A Year of Climate Extremes, In Photos
Yale E360
DECEMBER 31, 2024
From floods in Brazil to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, extreme weather exacted a devastating toll in 2024.
2024
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Five Things the “Nuclear Bros” Don’t Want You to Know About Small Modular Reactors
Union of Concerned Scientists
APRIL 30, 2024
Even casual followers of energy and climate issues have probably heard about the alleged wonders of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This is due in no small part to the “ nuclear bros ”: an active and seemingly tireless group of nuclear power advocates who dominate social media discussions on energy by promoting SMRs and other “advanced” nuclear technologies as the only real solution for the climate crisis.
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New study suggests the Atlantic overturning circulation AMOC “is on tipping course”
Real Climate
FEBRUARY 9, 2024
A new paper was published in Science Advances today. Its title says what it is about: “Physics-based early warning signal shows that AMOC is on tipping course.” The study follows one by Danish colleagues which made headlines last July, likewise looking for early warning signals for approaching an AMOC tipping point (we discussed it here ), but using rather different data and methods.
New Environmental Laws Focus on Public Health
Legal Planet
OCTOBER 23, 2024
The California State Legislature is now finally in its off-season. Governor Newsom had until Monday, September 30 th to sign or veto bills that the legislature passed and sent to his desk. In a final tally of bills, according to CalMatters , Governor Newsom vetoed approximately 18% of the nearly 1,000 bills that landed on his desk in the final days of session, or close to 1 in 5 bills.
How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES
Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions
Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.
No More ‘House of Horrors’ Thanks to These New Laws
Legal Planet
OCTOBER 31, 2024
Halloween is the one time when we welcome ghouls, ghosts, and goblins coming to our homes (and, if your neighborhood is anything like mine, a variety of tiny superheroes). This season, however, the Legislature is dealing with a different kind house of horrors: dangerous chemicals in everyday products that affect millions of Californians’ health. From cancer-causing food dyes to lung-damaging fiberglass in our furniture, California’s State Legislature and the Governor have enacted legislation thi
Phantastic Job!
Real Climate
SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
A truly impressive paper was published this week with a new reconstruction of global temperatures over the last ~500 million years. There is something tremendously satisfying about seeing a project start, and then many years later see the results actually emerge and done better than you could have imagined. Especially one as challenging as accurately tracking half a billion years of Earth’s climate.
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Melting Sea Ice Giving Rise to More Storms Around Antarctica
Yale E360
DECEMBER 26, 2024
The decline of sea ice around Antarctica is fueling more frequent storms in the Southern Ocean, a new study finds.
How to Make Trees Worth More Standing Than Cut Down
Legal Planet
OCTOBER 14, 2024
West of Sydney, Australia, lies the Blue Mountains, a range of plateaus and panoramic canyons forested with eucalyptus trees. Oil in the leaves produces a bluish haze, hence the name of the area. Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, a new NGO called Forest Trends brought together a small international group to the town of Katoomba to brainstorm over increasing capital flows to protect nature, how to “make trees worth more standing than cut down.
On Navajo Lands, Ancient Ways Are Restoring the Parched Earth
Yale E360
OCTOBER 1, 2024
Farming once thrived in the Black Mesa region, before overgrazing and climate change wreaked havoc with the land. Today, the Navajo are restoring their watersheds — and boosting their food sovereignty — with earthen berms and small dams made of woven brush, sticks, and rocks.
RFK Jr. Joins the War on Climate Scientists
Legal Planet
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines when a Super PAC supporting his presidential bid ran a pricey Super Bowl ad, stealing the look of a famous 1960 spot for his uncle John F. Kennedy. But he got far less attention for another move that says a lot about his campaign: He has tapped Del Bigtree to run his communications team. Bigtree, like RFK Jr., is a well-known anti-vaccine activist.
The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing
Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions
In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene
Rain Comes to the Arctic, With a Cascade of Troubling Changes
Yale E360
FEBRUARY 20, 2024
Rain used to be rare in the Arctic, but as the region warms, so-called “rain-on-snow events” are becoming more common. The rains accelerate ice loss, trigger flooding, landslides, and avalanches, and create problems for wildlife and the Indigenous people who depend on them.
More solar shenanigans*
Real Climate
MARCH 7, 2024
Going back a few months, I spent a bit of time pointing out the strategy and nonsense in the various Willie Soon and company’s efforts to blame current warming on solar activity. I specifically pointed out their cultish devotion to a single solar activity reconstruction (Hoyt and Schatten, 1993) (HS93); with an update from Scaffeta (2023) , and their increasingly elaborate efforts to create temperature series that correlate to it.
Spencer’s Shenanigans
Real Climate
JANUARY 28, 2024
A recent sensible-sounding piece by Roy Spencer for the Heritage foundation is full of misrepresentations. Let’s play spot the fallacy. Comparing climate models to observations is usually a great idea, but there are some obvious pitfalls to avoid if you want to be taken seriously. The most obvious one is to neglect the impacts of internal variability – which is not synchronized across the models or with the observations.
In Mongolia, a Killer Winter Is Ravaging Herds and a Way of Life
Yale E360
MARCH 6, 2024
Mongolia’s nomadic herders are facing a savage “dzud” winter, with more than 2 million livestock frozen to death so far. Scientists say this lethal phenomenon — extreme cold and heavy snow following summer drought — is occurring more frequently and is linked to climate change.
Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation
Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.
Not just another dot on the graph?
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. First, it’s been obvious for months that 2023 would be a record year – in temperatures (at the surface, troposphere and in the ocean), in Antarctic sea ice, in the number of big climate disasters etc.
Ask a Scientist: How Close Are We to a Clean Energy Transition?
