Climate change

2022 - 4 - 21

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Climate Change: Your Questions About Causes and Effects, Answered (The New York Times)

Can you solve drought by piping water across the country? Is the weather becoming more extreme than scientists predicted? What kind of trees are best to plant ...

NASA scientists, among others, have calculated that any cooling effect would be overwhelmed by the warming effect of all the greenhouse gases we have pumped, and continue to pump, into the atmosphere. The reality is not that clear cut: If the presence of those cryptominers disincentivizes oil and gas companies from piping away that gas to be used elsewhere, any savings effect is blunted. That keeps the number of batteries, and the weight, down. To measure temperatures at the sea’s surface, for instance, the most common method before about 1940 was to toss a bucket overboard a ship, haul it back up with a rope and read the temperature of the water inside. Some researchers put the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave in that category, and are working to figure out whether they need to re-evaluate some of their assumptions. How can we possibly have reliable measures of global temperatures from back then, keeping in mind that oceans cover about 70 percent of the globe and that a large majority of land has never been populated by humans to any significant degree? Given “unexpected” extreme events like the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave and extreme heat in Antarctica that appear to shock scientists, it’s difficult for me to trust the I.P.C.C.’s framing that we haven’t run out of time. The idea of taking water from one community and giving it to another has some basis in American history. And some 2,500 chemical sites are in areas at risk of flooding, which could cause those chemicals to leach into the groundwater. And research “suggests these disruptions to the vortex are happening more often in connection with a rapidly warming, melting Arctic, which we know is a clear symptom of climate change,” said Jennifer A. Francis, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Where the extreme cold occurs depends on the nature of the disruption to the polar vortex. The connection between climate change and extreme cold weather involves the polar jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere, strong winds that blow around the globe from west to east at an altitude of 5 to 9 miles.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Livingston County News"

Climate Change: Humphrey Symposium speaker hopes for an ... (The Livingston County News)

BATAVIA — Peter Boyd, founder and CEO of Time4Good Group, has spoken to a variety of organizations and audiences on a number of subjects, including the one ...

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Vox"

For Earth Day, look beyond solar panels and diets to combat climate ... (Vox)

How much do your actions as an individual matter when it comes to climate? The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from the ...

The scientists nod to the climate strikes that have given voice to youth in more than 180 countries, which help build social trust and citizen-led networks. In a school cafeteria or restaurant, the way a menu or choices are presented can make a difference in how people decide what to eat. Offering households a financial reward for energy efficiency had the biggest effect; after that, providing consumers with more information on their energy usage, and a benchmark to compare it to, also had a measurable medium-sized effect over the short-term period that most of these studies covered. “To those of us who are in that privileged category, we have a huge responsibility to respond and to do all that we can to immediately solve this problem,” Creutzig said. That’s the scale that we can really engage because people can see the broader impact of collective action.” But the science body noted that the pandemic is proof that broad, structural behavioral change can and does happen. The top 10 percent is a broad category that includes more than the jet-fliers and yacht-owners. The pandemic has supported that rapid collective change in behavior is possible. And while hard data and peer-reviewed science show individual actions do matter, ultimately, the world has to think beyond the individual carbon footprint in addressing the climate crisis, including thinking about how individuals can bring about structural change. So the bottom line of the IPCC’s first look at individual action is this: By reexamining the way we live, move around, and eat, the world has the potential to slash up to 70 percent of end-use emissions by 2050. But there are things individuals can do at work and in their communities that will do more to push structural change. In other words, a single person taking well-meaning steps to lessen their footprint doesn’t change the fact that billions of people are living off fossil fuels.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USDA.gov"

On the Frontlines of Climate Change: Building a More Resilient ... (USDA.gov)

Rural Americans are on the frontlines of climate change impacts and increasingly severe weather that threatens their health, safety and livelihoods.

USDA Rural Development has the resources rural communities need to build a more resilient future. USDA invested $17.3 million through the Water & Waste Disaster Disposal Loan and Grant program to make improvements to the landfill. USDA Rural Development awarded the landfill’s operators a $23.7 million Water & Waste Disaster Disposal Direct Loan and Grant, allowing the landfill to continue operations for up to 21 more years.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

Fact check: Warming varies across oceans and atmosphere, doesn't ... (USA TODAY)

Global warming is occurring at different rates at different places on Earth. This is due to geophysics and the complexity of Earth's climate systems.

