EartherClimate Change

2019 Was the Second-Hottest Year on Record

If you lived on Earth last year, you knew it was freaking hot. Now the scientists have confirmed it. In fact, 2019 was the second hottest year on record, according to data the European Copernicus Climate Change Service released Wednesday. “2019 has been another exceptionally warm year, in fact, the second warmest globally in our … Continued

Earther

2019 Was a Horror-Show Year for Weather

Violent weather has become one of the hallmarks of modern life as climate change pushes our planet into a new, more volatile state. And unfortunately, 2019 was a painful reminder of that. Severe storms, wildfires, and cyclones have left communities around the world to deal with damage that could, at least in some cases, never … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Beer, Rich People, and Racing Horses All Made Out Better Than Renewable Energy in Congress’ Budget

The House approved a 1.4 trillion spending package on Tuesday, which extended a slew of expiring and expired tax breaks. Lots of environmentalists are pissed because it barely did anything for renewable energy. Tax breaks for onshore wind energy got a yearlong extension, but offshore wind and solar didn’t get shit. Well, we at Earther … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Study: Massive Blowout at Gas Well in 2018 Spewed 5 Times as Much Methane as ExxonMobil Estimated

Research published this week shows that the blowout of an ExxonMobile-owned natural gas well in Belmont County, Ohio in February 2018 released a hell of a lot more methane than previously thought. Per CNN, Dutch and American scientists published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday that used satellite … Continued

EartherConservation

Save the Whales—But Actually

Environmentalists have been demanding that we save the whales for decades. The phrase has been printed ad nauseam on so many buttons and t-shirts and bumper stickers that it’s practically a joke. But we should probably listen to them. Great whales are not only fascinating and cute as hell, they also keep carbon out of … Continued

EartherClimate Change

PG&E Fails to Have Law Holding It Liable for Billions in Wildfire Damages Thrown Out

California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, was burned by the courts in an attempt to reduce its liabilities from wildfires in 2017 and 2018 linked to its faulty electrical grid on Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. PG&E declared it was filing for bankruptcy earlier this year after those fires resulted in dozens of … Continued

EartherConservation

The Amazon Is Fucked Under Brazil’s President, New Data Confirms

For months, the world has watched in collective horror as the Amazon rainforest has been burned down under the watch of Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. New data released Monday now puts the devastation in context. This year’s assault on the Brazilian Amazon resulted in the worst bout of deforestation in a decade. And compared … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Report: University of Iowa Faculty Told Not to Promote Greta Thunberg Visit on School Social Media

University of Iowa officials have told faculty at the school that they should not promote 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg’s surprise appearance at a Friday climate strike in Iowa City on its social media channels, according to a report in the Gazette. UI civil and environmental engineering professor Michelle Scherer, who is also the … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Tropical Storm Dorian Could Pose the First Cyclone Threat to Puerto Rico Since Maria

On Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center issued a forecast with words nobody on Puerto Rico wants to see: hurricane watch. Tropical Storm Dorian ripped across Barbados and the Eastern Antilles islands on Monday night and emerged on the other side with winds around 50 mph. The storm is expected to strengthen as it churns … Continued

Tech News

Galaxy Note 10+, Alternate Internets, and Bernie’s Climate Plan: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

This week at Gizmodo, we took a long, hard look at what could have been with our Alternate Internet series, cataloging some of the ways the web could have been different—or still could be. While we didn’t have the time to write a sweeping, The Wheels of Time-length series on what would happen if I … Continued

Earther

The U.S. Is Set to Roast This Week Under a Potentially Record-Setting Heat Wave

The only thing worse than the hottest time of summer is a heat wave on top of the hottest time of summer. And lo and behold, that’s exactly what the eastern U.S. is to deal with. A powerful heat dome coupled with disgustingly moist air will envelop the country from the Rockies to the Eastern … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Why Is It Raining so Much This Year?

The atmosphere has been heaving rain at the eastern U.S. like kids lob water balloons at a water fight. The never-ending barrage of rain has left the Midwest flooded, the Gulf of Mexico primed for a huge dead zone, and New Yorkers who walk everywhere stuck with perennially soggy shoes. And the rain won’t stop … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Seals With Sensors Help Solve the Mystery of Antarctica’s Giant Sea Ice Hole

Scientists studying the vast, remote waters encircling Antarctica frequently enlist the help of elephant seals, sticking sensors on their heads that collect data on temperature and salinity. Now, these flippered field assistants, along with robotic floats that collect similar intel, have been conscripted to help solve an icy mystery. For the past few years, researchers … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Scientists Just Installed the World’s Highest Weather Station in Mount Everest’s ‘Death Zone’

Scientists announced on Thursday that they successfully installed five automated stations, including the highest weather station in world, on Mount Everest’s flank. At 27,658 feet (8,430 meters) above sea level, the station is set to record some of the harshest weather anywhere on Earth. And with a satellite connection, anyone can monitor the weather in … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Why Are There So Many Tornadoes Right Now?

This has been a spring of angry weather across the U.S. as heat, flooding, and hail pummel the eastern half of the country. But along with the garden variety suffering, devastating tornadoes have also spread across the U.S. from Texas to Pennsylvania. Twisters have ripped through communities across the U.S., killing at least three in … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Powerful Cyclone Bears Down on India, Forcing Millions to Evacuate

Cyclone Fani is bearing down on India and has forced the largest evacuation in the country’s history as millions flee from the coast. The storm formed in the Bay of Bengal earlier this week and has been gathering steam ever since as it stalks India’s east coast. It’s expected to make landfall on Friday packing … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Steve King Tells Iowans Hit By Flooding Not to Worry Because Maybe All That Rain Will Make Deserts Green

On Tuesday, parts of downtown Davenport, Iowa dramatically flooded after temporary flood barriers failed to stave off the gushing Mississippi River—which has crested to near record-setting levels in parts of Iowa and Illinois after hard-hitting snowfall this winter and heavy rain (such as that bomb cyclone in March). It’s part of a particularly bad flood … Continued

EartherClimate Change

World’s Oldest Rainforest Is Being Cooked to Death by Climate Change, Authorities Warn

Australia can’t seem to catch a break. The Great Barrier reef is still limping along after being ravaged by heat waves two to three years ago, while the people of Australia just sweated through their hottest summer on record. Now, authorities are warning that the endless heat has placed a world-class rainforest in grave danger. … Continued

EartherEarth Science

The Ocean’s Biggest Waves Seem to Be Getting Even Bigger

Our world is getting wavier—and not in a good way. New findings published in Science this week suggest that in the Southern Ocean, the world’s tallest waves are now nearly a foot taller than they were in 1985. Towering walls of water have seen similar height increases in parts of other oceans as well, riding on … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Flooded Parts of the Midwest Could Be Hit With Major Snow This Week

I regret to inform you that winter is not, in fact, over. A powerful storm is set to spin up in the Midwest this week. And if you’re getting deja vu looking at the weather map up top, you’re not alone. The swirling mass of air forecast to blast the region with blustery winds, snow, … Continued