Fitted straight lines describe a linear regression fitted using ordinary least squares of daily total misinformation retweeted standardized (y-axis) on days (x-axis) before January 6th and after January 12th. Shaded areas around the fitted line are 95 percent confidence intervals. Graphic: McCabe, et al., 2024 / Nature

Twitter’s post-Jan. 6 deplatforming reduced misinfo, study finds – “It wasn’t just a reduction from the de-platformed users themselves, but it reduced circulation on the platform as a whole”

By Will Oremus 6 June 2024 (The Washington Post) – In the week after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Twitter suspended some 70,000 accounts associated with the right-wing QAnon radicalized movement, citing their role in spreading misinformation that was fueling real-world violence. A new study finds the move had an immediate and widespread impact on the overall spread […]

Global surface air temperature anomalies compared with 1850-1900 mean, 1940-2024. May 2024 was the 12th consecutive month to set a monthly global average temperature record, and exceed the key Paris Agreement temperature target of 1.5°C. Data: ERA5. Graphic: Tory Lysik / Axios Visuals

Global heat record broken for 12th straight month in May 2024

By Andrew Freedman 5 June 2024 (Axios) – May 2024 was the 12th consecutive month to set a monthly global average temperature record, and exceed a key Paris Agreement temperature target. Why it matters: The new data comes amid a slew of findings from climate monitoring groups released Wednesday, timed to coincide with a speech in New York […]

Global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in GTCO2e, 1990-2023. In 2023, global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions exceeded 40 gigatonnes for the first time ever. Graphic: Energy Institute

World energy report reveals 2023 was a year of record highs in an energy-hungry world – “In a year where we have seen the contribution of renewables reaching a new record high, ever increasing global energy demand means the share coming from fossil fuels has remained virtually unchanged at just over 80 percent for yet another year”

20 June 2024 (Energy Institute) – The Energy Institute (EI) and co-authors KPMG and Kearney today released the 73rd annual edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy, presenting for the first time full global energy data for 2023. Five key stories emerge from the 2023 data: EI President Juliet Davenport OBE HonFEI said: “Energy is central […]

A man sits on a bench during a heatwave in New Orleans on Tuesday, 8 August 2023. Photo: David Grunfeld / The Times-Picayune / NOLA.com

“It’s unbearable”: in ever-hotter US cities, air conditioning is no longer enough – “The types of cooling systems that we sold 10 years ago are not able to keep up with the weather we have”

By Delaney Nolan 11 Jun 2024 (The Guardian) – Gloria Gellot, 79, takes a careful seat in a kitchen chair in front of her only air-conditioning unit, massaging her knees. She’s hung a sheet in the doorway to keep the cool air in the kitchen, and drawn shades to keep the sun – already blazing […]

Aerial view of “catastrophic flooding” in Rock Valley, Iowa, 23 June 2024. Photo: KTIV / CNN

“Catastrophic flooding” in Upper Midwest U.S. prompts evacuations as record-breaking heat wave broils the West and mid-Atlantic – “The river rose to historic levels that we’ve never seen here before”

By Dalia Faheid 23 June 2024 (CNN) – Millions of people across the US are still trudging through a record-setting heat wave that is shifting to the Mid-Atlantic, while many Americans – including in New Mexico, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota – contend with “catastrophic” flash flooding this weekend. Here’s the latest: Flooding threat in northern […]

Joshua trees, such as this 25-foot-tall specimen that is 150 to 200 years old, are threatened with removal for a solar project in Boron by Avantus, a California company that is mostly owned by KKR, the global private equity firm. Thousands of protected Joshua trees just outside this desert town, including many thought to be a century old, will be cut down to make way for the sprawling solar project. Residents worry that construction dust will spread valley fever. Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times

Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert – “Let’s destroy the environment to save the environment”

By Melody Petersen 31 May 2024 BORON, California (Los Angeles Times) – A renewable energy company will soon begin clearing thousands of protected Joshua trees just outside this desert town, including many thought to be a century old, to make way for a sprawling solar project that will generate power for 180,000 homes in wealthier […]

Motorists splash through the water along North Flagler Drive during king tide flooding in West Palm Beach, Florida on 30 September 2023. Photo: Greg Lovett / The Palm Beach Post

Florida, the state of denial, needs to eliminate “heat index” for climate change relief – “Suggestion for DeSantis: ‘Freedom flooding’” 

By Frank Cerabino 21 May 2024 (The Palm Beach Post) – It is time for Florida to ban the words “heat index.” It’s the next logical step to take for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a new law that removes references to “climate change” in state statutes. Man-made pollution that helps to warm the planet […]

Meteorologist Steve MacLaughlin of Florida’s NBC 6 posted on Twitter / X on 18 May 2024: “Don’t Say Climate Change!” As Florida is on fire, under water and unaffordable, our state government is rolling back climate change legislation and language. Graphic: Steve MacLaughlin

TV meteorologist blasts Florida’s new “Don’t Say Climate Change” law amid oppressive heat

By Rachel Ramirez 21 May 2024 (CNN) – As vast parts of Florida sweltered in oppressive heat over the weekend, South Florida TV meteorologist Steve MacLaughlin criticized the state’s new legislation that deleted most references to climate change from state law, and urged his viewers to vote. “The entire world is looking to Florida to lead in […]

A soldier removes the body of a howler monkey that died amid extremely high temperatures in Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, Mexico, 21 May 2024. Photo: Luis Sanchez / AP Photo

It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees – “They were falling out of the trees like apples”

By Mark Stevenson 21 May 2024 (MEXICO CITY) – It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees. At least 138 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco since May 16, according to the Biodiversity […]

A man stands near his home looking at a street he says has been flooded for months, on Thursday, 7 December 2023, in Prichard, Alabama. Water bubbles up in streets, pooling in neighborhoods for weeks or months. Homes burn to the ground if firefighters can’t draw enough water from hydrants. Utility crews struggle to fix broken pipes while water flows through shut-off valves that don’t work. Photo: Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Trillions of gallons leak from aging drinking water systems, further stressing shrinking U.S. cities – “It’s a huge problem because infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating”

By Tammy Webber 4 March 2024 PRICHARD, Alabama (AP) – Water bubbles up in streets, pooling in neighborhoods for weeks or months. Homes burn to the ground if firefighters can’t draw enough water from hydrants. Utility crews struggle to fix broken pipes while water flows through shut-off valves that don’t work. For generations, the water […]

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