A deadly glacial avalanche in Italy, the fourth major flood in Sydney since March, record Alaskan wildfires and another U.S. heat wave — extreme weather events tied to human-caused global warming are slamming disparate parts of the planet. The results, so far, have been deadly and increasingly costly.
Driving the news: Beginning with Europe, on July 3, a heat wave helped trigger the sudden detachment of a massive chunk of the Marmolada glacier in the Italian Alps. The resulting ice avalanche traveled downhill at speeds of up to 200 mph, according to experts.
Chinese automaker BYD, which is backed by Warren Buffett, has surpassed Tesla in sales of electrified vehicles.
Driving the news: BYD sold 638,157 electric or plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles in the first six months of 2022, according to company filings published on July 3.
More than 30,000 residents in Sydney were told to evacuate their homes Monday due to "life-threatening" floods.
Why it matters: Australia is facing its fourth round of flooding in less than a year and a half, per the Associated Press. The flooding has been considered one of the worst rounds of extreme weather for the country's most populous city in the last 18 months.
Colorfully lit drones will be flying in patriotic formations over cities and towns across the U.S. this July 4th as a newfangled alternative to fireworks — particularly in the bone-dry West, where sparks can cause catastrophic wildfires.
Why it matters: Finally, there's an appealing alternative to traditional pyrotechnics, which critics have been hating for years (due to noise, pollution, injuries, and environmental harm).
