vox--2020-07-01--China’s new national security law is already chilling free speech in Hong Kong

Share All sharing options for : China ’ s new national security law is already chilling free speech in Hong Kong At 11pm local time on Tuesday , Hong Kong ’ s government unveiled the text of a draconian new national security law that gives the Chinese government vast new powers to crackdown on free speech and dissent in Hong Kong .
Drafted in secrecy by top Chinese officials in Beijing — and not seen by the public until that very moment — the law criminalizes “ secession , subversion , organization and perpetration of terrorist activities , and collusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elements to endanger national security.
” Those who commit such acts — which experts say are vaguely defined in the law , and thus allow for an extremely broad interpretation by authorities — face severe punishment , up to and including life in prison .
“ The things that you talk about , you write about , you publish about , and even the people you know about , that you have connection with , can be potentially at risk of being prosecuted under this law , ” Ho-Fung Hung , a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focuses on China and East Asia , told Vox .
And , according to the New York Times , “ The law opens the way for defendants in important cases to stand trial before courts in mainland China , where convictions are usually assured and penalties are often harsh.
” The law went into effect immediately .
Less than 24 hours later , Hong Kong police announced the first arrest under the new policy .
And they weren ’ t subtle about it : They immediately posted photos on their official Twitter account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested .
His alleged offense ?
Holding a pro-Hong Kong independence flag .
Chinese state media quickly reported the story of the first arrest — but they made sure to blur out the offending images of the pro-independence flag itself , lest they commit the same grievous act of promoting such a seditious idea ( something the Hong Kong Police Force apparently didn ’ t think to do before tweeting the photos ) .
For many Hong Kong watchers , these images marked the beginning of the end of the freedoms that Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , had enjoyed for decades .
The “ one country , two systems ” principle — enshrined in the Basic Law , Hong Kong ’ s de facto constitution — has been in place ever since Britain handed back control of the territory to China in 1997 .
As Vox ’ s Jen Kirby explains , “ The ‘ one country ’ part means [ Hong Hong ] is officially part of China , while the ‘ two systems ’ part gives it a degree of autonomy , including rights like freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainland China .
China is supposed to abide by this arrangement until 2047 , but it has been eroding those freedoms and trying to bring Hong Kong more tightly under its control for years.
” Kirby continues : But Beijing ’ s imposition of this new national security law is the most direct and dramatic move China has made toward erasing those freedoms once and for all .
“ [ The National Security Law ] is a complete destruction of the rule of law in Hong Kong and threatens every aspect of freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the international human rights standards or the Basic Law , ” Lee Cheuk Yan , a veteran Hong Kong politician and activist , told US lawmakers during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the new law on Wednesday .
And Bonnie Glaser , director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank , told Vox , “ This law really eliminates ‘ one country , two systems.
’ ” But Hong Kong ’ s pro-democracy activists aren ’ t cowed — or at least , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a press conference to announce the new law — a law drafted without her input and whose full details even she didn ’ t know until just the day before .
Outside , thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets to protest against — and in direct defiance of — it , despite a heavy police presence .
Riot police deployed around the city held up large purple banners that read : “ This is a police warning .
You are displaying flags or banners / chanting slogans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as secession or subversion , which may constitute offenses under the ‘ HKSAR National Security Law.
’ You may be arrested and prosecuted.
” By the end of the day , nearly 400 people had been arrested , including 10 who were specifically arrested for violating the new law .
But experts fear that despite this initial strong opposition , the law ’ s chilling effect will happen eventually .
“ People will be intimidated .
They will charge people and they will sentence them , ” Glaser said .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chicken to scare the monkey.
’ They will look for very early cases that they can prosecute so that they can demonstrate their resolve in the hope of intimidating other people from challenging their authority.
” Johns Hopkins ’ s Hung also said the law could have major implications for September ’ s Hong Kong legislative elections , because the Chinese government could use the new law as a legal basis to suppress pro-democracy candidates .
“ Under the new law , many of the slogans , many of the opinions are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
There ’ s already precedent for Chinese election officials intervening in Hong Kong ’ s legislative elections — in 2016 , a number of candidates were disqualified for allegedly supporting Hong Kong independence , Hung said .
“ I think that the Chinese were nervous after the last round of the district elections that there could be many Democrats who would be elected and , potentially , the pro-China legislature would lose legislators , ” Glaser said .
“ I think that if candidates do not moderate what they say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the law , ” Glaser added .
“ They could easily be arrested.
” In fact , that has already happened : one pro-democracy lawmaker , the Democratic Party ’ s Andrew Wan , was arrested during the protests Wednesday .
It ’ s a stark example of just how quickly life has changed in Hong Kong , literally overnight .

Share All sharing options for: China’s new national security law is already chilling free speech in Hong Kong
At 11 pm local time on Tuesday, Hong Kong’s government unveiled the text of a draconian new national security law that gives the Chinese government vast new powers to crack down on free speech and dissent in Hong Kong.
Drafted in secrecy by top Chinese officials in Beijing — and not seen by the public until that very moment — the law criminalizes “secession, subversion, organization and perpetration of terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.”
Those who commit such acts — which experts say are vaguely defined in the law, and thus allow for an extremely broad interpretation by authorities — face severe punishment, up to and including life in prison.
“The things that you talk about, you write about, you publish about, and even the people you know about, that you have connection with, can be potentially at risk of being prosecuted under this law,” Ho-Fung Hung, a political economy professor at Johns Hopkins University who focuses on China and East Asia, told Vox.
And, according to the New York Times, “The law opens the way for defendants in important cases to stand trial before courts in mainland China, where convictions are usually assured and penalties are often harsh.”
The law went into effect immediately. Less than 24 hours later, Hong Kong police announced the first arrest under the new policy.
And they weren’t subtle about it: They immediately posted photos on their official Twitter account of the young man they’d arrested. His alleged offense? Holding a pro-Hong Kong independence flag.
#BREAKING: A man was arrested for holding a #HKIndependence flag in #CausewayBay, Hong Kong, violating the #NationalSecurityLaw. This is the first arrest made since the law has come into force. pic.twitter.com/C0ezm3SGDm — Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) July 1, 2020
Chinese state media quickly reported the story of the first arrest — but they made sure to blur out the offending images of the pro-independence flag itself, lest they commit the same grievous act of promoting such a seditious idea (something the Hong Kong Police Force apparently didn’t think to do before tweeting the photos).
CGTN appears to have rectified the HKPF's tweet through the magic of pixelation https://t.co/syCh9Vy1i5 — David Moll (@moll_david) July 1, 2020
For many Hong Kong watchers, these images marked the beginning of the end of the freedoms that Hong Kong, unlike the rest of mainland China, had enjoyed for decades.
The law effectively ends “one country, two systems”
The “one country, two systems” principle — enshrined in the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s de facto constitution — has been in place ever since Britain handed back control of the territory to China in 1997.
As Vox’s Jen Kirby explains, “The ‘one country’ part means [Hong Hong] is officially part of China, while the ‘two systems’ part gives it a degree of autonomy, including rights like freedom of the press that are absent in mainland China. China is supposed to abide by this arrangement until 2047, but it has been eroding those freedoms and trying to bring Hong Kong more tightly under its control for years.” Kirby continues:
Last spring, Hong Kong’s legislature tried to pass an extradition bill that critics feared would allow the Chinese government to arbitrarily detain Hongkongers. That ignited massive protests, leading to months of unrest that sometimes turned violent. The bill was withdrawn, but the demonstrations continued, as the fight transformed into a larger battle to protect Hong Kong’s democratic institutions.
But Beijing’s imposition of this new national security law is the most direct and dramatic move China has made toward erasing those freedoms once and for all.
“[The National Security Law] is a complete destruction of the rule of law in Hong Kong and threatens every aspect of freedom the people of Hong Kong enjoyed under the international human rights standards or the Basic Law,” Lee Cheuk Yan, a veteran Hong Kong politician and activist, told US lawmakers during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the new law on Wednesday.
Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, told Vox, “This law really eliminates ‘one country, two systems.’”
But Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists aren’t cowed — or at least, not yet
On Wednesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a press conference to announce the new law — a law drafted without her input and whose full details even she didn’t know until just the day before.
Outside, thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets to protest against — and in direct defiance of — it, despite a heavy police presence.
Riot police deployed around the city held up large purple banners that read: “This is a police warning. You are displaying flags or banners / chanting slogans / or conducting yourselves with an intent such as secession or subversion, which may constitute offenses under the ‘HKSAR National Security Law.’ You may be arrested and prosecuted.”
By the end of the day, nearly 400 people had been arrested, including 10 who were specifically arrested for violating the new law.
But experts fear that despite this initial strong opposition, the law’s chilling effect will happen eventually.
“People will be intimidated. They will charge people and they will sentence them,” Glaser said. “The Chinese have this saying, ‘Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.’ They will look for very early cases that they can prosecute so that they can demonstrate their resolve in the hope of intimidating other people from challenging their authority.”
Johns Hopkins’s Hung also said the law could have major implications for September’s Hong Kong legislative elections, because the Chinese government could use the new law as a legal basis to suppress pro-democracy candidates.
“Under the new law, many of the slogans, many of the opinions are going to be illegal,” Hung said.
