The Clim8
01.24.21-01.30.21
Disturbances to polar vortex lead to unprecedented cooling (The New York Times)
These cold blasts can affect Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, hitting them with extreme low temperatures and heavy snowstorms.
Biden signs several climate change bills in one day (The Guardian)
These policies include working towards banning oil and gas drilling on public land, protecting much of America’s land and ocean, and a move towards battery-powered trucks for government operations. These actions are a far cry from the Trump administration’s denial of the science of climate change.
Scientists urge nations to make tree planting a top priority (BBC News)
Replanting trees and entire forests lost to deforestation is an important step in tackling climate change, but tree planters must be cautious of where and how they plant trees to ensure that their planting does not have negative effects on the environment.
A recent study shows that methane emissions from coal mines may be much higher than originally estimated (phys.org)
The American Geophysical Union recently presented research showing that methane emissions from coal mines are higher than previous estimated, partially due to abandoned mines that continue to freely emit greenhouse gasses.
Winter glaciers are entering melting season earlier, resembling spring and summer like conditions in the middle of winter (NASA Earth Observatory)
Glaciologists have found the glaciers have begun to melt year round due to climate change. A lack of snowfall during the normal winter season and the summer monsoon season were factors in the reduced amount of lasting snowfall near Mount Everest.
Similar to abandoned coal mines, abandoned oil wells are emitting tens of thousands of tons of methane (Oil Price)
Across just the US and Canada, around 4 million abandoned oil and gas wells are contributing to the emission of methane into the atmosphere. These methane emissions were reported to the UN but scientists worry that about half a million more undocumented wells are not being accounted for.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power cuts off the free water it was providing for irrigation purposes to farmers in rural areas (LA Times)
The farmers impacted by the LADWP’s decision angered ranchers and alarmed officials and environmentalists who recognize that a lack of water in pastures increases the risk of wildfires. Mono Country and the Sierra club filed a joint lawsuit agains the LADWP citing a lack of consideration for the negative environmental effects of the policy.
A majority of the world's populations sees climate change as a fixable emergency (VOX)
According to the UN’s People’s Climate Vote, more than two thirds of the world’s population believes that climate change is an emergency and that it can be fixed with conservation efforts, renewable energy, eco-friendly farming methods, and by providing affordable insurance to protect people from extreme weather events