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☆ ‘World’s largest’ plant to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into stone opens in Iceland
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Direct air capture, or DAC, is a technology designed to suck in air and strip out the carbon using chemicals. Climeworks plans to transport the carbon underground where it will be naturally transformed into stone, locking up the carbon permanently. ClimeworksClimeworks' Mammoth plant will eventually be able to capture 36,000 tons of carbon from the air. It will increase the size of equipment to capture carbon pollution. It’s this kind of process that makes some critics concerned carbon removal technologies could be used to prolong production of fossil fuels.

Persons: ”, Lili Fuhr, Haukur, Climeworks Climeworks, Stuart Haszeldine, it’s, Jan Wurzbacher Organizations: CNN, Climeworks, Center for International Environmental Law, Mammoth, University of Edinburgh, International Energy Agency, Stratos, Occidental Locations: Iceland, Swiss, Texas, Occidental, Kenya, United States

CNN —The world has passed a clean energy milestone, as a boom in wind and solar meant a record-breaking 30% of the world’s electricity was produced by renewables last year, new data shows. The planet is reaching “a crucial turning point” toward clean energy, according to the Global Electricity Review published Wednesday by climate think tank Ember. Record-breaking renewablesIn 2000, renewables made up less than 19% of the global energy mix. It made up nearly twice as much new electricity generation as coal last year. Electricity demand is set to soar from 2024 onward, Ember’s analysis found.

Persons: It’s, Dave Jones, Ember, ” Jones, “ We’re, Jones, “, ”, Niklas Höhne, Nancy Haegel Organizations: CNN, Global, NewClimate Institute, European Union, EU, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: China, India, Chile, Australia, Netherlands, California, United States

☆ Planet endures record-hot April, as scientists warn 2024 could beat heat records for second year in a row
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Extraordinary global heat continues its streak. It marks 11 consecutive months of unprecedented global temperatures. With that new data point, some scientists warn there is a strong chance 2024 could beat 2023 as the warmest year on record. Global ocean heat in April was also record-breaking for the 13th consecutive month. And while heat records are still being set month after month, the margins at which they are being broken are smaller than they were in 2023.

Persons: Copernicus, Adnan Abidi, Lisa Marie David, El Niño, Niño, it’s, Zeke Hausfather, ” Hausfather, Indranil Aditya, ”, Carlo Buontempo Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Getty Locations: Asia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Barmer, Rajasthan, Manila, Philippines, Berkeley, Mumbai

☆ Kenya floods: Anger mounts as people left homeless and searching for loved ones swept away in floods
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Larry Madowo | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —When Julia Wanjiku put her son Isaac to bed last Sunday after a day celebrating his third birthday, she didn’t realize she was also saying goodbye. She was among the survivors gathering at Ngeya Girls High School in Mai Mahiu on Tuesday. A damaged car buried in mud in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in the village of Kamuchiri, near Mai Mahiu, on April 29. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople removing mud and water from their house in Mai Mahiu, Kenya, on April 29. Rescuers carry the body of a young man recovered in the debris following flooding, in Mai Mahiu, Kenya.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —, Julia Wanjiku, Isaac, Wanjiku, — Isaac, “, ” Wanjiku, Isaac’s, Mai Mahui, It’s, Luis Tato, El, William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, Isaac Mwaura, ” Ruto, Mark Laichena, ”, Simon Maina, Mwaura, Nyagoah Tut, James Wakibia, Joyce Kimutai, herder, Makau, “ I’m, ” Larry Madowo, Laura Paddison, CNN’s Louis Mian, Allison Chinchar, Mary Gilbert Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Girls High School, Getty, Getty Images, “, Kenyan, Space Agency European Space Agency, European Space Agency, Isaac Mwaura ., Communities, United Arab Emirates, Rights Watch, Kenya Meteorological Department, Human Rights Watch, Rescuers, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute Locations: Kenya, Mai, Kenya’s, Nairobi, Mai Mahiu, Kamuchiri, AFP, Getty Images Kenya, Garissa, Tanzania, Tana, Mathare, New York, El, Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa, East Africa, London

☆ ‘Ping pong-sized’ hailstones ravage famous French wine region
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Julen Chavin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A violent hailstorm wreaked havoc on vineyards in Chablis in the famous French wine region of Burgundy Wednesday evening, delivering another weather blow to already hard-hit local Chardonnay winemakers. The extent of the damage was still unclear as winegrowers checked over their plots on Thursday, a representative for the Burgundy wine association told CNN. “We’ve never seen anything like this, it’s dramatic,” Julie Fèvre, a winemaker, told BFM. Some 38 million bottles of Chablis Chardonnay wine are sold every year, generating an estimated $340 million turnover, according to the Burgundy wine association. Around 67% of Chablis wine is exported to foreign markets, the association said.

