January, 2025

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The AMOC is slowing, it’s stable, it’s slowing, no, yes, …

Real Climate

There’s been a bit of media whiplash on the issue of AMOC slowing lately – ranging from the AMOC being “on the brink of collapse” to it being “more stable than previously thought” AMOC, of course, refers to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, one of the worlds major ocean circulation systems which keeps the northern Atlantic region (including Europe) exceptionally warm for its latitude.

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LA Fires and the Climate Connection

Legal Planet

Like millions of Angelenos, Ive been staying indoors and off the roads, glued to the Watch Duty app, radio, and TV coverage as LA is engulfed by these historic fires. The last 48 hours of coverage has focused, understandably, on the firefight and immediate devastation. Now, its time to start hearing about the climate connection, especially from local officials, policymakers, and the TV news anchors that so many people turn to for information during scary urban fires.

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Whiplash: How Big Swings in Precipitation Fueled the L.A. Fires

Yale E360

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain says that two very wet years followed by a very dry one helped to turn the Los Angeles wildfires into raging infernos. This phenomenon of hydroclimate whiplash, he says, is expected to occur in more and more places as the world warms.

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Six Facts About Water and Wildfire in the West 

Union of Concerned Scientists

While deaths and destruction are mounting and tens of thousands flee a devastating inferno in Los Angeles, the President-Elect has used the catastrophic wildfires to spread misinformation, offer false solutions, and disrespect the suffering of people and the hard work of first responders. Here, we provide the facts and avoid the fiction. Fact 1: reservoirs are full Due to a relatively wet winter in Northern California, almost every reservoir in Southern California is at or above its historical a

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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At Phoenix’s Far Edge, a Housing Boom Grasps for Water

Circle of Blue

More than 1 million people could pour into western Maricopa County in the coming decades if housing developers can secure the water. Buckeye, Arizona, has plans to become one of the Southwest’s largest cities in the next decades. Photo Brett Walton/Circle of Blue By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue January 31, 2025 BUCKEYE, Ariz. Beneath the exhausting Sonoran sun, an hours drive west of Phoenix, heavy machines are methodically scraping the desert bare.

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Will Asteroid 2024 YR24 Strike Earth in 2032?

Scientific American

The possibility of the asteroid 2024 YR24 impacting our planet might not be ruled out until 2028, raising the prospect we’ll need to prepare for the worst

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The Fires in Los Angeles

Legal Planet

National attention is (rightly) focused on the terrible fire situation in Los Angeles. At the moment, the top priority is supporting first responders who are trying to control the fires, prevent more damage, and help the people who have lost homes and loved ones. There is (of course) a bunch of chatter on social media about what might have prevented the fires or fix the wildfire crisis in the US more broadly.

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Carbon Dioxide Levels Rose by a Record Amount Last Year

Yale E360

Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever before, putting hopes of limiting warming in jeopardy.

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How Transmission—Not Gas—Will Bolster Winter Grid Reliability: A Look at MISO South

Union of Concerned Scientists

As the year kicks off with a very cold January weather forecast, US power grid operators and the regulators who oversee them are paying close attention to ensure that the grid failures of several past extreme winter storms dont happen again. These dangerous grid failures over roughly the last decade have left millions in the dark and cold, sometimes with tragic and deadly consequences.

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Surge in ocean heat is a sign climate change is accelerating

New Scientist

The rate of warming in the oceans has more than quadrupled since 1985, suggesting global warming in general has undergone a marked acceleration

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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Which Foods Are the Most Ultraprocessed? New System Ranks Them

Scientific American

Scientists have created a ranking of grocery store items based on their degree of processing

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What Does the New Political Reality Mean for Climate Action in Canada

Enviromental Defense

Prime Minister Trudeaus recent decision to prorogue Parliament and announce his upcoming resignation may have left you wondering about what this could mean for climate change policy. At Environmental Defence, we have two main take-aways: Increased urgency: there are still a few critical climate policies that now have a shortened timeline to cross the finish line.

Politics 115
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Fire and Permitting Reform

Legal Planet

This is the second of three posts on proposed legislation to address the fire crisis on federal lands (the first post is here ). Last post, I talked about why this legislation is essential, and the strengths of the bill that the House passed last Congress. In this post, Ill talk about the parts of the legislation that were controversial and their potential problems.

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Did Climate Change Help Fuel the Los Angeles Wildfires?

Yale E360

Wildfires in Southern California have burned tens of thousands of acres, destroyed thousands of buildings, and killed at least 10 people. Experts say global warming may have set the stage for the catastrophic blazes.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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Why Were 2023 and 2024 So Hot?

Union of Concerned Scientists

The year 2023 was by far the warmest in Earths recorded history, and perhaps in the past 100,000 years , shattering the previous record set in 2016 by 0.27C (0.49F). According to recent data from NOAAs National Center for Environmental Information, 2024 is likely to be even warmer than 2023. Scientists are sounding the alarm because this warming is shockingly bigbigger than what we would have expected given the long-term warming trend from fossil fuel-caused climate change.

