International News

South Africa’s Case Against Israel in the International Court of Justice 

On December 29, 2023, two months into Israel’s siege of Gaza, South Africa filed a case in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. At the time the case was filed, at least 20,000 Palestinians had been killed, and tens of thousands more had been injured. South Africa’s case, which is 84 pages long, alleges that Israel’s actions violate the Genocide Convention of 1948. 

In court, the South African legal team cited discriminatory and violent comments by Israeli officials, and pointed out the disproportionate number of civilian deaths in Gaza. The Israeli legal team denied the charges against them, blaming the civilian deaths on Hamas and maintaining that they were not purposefully targeting civilians.

 On Friday, January 26, 2024, the ICJ voted 15-2 to institute provisional measures against Israel. These measures include providing more humanitarian aid, preventing any violations of the Genocide Convention, and submitting a report documenting their adherence to these provisions. However, the court did not call for a ceasefire. 

The Effect of Climate Change on Snow Levels

As the climate change epidemic continues, we continue to see its effects in multiple environmental aspects, one being the effect on snow levels.

Since 1930, when widespread weather observations became available, nearly 57% of weather states have shown a decrease in the level of total snowfall. The average change of decrease has hovered at around .19% per year. Not only has there been a decrease in snowfall, but a decrease in the proportion of precipitation that falls as rain as opposed to snow. About 80% of the weather stations across the U.S. (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) have recorded a decrease in the proportion of precipitation falling as snow. 

The cause of this lies in the constantly warming temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The warmer temperatures cause more water to evaporate from bodies of water, which leads to heavier amounts of precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. 

Climate change affects not only the average snow levels, but affects the ecosystem services that we rely on snow for. Millions of people rely on snow as a source of water when it melts in the spring, especially in the western U.S. where 75% of the water supply is provided by snowmelt. Decreased snow levels also prevent vegetation and wildlife from reaping the beneficial insulating effects of snow. 

Earthquake In Japan During New Year Celebration

On January 1st, 2024, people from Japan had just finished lunch, and we're looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Day not with parades and fireworks, but with their families. However, in the following hours central Japan, mainly Ishikawa and neighboring regions, experienced a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest earthquakes in their history.

Around 230 people were killed and 22 are missing, with almost 1,300 people being injured, with the death toll making it the deadliest Japanese earthquake since 2016. The earthquake was so strong that it created waves that spanned about 3 feet or 1 meter along their and South Korea’s coast the next day. The government has reported that more than 1,400 buildings and homes collapsed due to the trembling, and around 30,000 more were damaged. Many people believe that the money needed to pay for the damages could be around $1.5 to $3.5 billion USD ($260 to 480 billion yen), but a government official went as far as to say that the total could be near $17 billion USD or around 2.5 trillion yen.