Persons: “ We’ve, Julie Fèvre, BFM, ” Paul, Étienne, we’ve, Vincent Laroche, Marc Fesneau, ”, Chablis, ” Louis Poitout, we’ll, CNN’s Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, Chablis, BFMTV, International Organisation of Vine Locations: Chablis, Burgundy, France, “

☆ Can this ocean-based carbon plant help save the world? Some scientists are raising red flags
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fans will pump air through the alkaline stream, which causes carbon dioxide to form solid calcium carbonate, the material from which seashells are formed, which will look like a fine sand, as well as dissolved bicarbonate. The seawater will also be sent back into the sea, ready to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ambition is to scale up to 100,000 metric tons of CO2 removal a year by the end of 2026, and from there to millions of metric tons over the next few decades, Sanders told CNN. Equatic has already signed a deal with Boeing to sell it 2,100 metric tons of hydrogen, which it plans to use to create green fuel, and to fund the removal of 62,000 metric tons of CO2. It will remove just under 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, with the aim of scaling up to 100,000 metric tons a year by the end of 2026.

Persons: Jean, Pierre Gatusso, “, ”, Patrick T, Fallon, Equatic, Gaurav Sant, Edward Sanders, Sanders, Sant, Lili Fuhr, Fuhr, James Niffenegger, Niffenegger, “ we’re, ” Fuhr, It’s, Gatusso, ” Equatic, UCLA’s Sant, ” Sant Organizations: CNN, University of California, Sorbonne University, Getty, UCLA, National Water Agency, Port, Boeing, Center for International Environmental Law, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: Vietnam, France, Singapore, Tuas, Los Angeles, LA, AFP, Port of Los Angeles

☆ Switzerland violated human rights, European court finds, in landmark climate case brought by 2,000 women
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An international court in France on Tuesday ruled Switzerland’s failure to adequately tackle the climate crisis was in violation of human rights, in a landmark climate judgment that could have a ripple effect across the globe. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France delivered its ruling in a case brought by more than 2,000 Swiss women, the majority of whom are in their 70s, against Switzerland’s government. “It means that all European countries must urgently revise their targets so that they are science-based and aligned to 1.5 degrees. Those two claims were ruled “inadmissible.”Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, second left, joins youths from Portugal during a demonstration outside the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday in Strasbourg, France. Both the International Court of Justice and the Inter American Court of Human Rights have cases pending which relate to the human rights impacts of climate change.

Persons: “, ” Gerry Liston, Vesselina Newman, ClientEarth, Greta Thunberg, Jean, Francois Badias, ”, Catarina dos Santos Mota, ” Liston Organizations: CNN, of Human Rights, Swiss, Switzerland, Global, Network, of Human, International Court of Justice, Inter American Court of Human Locations: France, Strasbourg, Portugal, Switzerland, Swiss

☆ Nuclear fusion experiment sets record for time at 100 million degrees Celsius
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Often referred to as the holy grail of climate solutions clean energy, fusion has the potential to provide limitless energy without planet-warming carbon pollution. KSTAR’s work “will be of great help to secure the predicted performance in ITER operation in time and to advance the commercialization of fusion energy,” Si-Woo Yoon said. This announcement adds to a number of other nuclear fusion breakthroughs. But commercializing nuclear fusion still remains a long way off as scientists work to solve fiendish engineering and scientific difficulties. Nuclear fusion “is not ready yet and therefore it can’t help us with the climate crisis now,” said Aneeqa Khan, research fellow in nuclear fusion at the University of Manchester in the UK.

Persons: Woo Yoon, ”, Aneeqa Khan, Angela Dewan Organizations: CNN — Scientists, KSTAR Research, Korean Institute of Fusion Energy, CNN, International, Reactor, Lawrence Livermore, Oxford, University of Manchester Locations: South Korea, France, United States

☆ Polar ice is melting and changing Earth’s rotation. It’s messing with time itself
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Laura Paddison | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself. The hours and minutes that dictate our days are determined by Earth’s rotation. But after a long trend of slowing, the Earth’s rotation is now speeding up. Melting polar ice is slowing the impact on Earth’s rotation and has delayed the date by three years, pushing it from 2026 to 2029, the report found. Changes in Earth’s rotation over the long term have been dominated by the friction of the tides on the ocean floor — which has slowed down its rotation.

