IF THERE'S A SCORPION IN YOUR CHRISTMAS STOCKING CHECK THE TREE FOR SNAKES

Quick:    What do Thanksgiving blackouts in Southern California, anticipated shortages of  Christmas trees  and an explosion of scorpions in Egypt have in common?     SEASONS' GREETINGS FROM BLOOMBERG GREEN !  They are... the result of climate change… forest fires killed trees, which loosened soil, which became mudslides in the torrential downpours and shut down critical rail lines from the Port of Vancouver, a major shipping center from Asian markets where the vast majority of your Christmas loot is manufactured. Flooding and fire is also hampering Christmas-tree exports. Let us not forget the scorpions.  It seemed almost biblical when a rare storm caused sudden floods in Egypt in November and forced the tiny stinging insects en masse from their burrows.The result was hundreds of stings in the city of Aswan.  "It is a perfect story for getting the public's attention, because it is so visceral. These are horror-movie creatures," said Jeff Opperman, global lead fresh water scientist for the U.S. arm of the World Wildlife Fund, which focuses on animal conservation... home invasions by creatures as a result of extreme temperatures are common. During droughts, spiders and snakes also enter homes searching for water.