Intermittent-fasting diets may prevent infections, study finds

Intermittent fasting may help prevent infections, a new study has found. Photo by LauraTara/Pixabay


Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Intermittent-fasting diets may help prevent infections in those who practice them, a study published Thursday by the journal PLOS Pathogens found.

Mice orally infected with a bacteria responsible for most stomach viruses that were put on a fast for 48 hours before exposure had fewer signs of bacterial infection compared with those that were fed, the researchers said.

The mice in the study were infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which causes gastroenteritis, an infection humans experience as abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, researchers said.

However, when fasted mice were infected with Salmonella intravenously, they did not have similar protection from illness, nor did those mice bred to lack a normal gut microbiome.

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This indicates that any protective effect from fasting was due to changes in the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria and other micro-organisms that live in the digestive tract and help the body process what it consumes, the researchers said.

"We saw an overall change in the composition of the microbiome, meaning an increase in some bacteria and a decrease in other bacteria," study co-author Dr. Bruce Vallance said in a press release.

"However, we did not show in our study which bacteria specifically is responsible for the protective effect," said Vallance, a professor of gastroenterology at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

RELATED Earlier breakfast may decrease risk for diabetes

Intermittent fasting diets may offer some health benefits, assisting in weight loss and reducing heart disease risk, among others, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Although their role in preventing certain conditions, including infections, remains unclear, based on earlier research, some have proposed them as a way to help prevent COVID-19, though more studies, particularly those with human subjects, are needed.

Still, when people or animals develop an infection, they often lose their appetite, which suggests there may be a connection between food consumption and the onset of illness, Vallance and his colleagues said.

RELATED Less stringent fasting diets may still be effective, study shows

For this study, the researchers fasted several mice for 48 hours before and during oral infection with Salmonella while feeding others normally for comparison purposes.

The fasted mice showed fewer signs of bacterial infection, including virtually no intestinal tissue damage or inflammation, the researchers said.

However, there was a dramatic increase in the presence of Salmonella bacteria and signs of invasion into the intestinal walls when the fasted mice were fed for one day following their fast, although intestinal inflammation was still lower than normal, according to the researchers.

Additional experiments using the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, the most common cause of food poisoning, confirmed that the effect of fasting was not limited to Salmonella, the researchers said.

Food plays an important role in regulating interactions between pathogens and the gut microbiome, they said.

When food is limited, the microbiome appears to store the nutrients that remain, preventing pathogens from acquiring the energy they need to infect the host, according to the researchers.

The findings suggest that therapeutic fasting or calorie restriction has the potential to prevent infections, as well as non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases, the researchers said.

"The microbiome as a whole is mediating most of the protective effect of fasting since mice lacking a microbiome are not as protected from the infection," Vallance said.

WHAT IS WITH DOCTORS WANTING TO ZAP OUR BRAINS

Brain 'zap' treatment may help curb smoking
By HealthDay News


New research suggests that a "zap" to the brain could help people quit smoking. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel

A kind of "zap' to the brain -- a technique called noninvasive brain stimulation -- may help hardcore smokers cut back, a new research review suggests.

Nicotine can trigger changes in the brain that make it hard to quit, so researchers have been looking for ways to use noninvasive brain stimulation, or NIBS, techniques to counter abnormal brain activity caused by nicotine addiction.

In this review, researchers analyzed 12 trials of different NIBS methods on a combined total of 710 people addicted to nicotine.

Several techniques showed promising results, but high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, of a brain area involved in memory and decision-making was associated with the greatest reduction in number of cigarettes smoked per day.

RELATED Study: Graphic warnings on cigarettes boost desire to quit, but only for short time

None of the NIBS techniques reviewed appeared to reduce the severity of nicotine craving or addiction.

NIBS may boost dopamine release and counterbalance the brain's reward system, helping smokers deal with craving and withdrawal symptoms, according to study author Dr. Cheng-Ta Li, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, and his colleagues.

The findings were published this week in the journal Addiction.

Li and his team noted that trial dropout rates among participants undergoing any of the NIBS methods were not significantly different from control groups. That suggests these treatments are well-tolerated, the researchers said in a journal news release.

