Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Solar US solar looks set to come very close to almost match, or even surpass, the record it set in 2023 for new installations. That surge was led by large-scale solar, which data/analytics firm Wood Mackenzie projects will have grown even more in 2024 than in 2023, which itself was already a huge increase over the prior years total.

Clean Energy 266

Clean Energy 2024 Wind Power Renewable Energy 266

Yale E360

JANUARY 12, 2024

As the planet warms and extinctions mount, researchers are racing to catalog the vast array of life on Earth before species disappear. This year, researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, recorded 89 new species of plant and fungi across the globe, from the rocky edges of Antarctica to a dormant volcano in Indonesia. Read more on E360 →

2023 326

2023 326

PA Environment Daily

OCTOBER 31, 2024

Not The First Action On February 2, 2023 and February 17, 2024 , these same groups filed two notices of intent to sue the Shell Petrochemical Plant, again over air pollution violations. Click Here for a copy of the letter. On May 11, 2024 , they filed the lawsuit in federal court.

Air Pollution 117

Air Pollution Nitrogen Oxides 2023 Clean Air Act 117

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 6, 2025

On March 6, the PA iMapInvasives Program released the results of a citizen science Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt in 2023 and 2024. Click Here for the 2023 Scavenger Hunt results. The results from these events, including survey findings, distribution maps, and participant feedback, are viewable online.

2024 65

2024 2023 2025 Natural Resources 65

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 17, 2024

According to his research, homeowners in the US saw their annual insurance premiums increase by an average of 33% or $500 between 2020 and 2023. According to their report: In 2023, insurers covered $80billion of the $114billion of losses attributable to natural disasters, meaning that 30percent of those losses were not insured.

Climate Change 237

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Regulations 2024 237

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 29, 2024

A 2023 study by the US National Academies on Risk Analysis Methods for Nuclear War and Nuclear Terrorism , tasked to look at the likelihood and consequences of different nuclear war scenarios, found the information about the consequences incomplete. This lack of understanding is not limited to the public.

Radiation 296

Radiation Atmosphere Climate Change 2023 296

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 31, 2024

A 2023 UN report estimates that the adaptation finance gap is about $ 194-366 billion per year. WMO’s latest GHG Bulletin —which shows that heat-trapping emissions surged to record levels in 2023, with the atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 reaching 420ppm, a level never previously experienced by humans. to 2.8 °C C this century.

Fossil Fuels 226

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Renewable Energy Climate Change 226

Legal Planet

JANUARY 10, 2025

The totals from 2023 are three times higher , with about 250,000 acres treated with prescribed burns. More broadly, the state treated over one million acres of land for fire risk in 2023, an increase of 25% in terms of total treatment acreage from 2021. And most of that increase came from state agencies increasing their activity.

2017 246

2017 2018 2023 Law 246

Yale E360

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Since early 2023, the world has seen a steep rise in temperatures that scientists are struggling to explain. E360 contributor Elizabeth Kolbert talked with Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s top climate scientist, about possible causes of the warming and why experts cannot account for the heat. Read more on E360 →

Climate Scientist 363

Climate Scientist 2023 363

Real Climate

JANUARY 12, 2024

As the climate monitoring groups add an additional dot to their graphs this week, there is some disquiet among people paying attention about just how extraordinary 2023 really was. also a year in which El Niño developed over the year) was comparable (both 2023 and 2015 broke the previous record by more than 0.15ºC). 2023 ; Roach et al.,

Ocean 351

Ocean 2023 2015 2016 351

Yale E360

DECEMBER 27, 2023

This year will conclude as the hottest on record, with warming reaching new highs in the final months of 2023. Unprecedented heat helped fuel another year of extreme weather. Read more on E360 →

2023 360

2023 360

Yale E360

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

The world is set to install a third more solar capacity this year than it did in 2023, surpassing forecasts by both industry experts and independent analysts. Read more on E360 →

2023 324

2023 324

Yale E360

JANUARY 8, 2024

Forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon was down 50 percent, year on year, in 2023, according to government figures. Read more on E360 →

Deforestation 341

Deforestation 2023 Government 341

Real Climate

JANUARY 16, 2024

Annual updates to the model-observation comparisons for 2023 are now complete. In almost every case, the addition of the 2023 numbers was in line with the long term expectation from the models. This success might seem confusing given the ongoing puzzlement about why 2023 was so astonishingly warm compared to recent years.