There’s already a precedent for Chinese election officials intervening in Hong Kong’s legislative elections — in 2016, a number of candidates were disqualified for allegedly supporting Hong Kong independence, Hung said.
“I think that the Chinese were nervous after the last round of the district elections that there could be many Democrats who would be elected and, potentially, the pro-China legislature would lose legislators,” Glaser said.
“I think that if candidates do not moderate what they say, that they will be prevented from running under the law,” Glaser added. “They could easily be arrested.”
In fact, that has already happened: One pro-democracy lawmaker, the Democratic Party’s Andrew Wan, was arrested during the protests Wednesday.
It’s a stark example of just how quickly life has changed in Hong Kong, literally overnight.


vox--2020-07-01--The fight for justice in the Breonna Taylor case, explained

It has been more than 100 days since Breonna Taylor was killed by police in her own home in Louisville , Kentucky .
Thousands of protesters have chanted her name across the country , demanding justice for the EMT , who would have turned 27 on June 5 .
As the country is reckoning with its history of racist police violence , many advocates want to know why charges still haven ’ t been filed against the officers who shot her dead .
Meanwhile , those who want to abolish the carceral state are rethinking what justice in the Taylor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocates agree that another Black woman is dead because of a lack of police accountability — and something needs to change .
On March 13 , three officers with a no-knock warrant entered Taylor ’ s apartment looking for two people suspected of selling drugs , neither of whom was Taylor .
The officers fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment , hitting Taylor at least eight times .
After months of investigation , the Louisville Police Department ( LMPD ) fired officer Brett Hankison on June 23 ; the other two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special Kentucky prosecutor is leading an investigation into both the shooting and the department ’ s handling of the shooting to determine whether to charge the three officers who fired their weapons ; the FBI is leading its own investigation .
On June 29 , the Louisville Metro Council also announced a resolution to investigate the actions of Mayor Greg Fischer and his administration surrounding Taylor ’ s death .
The council hopes to create greater transparency around who made what decisions in the Taylor case , according to a news release .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a slate of high-profile killings of unarmed Black people — it was just three weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was killed by white vigilantes while jogging and about 10 weeks before the fatal arrest of George Floyd .
The suspects involved in Arbery ’ s case were arrested and charged two weeks after video of the incident went viral .
The four officers involved in the killing of George Floyd were fired four days after Floyd ’ s death , with the officer who knelt on Floyd ’ s neck charged with murder .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Taylor ’ s case .
In the meantime , Taylor ’ s family , alleging excessive force and gross negligence in her death , filed a lawsuit on April 27 against the officers involved in the shooting .
“ I want justice for her , ” Tamika Palmer , Taylor ’ s mother , told the 19th in May .
“ I want them to say her name .
There ’ s no reason Breonna should be dead at all.
” Police came looking for a drug suspect .
Breonna Taylor ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of March 13 , Louisville police had a warrant to enter Taylor ’ s apartment because they believed that a suspect in a narcotics investigation was storing drugs or money or receiving packages at her home , according to USA Today .
However , according to the suit filed by Taylor ’ s family , the man police were searching for , Jamarcus Glover , did not live in her apartment complex and had already been detained by the time officers showed up .
Taylor had dated Glover two years ago , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not maintain an active friendship with him .
Police said that the three officers knocked on the door to announce themselves .
But multiple neighbors say the officers neither knocked nor identified themselves , according to the family ’ s lawsuit .
It was later uncovered that the police had been granted a no-knock warrant by a judge , which allowed them to enter Taylor ’ s apartment without announcing themselves .
They also weren ’ t wearing body cams .
When police arrived , Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was trying to break into the apartment .
He fired one shot , hitting an officer in the leg .
Police then fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment .
Taylor died at the scene .
Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and aggravated assault .
Police found no drugs in the apartment , and both Taylor and Walker have no criminal history .
On May 22 , Kentucky prosecutors announced that they had dismissed all charges against Walker , who said he fired a shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor were under attack .
On June 11 , police released an incident report for the night Taylor was killed , but it was largely blank .
Though Taylor was fatally shot , the four-page report listed her injuries as “ none.
” The report also stated there was no forced entry , though witnesses say the police used a battering ram to enter the apartment , according to CBS News .
Meanwhile , it came to light that the officer who shot her , Hankison , had a history of misconduct allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal lawsuit at the time of Taylor ’ s death in which Kendrick Wilson accused Hankison of “ harassing suspects with unnecessary arrests and planting drugs on them , ” according to USA Today .
Wilson alleges that Hankison targeted him and arrested him three times in a two-year period .
After Taylor ’ s death , claims of sexual assault surfaced , too , with at least two women coming forward in early June to allege that Hankison assaulted them .
In both allegations , which are similar to one another , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had been drinking at local bars .
In one case , Hankison allegedly followed the woman into her home and assaulted her while she was unconscious .
In the other case , Hankison reportedly made sexual advances toward the woman while she sat in his unmarked car , including rubbing her thighs and kissing her face .
On June 23 , he was fired .
LMPD posted Hankison ’ s termination letter on Twitter , which stated Hankison “ displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life when you wantonly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rounds into the apartment of Breonna Taylor… ” The letter also stated Hankison violated the department ’ s protocol on use of deadly force when he shot through a patio door and window that was covered .
This prevented him from determining whether there was an immediate threat or innocent people present ; some of the bullets even traveled to a neighbor ’ s apartment where three people were endangered , according to the letter .
Hankison has appealed his termination .
The other two officers who fired rounds that night , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the force and have been placed on administrative reassignment .
The case is still under independent investigation with Kentucky ’ s Attorney General , Daniel Cameron , who has said he will not provide additional details or a timeline for the investigation .
Protests are ongoing , and calls for justice in the investigation continue In May , Benjamin Crump , the Taylor family ’ s attorney , argued that the killings of Black women have tended to receive less media attention than the deaths of Black men .
“ They ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re killing our brothers , but for whatever reason , we have not given our sisters the same attention that we have given to Trayvon Martin , Michael Brown , Stephon Clark , Terence Crutcher , Alton Sterling , Philando Castile , Eric Garner , Laquan McDonald , ” he told the 19th .
“ Breonna ’ s name should be known by everybody in America who said those other names , because she was in her own home , doing absolutely nothing wrong.
” Protests where the crowds chant , “ Say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have attempted to reverse the lack of attention .
In 2015 , activists around the country demonstrated and used the hashtag # SayHerName to draw attention to women who had lost their lives , including Gabriella Nevarez , Michelle Cusseaux , and Alexia Christian , as Jenée Desmond-Harris reported for Vox at the time .
The death of Sandra Bland in jail after she was arrested during a traffic stop also drew national attention to the impact of police brutality and racism on Black women ’ s lives .
Around the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor ’ s June 5 birthday , saying she should ’ ve been alive to see the day .
In Louisville , protesters have gathered in Breonna Taylor ’ s name to protest police brutality in a number of demonstrations since May .
After a protest-imposed curfew on May 31 , law enforcement shot and killed David McAtee , 53 , a local restaurant owner .
Following his death , Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad was fired , though it is still unclear exactly who shot McAtee , Vox ’ s Anna North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes in the police department since Taylor ’ s death — on June 11 the Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously to ban no-knock warrants — advocates , activists , and celebrities are asking why the three officers involved in Taylor ’ s killing haven ’ t been arrested .
On June 14 , Beyoncé wrote an open letter to Kentucky ’ s attorney general , demanding that criminal charges be brought against the three officers to “ show the value of a Black woman ’ s life.
” She also asked that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At a June 18 press conference , Cameron — the first Black attorney general in Kentucky and a former legal counsel for Sen. Mitch McConnell — emphasized that the investigation is ongoing , without giving any specific details .
“ To all those involved in this case , you have my commitment that our office is undertaking a thorough and fair investigation , ” he said .
“ This is also a commitment that I ’ m making to the Louisville community , which has suffered tremendously in the days since March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican attorney general elected in the state , according to the New York Times , on a platform that backed Trump and some of the president ’ s signature efforts , like building a border wall .
He has criticized some of protesters ’ demands , including the call to defund the police .
“ Radical rhetoric and calls to ‘ defund the police ’ threaten public safety and only serve to divide us further , rather than bringing us together , ” he said in a press release on June 24 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who specializes in the work of criminal prosecutors , told Vox that Cameron ’ s comments regarding defunding the police are worth watching because they are relevant to how Cameron handles the case .
“ If he starts to sound like an advocate for law enforcement , voicing broad support for police officers and defending them in general terms , that would make me wonder if he can evaluate charges fairly in this case , ” Wright said .
“ It is tough to convince the public that you will hold the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find anything to criticize in their work.
” Why there haven ’ t been arrests in the case so far Wright told Vox in May that in officer-involved shooting cases like Taylor ’ s , the length of time the prosecutor takes to bring forth charges should not necessarily be the issue .
Rather , people should question and examine what the prosecutor does during their investigation .
“ I don ’ t really fault prosecutors for taking their time , gathering the facts , being thorough .
The timing doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount of effort .
If what you ’ re doing is you ’ re not doing anything and you ’ re stalling , and you don ’ t really intend to press the case as hard as you would press any shooting in your district , then that ’ s a problem , ” Wright told Vox .
