Climate Change

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Amid Hurricane Milton, Florida Republicans Aim To Block Climate Emergency Declaration

As a hurricane intensified by hot ocean water now threatens to destroy the Tampa Bay region, Florida Republicans bankrolled by the fossil fuel industry are pushing legislation that would bar the president from declaring a climate emergency.

https://www.levernews.com/amid-hurricane-milton-florida-republicans-aim-to-block-climate-emergency-declaration/?

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Inaction on climate change costs Va.’s agriculture industry hundreds of millions of dollars yearly

More than $125 million. That’s the preliminary estimate of damage to farmers in Southwest Virginia after Hurricane Helene brought damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding to the region. We were lucky the storm didn’t impact more of our state, but for those farmers who are today facing crop losses, property and equipment damage, and other recovery expenses as a result of Helene’s wrath, the impacts are significant and will have lasting implications — for their farms, their families’ livelihoods, and the region’s economy.

https://virginiamercury.com/2024/11/04/inaction-on-climate-change-costs-va-s-agriculture-industry-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-yearly/?

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New report: Duke Energy, predecessors understood climate change and ignored it for decades

It’s a great tragedy of our time that the global climate change crisis is not something that emerged suddenly or as a surprise. Not only have scientists predicted how it would play out for decades, so too have many of the polluters whose CO2 emissions have done so much to cause it.

https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/new-report-duke-energy-predecessors-understood-climate-change-and-ignored-it-decades?

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Climate

The Biden administration announced an aggressive target for the US to cut its planet-warming pollution to 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035 — a goal that will all but assuredly be reversed by President-elect Donald Trump in his first days in office. Trump has said he intends to drill for more oil and gas, shred federal climate regulations and overturn Biden's clean energy law. A new target is required every five years by the international Paris Agreement, which Trump has promised to once again pull the US out of. Also on Wednesday, the Biden administration gave California the greenlight to ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2035. But it is also widely expected that Trump will revoke California's authority to set its own emissions standards once he takes office.

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Cloudy With A Chance Of Disaster

As climate change increases the likelihood of deadly landslides, cities like Juneau are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

https://www.levernews.com/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-disaster/

Taking The Climate Killers To Court

As deaths mount from extreme heat and other climate disasters, legal and scientific experts are joining forces on a bold new tactic: Charging polluters with homicide.

https://www.levernews.com/taking-the-climate-killers-to-court-2/

Rise Of The Insurance Apocalypse

How climate change is breaking down the global safety net for handling life’s risks.

https://www.levernews.com/rise-of-the-insurance-apocalypse/

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A race is on to save the Everglades and protect a key source of drinking water in Florida The Everglades ecosystem was degraded and transformed when a highway connecting Tampa and Miami was built in 1928, cutting through a mosaic of prairies, sawgrass marshes, freshwater ponds and forested uplands. Once about twice the size of New Jersey, today only half of the Everglades remains. Sections of the road are now being elevated to restore water flows into the Shark River Slough – a vital restoration area deep in the Everglades National Park. Read more.

Why this matters: A project was approved by Congress in 2000 with bipartisan support that aims to undo damage wreaked upon these wetlands. More than two decades into it, there are signs of progress. Wildlife is returning to some areas, regions dominated by the invasive melaleuca tree have dropped 75%, and enthusiasm is high as significant projects are finally underway, others gain momentum and funding pours in.   Efforts to repair the Everglades are projected to cost more than $23 billion and take 50 years to complete.   This year, lawmakers earmarked $1.275 billion for the next 12 months of restoration efforts – the largest annual amount allocated. It is unclear what Donald Trump may do with restoration efforts when he takes office, but during his first presidential term he allocated funds and helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which secured $900 million annually in permanent funding to improve access to public lands, protect watersheds and more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ In Florida, the Miccosukee fight to protect the Everglades in the face of climate change   To save a dying swamp, Louisiana aims to restore the Mississippi River’s natural flow   Young activists take on a government agency in a Florida climate lawsuit

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? How climate whiplash fueled LA fires

Breaking: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff in an interview taped for this morning's "Meet the Press" that the LA wildfires could become the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

• "I think it will be, in terms of just the costs associated with it in terms of the scale and scope," Newsom said.

That would mean eclipsing Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline in 2005.

Ella Venne finds a cup in the remains of her family's home in Altadena, Calif., as she searches yesterday with Glendale Fire Department captain Chris Jernegan and his wife, Alison. Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP

Climate change — particularly whiplash between two wet winters followed by a bone-dry, unusually hot spring, summer and fall — set the stage for the deadly and devastating fires, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

• The firestorm was the product of what climate researchers refer to as "hydroclimate whiplash."
• Other factors include some of the worst Santa Ana winds of the past two decades; land use patterns; and sparks from power lines, car engines or suspected arsonists.

Why it matters: Whatever the source, it's clear a changing climate made the fires more ferocious, long-lasting and destructive.

Screenshot via MSNBC

? Zoom in: Hydroclimate whiplash occurs when one extreme precipitation regime is replaced by another.

