The Clim8
5.23.21-5.29.21
Watershed remarks: Planet expected to reach a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in temperatures by 2026 (UN News)
Within the next five years, the annual average global temperature is set to increase past 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the UN weather agency. The Paris Agreement previously determined that a temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius would be the target for all its member countries. The planet is on track to exceeding this set limit.
Silent but deadly: An increase in heat brought on by global warming is proving itself to be the deadliest effect of climate change (The Guardian)
Miami’s new chief heat officer Jane Gilbert urges for an increase in federal and state efforts against rising temperatures due to global warming. Gilbert is the first U.S. official to be purposed with the sole task of combatting heatwaves. Heat has been labelled the “silent killer” of climate change, as a recorded average of over 700 people are annually dying due to heat. Yet, an independent study documented that there are roughly 5,600 deaths each year, as a result of heat and its lethal effects.
Racing Against Climate Change: The 2021 Tokyo Olympics face obstacles as temperatures are projected to be dangerous to athletes (CNN)
This year’s Tokyo Olympics will observe extreme heat and intense humidity, creating health risks for athletes, as documented by the British Association for Sustainable Sport. The organization’s new report presents data that the average annual temperature in Tokyo is increasing at a rate three times as fast as the planet’s average. The study specifically focuses on how the triathlon, the marathon, tennis and rowing events could face negative impacts due to the warming climate.
Climate change may increase numbers of aquatic, brain and flesh eating pathogens (ABC News)
These dangerous pathogens, such as Naegleria fowleri and Vibrio vulnificus, have been found to thrive in our planet's warming waters. Being near impossible to treat, their effects are often lethal. As global temperatures continue to rise, warm weather periods are growing more intense and lasting for longer periods of time. As a result, these bacterium are only posing a greater and greater threat to the unaware swimmer.
Scientists say warming of Indian Ocean is intensifying cyclone season (The Guardian)
India's recent and devastating Cyclone Tauktae is just one example of the extreme weather occurrences that are growing more frequent in the region. Cyclones are more likely to form over warmer waters, and temperatures in the Arabian Sea have been recorded to reach as high as 88 F. With millions of Indians living in coastal areas, much of the nation's population is at risk as cyclones in the Indian Ocean's Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are only increasing in quantity and intensity.
European countries shift to using hydrogen-powered public transportation (Yahoo News)
As countries try to phase out the use of fossil fuels and carbon based energy, they are putting their faith in hydrogen power. Although there is much political support behind the use and development of green hydrogen power in the fight against climate change, hydrogen power is expensive and limited in supply. Still, finding an efficient way to use hydrogen power as a replacement for liquid and gas energy forms will prove to be helpful in reaching the globe’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
Read more about hydrogen power and hydrogen fuel cells here.
The guitar industry may have to convince guitarists to sacrifice “traditional sound” for sustainability as resource abundance dwindles (Phys)
The guitar industry has seemed to keep information about their timber supply chains secret for a while now, especially when their supply comes from places involved in environmental conflict. Many guitars use wood from only a few different species of trees. Because the trees used to make guitar parts are rare, the supply available is decreasing. As companies are forced to source other types of woods, musicians are having trouble trading the classic sound and tone of their guitars for a more sustainable and eco-friendly instrument. Musicians are becoming more environmentally friendly and are starting to embrace having a more diverse array of sounds coming from their instruments.
Check out these leading eco-friendly guitar brands.
Commonly sold fertilizers are found to contain potentially harmful “forever chemicals” that remain in the environment long after they are produced (The Guardian)
Sewage sludge is often treated and sold as home garden fertilizer at home improvement stores such as Home Depot across the US. Fertilizers that are made of sludge and biosolids often contain a chemical called PFAS. If used in home food gardens, PFAS, along with other pollutants in sewage, can be ingested, which is harmful because PFAS has been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer.