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Science

About 5,000 people, including 500 tourists, on the Spanish island of La Palma, have been forced to evacuate after a volcano, known as Mount Cumbre Vieja, erupted Sunday, Reuters reports. 

Driving the news: The explosion, which took place in a southern area of the island known as Cabeza de Vaca, came after several weeks of seismic activity, with authorities recording an earthquake of about 3.8 magnitude before the eruption.  

La Palma is one of eight Spanish Canary Islands off Africa’s western coast, with a population of 85,000. The volcano last erupted in 1971, per AP. 

Roads near the explosion remain closed, and local authorities urge people not to approach the area. No fatalities had been reported as of Monday, per Reuters. 

The lava has already destroyed about 100 houses, according to Reuters. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout. 

Thousands flee after volcano erupts on Spain's La Palma

More than 100 homes have been deshttps://eden.axios.com/editor/story/07cbbb46-fff2-4fdf-bdf4-07d79e9151e5/contenttroyed on the island.

A river of lava approaches houses as Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava

A river of lava approaches houses as Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava on the Canary island of La Palma on Sept. 19. Photo: Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images

extreme weather

Extreme weather

Axios Generate

The White House announced a slew of actions Monday, including the start of a rule-making process at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to protect American workers from extreme heat. 

Driving the news: The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record, with triple-digit-temperatures killing hundreds in the Pacific Northwest and exposing outdoor workers to dangerous conditions. 

Scientists concluded that event would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.

The tie between more extreme and longer lasting heat waves and the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the air, the result of burning fossil fuels for energy, is one of the most well-established extreme weather links in climate science.

Details: The Biden administration announced the series of steps on Monday morning. The actions focus on the unequal burden in heat exposure, with poorer neighborhoods in cities with a higher concentration of minorities seeing higher temperatures than wealthy, white areas. 

According to the White House, the Labor Department, Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies will collaborate to bolster heat resilience and work with local communities. 

OSHA, which is part of the Labor Department, is issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule-making Monday or Tuesday on heat illness prevention in indoor and outdoor work settings, which is the first step toward developing a national heat work standard, the White House said. 

As part of this initiative, OSHA will also implement greater enforcement of heat-related hazards, including stepped up inspections of hot indoor and outdoor settings when the heat index exceeds 80°F. 

The White House is also focusing on addressing inequities in heat exposure, with Black, Native American and other people of color, as well as those with low incomes, exposed to greater heat impacts. Studies show that the urban heat island effect makes these neighborhoods within cities hotter than wealthier neighborhoods. 

What they're saying: President Biden said extreme heat is a "climate disaster" that lurks just below the surface when compared to the wildfires and floods that have dominated climate news in recent weeks. 

"As with other weather events, extreme heat is gaining in frequency and ferocity due to climate change, threatening communities across the country," Biden said in a statement. 

Go deeper: Hard Truths: Race and Environment in America

White House aims to protect workers from extreme heat

The steps include an OSHA rule on heat safety.

Pear pickers pose during a heat wave in the Pacific Northwest.

Two pear pickers in Hood River, Ore. on Aug. 13. Photo: Michael Hanson/AFP via Getty Images

Climate change

Alternative energy

Policymaking

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The KNP Complex Fire, which reached the western edge of Sequoia National Park Saturday night, has so far spared a group of giant sequoias, local authorities said on Sunday. 

Why it matters: The forest contains over 2,000 giant sequoias, including one that is considered the largest tree on Earth by volume. The giant trees are considered "national treasures," and protective measures, such as wrapping portions of the trees in fire-resistant foil, are in place to curb damage. 

The massive General Sherman Tree is 275 feet tall and over 36 feet in diameter at its base, according to the National Park Service.

The big picture: The KNP Complex Fire, which ignited by lightning earlier this month, has amassed a reach of about 21,777 acres and, as of yet, remains 0% contained, according to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. A red flag warning is in place.