Since these cases are especially difficult to win at trial , Wright pointed out , prosecutors must take the time to build a really strong case .
“ The delay could be a good thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are putting in the effort into building a great case , ” he said .
In the high-profile Baltimore police custody death of Freddie Gray , State ’ s Attorney Marilyn Mosby arrested the three officers involved just days after Gray ’ s death and charged them with offenses including second-degree “ depraved heart ” murder and manslaughter .
All three officers in the case were acquitted .
“ It may have been that it would have been better to go a little slower and get more evidence for charges after some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many advocates , however , point to the speed at which arrests came in the Arbery and Floyd cases — and the fact that years-long delays in Eric Garner ’ s case still didn ’ t lead to justice .
Garner died in July 2014 after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in a banned chokehold .
One day before the five-year anniversary of Garner ’ s death in July 2019 , federal prosecutors announced they would not bring charges against Pantaleo .
The NYPD fired Pantaleo in August 2019 , more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And in the three cases above there were videos of the incidents .
Wright said that even with footage , cases against police officers are difficult to prosecute .
Videos do represent extra proof — a form of evidence Taylor ’ s case lacks .
The influence of police unions , which have come under criticism from activists and protesters during the unrest , may also contribute to delays .
As Vox ’ s Dylan Matthews reported , police unions have become engrossed in preventing the discipline of officers who kill unarmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisville police union also demanded an apology from Louisville council member Jessica Green , who called Taylor ’ s boyfriend a hero after he was charged with shooting Mattingly the night Taylor was killed .
“ Calling someone that shot an on-duty police officer , in the performance of official duties , a hero is a slap in the face , ” said Ryan Nichols , president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 614 .
Green said she would not apologize .
But Wright said that Hankison ’ s firing does offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could swing .
That the LMPD found that he showed “ extreme indifference to the value of human life ” when he “ wantonly and blindly ” fired 10 rounds into the apartment means there ’ s a chance for a conviction if a jury were to find the same conclusion .
“ If a jury in a criminal trial were to reach the same conclusions after hearing the facts , they could properly convict him of a lesser version of homicide , ” Wright told Vox .
At the recent press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roadblocks , stating that “ an investigation of this magnitude , when done correctly , requires time and patience.
” He added , “ To those across the country we have heard from with cards , emails , and letters , and calls , who are asking us to complete the investigation as soon as possible — we hear you and we are working around the clock to follow the law to the truth.
” Defunding the Louisville police and its ties to justice for Taylor Amid a growing call to “ defund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” there are others advocating for justice who view the calls to arrest officers as taking away from the larger goal of dismantling the system .
According to anti-criminalization organizer Mariame Kaba , director of the anti youth incarceration grassroots organization Project NIA , celebrating charges for officers signals our dependence on a criminal justice system that was created to uphold white supremacy .
“ To transform a death-making system , our expectations have to be much higher , ” she wrote last month in the New York Times .
“ Celebrating charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I understand why people do it , but I think according great significance to charges misses the point and it also freezes people in place .
It has the effect of demobilizing collective action.
” Kaba explained that justice is not just closing down police departments but making them obsolete .
“ The surest way of reducing police violence is to reduce the power of the police , by cutting budgets and the number of officers , ” she wrote .
But on June 25 , the Louisville Metro Council approved a budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defund LMPD .
The new spending plan will merely “ require police to put the money toward recruiting a more diverse force , additional training and exploring co-responder models that could send behavioral health professionals on calls with officers , ” according to the Louisville Courier-Journal .
Funding will also be directed to a civilian review board that will oversee LMPD , following the 24-1 vote .
Black Lives Matter demanded that more money be shifted to community services .
On the same day the budget was approved , a crowd of more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community members , and celebrities , gathered on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Louisville for a # JusticeForBreonnaTaylor rally , according to the Louisville Courier-Post .
Activist Tamika Mallory emphasized the need to keep calling for justice and accountability in Taylor ’ s case .
“ I ’ m sure we all understand that Breonna Taylor is everywhere , ” she said .
“ The issue of Black women being killed and our voices being too low is a problem.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Editor’s note: On September 23, a Jefferson County grand jury announced that it would indict former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. The two other officers who fired shots that night — Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove — were not indicted. The piece below was last updated on July 13.
It has been more than 100 days since Breonna Taylor was killed by police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky. Thousands of protesters have chanted her name across the country, demanding justice for the EMT, who would have turned 27 on June 5.
As the country is reckoning with its history of racist police violence, many advocates want to know why charges still haven’t been filed against the officers who shot her dead. Meanwhile, those who want to abolish the carceral state are rethinking what justice in the Taylor case should actually look like.
Most advocates agree that another Black woman is dead because of a lack of police accountability — and something needs to change.
On March 13, three officers with a no-knock warrant entered Taylor’s apartment looking for two people suspected of selling drugs, neither of whom was Taylor. The officers fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment, hitting Taylor at least eight times.
After months of investigation, the Louisville Police Department (LMPD) fired officer Brett Hankison on June 23; the other two officers remain on administrative assignment. A special Kentucky prosecutor is leading an investigation into both the shooting and the department’s handling of the shooting to determine whether to charge the three officers who fired their weapons; the FBI is leading its own investigation. On June 29, the Louisville Metro Council also announced a resolution to investigate the actions of Mayor Greg Fischer and his administration surrounding Taylor’s death. The council hopes to create greater transparency around who made what decisions in the Taylor case, according to a news release.
Taylor’s death took place amid a slate of high-profile killings of unarmed Black people — it was just three weeks after Ahmaud Arbery was killed by white vigilantes while jogging and about 10 weeks before the fatal arrest of George Floyd. The suspects involved in Arbery’s case were arrested and charged two weeks after video of the incident went viral. The four officers involved in the killing of George Floyd were fired four days after Floyd’s death, with the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck charged with murder.
By contrast, not much has happened in Taylor’s case.
In the meantime, Taylor’s family, alleging excessive force and gross negligence in her death, filed a lawsuit on April 27 against the officers involved in the shooting. In a court filing submitted on July 5, the family alleges that Taylor received no emergency medical aid as she lay dying. The document also claims that the raid on Taylor’s apartment was part of the mayor’s scheme to clear out a block in the neighborhood for redevelopment.
“I want justice for her,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, told the 19th in May. “I want them to say her name. There’s no reason Breonna should be dead at all.”
Police came looking for a drug suspect. Breonna Taylor ended up dead instead.
On the night of March 13, Louisville police had a warrant to enter Taylor’s apartment because they believed that a suspect in a narcotics investigation was storing drugs or money or receiving packages at her home, according to USA Today.
However, according to the suit filed by Taylor’s family, the man police were searching for, Jamarcus Glover, did not live in her apartment complex and had already been detained by the time officers showed up. Taylor had dated Glover two years ago, according to a family attorney, and did not maintain an active friendship with him.
Police said that the three officers knocked on the door to announce themselves. But multiple neighbors say the officers neither knocked nor identified themselves, according to the family’s lawsuit. It was later uncovered that the police had been granted a no-knock warrant by a judge, which allowed them to enter Taylor’s apartment without announcing themselves. They also weren’t wearing body cams.
When police arrived, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, 27, says he woke up and believed someone was trying to break into the apartment. There was banging on the door, he says, but police never announced themselves. He reached for his licensed handgun after he and Taylor asked who it was and got no response, NBC reported. He fired one shot, hitting an officer in the leg.
Police then fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment. Taylor died at the scene. Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and aggravated assault.
Police found no drugs in the apartment, and both Taylor and Walker have no criminal history.
On May 22, Kentucky prosecutors announced that they had dismissed all charges against Walker, who said he fired a shot in self-defense when he believed he and Taylor were under attack.
On June 11, police released an incident report for the night Taylor was killed, but it was largely blank. Though Taylor was fatally shot, the four-page report listed her injuries as “none.” The report also stated there was no forced entry, though witnesses say the police used a battering ram to enter the apartment, according to CBS News.
The Taylor family’s 31-page July 5 court filing adds two new (and since contested) allegations to the narrative: that Taylor received no medical aid as she lay dying and that the nighttime raid was part of Mayor Fischer’s plan to redevelop a city block in western Louisville.
Taylor’s family said there is no evidence that suggests that Taylor was given medical attention in the six minutes between when she was shot and when she died. However, the coroner who performed Taylor’s autopsy said that her injuries from the shooting were so extreme that she would’ve died in “less than a minute” and that the recorded time of death on the report is “an estimate.”
The family’s filing also alleges that police went after Glover because of political pressure from the mayor’s office due to a redevelopment project valued at more than $30 million, according to the New York Times. Glover was reportedly using a row of abandoned houses to sell drugs in the area that needed to be cleared for development.
“People needed to be removed and homes needed to be vacated so that a high-dollar, legacy-creating real estate development could move forward,” attorneys for the family wrote in the court filing. The city has called the allegations “outrageous.”
Meanwhile, it came to light that the officer who shot Taylor, Hankison, had a history of misconduct allegations. He was already facing an ongoing federal lawsuit at the time of Taylor’s death in which Kendrick Wilson accused Hankison of “harassing suspects with unnecessary arrests and planting drugs on them,” according to USA Today. Wilson alleges that Hankison targeted him and arrested him three times in a two-year period.