Persons: Patrizia, ”, Duncan Agnew, Agnew, Ted Scambos, ” Agnew, “, Olivier Morin, Scambos Organizations: CNN, Time Department, International Bureau, University of California San, University of Colorado Boulder Locations: France, University of California San Diego, Scoresby Fjord, Greenland, AFP

☆ ChatGPT’s boss claims nuclear fusion is the answer to AI’s soaring energy needs. Experts say not so fast
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Yet according to Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, there is a clear solution to this tricky dilemma: nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion — the process that powers the sun and other stars — is likely still decades away from being mastered and commercialized on Earth. A section of JT-60SA, a huge experimental nuclear fusion reactor at Naka Fusion Institute in Naka city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on January 22, 2024. The sector was responsible for around 2% of global electricity demand in 2022, according to the IEA. But, he cautioned, this doesn’t necessarily mean AI’s electricity demand will fall.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, “, Lex Fridman, ” Altman, —, Alex de Vries, ”, Aneeqa Khan, ” Khan, Philip Fong, Vries, ” de Vries, Michael Khoo, “ We’re, Khoo, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Sen, Ed Markey, ” Markey, ” Khoo Organizations: CNN, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Manchester, “, JT, Naka Fusion, Getty, International Energy Agency, Boston Consulting, Reuters, Microsoft, OpenAI, Boston Consulting Group, Google, Princeton, ” Locations: “, Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, AFP, Pascal, Nicosia, Cyprus

☆ Global ocean heat has been at record levels every single day for the last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But he added that the records were unsurprising, given that ocean heat is being supercharged by human-caused global warming, a series of marine heatwaves and El Niño, a natural climate pattern marked by higher-than-average ocean temperatures. Global ocean warmth can add more power to hurricanes and other extreme weather events, including scorching heat waves and intense rainfall. Ocean heat sets the stage for more ferocious hurricanes. “Measuring ocean warming allows us to track the status and evolution of planetary warming,” Schuckmann told CNN. But, she added, it’s currently impossible to predict when ocean heat will drop below record levels.

Persons: ”, Joel Hirschi, El, Karina von Schuckmann, Brian McNoldy, ” Hirschi, ” Schuckmann, it’s, Derek Van Dam Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, University of Maine’s, National Oceanography, University of Miami Rosenstiel School Locations: Australia, France

☆ Mars could be driving ‘giant whirlpools’ in the Earth’s deep oceans, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Mars may be around 140 million miles away from Earth, but the red planet is influencing our deep oceans by helping drive “giant whirlpools,” according to new research. The sediments revealed that deep-sea currents weakened and strengthened over 2.4 million-year climate cycles, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. For the Earth, this interaction with Mars translates to periods of increased solar energy — meaning a warmer climate — and these warmer cycles correlate with more vigorous ocean currents, the report found. The authors describe these currents, or eddies, as “giant whirlpools” that can reach the bottom of the deep ocean, eroding the seafloor and causing large accumulations of sediments, like snowdrifts. Deep-sea sediments build in continuous layers during calm conditions but strong ocean currents disrupt this, leaving a visible stamp of their existence.

Persons: Adriana Dutkiewicz, sedimentologist, ”, Dietmar Müller, Müller, “, ” Müller, Joel Hirschi Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Sydney, Atlantic, National Oceanography

☆ Climate change: The planet just shattered heat records for the ninth month in a row
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Last month was the planet’s hottest February on record, marking the ninth month in a row that global records tumbled, according to new data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service. It’s yet another grim climate change milestone, as the long-term impacts of human-caused global warming are given a boost by El Niño, a natural climate fluctuation. Global temperatures in the first half of the month in particular were “exceptionally high,” according to the analysis. “At times, the records have been broken by margins that are virtually statistically impossible,” McNoldy told CNN. The Copernicus data “tells a familiar story of warming temperatures and shifting patterns of weather,” said Hannah Cloke, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Reading in the UK.

