Previous Climate Change News 2021
Denser cities could be a climate boon – but nimbyism stands in the way 08-22-21
Drawing people into cities could cut emissions and combat housing crises. But even progressives are hard to convince. Read more
FEMA Will Take Climate Change Into Account In Flood Insurance Overhaul 08-17-21
As it stands, a property’s elevation and whether it has a 1% annual chance of flooding factor into the flood insurance risk rating. Read more
Stuck in the Smoke as Billionaires Blast Off 07-23-21
Climate inaction was never really about denial. Rich countries just thought poorer countries would bear the brunt of the crisis. Read more
Lessons from the Fight for the Grand Canyon 07-20-21
We once saved natural landmarks for their beauty—now it’s for survival, too. Read more
RCC Joins more than 500 environmental groups to pan carbon capture plans 07-20-21
‘There are still no projects operating anywhere in the world that have delivered on time, on budget, or in the quantities promised.’ Read more
How many 500-year floods must Detroit endure in a decade? 07-13-21
Detroit’s flooding problem needs long-term climate solutions. Read more
Op-ed: Another road is possible 07-08-21
To tackle climate change and save lives, the Biden Administration needs to support bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets. Read more
The climate crisis will create two classes: those who can flee, and those who cannot 07-07-21
Nearly 700 million people worldwide live in low coastal zones vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal storms. That number could reach a billion by 2050. Read more
I Moved to Portland Because It Seemed Like a Safe Bet in the Face of Climate Change. I Was Naïve 06-29-21
A dispatch from under the heat dome that shattered temperature records in the Pacific Northwest Read more
Is climate change amping up the Pacific Northwest heat wave? Yes — and it’s time to stop asking. 06-29-21
Scientists say the burden of proof has shifted for connecting heat waves and global warming. Read more
For Florida’s corals, no escape from climate change 06-28-21
Some corals will be able to migrate poleward to escape rising temperatures. But scientists say Florida’s reefs have nowhere to go. Read more
For flood-prone cities, seawalls raise as many questions as they answer 06-23-21
Everybody has heard the old cliché, “It’s the canary in a coal mine.” But how about the new and improved version? Be prepared to start using “Like a Veery in hurricane season.” Read more
‘The ocean is coming.’ A chieftess sees her islands sink 06-16-21
The Gullah/Geechee Nation of the south Atlantic coast is one of the most climate-threatened peoples in the world. Read more
Climate Change Has Central Americans Fleeing to the U.S. 06-08-21
José Mario Antonio Milla can remember a time when he could count on the rain. In La Laguna, a hamlet of about 60 families in western Honduras, showers used to start at the end of April and continue through November, ensuring a healthy harvest of corn to feed his family. Read more
Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip 06-07-21
Global emissions dropped last year, but the decline wasn’t nearly enough to halt the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Read more
IEA Outline Roadmap for World to Reach Net-Zero by 2050 05-20-21
Yesterday, the International Energy Agency–an international energy forum comprised of 29 industrialized countries under the OEDC – issued a comprehensive roadmap of what it would take for the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 while keeping to the 1.5C goal. Read more
Paris climate agreement overlooks wood pellet loophole 04-26-21
“This rule that was designed to prevent you from counting carbon twice has effectively become a rule in which no carbon is counted at all.”—
Cameron Oglesby. Read more
Interstate water wars are heating up along with the climate 04-19-21
Interstate water disputes are as American as apple pie. States often think a neighboring state is using more than its fair share from a river, lake or aquifer that crosses borders. Read more
Despite Tensions, U.S. and China Agree to Work Together on Climate Change 04-17-21
The two countries said they would treat global warming “with the seriousness and urgency that it demands.” Read more
Companies Plan to Crush Climate Efforts 04-14-21
With the annual proxy season about to kick off, corporate executives are encountering increasing investor scrutiny about their environmental policies. Read more
Curb climate change the easy way: Don’t cut down big trees 04-07-21