After Taylor’s death, claims of sexual assault surfaced, too, with at least two women coming forward in early June to allege that Hankison assaulted them. In both allegations, which are similar to one another, Hankison offered the women rides home after they had been drinking at local bars. In one case, Hankison allegedly followed the woman into her home and assaulted her while she was unconscious. In the other case, Hankison reportedly made sexual advances toward the woman while she sat in his unmarked car, including rubbing her thighs and kissing her face.
On June 23, he was fired. LMPD posted Hankison’s termination letter on Twitter, which stated Hankison “displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life when you wantonly and blindly fired ten (10) rounds into the apartment of Breonna Taylor…” The letter also stated Hankison violated the department’s protocol on use of deadly force when he shot through a patio door and window that was covered. This prevented him from determining whether there was an immediate threat or innocent people present; some of the bullets even traveled to a neighbor’s apartment where three people were endangered, according to the letter. Hankison has appealed his termination.
The other two officers who fired rounds that night, John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, remain on the force and have been placed on administrative reassignment. The case is still under independent investigation with Kentucky’s Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, who has said he will not provide additional details or a timeline for the investigation.
Protests are ongoing, and calls for justice in the investigation continue
In May, Benjamin Crump, the Taylor family’s attorney, argued that the killings of Black women have tended to receive less media attention than the deaths of Black men.
“They’re killing our sisters just like they’re killing our brothers, but for whatever reason, we have not given our sisters the same attention that we have given to Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Stephon Clark, Terence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald,” he told the 19th. “Breonna’s name should be known by everybody in America who said those other names, because she was in her own home, doing absolutely nothing wrong.”
Protests where the crowds chant, “Say her name, Breonna Taylor,” have attempted to reverse the lack of attention. In 2015, activists around the country demonstrated and used the hashtag #SayHerName to draw attention to women who had lost their lives, including Gabriella Nevarez, Michelle Cusseaux, and Alexia Christian, as Jenée Desmond-Harris reported for Vox at the time. The death of Sandra Bland in jail after she was arrested during a traffic stop also drew national attention to the impact of police brutality and racism on Black women’s lives.
Around the country, activists organized marches and signed petitions on Taylor’s June 5 birthday, saying she should’ve been alive to see the day. In Louisville, protesters have gathered in Breonna Taylor’s name to protest police brutality in a number of demonstrations since May. After a protest-imposed curfew on May 31, law enforcement shot and killed David McAtee, 53, a local restaurant owner. Following his death, Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad was fired, though it is still unclear exactly who shot McAtee, Vox’s Anna North reported.
While there have been other changes in the police department since Taylor’s death — on June 11 the Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously to ban no-knock warrants — advocates, activists, and celebrities are asking why the three officers involved in Taylor’s killing haven’t been arrested. On June 14, Beyoncé wrote an open letter to Kentucky’s attorney general, demanding that criminal charges be brought against the three officers to “show the value of a Black woman’s life.” She also asked that the office bring greater transparency to the investigation.
At a June 18 press conference, Cameron — the first Black attorney general in Kentucky and a former legal counsel for Sen. Mitch McConnell — emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, without giving any specific details.
“To all those involved in this case, you have my commitment that our office is undertaking a thorough and fair investigation,” he said. “This is also a commitment that I’m making to the Louisville community, which has suffered tremendously in the days since March 13.”
Cameron was also the first Republican attorney general elected in the state, according to the New York Times, on a platform that backed Trump and some of the president’s signature efforts, like building a border wall. He has criticized some of protesters’ demands, including the call to defund the police.
“Radical rhetoric and calls to ‘defund the police’ threaten public safety and only serve to divide us further, rather than bringing us together,” he said in a press release on June 24.
Wake Forest Law professor Ronald Wright, who specializes in the work of criminal prosecutors, told Vox that Cameron’s comments regarding defunding the police are worth watching because they are relevant to how Cameron handles the case. “If he starts to sound like an advocate for law enforcement, voicing broad support for police officers and defending them in general terms, that would make me wonder if he can evaluate charges fairly in this case,” Wright said. “It is tough to convince the public that you will hold the police accountable for their wrongdoing if you never find anything to criticize in their work.”
Why there haven’t been arrests in the case so far
Wright told Vox in May that in officer-involved shooting cases like Taylor’s, the length of time the prosecutor takes to bring forth charges should not necessarily be the issue. Rather, people should question and examine what the prosecutor does during their investigation.
“I don’t really fault prosecutors for taking their time, gathering the facts, being thorough. The timing doesn’t really bother me as much as the amount of effort. If what you’re doing is you’re not doing anything and you’re stalling, and you don’t really intend to press the case as hard as you would press any shooting in your district, then that’s a problem,” Wright told Vox.
Since these cases are especially difficult to win at trial, Wright pointed out, prosecutors must take the time to build a really strong case. “The delay could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether they are putting in the effort into building a great case,” he said.
In the high-profile Baltimore police custody death of Freddie Gray, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby arrested the three officers involved just days after Gray’s death and charged them with offenses including second-degree “depraved heart” murder and manslaughter. All three officers in the case were acquitted. “It may have been that it would have been better to go a little slower and get more evidence for charges after some delay,” Wright told Vox.
Many advocates, however, point to the speed at which arrests came in the Arbery and Floyd cases — and the fact that years-long delays in Eric Garner’s case still didn’t lead to justice. Garner died in July 2014 after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in a banned chokehold. One day before the five-year anniversary of Garner’s death in July 2019, federal prosecutors announced they would not bring charges against Pantaleo. The NYPD fired Pantaleo in August 2019, more than five years after Garner’s death.
And in the three cases above there were videos of the incidents. Wright said that even with footage, cases against police officers are difficult to prosecute. Videos do represent extra proof — a form of evidence Taylor’s case lacks.
The influence of police unions, which have come under criticism from activists and protesters during the unrest, may also contribute to delays. As Vox’s Dylan Matthews reported, police unions have become engrossed in preventing the discipline of officers who kill unarmed Black people:
In local cases, this attitude has translated to a defense of officers who kill or wound innocent civilians. The Louisville Metro Police Department [had first] been limited to just announcing its “intention” to fire Brett Hankison, a detective who shot his gun 10 times during the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, rather than actually firing him outright. This limitation is largely because of the city’s contract with the police union, which gives Hankison multiple opportunities to appeal. He is first allowed a “pretermination hearing” with counsel, and then, once terminated, an appeal to the police merit board, of which Hankison himself is a member.
In May, the Louisville police union also demanded an apology from Louisville council member Jessica Green, who called Taylor’s boyfriend a hero after he was charged with shooting Mattingly the night Taylor was killed. “Calling someone that shot an on-duty police officer, in the performance of official duties, a hero is a slap in the face,” said Ryan Nichols, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 614. Green said she would not apologize.
But Wright said that Hankison’s firing does offer a clue to how a criminal case could swing. That the LMPD found that he showed “extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he “wantonly and blindly” fired 10 rounds into the apartment means there’s a chance for a conviction if a jury were to find the same conclusion. “If a jury in a criminal trial were to reach the same conclusions after hearing the facts, they could properly convict him of a lesser version of homicide,” Wright told Vox.
At the recent press conference, Cameron refused to discuss any potential roadblocks, stating that “an investigation of this magnitude, when done correctly, requires time and patience.” He added, “To those across the country we have heard from with cards, emails, and letters, and calls, who are asking us to complete the investigation as soon as possible — we hear you and we are working around the clock to follow the law to the truth.”
Defunding the Louisville police and its ties to justice for Taylor
Amid a growing call to “defund” or “abolish the police,” there are others advocating for justice who view the calls to arrest officers as taking away from the larger goal of dismantling the system.
According to anti-criminalization organizer Mariame Kaba, director of the anti youth incarceration grassroots organization Project NIA, celebrating charges for officers signals our dependence on a criminal justice system that was created to uphold white supremacy. “To transform a death-making system, our expectations have to be much higher,” she wrote last month in the New York Times. “Celebrating charges is like celebrating bread crumbs. ... I understand why people do it, but I think according great significance to charges misses the point and it also freezes people in place. It has the effect of demobilizing collective action.”
Kaba explained that justice is not just closing down police departments but making them obsolete. “The surest way of reducing police violence is to reduce the power of the police, by cutting budgets and the number of officers,” she wrote.
But on June 25, the Louisville Metro Council approved a budget that wouldn’t even begin to defund LMPD. The new spending plan will merely “require police to put the money toward recruiting a more diverse force, additional training and exploring co-responder models that could send behavioral health professionals on calls with officers,” according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Funding will also be directed to a civilian review board that will oversee LMPD, following the 24-1 vote. Black Lives Matter demanded that more money be shifted to community services.
