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World
WHO Delays COVID Boosters
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on wealthier nations to halt COVID-19 vaccine booster shots until September, in an attempt to bridge the gap between widely vaccinated wealthy nations and the rest of the world. Talks of booster vaccines have been more prominent in recent weeks as the Delta variant has spread worldwide, indiscriminately infecting vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Pfizer and Moderna proposed booster shots will increase immunity against COVID-19 and the more transmissible strains into the future. But the WHO has issued a moratorium on booster shots, appealing to nations with high vaccination rates to give vaccine supplies to poorer nations with low vaccination rates before rolling out booster shots to their already vaccinated citizens. The moratorium comes at a time when the vaccination gap is widening between rich and poor countries, with some nations having vaccination rates as low as 2 percent. 
 
This map depicts worldwide COVID-19 vaccination doses per 100 people. Click on the map to learn more.
Further Reading:  Reuters, NPR, Al Jazeera, AP News
Graphic Source: New York Times
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Ethiopia
World Heritage Site Captured
Fighters from Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region have seized control of the town of Lalibela in the neighboring region of Amhara, home to a UN World Heritage Site. Lalibela is home to 11 medieval monolithic churches that were carved out of rock some 900 years ago. The churches are a holy site for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. This development comes eight months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military offensive against Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front. UNESCO is calling on both sides to preserve cultural heritage and history.

This map depicts the town of Lalibela in the Amhara region of Ethiopia where fighters seized control of a UN World Heritage Site. Click on the map to learn more.
Further Reading: NPR, Reuters, The Guardian, Aljazeera
Graphic Source: Barron's
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World
Flood Risk Impacting Population
A new study published in Nature estimates that the global population at risk from flooding has grown by almost a quarter since 2000. Using satellite imagery, researchers determined a total area of 861,000 square miles (2.23 million square km), with 255–290 million people directly affected by floods between 2000 and 2015. The number of people living in flood zones is expected to increase by 2030 as climate change events persist. The flood zone areas have not and will not grow evenly. Countries in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have worse exposure than others. Flooding is a dangerous environmental problem that impacts more people than any other hazard.

This map depicts the change in proportion of population expose to floods around the world. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: BBC
 
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Yesterday's Answer
Q: With sounds traveling up to 600 miles (1000km) away and reaching a depth of 1.6 miles (2.5 km), in what ocean did researchers recently find fin whale songs can be used to help map the ocean floor? ?

A: Pacific Ocean
Researchers studying seismic faults off the U.S. West Coast have found a new tool for mapping the ocean floor - fin whales. Their sounds underwater can be as loud as a ship’s engine. Fin whales are found in all major oceans, however the underwater mammals thrive in deep, offshore waters in temperate to polar latitudes. Typically, scientists use large air guns that send blasts to penetrate the Earth’s crust, which can be expensive and disturbing to marine animals. Fin whales are a newfound free resource to measure and better understand the bottom of the sea. 

Source 
Today's Question
Q: Located in the Earth's tropics with weather patterns encouraging both regular rain and plenty of sunshine, where in the world do scientists claim is the best place to see rainbows?  
 
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in Monday's DailyGeo.

 
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