• In this case, extremely wet conditions are followed by parched weather patterns, typically accompanied by above-average temperatures.
• Vegetation dries out through evaporation, leading to ample "fuels" for a blaze to burn.

? What to watch: The seesaw pattern between wet and dry periods isn't new for Californians. But these swings are becoming acute.

The bottom line: Climate change didn't provide the spark that caused these catastrophic fires in LA County. But it's making such fires worse.

• Read on.

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Glaciers are shrinking faster than ever, with 7 trillion tons lost since 2000 Climate change is accelerating the melting of the world’s mountain glaciers, according to a massive new study that found them shrinking more than twice as fast as in the early 2000s. Read more.

Why this matters: Glaciers in Alaska are melting at the fastest rate of any of the 19 regions studied, losing about 67 billion tons of ice a year, producing the biggest net ice loss, the study found.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ An encroaching desert threatens to swallow homes and history   More rodents are infesting cities as scientists say warmer temperatures mean more rat babies   Forget saving the planet. Clean energy interests sharpen a different message: Money and jobs

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? Allergy season gets longer

Data: Climate Central. Map: Axios Visuals Most U.S. cities are suffering from longer allergy seasons amid human-caused climate change, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. ? By the numbers: The freeze-free growing season lengthened between 1970 and 2024 in nearly 90% of the 198 cities analyzed by Climate Central, a research and communications group. Among those cities, the freeze-free season lengthened by 20 days on average. ?️ Zoom in: Reno, Nev. (96 more consecutive freeze-free days from 1970 to 2024), Myrtle Beach, S.C. (52), and Toledo, Ohio (45), have had some of the biggest increases among the cities analyzed. Conversely, the number of consecutive freeze-free days decreased in Waco, Texas (-14), Tulsa, Okla. (-14), and Denver (-8). ? What's happening: "Climate change makes pollen seasons not only longer, but also more intense due to heat-trapping pollution," per Climate Central's report. "Higher levels of planet-warming CO2 in the air can boost pollen production in plants, particularly in grasses and ragweed."

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"Pragmatic" climate reset

Houston's skyline last night as CERAWeek kicked off. Photo: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg via Getty Images HOUSTON — A potent combo of MAGA policy and global energy demand is bringing a harsh reality check to climate change efforts, Axios' Ben Geman writes. Why it matters: Powerful execs gathered here for the marquee U.S. energy conference are declaring a new realism — even as temperatures keep shattering records. "Energy realism is taking center stage," Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, head of UAE state energy giant Adnoc, said today in remarks at CERAWeek by S&P Global. "We need every energy option available. We need it all," he said, citing oil, gas, nuclear and renewables. BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink — once a leading Wall Street advocate for net-zero emissions goals — told the audience: "Across the board, we have to think about power and energy in a pragmatic way." American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers told Axios: "An emerging theme that I've seen already is kind of: We're back to energy pragmatism." ? The big picture: Comments here from U.S. and global execs distill what's been building in C-suites and across governments. The rapid spread of zero-carbon energy is still too slow for net-zero emissions aims. And the willingness to absorb the political and economic costs of a faster transition is waning. ? Zoom in: A new Bain & Co. survey of hundreds of executives finds that just 32% expect the world to hit net-zero emissions in 2050, down from 50% in prior surveys. There's no single reason for the rethink. But several forces are at work, including ... ?? 1. The U.S. political pivot, with Trump 2.0 officials reversing Biden-era policies and abandoning multilateral climate efforts. Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared that global warming needs to be knocked down on the priority list. "The previous administration's policy was focused myopically on climate change, with people as simply collateral damage," he said in his conference-opening speech. ?? 2. Even in the EU, where climate has long been a bigger priority, nations are recalibrating tradeoffs between green goals and industrial competitiveness. Recent moves include giving automakers more flexibility on emissions and easing rules on corporate emissions reporting. ? 3. AI and other new technologies are pushing up electricity demand, with tech companies seeking energy of all sorts. Fink described his conversations with "hyperscalers" — large-scale cloud service providers offering data and computing services. "About four years ago, they would say: 'If we're building a data center, it must be with renewables,'" Fink said. "About two years ago, they said: 'We prefer renewables.' And today, they care about power." ? 4. Coal, oil and natural gas use keep rising in developing nations as people aspire to higher living standards. The bottom line: Climate and clean tech remain big themes at CERAWeek. But the vibe has shifted.

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⛈️ New data: Rainstorms get more intense

Data: Climate Central. Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Rainstorms are getting more intense in many U.S. cities amid human-driven climate change, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new analysis. Why it matters: More intense precipitation events can cause flash flooding, landslides, dangerous driving conditions and other potentially deadly hazards. Zoom in: Hourly rainfall intensity increased between 1970 and 2024 in nearly 90% of the 144 locations analyzed, according to a new report from Climate Central, a research and communications group. Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%) and Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%) had the biggest gains in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024. Keep reading.

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? Mapped: America's climate divide

Data: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios Climate anxiety is concentrated in big U.S. metros and some coastal communities, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. About 63% of U.S. adults overall are "somewhat" or "very" worried about global warming as of 2024, according to Yale Program on Climate Change Communication estimates based on survey data. Yet attitudes vary widely by location, particularly between rural areas and major cities. While the map above may look like a sea of purple, "the vast majority of the population exists in some of these green places," says Jennifer Marlon, executive director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions. More interactive data ...

