Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

August 15, 2025 – At least nine people, including four children, were killed in flash flooding on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde, when the storm that would become Hurricane Erin swept through the West African archipelago last week. Authorities there say another five remain missing and more than 1,500 residents were displaced after torrential rains inundated homes and swept vehicles from the streets.

Now a major hurricane over the Atlantic, Erin has moved past the Leeward Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where residents endured heavy rain, gusty winds, and rough seas over the weekend. The Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services has issued an official all clear for the Leeward and British Virgin Islands, though forecasters caution that flood watches, high surf, and rip current risks remain in place.

Damage assessments from the Virgin Islands are still under way, with reports of localized flooding, power outages, and disrupted transport. No fatalities have been reported in the Caribbean to date.

Attention has now shifted to the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are beginning to feel tropical storm conditions as Erin tracks northwest. Heavy rainbands and gusty winds are expected to continue there into Monday, bringing the potential for flooding and coastal erosion.

Meanwhile, in The Bahamas, a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued, with forecasters warning of heavy rainfall, dangerous seas, and possible tropical-storm-force winds later this week. Travelers to both The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are being urged to monitor advisories closely, check travel plans with airlines and hotels, and follow local safety instructions.

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

August 1, 2025 – The Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas are entering a pivotal weather phase as tropical moisture is expected to bring rain from Monday through Wednesday, signaling a shift in conditions despite no tropical cyclone currently affecting the region. Forecasters, including several YouTube weather analysts, have flagged this transition—not as a storm, but as a notable uptick in rainfall associated with atmospheric waves approaching the southwest Atlantic.

This change is arriving alongside a forecasted plume of Saharan dust, set to drift westward early next week. That dry, dusty air layer is notorious for reducing cloud cover, suppressing rainfall in the early season, and limiting tropical storm formation. When it arrives, skies will turn hazy, air quality may decline to moderate levels, and visibility will lower, even while thermometers remain elevated.

Meanwhile, long-range models from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center flag the Atlantic and eastern Gulf corridor from August 6–12 as the first period this season with increased chances—albeit still low—of tropical development. Historically, August marks the escalation of hurricane formation, making the coming weeks especially important for vigilant monitoring.                                                                                                                                                                                                         As of August 1, 2025, three named storms have already formed in the Atlantic: Alberto, Beryl, and Chris. The remaining names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season are: Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Humberto, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, and Victor.

At present, no systems in the Pacific basin are forecasted to affect Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, or The Bahamas. The eastern Pacific remains active, but no cross-basin moisture or disturbances are expected to cross into our region.

In summary, residents should brace for a few days of elevated rain chances in early August, under skies tinged with dust and variable sunshine. While the Atlantic remains largely quiet today, a gradual shift toward wetter, more unstable weather is underway, and early to mid-August may well mark the true start of the season’s active phase. Stay tuned for updated alerts and official forecasts as conditions evolve.

Photo Caption: MrWeatherman/YouTube

Magnetic Media | Editorial Team

Despite record investments, growing public demand, and remarkable technological advances, clean energy is still not winning fast enough. Why? The reasons are more political and structural than scientific. This is a breakdown of what’s really holding back the clean energy revolution—even as the planet cries out for relief.

1. Fossil Fuel Subsidies Are Still King

Globally, fossil fuels received over $7 trillion in subsidies in 2023 alone (IMF). That means oil, gas, and coal are still heavily underwritten by governments, keeping their prices artificially low. Clean energy has to compete on a tilted playing field.

Even with solar and wind now cheaper than fossil fuels in most markets, they aren’t winning on price alone because the global economy still props up carbon-heavy industries.

2. Grids Weren’t Built for Solar and Wind

Much of the world’s energy infrastructure is outdated and designed around centralized, fossil fuel-based power plants. Renewables are decentralized and intermittent, requiring new, smarter grids.

The IEA estimates that for every dollar spent on renewables, only $0.60 is spent upgrading grid infrastructure. As a result, there’s a growing backlog: solar and wind projects are ready to plug in, but there’s no place to plug them.

3. Upfront Costs & Finance Gaps

Solar panels may be cheap, but setting up large-scale renewable projects requires big upfront capital. Developing countries, where the sun shines brightest, often lack access to affordable finance.

Africa, for instance, holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, but gets just 2% of global clean energy investment.

4. The Fossil Fuel Lobby Is Strong and Well-Funded

From legal challenges to PR campaigns, the fossil fuel lobby remains one of the most powerful political forces worldwide. They fund misinformation, push back on regulation, and block clean energy initiatives through litigation and influence.                                                                                                                               And in many countries, fossil fuel giants are deeply entangled in politics, making meaningful change economically risky and politically unpopular.

5. Clean Energy Jobs Are Rising—But So Are Fears

While clean energy now supports nearly 35 million jobs globally, many workers in oil, gas, and coal industries fear losing their livelihoods. Without serious retraining and transition plans, politicians are reluctant to pull the plug on fossil sectors that support entire communities.

Just transitions are slow, complex, and expensive. But avoiding them stalls progress.

6. No Global Enforcement = Slow Global Action

Climate goals like those in the Paris Agreement are mostly voluntary. There are no penalties for missing clean energy targets, and no global enforcement mechanisms.

The result? Countries pledge but rarely deliver. Progress is patchy, and ambition often dissolves after an election cycle.

7. Clean Tech Access Is Not Equal

Clean energy tech—batteries, solar panels, EV components—is manufactured mostly in a few countries. Developing nations often can’t afford or access it, locking them out of the transition.

Trade barriers, outdated financial risk models, and monopolized supply chains make clean energy a rich nation’s luxury, not a global solution.

Still, There Is Hope

The 2025 UN Climate Address noted that over 90% of new power added last year came from renewables. Solar is now 41% cheaper than fossil fuels, and countries like India, China, and even Texas are seeing massive economic growth from clean energy.

But the transition must speed up—and clean energy must get a fair shot.

That means cutting fossil subsidies, modernizing grids, financing developing nations, and enacting just transition plans.

The future is sun-powered. But only if we stop throwing shade.