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that differences in ocean and atmospheric warming are not explained by climate change science. This is also why surface air temperatures over land are warming more quickly than surface air temperatures over the ocean, he said. "There is no single value of temperature change expected for the oceans and atmosphere. While they warm at different rates, both the atmosphere and ocean are warming due to human activity. "If scientists were all correct then rises in ocean temperature and all atmospheric datasets would all be the same – but they are not." According to NASA, 90% of global warming is occurring in Earth's oceans.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Newtown Bee"

Some Problems Climate Change Is Causing (The Newtown Bee)

Trees, if anything, do the best job to help the earth. They absorb CO2 by their leaves, store it in their bark or roots, or turn it into oxygen, but trees are ...

The climate is changing fast. Climate change is becoming a bigger problem by the second. If we work together, we can slow down and even stop climate change. This is terrible for the environment. *Ice-free Arctic. Arctic sea ice recedes every summer, but still covers millions of square miles of ocean today. When you buy things that took trees — paper, books, wood — try looking for a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label, which means that this company plants a tree for every one cut down.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Forbes"

Rethinking Our Cities To Tackle Climate Change (Forbes)

Across its 17 chapters, it examines climate change mitigation efforts in use (or pledged for use) in everything from agriculture and transport, to energy supply ...

Climate change is a direct result of more than a century of ignored warnings and and unsustainable approaches to using precious resources. Researchers at ETH’s Future Cities Laboratory believe that part of the answer to this is to enable a circular loop within the urban landscape. The authors say that it could “transform cityscapes from their current status as net sources of GHG emissions into large-scale, human-made carbon sinks.” A paper referenced in the report suggests that constructing timber buildings for 2.3 billion urban dwellers (between 2020 and 2050) could store between 0.01 and 0.68 Gt CO2 per year, depending on a number of factors, including the average floor area per capita. This has prompted many to begin a drastic rethink of the materials supply chain, and of the construction, operation, and demolition cycle. A particularly good example of this is the dominance of private cars seen in many urban areas. More than half of the global human population now live in these areas, and that proportion is forecasted to increase to nearly 70% by 2050. The materials most associated with mid- and high-rise urban construction – namely, concrete, steel, aluminum, and glass – all come with significant carbon (and environmental) cost, despite steady improvements in their production efficiency. Smart (and distributed) electric grids are also enabling a more sustainable approach to electricity supply and demand. There is arguably a fourth strategy too – behavioral change – though, this often follows on from the successful implementation of the other three. The huge range of approaches reflects the fact that the causes of climate change are numerous – though, it should be said, we humans are to blame for all of them – and tackling it will take a multi-pronged approach. Across its 17 chapters, it examines climate change mitigation efforts in use (or pledged for use) in everything from agriculture and transport, to energy supply and manufacturing. We are living in a climate crisis, and the time for action is now.

USDA: Celebrates critical infrastructure to combat climate change in ... (WisPolitics.com)

Funding Will Help Contribute to Rural Energy Independence. DEKORRA, Wisc., April 21, 2022 – This week, in honor of Earth Day 2022, U.S. Department of ...

[visit https://abs.link/to/solarpower/ to view project video and photos] We couldn’t be more excited to recognize these efforts in celebration of Earth Day this Friday.” “Projects like the one we’re highlighting in Dekorra today are a great testament to these priorities and the positive impacts they have on our state’s rural communities.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Indian Express"

Earth Day 2022: Google Doodle highlights effects of climate change ... (The Indian Express)

Earth Day 2022 Google Doodle: Throughout the day, the doodle images will change to represent different locations of the earth and the impact of global ...

Several events and campaigns are being held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is an international event celebrated around the world to pledge support for environmental protection. Each image will remain on the homepage for several hours at a time.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Hawaii News Now"

PODCAST: Chief Resilience Officer breaks down city's plan to ... (Hawaii News Now)

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Climate change is an issue that affects all of us, especially in a place like Hawaii — islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ...

We at the city, we’re trying to lead by example by investing in our own operations and efficiency and certainly as we proceed with the current contract that we have, we’re going to start seeing a lot of those cost savings as well. On the household side, there’s so much that we can do in terms of just getting out and considering all of the times that you have to take a trip, what are the options that are afforded to you to take that trip? There’s always a year’s lag just because of the need to access the data and process it. We have a responsibility to elevate that work and invest in the community and in people because we’re not just preparing for the worst. Being part of something is where we can come together, keep our community cohesion, and keep that social resilience that is needed to engage in the work. There’s a lot of things that don’t work for people today, and we can’t just perpetuate the same.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Scientific American"

Insects Are Dying Off Because of Climate Change and Farming (Scientific American)

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the ...

