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☆ Without climate change, these extreme weather events would not have happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

People often want to know if an extreme weather event happened because of climate change, said Friederike Otto, climate scientist and co-lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative. And, more often than not, they are finding the clear fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events. “We’re always going to have extreme weather, but if we keep driving in this direction, we’re gonna have a lot of extreme weather,” said Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesSiberian heat wave, 2020In 2020, a prolonged, unprecedented heat wave seared one of the coldest places on Earth, triggering widespread wildfires. A study from the journal Nature Climate Change found the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest the West has ever been in 1,200 years, noting human-caused climate change made the megadrought 72% worse.

Persons: Friederike Otto, Otto, We’re, we’re, ”, Ted Scambos, Alexander Nemenov, Andrew Ciavarella, Kathryn Elsesser, San Salvador de la, Aitor De Iturria, ” Otto, Mamunur Rahman Malik, “, Fadel Senna, Debarchan Chatterjee, Saeed Khan, koalas, David Paul Morris, Lake Powell, Hurricane Ian, Ricardo Arduengo, Ian, Lawrence, Abdul Majeed, António Guterres Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado -, Getty, UK’s Met, Oregon Convention, Northern, World Health Organization, South Asia, Bloomberg, Western, Stony Brook University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ., UN Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Siberia, AFP, Oregon, Portland, Pacific, . Oregon, Washington, Canada, British Columbia, Canadian, Lytton, San Salvador de, Cercs, Catalonia, Spain, North America, Europe, China, Dahably, Wajir County, Kenya, Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Masseoud, Morocco, Portugal, Algeria, Kolkata, India, South Asia, South, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand, New South Wales, Australia, Oroville, Oroville , California, States, California, Lake Oroville, Lake Mead, Lake, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, Hurricane, Matlacha , Florida, Caribbean, Florida, Swat, Bahrain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sindh, Balochistan

New York City’s air quality index was above 200 at one point Tuesday night – a level that is “very unhealthy,” according to IQair. Later Tuesday night, New York City had the second-worst levels of air pollution in the world after New Delhi, India, IQair reported. Air quality alerts were in effect across parts of the Northeast and the Midwest on Tuesday as wildfire smoke spread west into Detroit and Chicago. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesDetroit was listed in IQair’s top 10 worst locations for air pollution on Tuesday afternoon. Chicago’s air quality was moderate on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to remain moderate for the next couple of days.

Persons: IQair, ”, William Barrett, ” Barrett, Spencer Platt Organizations: CNN, New, Doha, World Health, World Health Organization, American Lung Association, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Midwest, National Weather Service, Getty, Detroit, IQAir Locations: New York City, Quebec, York, New Delhi, India, Qatar, Baghdad, Iraq, Lahore, Pakistan, New York, Canadian, Canada, Detroit, Chicago, IQair’s, New England, Massachusetts , Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, Cities, Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Providence, Montpelier , Vermont, South Carolina, IQAir North America

☆ The Arctic may be sea ice-free in summer by the 2030s, new study warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found Arctic sea ice could disappear completely during the month of September as early as the 2030s. The researchers analyzed changes from 1979 to 2019, comparing different satellite data and climate models to assess how Arctic sea ice was changing. They found that declining sea ice was largely the result of human-caused, planet-heating pollution, and previous models had underestimated Arctic sea ice melting trends. Arctic sea ice close the coast of Svalbard, Norway, April 5, 2023. There has already been a rapid loss of sea ice in the region, with September sea ice shrinking at a rate of 12.6% per decade, according to NASA.

Persons: –, ” Seung, Min, Lisi Niesner, ” Min, Mika Rantanen, ”, Rantanen, “ Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, Pohang University of Science, Technology, UN, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Finnish Meteorological Institute Locations: South Korea, Svalbard, Norway

☆ 1.5-degree climate threshold won't prevent 'significant harm,' scientists report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —For years, the world has been focusing on a key climate change threshold: limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But even at that threshold – which could begin to be breached within the next five years – millions of people will still face “significant harm,” including death, displacement and food and water scarcity, an international commission of researchers reported Wednesday. In a study published in the journal Nature, the panel of more than a dozen researchers integrated environmental justice – the idea that climate thresholds should minimize significant harm – with climate science. And they said that the key climate threshold nations pledged to meet in the Paris Agreement in 2015 – one that would ensure a “safe and just” world – should have been 1 degree Celsius. “We argue that there is no safe planet without justice,” Gupta said, underscoring that incorporating justice to the Earth system’s boundaries reduces significant harm to communities and individuals.

Persons: ”, Johan Rockström, Joyeeta Gupta, “, ” Gupta, Kim Cobb, ” Cobb Organizations: CNN, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research, Earth Commission, University of Amsterdam, Brown University Locations: Paris

☆ How Pacific Islanders in the US are keeping in touch with their culture through dance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“One, two, three,” Hernandez, founder of the Pacific Islander dance group Lei Pasifika, yells out. “It makes them less homesick.”According to the US Census Bureau, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were the fastest growing ethnic population in the US from 2020 to 2021. And in big cities with a large Pacific Islander presence, like New York, Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, many US-born Pacific Islanders as well as transplants are keeping their culture alive through dance. It’s a way for Pacific Islanders, especially young people, “to find themselves” and get connected with their ethnic identity and cultures, she notes. Mann says they noticed a growing number of Pacific Islanders, including those who aren’t Native Pacific Islanders but grew up in the islands, wanting to learn more about the culture and participate in dances.

