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EartherClimate Change
Australia’s Terrifying Bushfires Remind Us Climate Change Is Here
Bushfires are raging through southeastern Australia and have possibly killed hundreds of koalas at one nature reserve. This comes as firefighters finally contain California’s Kincade Fire in Wine Country and as Friday marks the first anniversary of the deadly Camp Fire in California. Climate change is affecting all parts of the globe, and it appears … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
A Year After Paradise Burned, What Comes Next Is Still a Mystery
PARADISE, Calif. — Paradise is a town of negative space, a looking glass projecting what was and what will be. A year ago this week, the Camp Fire reduced the majority of the town to rubble in a few short hours. It spurred the greatest debris cleanup in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It’s … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Thanks, Greta: ‘Climate Strike’ Is a Word of the Year
2019 is about to wrap, which means dictionaries are choosing their words of the year. For Collins Dictionary, “climate strike” took the prize. The dictionary, which is based in Scotland, announced its list Thursday, giving credit for the word’s takeoff this year to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg is a teen who in August 2018 … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
‘We Won’: Saving the World Starts With Local Elections
Tuesday night was a major win for climate advocates. And it was a much-needed reminder on the power of local elections in moving forward climate policy—especially in the age of Donald Trump. The president is doing a damn good job of destroying the environment. He’s not only begun to roll back key environmental protections, but … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
The Police Can’t Stop London’s Fearless Climate Protestors
Londoners better get ready, because Extinction Rebellion is back in business, baby. The High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that a ban the Metropolitan Police Service of U.K. implemented in London last month was illegal. That means the climate activist group can sue the Metro for trying to restrict their right to protest nonviolently. The drama … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Hero Politician Shuts Down Heckler With ‘OK Boomer’ During Climate Speech in New Zealand
Chlöe Swarbrick, a 25-year-old member of New Zealand’s parliament, was interrupted by another politician while giving a speech about climate change on Tuesday. And rather than stop everything to address the heckles, she did what anyone of her generation has learned to do when confronted with climate deniers. She said “OK Boomer” and moved on. … Continued
By Matt Novak -
EartherClimate Change
Breaking: Earth Hot
October is a time for pumpkin spice lattes, scarves—and record-breaking heat. Yup, October 2019 was the hottest October ever documented, but c’mon, does that surprise anyone anymore? The Copernicus Union Climate Change Service managed by the European Union announced these findings Tuesday, noting that this year’s October was 0.69 degrees Celsius warmer than the global … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Thousands of Scientists Declare a Climate Emergency
It only Tuesday, but more than 11,000 scientists around the world have come together to declare a climate emergency. Their paper, published Tuesday in the journal Bioscience, lays out the science behind this emergency and solutions for how we can deal with it. Scientists aren’t the first people to make this declaration. A tribal nation in the … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Bye Bye, Paris Agreement
The White House began its formal process to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement on Monday. It comes as no surprise—seemingly everyone has been biting their nails, staring at their screen waiting on the announcement. Though Donald Trump said back in June 2017 that he’d take this grave step, his administration couldn’t … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
The Paris Agreement Isn’t Enough to Stop the Seas From Devouring Our Coasts
A new study shows us that the Paris Agreement won’t be enough to stave off rising sea levels—even if world leaders actually step up to the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Monday, the study shows that our efforts will lock in a meter … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
1,000 Google Employees Are Sick of Their Bosses’ Half-Assed Climate Efforts
Google—a company headquartered on Earth—has not always been keen to cave to the demands of its increasingly vocal and organized staff. Nonetheless, 1,000 Googlers have now signed a letter seeking to force the company to reckon with its role in accelerating climate change, a thing that would seem to be a no-brainer. Within the burgeoning … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
EartherClimate Change
This Perfect Shitstorm Crystallizes the Climate Crisis We Face
On Wednesday, Chile announced it would no longer host an international climate conference despite it being a little more than a month out. The move comes as protests over inequality roil the country. The only reason the conference was scheduled in Chile in the first place is that Brazil backed out of holding it after … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Switching to Renewables May Spur Trillions Dollars Worth of Benefits in US
The costs of installing renewable energy are far outweighed by the health benefits they would unlock, according to a new study. Those benefits could add up to upwards of $2.2 trillion. Published in the journal Environmental Research Letters on Tuesday, the study looks at how transitioning away from fossil fuels—which spew nasty junk such as … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
South Africa Rations Water As it Tries to Avoid ‘Day Zero’ Again
South African residents are being urged to use their water sparingly as hot, dry weather pushes the country toward another water shortage. The South African Minister of Human Settlements, Water, and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu made the announcement Monday at a press conference to address the issue. Sound familiar? Last year, Cape Town saw a similar … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
This Fake Green New Deal Ad Perfectly Illustrates Facebook’s Bullshit Political Ad Policy [Updated]
Folks, I never thought I’d see the day any Republican, let alone Lindsey Graham, said they believed in the Green New Deal. But on Friday, I heard his voice utter those exact words in a Facebook ad. “Simply put, we believe in the Green New Deal,” Graham intoned as string music swelled. There’s just one … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Chuck Schumer Proposes Electric-Only Cars by 2040, But That Won’t Solve Climate Change
On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a $454 billion plan to remove gas-guzzling vehicles from U.S. roads by 2040. In doing so, the plan would start to address the largest chunk of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Sounds pretty dope, right? Sure, except his plan doesn’t include any mention of revolutionizing the archaic public … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
A New Video Game Tests Whether You Can Survive the Climate Apocalypse
If we fail to stop climate change, the world will be screwed. Like thousands will die, hundreds of millions will be displaced screwed. The actions society takes over the next decade will largely dictate what our climate will look like by the end of the century. In an effort to get the world to act, … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
The Kincade Fire Explodes in Wine Country Where a Blackout Was Scheduled
On Wednesday night, the Kincade Fire exploded in Sonoma County. The blaze has burned some 10,000 acres and pushed small towns in the fire’s path to evacuate as it burns largely uncontrolled. The fire comes as California utility PG&E began a second round of blackouts this month on Wednesday to prevent wildfires from sparking. While … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Trump Administration Sues California for Daring to Address Climate Change [UPDATED]
The Trump administration continued its twin, often intertwined wars against California and the climate on Tuesday, suing the state for participating in a program to reduce its carbon pollution. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is arguing that the state’s cap-and-trade program—essentially a market for companies to trade emissions—is unconstitutional because it includes Canadian province Quebec. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
These Roadside Markers Have a Futuristic Climate Twist
A New England artist is communicating local impacts of climate change using science, location, and a little bit of hope. Thomas Starr has placed plaques throughout Essex, Massachusetts, and Durham, New Hampshire as part of his new project “Remembrance of Climate Futures” to show the changes that’ll roll through these towns as our planet warms. … Continued