More than 600 fire personnel have been deployed to the area. At this point, the fire is estimated to be contained around mid-October, per InciWeb.

California wildfire has, so far, missed group of giant sequoias

The KNP Complex Fire has amassed a reach of about 21,777 acres and, as of yet, is 0% contained.

A Sequoia tree wrapped in fire-resistant foil as the KNP Complex Fire reached Sequoia National Park. Photo: Patrick T.  Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

California wildfires

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pledged $50 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital hours after the Inspiration4 crew splashed down on Saturday. 

Why it matters: The all-civilian spaceflight was created, in part, as a fundraiser for St. Jude to raise $200 million. The mission had received $100 million from billionaire Jared Isaacman, who purchased the flight, and raised an additional $60.2 million before Musk's contribution, according to CNBC.

The spaceflight launched on Wednesday and spent three days in orbit before returning to Earth. The crew members included Haley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude who was treated by the hospital as a child. 

The fundraiser ultimately raised more than $210 million, per CNBC.

Elon Musk pledges $50 million toward Inspiration4 fundraiser for St. Jude

The all-civilian spaceflight was created, in part, as a fundraiser for St. Jude to raise $200 million.

Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

Photo: Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

Elon Musk

Firefighters in Sequoia National Park were working into the night after two wildfires merged to reach the Giant Forest on Saturday. 

Why it matters: This forest contains over 2,000 giant sequoias, including the General Sherman Tree — the world's largest tree by volume. Park officials wrapped the redwoods in foil last week as the Paradise and Colony Fires, now known as the KNP Complex Fire, neared. Protection efforts appeared to be working overnight.

A US Forest Service vehicle drives past the Sequoia National Park historic park entrance sign wrapped in fire resistant foil in California

A U.S. Forest Service vehicle at the Sequoia National Park historic park entrance sign, which has been wrapped in fire-resistant foil along Generals Highway. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

What's happening: Park officials said in a statement just after 1am Sunday ET that the blaze had reached the grouping of sequoias known as the "Four Guardsmen," which mark the entrance to the Giant Forest.

But the statement from the  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks added that "fuel removal efforts by firefighters, combined with structure wrap applied by crews to the base of the iconic sequoia trees, successfully protected these national treasures."

Threat level: The KNP Complex fire was expected to remain active throughout the night, per InciWeb. A red flag warning was in place through Sunday.

"Crews are preparing for changes and possible significant increases in fire activity," according to a statement from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks earlier Saturday.

Zoom in: Lightning ignited both the Paradise and Colony Fires on Sept. 10.

John Wallace, an operations chief with the incident command team in charge of battling the wildfire, confirmed in a live-streamed update Saturday that "we now have one fire that grew together yesterday."

The blaze had burned across 17,857  acres and was 0% contained as of Saturday, per the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Zoom out: California has this year been hammered by multiple large wildfires, and this mega-blaze is among 10 large fires burning in the state. 73 large blazes are burning across the U.S., according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

A UN report found last month that there's an "unequivocal" connection between human-caused global warming and extreme weather events.

Flashback: Last year's Castle Fire that raged across the Sierra Nevada destroyed 10% to 14% of Earth's mature redwood trees, a draft report from National Park Service scientists found in June.

 Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the fire and further context. 

Huge wildfire reaches edge of Sequoia National Park

Prevention efforts, including wrapping trees in foil, have so far "successfully protected these national treasures," officials said today.

A plume of smoke and flames rise into the air as the fire burns towards Moro Rock during the KNP Complex fire in the Sequoia National Park near Three Rivers, California on September 18

A plume of smoke and flames rises in the KNP Complex fire in the Sequoia National Park near Three Rivers, California, on Saturday. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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Monday's science stories

Thousands flee after volcano erupts on Spain's La Palma

White House aims to protect workers from extreme heat

California wildfire has, so far, missed group of giant sequoias

Elon Musk pledges $50 million toward Inspiration4 fundraiser for St. Jude

Huge wildfire reaches edge of Sequoia National Park