The estimated number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico for winter has reached its second-lowest level ever for the 2023 to 2024 overwintering season. The estimate, based on the size of the butterflies’ hibernating forest area, has dropped by about 59% from the previous year, according to officials. Experts are pointing to extensive heat and […]
Like with so many products, staring at the shelf of chocolate chips and baking bars can be overwhelming. What are the “right” labels to pay attention to: “Certified Compostable,” “Direct Trade” or “Fair Trade?” Does higher price mean better wages for the workers that produced it? Cacao is produced in humid regions near the equator […]
The powerful atmospheric river storm that arrived in California on Sunday continued to bring heavy rain, flooding and mudslides to the southern parts of the state Monday. Parts of California and Arizona were under high wind, flood and winter storm warnings yesterday, with residents encouraged to limit driving, authorities said, as Reuters reported. The storm […]
In a new study, scientists proposed adding a Category 6 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to describe stronger hurricanes linked to global warming. The study titled “The growing inadequacy of an open-ended Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in a warming world” and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted that global warming […]
Marine heat waves (MHWs) are prolonged periods of ocean warming that can significantly affect coral reefs, fish, kelp forests and other marine life. A new study led by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has found that MHWs are changing the communities of microorganisms that make up the foundation of the oceanic food […]
Firefighters in Chile are battling intense forest fires while the country mourns the 122 people who have been killed in the blazes, reported The Associated Press. The wildfires have destroyed entire neighborhoods and hundreds of residents are still missing, authorities said, as Reuters reported. “The wind was terrible, the heat scorching. There was no respite,” […]
Voters in Paris approved an increase in parking fees for SUVs In a referendum on February 4. Vehicles weighing over 1.6 metric tons will have hourly parking fees tripled as the city seeks to become a more bikeable and pedestrian-friendly. The passed proposal also comes ahead of the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris. […]
Sea otters started recolonizing their former habitat in a central California coastal estuary several decades ago, and erosion has since slowed by as much as 90 percent, according to a new study. Elkhorn Slough is an estuary dominated by salt marshes. Its marsh edges and creek banks had suffered from erosion, but when the sea […]
In a speech in Azerbaijan on Friday, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said the world needs at least $2.4 trillion each year to keep global climate goals within reach. Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, gave a timeline of the measures — and funding — that will be […]