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Building-sized asteroid has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032

New Scientist

The asteroid is unlikely to be cause for concern, but its detection has triggered planetary defence response procedures for the first time

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Mysterious Blobs Found in Cells Are Rewriting How Life Works

Scientific American

Tiny specks called biomolecular condensates are leading to a new understanding of the cell

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Are Our Public Lands on the Chopping Block Again?

NRDC

Another assault on America's natural heritage puts cultures, wildlife, tourism, and our climate at risk.

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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What policies lead to greenhouse gas emissions declines?

Legal Planet

In a series of posts (beginning here , and ending here ) last month, I outlined an approach to climate policy that emphasizes the role of subsidies in building political support and technological progress for climate policy. In doing so, I drew heavily on existing political science research and case studies from North America and Europe. But another fruitful approach for climate policy research can be studies that look at policies and emissions results from a large number of countries around the

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As Oceans Warm, Predators Are Falling Out of Sync with Their Prey

Yale E360

In the sea as on land, climate change is driving shifts in the abundance and distribution of species. Scientists are just beginning to focus on why some fish predators and prey like striped bass and menhaden on the U.S. East Coast are changing their behavior as waters warm.

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New Analysis Shows Public Health Impacts of Proposed Gas Plants in Wisconsin 

Union of Concerned Scientists

A new analysis shows the construction of two new fossil gas power plants would have substantial negative health consequences for Wisconsin and surrounding communities. The study, conducted by PSE Healthy Energy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and Healthy Climate Wisconsin (HCW), found that the Oak Creek and Paris gas plants could result in up to $5.7 billion of health and economic costs over 30 years.

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Experiment with 37 dimensions shows how strange quantum physics can be

New Scientist

A search for particles most paradoxical quantum states led researchers to construct a 37-dimensional experiment

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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Do Chatbots Just Need More Time to ‘Think’?

Scientific American

A technique called “test-time compute” can improve how AI responds to some hard questions, but it comes at a cost

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DEP Launches New Permit Tracking Webpage For Applicants, Public

PA Environment Daily

On January 14, Acting DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley briefed DEPs Citizens Advisory Council on a new Permit Tracking webpage that just became available for applicants and the public to see where permits are in the DEP review process. With this new tool, users can search by county, program area, permit type or by the authorization (permit) ID or by keyword.

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What is a species?

Legal Planet

This article in the NY Times covers a recent scientific article that concludes that the snail darter, a fish species in the Tennessee River basin that was previously listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), is not a species after all. Using a range of genetic analyses, the authors conclude that the snail darter is closely related to another darter species (the Stargazing Darter), and that the genetic distance between those two species is much closer than for any other specie

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In Africa, Local Communities Protect More Wildlife Than Do Parks

Yale E360

A new analysis shows that African wildlife increasingly depend on lands managed by villagers and herders. In many areas, locally-run conservancies now more effectively protect wildlife than national parks do, with communities reaping tourism revenue and other benefits.

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Does California Need New Nuclear Power Plants?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Theres been a lot of talk about nuclear power recently. Plant owners have been making plans to restart their retired nuclear power plants, Google signed the first corporate deal to purchase energy from small modular nuclear reactors, and the US pledged to triple its nuclear generating capacity by 2050. As one energy news outlet put it, 2024 was a breakout year for the US nuclear power sector at least on paper.

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The world is on track for between 1.9 and 3.7°C of warming by 2100

New Scientist

While some progress has been made in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we are still on the path for high levels of global warming

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Painful Endometriosis Can Affect the Whole Body, Not Only the Pelvis

Scientific American

This disease is now genetically linked to widespread inflammation, asthma, migraines, and more

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At Phoenix’s Far Edge, a Housing Boom Grasps for Water

Circle of Blue

More than 1 million people could pour into western Maricopa County in the coming decades if housing developers can secure the water. Buckeye, Arizona, has plans to become one of the Southwests largest cities in the next decades. Photo Brett Walton/Circle of Blue By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue January 31, 2025 BUCKEYE, Ariz. Beneath the exhausting Sonoran sun, an hours drive west of Phoenix, heavy machines are methodically scraping the desert bare.

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‘Virtually Any City on Earth Can Burn Now’

Inside Climate News

In the superheated 21st century, the old rules for wildfires no longer apply. John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, explains. By Kiley Bense The journalist John Vaillants book Fire Weather begins in the spring of 2016 in the boreal forests surrounding the remote Canadian city of Fort McMurray, where a fire is growing. Although wildfire is a regular part of life in northern Alberta, this fire was destined to be different.

2016 129
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The Growing Human Footprint on Earth, as Seen from Space

Yale E360

Last year saw warming reach startling new highs, with record heat fueling extreme weather around the world. As farms and cities grow, pollution is spreading and overheating the planet. The evidence of our impact is so profound that it can be seen from space.

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