2022 Science Story

A view of Cumbre Vieja volcano from Las Manchas where the ashes already buried hundred of homes. The last event marks the first time this...

A view of Cumbre Vieja volcano from Las Manchas where the ashes already buried hundred of homes. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

A woman despairs watching how the lava flows is reaching her neighborhood during the eviction of their homes before the approach of lava from the...

A woman despairs watching how the lava flows is reaching her neighborhood during the eviction of their homes before the approach of lava from the volcano Cumbre Vieja. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

An evacuated house around El Fronton neighborhood. Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The ongoing event marks...

An evacuated house around El Fronton neighborhood. Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The ongoing event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. Careful monitoring allowed officials to begin some evacuations before the lava started flowing. More than 6500 villagers have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the ongoing eruption.

A view of Las Manchas’ cemetery after lava flows overtake the place. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The...

A view of Las Manchas’ cemetery after lava flows overtake the place. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

Juan Carlos is one of the workers in a banana field in Puerto Naos, since the beginning of the eruption he and hundreds more like...

Juan Carlos is one of the workers in a banana field in Puerto Naos, since the beginning of the eruption he and hundreds more like him has been going to the plantations everyday trying to save something, shaking the banana trees to avoid the collapse of the plant because the weigh of the ashes also watering the fields. All this people is working without the proper Personal Protection Equipment and no one knows about the health consequences in the medium and long term. While the local authorities stated the volcano ashes are great for the land, scientists claim that this amount of ashes could be a disaster for the crop fields in the short and medium term. The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands in the southernmost region of Europe and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people and around the 30% of the GDP depends on banana industry.

Javier Martinez, geologist engineer from IGME-CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) is seen collecting samples of volcanic ashes on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain,...

Javier Martinez, geologist engineer from IGME-CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) is seen collecting samples of volcanic ashes on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

Scientist from CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) IGN (National Geographic Institute) and GFZ (German Research Center for Geosciences) taking geophysics measuring close to the principal...

Scientist from CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) IGN (National Geographic Institute) and GFZ (German Research Center for Geosciences) taking geophysics measuring close to the principal vent of Cumbre Vieja Volcano the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

A view of Cumbre Vieja volcano (Old Summit) from La Laguna neighborhood. Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary...

A view of Cumbre Vieja volcano (Old Summit) from La Laguna neighborhood. Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The ongoing event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. Careful monitoring allowed officials to begin some evacuations before the lava started flowing. More than 6500 villagers have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the ongoing eruption.

Lava flows overtake houses in El Paraíso (The Paradise). Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The ongoing...

Lava flows overtake houses in El Paraíso (The Paradise). Lava flows following the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The ongoing event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. Careful monitoring allowed officials to begin some evacuations before the lava started flowing. More than 6500 villagers have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the ongoing eruption.

Corporal Alvaro Heredia from GIETMA-UME (Environmental and tech emergency group from Military Emergency Unit) is seen securing the area to help IGME-CSIC (Geological and Mining...

Corporal Alvaro Heredia from GIETMA-UME (Environmental and tech emergency group from Military Emergency Unit) is seen securing the area to help IGME-CSIC (Geological and Mining Institute of Spain from Spanish National Research Council) scientists to collect samples. The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

Seargent Armando Salazar and corporal Alvaro Heredia from GIETMA-UME (Environmental and tech emergency group from Military Emergency Unit) during a walk over lava slugs to...

Seargent Armando Salazar and corporal Alvaro Heredia from GIETMA-UME (Environmental and tech emergency group from Military Emergency Unit) during a walk over lava slugs to measure the temperature of lava flows and take samples to help IGME-CSIC (Geological and Mining Institute of Spain from Spanish National Research Council). The last event marks the first time this volcano has erupted since 1971.The island of La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands and is one of the most volcanically active zones in the archipelago with a population of about 85,000 people. The latest eruption was preceded by several earthquake swarms. More than 7000 villagers have been evacuated and more than thousand homes have been destroyed.

In Espinar communities, large sections of territory have been bought by a powerful multinational (Glencore) that gives shape to the enormous extraction complexes of Tintaya,...