Protecting forests is an essential strategy in the fight against climate change that has not received the attention it deserves. Read more
Cherry Blossoms Bloom Early Across The World 03-30-21
Both Kyoto, Japan, and Washington D.C. are known for their cherry blossom seasons in the first few weeks of warming spring weather. This year, cherry blossom season came early in both of these cities. Read more at Our Daily Planet
Corporate climate pledges earn failing grades from investors 03-22-21
Investors managing $54 trillion are turning up the pressure on top emitters. Read more at Grist
Hawaii’s rains, floods cited as examples of climate change 03-11-21
Heavy rains are part of the winter wet season in Hawaiian Islands. But the downpours triggering flooding that destroyed homes and bridges and set off mass evacuations on multiple islands this week are also an example of the more intense rainstorms officials and climate scientists say are occurring more frequently as the planet warms. Read more at AP News
Bankrolling Deforestation 03-08-21
Unsustainable and privatized agriculture and food production is responsible for approximately 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Read more at Our Daily Planet
Northeast US: Walking, Biking Could Save Billions, Lives 03-01-21
Investing in walking and biking, coupled with proposed emissions caps, could save hundreds of lives and billions of dollars each year in the Northeast United States. Read more at Futurity
The Climate Crisis and Wall Street 02-25-21
It was likely too much to hope that the Biden Administration, as it tries to get a handle on climate change, might find some help from Wall Street. Instead, last week, we saw financial heavyweights turn in a performance so rigid and so short-sighted that it makes one wonder whether capitalism in anything resembling its current form can, or should, survive. Read more at The New Yorker
What’s Really Behind Corporate Promises on Climate Change? 02-22-21
Many big businesses have not set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Others have weak goals. Read more at The New York Times
US rejoins Paris accord with warning: This year’s talks are ‘last, best hope’ 02-20-21
The U.S. has marked its return to the Paris Agreement by urging countries to do more to confront the climate crisis, with America’s climate envoy, John Kerry, warning that international talks this year are the “last, best hope” of avoiding catastrophic global heating. Read more at Grist
Keeping trees in the ground where they are already growing is an effective low-tech way to slow climate change 02-22-21
Protecting forests is an essential strategy in the fight against climate change that has not received the attention it deserves. Read more at The Conversation
500+ experts call on world’s nations to not burn forests to make energy 02-15-21
Contributing more to the U.S.economy and getting less in return. Read the full Ohio River Valley Institute Report. Read more at Mongabay
The avocado in your Super Bowl guacamole is bad for the environment. You can make it better. 02-04-21
This Super Bowl Sunday will be different. Instead of at a party, I’ll be at home alone with my husband. And we’ll be paying more than four times as much for our guacamole. Read more at The Washington Post
Climate crisis: world is at its hottest for at least 12,000 years – study 01-27-21
Scientists say temperatures globally at highest level since start of human civilisation. Read more at The Guardian
Schumer Supports Declaring Climate Change a National Emergency 01-27-21
Declaring a national emergency would give the president more powers to combat climate change and divert funding toward green policy without going through Congress. Read more at Our Daily Planet
The push for standing forest protections in US climate policy 01-19-21
Researchers say “proforestation” policies are the fastest and most effective way to draw excess CO2 out of the atmosphere. Read more at Environmental Health News
Biden Plans to Fight Climate Change in a New Way 01-12-21
Joe Biden is preparing to deal with climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before Read more at EcoWatch
As the Arctic melts, a regime shift is taking place 01-12-21
The Arctic is changing faster than any environment on Earth. The old order is being swept away, leaving scientists to ask: What’s coming in its place? Read more at ABC News
A Massachusetts city will post climate change warning stickers at gas stations 01-01-21
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first U.S. city to mandate the placing of stickers on fuel pumps to warn drivers of the resulting dangers posed by the climate crisis. Read more at Grist