Today Metro Council votes on the 20-21 Budget. 49% is allocated to @lmpd and corrections. Demand better for our communities! When we say #defundpolice there is a clear vision of what is possible. give money directly to community https://t.co/WXPhjFxHYU #DefendBlackLife pic.twitter.com/RlWwVb2b4W — BLM Louisville (@BLMLouisville) June 25, 2020
On the same day the budget was approved, a crowd of more than 500 demonstrators, including activists, community members, and celebrities, gathered on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort for a #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor rally, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Activist Tamika Mallory emphasized the need to keep calling for justice and accountability in Taylor’s case. “I’m sure we all understand that Breonna Taylor is everywhere,” she said. “The issue of Black women being killed and our voices being too low is a problem.”


vox--2020-07-01--Why it’s so damn hot in the Arctic right now

The Arctic is continuing to swelter in a heat wave , as temperatures around the Arctic Ocean this week top 93 degrees Fahrenheit .
The recent heat follows an even more stunning data point : Last month , Verkhoyansk , Russia , hit a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit .
Researchers are still working to confirm the result , which may be recognized as a record high for the Arctic Circle .
This is a town that holds the record for the coldest temperature above the Arctic Circle , -90 degrees Fahrenheit in 1892 .
“ That is a fantastical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of Russia ’ s weather service , during a press conference this week .
And the small Siberian town isn ’ t alone .
Much of Russia has been facing a heat wave in recent weeks , with multiple locations reporting temperatures as high as 113 degrees on June 19 .
The surprising warmth was also felt in other parts of the Arctic like northern Canada and Scandinavia .
It ’ s part of a pattern of soaring temperatures this year in what are ordinarily some of the chilliest parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region stands to have global consequences and foreshadows the future of the Arctic , and the planet , as the climate changes .
Russia is emerging from its hottest winter on record , and since the beginning of the year , temperatures have averaged 12.4 degrees Fahrenheit above what ’ s typical in Siberia .
And this polar heat has led to a string of woes for the region , from a major oil spill stemming from thawing permafrost to early wildfires north of the Arctic circle in Russia and Alaska .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to heat up the Arctic .
And they ’ re building on top of long-term warming trends .
That means more of this kind of heat is likely in the future , and so are thawing , fires , and climate disruption .
Why parts of the Arctic are searingly hot right now The term “ heat wave ” is a relative measure .
What temperatures count as a heat wave differ depending on the regional climate .
It ’ s usually defined as temperatures above the 95th percentile of the historical distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a heat wave in the Arctic is considerably lower than in lower latitudes .
But the recent temperatures in the far north would be sweltering just about anywhere .
A heat wave begins with high atmospheric pressure building up over an area .
A downward-moving air column compresses the air that ’ s closer to the ground , holding it still and heating it up .
That high pressure also forces clouds away and around the column , creating an unobstructed line of light between the ground and the sun .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground absorbs sunlight , and with stagnant air , heat accumulates and temperatures rise .
“ There ’ s nothing coming in and nothing going out , ” explained Walt Meier , a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder .
“ It ’ s kind of like an oven basically.
” That ’ s the general formula for heat waves around the world .
But there are also several unique ingredients contributing to the Arctic one .
In northern latitudes during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — even at night .
That allows heat to accumulate faster than in areas that experience sunsets and can cool off in the evening .
Another factor this year was the lack of snow .
With an unusually warm winter , less snow built up across parts of the Arctic , and with a warm spring , much of it melted away sooner than usual .
“ The snow is very reflective of the sunlight , ” said Meier .
“ This year , the snow went away earlier , so then you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more solar energy.
” The warmer ground also dries out in the heat .
With less moisture , there is less evaporation that can cool the surrounding air .
“ The drier ground and the air over the top of it makes it more susceptible to rapid warming when you have the right conditions like we ’ re seeing now , ” Meier said .
The Arctic heat wave highlights the impacts that lie ahead from climate change For Siberia ’ s heat wave , past may be prologue .
Last year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above the long-term average for the region , forest fires burned over a near-record area , sending choking smoke into cities like Novosibirsk , Russia ’ s third-largest city .
The plumes even reached the western United States .
Siberia also saw massive fires in 2018 , 2017 , and 2016 .
Forest fires naturally occur in Siberia and can occasionally spark north of the Arctic circle , often ignited by lightning in dry forests in summer months .
But the blazes in recent years were unusually large and close to population centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now could continue to spread as the summer season warms the region further .
One of the overarching trends behind the heat wave and the wildfires is climate change .
Earth as a whole is warming up due to human emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide .
But every place isn ’ t warming up at the same rate ; the Arctic is warming at double the rate of the rest of the planet , which is why some of the earliest effects of climate change are felt in the region .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the future for the rest of the world .
Those higher average temperatures mean extreme heat will become even more likely and more intense , exacerbating threats like forest fires as vegetation dries out .
“ The wildfires definitely come from the extreme heat and the dryness , ” Meier said .
The loss of these ancient , slow-growing forests will release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that will take decades to reabsorb , further warming the planet .
Warming in the Arctic is also thawing permafrost , which releases even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s summer in the Arctic right now , the region has also experienced heat waves in the winter .
In fact , researchers have found that in general , winters are warming faster than summers .
That ’ s part of the reason why the Arctic is now losing sea ice at its fastest rate in 1,500 years .
Antarctica is also warming up .
Earlier this year , the continent broke two high-temperature records within a week .
With average temperatures poised to rise further , more heat , thawing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Arctic .
“ This year it ’ s in Siberia .
Next year it might be in Alaska or northern Canada or it might be in Scandinavia , ” Meier said .
“ On average , what we consider to be extreme events are going to become more and more normal.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The Arctic is continuing to swelter in a heat wave, as temperatures around the Arctic Ocean this week top 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
Extremely hot again on the fringe of the Arctic Ocean.
An astonishing + 34 °C has just been recorded at a latitude of 73 °N today in Russia. This is about + 20-25 °C warmer than normal.
Note how much open water there is compared to normal. Sea ice is taking a hit. pic.twitter.com/y0w5PLjkHx — Scott From Scotland (@ScottDuncanWX) June 30, 2020
The recent heat follows an even more stunning data point: Last month, Verkhoyansk, Russia, hit a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers are still working to confirm the result, which may be recognized as a record high for the Arctic Circle. This is a town that holds the record for the coldest temperature above the Arctic Circle, -90 degrees Fahrenheit in 1892.
“That is a fantastical degree,” said Roman Vilfand, head of Russia’s weather service, during a press conference this week.
And the small Siberian town isn’t alone. Much of Russia has been facing a heat wave in recent weeks, with multiple locations reporting temperatures as high as 113 degrees on June 19. The surprising warmth was also felt in other parts of the Arctic like northern Canada and Scandinavia.
It’s part of a pattern of soaring temperatures this year in what are ordinarily some of the chilliest parts of the planet. The current searing weather of the region stands to have global consequences and foreshadows the future of the Arctic, and the planet, as the climate changes.
Russia is emerging from its hottest winter on record, and since the beginning of the year, temperatures have averaged 12.4 degrees Fahrenheit above what’s typical in Siberia.
And this polar heat has led to a string of woes for the region, from a major oil spill stemming from thawing permafrost to early wildfires north of the Arctic circle in Russia and Alaska.
Several key factors aligned in recent months to heat up the Arctic. And they’re building on top of long-term warming trends. That means more of this kind of heat is likely in the future, and so are thawing, fires, and climate disruption.
Why parts of the Arctic are searingly hot right now
The term “heat wave” is a relative measure. What temperatures count as a heat wave differ depending on the regional climate. It’s usually defined as temperatures above the 95th percentile of the historical distribution for a region.
So the bar for a heat wave in the Arctic is considerably lower than in lower latitudes. But the recent temperatures in the far north would be sweltering just about anywhere.
A heat wave begins with high atmospheric pressure building up over an area. A downward-moving air column compresses the air that’s closer to the ground, holding it still and heating it up. That high pressure also forces clouds away and around the column, creating an unobstructed line of light between the ground and the sun.
Over a period of days and weeks, the ground absorbs sunlight, and with stagnant air, heat accumulates and temperatures rise. “There’s nothing coming in and nothing going out,” explained Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. “It’s kind of like an oven basically.”
That’s the general formula for heat waves around the world. But there are also several unique ingredients contributing to the Arctic one.
In northern latitudes during the summer, there is near-continuous sunlight — even at night. That allows heat to accumulate faster than in areas that experience sunsets and can cool off in the evening.
Number of wildfires in the Arctic part of Yakutia continues to rise, with towns as high north as Chersky and Srednekolymsk reporting fires getting really close and threatening power lines #wildfires2020 #wildfires2020Siberia pic.twitter.com/cJtVbxrKox — The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) June 23, 2020
Another factor this year was the lack of snow. With an unusually warm winter, less snow built up across parts of the Arctic, and with a warm spring, much of it melted away sooner than usual. “The snow is very reflective of the sunlight,” said Meier. “This year, the snow went away earlier, so then you have the bare ground that can absorb more solar energy.”
The warmer ground also dries out in the heat. With less moisture, there is less evaporation that can cool the surrounding air. “The drier ground and the air over the top of it makes it more susceptible to rapid warming when you have the right conditions like we’re seeing now,” Meier said.
The Arctic heat wave highlights the impacts that lie ahead from climate change
For Siberia’s heat wave, past may be prologue. Last year, amid temperatures that were 14 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average for the region, forest fires burned over a near-record area, sending choking smoke into cities like Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest city. The plumes even reached the western United States.