Most of the data at each site was collected over short periods, and it doesn’t demonstrate how insect populations are declining over time. While the effect needs more investigation to determine exactly what’s going on, the researchers suggest that species in warmer parts of the world may be migrating into these areas. Upon a closer look, the researchers found that tropical regions were at the greatest risk for insect declines. The new study analyzed data from hundreds of studies investigating nearly 18,000 different insect species at thousands of sites across the planet. Places with both significant warming and intense agriculture experienced the greatest losses. Deforestation and expanding agricultural land use are degrading insect habitats, while global warming is altering the climate conditions that many species require to survive.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Bangor Daily News"

This Earth Day 'it's now or never' for action on climate change (Bangor Daily News)

In the period from 2010 to 2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history, the report found. But the rate of ...

If we don’t want these consequences to get far worse — and they are already catastrophic in some parts of the world — we need to make changes in our lives and to support policies that address climate change. We are already feeling the consequences of climate change. For example, the costs of renewable energy are declining and the generation and use of this cleaner energy is increasing. The decisions we make now can secure a liveable future. But the rate of growth has slowed. In the period from 2010 to 2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history, the report found.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The South End"

WSU researchers reveal more climate change impacts to Arctic Ocean (The South End)

Climate change is transforming the Arctic Ocean in unprecedented ways. One piece of evidence can be seen in the systematic decline in its seasonal ice ...

“She collected water, air dust (aerosol), sea ice, melt pond (small pools of open water that form on sea ice in spring and summer), dirty sediment-laden ice floating in surface water, for her master's thesis work. “The annual increase rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the past 60 years is about 100 times faster than previous natural increases,” Baskaran continued. In addition, Baskaran said, changes in surface air and water temperatures alter the amount and frequency of precipitation. “Due to warming, the ice/snow melt on the Arctic’s surface is faster,” he said. Thus, the ecosystem in the upper waters may be negatively impacted.” More heat is expected to be added to the surface Arctic waters, leading to further warming.”

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NBC News"

Soaring gas prices test Biden on climate change (NBC News)

President Joe Biden's ambitions to finally put the U.S. on the path to confront climate change are crashing into an election-year scramble to lower gas ...

Last month, Biden announced he would release 1 million barrels of oil a day from the country’s strategic reserve, one of several steps to cut gas prices soon. And as the White House tries to starve Moscow of the funds it needs to wage its war in Ukraine, Biden is pushing countries to stop buying Russian oil and gas. They pointed out that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland had used her discretion to significantly cut the amount of land being offered and raise the royalty rate companies must pay. The White House recently greenlighted exporting more U.S. gas to Europe, a step that requires building costly new export terminals that are likely to stay in use for years — even if the current crisis ends. Biden’s newfound focus on lowering gas prices in the near term has opened up rare divisions between his administration and environmental groups, who largely cheered his efforts in his first year to recommit the U.S. on climate change. But the spending proposal died, taking more than half a billion dollars in climate funding with it, denying Democrats what would have been their biggest legislative achievement to run on ahead of the midterms. But there have been no signs of serious, advanced negotiations — including with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a must-have vote — and time is quickly running out before the campaign season makes legislating in Congress nearly impossible. Yet some energy analysts have questioned that logic, arguing that building mammoth new solar and wind farms is not a viable solution to bring down energy costs immediately. “The problem they have is the energy reality we face just doesn’t square with the quick transition that they would like to sell. But that means increasing global production of gasoline, just when Biden is trying to wean the U.S. off fossil fuels. Yet this week, Biden reinstated rules requiring big infrastructure projects to undergo complex reviews for environmental and climate effects before they can get started, a step that could cause significant delays. “It’ll ensure we’re no longer reliant on petrostate autocrats,” Sittenfeld said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NBC News"

Female storm chasers pursue passion as climate change creates ... (NBC News)

Twenty-six years ago in the blockbuster hit “Twister,” actor Helen Hunt appeared on the big screen as Dr.

While her sights are set on becoming a fashion designer in Paris, she would like to continue storm chasing as a hobby. It’s a unique path that wasn’t there before,” said Moore, who once worked for WeatherNation TV as a field correspondent. “It fills your tank all the way back up to the top, and you say: ‘OK, this is why we do this. Already picking up the mantle are girls like Kylie Cox, 10, who chases storms with her dad, Gabe Cox, a professional chaser based in Colorado, who takes extra safety precautions on their trips. “It’s not just for the old guard of storm chasers. Others want to help the National Weather Service spot storms so it can warn affected communities more quickly and efficiently. “That was the moment where I was like: ‘What is that? Jennifer Brindley Ubl, a Wisconsin photographer who has captured the fastest and largest tornadoes on record, has been chasing since 2006. The group also launched a podcast featuring interviews with women in storm chasing and meteorology. A sixth-grade science teacher reached out to Walton to say she shared the page with her students. “And it just finally reached a breaking point.” Walton said she has seen an influx of female chasers who started around 2020.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "iNews"

Climate change: Meaning behind Earth Day 2022 and how the ... (iNews)

Earth Day is recognised across the planet as a chance to raise awareness of the environmental crisis we all face.

“Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods.” “This is the moment to change it all – the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate,” the Earth Day website states. The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet”.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CNN"

Opinion: If we want to solve climate change, businesses need to ... (CNN)

After decades of treating business leaders as the enemy, many environmentalists have come to the realization that if we want to save the planet, we cannot ...

That is a recipe for all of us to end up in the red. the reality of their net zero promises, undercutting their credibility with both governments and environmentalists. They must agree to complete transparency on their environmental and climate impacts and without the phony net-zero claims. In the five-plus decades since the first Earth Day, the global environmental community has filed tens of thousands of lawsuits against corporations and corporations have sued back to block environmental regulations. Simply put, it is going to take a lot more than governments, environmentalists, and individuals can provide to solve the climate problem. Yet compromises have often been possible, and environmentalists also work collaboratively with both corporations and governments to transform industries where there are mutual environmental and economic benefits such as the transformation of the lighting industry to LEDs, supporting renewable energy incentives, and forest certification standards.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Down To Earth Magazine"

Vanishing glaciers forests: Google's Earth Day doodle shows how ... (Down To Earth Magazine)

Mount Kilimanjaro, Sermersooq, Great Barrier Reef, Harz Forests featured in the doodle.

The southwest monsoon contributes 74.9 per cent to the annual rainfall in India and irrigates over half of India’s agricultural land. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition. “Quantitatively, the monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the LPA with a model error of ± 5 per cent. It noted that currently, the southwest monsoon is passing through a ‘dry epoch’ which started in the decade of 1971-80. You can further help us by making a donation. Google, which records over 8 billion searches every day, has dedicated its daily doodle to Earth Day several times since the feature was rolled out in 1998. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Scientists have attributed the loss to global warming as well as change in land-use, mostly deforestation. Rising temperatures and severe drought are responsible for this loss of green cover. The images were gathered from The Ocean Agency, an international non-profit that works on marine conservation. You can further help us by making a donation. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "iNews"

Climate change facts: How global warming is impacting the planet ... (iNews)

The Earth's average temperature has increased by more than 1C during the 20th and 21st century.

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. “Earth’s climate record, preserved in tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs, shows that the global average temperature is stable over long periods of time. The Met Office defines a heatwave as at least three consecutive days of temperatures above a certain level. The threshold for a heatwave is 25ºC for most of the country. In March, the Met Office changed the definition of a heatwave to reflect how climate change is already affecting the UK. Climate change is already having a significant effect on our planet, and the importance of taking action is highlighted on Earth Day.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Tampa Bay Times"

Climate change also affects mental health. Call it eco-anxiety. (Tampa Bay Times)

ST. PETERSBURG — Anna Lynn Heine has thought about dropping out of Eckerd College more times than she cares to admit. Or she'll work on an essay and wonder ...

Heine admits that she needs to find a way to care about the climate that’s sustainable for her mental health. For Huxster, researching climate change — contending with the dire data on a near daily basis — creates a source of anxiety. About 70 percent of the U.S. population knows climate change is real, she said, but only 30 percent talk about it. About a third of her clients have shared anxiety or grief about the environment. And she plans to have kids. She hopes she’ll make it in time to see what remains, but she also feels guilty for wanting to go at all (The United Nations predicts that airplane emissions of carbon dioxide will triple by 2050). Huxster tells her students the best thing any individual can do is to talk about the climate crisis. Students learn how to run an organizing campaign to address climate policy and ways to talk about it with climate denialists and the apathetic. The 22-year-old is a licensed scuba diver. Sinclair, a licensed mental health counselor and trauma specialist, said her adolescent and young adult clients discuss feeling a sense of doom about the environment. There are about 100 therapists in the directory, but Sinclair is one of just two in Florida. The American Psychiatric Association defines it as “ chronic fear of environmental doom.” It can lead to anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Forbes"

For Earth Day 2022, Google Doodle Shows How Climate Change Is ... (Forbes)

The four featured time-lapse animations shows the retreating glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, drought impacts on the Harz Forests in Germany, coral ...

