Assessing the U.S. Climate in May 2021
Photo: Pixabay.com
May was mild across much of the contiguous U.S.; heavy rainfall contributed to flash flooding across parts of the Gulf Coast
THIS WEEK’S TOP HEADLINES
A roundup of the most compelling current and/or timeless news stories about climate change this week, pulled from the most significant sources— newspapers, scientific studies, magazines, books, films, available video and audio streams, universities and organizations. If you are curious about last year’s top stories: here’s a link to the most pertinent climate change stories from the New York Times in 2020.
Biden pushes protection for more streams and wetlands, targeting a major Trump rollback
By Dino Grandoni Photo: Paul Sancya
The change could have broad implications for farming, real estate development and other activities, the latest salvo in a decades-long battle
Keystone XL Oil Project Abandoned by Developer
By Timothy Puko and Vipal Monga Photo: Jason Franson
Canada’s TC Energy Corp. TRP +0.19% and the Albertan provincial government said Wednesday they would scuttle the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, bringing to an end a yearslong controversy over…
Biden climate adviser: Infrastructure plan could omit some climate proposals
By Zach Colman
President Joe Biden’s National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy said on Tuesday some ambitious proposals to fight climate change could fall out of the infrastructure…
Carbon dioxide peaks near 420 parts per million at Mauna Loa observatory
By Theo Stein
Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2021 in May at a monthly average of 419 parts per million…
Offshore Wind Farms Show What Biden’s Climate Plan Is Up Against
By Ivan Penn Photo: Eze Amos
The U.S. has fallen way behind Europe partly because of an old shipping law and opposition from homeowners and fishing groups.
Climate emerges as infrastructure sticking point
By Rachel Frazin Photo: Getty Images
Climate change is emerging as a sticking point in infrastructure negotiations, as proposals from President Biden and Republicans remain disparate on actions to address the…
Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip
By Brad Plumer Photo: Sascha Steinbach
Global emissions dropped last year, but the decline wasn’t nearly enough to halt the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Today’s electric vehicle market: Slow growth in U.S., faster in China, Europe
By Drew DeSilver
A small but significant share of car owners in the United States have traded filling up for plugging in, and many more are thinking of…
Police Make Mass Arrests at Protest Against Oil Pipeline
By Hiroko Tabuchi, Matt Furber, and Coral Davenport Photo: Tim Gruber
Late Monday, police arrested activists and appeared to use a crowd-dispelling sonic device at the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota, which would carry oil across…
The Western Drought Is Bad. Here’s What You Should Know About It.
By Henry Fountain Photo: Patrick T. Fallon
Answers to questions about the current situation in California and the Western half of the United States.
An Australian inventor wants to stop global warming by electrifying everything
By Rachel Pannett
AUSTINMER, Australia — During a TED talk, Australian inventor Saul Griffith wanted to show his audience how much a person’s individual choices can affect the…
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVES
Quintessential articles from the archive not to be missed.
Will Nuclear Energy’s No-Carbon Quality Outweigh The Fukushima Accident?
By Ken Silverstein
The global community has witnessed Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima — nuclear accidents that have left many skeptical. But energy experts and climate hawks say…
Rising Seas Will Erase More Cities by 2050, New Research Shows
By Denise Lu and Christopher Flavelle
Rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought, according to new research, threatening to all but erase some of the…
July 2019 Was the Hottest Month Ever Recorded, NOAA Confirms
Humanity faced its hottest month in at least 140 years in July, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday. The finding…
Five takeaways from The Post’s analysis of warming climates in the United States
The analysis, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, examines annual temperature data for the Lower 48 U.S. states and more than…
21 states sue Trump administration over new coal rules
A coalition of 21 Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its decision to ease restrictions on coal-fired power plants, with California’s governor saying…
Alaska’s hottest month on record: melting sea ice, wildfires and unexpected die-offs
Arctic sea ice is at a record low for this time of year, and the usual buffer that helps keep Alaska cool is gone….
Ocean Heat Waves Kill Coral Instantly, Study Finds
Marine heat waves are increasing in frequency, duration and intensity, which spell trouble for corals, according to new research from scientists working at the Great…
Navy quietly shut down climate change task force
The Navy has quietly stood down its Task Force Climate Change, created in 2009 to plan and develop “future public, strategic, and policy discussions” on…
The Trump administration takes climate denial to new heights
By Paul Waldman
Fifty or 100 years from now, we may well say that President Trump’s concerted effort to exacerbate climate change — and that’s precisely what it…
Global electricity access grows—but we’re not on track for 2030 sustainable energy goals
More people on the planet have access to electricity than ever before, however, the world is on pace to fall short on the goal of…
E.P.A. Plans to Get Thousands of Pollution Deaths Off the Books by Changing Its Math
By Lisa Friedman Photo by Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to change the way it calculates the health risks of air pollution, a shift that would make it easier to roll back…
‘Now I Am Speaking to the Whole World.’ How Teen Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Got Everyone to Listen
By Suyin Haynes
The world is listening. Organizers estimate that on March 15, a remarkable 1.6 million people in 133 countries participated in a climate strike inspired by Thunberg’s solo…
These Are the Cities Doing the Most to Combat Global Warming
By Jeremy Hodges
Cities, which are home to more than half the world’s population, are stepping up efforts to slash pollution, often wresting the fight against climate change…
From making it to managing it, plastic is a major contributor to climate change
Plastic is polluting oceans, freshwater lakes and rivers, food and us — but it’s also a major contributor to global climate change, warns a new…
One million species face extinction, U.N. report says. And humans will suffer as a result.
By Darryl Fears Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
One million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival, according to a United Nations report released…
Renewables generated more electricity than coal for the first time in US history
By Michael J. Coren REUTERS/Phil Noble
In April, renewables eclipsed coal generation in the US for the first time. The Energy Information Administration estimates renewables outperformed coal by 16% in April…
Antarctica’s Effect on Sea Level Rise in Coming Centuries
There are two primary causes of global mean sea level rise – added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, and the expansion of sea…
Africa is running out of water as cities see populations boom
Africa has been plagued by water shortages in recent months, manifestations of a global supply squeeze brought on by drought, population growth, urbanization and insufficient…
Germany to close all 84 of its coal-fired power plants, will rely primarily on renewable energy
By Erik Kirschbaum Photo: Patrick Pleul / AP
Germany, one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, will shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years to…
Climate Advocates Underestimate Power of Fossil Fueled Misinformation Campaigns Say Top Researchers
By Graham Readfern
Climate action advocates have underestimated the strength and sophistication of decades-long fossil fuel-funded misinformation campaigns and need a coordinated set of strategies to fight back,…
Analysis warns of lack of progress on 2020 global emissions target
Removing coal from the global energy mix is taking too long, too many forests are still being destroyed, and fossil fuel subsidies are ongoing despite…
The Green New Deal, explained
By David Roberts
An insurgent movement is pushing Democrats to back an ambitious climate change solution.
Canada adopts carbon fee and dividend to rein in climate change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Canada adopts carbon fee and dividend to rein in climate change WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 23, 2018 — Carbon fee and dividend, the…
Rising CO2 will leave crops—and millions of humans—less healthy
By Brian Bienkowski Photo by Dương Trí/Unsplash
On excessively hot days, there are more likely to be fatal car accidents and food safety problems, and police officers and government food inspectors tend…
Your Recycling Gets Recycled, Right? Maybe, or Maybe Not
By Livia Albeck-Ripka Photo by Wiqan Ang
Plastics and papers from dozens of American cities and towns are being dumped in landfills after China stopped recycling most “foreign garbage.”