Siberia also saw massive fires in 2018, 2017, and 2016. Forest fires naturally occur in Siberia and can occasionally spark north of the Arctic circle, often ignited by lightning in dry forests in summer months. But the blazes in recent years were unusually large and close to population centers. The fires burning in the region now could continue to spread as the summer season warms the region further.
One of the overarching trends behind the heat wave and the wildfires is climate change. Earth as a whole is warming up due to human emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. But every place isn’t warming up at the same rate; the Arctic is warming at double the rate of the rest of the planet, which is why some of the earliest effects of climate change are felt in the region. The north pole also presents a window into the future for the rest of the world.
Those higher average temperatures mean extreme heat will become even more likely and more intense, exacerbating threats like forest fires as vegetation dries out. “The wildfires definitely come from the extreme heat and the dryness,” Meier said.
The loss of these ancient, slow-growing forests will release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that will take decades to reabsorb, further warming the planet. Warming in the Arctic is also thawing permafrost, which releases even more carbon into the atmosphere.
And while it’s summer in the Arctic right now, the region has also experienced heat waves in the winter. In fact, researchers have found that in general, winters are warming faster than summers. That’s part of the reason why the Arctic is now losing sea ice at its fastest rate in 1,500 years.
Antarctica is also warming up. Earlier this year, the continent broke two high-temperature records within a week.
With average temperatures poised to rise further, more heat, thawing, melting, and fire lie ahead for the Arctic. “This year it’s in Siberia. Next year it might be in Alaska or northern Canada or it might be in Scandinavia,” Meier said. “On average, what we consider to be extreme events are going to become more and more normal.”


vox--2020-07-01--Exclusive: Senate Democrats press AG Barr for answers about poll closures on Native American reserva

Exclusive: Senate Democrats press AG Barr for answers about poll closures on Native American reservations

Alarmed by the recent closure of in-person polling places on Native American reservations due to Covid-19 , Senate Democrats are pressing Attorney General William Barr for more information .
Vox obtained a letter to Barr from Democratic members of the Senate Rules Committee , led by the committee ’ s ranking member Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) and Sen. Tom Udall ( D-NM ) .
The letter comes after a recent Vox report on the barriers Native Americans face with mail-in voting .
“ We write to express serious concern regarding the mass closures of polling locations in Tribal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the letter states .
“ We request a commitment from the Department of Justice to work with Tribal governments to find solutions that do not disenfranchise voters in Indian Country.
” Native American voters face unique obstacles to voting even in normal election years .
But the rise of vote-by-mail — a method that ’ s supposed to make voting easier — presents even more barriers for them .
Access to mail for voters in rural Native communities is complicated ; many people don ’ t have traditional mailing addresses , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many get their mail in post office boxes , which can be located many miles away and have limited hours of operation .
“ Vote-by-mail works really well for middle- and upper-class white folks , ” Jean Schroedel , a political science professor at Claremont Graduate College who has studied Native American voting rights , told Vox recently .
“ It doesn ’ t work for other populations , and it really , really does not work for Native people living on reservations.
” In some states , increased use of absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Native American reservations have closed .
For instance , ahead of Montana ’ s June 2 primary , the state gave its counties the option to switch to mail-in ballots — and all of them did .
Instead of in-person voting on Election Day , voters could drop their ballot in the mail or vote early in person at each county ’ s election office .
But some satellite voting offices on Indian reservations like the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Blaine County also closed , leaving just one satellite office open for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the reservation told Vox the closure meant some people on Fort Belknap ’ s southern end had to drive up to 78 miles one way to cast their ballot at the one satellite office that remained open .
“ Voter suppression in Native communities is systemic and has taken many forms over the years , ” Udall told Vox in a statement .
“ Now , we ’ re seeing state and local jurisdictions double down on decisions to eliminate polling and registration locations without Tribal consultation and under the cynical guise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to travel hundreds of miles to vote.
” In the letter , Democratic senators say they ’ re concerned that polling locations being closed could seriously hamper the voting rights of Native Americans across the country .
“ Requests from Native American voters for more accessible polling locations have been ignored for far too long , ” they write in the letter to Barr .
“ The Department must take action to uphold the constitutional right of Native Americans.
” The senators are asking Barr to commit to working with Native American tribal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle of the pandemic .
The letter specifically asks Barr to provide any complaints the Department of Justice might have received regarding a lack of polling locations for Native American voters .
It also asks whether the DOJ Civil Rights Division ’ s Indian Working Group has engaged with state and local election officials to make sure Native American voting rights are protected in upcoming primary and general elections .
“ The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy , and we must ensure that voting is safe and easy during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement .
“ The Department of Justice needs to commit to working with Tribal leaders to ensure that Native Americans ’ ability to vote isn ’ t a victim of this pandemic.
” Voting by mail is supposed to make voting easier , especially during the Covid-19 pandemic .
But it doesn ’ t necessarily solve a long-standing access barrier for Native Americans that one attorney referred to as “ the tyranny of distance.
” Approximately one-third of all Native Americans , or about 1.7 million out of 5.3 million people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ hard to count ” tracts of land .
The Southwestern Navajo Nation , for instance , is 27,000 square miles spread out over Arizona , Utah , and New Mexico .
In Alaska ’ s remote Native villages , planes are the only method of transportation to the outside world .
“ Indian country is rife with what are called nontraditional mailing addresses , ” attorney Jim Tucker , who has represented Alaskan Native villages in lawsuits against the state , told Vox recently .
Distance is often coupled with high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native people were living in poverty in 2016 , compared to 14 percent for the US as a whole , according to the US census .
Activists and attorneys like Tucker worry that a move to vote-by-mail will compound long-standing access problems .
Some voters have to drive anywhere from 50 to over 200 miles to get to a post office and check their box .
The vast majority of roads on the Navajo Nation are not paved ; if there ’ s a rainstorm and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re stuck .
In Montana , winter snowstorms in November have blocked reservation roads and required snowplows to clear a path to the polls .
Post office boxes on reservations aren ’ t necessarily open five days a week , many have limited hours , and many families share a box .
Advocates say that in addition to vote-by-mail , Congress should pass increased funding for protective equipment for poll workers and expand periods of early voting on reservations .
House and Senate Democrats have been advocating for similar measures in recent coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bills haven ’ t gone far in the Republican-controlled Senate .
“ I think the answer is , this is not simply a hard one-size-fits-all , ” Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) , an advocate for vote-by-mail and a member of the Rules Committee , recently told Vox .
“ It ’ s a recognition that we start with the presumption that everyone is going to get a ballot by mail , and in circumstances where that ’ s particularly challenging , like with people living on reservation land , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to get their ballots and return their ballots easily.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Alarmed by the recent closure of in-person polling places on Native American reservations due to Covid-19, Senate Democrats are pressing Attorney General William Barr for more information.
Vox obtained a letter to Barr from Democratic members of the Senate Rules Committee, led by the committee’s ranking member Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM). The letter comes after a recent Vox report on the barriers Native Americans face with mail-in voting.
“We write to express serious concern regarding the mass closures of polling locations in Tribal communities due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the letter states. “We request a commitment from the Department of Justice to work with Tribal governments to find solutions that do not disenfranchise voters in Indian Country.”
Native American voters face unique obstacles to voting even in normal election years. But the rise of vote-by-mail — a method that’s supposed to make voting easier — presents even more barriers for them.
Access to mail for voters in rural Native communities is complicated; many people don’t have traditional mailing addresses, making home delivery of mail-in ballots impossible. Many get their mail in post office boxes, which can be located many miles away and have limited hours of operation.
“Vote-by-mail works really well for middle- and upper-class white folks,” Jean Schroedel, a political science professor at Claremont Graduate College who has studied Native American voting rights, told Vox recently. “It doesn’t work for other populations, and it really, really does not work for Native people living on reservations.”
In some states, increased use of absentee ballots has meant some in-person satellite offices on Native American reservations have closed. For instance, ahead of Montana’s June 2 primary, the state gave its counties the option to switch to mail-in ballots — and all of them did. Instead of in-person voting on Election Day, voters could drop their ballot in the mail or vote early in person at each county’s election office.
But some satellite voting offices on Indian reservations like the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Blaine County also closed, leaving just one satellite office open for the primary. Local voting rights advocates on the reservation told Vox the closure meant some people on Fort Belknap’s southern end had to drive up to 78 miles one way to cast their ballot at the one satellite office that remained open.
“Voter suppression in Native communities is systemic and has taken many forms over the years,” Udall told Vox in a statement. “Now, we’re seeing state and local jurisdictions double down on decisions to eliminate polling and registration locations without Tribal consultation and under the cynical guise of public safety — forcing Native Americans to travel hundreds of miles to vote.”
In the letter, Democratic senators say they’re concerned that polling locations being closed could seriously hamper the voting rights of Native Americans across the country.
“Requests from Native American voters for more accessible polling locations have been ignored for far too long,” they write in the letter to Barr. “The Department must take action to uphold the constitutional right of Native Americans.”
