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Brazil
Deforestation Pact Disappoints
Leaders of the eight member nations of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) met in Belém, Brazil, to ensure the Amazon’s survival, their first meeting in 14 years. Leaders signaled they would work together to ensure its survival through sustainable economic development, appealing for extra resources from industrialized nations to do so prior to COP28. Activist groups are displeased with the declaration, stating that it is significantly weaker and more generic than what environmentalists have been advocating for. Indigenous groups and environmentalists are calling for all ACTO member nations to end illegal deforestation by 2030 and adopt Colombia’s pledge to halt new oil exploration.
This map depicts the loss of tree cover in South America from 2002-2022, with the majority of loss occurring in the Amazon basin. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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Japan
Atomic Bomb Anniversary
Japan’s prime minister spoke out against the use of atomic warfare as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic bombs days before the end of World War II. In the wake of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida commented “Japan, as the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings in war, will continue efforts towards a nuclear-free world.” Speaking at the remembrance ceremonies, the Hiroshima mayor urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and called on G7 leaders to solidify their notion of nuclear deterrence. On Sunday, a peace bell tolled at 8.15am, the time the Hiroshima bomb was dropped.
This map depicts the number of atomic warheads located across the globe as of 2023. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: NIKKEIAsia
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Space
Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseid meteor shower, known for its high rate of meteors per hour, will peak on the night of August 12. This phenomenon will be visible anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. The Perseids are the number one producer of fireballs among all meteor showers, with up to 100 meteors per hour that leave long blazing trails and create “fireballs,” bright explosions that last longer than those made by typical meteors. This year, conditions are particularly good for viewing because the moon will be at the end of its crescent phase, only 10% illuminated by the sun. The Perseids occur when the Earth’s orbit moves through space debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. Rocky debris slams into our atmosphere at 37 miles per second, or about 133,000 mph, creating fiery streaks across the night sky. The meteor shower’s peak comes when our planet moves through the densest part of the comet’s debris trail.
This map depicts the Perseid phenomenon at the intersection of Comet Swift-Tuttle’s orbit and Earth’s orbit. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Where is the highest volcano on Earth?
A: Chile
The world’s highest volcano is Ojos del Salado. It is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border. Ojos del Salado is the highest peak in Chile, with its highest summit reaching an altitude of 22,615 feet (6,893 meters) above sea level. Ojos del Salado near the Arid Diagonal of South America, a contiguous zone of arid and semi-arid climate that traverses from coastal Peru in the Northwest to the Argentine Patagonia in the Southeast, including large swaths of Bolivia and Chile, encompassing a number of deserts. These extremely dry conditions prevent the formation of glaciers and snow cover. Despite the arid climate, there is a permanent crater lake at an elevation of 21,260 feet (6,500 meters) within the summit crater, the highest lake of any kind in the world.
Source World Atlas
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Q: Where is the smallest active volcano on Earth?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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