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☆ Midwestern Cities Will Have Highest Winter Heating Bills, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Residents of cities across the Midwest will be hardest hit by home heating costs this winter. A new study ranked US cities based on costs in relation to incomes, energy efficiency, and more. The study ranked heating expenses in the 500 biggest cities in the country based on several factors, including electricity and heating fuel costs relative to average income, home energy-efficiency, and things like weather and average home size and age. Cleveland and Flint have particularly energy inefficient homes, while Independence and St. Joseph ranked high on energy costs, the study reported. During the hot months, places like Florida and Georgia become the most unaffordable when it comes to HVAC costs, the study noted.

Persons: —, Joseph Organizations: Service, Midwest ., Midwestern, Puget, Census Bureau, Department of Energy, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Midwest, Springfield , Missouri, Cleveland , Ohio, Independence , Missouri, Flint , Michigan, St, Joseph , Missouri, Midwest . Cleveland, Flint, Independence, Northeastern, Southern, Central California, Washington State, Florida, Georgia

Globally, as many as 128,000 fishers face threats of violence, debt bondage, excessive overtime and other conditions indicative of forced labor, according to the U.N.'s International Labor Organization. U.S. and European companies are under increasing pressure to clean up supply chains in labor-intensive industries where worker abuse is widespread. But ZheJiang Hairong in a statement last year to the state-owned Fujian Daily claimed ownership of only five of the 10 vessels that would later appear on the Financial Transparency Coalition's list. Pingtan last year was sanctioned by the Biden administration over allegations of illegal fishing and labor abuse. The Financial Transparency Coalition scoured government reports, media accounts and complaints by advocacy groups to come up with a list of 475 individual vessels suspected of forced labor since 2010.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Beth Lowell, Pingtan, Biden, Fu Ting, Wanqing Chen Organizations: MIAMI, Financial, Coalition, D.C, Walton Family Foundation, AP, Associated Press, International Labor Organization . U.S, Force, Group, Seven, Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Fisheries Co, Pingtan Marine Enterprises, China National Fisheries Corp, Fujian Daily, New York Stock Exchange, Washington , D.C Locations: Washington, China, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, United States, U.S, Oceana, Panama, Belize, ZheJiang, Fujian, Washington ,, Beijing, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Homeowner insurance and climate have become major factors in real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Farmers Insurance deemed it too risky to continue insuring homes in Florida and pulled out of the market there entirely. The average cost for homeowners’ insurance in the United States is about $1,820, according to an analysis by NerdWallet, but there are many variables. As climate risks continue, a standoff has developed over who should pay the cost of insuring homes against ever-growing risks. And for many of the properties that are on the market you can’t obtain insurance? “We’ll have to see some creative solutions in the near term to create that competitive marketplace for insurance,” she said.

Persons: Michael Monaghan, Sellers, “, ’ ” Monaghan, ”, Monaghan, Will, Amy Bach, United, Hurricane Andrew, ” Bach, mitigations, Bach, Jennifer Branchini, Branchini Organizations: DC CNN, Coldwell, Allstate, . Farmers Insurance, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Hurricane, FAIR, California Department of Insurance, California Association of Realtors, State Farm, Farm, “ Locations: Washington, California, Bayside, ”, Florida, Monaghan, United States, “, San Francisco, “ Florida, Louisiana, WUI, Pleasanton

☆ Japanese scientists want to send a wooden satellite into space
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Murata wondered if he “could build a wooden house on the moon or Mars,” and decided to test the theory — by creating a wooden satellite. Wooden satellites would be better for the planet while still providing the same functionality as their metal counterparts, says Murata. Now, they are working with Japan’s space agency (JAXA) and NASA to send the prototype satellite, called LingoSat, into orbit early next year. Engineers at Kyoto University are building a wooden satellite that will be launched into space in a joint mission with JAXA and NASA. Finnish startup Arctic Astronautics designed the WISA Woodsat, a wooden satellite that was supposed to be launched into space in 2021.

Persons: that’s, Koji Murata, Murata, ”, It’s, Jari Mäkinen, ” Mäkinen, Yarjan Abdul Samad, Samad, Tatsuhito Fujita, Fujita Organizations: CNN, Kyoto University, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, “, JAXA, NASA, Murata, Engineers, Kyoto, NOAA, Astronautics, Khalifa University, United Arab Locations: Japan, East Asia, United Arab Emirates

☆ Cheesemakers are pushing back against France's strict rules as some say climate change is making it impossible to meet the traditional standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hotter and drier summers are making it harder for French cheesemakers to meet traditional standards. Cheeses that carry an AOP label, such as Camembert de Normandie and Roquefort, have to meet certain standards and quality levels. Now some cheesemakers are arguing those rules may need to be changed, as hotter and drier summers are killing some pastures. Other cheesemakers are experimenting to see how they can produce the same quality product and still meet the traditional rules, despite changes in the environment. French cheese is only the latest beloved food product threatened by climate change, which is making global food systems more vulnerable.