Nicotine affects the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, increasing brain activity and the release of dopamine. Higher levels of dopamine provide feelings of pleasure for smokers, the authors said.

Long-term nicotine exposure causes the brain to produce more receptors to handle the increased brain activity. When a smoker tries to quit and nicotine levels fall, a decrease in activity in the brain's reward system causes withdrawal symptoms that make it hard to cut back or quit smoking.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a guide for quitting smoking.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Two HIV PrEP meds work equally well, 

one is much cheaper

By Ernie Mundell & Robert Preidt, HealthDay News

A sizable minority of patients have switched from the older and cheaper HIV "preexposure prophylaxis" (PrEP) formulation to the newer and much pricier one. 

Photo by MasterTux/Pixabay

The two HIV prevention drugs available in the United States are equally safe and effective, and the biggest difference between them is price, a new study contends.

However, a sizable minority of patients have switched from the older and cheaper "preexposure prophylaxis" (PrEP) formulation to the newer and much pricier one. In many cases that switch might not have been warranted, the researchers said.

The two PrEP medications are both made up of antiretroviral pills that are 99% effective in preventing HIV infection in people at high risk of catching the virus, when taken as prescribed.

They include the older (now generic) combo, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF/FTC, brand name Truvada), as well as the newer combo of tenofovir alafenamide with emtricitabine (TAF/FTC, brand name Descovy). Descovy only received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2019.

RELATED People in U.S. with HIV have near-normal life expectancy, study says

Each formulation can come with its own set of side effects: TDF/FTC/Truvada has been associated with small decreases in kidney function and bone mineral density, the researchers said, while Descovy has been associated with minor weight gain and higher cholesterol.

According to a team at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the really big difference between the two medications is price.

Generic TDF/FTC became available in the United States in October 2020 and now costs as little as $30 per month, compared with about $1,800 per month for brand-name Descovy.

RELATEDAccess to affordable drug therapy reduces HIV infections in men, study finds

Despite the significant price difference, some patients have switched to the more expensive drug, and the researchers wanted to find out if most had a good clinical reason for doing so.

"One of the most critical barriers to broad and equitable PrEP use in the U.S. has been cost, including both perceived and actual costs," study lead author Julia Marcus, associate professor in Harvard's department of population medicine and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, explained in an institute news release.

"Generic TDF/FTC could revolutionize PrEP access, but that opportunity will be missed if resources are invested in a far more expensive medication" that's not justified by much better clinical outcomes, Marcus said.

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Digging into the issue, her team tracked data from nearly 2,900 adults in Boston who were prescribed TDF/FTC for PrEP in the year before the FDA approved Descovy, and then had at least one PrEP prescription over the following year.

The investigators found that 343 (about 12%) of the patients switched to Descovy during the first year it was available. Kidney dysfunction was associated with switching to the newer drug, while switching was less likely among patients who'd had high cholesterol.

But based on known kidney, bone, and heart risk factors, only 7% of those who switched to Descovy had good clinical reasons for doing so, according to the study. It was published online Aug. 5 in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

When indications for switching also included risk factors for developing kidney dysfunction -- such as high blood pressure and diabetes -- up to 27% of these switches were clinically indicated, Marcus' group added.

One expert in HIV care agreed that many patients who switched their PrEP meds may not have needed to do so, however.

"For the majority of patients, changing to TAF [Descovy] does not have a clinical advantage," said Dr. David Rosenthal, who wasn't involved in the new research.

"As always in medicine, we need to be certain that we 'do no harm' as medical providers and that we provide patients with the best medications for their specific health situation," added Rosenthal, who directs the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV at Northwell Health, in Great Neck, N.Y.

He believes that cost should always be an important consideration when weighing decisions about care.

Of course, some patients will benefit from the newer drug.

"It is indisputable that TAF-containing PrEP [Descovy] has advantages for patients with decreased kidney function or decreased bone density; those patients should certainly receive PrEP with TAF," Rosenthal said.

On the other hand, "for a small group of patients with obesity and/or high cholesterol it may be disadvantageous to take TAF instead of TDF [Truvada]," he added.

