By Violet, Quincey & Rhea
The Clim8
12.03.20-12.09.20
In South Asia pregnant women who have been exposed to bad air quality have an increased risk of pregnancy failures (CNN)
Roughly 349,681 pregnancy losses each year in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan were linked to air pollution, according to a study conducted by researchers. The study presents that if these countries had met India’s air quality standard, seven percent of the pregnancy losses could have been prevented. Other research determined that pollution can reach a woman’s placenta and even the fetus in the womb.
Platypuses are disappearing due to damaged waterways, land clearing and climate change (The Guardian)
Platypuses are at risk of extinction, and their loss is going unnoticed in part due to their nocturnal nature. Climate change can worsen droughts, drying out the freshwater bodies platypuses need to survive. Australia’s platypus habitat has declined by 30%, according to research.
World leaders will hold a virtual climate summit on Monday (Aljazeera)
The One Planet Summit, hosted by France, the United Nations and the World Bank, aims to organize UN biodiversity conversations that were postponed due to COVID-19. The biodiversity discussions where roughly 200 nations will participate in creating new goals for preserving ecosystems are expected to take place in China this October.
Decreased humidity levels in urban areas (The Guardian)
Although urban areas are highly populated, they make up a small geographical portion of our planet making climate data unrepresentative of cities and urban areas. Temperature rises in cities have been found to be higher than in rural areas meaning that cities may need to plan and take more drastic measures to fight rising temperatures.
While 2020 was tied for hottest year on record, the natural disasters brought on by climate change set it apart (CNN)
Although 2020 was ranked the second warmest year recorded in November, by the end of December, as temperatures continued to rise, 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record. This alarming statistic was accompanied by the disastrous climate events of 2020 (check our 2020 Review post for more) and greenhouse gas concentration levels setting new records.
Loss of glaciers has cascading effects on ecosystems (InsideClimate News)
As temperatures rise and mountain wildfires burns, the snow covers on mountains have been melting causing a change in mountain river flows and endangering surrounding ecosystems. Melting glaciers also increases risks of avalanches, flooding, and rockslides to mountain communities.
Warming Arctic climate is weakening the ice (BBC)
Naturally formed arches made of ice in the Arctic that act as a sort of dam are at risk of melting as rising global temperatures warm the Arctic climate. Scientists hope that if the goals of the Paris climate agreement are implemented, some of the oldest ice in the arctic could be preserved.
Temperature rise throughout 2020, one of the hottest years on record, led to unusual and extreme climate events (Inside Climate News)
Unexpected climate occurrences in 2020, such as heating during La Niña’s cooling phase, warming in the Arctic, and the acceleration of sea level rise, reflect why last year was one of the hottest years on record.