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Science In Action: Nyiragongo - is Goma under threat?

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Image:  Sunset, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

03/09/2020 GMT

Nyiragongo - is Goma under threat?

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Nyiragongo - is Goma under threat?

More than 2 million people live around this volcano, which has become more active

A new survey of the volcano's activity suggests there may be an eruption in the next 4 to 7 years. It's a particular concern for the populations of Goma and Gisenyi, two cites between the volcano and lake Kivu.  As we hear from the director of the Goma Volcano Observatory Katcho Karume, the city of Goma in particular has expanded so much that many people now live right next to fissures in the flank of the volcano through which any eruption would likely occur.

Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana's main area of swamp land, missing big urban areas to either side. It was a lucky escape for many, but as hurricane historian Jill Trepanier tells us such extreme weather events do seem to be more frequent and potentially more destructive. 

And wildfires ravaging California and other Western US states may have been intensified by changes to global weather systems . Climate scientist Bill Lau says those weather systems in turn have been modified by man-made climate change.

In November 2018 a Chinese scientist announced he had edited the genes of twin girls. The announcement was greeted with horror by many researchers in the field. Now a way to regulate gene editing internationally has been proposed by some of the world's leading scientific institutions.  Kay Davies co-author of their report explains the plan.

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

(Main Image:  Sunset, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.   Credit:  Shamim Shorif Susom / EyeEm / Getty Images)

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