The new study "reminds us that selection of the best medications for a specific patient should take into account both a patient's other medical conditions and the cost-effectiveness of the pharmaceutical options," Rosenthal said.More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on PrEP.
SOURCES: David W. Rosenthal, DO, PhD, medical director, Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV at Northwell Health, Great Neck, N.Y.; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, news release, Aug. 5, 2021

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Study: Farming practices, changing diets causing more in U.S. to be anemic

By Denise Mann, HealthDay News

Growing numbers of Americans aren't getting enough iron in their diets most likely due to changes in farming practices and a shift away from red meat, researchers report.

The upshot: Rates of iron-deficiency anemia are on the rise.

"Iron deficiency remains a major public health issue even in a developed country such as the United States," Dr. Ian Griffin and Dr. Marta Rogido wrote in an editorial published along with the new research. They practice at Biomedical Research of New Jersey in Cedar Knolls.

Iron helps make hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Anemia results from a drop in red blood cells. It can cause fatigue, pale skin, dizziness and/or weakness, and can lead to other health problems, including heart failure, if left untreated, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

For this study, researchers used three large government databases to track trends in anemia rates; the amount of iron found in U.S. food products; and deaths from iron-deficiency anemia between 1999 and 2018.

During that time, iron intake dropped 6.6% in men and 9.5% in women as levels of the nutrient fell in more than 500 food products assessed, including pork, turkey, fruit, vegetables, corn and beans, the researchers reported.

This was most likely due to changes in farming practices, the study authors said. Previous studies have pointed to a push to increase crop yield per acre and irrigation runoff as among those changes.

Another big change? More folks are eating chicken instead of red meat for health purposes, and red meat contains much more iron, said study author Connie Weaver, professor emerita of nutrition science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

"Fortified grains and cereals increase iron intake, but low-carb diets and switching away from fortified cereal has also decreased iron intake," she added.

During the study period, deaths from iron deficiency anemia rose, and more people required treatment for severe anemia, the study found. This risk was highest among women and African Americans.

"[Going forward], agriculture practices could be improved to increase iron in foods, especially through the selection of seeds/lines of higher mineral content," Weaver said.

The findings were published recently in The Journal of Nutrition.

Jessica Shapiro, associate wellness and nutrition manager at Montefiore Health System in New York City, reviewed the study findings.

"Iron deficiency anemia has definitely increased in recent years," Shapiro said. Blood tests can diagnose it, she added, and diet changes and supplements are typically ordered to get iron levels up to where they should be.

"I always go food first when treating iron deficiency," Shapiro noted.

There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme, she pointed out.

"Heme iron is found in animal products such as red meat and is better absorbed than non-heme iron in plant-based foods like lentils, spinach, kidney beans, nuts, and some dried fruit like raisins," Shapiro explained.

Foods like citrus fruit that are rich in vitamin C can help the body better absorb plant-based iron, she said.

But, Shapiro added, iron can be a double-edged sword: While too little causes anemia, too much can tip the scale toward iron overload, which can be toxic.More information

To learn more about iron deficiency anemia and its treatment, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

South Korea offers ways to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2050


South Korea has pledged to tackle greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

File Photo by Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA-EFE

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- South Korea proposed three ways to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2050, but some proposals do not meet Seoul's pledge of zero emissions by that year, local environmental activists say.

Korea's presidential 2050 Carbon Neutrality Committee said Thursday that it has drafted road maps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the target year, JTBC television and News is reported.

The first two plans will allow some level of carbon emissions. Plan 1 proposed allowing up to 25.4 million tons of emissions and Plan 2 has suggested 18.7 million tons. Plans 1 and 2 represent a reduction of emissions by 96.3% and 97.3%, respectively, according to Yonhap.

Only Plan 3 offers a roadmap to zero emissions, reports said.

Plan 1 also allows for the continued operation of 7 new coal power plants that recently came online or are near completion. Plan 2 assumes the shutdown of all 7 plants, according to JTBC.

Plan 3 offers a scenario in which all fossil fuel-based power plants and transportation are phased out and replaced by green energy sources.