Persons: Copernicus, El Niño, ” Carlo Buontempo, Brian McNoldy, ” McNoldy, ”, Hannah Cloke, Cloke, Derek Van Dam Organizations: CNN, El, University of Miami Rosenstiel School, “, University of Reading Locations: Paris

☆ Man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases from Mexico into US in first-of-a-kind prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A California man was arrested and charged Monday with allegedly smuggling potent, planet-heating greenhouse gases from Mexico, marking the first such prosecution in the US, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He is then alleged to have sold them for a profit on sites including Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. These greenhouse gases are short-lived in the atmosphere, but powerful — some are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in the near-term. “The illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, undermines international efforts to combat climate change,” said David M. Uhlmann, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. In 2016, nearly 200 nations including the US agreed to the Kigali Amendment to reduce planet-heating pollution from these greenhouse gases.

Persons: Michael Hart, Hart, Todd Kim, HFCs, ”, David M, Tara McGrath, ” Hart Organizations: CNN, US, Office, Southern, Southern District of, Facebook, Justice Department’s, Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA’s, UN Environment, AC, Department of Justice Locations: California, Mexico, Southern District, Southern District of California, San Diego, United States, Kigali

☆ How a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. To understand why the Texas fires have been so fierce you have to look to last spring, said Luke Kanclerz, a fire analyst at Texas A&M Forest Service. It only took a short period of warm, dry weather for them to dry out further, providing a carpet for the fire to spread. Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty ImagesScientists are still working to understand what impact, if any, global warming is having on the winds that whip up wildfires. Research has found climate change is fueling the rapid intensification of hurricanes, pushing storms to explode at a deadly pace.

Persons: it’s, Cpl Marc, Andre Leclerc, ”, John Abatzoglou, Luke Kanclerz, Kanclerz, Mike Flannigan, Abatzoglou, “ There’s, ” John Nielsen, Gammon, Yuki Iwamura, Dora, Kaitlyn Trudeau, Trudeau, ” CNN’s Rachel Ramirez Organizations: CNN, United, European Union, Canadian Forces, Reuters, University of California, ”, Texas, M, Service, Texas Panhandle, University of Alberta, Getty, Climate Central, The Locations: United States, Maui, California, Paradise, Canada, Greece, Chile, Mistissini, Quebec, Merced, Texas, Hawaii, West Texas, Gammon , Texas, Lahaina, AFP, Hawaii’s, The Texas, Plains

☆ A new company is shipping Arctic ice from Greenland to chill posh drinks in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The startup company, Arctic Ice, shipped its first container of around 22 tons of Greenland ice to Dubai this year for sale to high-end bars and restaurants. Founded in 2022 by two Greenlanders, Arctic Ice has an interesting — and controversial — business model. Arctic Ice claims it’s offering a novel way to harness a natural resource, carving out new economic opportunities and raising awareness of the Arctic. Various attempts have been made over the past few decades to bring back natural ice commercially, but with little success. But perhaps inevitably for a business model that involves shipping a diminishing natural resource halfway across the world, Arctic Ice has attracted controversy.

Persons: ”, Malik V, Rasmussen, ” Rasmussen, “, Jennifer Francis, Francis, It’s, Jason Box Organizations: CNN, glitzy, Climate Research, Geological Survey Locations: glitzy Dubai, Dubai, Nuuk, Greenland, Europe, people’s freezers, Norway, Denmark

☆ The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is rapidly melting. Scientists now have evidence for when it started and why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They have discovered it started retreating rapidly in the 1940s, according to a new study that provides an alarming insight into future melting. The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is the world’s widest and roughly the size of Florida. “Once an ice sheet retreat is set in motion it can continue for decades, even if what started it gets no worse,” he told CNN. While similar retreats have happened much further back in the past, the ice sheet recovered and regrew, Smith said. “Further events arising more from the warming climate trend took things further, and started the widespread retreat we’re seeing today,” he told CNN.

Persons: Antarctica’s, Thwaites, Joshua Stevens, Julia Wellner, that’s, ” Wellner, you’re, James Smith, “, ”, Smith, ” Thwaites, Jeremy Harbeck, NASA Ted Scambos, Martin Truffer, Truffer, — Organizations: CNN —, National Academy of Sciences, El, West, NASA, Observatory, University of Houston, CNN, British Antarctic Survey, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Alaska Locations: West Antarctica, Florida, Pine, Antarctica, University of Alaska Fairbanks, “

☆ Mexico City may be just months away from running of out water
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Laura Paddison | Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Mexico City CNN —Alejandro Gomez has been without proper running water for more than three months. Historic lowsDensely populated Mexico City stretches out across a high-altitude lake bed, around 7,300 feet above sea level. The Cutzamala water system, a network of reservoirs, pumping stations, canals and tunnels, supplies about 25% of the water used by the Valley of Mexico, which includes Mexico City. She and her family often have to pay more than $100 for a tank of water from one of the city’s water trucks. “I don’t think anyone is prepared.”CNN’s Laura Paddison and Jack Guy reported from London, and Fidel Gutiérrez reported from Mexico City.