Persons: cheesemakers, French cheesemakers, Simon Bouchet Organizations: Service, New York Times, Times, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Georgia, France, French, Normandie, Roquefort, Alaska

☆ Canned tuna is a $40 billion industry. But it's facing some existential threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Valued at an estimated $40 billion, the tuna industry is a significant player in the global food sector. The industry is dominated by multinational companies such as Thai Union Group , the owner of Chicken of the Sea, and it faces some challenges. However, Thai Union is now confronting rising costs due to inflation and the war between Russia and Ukraine. What's more, the company faces existential threats to the industry including sustainability, climate change and illegal fishing. Watch the video above to learn more about the $40 billion tuna industry.

Organizations: National Oceanic, Administration, Thai Union Group, Thai Union Locations: U.S, Thai Union, Russia, Ukraine

☆ 2023 El Niño winter: New maps reveal who could see more snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

NOAA Climate.govThe map above depicts how much snow differs from average across all El Niño winters, regardless of El Niño’s strength. Snowfall during all stronger El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). The number of years with below-average snowfall during the 13 moderate-to-strong El Niño winters (January-March average) since 1959. Red shows locations where more than half the years had below-average snowfall; gray shows locations where below-average snowfall happened in less than half the years studied. On the map above, darker reds indicate areas that have experienced more years of below-average snowfall during moderate-to-strong El Niño winters.

Persons: Niño, There’s, “ El Niño, ” Michelle L’Heureux, Jon Gottschalck, Snow, El Niño Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Northeast Locations: El, California, Texas, Southwest, Washington, Baltimore, Northwest, Midwest, Northeast

☆ America's cities are vying for a hot new title: best place to ride out the coming dystopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew E. Kahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

For decades, cities have duked it out for titles like "best city for business" or "healthiest city in America," but now they're starting to compete for a new title: best place to ride out dystopia. While Sun Belt cities are working to mitigate these challenges, the increased risks also create an opportunity for once forgotten cities. The declaration has been followed up with investments in key areas — climate resilience was one of the four pillars that made up the city's four-year strategic plan released at the start of 2023. And the cities that could become climate havens have their weather downsides — Buffalo will still have some harsh winters, too. If Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and other cities succeed in their climate-resilience agendas, they will grow, attracting residents from more at-risk areas of the country.

Persons: Tesla, Byron Brown, Redfin, Matthew E, Kahn Organizations: Los Angeles, Fortune, Sun, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Association of Environmental, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FBI, Street Foundation, Pittsburgh, The New York Times, University of Southern, Hoover Institution Locations: America, West, Midwest, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Buffalo , New York, Detroit, USA, Florida, California, South, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Angeles County, Miami, Dade County, Lake Erie, Buffalo, Duluth , Minnesota, Grand Rapids , Michigan, Chicago, Northern, Pittsburgh, Rust, Los Angeles, University of Southern California

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Air pollution, a global scourge that kills millions of people a year, is shielding us from the full force of the sun. "It's this Catch-22," said Patricia Quinn, an atmospheric chemist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), speaking about cleaning up sulphur pollution globally. "If you implement technologies to reduce air pollution, this will accelerate – very significantly – global warming in the short term." The Chinese and Indian environment ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the effects of pollution unmasking. As the implications of the pollution unmasking become more apparent, experts are casting around for methods to counter the associated warming.

Persons: poring, Patricia Quinn, Paulo Artaxo, Xi Jinping, Xi, El, Yangyang Xu, Xu, unmasking, Laura Wilcox, COVID, Sergey Osipov, Michael Diamond, Jake Spring, David Stanway, Sakshi Dayal, Katy Daigle Organizations: U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, World Health Organization, U.S . Clean, National People's, China Meteorological Administration, El Nino, M University, Britain's University of Reading, India Meteorological Department, India, Clean, Programme, King Abdullah University of Science, Technology, Florida State University, Thomson Locations: India, China, Beijing, 10.34C, Texas, Chongqing, Wuhan, SO2, heatwaves, Xinjiang, INDIA, Europe, Northern China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Sao Paulo, Singapore, New Delhi

☆ Sea turtles laid a record 52,500 nests in Florida but 99% are female
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sea turtle nests hit record highs in Florida this year, tripling last year's numbers. Most new turtles are girls, because a turtle's sex depends on the temperature they sit in as an egg. Almost 99% of new turtles are female, which means future generations could be in trouble, Joel Cohen, the director of communication at the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, told Insider. How does this happen A newly-hatched baby sea turtle makes its way into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. So in a world that continues warming, the ratios of female to male turtles could continue to skew.