While the plans propose a more environmentally friendly future amid a global movement to reduce emissions, the capacity of Korea's natural "terrestrial sinks" including forests to absorb greenhouse gases is shrinking.

According to JTBC, the capacity of Korean forests to absorb carbon dioxide will decrease to 24 million tons by 2050, from the present-day capacity of 41.3 million tons.

The presidential committee is to gather feedback from specialists and environmental groups through September.

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements said Thursday that the proposals are "carbon neutral" in name only, referring to Plans 1 and 2, Newsis reported.

A "low conversion rate" to eco-friendly fuels also is a disappointment, activists said.

Greenpeace Korea said in statement that it is "very worrying" that the committee made no mention of goals for 2030.

Berlin-based Climate Analytics has said South Korea should slash emissions at least 59% by the end of the decade.

Key Atlantic Ocean current system could be collapsing

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation includes the Gulf Stream and circulates warm water to the ocean's surface that contributes to mild temperatures in Europe.

 File Photo by Victoria Lipov/Shutterstock

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A major Atlantic Ocean current system may be declining in strength, which could have consequences for weather systems worldwide, according to a study released Thursday.

The study, published in Nature Climate Change, found evidence that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is approaching a collapse. The current system includes the Gulf Stream and circulates warm water to the ocean's surface that contributes to mild temperatures in Europe, according to a press release announcing the study.

Niklas Boers, an author of the study and researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Freie Universität Berlin and Exeter University, said in a statement that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is one of the planet's "key circulation systems."

Likened to a conveyor belt for oceans, the circulation system plays an important role in distributing heat globally. While there is evidence that the system is at its weakest point in more than a thousand years, the study examined whether it's becoming less stable.

"The difference is crucial because the loss of dynamical stability would imply that the AMOC has approached its critical threshold, beyond which a substantial and, in practice, likely irreversible transition to the weak mode could occur," Boers said.

Data measuring the AMOC does not exist, according to the researchers. But the system leaves "fingerprints" from sea-surface temperature and salinity patterns that the study used to find evidence that it is becoming less stable and could collapse.

The study found that factors linked to climate change are contributing, including the freshwater inflow from the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and sea ice, as well as precipitation and river runoff.

A different study published earlier this year found that the AMOC is the weakest it has been in a thousand years.

According to the United Kingdom's Meteorological Office, a weaker AMOC could bring less warm water northward and offset increasingly warm temperatures in western Europe. The office noted that a collapse of the system is unlikely before 2100. 

RELATED Florida Current study confirms decline in strength of Gulf Stream

 

Ghana court acquits 21 LGBTQ activists arrested during crackdown

The 21 activists who had been arrested for attending an LGBTQ event in May have been acquitted. The activists were taken into custody by police in a move that caused outrage among rights groups.

 

Ghana's LGBTQ community face an uncertain future with the proposal of a harsh anti-gay bill

Twenty-one LGBTQ activists, arrested in May on charges of "unlawful assembly," saw the charges against them dismissed by a court in Ghana on Thursday.

The 16 women and five men had been attending a paralegal training session conducted by Rightify Ghana, a human rights organization, in May. Police arrested the group for attending the training session, saying it promoted homosexuality, making it an unlawful gathering. They were released on bail by the country's High Court in June after more than three weeks of detention

Addressing the latest development, Chief Superintendent Akologo Yakubu Ayamga said: "What this means is that they cannot be brought back to court on the same charges. So they have been freed.”

The lawyer representing the 21 accused, Julia Averty, was pleased with the outcome. "We welcome the decision and that has always been our argument from the beginning of this case," adding, "it has been a rough journey since May, but, thankfully, the law has spoken." 

Ghana's stance on homosexuality

Gay sex is a criminal offense and punishable by up to three years imprisonment in the West African state. Those in the LGBTQ community are often victims of discrimination and abuse.

Ghanaian lawmakers are proposing harsher sentences and criminalizing LGBTQ advocacy in draft legislation that has made its way to parliament. The proposed bill has received global attention.

The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill had its first reading in the House and, according to Rightify Ghana, has been referred to the Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee.

