope, while other lava flows are travelling north. They are reaching a relatively flat area and beginning to slow down; as this happens, the lava will spread out and inflate. Pray for the safety of the many visitors rushing to observe the spectacle. Pray for the residents worried about emergency response and resources that may be available to assist those at risk. Updates here
Brazil: fatal landslide
At least two people have died after heavy rain caused a mudslide which engulfed the BR-376 motorway in Parana state. The whereabouts of around thirty people are unknown. Several vehicles are thought to have been buried under the rubble on the coastal road. Aerial pictures show lorries lying on their sides hanging perilously over the edge of the motorway. Social media footage showed motorists battling through muddy flood water before the landslide. Some people online have asked why the road was not closed earlier. Access to a major port for grains and sugar shipments has been cut off. About 80% of goods exported from Paranagua, the country's second-biggest port for grains and sugar, are delivered by truck. The state authority has declined to estimate the total losses.
Canada: deforestation rules 'burdensome'
Ailish Campbell, Canada's ambassador to the EU,said its proposed rules to curb deforestation add ‘burdensome’ requirements and will hurt trade between Canada and the EU. The rules aim to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide. Climate campaigners have called Canada's resistance to the rules shocking. In a letter to the EU, Ms Campbell says Canada supports the objectives of the proposed deforestation regulation, but is greatly concerned that some elements will cause trade barriers for Canadian exporters. She asks for several revisions to the regulation, including providing a delay and a clearer definition for what falls under forest ‘degradation’ - a practice that climate advocates say is widely seen in Canada. In March, over 90 scientists penned an open letter to prime minister Trudeau outlining concerns about the rate of industrial logging in old-growth forests, which they said had ‘unique and irreplaceable ecological values’.
India: Modi scolds Putin
Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, has called for the Ukraine war to end. He warned that geopolitical struggles could ‘lead to humanitarian crises’. In a thinly veiled swipe at the Russian president, he said, ‘Our era need not be one of war. Indeed, it must not be one!’ The comments echoed his previous criticism of Mr Putin in September. India has abstained from condemning Moscow’s actions in Ukraine at the UN as the government balances its ties with Russia and the West, but has shifted its stance as the war intensifies and energy and food shortages pose greater global threats. Mr Modi said the world’s greatest challenges ‘can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together’. India hosts the next G20 summit, whose theme is One Earth, One Family, One Future.
