Climate Crisis Weekly

• Most US states are cutting emissions without federal help. Here’s who’s succeeding and failing.
• A Chilean photographer’s images of Patagonia’s glaciers reveal a starkly different landscape from a century ago.
• Bill Gates posts a blog on lessons from the pandemic that should guide our response to the climate crisis.
• And more…

• Two new groundbreaking, comprehensive studies prove that reducing air pollution saves lives.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres has new youth leaders to advise him on climate action.
• July 29 was International Tiger Day, which highlights the importance of protecting the species.
• And more…

• Polar bears live on Arctic sea ice, and it’s melting fast.
• Many African, Asian, and Latin American countries meet the UN’s sustainable development goals.
• Oceana launches Ship Speed Watch, an online tool to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.
• And more…

• Influencers such as Greta Thunberg, Joaquin Phoenix, and Greenpeace call for EU leaders to “face the climate emergency.”
• The fast-food giant Burger King has taken a novel approach to reduce methane emissions.
• A new study finds that tree planting does not always boost ecosystem carbon stocks.
• And more…

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• The latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has been released, identifying the species most at risk of extinction.
• Vermont becomes the first state in the US to pass a ban on food waste.
• Colorado State University raises its 2020 hurricane forecast in July from 19 named storms up to 20.
• And more…

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• The Plastic Free Foundation launched Plastic Free July in 2011. Here’s how you can make a difference permanently.
• Think you’re not in a flood zone? Double check with this comprehensive new data website.
• Three things we can do to improve resilience efforts against rising sea levels — NRDC
• And more…

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• The Siberian town of Verkhoyansk set a high-temperature record last Saturday.
• It was also the warmest month of May on record, with temperatures of 1.1F (0.6C) above the 1981-2010 average.
• Facebook’s refusal to fact check has thrown the door wide open for climate-change deniers.
• And more…

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• After a decades-long recovery program, giant tortoises return to their Galápagos island.
• Florida youths’ climate court case was dismissed, but they will appeal.
• Pandemics are a result of the destruction of our environment, says the UN, WHO, and WWF.
• And more…

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• The 2020 Environmental Performance Index is out — who’s No. 1?
• Here’s a roundup of great reads to learn more about links between racism and the environment.
• Germany, the largest emitter in Europe, submits its climate plan to the EU.
• And more…

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• Electrek rounds up commentary from black experts on climate, COVID, and racism in the US.
• Tropical Storm Amanda batters El Salvador and Guatemala with heavy rain and flooding.
• New Jersey will become the first state to teach climate change in the K-12 curriculum.
• And more…

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• Is planting trees enough to slow climate change? No. Here’s why.
• World health leaders wrote to G20 leaders asking them to address the climate crisis in recovery plans (and they did).
• Indigenous leaders in Peru and Ecuador are calling for a halt to oil drilling in the Amazon.
• And more…

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• A new analysis shows that CO2 has dropped 17% due to the pandemic lockdown.
• NOAA releases its hurricane predictions as Cyclone Amphan bashes India and Bangladesh.
• Yesterday was the International Day for Biological Diversity. What’s the significance?
• And more…

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• NASA science writer Alan Buis explains why sea-level rise is real, even though you can’t see it.
• Joe Biden names Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and John Kerry as co-chairs of his Climate Task Force.
• Australian scientists say they have figured out how to make coral heat-resistant.
• And more…

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• The New York Times compiled a list of all the environmental policies Trump has killed.
• The League of Conservation Voters board chair on why the 2020 US election is vital for Earth.
• Montana fossil-fuel leases are set aside by a federal judge because the BLM did no environmental analysis.
• And more…

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• A new poll found that those who are climate deniers also tend to dismiss coronavirus.
• Pakistan’s government creates more than 60,000 tree-planting jobs.
• US presidential candidate Joe Biden discusses the climate crisis with Jay Inslee on his podcast.
• And more…

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• How did high-profile US politicians acknowledge Earth Day? Their responses are telling.
• The Florida Aquarium has reproduced coral, which may save the world’s third-largest coral reef.
• Climate change undercuts improvements in air quality, says the American Lung Association.
• And more…

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• After its election, South Korea will be the first country in East Asia to pledge to reach net zero.
• High pressure caused a dramatic melting of Greenland’s ice sheet in the summer of 2019.
• Don’t want solar panels on your roof? Embed these cool recycled panels in your pavement instead.
• And more…

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• New studies of our oceans see two potential pathways amid climate change — which will we take?
• India’s lockdown due to COVID-19 has resulted in some drastic pollution reductions.
• Bill Gates on the coronavirus and how learnings can help solve climate change.
• And more…

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• A WHO climate change researcher explains how climate change and the coronavirus are linked.
• The crucial COP26 in Glasgow has now been postponed to mid-2021 due to the coronavirus.
• Sir David Attenborough: “The natural world produces the comfort that can come from nothing else.”
• And more…

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• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has suffered its third mass bleaching in five years.
• The Welsh government will plant a national forest that will span the length and breadth of the country.
• Vehicle emissions drop in March due to COVID-19, but what happens when driving returns?
• And more…

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• Social distancing doesn’t have to be boring — it can also help the planet. Here’s how.
• Coronavirus masks are clogging up Hong Kong’s beaches and nature trails.
• It sounds more than a bit odd, but the coronavirus lockdown may save lives by reducing air pollution.
• And more…

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