Persons: Joel Cohen, It's, Cohen, NASA's, Lucy Hawkes, " Hawkes, it's Organizations: Service, Preservation Society, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ABC News, University of Exeter, Reuters, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Florida's Miami South Beach, USA, Turtle Preservation, History, Carolinas Locations: Florida, Florida's Miami, Space

☆ Scientists predicted Earth's ozone hole would balloon in size this year, but now admit their calculations were wildly off the mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Seth Borenstein | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists predicted that we'd see a huge ozone hole over the Antarctic in 2023. From September to mid-October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: —, Paul Newman, Newman, NASA Goddard Organizations: Service, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, YouTube Locations: Tonga, North America, South America, Montreal

Instead this year’s ozone hole was about average size for the last 20 years, even a bit smaller than 2022’s, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From September to mid October, the ozone hole this year averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers), which is the 16th largest since satellites started tracking in 1979. It peaked this year at 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers), about the size of North America. The ozone hole and thinning ozone layer has improved a bit thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, when countries in the world agreed to stop producing many of the chemicals that deplete ozone, Newman said. The ozone hole was at its biggest in 2000 at nearly 11.6 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers), according to NASA data.

Persons: ”, Paul Newman, ” Newman, Newman, “, Seth Borenstein Organizations: NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Flight, Twitter, AP Locations: North America, South America, Tonga, Montreal

But within 12 hours, Lahaina was consumed. Robert ArconadoFROM GRASS FIRE TO INFERNOBefore the fire, a major forecast model used by the National Weather Service predicted a dire situation in Lahaina, according to data analyzed by The Times, with projected hurricane-force gusts of up to 76 miles per hour. OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII Forecast wind gusts Aug. 8, 4 a.m. 0 76 m.p.h. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBut rather than highlighting the risks in Lahaina, the weather service issued a broad warning for all the Hawaiian islands, and that warning never made reference to the 76 m.p.h. Instead, the initial warning to the public said gusts could be over 65 m.p.h., and that number was later lowered to around 60 m.p.h.

Persons: Robert Arconado, Cliff Organizations: National Weather Service, The Times, University of Washington Locations: Lahaina, OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII

☆ Hurricane Otis’ impact around Acapulco, Mexico remains unclear amid widespread communications outages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The outages have significantly limited authorities’ ability to survey or share the magnitude of Otis’ impact. Otis rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane – the area’s strongest storm on record – in just 12 hours. Residents survey damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Xaltianguis, Guerrero state, Mexico. The storm’s heavy rains are forecast to continue impacting the region through Thursday, possibly triggering flash flooding and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said. Residents survey damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis in Xaltianguis, Guerrero state, Mexico.

Persons: Hurricane Otis ’, Otis, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Laura Velázquez, Hurricane Otis, Alejandro Cegarra, El, CNN’s Karol Suarez, CNN’s Taylor Ward, Mary Gilbert, Ana Melgar, Claudia Rebaza, Rachel Ramirez Organizations: CNN, CFE, Service, ”, Bloomberg, Getty, National Hurricane Center, Mexican National Guard personnel, Infrastructure, Communications, Transportation, Otis, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Hurricane, Acapulco, Mexico’s Guerrero, Xaltianguis, Guerrero, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ Warm Winter Predicted for Northern U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Talal Ansari | Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Despite the predictions for a warmer winter, cities along the East Coast may see more snowfall than last year. Photo: John Minchillo/Associated PressA warmer-than-average winter is predicted for much of the northern U.S. this year, capping an unusually warm 2023 that broiled some cities. The warmer temperatures are expected to blanket parts of California and stretch across the northern U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report released Thursday. Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and northern New England are the most likely to see an unseasonably warm winter, the forecasters said. Much of the rest of the U.S. is expected to see near-normal temperatures.

Persons: John Minchillo Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: U.S, California, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England

Parts of the East Coast, particularly the Mid-Atlantic, may get more snow than normal because of that, he said. That means more rain in the South and extra storminess in the late winter, Gottschalk said. El Nino often means “unusual severe weather across the state of Florida because of a strong subtropical jet stream,” he said. He pointed to Washington’s paralyzing 2010 Snowmageddon storm that dumped more than 2 feet on the capital region during an El Nino. The Siberian snow cover, El Nino and other factors “indicate an overall mild winter,” he told The Associated Press.