In Espinar communities, large sections of territory have been bought by a powerful multinational (Glencore) that gives shape to the enormous extraction complexes of Tintaya, Antapaccay and Coroccohuaycco (today about 40% of the district’s territory is granted to mining companies) disappointing the inhabitants of the communities and causing a net deterioration of their conditions, creating a huge imbalance between the lifestyles of those working in the mines and those who do not. The major problems afflicting territories and populations of the Espinar area are contamination of water with heavy metals and the lack of water due to mining activity.

In Peru, silicosis is called "The Miner's Disease." According to local hospitals, the percentage of miners and former miners who have been affected by Covid-19...

In Peru, silicosis is called "The Miner's Disease." According to local hospitals, the percentage of miners and former miners who have been affected by Covid-19 is much higher than people doing another job. Pictured is a former miner who is sick with Covid receiving a visit from a nurse in front of his wife.

In Peruvian mining towns, water is highly contaminated. During the Covid period, in order to comply with World Health Organization guidelines, many people increased their...

In Peruvian mining towns, water is highly contaminated. During the Covid period, in order to comply with World Health Organization guidelines, many people increased their consumption of river water. Trying in this way to fight Covid, but exposing themselves even more to heavy metals in the water.

Mrs. Angelica shows a photo of her husband who died from Covid in front of her house in Ayaviri. Due to the absence of water...

Mrs. Angelica shows a photo of her husband who died from Covid in front of her house in Ayaviri. Due to the absence of water from the tap and the high contamination of the river, many people are unable to comply with the World Health Organization's regulations against Covid.

In Espinar the mining company has been working for 40 years. When a mining company arrives on a territory it is the right of the...

In Espinar the mining company has been working for 40 years. When a mining company arrives on a territory it is the right of the communities to organize an agreement that the mine is obliged to respect for the time it will work in this area providing benefits to the citizens. The central government does not control if the company respects these deliveries and does not protect the population. Only after many protests from the indigenous communities does the mine sometimes respect the pacts made in the initial phase. In the photo, a nurse arranges a biocontainment stretcher bought by the mine for the people of Espinar during the covid period.

A man rows through what was once dry land in the village of Patiou in Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan, October 22, 2021....

A man rows through what was once dry land in the village of Patiou in Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan, October 22, 2021. According to the United Nations, 27 of South Sudan’s 78 counties are impacted by the floods, affecting more than 630,000 people. Most of Twic East County in Jonglei State, for instance, is accessible only by canoes and motorboats with engines small enough to navigate between flooded homes, trees, street signs, and dikes that once demarcated the now uninhabitable land. The reasons are various but boil down to a combination of climate change, deforestation in neighboring Ethiopia, population growth, and poor water management across Africa, experts say.

Estela Juwan, 35, walks with two of her eight children through the flooded area surrounding her house, in the village of Walang Walang, outside of...

Estela Juwan, 35, walks with two of her eight children through the flooded area surrounding her house, in the village of Walang Walang, outside of Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Juwan is carrying her one-year-old son Dogale Tombe. The family has been dealing with excessive flooding for several years. In 2020, their house collapsed from the rising water and they built another makeshift shelter to live in. “This place was the garden but now it is all under water,” Juwan says. “We can’t move to the other side because we can’t afford the life on the other side, we don’t have money to go.”

Men use buckets to extract water that flowed over a dike following a night of rainfall in Paliau village in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Across...

Men use buckets to extract water that flowed over a dike following a night of rainfall in Paliau village in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Across vast stretches of this remote region, thousands of people are crammed onto patches of high ground bound by stacks of sandbags.

At a makeshift school in Dhiam Dhiam that is housing families displaced by the floods, Amour Abach, 16, wears a mask for the first time...

At a makeshift school in Dhiam Dhiam that is housing families displaced by the floods, Amour Abach, 16, wears a mask for the first time after a UNICEF team in South Sudan distributed them almost two years into the worldwide pandemic in Jonglei state, South Sudan, October 2021. In a country where flooding, malaria, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea are rife, the Coronavirus-- and receiving the vaccine--has not been the primary concern of many. Even when the South Sudan government, had received over one hundred thousand doses of the Coronavirus vaccine, flooding of airstrips and towns prevented the delivery and implementation of the vaccine and other essential medicines.