The senators are asking Barr to commit to working with Native American tribal leaders to not disenfranchise voters in the middle of the pandemic. The letter specifically asks Barr to provide any complaints the Department of Justice might have received regarding a lack of polling locations for Native American voters. It also asks whether the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Indian Working Group has engaged with state and local election officials to make sure Native American voting rights are protected in upcoming primary and general elections.
“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and we must ensure that voting is safe and easy during this pandemic,” Klobuchar told Vox in a statement. “The Department of Justice needs to commit to working with Tribal leaders to ensure that Native Americans’ ability to vote isn’t a victim of this pandemic.”
For Native Americans, distance presents a huge barrier to vote
Voting by mail is supposed to make voting easier, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. But it doesn’t necessarily solve a long-standing access barrier for Native Americans that one attorney referred to as “the tyranny of distance.”
Approximately one-third of all Native Americans, or about 1.7 million out of 5.3 million people, live on what the census designates as “hard to count” tracts of land. The Southwestern Navajo Nation, for instance, is 27,000 square miles spread out over Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. In Alaska’s remote Native villages, planes are the only method of transportation to the outside world.
“Indian country is rife with what are called nontraditional mailing addresses,” attorney Jim Tucker, who has represented Alaskan Native villages in lawsuits against the state, told Vox recently.
Distance is often coupled with high rates of poverty on reservations. About 26 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native people were living in poverty in 2016, compared to 14 percent for the US as a whole, according to the US census.
Activists and attorneys like Tucker worry that a move to vote-by-mail will compound long-standing access problems. Some voters have to drive anywhere from 50 to over 200 miles to get to a post office and check their box. The vast majority of roads on the Navajo Nation are not paved; if there’s a rainstorm and a road washes out, they’re stuck. In Montana, winter snowstorms in November have blocked reservation roads and required snowplows to clear a path to the polls. Post office boxes on reservations aren’t necessarily open five days a week, many have limited hours, and many families share a box.
Advocates say that in addition to vote-by-mail, Congress should pass increased funding for protective equipment for poll workers and expand periods of early voting on reservations. House and Senate Democrats have been advocating for similar measures in recent coronavirus relief legislation, but so far, the bills haven’t gone far in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“I think the answer is, this is not simply a hard one-size-fits-all,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), an advocate for vote-by-mail and a member of the Rules Committee, recently told Vox. “It’s a recognition that we start with the presumption that everyone is going to get a ballot by mail, and in circumstances where that’s particularly challenging, like with people living on reservation land, that we adjust the rules so they will be able to get their ballots and return their ballots easily.”


vox--2020-07-01--The “Godzilla” Saharan dust cloud over the US, explained

Clouds of dust that arose in Africa are wafting over parts of the Americas , tinting skies brown , creating shimmering sunsets , and suppressing hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean .
And more dust is on its way .
The Saharan dust storm is part of a regular meteorological phenomenon that sends dust from the Sahara Desert to the Gulf Coast of the United States , the Caribbean , and South America .
But the 2020 cloud that recently shrouded cities like Houston , Miami , and New Orleans in a shadowy haze was one of the most intense on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cloud was far denser with dust particles than previous events .
“ That one was really for the books , ” Jason Dunion , a meteorologist at the University of Miami and a researcher at NOAA ’ s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory , told Vox .
“ We were seeing numbers that were twice as large as some of the storms we were seeing last year ...
This was an extreme outlier.
” On the ground , the dust cloud , dubbed Godzilla , is triggering air quality alerts for millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now on its way out of the United States , but another , thinner cloud of Saharan dust is on the way this week .
While the dust poses a serious health hazard , it ’ s also linked to vital climate mechanisms that nourish the oceans , fertilize the rainforest , and quash tropical storms .
The Saharan dust is a prime example of the complicated forces that tie our planet together and how the things we experience at home can start from far away .
Massive dust clouds are normal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was so bad this year The dust behind the recent clouds originates at the convergence of two ecosystems : the Sahara and the Sahel .
The hot , dry Sahara in North Africa is the largest desert in the world outside of the poles .
The Sahel is the stripe of land just south of the Sahara with a more tropical climate .
It ’ s also hot and dry , but has a rainy season and can develop dense vegetation .
“ Mother nature has really set up things in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ You ’ ve got the largest [ hot ] desert in the world , and then just south of that , you ’ ve got the hurricane nursery for the Atlantic .
Over half the named storms that we get each year are coming from this nursery over the Sahel , just south of the Sahara.
” Much of the dust originates in the Bodélé Depression in Chad , an ancient dry lake bed at the threshold of the Sahara and the Sahel .
There , convective storms in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loft particles of silica , iron , and phosphorous as high as 20,000 feet into the sky .
When this airborne dust and dry air floats off the coast of West Africa , it forms the Saharan Air Layer , a segment of the atmosphere that moves across the North Atlantic Ocean every three to five days from the late spring through the early fall .
“ It ’ s not that unusual for these dust storms to develop and cross the Atlantic to South America and North America , ” said Colin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at NASA .
“ What ’ s unusual about this one was this is an extremely large one , number one .
And number two , it held together all the way across [ the Atlantic Ocean ] .
” Ordinarily , this dust would start to thin as it approached the Americas , with some falling into the ocean along the way .
That ’ s why there was less noticeable haze in previous years .
But there was so much dust picked up recently that even after this thinning process , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And the Saharan dust doesn ’ t usually reach from the sky all the way down to the surface like it did this week , creating fog-like conditions in some areas and drastically reducing visibility .
The bottom of the Saharan Air Layer typically starts about a mile above the Earth ’ s surface .
“ As you saw in the Caribbean , it seriously affected these people .
It turned day into night , ” Seftor said .
“ Everything was multiplied here.
” Researchers are still unclear as to why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intense since there are so many factors at play .
Seftor said it may have to do with the intense rainfall in the Sahel region in May and June .
That in turn may have fueled local weather to whip up more dust .
But he cautioned that this is just speculation at this point .
Another culprit could be strong tropical waves .
These are bands of low air pressure that move from east to west across the tropical Atlantic Ocean .
This atmospheric perturbation may have kicked up an exceptional amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also haven ’ t detected an overall trend in the pattern of Saharan dust in recent years , and it ’ s hard to anticipate what will happen as the climate changes .
“ If the meteorological conditions of the Sahel or even the Sahara change , and there ’ s more surface dust , it could change , ” Seftor said .
“ How it will change , I don ’ t know.
” Researchers are starting to get answers , however .
NASA and NOAA have a new generation of geostationary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dust clouds in real time .
“ We have eyes on these storms that we ’ ve never had in the past , ” Dunion said .
Saharan dust is a vital ingredient in ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere As they sail over the Atlantic , the Saharan clouds sprinkle bits of dust in their wake .
The minerals in this dust can then trigger blooms of phytoplankton on the surface of the ocean .
These are microscopic organisms that serve as the foundation of many marine ecosystems , becoming food for animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Across the world ’ s oceans , phytoplankton soaks up a volume of carbon dioxide comparable to all plants on land .
Saharan dust is critical to other ecosystems too .
About 27.7 million tons of these particles fall onto the Amazon rainforest basin every year .
Of that dust , roughly 22,000 tons is made of phosphorus , a vital nutrient for soil .
Without this replenishment , the Amazon rainforest would wither .
With so much dense , fast-growing vegetation , most of the nutrients in the rainforest are sequestered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What little is left in the ground gets washed away by frequent rainfall and flooding .
So a regular deposit of minerals like phosphorous keeps the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet verdant and lush .
But perhaps one of the more astonishing effects of Saharan dust is that it can suppress hurricanes .
To form , hurricanes need warm water at the ocean surface and moist , unstable air .
The Saharan Air Layer has about half the moisture that ’ s expected in the air over the tropics .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air deep into the tropics where hurricanes tend to form , ” Dunion said .
“ That causes thunderstorms and the developing storms , their clouds , to collapse.
” The Saharan Air Layer also moves fast , with winds up to 50 miles per hour .
“ That acts to rip the storms apart , ” Dunion said .
And the layer brings high temperatures to the skies above the seas , with warm air reaching as high as 10,000 feet .
That combination of hot , dry air creates downdrafts that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need cooler air to condense moisture .
This mechanism also disrupts clouds over land in areas like Florida , weakening or preventing the formation of thunderstorms and allowing the area to accumulate more heat .
However , scientists have had to postpone some of their experiments to measure the interaction of dust with hurricanes because of the Covid-19 pandemic , including flights of hurricane hunter aircraft .
Why dust is so bad for your health In general , breathing in anything that isn ’ t air isn ’ t good for you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the more dangerous things to inhale .
Scientists usually divide small particles into PM10 , particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter , and PM2.5 , which are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter .
PM10 tends to get trapped in the nasal passages while PM2.5 can go further into airways .
“ [ I ] t ’ s the smaller particles that will get transported further and will cause the greatest health harms , as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream , ” said Ploy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stockholm Environment Institute , in an email .
Breathing dust can trigger problems like asthma attacks and worsen conditions like heart disease .
But particles from natural sources can pose some unique threats .
“ Desert soil can also be contaminated with bacteria and fungal spores or with toxic heavy metal , ” Achakulwisut said .
“ For example , in the US Southwest , dust episodes there have been linked to outbreaks of Valley Fever and arsenic poisoning.