Rights groups concerned

Various rights groups, including Rightify Ghana and Human Rights Watch, had been vocal in their condemnation of the arrests. For Ghana's president, Nana Akufo-Addo, the measures on so-called family values come at a sensitive time as he tries to entice African-Americans into moving to Ghana.

Various celebrities with Ghanaian heritage lent their support to Ghana's LGBTQ community. Idris Elba and Naomi Campbell were among those who signed an open letter in which they expressed their concern about the state of LGBTQ rights in Ghana.

kb/sms (AFP, Reuters)

TINDERBOX

German Forest Summit: Three ways to revive dying woods

More German forest died in 2020 than any other year — even if spared the wildfires now blazing through southern Europe. Experts are debating solutions.


Germany's forests were spared the flames, but have been suffering from bark beetle plagues, among other things

In 2018, German forests burnt at around four times the rate they had in previous years, especially in the northern state of Brandenburg. But wildfires are not the problem for monoculture spruce conifer forests that dominate the wooded area covering one third of Germany. These forests are instead falling victim to bark beetle plagues thriving in dryer and hotter weather induced by global heating.

Germany's second national forest summit, appropriately titled "Waldsterben 2.0" (Forest Dieback), explores how to manage the German woods back to health in the midst of a climate crisis. Here are three suggestions that are on the table.

1. Better ecological forest management

One of the key themes at the second national forest summit being hosted at the Wohlleben Forest Academy in western Germany is forest restructuring and ecological forest management.

German woods have almost no old growth, and very little biodiversity. That makes them extremely vulnerable to climate change. This is due to poor forest management, say some of the experts attending the summit.

The prime target for reformation are "artificial" conifer forests that were largely planted after the war because they were fast-growing and could provide wood for reconstruction. Making up 25% of German forests today, the predominant spruce tree is an Alpine species that requires wet and cold conditions. Now they are badly struggling in non-native areas as they age, a process exacerbated by climate change.

IT'S DO OR DIE FOR GERMANY'S FORESTS

The forests are dying

German forests are dying in part due to drier and hotter summers, and heat-loving bark beetle plagues that have destroyed ubiquitous spruce trees. More trees died in Germany in 2020 than in any other previous year, including beech trees planted widely in the past decade for their climate resilience. This week's national forest summit titled "Waldsterben 2.0" (Forest Dieback) asks what can be done. 12345678

"Our forests are not natural forests," said Christopher Reyer, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and national forest summit participant.

Planted with very few other species, and containing very little biodiversity, these historical forest management "legacy effects" are being compounded by "unprecedented climate impacts on these types of trees," Reyer told DW.

Peter Wohlleben, forester, founder of the Wohlleben Forest Academy, and author of the bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, said that 50% or more of German forests could die in the next decade "because of bad management."

"My suggestion is to leave the forest alone," he said. "Natural forests can create their own local climate, whereas plantations get drier and hotter and cause their own problems," he added.

2. Fostering climate resilience through biodiversity

Climate impacts on forest are compounded by invasive timber harvesting, which also compacts the soil and limits its ability to retain water. On the first day of the summit, Wohlleben described a healthy native beech forest very close to his academy which had virtually no water runoff during the heavy rains that flooded nearby regions.

But the problem is not going away as the German timber industry continues to export much of its product to China and the US for construction, notes Judith Reise, a researcher at Germany's Oeko-Institut.

"Timber harvesting is not ecologically sustainable," she said, adding that removing all the dead and fallen wood from forests — not just for timber harvesting but also as part of the aesthetic cleaning forests for recreation purposes — has also depleted the microbial processes that are essential to biodiversity. This might increase fire risk in the short term, but the nurturing of old growth will ultimately increase the climate resilience of all forests, especially in terms of remaining cool and wet.

"Don't harvest trees that have biodiversity attached to them," suggested Sebastian Kirppu, a Swedish forest conservationist, during the summit.

Kirpuu said that in terms of biodiversity, forests in "Europe and Russia are the worst in the world."