Persons: there’s, Jon Gottschalk, ” Gottschalk, El, Gottschalk, El Nino, it's, ”, Judah Cohen, Cohen, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: El Nino, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Environmental Research, Associated Press, Twitter, AP Locations: United, America, East Coast, Tennessee , Missouri , Nebraska, Nevada, California, U.S, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England, Massachusetts, East, Tennessee, Texas , Kansas , Colorado , Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Lake Erie, Washington, United States, Florida, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Boston, Siberia, Boston , New York City, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Denver, New Mexico , Arizona , Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Mississippi, Alabama

☆ Ships Speeding Through US 'Go Slow' Zones Meant to Protect Endangered Whale -Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BOSTON (Reuters) - More than 80% of ships are speeding through "go slow" zones set by environmental regulators along the U.S. East Coast to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, according to a report released on Thursday by environmental group Oceana. Oceana said it analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% sped through voluntary slow zones. "NOAA Fisheries’ approach evaluates overall compliance based on the percent of the total distance traveled by AIS-equipped vessels in the speed zones at compliant speeds," it said. It pointed out that ships sometimes enter the zones above 10 knots before slowing down. Oceana said it used data from Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization founded by Oceana in partnership with satellite imagery providers SkyTruth and Google, to track ship speeds and locations.

Persons: Oceana, — it's, Gib Brogan, Richard Valdmanis, Sandra Maler Organizations: BOSTON, U.S ., Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, NOAA Fisheries, AIS, Fishing Watch, Oceana, Google Locations: U.S, U.S . East Coast, Oceana, East Coast

☆ Billions of Alaska snow crabs have starved to death because of ocean heat, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Billions of snow crabs have disappeared from the ocean around Alaska in recent years, and scientists now say they know why: Warmer ocean temperatures likely caused them to starve to death. “This was a huge heat wave effect,” Aydin told CNN. “When the heat wave came through, it just created a huge amount of starvation. Climate change has triggered a rapid loss in sea ice in the Arctic region, particularly in Alaska’s Bering Sea, which in turn has amplified global warming. “2018 and 2019 were an extreme anomaly in sea ice in the Bering Sea, something that we’d never seen before,” Szuwalski said.

Persons: “, ”, Cody Szuwalski, ” Szuwalski, Szuwalski, Kerim Aydin, ” Aydin, we’d Organizations: CNN, Alaska Department of Fish, Game, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, ” Locations: Alaska, Bering

☆ How El Niño will affect the weather this winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vehicles drive on the flooded Freeway 5 after an El Niño-strengthened storm brought rain to Los Angeles on Jan. 6, 2016. Lucy Nicholson | ReutersThe El Niño weather pattern is still active heading into the winter this year and it will mean the northern and far west portions of the U.S. will have a warmer-than-usual winter. El Niño, meaning "little boy" in Spanish, and La Niña, meaning "little girl" in Spanish, are opposite weather patterns driven by a change in the trade winds in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time in four years that El Niño has been active as winter begins, according to the NOAA. While El Niño rains will alleviate ongoing droughts in some regions, it may also drive the development of drought conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

Persons: El, Lucy Nicholson, El Niño, Jon Gottschalck, Brad Pugh, Pugh Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Rockies Locations: Los Angeles, El, U.S, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England, Gulf, Mississippi, Great Lakes, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana

☆ Ships speeding through US 'go slow' zones meant to protect endangered whale -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales skim feed and sub-surface feed in the waters off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S., March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOSTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - More than 80% of ships are speeding through "go slow" zones set by environmental regulators along the U.S. East Coast to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, according to a report released on Thursday by environmental group Oceana. North Atlantic Right Whales are on the brink of extinction, numbering just 340, with ship strikes among the top causes of death. Oceana said it analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% sped through voluntary slow zones. "NOAA Fisheries’ approach evaluates overall compliance based on the percent of the total distance traveled by AIS-equipped vessels in the speed zones at compliant speeds," it said.

Persons: Lauren Owens Lambert, Oceana, — it's, Gib Brogan, Richard Valdmanis, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, NOAA Fisheries, AIS, Fishing Watch, Oceana, Google, Thomson Locations: Cape Cod , Massachusetts, U.S, U.S . East Coast, Oceana, East Coast

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two deer struggling in the waters of southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage finally made it to land, thanks to two Alaska Wildlife Troopers who gave the deer a lift in their boat. The deer were floating down Clarence Strait about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) northwest of Ketchikan, but not toward any particular island, Freeman said. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe troopers stopped their 33-foot (10-meter) patrol vessel about 150 yards (137 meters) from the two deer, which saw the boat and headed toward it. Once in the boat, the deer shivered from their time in the cold water. It’s common to see deer swimming in southeast Alaska waters, going from one island to another; what's not common is to have deer swim up to a boat and try to get on it, Freeman said.