Union of Concerned Scientists
OCTOBER 15, 2024
After the hottest summer on record, the world continues to witness extreme weather fueled by the burning of fossil fuels. In the United States alone, we’re in the midst of a record-setting hurricane season, with back-to-back destructive hurricanes, Helene and Milton, causing immense destruction in Florida and neighboring states. Both hurricanes were exacerbated by warmer ocean surface temperatures, and are examples of “what hurricanes will look more like in the future,” according to Dr.
California Must Not Abandon its Climate Leadership
Legal Planet
NOVEMBER 4, 2024
On November 8, the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, is slated to consider approving amendments to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The program has been so successful in replacing high carbon petroleum-based fuels with lower emissions vehicle fuels that interest groups from all sides of the political spectrum have come forward to demand radical changes that they argue will fix problems.
Governor Newsom Should Veto These Four Bills
Legal Planet
SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
This post was co-authored by Ruben Aronin , Principal of the Better World Group. With just weeks to go before November 5, all eyes are on the election, including what it means for environmental policy. And yet, one of the largest threats to California’s clean transportation leadership in recent history has materialized right under our noses — and it’s coming from our own legislature.
Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations
Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital
As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.
CPUC Should Set a Date for Closing Aliso Canyon
Legal Planet
NOVEMBER 26, 2024
The Aliso Canyon gas storage facility blowout in 2015-16 was the largest methane gas leak in the history of the United States. In addition to the climate effects from the methane leakage — 109,000 metric tons, the equivalent of burning over 1 billion gallons of gasoline — there were tremendous health impacts on neighboring communities and even throughout California.
Plastics Reckoning: PVC Is Ubiquitous, But Maybe Not for Long
Yale E360
FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Used in everything from water pipes to car seats, PVC has long attracted criticism: a key ingredient is carcinogenic, and its additives include known endocrine disruptors. Now, the EPA is evaluating PVC’s safety, and an emerging global plastics treaty may limit its use.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton Further Proof We’re Not Ready for Fossil Fuel-Caused Climate Change
Union of Concerned Scientists
OCTOBER 16, 2024
In August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its updated forecast for the 2024 hurricane season. It was to be above normal in every regard: more named storms and stronger hurricanes than usual. One of the main reasons for this forecast? Significantly warmer than usual surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, which come largely as a result of human-caused climate change.
What’s Causing the Recent Spike in Global Temperatures?
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.
Sustainability at Retail
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Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.
Mind the Gaps: How the UN Climate Plan Fails to Follow the Science
Yale E360
JANUARY 9, 2024
The U.N. climate conference in Dubai agreed on a plan to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees C and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. But researchers are warning that these pledges are not grounded in sound science and will fail to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
What Will It Take to Save Our Cities from a Scorching Future?
Yale E360
FEBRUARY 22, 2024
The U.N. named Eleni Myrivili its first-ever global chief heat officer based on her record as a city official in Athens. In an e360 interview, she talks about why extreme heat is a health crisis and what cities must do to protect the most vulnerable from rising temperatures.
EVs Are at a Turning Point, It May Not Be What You Think
Union of Concerned Scientists
MARCH 7, 2024
There’s been a lot of nay-saying around EVs lately, including, amongst other things, worries that EV sales are stalling out now that all the early adopters have already made the switch and mainstream buyers aren’t ready to dive in. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought nobody was buying EVs or that sales were about to plummet. While there are some near term headwinds, I’ve never had as much confidence in the ability to zero out tailpipe emissions from our cars and trucks.
As Use of AI Soars, So Does the Energy and Water It Requires
Yale E360
FEBRUARY 6, 2024
Generative artificial intelligence uses massive amounts of energy for computation and data storage and billions of gallons of water to cool the equipment at data centers. Now, legislators and regulators — in the U.S. and the EU — are starting to demand accountability.
Natural Hydrogen: A Potential Clean Energy Source Beneath Our Feet
Yale E360
JANUARY 25, 2024
As studies show far more natural hydrogen underground than believed, well-funded efforts to drill for the gas are underway around the globe. Boosters see a plentiful green replacement for fossil fuels, but skeptics say its large-scale use may not be practical or cost-effective.
How to Grow a Forest: It Takes More than Just Planting Trees
Yale E360
OCTOBER 31, 2024
In an e360 interview, microbial ecologist Jake M. Robinson, of Australia’s Flinders University, takes a critical look at tree planting campaigns and discusses scientists’ varied approaches to both “planting” and “growing” forests to restore their ecological functions.
Hottest Summer on Record May Be Ending, but Fight to Protect Workers from Heat Is Far from Over
Union of Concerned Scientists
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
Over the last three months, which have been declared the world’s hottest summer on record, outdoor workers across the US have endured dangerously hot conditions on the job. They’ve cut grass in 112°F heat in California’s Coachella Valley, handled baggage on the hot tarmac of airports across the country, harvested fruit , delivered packages , and performed countless other functions that go largely unnoticed by our society.
No Free Parking: An Urban Reform Movement Takes Hold
Yale E360
JANUARY 31, 2024
In cities across the U.S., planners are pushing to eliminate mandates requiring parking spaces in new buildings. The reforms, along with adding street parking meters, reduce car dependency, create public spaces, cut down on heat-island effects, and lower housing costs.
How a Solar Revolution in Farming Is Depleting World’s Groundwater
Yale E360
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up aquifers around the globe.
Annual GMSAT predictions and ENSO
Real Climate
JANUARY 5, 2024
For the last few years ( since at least 2016 ), I’ve shared predictions for the next annual global mean surface air temperature (GMSAT) anomaly based on the long term trend and the state of ENSO at the start of the year. Generally speaking, this has been quite skillful compared to persistence or just the long term trend alone – the eventual anomaly was consistently within the predicted bounds.
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