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Bulgaria-Greece-Turkey
Floods across East Mediterranean
Over the past few days, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey have seen torrential rainfall and flooding, with a death toll of 14 people so far. In Greece, three deaths were reported in Volos and Karditsa, along with three missing persons. Traffic to Volos, Skiathos, and Pilion have been limited by authorities to aid homes currently without running water or electricity. The Greek media has also reported the collapse of several roads. Five deaths have been reported along the Turkey-Bulgaria border, where homes were swept into the sea. Istanbul reported two deaths, along with 1,750 homes and businesses impacted. It has also been reported that many areas have seen 23 to 31 inches (60 to 80 cm) of rain within 24 hours. More than 800 people have been rescued over the past two days in Greece, with swift water rescue specialists and divers from the fire department’s disaster response units, as well as the army, participating in the rescue efforts and trying to reach remote areas despite the roads having been washed away.
This map depicts rainfall from Storm Daniel in Greece. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Abortions Increase Post-Roe
A study by the Guttmacher Institute has found the number of abortion procedures has increased in states bordering those with new abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. In the first half of 2023, 511,000 abortions were reported in the states where the procedure remains legal, in comparison to the first half of 2020, when 465,000 abortions were recorded nationwide, with numbers jumping the most in states where the procedure remains legal but which border states with new bans. South Carolina, for example, saw a 124 percent increase between 2020 and 2023 compared with a 4 percent increase between 2017 and 2020. The increase in abortion procedures was highest in Virginia, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, and New Mexico, all of which border a state where there are new abortion bans. The number of abortions also increased in all states where the procedure remains legal with the exception of Arizona, Indiana, Georgia, and the District of Columbia.
This map depicts the estimated percent change in abortions in the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2020. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: New York Times
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United States
Alaska Oil Drilling Rights Revoked
In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of the Interior announced it would cancel oil and gas leases in an Alaskan federal wildlife refuge. The leases were purchased by an Alaska state development agency in the final days of the Trump administration. The government also said it would forbid new leasing of more than 10 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve. The National Petroleum Reserve, also located in Alaska, sits on the largest section of undisturbed public land in the United States. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) has stated they will be challenging the cancellation of the leases in court.
This map depicts the National Petroleum Reserve where the US Department of the Interior has moved to cancel oil and gas leases that were purchased in the final days of the Trump administration. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is known as the birthplace of coffee?
A: Ethiopia
Abyssenia, now modern-day Ethiopia, is considered the place where coffee originated. The history of coffee is actually traced to a goatherder by the name of Kaldi around the year 850 CE, and it is said that he is the one responsible for taking coffee berries to a monastery, claiming the effect that these berries had on his mind and body. A monk threw the berries from Kaldi’s outstretched hand into a fire, deeming them the “Devil’s work.” Within moments, the chamber was filled with the smell of roasting coffee. Curious, the monks raked the coffee beans from the fire and crushed them in order to put out the molten embers. They poured hot water over the powdered coffee, and news of this event spread throughout the country. Linguists have determined that the earliest reference of coffee in Ethiopia is in Arabic documents dating back to the year 900 CE. The documents refer to a strange new drink called “buna” that was consumed throughout the country; “buna” is Oromiyan (Afroasiatic language spoken by 33% of Ethiopians) for coffee. Arabica coffee has always grown wild in the hills of the Kaffa and Buno districts, so many coffee farms were established in those areas. In 1454, it was introduced to ports in Yemen and Mecca. Ethiopia currently produces over 200,000 tons of coffee per year, with its coffee industry employing over 15 million people!
Source Atlas Coffee Club
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Q: Massive thawing of what region of the world is releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases from the soil?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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