The Guardian: “Animals are increasingly “shapeshifting” because of the climate crisis, researchers have said. Warm-blooded animals are changing their physiology to adapt to a hotter climate, the scientists found. This includes getting larger beaks, legs and ears to better regulate their body temperature. When animals overheat, birds use their beaks and mammals use their ears… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Environmental Law
Predicting, Managing, and Preparing for Disasters Like Hurricane Ida
National Academies: “…Today, communities across Louisiana and Southeastern coasts are emerging from the shadow of Hurricane Ida. The storm has left New Orleans without power, surrounding areas flooded, and thousands evacuated from their homes. Since Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana almost exactly 16 years ago, the National Academies have helped produce scientific insights and recommendations… Continue Reading
UN Environment Program: “…One-third of all food produced in the world – approximately 1.3 billion tonnes – is lost or wasted every year. Globally, if food waste could be represented as its own country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the United States. The resources needed to produce the food… Continue Reading
21st-Century Storms Are Overwhelming 20th-Century Cities
Wired: “In just a few hours on Wednesday night, between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell on New York City—more than has fallen on San Jose, California, in the past year. Water rose in basement apartments and leaked through roofs. Rain streamed into subway stations and pooled on the tracks. The remains of Hurricane… Continue Reading
The Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970–2019)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – “An overview of impacts from weather, climate and water extremes globally from 1970 to 2019 based on disaster data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT). Disaster statistics are conducted for the 50-year and decadal periods at the national, regional and global scales. A special section on the disproportionate impacts that… Continue Reading
Google Earth’s new Timelapse feature
Google Earth’s new Timelapse feature shows 40 years of climate change in just seconds – “Google Earth latest feature, Timelapse, lets users see how 40 years of climate change have impacted places all over the world.” Google Earth Timelapse “is a global, zoomable video that lets you see how the earth has changed over the… Continue Reading
New State of the Climate report confirmed 2020 among three warmest years in records
“…New high temperature records were set across the globe. The report found that the major indicators of climate change continued to reflect trends consistent with a warming planet. Several markers such as sea level, ocean heat content, and permafrost once again broke records set just one year prior. Notably, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the… Continue Reading
How plants have influenced human societies
The Harvard Gazette: “In March, Batsaki, executive director of Harvard’s Dumbarton Oaks research institute, library, museum, and garden in Washington, D.C., and a group of colleagues launched the Plant Humanities Lab — a digital repository of information and narrative storytelling on the historical and scientific lives of plants like the peony, turmeric root, and the… Continue Reading
Top 20 Largest California Wildfires
8 of 10 worst California wildfires were in past 5 years – This CAL Fire Chart includes: Fire Name (Cause); Date; County; Acres; Structures; and Deaths. Continue Reading
The Birds on My Balcony Have Taught Me a Lot About the Pandemic
The New York Times: “…Nature has been an escape for many of us during the Covid-19 pandemic. The freedom of wild animals has seemed especially wonderful when our own movements and associations have been clipped. If you watch wildlife closely, however, you will eventually witness the uncontrolled spread of illness — the worst-case scenario we… Continue Reading
Where extreme weather is getting even worse, in one map
Vox: “Humans have warmed the planet by an average of 1.2 degrees Celsius since industrialization began in the 19th century. This small-sounding change has helped fuel severe wildfires, record-breaking heatwaves, floods, and an ever-growing list of other disasters. What’s worrying is that Earth will continue to heat up — likely past 1.5 degrees — even… Continue Reading
Greenhouse gas emissions must peak within 4 years, says leaked UN report
The Guardian: “Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak in the next four years, coal and gas-fired power plants must close in the next decade and lifestyle and behavioural changes will be needed to avoid climate breakdown, according to the leaked draft of a report from the world’s leading authority on climate science. Rich people in… Continue Reading