Within the next 25 years, the entire ice could be gone as a result of climate change. The image database will be updated every year. According to an official statement, "using real time-lapse imagery from Google Earth Timelapse and other sources, the Doodle shows the impact of climate change across four different locales around our planet.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Oxfam America"

Earth Day 2022: six facts about climate change and inequality (Oxfam America)

Climate change impacts the most vulnerable first and worst and that's why Oxfam is making sure that climate action is central to our fight against ...

3. Black and Indigenous people face the worst impacts of climate change, which causes heat waves, storms, and other disasters. For example, due to the effects of climate change an estimated 13 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have been displaced in search of water and pasture, just in the first quarter of 2022, despite having done little to cause the climate crisis. It is time that our elected officials give it the urgency, attention, and investment that is necessary.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Earth.Org"

How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean? | Earth.Org - Past ... (Earth.Org)

Carbon dioxide emissions tend to acidify oceans making aquatic species and marine habitats more vulnerable to declines and damage. This ocean acidification ...

The goal is to adopt proper implementation of global strategies that can ensure marine and coastal protection and the conservation of the global oceans in general. The WMO in particular also collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organisation to understand the impacts of climate change on marine productivity and fisheries. More than hundred countries across the globe responsible for a majority of these emissions, have made national climate commitments and pledges to curb their impacts on the environment. With the Paris Agreement, the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow among others, we can definitely say that we are off to a good start. While 30% of the land on Earth is classified as areas of particular importance for biodiversity protection, in order to reverse the extinction crisis, there needs to be an additional 20% of land that needs to be conserved. To surmise, greenhouse warming has complex and perhaps, severe impacts on the ocean than on land. Countries have also started developing policies and implementing sustainable practices which can conserve the oceans and protect fisheries and marine habitats. On the other hand, La Niña events have also seen a build-up in recent years, and tend to have complex impacts on weather patterns particularly in the Pacific Ocean. Both El Niño and La Niña events are part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), where the former brings warming effects while the latter brings significant cooling or changes in winter seasons in the Pacific regions. The cumulative impacts of deforestation, agricultural runoff, overexploitation of marine resources, overfishing and more also weaken marine ecosystems of the world. Oceans are known to absorb most of the solar energy reaching the Earth, and warming of the oceans is generally slower than the atmosphere, resulting in moderate coastal weather with few hot and cold extremes. While oceans tend to influence regional and weather conditions around the world, changes in the climate can also have profound impacts on the oceans. Oceans absorb almost 90% of the extra energy from greenhouse gas effects, and this has resulted in ocean warming at depths of 1,000 metres.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Climate change quiz: 10 questions to test your knowledge (The Washington Post)

Climate change can feel confusing, big and scary. Trust us: We get it. Just take a deep breath, and let it back out again (it will be full of carbon dioxide ...

Mayor's Commission on Climate Change | City of Norfolk, Virginia ... (norfolk.gov)

In 2017 Mayor Kenneth Alexander signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. By signing this commitment, the city agreed to establish a plan ...

To advise the city on a Climate Action Plan, City Council unanimously established the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in 2018. The Climate Action Plan was adopted by Council in 2019. In 2017 Mayor Kenneth Alexander signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. By signing this commitment, the city agreed to establish a plan to address climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Axios"

How the U.S. climate has warmed since the first Earth Day (Axios)

30%: The increase in the atmospheric concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1970. 7.7°F: The amount Reno, Nev. has warmed since ...

- The industry was dominated by just four companies that have raised more than $100 million each to date. By the numbers: Crunchbase looked at 27 climate technology startups that raised private funding over the last year. Climate projections have consistently showed that higher latitudes would warm faster than the rest of the world. - 7.7°F: The amount Reno, Nev. has warmed since 1970, putting it first on the list of fastest-warming cities. - Carbon accounting has been a particularly appealing area for investors. Why it matters: Earth Day is supposed to be a symbol of the environmental movement, originally born out of air and water pollution.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Batavian"

Photos: Humphrey Symposium on climate change at GCC (The Batavian)

"Climate Change and Sustainability" was the topic of today's Wolcott J. Humphrey Symposium on Leadership and Community Life in the Call Arena at GCC.

He outlined the scope and nature of the climate crisis as well as discussed options for slowing global warming. "Climate Change and Sustainability" was the topic of today's Wolcott J. Humphrey Symposium on Leadership and Community Life in the Call Arena at GCC. Photos: Humphrey Symposium on climate change at GCC

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Medical News Today"

In Conversation: Why climate change matters for human health (Medical News Today)

The consensus among scientists is that we are in an era of global heating and extreme weather events, primarily due to the devastating effects of human ...