☆ Walmart bans single-use bags in more stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart will eliminate single-use paper and plastic carryout bags at the register from stores in New York, Connecticut and Colorado this month. The company previously stopped giving out single-use plastic bags in New York and Connecticut and in some areas in Colorado. Plastic-bag bans reduce the number of these bags in stores and encourage customers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee for paper bags. In New Jersey, a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags has meant grocery delivery services have switched to heavy-duty bags. Reusable bags — cloth totes or thicker, more durable plastic bags — aren’t a perfect solution, either, unless they are actually reused.

☆ Whales can have an important but overlooked role in tackling the climate crisis, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much like the ocean, soil and forests, whales can help save humanity from the accelerating climate crisis by sequestering and storing planet-heating carbon emissions, researchers say. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, climate researchers suggest that whales are important, but often overlooked, carbon sinks. As the need grows for nature-based solutions such as tree planting to help solve the climate crisis, Pearson said it is important to understand the ability of whales to trap carbon. “You can think of protecting whales as a low risk and low regret strategy, because there’s really no downside,” Pearson told CNN. But there remain big gaps in knowledge to fully determine how whale carbon should be used in climate mitigation policies.

☆ Upgrading your phone every few years has a huge environmental impact. Here's how to make your device last longer.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Do you really need a new phone, or do you simply have the urge to get the new, shiny tech? The climate footprint of an average refurbished phone from Swappie in 2021 was 78% less than an average new phone, the company reported. A broken or malfunctioning phone can often be fixed through easy repairs that could cost less than replacing it. Apple this year opened its self-service repair store, providing manuals and parts for consumers seeking do-it-yourself fixes for their iPhones. If your phone is completely broken and cannot be sold or donated, you can still recycle it properly.

☆ Holiday gift giving is rife with waste. Here’s how to give greener, according to experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But the holidays are an opportunity to transition to a greener way of living, while also maintaining some level of creativity. But after the excitement is done, the leftover boxes, plastics and paper usually end up in greenhouse-gas-emitting landfills or waste incinerators. And the amount of plastic usually included with holiday presents is enormous, not only in the wrapping, packaging and shipping, but the products themselves. Use recycled or reusable wrapping paper: If you have old newspapers or recycled paper lying around, repurpose them for wrapping. Make homemade gifts: Instead of buying presents, be creative and devise do-it-yourself gifts, which can make it more personal.

☆ Mauna Loa eruption disrupts critical climate equipment used to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The longest-running climate equipment used to measure carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere lost power Monday evening and is currently not recording data because of Mauna Loa’s volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted early Monday morning for the first time in 38 years, sending lava flows cascading down slope, impacting the road used to access the Mauna Loa Observatory. The Keeling Curve graph comprises daily carbon dioxide concentration measurements taken at Mauna Loa since 1958. The fact that the tool has measured the changes of carbon dioxide levels for more than 60 years virtually uninterrupted has made it the authority source on the key greenhouse gas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also measures carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa using a different instrument.

☆ Natural vs. artificial Christmas tree: Which option is better for climate?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Christopher Dilts/Bloomber/Getty ImagesIt’s easy to imagine that reusing an artificial tree year after year is the more sustainable option. The American Christmas Tree Association, a nonprofit that represents artificial tree manufacturers, commissioned WAP Sustainability Consulting for a study in 2018 that found the environmental impact of an artificial tree is better than a real tree if you use the fake tree for at least five years. “Planting, fertilizing and watering were taken into account for real trees, which have an approximate field cultivation period of seven to eight years.”What are the benefits of real trees? Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesOn average, it takes seven years to fully grow a Christmas tree, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. About 15,000 farms grow Christmas trees in the US alone, employing over 100,000 people either full or part-time in the industry, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt CNN —Delegates from nearly 200 counties at the COP27 climate summit have agreed to set up a “loss and damage” fund meant to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters, in a landmark deal early Sunday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. And in previous public remarks, US Climate Envoy John Kerry had said loss and damage was not the same thing as climate reparations. “This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose houses are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders forced from their ancestral homes,” World Resources Institute CEO Ani Dasgupta said. Beyond 1.5 degrees, the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages will increase dramatically, scientists said in the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. On Saturday, EU officials threatened to walk out of the meeting if the final agreement failed to endorse the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

☆ A new Halloween candy has a sweet solution for food waste
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She is putting a new spin on the family business by attempting to tackle children’s nutrition, global food waste and the climate crisis with Climate Candy. You can get into the doorsteps, into the household, and get people talking about climate in just a very fun way.”FAVES Climate Candy. Courtesy Amy Keller/PurePlusAbout a third of all food is wasted globally, according to Project Drawdown, and that food waste accounts for roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Keller said Climate Candy offers a solution to the food waste problem because of the ingredients her company chooses. And I think it’s just something that could be nostalgic for that next generation.”Correction:An earlier version of this story misstated the ingredients in FAVES candy.

This season, they have gone on 28 flight missions for cloud seeding in Wyoming. This photo shows flares fixed on the aircraft's wing that house the silver iodide used for cloud seeding. Weather Modification International 2022Once the pilot flies into the storm, they ignite the cardboard casings full of silver iodide and “seed” the clouds. Their results, published in 2020 in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, managed to quantify how effective cloud seeding is. The amount of precipitation produced by cloud seeding — up to 10% — isn’t enough at all to quench the drought-stricken West.

“The government is obviously failing us and not protecting us,” said Taylor, who evacuated from St. John before Hurricane Ida hit. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes St. John and St. James as a community with high levels of Covid-19 transmission. Prior to Ida, at least 16% of residents in St. James Parish and St. John Parish were living below the poverty line, according to Census data. One of their biggest fights was against the Taiwanese plastics manufacturer Formosa, which was set to build a $9.4 billion petrochemical complex in St. James Parish. While the battle to block the multibillion-dollar facility isn’t over, Hurricane Ida added to the community’s problems.

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