2023 303

2023 Atmosphere 2022 Ocean 303

Yale E360

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Deforestation in the Colombian Amazon is down 70 percent, year on year, through the first nine months of 2023, the government estimates. Read more on E360 →

Deforestation 340

Deforestation 2023 Government 340

Real Climate

JANUARY 5, 2024

Until 2023. 2023 1.22 ± 0.14 The RMS forecast error (not including 2023), is 0.07ºC, compared to 0.10ºC for persistence or smoothed trends. Does it go back to being predictable based on ENSO (in which case 2024 is expected to just be a little warmer than 2023), or does the positive anomaly persist? 2017 1.06 ± 0.13

2016 325

2016 2017 2023 2020 325

Yale E360

JANUARY 2, 2024

percent, year on year, in 2023. Pipeline deliveries of Russian natural gas to Europe were down 55.6 Read more on E360 →

Natural Gas 316

Natural Gas 2023 316

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

We’ve compiled all the insights about oil and gas lobbying in 2023 in a new report Big Oil’s Big Year: A Summary of Big Oil’s 2023 Federal Lobbying. I’m glad you asked! Visit the webpage to learn more.

2024 134

2024 Fossil Fuels Natural Resources Conservation 134

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Data through the end of September 2023 shows that the EV fraction of US car sales is continuing to rise. EV sales in the US for the third quarter of 2023 exceeded 300,000 for the first time and EV sales in 2023 have increased nearly 50 percent compared to the same time last year. Are EV sales actually slowing?

Electricity 363

Electricity Air Pollution Climate Change 2025 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Smaller vehicles and big fleets are leading the charge Where just a handful of zero-emission trucks and buses were deployed annually in the US just a few years ago (around 600 total in 2019), over 27,500 zero-emission MHDVs were deployed in 2023. percent in 2023) , the growth is impressive.

Electricity 324

Electricity Nitrogen Oxides 2023 2024 324

PA Environment Daily

JANUARY 7, 2025

During those inspections, DEP identified 35,237 violations, and resolved 32,699 of them, including some from 2023. DEP issued 7,296 violations to conventional oil and gas well owners, far exceeding the 6,860 violations issued in 2023, 5,416 violations issued in 2022 and 4,514 violations in 2021 [ Read more here ]. Read more here.

2024 107

2024 2023 Natural Resources Regulations 107

Yale E360

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

From June 2023 to August 2024, the world saw 15 months in a row of record-breaking heat, a stretch so extreme that it confounded scientists. A new animation from NASA shows the severity of warming. Read more on E360 →

2024 273

2024 2023 273

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Yet in 2023, China accounted for about 60% of the world’s new renewables and electric vehicles. Investment in infrastructure and manufacturing capacity grew by 6-7% in 2023. The amount of new solar capacity in 2023 was double 2022’s, and new wind capacity was up 66%. million exports in 2023. auto sector.”

Clean Energy 277

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2009 277

Real Climate

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

I wrote a post on the IPCC’s summary for policymakers (SPM) on this in 2023, but without much effect. It strikes me that we still have a bad habit of speaking in a code language with confusing phrases and terminology that is only familiar for those already familiar with climate science and who already are persuaded.

