
Environment and climate stories made strong showings in this year's Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, which were announced Monday.
The Washington Post won the top prize for explanatory reporting for its "2°C: Beyond the Limit" series, which used temperature data from across the globe to examine places where warming has already exceeded the 2 degrees C threshold.
Other climate-related stories were also named as finalists across several different categories, including The New York Times's work on the Trump administration's war on science; the Los Angeles Times's explanatory reporting on how Californians are adapting to sea level rise; the Wall Street Journal's series on PG&E's failures in the lead up to, and aftermath of, the deadly Camp Fire; a Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial on a copper mine's water pollution; and a feature piece in the Boston Globe on how climate change is threatening Cape Cod.
Truly humbling to be a part of these @washingtonpost teams: 2°C: Beyond the Limit won the Pulitzer for explanatory… https://t.co/IMgUCELOrv— Courtney Kan (@Courtney Kan)1588638182.0
'Grats to @bradplumer & @CoralMDavenport for Pulitzer public service finalist piece on Trump war on science https://t.co/gaX0w4iq07— Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) (@Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ))1588625005.0
From the team that brought you the story on California’s rising seas - a 2020 Pulitzer finalist - comes a guide to… https://t.co/Ylmrkq0k0E— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times)1588650480.0
Three CEOs. Two bankruptcies. The worst wildfire in California history. This is the story of PG&E. https://t.co/Q9HBW3WF35— The Wall Street Journal (@The Wall Street Journal)1577511906.0
Congratulations to Star Tribune Opinion's @jburcum for being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing… https://t.co/iaKGJ3TgP2— Scott Gillespie (@Scott Gillespie)1588620104.0
Full house tonight at the "At The Edge Of A Warming World" event co-sponsored by our #ConnectedCoastlines partners… https://t.co/M5EluQl8I4— Pulitzer Center (@Pulitzer Center)1571783666.0
For a deeper dive:
Links to Pulitzer pieces: Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Boston Globe
For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News.
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California is bracing for rare January wildfires this week amid damaging Santa Ana winds coupled with unusually hot and dry winter weather.
High winds, gusting up to 80- to 90 miles per hour in some parts of the state, are expected to last through Wednesday evening. Nearly the entire state has been in a drought for months, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which, alongside summerlike temperatures, has left vegetation dry and flammable.
Utilities Southern California Edison and PG&E, which serves the central and northern portions of the state, warned it may preemptively shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers to reduce the risk of electrical fires sparked by trees and branches falling on live power lines. The rare January fire conditions come on the heels of the worst wildfire season ever recorded in California, as climate change exacerbates the factors causing fires to be more frequent and severe.
California is also experiencing the most severe surge of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with hospitals and ICUs over capacity and a stay-at-home order in place. Wildfire smoke can increase the risk of adverse health effects due to COVID, and evacuations forcing people to crowd into shelters could further spread the virus.
As reported by AccuWeather:
In the atmosphere, air flows from high to low pressure. The setup into Wednesday is like having two giant atmospheric fans working as a team with one pulling and the other pushing the air in the same direction.
Normally, mountains to the north and east of Los Angeles would protect the downtown which sits in a basin. However, with the assistance of the offshore storm, there will be areas of gusty winds even in the L.A. Basin. The winds may get strong enough in parts of the basin to break tree limbs and lead to sporadic power outages and sparks that could ignite fires.
"Typically, Santa Ana winds stay out of downtown Los Angeles and the L.A. Basin, but this time, conditions may set up just right to bring 30- to 40-mph wind gusts even in those typically calm condition areas," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll.
For a deeper dive:
AP, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Weather Channel, AccuWeather, New York Times, Slideshow: New York Times; Climate Signals Background: Wildfires, 2020 Western wildfire season
For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of Europe on pause, the EU aims for a breakthrough in its space program. The continent is seeking more than just a self-sufficient space industry competitive with China and the U.S.; the industry must also fit into the European Green Deal.
European satellites continue to provide data on climate change.