Achiek Abach, 35, is rolled onto his side by his siblings and others as he struggles with malaria in Dhiam Dhiam, in Jonglei state, in...

Achiek Abach, 35, is rolled onto his side by his siblings and others as he struggles with malaria in Dhiam Dhiam, in Jonglei state, in South Sudan, October 26, 2021. Parts of South Sudan are experiencing some of the worst flooding in six decades, exacerbating most of the illnesses commonly seen and transmitted in rainy season: malaria, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea. The health situation is dire, says Twic East County Commissioner Mabeny Kuot. “There is an outbreak of malaria, and to find even antimalarial drugs in any of the health facilities is difficult,” he says. “To find even antibiotics in any of the health facilities is difficult. So, there are cases of waterborne diseases. And since the place is flooded … the cases of snake bites are very high.”

A woman makes her bed inside a school building in Panyagor being used as a shelter, in Twic East, Jonglei State, South Sudan, October 2021....

A woman makes her bed inside a school building in Panyagor being used as a shelter, in Twic East, Jonglei State, South Sudan, October 2021. According to the United Nations, roughly two-thirds of the population has fled to more stable, dry ground, those who remain in the flood zones spend much of their time knee-deep in contaminated water. Families have lost their cattle, livestock, and their crops, leaving fish as their only source of food.

Achan Akech, 30, and Rebecca Nyibol, 27, prepare fish porridge at dusk along a narrow strip of dry land in Panyagor, the county headquarters of...

Achan Akech, 30, and Rebecca Nyibol, 27, prepare fish porridge at dusk along a narrow strip of dry land in Panyagor, the county headquarters of Twic North County, Jonglei State, where some of the women and their families displaced by the floods have sought refuge. Access to clean water is extremely limited, as many water sources have been contaminated by sewage and mud; bore wells are submerged in dirty water.

Mading Akol, 11, swims in the flooded village of Pawel beneath dried fish, the only available food for most, in one of dozens of villages...

Mading Akol, 11, swims in the flooded village of Pawel beneath dried fish, the only available food for most, in one of dozens of villages flooded across Jonglei state in South Sudan, October 23, 2021.

South Sudanese boys arrange a fishing net in the village of Dhiam Dhiam. Families affected by floods have lost their cattle, livestock, and their crops,...

South Sudanese boys arrange a fishing net in the village of Dhiam Dhiam. Families affected by floods have lost their cattle, livestock, and their crops, leaving fish as their only source of food and income.

A father and his sons arrange a fishing net after removing their catch for the day in the village of Dhiam Dhiam, in Jonglei state,...

A father and his sons arrange a fishing net after removing their catch for the day in the village of Dhiam Dhiam, in Jonglei state, in South Sudan, October 26, 2021. Across Jonglei state, the only sustenance and source of income for men, women, and children is fish. The village of Dhiam Dhiam is a notorious fishing village, where fishermen preserve their daily catch in salt, and send large batches down the river to sell in the capital of Juba, and overseas in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A pack of boars cross a residential street in Haifa on as amused onlookers smile while keeping their distance from the ravenous creatures. March 8,...

A pack of boars cross a residential street in Haifa on as amused onlookers smile while keeping their distance from the ravenous creatures. March 8, 2021 Dan Balilty for the New York Times

A pack of boars gobbles up grass near an apartment building in Haifa as curious residents observe from behind a metal gate. March 8, 2021...

A pack of boars gobbles up grass near an apartment building in Haifa as curious residents observe from behind a metal gate. March 8, 2021 Dan Balilty for the New York Times

A group of boars passes by onlookers on a brick sidewalk in Haifa. A mother, daughter and pet dog are visibly excited by their presence,...

A group of boars passes by onlookers on a brick sidewalk in Haifa. A mother, daughter and pet dog are visibly excited by their presence, while others are unfazed. March 8, 2021 Dan Balilty for the New York Times