“[B]y increasing communication from the health system, by promoting healthier lifestyles, we on the one hand promote behavior shifts that determine low-carbon transitions and facilitate those low-carbon transitions. But […] the response to climate change, and commensurate investment, remains inadequate,” it concludes. That alters hydrological cycles and generates other impacts on the climate [and] on our environment that add to the whole combo that we call ‘climate change’.” “One of the most cited examples of how infectious diseases are changing [is] in so-called arthropod-borne diseases. For example, a study that appeared in PNAS in 2019 looked at how efficiently the immune systems of mice reacted to influenza viruses under different temperature conditions. “[Pandemics are] going to happen more and a key driver of this is climate change. “So what happens [as a result] is that, as heat from the Sun reaches the Earth, they act like a blanket, they trap the heat inside the Earth’s atmosphere, and that makes the temperatures go up. “[G]reenhouse gases that have been accumulating in the atmosphere due to human activity are gases like carbon dioxide [and] methane. As climates change animals will change their distribution; they’ll probably group together more allowing viruses to jump more easily between them. So that also is posing limits on […] food productivity,” stressed Dr. Romanello. In our latest installment of the In Conversation podcast, we discuss these aspects at length with two key experts. Why are researchers concerned, and what are the implications for health?

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Forbes"

Mind The Gap: The Danger Of Overlooking Meteorology For Climate ... (Forbes)

Climate risk disclosure encompasses two major types of risk, physical and transition. Transition risks are tied to greenhouse emissions, such as a company's ...

The second is to use weather analytics to prepare and mitigate weather impacts. Not only to plan maintenance work and operation safety, but also to better protect and prepare its citizens for extreme weather events. While not carbon emissions, road pavement forecasting is also helpful for the environment through eliminating unnecessary chemical treatments which have shown to contaminate drinking water and harm the environment. Conversely, the physical risks, which include extreme weather events, sea level rise and changes in climate patterns, have been more challenging for companies to report. The theme for Earth Day this year is “ Invest in Our Planet” which calls for everyone – from individuals, to businesses and governments – to take action to reduce the impact on our environment. First is by identifying current and future risks to a company’s assets, operations, and personnel safety before an event.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "AJMC.com Managed Markets Network"

Contributor: Climate Change to Take an Increasing Toll on Mental ... (AJMC.com Managed Markets Network)

To mark the nation's 52nd Earth Day, Robert Feder, MD, outlines how climate change will exacerbate mental health challenges and the importance of global ...

The first is the direct impact of changes in climate on mental health. Concerns about climate change are now showing up in therapists’ offices.6 Despite accumulating knowledge about how to help with these problems,7 the number of “climate informed” therapists remains low. 7. Feder R. A brief guide to individual therapy for climate-related mental distress. 1. Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaption, and vulnerability. In addition, rising ambient temperatures are associated with higher suicide rates3 and growing emergency room mental health visits.4 The New York Times. Published February 6, 2022. Climate change escalates mental health issues in 2 ways. In addition, there will be a large loss of human habitat through rising sea levels and temperature increases. 6. Barry E. Climate change enters the therapy room. Improved access to mental health services, an increase in the number of mental health providers, and a reduction in the use of fossil fuels will all be necessary to meet this challenge. Approximately 37% of American people currently live in areas that have serious problems with access to mental health care.8 This is likely to get significantly worse in the coming decade as global temperatures warm and climate change creates increasing demand for mental health services. This results in significant psychiatric morbidity with new incidences of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, as well as exacerbation of pre-existing mental disorders.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

Could we save Earth if we treated it like a child? We are in crisis and ... (USA TODAY)

Could we save Earth if we treated it like a child? We are in crisis and need to heal the planet. Climate work is not about diluted commitments coldly discussed ...

Zelda Keller is executive director of the Institute for Climate and Peace. She also works with organizations to develop peacebuilding initiatives throughout the Pacific Asia region. We liken the climate crisis to the doldrums. Even the quietest, distant of cries can awaken a mother from a deep sleep, and we must establish similarly visceral bonds for effective and just climate action. It is a feeling, location and knowingness at the same time. During doldrums, the boat might be moving very quickly in the storm while the crew is unable to see the way to safety. Despite the demonstrated successes of locally based efforts like these, governments and philanthropies invest most climate finance in top-down and technology-centric approaches. Positive peaceful climate solutions present the greatest opportunity to build social cohesion, create lasting commitments that survive beyond partisanship, and are sustained beyond each of us. The communities and lands where these projects are based are now stronger, healthier, more connected and better prepared to face climate impacts with resilience. Central to our climate justice work is helping to frame the conversation about what peace is. We are in crisis and need to heal the planet. Their nerves express concern to you with quiet messages designed to tug at your unique receptivity – a tight squeeze, a shifted foot, a tear in the corner of the eye. As mothers, we have often felt engulfed by the gnawing worry of climate change, the jagged feeling akin to that moment when you, as a mother, drop off your child in the care of someone who hasn't yet earned your trust.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Amsterdam News"

Killer storms: How climate change has affected New York (Amsterdam News)

Across the country, there are trends of rising temperatures, storms of increasing frequency and severity, and more erratic precipitation patterns, causing ...