He added that Red Listed species in these forests has increased significantly in recent years. In spite of sustainable forest certification for timber products, very few species are coming off the list, and more and more are being added.

"Biodiversity protection must be the basis for whatever we do," said Judith Reise. But so far only 2.8% of German forests are protected for biodiversity, well short of a 2020 target of 5%.

3. Using wood in a sustainable way

There are no easy solutions to Germany's forest crisis. While conservationist are calling for the forests to be left alone, low carbon timber products can also help fight global heating — especially as an alternative to CO2 heavy construction materials like steel and concrete.

"If we can use wood products in the best possible way, with the best possible life cycle, and the best possible recycling and upcycling strategy. If we rethink the way we use this wood, then it's a very powerful solution," said Reyer of the climate benefits.

"It's not that harvesting is always bad," he added, even if he agrees there should be less timber cutting, and that there should be more protected old growth. "But compared to all the other land uses, forestry is an area where we can have a quite a natural ecosystem and still create useful products."

This forest design will be one of the key issues at the forest summit when deciding how to spend the €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) promised by the federal government in 2020 to support municipal and private forest owners for reforestation, among other measures.

One strategy, as a forester from Lübeck in northern Germany said at the summit, will be to shift from clear-felling to single-tree cutting to create "an ecological system in forestry."

Whatever the solutions, they will need to holistically encompass German forest health, climate resilience and productivity.


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Germany's forests on the verge of collapse, experts report

Germany’s parched forests are nearing ecological collapse, foresters and researchers warn. More than 1 million established trees have died since 2018 as a result of drought, winter storms and bark beetle plagues.

German forest fire risk spikes amid high temperatures, drought

Sun and warmth might seem like the perfect weather for Easter. But experts warn that Germany is far too dry, almost everywhere in the country.

Global wildfires: Greece a 'powder keg' as thousands flee their homes

People are fleeing their homes north of Athens as fires rage for a fourth day in a row. California has lost an entire town, while Brazil is bracing itself for another catastrophic fire season. 



Greek officials said the extreme heat has turned the country into a 'powder keg'

Thousands of residents fled a wildfire north of Athens early Friday as Greece's government warned of tough days ahead.

Firefighters continued their efforts to prevent the flames from reaching populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites, as the region faces its fourth day of inferno

In heat wave conditions, fires tore through forest areas 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of the capital, destroying dozens of homes. Fires are also causing destruction in the Peloponnese, a peninsula located at the southern tip of the mainland; and in Euboea, Greece's second-largest island. These two regions, along with Athens, are suffering blazes of "enormous strength and scale," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

Nearly 60 villages and settlements were evacuated Thursday and early Friday across southern Greece, with temperatures set to increase in the coming days.

Mitsotakis warned of strong westerly winds on Friday, meaning the affected regions are going through an "unprecedented" situation "because the past few days of heat and drought have turned the country into a powder keg."

People are not allowed to visit forests until at least Monday, while any work involving sparks or flames is banned.

Fire crews, planes and helicopters from five European countries are set to arrive on Friday and across the weekend as the EU steps up efforts to halt the fires.

'All is tinder-dry, and it just takes the tiniest spark': Barbara Wesel reports from Athens

Here are the latest developments across the globe as several countries battle wildfires and increasing temperatures.

Turkey

Turkey entered its 10th consecutive day of fires, with 12 blazes still out of control, the Presidential Communications Office said on Friday.

The country is suffering from its most severe fires in well over a decade, with the worst-affected areas along Turkey's southern and western coastline, and in the regions of Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum and Milas.

Flames engulfed several neighborhoods during the night in Milas, but with residents already evacuated, the fire was eventually brought under control by emergency crews.

At least eight people have died in Turkey since the fires broke out last Wednesday, and more than 100,000 hectares of forest and fields have fallen victim to the flames

Evacuations in southwest Turkey as wildfires reach power plant – DW's Julia Hahn reports

North Macedonia

Wildfires in North Macedonia have prompted the government to declare a 30-day state of crisis.

Over the course of the month-long emergency, the fire brigade, the military and security forces will fight the blazes.

Eight forest fires are still burning with the largest being near the village of Pehcevo in the center of North Macedonia.

