The World Health Organization says it is unlikely a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be available for widespread use before the middle of next year.  Urging people to lower their expectations, health officials say the development of a safe, efficacious vaccine takes time and cannot be rushed.  As it is, the WHO reports remarkable progress is being made toward this end. It notes at least six to nine candidate vaccines have begun Phase 3 clinical trials.   WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris says many thousands of people participate in these …

Wildfires in the Arctic have already released more planet-warming carbon dioxide this year than all of last year, with smoke plumes from the fires covering an area more than one-third the size of Canada, according to new data from the FILE – In this July 10, 2020 file image taken from video provided by Russian Emergency Ministry, a Russian aircraft releases water in the Trans-Baikal National Park in Buryatia, southern Siberia.Previous studies show that climate change is warming Arctic regions around two times the rate of other parts of the …