What’s more, due to the changing temperatures, the distribution of the trees themselves has already started to change and will likely change further. Across the country, there are trends of rising temperatures, storms of increasing frequency and severity, and more erratic precipitation patterns, causing disruptions to the food systems and sometimes even resulting in death. The latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is yet another reminder of the dire effects of climate change.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "TIME"

Climate Change Became Politicized in the 1990s. It Didn't Have To ... (TIME)

President Biden today will sign an executive order designed to safeguard old-growth forests as the White House has faced criticism from environmental activists ...

Unfortunately, the past 33 years have underscored the tremendous momentum of business as usual, and business as usual will produce a climate hostile to humanity and most of the plants and animals we depend on to live. Clock Four marks the understanding of climate change in the world of business and finance, including the economics community, the markets, and investors. With the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, fossil fuel and allied interests poured large amounts of money into campaigns linking climate change action to the liberal agenda. Aware of the upsurge in interest in environment during that year, Bush vowed to be the environmental president. This fourth clock is perhaps the least well examined and least well understood of the causes of our present dilemma, but it is also the most important. With a couple of exceptions, this clock lags even the public in terms of appreciation of the threat. Clock Three marks the progress of public appreciation of the threat. This clock shows that human-caused climate change has been with us since the 1980s, and that the changes have been accelerating. In the scientific realm, there is a lag built into the very structure of scientific inquiry. As climate scientist Richard Alley put it, the old view was that climate change was a dial; the new view, a switch. Out of that wave of alarm came a toothless agreement called the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which went into effect in 2005. The panel, which included pioneering climate scientists Roger Revelle and George Woodwell, presented him with a paper in 1979 that warned that if we didn’t take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, we would see changes in climate by the end of the 20th century.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "InsideHook"

Worried About Climate Change? Don't Give Your Money, Give Your ... (InsideHook)

Instead of buying sustainable products or putting the climate crisis out of your mind, do something about climate change by giving your time.

This can be seen as shifting the blame to the individual rather than the system, but cities aren’t going to start reconfiguring themselves to be more pedestrian and bike friendly or invest in electric buses if no one is walking, biking or taking the bus. This doesn’t mean you need to, starting this very moment, call yourself a climate activist and glue yourself to the front of a fossil fuel-funding bank. These are all individual actions, yes, but those that have the potential to snowball in your community. The best place to start: 350.org, an international group focused on climate action that has outposts in cities across the globe, and likely one near you. (You can do that another time.) Instead, give the one thing that’s going to make the most difference in the fight against the climate crisis: your time. Better yet, you should join said protesters in your community, whether it’s a general march for climate action or an event about expanding fossil-fuel infrastructure in your community. Volunteering with a climate group near you is also the easiest way to stay up to date on the legislation in your state, because they’re likely keeping track of it. But in the fight for a liveable future, time is not money. The default course of action for many is to buy our way into a sense of safety — whether through a planet-friendly Patagonia hoodie or a donation to an environmental nonprofit — or to simply ignore the problem all together. The time you can devote is much, much more important. We’ve heard the alarm bells sounded by scientists, including in the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which included a plea from co-chair Hans-Otto Pörtner that “any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.” We’ve championed many companies engaged in the admittedly tough process of decreasing their environmental impact, but today, we’ve got a different message for you: Don’t buy from them.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Twitter bans climate change propaganda ads as deniers target ... (The Washington Post)

Twitter is banning advertisements that promote climate change denial in an effort to curb the reach of groups seeking to downplay the extent of the ...

Google similarly announced a move to ban advertisements that contradict scientists’ understanding about the existence and causes of climate change. In recent years, tech companies have been introducing new labels and information hubs to elevate accurate information about the environment while taking steps to limit the spread of falsehoods. “We recognize that misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet.”

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Seattle Times"

The changing public opinion around climate change — and where ... (The Seattle Times)

Zoe Schurman has been an activist since she was 9 years old. Her foray into politics began when she was a campaign volunteer for Sen.