NORTH MACEDONIA REELS FROM RAGING WILDFIRES DURING HEAT WAVE
State of emergency
North Macedonia has declared a state of emergency for 30 days in response to the wildfires that have been raging through the country for the last four days. That means the government in Skopje can centralize all resources and forces and take complete command of the situation from local communities. The scorching heat and strong winds have already resulted in huge damage.  123456

Albania

Albania's defense ministry has described its fires situation as "critical" because of the increasing threat to villages and residents' homes.

United States

A fire that has been raging for three weeks engulfed Greenville, California, on Wednesday and Thursday, prompting regional Republican representative Doug LaMalfa to say the town had been "lost" to the blazes.

The inferno left a trail of destruction, meaning most of Greenville's historic downtown and homes were reduced to ash as crews braced themselves for more severe weather in the coming days.

A Greenville gas station was among dozens of buildings destroyed by the Dixie Fire

The Dixie Fire, aided by winds of 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour), "burnt down our entire downtown," Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss wrote on Facebook.

Greenville dates back to California's gold rush era with some wooden constructions well over 100 years old.

United Kingdom

The UK announced a £5 million ($7 million, €5.9 million) research program on Friday to help better prepare for the risks posed by climate change.

With nearby nations such as Germany and Belgium witnessing devastating floods recently, and large areas in southern Europe currently ablaze, the UK is taking urgent action.

"From flooding to wildfires – the extreme weather events we've recently witnessed show how crucial it is for communities to build resilience and protect their futures," Alok Sharma, president for the COP26 international climate talks to be held in Britain later this year, said in a statement.

The UK's independent climate advisers in the climate change committee have warned that Britain has so far failed to prepare for the upcoming changes. A warmer planet is likely to bring many challenges, including worsening food security and more health risks due to overheating buildings.

Brazil

Severe drought and early data suggests forest fires in Brazil this year will match those of 2019 and 2020 in terms of devastation caused.

With the Latin American country's forest fire season underway, the government space agency said last month more area was burned than in any July since 2016. Results for June were exactly the same, with that month's data also the worst in the last five years.

Most wildfires in Brazil are started intentionally, often illegally by land-grabbers clearing forest for cattle or crops. The fires tend to increase in intensity in June before peaking in September, according to historical data. They can easily get out of control during the dry season, burning large swaths of forest to the ground.

Brazil experienced catastrophic fires in the last two years, which caused the greatest annual forest loss since 2015. Widespread criticism from the international community ensued over the response to the crisis by the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly called for development of the region while ignoring the pleas of the indigenous population.

jsi/dj (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

IN PICTURES: DEADLY EXTREME WEATHER SHOCKS THE WORLD
Fierce flash floods in Europe
Unprecedented flooding — caused by two months' worth of rainfall in two days — has resulted in devastating damage in western Europe, leaving at least 209 people dead in Germany and Belgium. Narrow valley streams swelled into raging floods in the space of hours, wiping out centuries-old communities. Rebuilding the ruined homes, businesses and infrastructure is expected to cost billions of euros. 34567891011

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Europe is burning: Four explanations

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Sheep are shepherded away from an advancing fire in Marmaris in western Turkey, a region struggling against its deadliest wildfires in decades

Wildfires burning across southern Europe in the last month — whether sparked naturally by lightning, or by arsonists — have been flamed by drought and extreme heat.

Scientists have no doubt that climate change is the key driver of yet another extreme fire season. They also understand that climate adaptation in fire-prone countries is inadequate to deal with wildfires that are set to worsen.

We look at why Mediterranean and Balkan countries are so prone to wildfires and explore the consequences of a warming world.

1. Why is the Mediterranean region burning now?

Summer wildfires are a natural and often necessary part of the life of Mediterranean forests. In the decade before 2016, around 48,000 forest fires burned 457,000 hectares annually across the five southern European nations where wildfires are most prevalent: Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece. According to the scientists, fire can also breed renewal and foster biodiversity in these regions.

Indeed, communities have learned to cope better with the average annual fires in hot and arid regions across southern Europe, with more sophisticated fire prevention strategies leading to an overall decline in the number and size of fires since 1980.