Persons: Mark Finses, Kyle Fuege, Justin Freeman, Freeman, ” Finses, “, ” Organizations: Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Associated Press, Clarence, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Ernest Sound, Ketchikan, Juneau, Clarence Strait

☆ Gray whales have been mysteriously washing up dead on the Pacific coast. Now scientists think they might have the answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gray whales have been dying off at an alarming rate since 2019. Scientists at Oregon State think the deaths could be due to melting sea ice, a new study says. Two other mass die-offs of gray whales occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, though those only lasted a couple of years; the latest is still ongoing. "Even highly mobile, long-lived species such as gray whales are sensitive to climate change impacts," Stewart said. And while he said we probably do not have to worry about extinction, we may have to simply get used to having fewer gray whales.

Persons: Gray, —, emaciation, Joshua Stewart, we've, Stewart Organizations: Oregon State, Service, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Mammal, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon Locations: Oregon, Mexico, Alaska, Baja, Oregon State

☆ Cocoa farmers face mounting challenges as El Nino rages on
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Quek Jie Ann | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Frequent extreme weather events caused by El Nino and climate change hurts cocoa production. According to the the latest El Nino-Southern Oscillation Outlook, El Nino is expected to last through January to March 2024, with a 71% chance it will intensify from November to January. An intensified and frequent El Nino effect could significantly reduce the amount of arable land for cocoa cultivation. watch nowAccording to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a high intensity El Nino may result in severe economic disruption across Africa. The financial cost of El Nino and climate change remains unquantified for Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.

Persons: Cristina Aldehuela, El, El Nino, Nino, Jonathan Haines, it's, Kerry Daroci, Daroci, That's, Steffany Bermudez, Bermudez Organizations: Afp, Getty, El, El Nino, Southern Oscillation, Gro Intelligence, CNBC, Cocoa, Rainforest Alliance, International Cocoa Organization ., West Africa's Cote d'Ivoire, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Economist Intelligence Unit, Cote d'Ivoire, West, Rainforest, International Cocoa Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, International Institute for Sustainable Development Locations: Asikasu, Ghana, El Nino, West, West Africa, Kerry, Brazil, Ecuador, International Cocoa Organization . Asia, Pacific, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, West Africa's Cote, Ivory, Ivory Coast, Africa, London, New York

The scientists found large whales such as humpbacks and North Atlantic right whales were among the most vulnerable to climate change, and that other toothed whales and dolphins were also at high risk. The scientists looked at the animals' degree of exposure to climate change and sensitivity and capacity to adapt to it. “The U.S. is one of the most data-rich countries when it comes to marine mammals, and those data should be driving what are arguably some of the world’s strongest laws to protect marine mammals," she said. But the way climate change affects the giant animals is global in nature, so the broader approach is helpful, she said. Climate change also could affect the distribution and behavior of marine mammals, the study states.

Persons: Matthew Lettrich, ” Lettrich, Regina Asmutis, Silvia, “, Laura Ganley, Ganley, ”, Gib Brogan, ” Brogan, Patrick Whittle Organizations: —, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Conservation, Anderson Cabot Center, Ocean, New, Aquarium, AP Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, U.S, North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Massachusetts, Boston, New England, United States, of Maine, Georgia, Florida, Canada, Oceana

☆ 2023 on track to be the hottest year as September shatters heat records
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Northern Hemisphere may be transitioning into fall, but there has been no let up from extreme heat. New data shows last month was the hottest September – the fourth consecutive month of such unprecedented heat – putting 2023 firmly on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. That’s well above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold to which countries aim to limit global warming under the Paris Climate Agreement. The extreme September “has pushed 2023 into the dubious honor of first place – on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial average temperatures,” Burgess said. The significant margin by which heat records are being broken matters, she told CNN.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Samantha Burgess, Paulo Amorim, Zeke Hausfather, Maximiliano Herrera, ” Herrera, Chris Ratcliffe, ” Burgess, El Niño, Friederike Otto, ” Otto Organizations: CNN, Bloomberg, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Grantham Institute, Climate, “, United Locations: Paris, Libya, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Canada, South America, York, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Austria, France, Europe, London, Dubai, United Nations, COP28

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