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EartherClimate ChangeSiberia’s Newest Exploding Crater Has Been Mapped in 3D
For the first time ever, geologists have used an aerial drone to map the interior of a giant blowout crater, the likes of which have appeared with increasing regularity in Siberia. The resulting 3D model, along with other data collected during the survey, is bolstering the prevailing theory linking these bizarre holes in the tundra … Continued
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EartherClimate Change‘We Can’t Just Hope Symptoms Will Go Away’: The Mental Toll of Hurricanes on Kids
Mental health and natural disasters may seem like something that doesn’t need too much scientific research: It seems obvious that going through a terrifying hurricane, especially if you’re young and impressionable, could really mess a person up. But it looks like we may need to prepare more than we thought for helping kids weather some … Continued
By Molly Taft -
EartherClimate ChangeCalifornia Just Can’t Quit Fracking
California is often hailed as a leader of U.S. climate action due to its fuel efficiency standards, renewable energy goals, and other environmental regulations. It’s even made big, splashy announcements like ending new gas-powered car sales by 2035. But it also has a bad habit of continuing to expand fossil fuel extraction. On Tuesday, data … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Siberian Tundra Is Doing That Exploding Thing Again
The Siberian tundra is still out here exploding. A new study from the Woodwell Climate Research Center has identified three new craters in the region’s increasingly volatile permafrost, and the climate crisis is to blame. Researchers have been seeing giant holes form in western Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula for years. The first, discovered by workers back … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeElectric Vehicles Are Improving So Fast, Data on Using Them May Be Obsolete
This week, group of economists released an analysis that attempts to answer how much the average American drives their electric vehicle. While it shows people drove electric cars fewer miles than gas-powered ones, the results might not reflect the rapidly changing electric vehicle landscape. Currently, California, where roughly half the electric vehicle users in the U.S. … Continued
By Molly Taft -
EartherClimate ChangeWhy Setting a Clean Energy Standard Should Be Democrats’ Next Move
Prior to last month, the last time Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House was the early Obama years. And one of the signature failures of that period was a 2009 bill that would’ve created a national cap and trade program but ultimately never came to a vote in the Senate (it … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeWaiting to Address Climate Change Will Cost Trillions of Dollars
There’s really no good reason to wait to tackle the climate crisis, but especially when it comes to money. A new report offers yet more proof that the longer we wait, the higher that cost will be. The analysis by policy research firm Energy Innovation, published on Wednesday morning, examines two scenarios for reaching net-zero … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Empire State Building Runs on the Wind
One of the most iconic buildings in the world is running on clean electricity. On Wednesday, the company that owns the Empire State Building announced it had inked a deal to meet the electricity needs of not just that building but its entire portfolio with wind power. The Washington Post broke the story that the … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeExxon and Chevron Reportedly Considered Becoming an Oil-Stained Voltron
Oil companies have had a rough go since the pandemic sent their main product into a tailspin. In an effort to maintain dominance in a rapidly changing world, Exxon and Chevron, the two biggest oil companies in the U.S., apparently weighed a blockbuster merger. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday night that Darren Woods … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeHow the Departments of Energy and Transportation Could Revolutionize How We Get Around
As the largest greenhouse-gas emitting sector in the U.S., the transportation system must be overhauled in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. That means presumptive Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a big task ahead of him. But he won’t be alone in this task; President Biden is committing to center … Continued
Kelly L. Fleming -
EartherClimate ChangeJoe Biden Is Throwing the Weight of the Government Behind Electric Vehicles
President Joe Biden is using one of the most powerful tools at his disposal to speed up the electric vehicle transition: the purchasing power of the federal government. On Monday, he announced he’s phasing out the federal government’s use of fossil fuel-powered cars, replacing them with an all-electric fleet, during a briefing about his “Buy … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeTed Cruz Suddenly Pretends to Care About Pittsburgh
Human-shaped oil slick Sen. Ted Cruz would like you to know he thinks you are dumb. On Wednesday, just hours after President Joe Biden signed an executive order announcing his intent to rejoin the Paris Agreement, Cruz put out a statement condemning it. His “rationale?” That by signing the agreement, “President Biden indicates that he’s … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeJoe Biden Is Putting the U.S. Back in the Paris Agreement. Here’s What Comes Next.
On his first day in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden signed an array of executive orders to overturn several of the Trump administration’s most egregious environmental rollbacks. The third one he signed set the U.S. on course to rejoin the Paris Agreement. To rejoin the agreement, Biden’s administration will send a letter to the … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeLand Absorbs Carbon Now—But It Could Emit It in Just a Few Decades
The Earth is saving our asses right now by sucking up a large hunk of humanity’s carbon pollution. But we may not be so lucky for much longer. A new study in Science Advances on Wednesday warns that turning up the planetary heat is weakening the biosphere’s ability to protect us. More worrisome still, it … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeClimate Change Drove $75 Billion in Rainfall Damage Over the Past 30 Years
Extreme weather disasters are costing the country billions of dollars in damages each year. A new study from Stanford shows that over the past three decades, the U.S. has seen nearly $75 billion in damage from floods fueled by the climate crisis. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeGrasslands May Soon Produce More Greenhouse Gases Than They Sequester
The world’s grasslands are an essential carbon sink, and may even be more efficient at capturing atmospheric carbon than trees. But thanks to animal agriculture and fertilizer use, they’re now producing as much greenhouse gas pollution as they sequester, according to a new study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday. Grasslands themselves are exceptionally resilient to … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Senate Agrees to a Plan to Phase Out a Dangerous Greenhouse Gas
“Bipartisan climate policy” is a unicorn of phrases when it comes to Congress, let alone “bipartisan climate policy instructing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases.” Yet on Monday, this mythical creature appeared after senators agreed to include a plan to phase down production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, an extremely powerful greenhouse … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeSome Tropical Forests in Brazil Are Already Releasing More Carbon Than They Absorb
For years, climate scientists have been sounding the alarm about the increasing likelihood that the Amazon rainforest, now one of the biggest absorbers of carbon in the world, could actually become a source of carbon within just 15 years. New research shows that for some other kinds of tropical forests nearby, that’s already happening. That’s … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Climate Core of Joe Biden’s Cabinet Is Perfectly Fine
We now know the core group of people who will implement President-elect Joe Biden’s climate agenda. While Biden has promised an all-of-government approach (and he should certainly do that), the leaders of the agencies with the biggest say on climate and environmental rule making and R&D are set. They range from progressive champions like Rep. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeBuildings Are Becoming a Huge Source of Carbon Pollution
Carbon emissions from buildings reached an all-time high, according to a new United Nations report. In 2019, buildings were responsible for 9.95 gigatons of carbon—up from 9.7 gigatons in 2018—accounting for 38% of the world’s output of the planet-warming gas. The report, put out by the UN Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction on Wednesday, … Continued
By Dharna Noor