Persons: Mexico City CNN — Alejandro Gomez, Gomez, ”, Christian Domínguez Sarmiento, Jose Alfredo Ramirez, Cesar Rodriguez, it’s, It’s, Fabiola Sosa, ” Germán Arturo Martínez Santoyo, Raquel Cunha, Garcia, Becerra, La Niña, El Niño, UNAM’s Sarmiento, Conagua, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Martí Batres Guadarrama, Sosa, Rodríguez, “, Henry Romero, Márquez, doesn’t, ‘, ” Sosa, Amanda Martínez, Laura Paddison, Jack Guy, Fidel Gutiérrez Organizations: Mexico City CNN, CNN, Authorities, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Bloomberg, Getty, Metropolitan Autonomous University, Reuters, University of Northern, Local, Mexico City’s, Cape Town, Advisory, Mexico City Locations: Mexico, Mexico City’s Tlalpan, doesn’t, Mexico City, UNAM, Tenochtitlan, Spanish, Conagua, Cutzamala, Villa, Villa Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia, Iztapalapa, South Africa, Tlalpan, London

☆ US Constitution encasement vandalized with red powder at National Archives
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Angela Fritz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The National Archives in Washington, DC, closed early on Wednesday after two people dumped red powder on the display that protects the US Constitution, Archives officials said in a news release. “The Constitution was unaffected in its encasement. The individuals were immediately detained by security at the time of the incident, around 2:30 p.m., and officials are investigating, the Archives said. The National Archives Rotunda will remain closed for cleaning Thursday, the Archives said, but the rest of the National Archives Building will be open on its regular schedule. The Constitution is on permanent display as part of the “Charters of Freedom” exhibit showing the United States’ founding documents, along with the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.

Persons: Colleen Shogan, Vincent van Gogh’s, ”, Claude Monet, of, Alicia Jennings, Rashard Rose, Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, Archives, United, National Locations: Washington , DC, Giverny, “, United States

☆ Canada shipwreck: A fierce storm uncovered a mysterious vessel, now another could destroy it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Cape Ray shipwreck is an example of a wider phenomenon, experts say, where climate change-fueled storms are uncovering the world’s underwater history — but also destroying it. Shawn Bath, of the Clean Harbours Initiative, works to secure the shipwreck in Cape Ray, Newfoundland, Canada. Courtesy Shawn Trevor/Clean Harbours InitiativeA section of shipwreck that washed ashore is seen in Cape Ray, Canada. Forecasts suggest wind gusts of 25 mph around Cape Ray with waves up to 20 feet. In Cape Ray, Croft and Bath are doing all they can to protect the mysterious wreck.

Persons: Shawn Bath, Trevor Croft, ” Croft, Fiona, Shawn Trevor, Croft, Lisa Briggs, ”, “, Briggs, ” Briggs, that’s Organizations: CNN, Cranfield University Locations: Newfoundland, Canada, Cape Ray, Coast, French, British, Bath, seabeds, ”

☆ Crucial ocean current system could be on course to collapse with catastrophic impacts on global weather
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This new study provides an “important breakthrough,” said René van Westen, a marine and atmospheric researcher at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and study co-author. It’s the first time a collapse has been detectable using these complex models, representing “bad news for the climate system and humanity,” the report says. “But we can at least say that we are heading in the direction of the tipping point under climate change,” van Westen said. The AMOC’s collapse could also cause sea levels to surge by around 1 meter (3.3 feet), van Westen said. “(It) adds significantly to the rising concern about an AMOC collapse in the not too distant future,” he said.

Persons: ”, René van Westen, van Westen, ” van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, Rahmstorf, Joel Hirschi, Jeffrey Kargel, Hirschi, “ Organizations: CNN, Northern, University of Utrecht, Southern, Potsdam University, National Oceanography, Planetary Science Institute Locations: Atlantic, Netherlands, Europe, Germany, Arizona

☆ Scientists drilled an ice core from Antarctica and were alarmed by what they found
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Evidence from a 2,000-foot-long ice core reveals that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrank suddenly and dramatically around 8,000 years ago, according to new research — providing an alarming insight into how quickly Antarctic ice could melt and send sea levels soaring. Map showing the location of the Skytrain Ice Rise, part of the Ronne Ice Shelf, from where the ice core was taken. The ice core analyzed in the study was drilled from Skytrain Ice Rise located at the edge of the ice sheet, near the point where the ice starts to float and become part of the Ronne Ice Shelf. Inside the drilling tent at Skytrain Ice Rise, scientists preparing the drill for its next drop into the borehole. University of Cambridge/British Antarctic SurveyInsulated boxes full of ice cores being loaded into the Twin Otter aircraft, Skytrain Ice Rise, Antarctica.

