By Violet, Quincey & Rhea
The Clim8
01.10.21-01.16.21
Overheated forests will soon release more carbon than they absorb (Inside Climate News)
Forests aren’t re-growing, canopies are thinning, and sudden die-offs of trees are occurring due to global warming. New research presents that the overheated climate is expected to change the fundamentals of forests worldwide. The same study suspects that by 2040 forests will absorb half as much carbon dioxide as they do now, if temperatures continue to rise.
Oceans everywhere are being polluted by microplastics from clothing (CNN Climate)
Laundering clothes and industrial wastewater release microfiber strands into the oceans. 92% of microplastic particles are synthetic fibers, mostly polyester, according to a study published by Nature Communications. The Arctic region is considered extremely vulnerable to climate change, and there are large concerns on how the polyester fibers that flow to the Arctic will affect the ecosystem. Studies have found microplastics in the stomachs of fish and birds, and these particles can eventually enter the guts of humans.
Carbon storing may be the only way to reach climate goals and halt global warming. (The Guardian)
Despite backlash from environmentalists and green groups, scientists say storage technology for capturing CO2 emissions may be the only way to save industries from the impact of climate change and stop global warming even if net emissions went below zero.
Planting bamboo across North America may help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (Inside Climate News)
Scientists are suggesting that planting mass amounts of bamboo plants could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and act as successful carbon sinks. As bamboo cultivators such as Daphne Lewis and Darryl Thomas begin to develop their practice, the possibility of the bamboo industry growing could have a substantial carbon impact and become an innovative step in the right direction for combating climate change.
A new UN report urges countries to start taking legitimate action against climate change (UN News)
Countries around the world have pledged and set goals to reduce carbon emissions in efforts to stop the warming of our planet, but a new UN report shows that actual action and adaptation to achieve these goals is proving to be financially taxing and difficult for countries to implement. Without global commitment towards efforts to reduce global temperature rises and carbon emissions, the impacts of climate change will only worsen and disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.
Yale Survey finds majority of American voters support climate change reforms (New York Times)
66% of voters agree we need to find sources of renewable energy and 53% believe that climate change should be a top priority for the government. While higher percentages of democrats support these climate measures than republicans due, the results of this survey show that, contrary to the current administration’s adamant denial of science, the vast majority of the US recognizes that climate is an issue that must be acted upon.
In "The New Climate War," Michael Mann points out that not all climate activism is productive (Science News)
Too much emphasis on individuals’ carbon footprints and overly ambitious eco-friendly engineering undertakings can be harming more than they are helping. What people need to be focusing on right now is keeping emissions under control and embracing on a future full of renewable energy.
Scientists discover the ancient Taíno people of the Caribbean may have built their "stilt houses" to adapt to the changing climate (Eos)
While the civilization itself is now gone, evidence of the Taíno’s unique houses still remains. New research, which involves analysis of soil samples in the area, reveals that these structures were built to combat storm surges, a drastic effect of climate change, even hundreds of years ago, on the island community.