Simultaneous heatwaves caused by anthropogenic climate change – “If in future more and more key agricultural regions and densely populated areas are affected by simultaneous heatwaves, this would have severe consequences”

By Peter Rüegg 9 April 2019 (ETH) – Without the climate change caused by human activity, simultaneous heatwaves would not have hit such a large area as they did last summer. This is the conclusion of researchers at ETH Zurich based on observational and model data. Many people will remember last summer – not only […]

Ninth Circuit judges appear skeptical of role in kids’ climate suit vs. U.S. government – “It may even rise to the level of criminal neglect. But the tough question for me is do we get to act because of that.”

By Karen Savage 4 June 2019 (Climate Liability News) – A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday appeared skeptical of the court’s role in dealing with climate change in the landmark constitutional climate case brought by 21 young people against the U.S. government. But the kids’ attorneys argued in a […]

Graph of the Day: Carbon emissions and human population, 1751-2018

Graph of the Day: Carbon emissions and human population, 1751-2018

9 June 2019 (Desdemona Despair) – It’s time to update one of Desdemona’s favorite graphs: human carbon emissions per capita. In the last update, four years ago, we had carbon emissions data through the year 2013, and it was clear that per-person emissions growth followed a nearly perfect exponential curve. The curve passed through one ton […]

As oceans warm, microbes could pump more carbon dioxide back into the air

By Kevin Krajick 29 April 2019 (Columbia University) – The world’s oceans soak up about a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans pump into the air each year — a powerful brake on the greenhouse effect. In addition to purely physical and chemical processes, a large part of this is taken up by photosynthetic plankton as they incorporate carbon into their […]

U.S. schools censoring climate crisis message in graduation speeches – “We are tearing down our home, the Earth, and it should be our Number 1 concern in the world. But it’s not.”

By Oliver Milman 7 June 2019 (The Guardian) – Schools and colleges across the US have been accused of censoring students who have attempted to use their graduation speeches to speak out on the unfolding climate crisis. A youth-led movement called Class of 0000 is encouraging students to read out a prepared text at their graduation ceremonies […]

It’s not your imagination: Allergy season gets worse every year – Pollen allergy seasons continue to get longer and more intense as temperatures rise

By Umair Irfan 21 May 2019 (Vox) – The weather is warming. The flowers are blooming. Noses are running. Eyes are watering. It’s allergy season, and this year it’s been severe in states like Georgia, and cities like Chicago, where the frigid winter delayed the onset. Now that it’s late May, we’re moving away from peak tree […]

U.S. shallow groundwater wetness percentile from 11 May 2019 to 13 May 2019. Graphic: NASA Earth Observatory

Wettest 12 months in U.S. history, again – “The last twelve months beat the previous record, set just a month ago, by a full 1.48 inches”

By Bob Henson 6 June 2019 (Weather Underground) – Propelled by a two-week siege of widespread severe weather and heavy rain in late May, the contiguous U.S. has once again broken its record for the wettest year-long span in data going back to 1895. According to the monthly U.S. climate summary released Thursday from the […]

Abnormal high temperatures in Alaska disrupt isolated communities, upset subsistence hunting patterns, and cause deaths – “It’s hard to characterize this anomaly, it’s just pretty darn remarkable for that part of the world”

By Tim Lydon 29 May 2019 (Hakai Magazine) – Alaska in March is supposed to be cold. Along the north and west coasts, the ocean should be frozen farther than the eye can see. In the state’s interior, rivers should be locked in ice so thick that they double as roads for snowmobiles and trucks. […]

Aerial view of flooded homes in Arkansas, 2 June 2019. Photo: Brian Emfinger / Twitter

“Horrible scenes” in central, southern U.S. as more rain threatens areas swamped by record floods – “You have to just make a decision because you’re going to lose everything”

By Doyle Rice 4 June 2019 (USA TODAY) – More unwelcome rain is forecast this week in much of the central and southern USA, falling upon areas already swamped by record-breaking floods. “Many locations from the central and southern Plains into the Mississippi Valley and Ohio Valley could see 1 to 3 inches of rain in the […]

Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere hit record high in May 2019

4 June 2019 (NOAA) – Atmospheric carbon dioxide continued its rapid rise in 2019, with the average for May peaking at 414.7 parts per million (ppm) at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory. The measurement is the highest seasonal peak recorded in 61 years of observations on top of Hawaii’s largest volcano and the seventh consecutive […]

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