Persons: Eric Wolff, “ We’ve, we’ve, Wolff, Ted Scambos, “, that’s, ” Wolff, Isobel Rowell, ”, David Thornalley, Thwaites, Scambos Organizations: CNN, West, Empire, Nature, University of Cambridge, University of Colorado, Ronne Ice Shelf, University of Cambridge / British Antarctic Survey, Ronne, Shelf, Twin, British Antarctic Survey, University College London Locations: Antarctica, University of Colorado Boulder, West Antarctica

☆ Paris SUV parking charges to triple as voters back mayor’s initiative
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Chris Liakos | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Paris CNN —Parisians voted in favor of tripling the parking costs for SUVs on Sunday, following a proposal by the Paris mayor’s office, as the city aims to cut air pollution and tackle the climate crisis. Citizens were asked to decide whether there should be a specific parking rate for “heavy” and “polluting” vehicles. The results of the Paris vote are expected to be verified on Monday by the electoral commission. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo thanked those who cast their vote on Sunday, stressing that it was a question about ecology, road safety and public health. Some car associations have come out strongly against the SUV proposal, however, including the group 40 Millions d’Automobilistes (40 Million Motorists).

Persons: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Hidalgo Organizations: Paris CNN, Paris, Citizens, €, International Energy Agency, Paris Mayor Locations: Paris, US, India, Europe

☆ Wellness influencers fueled pandemic misinformation. Now they have another big conspiracy in their sights
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

As interest in the pandemic waned, experts say some wellness influencers have latched on to climate change to galvanize followers. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesCécile Simmons, a trained yoga teacher, was surprised when many of the wellness accounts she followed started posting about climate change. Some wellness influencers are exposing young audiences to a slew of climate misinformation. Climate misinformation is having “a profound impact” both on people’s beliefs and on the normalization of fringe perspectives, Caulfield said. It’s particularly worrying as it allows climate misinformation to reach new audiences, experts say, including young people that might otherwise be supportive of climate change action.

Persons: Instagram, influencer @truth_crunchy_mama, “, ” They’re, influencer @drmercola, Patrick T, Fallon, Cécile Simmons, ”, Simmons, Joseph Mercola, it’s, Stephanie Alice Baker, Halbert L, Dunn, Baker, Derek Beres, Marc, André Argentino, ” Beres, Callum Hood, Hood, they’re, Tim Caulfield, Spencer Platt, ” CCDH’s Hood, Caulfield, Mariah Wellman, ” Wellman, ” Caulfield, —, It’s, ” Simmons Organizations: CNN, Getty, Institute for Strategic, Global Wellness Institute, City University, Wellness, Center, University of Alberta, University of Illinois, Meta Locations: Hawaii, Lahaina , Hawaii, AFP, globalists, Chicago

☆ The world successfully tackled a dangerous pollutant. But did it accidentally warm the planet in the process?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

These ghost clouds look beautiful, but they are a visible sign of deadly air pollution. Of all of the theories, however, the impact of shipping regulations is swiftly becoming one of the most discussed. But this is not an argument against cutting air pollution, Diamond said, it’s an argument for tackling it alongside reducing carbon emissions. The cooling impact of air pollution is far outweighed by the heating impact of burning fossil fuels. It’s when air pollution is tackled without also reducing carbon emissions, that “we can get into trouble,” Diamond said.

Persons: ”, Michael Diamond, It’s, Olaf Morgenstern, ” Morgenstern, James Hansen, ” Hansen, ” Diamond, Piers Forster, Diamond, doesn’t, Jason Armond, Annica Ekman, it’s, ” Forster Organizations: CNN, International Maritime Organization, United Nations, Florida State University’s Department of, Atmospheric Science, National Institute of Water, Atmospheric Research, Atlantic, Leeds University, Shipping, Port, Los Angeles Times, Stockholm University Locations: New Zealand, El, Sahara, Tonga, Europe, North America, Asia, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro , California, Sweden

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