2004 268

2004 Climate Change Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide 268

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 12, 2024

In a 2023 report outlining Chevron’s position on lobbying and engagement with trade associations, Vice President for Corporate Affairs Albert Williams says the company lobbies “ethically, constructively and in a nonpartisan manner.” million in 2023 and $1.2 California lobbying records show Chevron gave CEI $5.8

Fossil Fuels 261

Fossil Fuels 2023 2015 Climate Change 261

PA Environment Daily

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Shell Petrochemical Plant Penalties In May 2023, the Shell Petrochemical Plant served by the pipeline signed a consent order that included over $17 million in penalties to resolve air pollution violations-- over $12.6 A similar lawsuit preceded the May 2023 penalty settlement. Read more here. Decrease To 31.2%

Law 120

Law Nitrogen Oxides Natural Gas Air Pollution 120

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 26, 2025

In 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court denied the Citys petition for permit review holding that the EPA is authorized to impose any limitations to ensure safe water quality standards are met. It also shows the same lack of deference to federal and state scientists and agencies as last summers Chevron case , which another colleague, Dr.

Clean Water Act 224

Clean Water Act Ocean Sea Level Pollution Control 224

Real Climate

APRIL 4, 2024

24 from Hansen et al (2023). In my recent Nature commentary , I pointed out the difficulties explaining quantitatively why 2023 was so warm. Schmidt, "Climate models can’t explain 2023’s huge heat anomaly — we could be in uncharted territory", Nature , vol. Another view of the future is given by the results of climate models.

Climate Change 269

Climate Change 2011 2014 2023 269

Legal Planet

JUNE 26, 2023

Prior to the 2023 amendments, NEPA § 102(2)(D) provided for preparation of environmental impact statements by state agencies for federally funded projects. The 2023 amendments retained this provision but renumbered is as subsection (G). This seemingly simple language will not be quite so simple to implement. State government units.

Regulations 325

Regulations Government 2023 Law 325

Legal Planet

MARCH 3, 2025

Successes in Other States: Vermont After catastrophic floods in the summer of 2023 that took lives and caused billions in damages, Vermont became the first state in the nation to pass a polluters-pay law. The legislation passed in May 2024, and Governor Phil Scott allowed it to go into effect without his signature.

Fossil Fuels 260

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Sea Level Coastal Erosion 260

PA Environment Daily

DECEMBER 3, 2024

below production in the third quarter of 2023-- 1,871 billion cubic feet. from 2023, but "Regional and national prices have been constrained in recent quarters due to unusually high storage levels." "The higher fee schedule implies an increase of $30 million in Impact Fee revenues." In 2023, impact fee revenue was $179.1

Natural Gas 87

Natural Gas 2008 2024 2023 87

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

But summer 2023 was when the climate crisis got real for a lot of people. This investment is badly needed, as extreme weather fueled by climate change demonstrated during summer 2023. Flooding, excessive heat, and drought wreaked havoc on farms and ranches around the country, from California to Texas to Massachusetts.

Conservation 299

Conservation Climate Change 2023 Renewable Energy 299

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 8, 2025

This is a photo of the southern part of the Sierra Nevada in 2023 seen from Tulare County. AB30 (2023) updated current legislation to explicitly include FIRO as an emerging tool to better manage water scarcity and floods. For us water nerds, this view is more than a beautiful landscape.

Climate Change 176

Climate Change 2017 Atmosphere 2012 176

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report , published in 2023, scientific consensus stated that there was a “medium chance” the AMOC would collapse before the end of the 21 st century. How likely is this scenario? Why did this group of scientists suddenly sound the alarm?

Climate Scientist 285

Climate Scientist Ocean Sea Level Climate Change 285

PA Environment Daily

APRIL 2, 2025

On April 20, 2023, DEP issued its determination letter stating it could not conclude oil and gas operations had impacted the Appellants water supply. Of Health Invites Citizens To File Environmental Health Complaints Related To Natural Gas Development; Health Will Also Review Environmental Test Results [September 2023] -- State Dept.

Natural Gas 101

Natural Gas 2025 2023 2022 101

Yale E360

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Malaria killed almost 600,000 people in 2023, as cases rose for the fifth consecutive year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. Read more on E360

2023 214

2023 214

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Canada prides itself on having launched the global Powering Past Coal initiative, introduced rules to stop burning thermal coal and committed to banning the export of thermal coal by 2023.

Fossil Fuels 132

Fossil Fuels Government 2021 2020 132