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EartherClimate Change
World Hunger Is On the Rise and ‘Climate Shocks’ Are Partly to Blame, UN Says
A staggering 2 billion people around the world don’t have enough nutritious food to eat, and climate shocks like drought, heat waves, and extreme rainfall have played a large role in their plight, according to a new United Nations (UN) report. At the same time, the world also has an increasing number of people who … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherConservation
How Elephants May Help Africa’s Rainforests Fight Climate Change
Although we’re wiping them out with little consideration of it, big herbivores matter. Hippo poop helps Africa’s largest lake flourish; bison wallowing can enhance insect diversity in the prairie. And Africa’s imperiled forest elephants might just have a role to play in the fight against climate change. That, at least, is the takeaway of a … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Earther
Judge Slashes Payout in Roundup Lawsuit, But Calls Monsanto’s Conduct ‘Reprehensible’
A federal judge in one of the lawsuits between pharmaceutical giant AG Bayer, which bought agrochemical giant Monsanto in 2018, and plaintiffs who claim its Roundup herbicide caused their cancer has slashed an $80 million payout, Reuters reported on Monday. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco found that while evidence … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherWeather
Now-Tropical Depression Barry Mostly Spares New Orleans, But Flood Risk Remains High
Tropical Depression Barry has been downgraded to its current status after smashing into Louisiana as the first hurricane of the season on Saturday, and it mostly spared the city of New Orleans from a potentially devastating direct hit. But torrential downpour has put 11 million people at risk of “epic flooding” as it crawls across … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherClimate Change
Update on Our 2020 Climate Summit
On Friday, The New Republic published an offensive, homophobic attack on Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg. The article was swiftly condemned for being inappropriate, and it was taken down from the site Saturday. In light of these events, The New Republic is withdrawing its participation from our recently announced 2020 Democratic presidential forum on climate change, … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherNatural Disasters
Paradise, California, Has Lost More Than 90 Percent of Its Residents Since Last Year’s Deadly Fire
The Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, California, last year. Since then, the community has struggled to rebuild. In fact, more than 90 percent of Paradise residents never returned, according to new numbers from the governor’s office. Now, the town is officially a “rural area,” which opens the door for more federal assistance to … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Your Binge-Watching of Netflix and Porn Is Contributing to Millions of Tons of Emissions a Year
Most days when I get home from work, I kick off my shoes and cozy up with some Netflix. Video streaming is kind of my go-to when I want to relax—and I’m far from alone. Each year, our collective video streaming results in carbon emissions equivalent to the entire country of Spain, a new report … Continued
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EartherExtreme Weather
Greenland Was on Fire This Week Amid ‘Unprecedented’ Arctic Burn
Two years ago, Greenland lit ablaze. It was weird, and a harbinger of things to come on our changing planet. It just didn’t seem like they would come again so soon. Satellites spotted another wildfire in western Greenland this week. The blaze first showed up on Wednesday. Though already out and not on the scale … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Earther
West Coast Residents Seriously Underestimate the Threat of a Catastrophic Earthquake, Survey Finds
As last week’s major earthquakes in Southern California reminded us, we humans are still at the mercy of the geologically-active planet we live on. But despite the ever-present seismic threat, there’s a lot more West Coast cities could be doing to prepare their infrastructure and citizens for disaster, like implementing stricter building codes and restrictions … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Earther
Newly-Discovered ‘Vibranium’ Fish Named in Honor of Wakanda
While SCUBA diving off the coast of Zanzibar, marine biologist Luiz Rocha saw a fish he had never seen before. He sent a photograph to his collaborator Yi-Kai Tea, currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney, who confirmed that it was a new species of fairy wrasse from the genus Cirrhilabrus. As a … Continued
David Shiffman -
EartherExtreme Weather
The Science Behind Tropical Storm Barry’s Potentially Catastrophic Flooding
If there is one thing you need to know about Tropical Storm Barry, it is this: The storm bearing down on Louisiana is forecast to be a flooding disaster. Basically every aspect of the setup for Barry is lined up to unleash multiple types of flooding that could last for days on end, potentially placing … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEnvironmental Justice
Controversial Telescope Starts Construction on Sacred Hawaiian Mountain Next Week
The controversial Thirty Meter Telescope is set break ground on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea on the week of July 15, after about a decade of delays due to local opposition. Opponents, who have been mostly Native Hawaiians, argue that Mauna Kea, the mountain where this new state-of-the-art telescope is set to gaze into space, has already … Continued
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EartherEnvironmental Policy
Why We’re Challenging the 2020 Democrats to a Climate Summit [Updated]
It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: The first round of Democratic presidential debates failed the planet. In a combined 240 minutes of discussion—at an event held in city poised to sink into the ocean—the moderators devoted a combined 15 minutes of airtime to the biggest existential threat humanity faces. We were hardly surprised. … Continued
Brian Kahn and Emily Atkin -
EartherEnvironmental Policy
We Asked Every Member of the House Climate Crisis Committee if They’d Support AOC’s Climate Emergency Resolution
On Tuesday, Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced a resolution in the House calling for a climate emergency. The legislation itself is symbolic in nature but sets out a series of organizing principles for why climate change is an emergency and why Congress should treat it as such. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez immediately threw her support behind it. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherExtreme Weather
New Orleans Faces a Major Flood Threat as Tropical Storm Barry Approaches [Updating]
Tropical Storm Barry just officially formed this morning, but water is already bearing down on New Orleans. The situation looks bad, to say the least, and we at Earther will be following it closely as the city and state of Louisiana prepare for what is forecasted to become a hurricane by the weekend. New Orleans, … Continued
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EartherExtreme Weather
Alaska’s Wildfire Season Is Exploding, Spreading Smoke Across the State
Historic, record-breaking heat isn’t the only environmental malaise that’s gripped Alaska this summer. So has wildfire smoke. An incredible satellite image taken on July 8 shows smoke spreading far and wide across Alaska as a spate of hot, dry weather causes the state’s wildfire season to kick into high gear. Dense smoke advisories and red … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherExtreme Weather
New Orleans Faces Catastrophic Flooding Ahead of Possible Tropical Storm
Would-be Tropical Storm Barry is still a day or more away from forming, let alone making landfall. But the developing system’s impacts are already being felt on Wednesday morning in New Orleans. Residents of the Big Easy woke up to tornadoes and water spouts touching down in the city and on Lake Pontchartrain, and to … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEnvironmental Policy
AOC and Bernie Sanders Are Asking Congress to Declare a Climate Emergency
Governments declaring climate emergencies are all the rage these days. On Tuesday, a resolution slated to be introduced in Congress aims to get the U.S. as a whole to join the growing number of towns, states, and countries recognizing that yes, climate change is an emergency. Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced that resolution along with fellow Representative … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherExtreme Weather
Wild Weather From the Midwest Could Spawn a Tropical Storm in the Gulf of Mexico This Week
The second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season could arrive from an odd source: Missouri. Storms sweeping across the Midwest to start the week have now stalled out on the Gulf Coast, exploding into towering thunderstorms. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting they’re likely to spin further out into the Gulf of Mexico and … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherConservation
‘Ghost’ Fishing Gear Is a Bigger Threat to Sharks Than We Realized
Not even the oceans’ top predators can escape the ruinous embrace of humanity’s plastic waste, suggests new research. The study indicates that over recent decades, many hundreds of sharks have been reported falling victim to entanglement in fishing gear and other marine plastic debris. Snarls of plastic waste adrift at sea are a menace for … Continued
By Jake Buehler