Weekly Climate News

April 8, 2021

  • Flooding in Australia has forced over 20,000 people to evacuate and over 150 schools to close down. 

  • The journal Geophysical Research Letters published a new study that shows summer in the Northern Hemisphere is lengthening. As a result of climate change, by the end of the century, summer could extend by nearly six months. 

  • Pope Francis made an appeal for humanity to face climate change by quoting Shakespeare, writing, “To see or not to see, that is the question.”

  • Human activity is currently responsible for degrading two-thirds of Earth’s tropical rain forests. Read more about it here.

  • A NASA study has confirmed that human activities are shifting Earth’s energy budget, as more energy from the sun is being trapped than can escape back into space.

  • A recent experiment found that coffee pulp, left over from the coffee making process, can aid in the regrowth of forests. 

  • The Biden administration announced an expansive offshore wind plan that would install enough wind turbines on the East Coast to power 10 million American homes. 

  • How is climate change affecting major league baseball? Read this article to find out.

‘Our Voices, Our Platforms’: A Green New Deal virtual town hall with Senator Edward Markey and Carmen Yulín Cruz

‘Our Voices, Our Platforms’: A Green New Deal virtual town hall with Senator Edward Markey and Carmen Yulín Cruz

Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey and Carmen Yulín Cruz, former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and current Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman distinguished fellow in leadership at Mount Holyoke College, met in conversation for a virtual webinar-style town hall on April 7 at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The town hall was the second of the “Our Voices, Our Platforms” series, created through a collaboration of the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Miller Worley Center for the Environment with co-sponsored support from the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives and the Division of Student Life. The event included questions from current Mount Holyoke College students.

Environmental considerations in grounding of Ever Given

Environmental considerations in grounding of Ever Given

On March 23, the 1,312-foot-long container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal is a human-made waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean and Red seas, providing the shortest maritime route from Asia to Europe. The Ever Given blocked the canal for six days, leaving more than 400 ships stranded.

New study finds bottom trawling emits carbon dioxide equivalent to airplanes

New study finds bottom trawling emits carbon dioxide equivalent to airplanes

The ocean covers over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and acts as a major heat and carbon sink. Despite the role it plays in mitigating climate change, it bears the brunt of our warming planet, with impacts heavily felt by marine species and ocean ecosystems. A recent study published in the scientific journal Nature found that bottom trawling emits as much carbon dioxide annually as airplanes. Bottom trawling is notorious for causing damage to ecosystems, as various forms of marine life are caught unintentionally in nets.

Weekly Climate News

March 25, 2021 

  • Many companies are advocating for the profitability of conservation, sustainable fishing and carbon sequestration. 

  • Research has found that farmed fish are consuming more vegetables than wild fish stocks. 

  • Flooding in Australia has forced about 20,000 Australians to evacuate and has caused the closure of over 150 schools. 

  • In the face of political turmoil, COVID-19 and economic crisis, Lebanon is becoming more ambitious in its climate policy with the goal of cutting carbon emissions 20 percent by 2030. 

  • A new NASA satellite has been designed to track natural disasters, melting ice and other climate change-related effects. 

  • A new study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters indicates that summer in the Northern Hemisphere is lengthening. In response to global heating, the end of the century could see the extension of summer by nearly six months. 

  • NASA has recently joined the White House National Climate Task Force. 

  • Tropical rainforest used to cover 13 percent of Earth’s surface. Today, 34 percent of that area is gone while an additional 30 percent is degrading.

COVID-19 reveals the relationship of climate change with public health

COVID-19 reveals the relationship of climate change with public health

As the world contends with over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stability of environmental systems on health, well-being and quality of life have been brought to global attention. The pandemic has shown that public health hinges on the effectiveness of numerous medical, biological and ecological systems. These systems will change further as our planet continues to warm in response to environmental degradation and increasing carbon dioxide levels.

A year in review: COVID-19 impacts the environment

The past year has shown how public health crises can become woven into every aspect of our world, including the environment. The following events showcase how both natural and built environments have become interconnected with COVID-19.

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