But too often in recent years, fire events have escalated way beyond their normal size and intensity.

Devastating 2017 and 2018 wildfires claimed hundreds of lives across an area stretching from Turkey to Spain, while countries in central and northern Europe, including Sweden, were also scorched.

Such unprecedented fire events are inevitably linked to extreme droughts and heat waves.




2. What is starting the fires?

The month of July was the second-hottest ever recorded in Europe (and the third hottest globally). The south of the continent has been the focus of this extreme heat, with temperatures in Greece this week expected to peak at 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit).

Greece and neighboring Turkey are in the midst of a heat wave that could be the worst in 30 years — invoking memories of the nightmarish 1987 fire season that claimed more than 1,500 victims in Greece alone.

In Turkey, almost 200 separate wildfires have raged through the country in just over a week, forcing some coastal residents and tourists to flee into the Aegean for safety.

So while arson and natural causes such as lightning are equally to blame for starting the fires, extreme heat has increased their intensity and is the real culprit for the destruction wreaked across fire-hit regions. This is why at least 55% more area has burned across Europe by August 5 than the average over the previous 12 years.



This fact is compounded by outdated forest management, and sometimes even the over-protection of natural forests.

A fire on August 1 blazed through the Pineta Dannunziana, an urban pine forest in the Italian city of Pescara, forcing 800 people to evacuate. But because the area is a protected nature reserve, it is not subject to forest management such as regular clearing of undergrowth or being subjected to controlled burns. "The undergrowth burned very quickly," said Carlo Masci, mayor of Pescara.

Meanwhile, existing fire suppression policies do not account for the impact of global heating on the flammability of areas where wildlands (sometimes grown up on abandoned agricultural land) and expanding urban centers more commonly interface. This was evidenced by the flaming outer suburbs of Athens this week.

"In most Mediterranean regions, the current wildfire management policies are generally too focused on suppression and are no longer adapted to the ongoing global change," wrote the authors of a 2021 study on "Understanding Changes to Fires in Southern Europe."

3. So what has climate got to do with it?

While the burned area of the Mediterranean region has decreased slightly over the last 40 years, this is mainly due to more effective fire control efforts, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Global heating increases the frequency and severity of fire weather conditions globally — as witnessed during the unprecedented wildfires across Australia and California in recent years. And inevitably, climate change has increased forest fire risk across the whole of Europe, including central and northern regions that are not typically fire-prone.

The current record droughts and heat waves across the Mediterranean region echo the events of 2018 when "more countries suffered large fires than ever before," according to the EEA.

In Greece, more than 100 people died in the so-called Attica fires of 2018 — the second-deadliest fire event this century after the 2009 "Black Saturday" fires in Australia.

"An expansion of fire-prone areas and longer fire seasons are projected in most European regions," stated the EEA.

Carbon emissions are not decreasing fast enough to limit this heating, despite climate agreements such as the European Green Deal and Paris Climate Accord.

"They put out plans, they define goals, but they don't really act," said Mojib Latif, a climate scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research. "Since 1990, global carbon emissions increased 60%," he told DW, adding that emissions will rise again in 2021 following the pandemic-related slowdown the previous year.

4. What are the global climate change repercussions?

Globally, wildfires are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, and for 5% to 8% of the 3.3 million annual premature deaths from poor air quality, according to climate group Carbon Brief.

But carbon emissions from wildfires have been on the decline in recent decades. This again is due to improved fire prevention.

The problem remaining is fire severity or intensity, which has a more far-reaching effect on carbon sequestration since forests burn so badly that they do not regrow.

In 2017, CO2 emissions from extreme wildfires across southwestern Europe (namely the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and Italy) were the highest since at least 2003, reaching approximately 37 teragrams of CO2.

To put this in context, the exceptionally wide-ranging wildfires over the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean coast in 2003 accounted for the same level of anthropogenic emissions as all of western Europe for that year.

And if the wildfire intensity kills off significant forest cover in 2021, the resulting loss of carbon sinks could be even more devastating for the climate.


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