“The problem with addressing the issue of climate change and climate justice is that you really want to be able to plant the seed of the conversation,” Montgomery said. Good news is in short supply when it comes to talk of climate change, so much that it can cause people to freeze or become numb and incapable of processing the situation, let alone take action. She began composting and avoiding plastics to reduce waste but focusing on changes in individual behavior — or “personalizing” the crisis, as she put it — can lead one away from community action and policy change. The warnings from scientists are impossible to ignore: Humanity is making the planet uninhabitable for billions as climate change becomes irreversible. This month, the IPCC published the third and final installment of its sixth assessment report. Proponents point out that not all countries suffer the impacts of climate change equally. “It’s about decolonizing the narrative so that there isn’t just one narrative.” “We’ve seen a lot of these national trends playing out in the state,” Bostrom said. “We’ve shifted from wondering whether the climate crisis is real or not, to thinking about how to take action,” Schurman said. Pushes for climate policy by President Joe Biden and Gov. Jay Inslee have drawn the public’s attention but not necessarily participation. “I don’t see a huge increase in urgency.” Projections showed the same residents scoring anywhere between 5% and 20% higher than the national average across the board when it comes to their beliefs on climate change, risk perception and policy support.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "About Amazon"

AWS customers create sustainable solutions to impact climate change (About Amazon)

Companies use AWS services in creative ways to build local and global innovations designed to address the climate.

Retailers can replace products, change colors and configurations, and swap entire item sets with the click of a button. Climate change is a key ESG issue, and retailers are actively looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprints and reach net-zero emissions targets in the next few years. Creating and selling a product involves a long chain of transactions, with each one contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Hexa is an AWS Partner and 3D commerce and augmented reality (AR) expert. ArcGIS StoryMaps is a story-authoring, web-based application that allows users to share their maps in the context of narrative text and other multimedia content. Although Costa Rica accounts for only 0.03% of the Earth’s surface, it’s home to nearly 6% of the world’s biodiversity. According to The Nature Conservancy, 83.6% of people live in urban areas. Pairing robust EO datasets with modeling leads to more accurate and relevant predictions of how ecosystems behave and might evolve. Climate Next featured The Nature Conservancy’s work to reduce tree disparity in Los Angeles. They built MOIA using AWS services, including Internet of Things (IoT) that powers the vans’ sensors and let MOIA collect data and continually improve performance. One of the greatest counterforces to climate change is nature. The app’s user interface (UI) includes pick-up and overall trip times, stops en route, walking duration needed to complete the journey, and vehicle number.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Verge"

Twitter bans 'misleading' ads about climate change (The Verge)

Twitter announced a new policy on Earth Day: it now bans ads pushing climate denial. The company says conversations about sustainability and climate change ...

Google told The Verge at the time that it reviewed the content and decided to take “appropriate enforcement actions.” Facebook has also come under fire for failing to label climate misinformation despite its policy on flagging such content. Talk about “sustainability” on the platform has grown by over 150 percent since 2021, Twitter says. Twitter also said that it will soon share more details about how it plans to “add reliable, authoritative context” about climate change on its platform.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CU Boulder Today"

US Reps. Neguse and Curtis discuss bipartisan ways to address ... (CU Boulder Today)

The two lawmakers discussed shared motivations, opportunities for consensus-building and how to reduce political polarization around climate change to an ...

Several students asked questions during the Q&A and afterward, during a separate reception with Neguse. While it didn’t receive much media attention at the time, it is one of the most significant energy packages passed in the U.S. in the past decade, said Curtis. “A divided society and government simply won't be up to the challenge.” And in other Western countries, like the United Kingdom, climate mitigation has become a winning issue for conservative and progressive political parties alike, they note. It analyzed 418 state-government enacted bills and 450 failed bills aimed at reducing emissions from 2015 to 2020. “We all have an innate desire to protect and preserve this Earth,” said Curtis. “Go to that and start working on a climate dialogue.” As a global leader in climate, environmental and energy research, the University of Colorado Boulder is partnering with United Nations Human Rights to co-host the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit in fall 2022. Neguse positioned climate action as a matter of preserving our way of life, and if we want to preserve our lands and our enjoyable activities on them, “we ought to get serious about climate change.” It passed through a Republican Senate, a Democratic House, and was signed by President Trump in December of 2020. There is also more bipartisanship on climate happening already than many people are aware of, noted Burgess, pointing to the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan caucus of U.S. legislators supported by the Citizens' Climate Lobby, and the climate provisions in the COVID-19 stimulus and infrastructure bills. In a recent op-ed, Burgess and Marshall note that two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to help reduce effects of climate change and protect water and air quality. “If we take seriously the idea of society-wide changes in energy and infrastructure sustained over decades, the only way that's going to happen is if we work together,” said Burgess, to kick-off the discussion.

Explore the last week