Weekly Climate News

April 15, 2021 

• Non-fungible tokens, a new blockchain technology, have been found to have a large environmental impact. 

• Many cyclists are unhappy about a new rule change that ends the tradition of tossing water bottles to fans during races. 

• The Muldrow Glacier in Alaska is moving up to 90 feet a day, 100 times faster than its normal pace. 

• A cyclone hit Indonesia, leaving over 160 people dead from flash floods and landslides. Many are claiming the Indonesian government’s recent rollback of environmental protections worsened the crisis. 

• Japan’s recent approval of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has been met with fierce opposition. 

• Despite a slow economy resulting from COVID-19, greenhouse gases are currently on the rise. 

• The proposal for the construction of a controversial biomass power plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, was revoked by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. 

• CACTO claims to be the first “carbon negative fashion company in the Americas” because it removes more atmospheric carbon than it produces through the manufacturing of its cactus leather products.

Weekly Climate News

Jan. 28, 2021

• An earthquake hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, causing buildings to collapse and leaving 42 people dead.

• One-third of American rivers have turned green as a result of human activity since 1984. Only 5 percent are now considered blue.  

• Newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out a slew of environmental policies and climate change goals, including canceling the Keystone Pipeline and rejoining the Paris Agreement. 

• America’s greenhouse gas emissions plummeted more than 10 percent in 2020.  

• Earth is reaching serious climate tipping points.

• European Union foreign ministers called for an end to financing fossil fuels. 

• 2020 is tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, and Earth is now committed to a 2-degree hotter future. 

• As a result of our changing climate, land ecosystems have been found to become less absorbent of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, recent research suggests that trees may become carbon sources rather than carbon sinks.

• Women in Kenya are claiming more land rights, a significant step forward, as women’s involvement in decisions about land use and resource allocation is essential to slow down climate change.  

Weekly Climate News

September 24, 2020

• China recently announced a plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, a significant step forward for global climate action. 

• The U.K. is currently developing plans on climate action before U.N. climate talks to be held in Glasgow during the first two weeks of November, but has been challenged by a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. 

• Forest clearance in Indonesia has spiked during the global pandemic as travel restrictions have stopped environmental law enforcement. 

• Arctic sea ice reaches second-lowest ice coverage ever recorded, higher only than measurements from 2012. 

• 1 percent of the world is currently living in hot zones and by 2070, that could increase to 19 percent. Read this article about what this means for the population through an exploration of climate migration.  

• Some U.S. cities are planning “green recoveries” after COVID-19. Read about it here. 

• A newly released book on climate titled “All We can Save” highlights women climate leaders and offers solutions and encouragement. 

• A new data tool by NASA provides near real-time monitoring of forest fires and could  completely change the maintenance of blazes, particularly in the Amazon. 

• BP and other European oil companies have invested billions in the renewable energy sector, while many U.S. companies like Exxon and Chevron commit to fossil fuels. Read this article on why these companies have chosen divergent stances on climate change.