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EartherClimate Change‘We Are Not Prepared to Die’: Island Nations Push Ambitious Plan at UN Climate Talks
International climate talks in Katowice, Poland have been a bumpy ride from a wild U.S. event promoting fossil fuels to the host country decorating its pavilion with coal. A bloc of major fossil fuel producers that includes the U.S. has even tried to ignore a major scientific report warning of the dangers of unchecked climate … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
New Study Could Make It Harder for Trump’s EPA to Ignore the Dangers of Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases won’t just be the ruin of our planet; they’ll be the ruin of us. A study published Thursday reinforces just how endangered humans are due to climate change and the greenhouse gases driving the problem. The Environmental Protection Agency formalized the threat of greenhouse gases to humans through its so-called endangerment finding in … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
1,000 Organizations Have Pulled Their Money Out of Fossil Fuels in Major Milestone
There are a few levers of power that can shut down fossil fuel companies, one of which is to cut off their supply of money. And investors are starting to do just that in increasingly greater numbers. On Thursday, a new milestone was reached. A coalition of environmental groups who monitor divestment released a report … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
A Big Fight Over Waters in the U.S. Is Heating Up
The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers published the proposed text on Tuesday for how they want to define the “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS. This means changing the definition former President Barack Obama put forth when he expanded the WOTUS rule in 2015 to help protect more waters under the … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Climate Change Has Wiped Out Most of the World’s Oldest Sea Ice
There is no clearer sign of Arctic transformation than the age of its sea ice. Findings released on Tuesday show that ice has never been younger, and while humans may envy its youth, it’s an incredibly bad sign for the region. Rising air and ocean temperatures have sent old sea ice into a death spiral. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Permafrost Melt Could Destroy a Third of All Arctic Infrastructure, Affecting as Many as 4 Million People
All the glue that has held the Arctic together for millennia is being dissolved by climate change, right down to the ground beneath millions of people’s feet. Rising temperatures are melting frozen soil at an alarming clip with the changes visible before our very eyes today. But the future promises an even more dramatic shift … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
The Great Barrier Reef Is Becoming More Heat-Resistant—at a Price
In 2016 and 2017, disaster struck the world’s largest living structure: back-to-back heat waves caused half of all corals on the 1,400-mile-long Great Barrier Reef to die. But there’s a glass-half-full perspective on this grim news, which is that half of the reef’s corals—approximately 10 billion of them—are still alive. And they just went through … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherClimate Change
Protestors Shout Down US Pro-Fossil Fuel Event at International Climate Talks in Poland
International climate talks in Poland continued their ignominious march toward being completely ineffective. We’ve seen coal decking the halls and petro states refusing to recognize sound science. And then came Monday when the U.S. played the role of global troll by hosting a pro-fossil fuel event with an audience largely made-up of protestors. The event … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Oil Allies Refuse to Welcome Key Scientific Report at UN Climate Talks
In what is likely an unsurprising but no less troubling move, the oil alliance between Kuwait, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and, embarrassingly, the United States has intercepted the adoption of a key finding from the historic Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report at the United Nations climate talks—a move that is being chastised by many of … Continued
By Catie Keck -
EartherClimate ChangeStop Hating on Pantone’s New Color of the Year
On Thursday, the Pantone Color Institute announced its new color of the year. 2018, the year of ultra violet, will give way to 2019’s year of living coral. And because the internet, people got angry. Ambivalence about living coral popped up on Twitter as activists and scientists questioned if Pantone was being tone deaf choosing … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Major Scientific Society’s Decision to Honor Anti-Environment Senator Sparks Outcry
American’s largest annual Earth science conference doesn’t kick off until next week, but things are already getting heated. Members of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) are up in arms over the organization’s decision to give a prestigious award to Senator Cory Gardner, who in 2015 voted against a measure declaring human activity “significantly contributes to … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherClimate Change
After Five-Year Decline, Rich Countries’ Carbon Emissions Are Rising Again
Carbon pollution in advanced economies is on the rise after five years of falling. It was good effort while it lasted? The International Energy Agency made the announcement on Tuesday as countries from around the world gathered in Poland for coal-laden climate talks. The news doesn’t bode well for the climate, which could spiral into … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Poland Literally Filled an International Climate Change Conference With Coal
International climate talks are off to an inauspicious start in Poland. They began on Sunday in Katowice, a small city in the heart of Polish coal country, and are already a strong contender for the most tone-deaf meeting in 24 iterations of the UN climate change conference known as the conference of the parties (COP). … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Plan to Get the US Off Fossil Fuels Is Gaining Steam
The Green New Deal continues to gain momentum ahead of the next Congress. A combination of incoming and current Democratic representatives and activists kept the pressure going on Friday, announcing new supporters and a day of action before Congress takes off for the year. The number of Democrats calling for a select committee that could … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
A Daily Caller Article Gave the EPA Ammo to Lie About the National Climate Assessment
The Environmental Protection Agency press shop was an abomination under Scott Pruitt. And it’s not much better under Andrew Wheeler. On Wednesday, the EPA put out a press release attempting to smear the National Climate Assessment, the landmark federal report that clearly lays out the choices the U.S. faces when it comes to climate change. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
The Democrat Who Flipped a Republican Stronghold by Running on Climate Change
The 2018 midterms were a mixed bag for the environment, with some key ballot initiatives failing but several environment-friendly candidates winning their elections. One of those candidates hails from Orange County, California, long considered to be a center of Republican power. In CA-49, previously held by controversial Republican Darrel Issa, Democrat Mike Levin flipped the … Continued
David Shiffman -
EartherClimate Change
Coal Companies Are Sponsoring a Major Climate Conference in Poland Because This Is Our World Now
The world is set to meet in Poland next week to talk about how it can improve on the Paris Agreement and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The best way to do that is end the use of fossil fuels, so naturally the conference’s hosts have announced that coal companies will be partners. The United Nations … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Trump’s Latest Talking Points on Climate Change Will Make Your Brain Hurt So Bad
Last week, federal scientists released their damning new National Climate Assessment, which warned that if action is not taken to stop global climate change, the U.S. will suffer greatly from consequences including dwindling water supplies, sea-level rise, epidemics, natural disasters, and billions of dollars in damages. It also noted that storms, wildfires, floods, hurricanes and … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherClimate Change
The White House Talking Points About the National Climate Assessment Are Demonstrably False
The White House tried to hide the National Climate Assessment by releasing it on Black Friday. That plan failed. Stories continue to surface and reporters continue to ask questions about the report’s stark findings. Unfortunately, those questions have been answered with lies. Republicans have trotted out the usual zombie climate denier talking points. But the … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
The Trump Administration’s New Climate Report Shows Just How Shortsighted and Dangerous Its Border Policies Are
The militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border is one of the defining aspects of the Trump administration. So is climate denial. The two have intersected uncomfortably in the past week. On Friday, the administration attempted to bury a major climate report that including a troubling look at how climate change could cause more human suffering and … Continued
By Brian Kahn