Climate

Freshwater Lakes Are Losing Vital Surface Oxygen as Global Heating Continues: Study

Freshwater Lakes Are Losing Vital Surface Oxygen as Global Heating Continues: Study

Freshwater ecosystems need adequate levels of oxygen to maintain healthy biological communities and sustain life. But the increasing intensity and frequency of short-term heat waves, along with long-term climate warming, are significantly reducing the levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the surface of lakes across the globe, according to a new study. The researchers quantified […]

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    Judge Blocks Trump EPA From Clawing Back $14 Billion in Climate Grants

    Judge Blocks Trump EPA From Clawing Back $14 Billion in Climate Grants

    United States District Judge Tonya S. Chutkan on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from halting $14 billion in grants that the Biden administration had awarded to three climate groups. Judge Chutkan said the government’s “vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient,” reported The Associated Press. Climate United Fund, Coalition for […]

    World Experienced 152 Unprecedented Climate Events in 2024: WMO Report

    World Experienced 152 Unprecedented Climate Events in 2024: WMO Report

    According to the latest State of the Global Climate 2024 report from the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the world experienced 152 unprecedented and 297 unusual extreme events related to climate change last year.  Topping the list of extreme events were heat waves, with 137 events, followed by extreme rain and wet spells (115 events), […]

    UN Report Calls for Reduction of Building and Construction Emissions Worldwide

    UN Report Calls for Reduction of Building and Construction Emissions Worldwide

    Building and construction consumes 32 percent of the world’s energy while contributing 34 percent of its carbon emissions. The sector depends on materials like steel and cement that are major contributors to construction waste and are also responsible for 18 percent of emissions worldwide. While more countries are working toward decarbonizing their buildings, slow financing […]

    Cambridge, Massachusetts Bans Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

    Cambridge, Massachusetts Bans Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

    Cambridge, Massachusetts has joined a growing list of cities that have banned gas-powered leaf blowers. The city’s ban went into effect over the weekend, and officials noted this move was in the interest of public health and reducing emissions for the environment. Cambridge first passed the Leaf Blower Ordinance back in December 2023, but the […]

    UK Carbon Emissions Reach Lowest Level Since 1872

    UK Carbon Emissions Reach Lowest Level Since 1872

    According to a new analysis by Carbon Brief, the United Kingdom’s 2024 emissions fell to 409 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), based on preliminary energy data. That’s a 3.6 percent drop and the lowest level since 1872. The country’s coal use was also the lowest it’s been since the mid-1600s. “The largest factor […]

    Trump’s EPA Plans to Reconsider Finding That Climate Pollution Harms Public Health

    Trump’s EPA Plans to Reconsider Finding That Climate Pollution Harms Public Health

    The Trump administration plans to reconsider an official finding by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2009 that greenhouse gases harm public health. The “endangerment finding” for greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act forms the foundation of the country’s climate regulations. “I’ve been told the endangerment finding is considered the holy grail […]