” The particles themselves can be suspended in the air as aerosols , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid .
Together , these factors make dust a potent health hazard .
According to the United Nations Environment Programme , dust storms sap $ 13 billion a year from the global economy because of their health effects .
In the summer months , this dust can coincide with other air quality hazards like ozone , which forms more on hot days , further reducing air quality .
The impact of the recent Saharan dust cloud was likely most severe in the Caribbean .
Ordinarily , the concentration of PM10 is 10 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mostly due to sea salt .
During the peak of the Saharan Air Layer , parts of the Caribbean reported particle concentrations above 400 micrograms per cubic meter .
But it will take some time to figure out the full health impacts of the dust .
“ How bad of a problem it is has really not been determined yet because it takes a specific dedicated program where you get a lot of data from hospitals and clinics and bring it together with the meteorology , ” said Joseph Prospero , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Miami .
As more dust clouds roll in , more people may get sick .
But people can protect themselves with the same tactic that they use to control Covid-19 : face masks .
“ Any N95 mask will protect you , but even the regular surgeon ’ s mask will do a pretty decent job , ” Prospero said .
“ Because dust particles are so large , it should have a fairly decent efficiency for minimizing inhalation.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Clouds of dust that arose in Africa are wafting over parts of the Americas, tinting skies brown, creating shimmering sunsets, and suppressing hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. And more dust is on its way.
The Saharan dust storm is part of a regular meteorological phenomenon that sends dust from the Sahara Desert to the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. But the 2020 cloud that recently shrouded cities like Houston, Miami, and New Orleans in a shadowy haze was one of the most intense on record. Satellite instruments showed that the cloud was far denser with dust particles than previous events.
“That one was really for the books,” Jason Dunion, a meteorologist at the University of Miami and a researcher at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, told Vox. “We were seeing numbers that were twice as large as some of the storms we were seeing last year ... This was an extreme outlier.”
On the ground, the dust cloud, dubbed Godzilla, is triggering air quality alerts for millions of people. The first intense plume is now on its way out of the United States, but another, thinner cloud of Saharan dust is on the way this week.
While the dust poses a serious health hazard, it’s also linked to vital climate mechanisms that nourish the oceans, fertilize the rainforest, and quash tropical storms. The Saharan dust is a prime example of the complicated forces that tie our planet together and how the things we experience at home can start from far away.
Massive dust clouds are normal, but scientists aren’t sure why it was so bad this year
The dust behind the recent clouds originates at the convergence of two ecosystems: the Sahara and the Sahel.
The hot, dry Sahara in North Africa is the largest desert in the world outside of the poles. The Sahel is the stripe of land just south of the Sahara with a more tropical climate. It’s also hot and dry, but has a rainy season and can develop dense vegetation.
“Mother nature has really set up things in an interesting way over Africa,” Dunion said. “You’ve got the largest [hot] desert in the world, and then just south of that, you’ve got the hurricane nursery for the Atlantic. Over half the named storms that we get each year are coming from this nursery over the Sahel, just south of the Sahara.”
Much of the dust originates in the Bodélé Depression in Chad, an ancient dry lake bed at the threshold of the Sahara and the Sahel. There, convective storms in the early summer whip the dry ground and loft particles of silica, iron, and phosphorous as high as 20,000 feet into the sky.
When this airborne dust and dry air floats off the coast of West Africa, it forms the Saharan Air Layer, a segment of the atmosphere that moves across the North Atlantic Ocean every three to five days from the late spring through the early fall.
“It’s not that unusual for these dust storms to develop and cross the Atlantic to South America and North America,” said Colin Seftor, an atmospheric scientist and contractor at NASA. “What’s unusual about this one was this is an extremely large one, number one. And number two, it held together all the way across [the Atlantic Ocean].”
Ordinarily, this dust would start to thin as it approached the Americas, with some falling into the ocean along the way. That’s why there was less noticeable haze in previous years. But there was so much dust picked up recently that even after this thinning process, a lot made it across the Atlantic.
And the Saharan dust doesn’t usually reach from the sky all the way down to the surface like it did this week, creating fog-like conditions in some areas and drastically reducing visibility. The bottom of the Saharan Air Layer typically starts about a mile above the Earth’s surface.
“As you saw in the Caribbean, it seriously affected these people. It turned day into night,” Seftor said. “Everything was multiplied here.”
Researchers are still unclear as to why the recent Saharan dust cloud was so intense since there are so many factors at play. Seftor said it may have to do with the intense rainfall in the Sahel region in May and June. That in turn may have fueled local weather to whip up more dust. But he cautioned that this is just speculation at this point.
Another culprit could be strong tropical waves. These are bands of low air pressure that move from east to west across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. This atmospheric perturbation may have kicked up an exceptional amount of dust from the Sahara.
Scientists also haven’t detected an overall trend in the pattern of Saharan dust in recent years, and it’s hard to anticipate what will happen as the climate changes. “If the meteorological conditions of the Sahel or even the Sahara change, and there’s more surface dust, it could change,” Seftor said. “How it will change, I don’t know.”
Researchers are starting to get answers, however. NASA and NOAA have a new generation of geostationary satellites that can monitor movement of these dust clouds in real time.
“We have eyes on these storms that we’ve never had in the past,” Dunion said.
Saharan dust is a vital ingredient in ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere
As they sail over the Atlantic, the Saharan clouds sprinkle bits of dust in their wake. The minerals in this dust can then trigger blooms of phytoplankton on the surface of the ocean. These are microscopic organisms that serve as the foundation of many marine ecosystems, becoming food for animals ranging from tiny crustaceans to giant whales. Across the world’s oceans, phytoplankton soaks up a volume of carbon dioxide comparable to all plants on land.
Saharan dust is critical to other ecosystems too. About 27.7 million tons of these particles fall onto the Amazon rainforest basin every year. Of that dust, roughly 22,000 tons is made of phosphorus, a vital nutrient for soil.
Without this replenishment, the Amazon rainforest would wither. With so much dense, fast-growing vegetation, most of the nutrients in the rainforest are sequestered in plants rather than in the soil. What little is left in the ground gets washed away by frequent rainfall and flooding. So a regular deposit of minerals like phosphorous keeps the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet verdant and lush.
But perhaps one of the more astonishing effects of Saharan dust is that it can suppress hurricanes. To form, hurricanes need warm water at the ocean surface and moist, unstable air. The Saharan Air Layer has about half the moisture that’s expected in the air over the tropics.
“You’re injecting this extremely dry air deep into the tropics where hurricanes tend to form,” Dunion said. “That causes thunderstorms and the developing storms, their clouds, to collapse.”
The Saharan Air Layer also moves fast, with winds up to 50 miles per hour. “That acts to rip the storms apart,” Dunion said. And the layer brings high temperatures to the skies above the seas, with warm air reaching as high as 10,000 feet. That combination of hot, dry air creates downdrafts that can prevent clouds from forming, which need cooler air to condense moisture.
This mechanism also disrupts clouds over land in areas like Florida, weakening or preventing the formation of thunderstorms and allowing the area to accumulate more heat.
However, scientists have had to postpone some of their experiments to measure the interaction of dust with hurricanes because of the Covid-19 pandemic, including flights of hurricane hunter aircraft.
Why dust is so bad for your health
In general, breathing in anything that isn’t air isn’t good for you. But small particles tend to be some of the more dangerous things to inhale.
Scientists usually divide small particles into PM10, particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter, and PM2.5, which are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. PM10 tends to get trapped in the nasal passages while PM2.5 can go further into airways.
“[I]t’s the smaller particles that will get transported further and will cause the greatest health harms, as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream,” said Ploy Pattanun Achakulwisut, a scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute, in an email.
Breathing dust can trigger problems like asthma attacks and worsen conditions like heart disease. But particles from natural sources can pose some unique threats. “Desert soil can also be contaminated with bacteria and fungal spores or with toxic heavy metal,” Achakulwisut said. “For example, in the US Southwest, dust episodes there have been linked to outbreaks of Valley Fever and arsenic poisoning.”
The particles themselves can be suspended in the air as aerosols, making them easy to inhale and hard to avoid. Together, these factors make dust a potent health hazard. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, dust storms sap $13 billion a year from the global economy because of their health effects.
In the summer months, this dust can coincide with other air quality hazards like ozone, which forms more on hot days, further reducing air quality.
The impact of the recent Saharan dust cloud was likely most severe in the Caribbean. Ordinarily, the concentration of PM10 is 10 to 20 micrograms per cubic meter of air, mostly due to sea salt. During the peak of the Saharan Air Layer, parts of the Caribbean reported particle concentrations above 400 micrograms per cubic meter.
But it will take some time to figure out the full health impacts of the dust. “How bad of a problem it is has really not been determined yet because it takes a specific dedicated program where you get a lot of data from hospitals and clinics and bring it together with the meteorology,” said Joseph Prospero, a professor emeritus of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami.
As more dust clouds roll in, more people may get sick. But people can protect themselves with the same tactic that they use to control Covid-19: face masks.
“Any N95 mask will protect you, but even the regular surgeon’s mask will do a pretty decent job,” Prospero said. “Because dust particles are so large, it should have a fairly decent efficiency for minimizing inhalation.”