Author Archives: Claire Cosgrove

About Claire Cosgrove

Dr Claire Cosgrove, Ph.D., is an independent Environmental Scientist and Educator. Looking to establish a consultancy company: “Cultural Awareness, Environmental Mindfulness”. Formerly a Professor of Environmental Sciences in the College of Engineering at AMA International University, Salmabad, Kingdom of Bahrain. Before moving to the Middle East in 2009, Dr Claire was a Research Scientist based in the USA at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and at Georgia Institiute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr Cosgrove has lived and worked in a number of countries such as South Africa, USA, New Zealand and the Middle East. Her research work has covered air pollution, weather modification /cloud seeding, rainfall modelling and simulation and flood forecasting, to name a few areas of interest.

July 2019 – The Hottest Month Since 1850

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Thousands of surface monitoring stations spread around the globe have gathered temperature data and other meteorological information to secure the ranking of July 2019 as the hottest month on Earth since 1850. It is important to mention that there are very scant meteorological records prior to this date for global analysis. Independent climate monitoring organizations and research institutes such as Berkley Earth and Copernicus Climate Change Service (EU) have bother reached similar analysis results even though the margin from the previous warmest month of July 2016, is a very slight increment of 0.14 degrees (0.08C). Other research institutes shared their … Continue reading →

Extreme Weather Resulting From Present-Day Climate Change

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Regardless of where one is on the globe, the effects of climate change are very apparent and extremely threatening to the local inhabitants. These climatic threats are presenting themselves in four main ways, namely extended heat waves, devastating flooding, persistent droughts and extensive wildfires. These are presently the most destructive impacts of climate change, but there are other natural event occurrences. As well as the geo-physical impacts, there are also the accompanying increasing health risks, anxiety and stress issues, fatigue and exhaustion, just to name a few resultant factors. Right now with the summer in full swing in the northern … Continue reading →

Dust Storms and Heatwaves – Extreme Weather Events Impacting Iraq

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The people of Iraq, particularly in and around Baghdad, are being overwhelmed with the current weather conditions. Since April 20222, the region has been impacted by at least eight dust storms turning everything in the path of the storms orange. The dust storms are visible in satellite imagery as the systems are so intense. Such a high frequency of sandstorms enhances the desertification as the rainfall patterns have also diminished over recent years. Not only is the natural environment threatened beyond normal levels, but such dust storms create havoc on human health, especially respiratory disease and complications associated with respiration. … Continue reading →

Why Airports Are Perfect Places for Green Initiatives

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Can airports ever be green? This is an overwhelming concept in a carbon-driven, and carbon-intensive industry. The reality is that air travel is often the only realistic option for the movement of both people and cargo in the current lifestyle and demands encompassed with time constraints. This is especially critical for the island nation of Bahrain that is so heavily dependent on air travel in terms of food security. With over 90% of all goods: perishable and manufactured, imported into the nation, this carbon-intensive industry is not going to disappear. Airports themselves, may only contribute 5% to the carbon emissions … Continue reading →

Far-Reaching Implications of Conflict in World’s Breadbasket

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Pre-pandemic era, pre-Ukraine war months, the Ukraine referred to as the “Breadbasket of Europe” and of course Russia, thrived on agricultural activities suppling the world with wheat, other grains, vegetables, oils, seeds and meats. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Ukraine was producing 25% of staple foods for across the globe. By 2022, this figure had risen to 30%. Ukraine produced for nations across the globe. In addition to the pure grain production, there is food processing and especially sugar processing. Over a quarter of the Ukraine population was employed in agricultural and forestry activities. Today, these figures are … Continue reading →

سوسة النخيل الاحمر : التهديد الحقيقي لشجر النخيل في الشرق الاوسط

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التهديد الحقيقي في الوقت الحاضر لشجر المخيل هو بسبب سوسة النخيل . هذا المخلوق موطنه اساسا من جنوب اسيا , ولكنه نشر اجنحته عبر العالم . تستطيع ان تدمر هذة السوسة بساتين النخيل , او زيت النخيل او جوز الهند , خلال ال30 سنة الاخيرة استطاعت هذة السوسة و التي احيانا يطلق عليها سوسة التمر من اختراق 60 دولة وقد وصلت الى الشرق الاوسط , شمال افريقيا , وجنوب اوروبا عبر الكاريبي . طوارئ في الشرق الاوسط  بدات هذة السوسة في الظهور في السعودية و الامارات في منتصف الثمانينات , اليوم مزارع شجر النخيل في جنوب غرب السعودية اصبحت مصابه … Continue reading →

Red Palm Weevil – A Real Threat to Date Palms in Middle East

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A modern day threat to agriculture across the globe is the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). This creature is native to South Asia but it rather rapidly spreading its wings and crossing the globe. The red palm weevil can completely destroy palm groves, be it coconut, date or palm oil. Over the immediate past 30 years, the red palm weevil (also known as red date weevil) has penetrated over 60 countries and is now reaching the Middle East,  northern Africa, southern Europe and across to the Caribbean. Emergence in the Middle East The weevil began to appear in Saudi Arabia … Continue reading →