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ENVIRONMENTAL RETREATEPA Plans Target Climate Change Initiatives
A Harvard expert in environmental law said a recent set of Trump administration regulatory changes targeting initiatives in the climate change battle will reverse progress made over decades.
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CLIMATE CHALLENGESTrump’s EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data From Most Polluters
Climate experts expressed shock and dismay at the move. “It would be a bit like unplugging the equipment that monitors the vital signs of a patient that is critically ill,” one said.
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DISASTERSClimate Disasters Are on the Rise. These States Want to Make Oil Companies Pay.
State “climate Superfund” laws have sparked a legal brawl with fossil fuel groups.
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FOOD SECURITYDroughts Are Getting Worse. Is Fog-Farming a Fix?
Tapping low-hanging clouds could be a cheap way to boost dwindling water supplies, according to new research.
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CENSORSHIPIndustry-Backed Legislation Would Bar the Use of Science Behind Hundreds of Environmental Protections
Two bills in Congress would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from using hundreds of chemical assessments completed by its IRIS program in environmental regulations or enforcement.
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CENSORSHIPIn Trump’s New Purge of Climate Language, Even “Resilience” Isn’t Safe
In his first hours back in the White House in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” Yet it was immediately clear he was in fact imposing his own strict rules on language usage.In one executive order, he redefined “energy” to exclude solar and wind power.The term “climate change” was removed from federal website in Trump’s first term, and now “sustainability” and “resilience” have also disappeared.
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TRUTH DECAYOn Hurricanes and Hoaxes: A Case for Finding Common Ground
Conspiracy theories offer an easy, emotionally satisfying answer to a complicated problem. Instead of facing the reality of climate change, or reckoning with their own complicity, people can choose a different story: that climate disasters are manipulated, that scientists are corrupt, and that the crisis is exaggerated for political gain.
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CLIMATE CHALLANGES3 Questions: Exploring the Limits of Carbon Sequestration
Elevated CO2 levels can lead to a phenomenon known as the CO2 fertilization effect, where plants grow more and absorb greater amounts of carbon, providing a cooling effect. While this effect has the potential to be a natural climate change mitigator, the extent of how much carbon plants can continue to absorb remains uncertain. MIT assistant professor César Terrer discusses pioneering volcano research to track carbon dynamics in tropical forests.
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CLIMATE CHALLANGESNew Lab Studies How Cities Can Survive Extreme Climates
“The city is a dynamic creature; it’s changing all the time,” says architect Merav Idit Battat. “I think we shouldn’t focus on how to think of everything from the beginning, but how to create a more adaptive city over time.”
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CLIMATE-CHANGE CHALLENGESHuge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
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CLIMATE CHALLENGESFive Climate Realism Insights on California’s Wildfires
The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps to limit the damage.
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ARGUMENT: CORPORTE ACCOUNTBILITY FOR DISASTERS?More States Require Energy Companies to Pay for Damages Caused by Climate-Related Disasters
In recent years, several U.S. states have enacted laws to hold fossil fuel companies financially accountable for damages resulting from climate change. These actions reflect growing concerns about the connection between corporate practices, climate change, and disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods.
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CLIMATE CHALLENESCatastrophic Sea Level Rise Possible within Our Lifetime? Yes, Here’s How
This prospect of near-term runaway sea level rise is considerably more serious than sea level projections issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). There is thus an urgent need for climate experts to advise the government on strategic planning and risk management. This is especially true for our intelligence and national security communities.
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WATER SECURITYCalls Grow for Sustainable Governance as Groundwater Resources Become Scarce
The depletion of groundwater resources, driven by unsustainable agricultural practices and increasing demands for food production, is a pressing issue, and it underscores the urgent need for sustainable groundwater governance.
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CLIMATE CHALLENGESDelay and Pay: Tipping Point Costs Quadruple After Waiting
There’s more to weigh than catastrophic environmental change as tipping points draw near. Another point to consider, a new study reveals, is the cost of undoing the damage.
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The long view
CLIMATE-CHANGE CHALLENGESHuge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.