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Climate change is making coffee more expensive. Tariffs likely will too

Premium coffee roasters in the U.S. are reeling from the sharp price increases of coffee beans, which nearly doubled last year after record drought in Brazil. One New York coffee roaster and cafe owner is raising wholesale prices on the coffee she roasts and weighing whether to hike prices at her retail shops. Read More.

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‘Rain bomb’ concerns: In Texas, Florida and across the globe, warmer climate makes flooding ‘more unprecedented’

As the Texas flooding death toll reached 95 on Monday — at least 27 of them children — and Tropical Storm Chantal prompted dozens of water rescues in North Carolina, some Floridians were reminded of the disastrous “rain bomb” in 2023 that hit faster and harder than any hurricane in living memory.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/07/08/in-texas-florida-and-across-the-globe-warmer-climate-makes-flooding-more-unprecedented/?

Intense downpours like those in Texas are more frequent, but there's no telling where they'll happen

It’s not just Texas and North Carolina. Intense rain is falling more frequently in many areas of the U.S. — though where it occurs and whether it causes catastrophic flooding is largely a matter of chance, according to experts. Read More.

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The US faces more frequent extreme weather events, but attitudes and actions aren't keeping up

Climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, according to climate scientists and government data. But people and governments are generally living in the past and haven't embraced that extreme weather is now the norm, experts in meteorology, disasters and health told The Associated Press. Read More.

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To get that perfect ear of corn, weather has to cooperate. But climate change is making it dicier

PAW PAW, Mich. (AP) — Robb Rynd and his brother grew up farming and wanted to do more of it outside their day jobs, so they went in together on what’s now a little over 200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum. Last year was a good year, and Rynd said he enjoyed walking the fields with his kids to see how the corn was doing.

https://apnews.com/article/corn-pollination-climate-change-extreme-weather-heat-4762f4eedaa22d0d3cbe41164319f4f3?

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Florida’s once-pristine springs threatened by pollution, development and climate change

Seen from the air, a Florida freshwater spring is a bit of liquid heaven, luring humans and wildlife to enjoy its aquamarine cool. With at least 1,000 of them, the springs serve as beaches for large swaths of Florida far from the ocean. But these treasures are under threat from agricultural pollution, rapid development and climate change. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

WATCH: Coral spawning project hopes to save reefs from climate change Climate change made deadly wildfires in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus more fierce, study finds Green spaces are key to combating record heat in marginalized communities

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Climate change

Dozens of climate scientists submitted over 400 pages of public comments to the Energy Department this week to denounce a report that downplayed the severity of climate change. The department's Climate Working Group report, which portrayed climate change as potentially beneficial, was authored by five well-known climate change contrarians who were handpicked by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking company executive. In contrast, the climate scientists described the report as grossly misleading, full of mistakes, and lacking in both substance and peer review. “The science of climate change is incredibly solid,” said Andrew Dessler, a climate researcher who helped organize the public comments to push back against the report. “All they’re trying to do is muddy the waters here, create this idea that there’s a debate, and then the government will use that to roll back regulations.”

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?️ Mapped: $8 trillion danger

Data: Realtor.com; Map: Jacque Schrag/Axios Almost one in five U.S. homes — worth around $8 trillion — are at severe or extreme risk from hurricane wind damage, Axios' Sami Sparber writes from a Realtor.com analysis. The analysis also found that roughly 6.1% of homes (worth around $3.4 trillion) are at severe or extreme risk of flood damage and 5.6% ($3.2 trillion) from fire. Why it matters: Climate change is intensifying extreme weather. Flood risks are "largely underestimated," according to the analysis, which looks at data from First Street. Keep reading.

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Bill Gates calls for climate fight to shift focus from curbing emissions to reducing human suffering

NEW YORK (AP) — Bill Gates thinks climate change is a serious problem but it won’t be the end of civilization. He thinks scientific innovation will curb it, and it’s instead time for a “strategic pivot” in the global climate fight: from focusing on limiting rising temperatures to fighting poverty and preventing disease.

https://apnews.com/article/bill-gates-climate-change-united-nations-4108f76e746d1e3e13845f33b8ae7007?

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? 1 for the road: Pika-who?

An American pika with a mouthful of food. Photo: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The squeaks of fast, fuzzy creatures called pikas dashing across Colorado's mountains may be fading, Axios Denver's Alayna Alvarez reports from a new study. ?The American pika doubles as an early-warning system for the health of mountain ecosystems that provide water to millions. ? University of Colorado Boulder researchers discovered that the number of young pikas living near Rocky Mountain National Park has "plummeted" since the 1980s. ?️ The cause is unclear, but researchers suspect warming temperatures are playing a role. Go deeper ...

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?️ Warming winters

Data: Climate Central; Map: Axios Visuals Winter is warming in many cities amid climate change, Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new Climate Central analysis. ? From 1970 to 2025, average winter temperatures rose in 98% of the 244 U.S. cities included. Among cities with an increase, December-February temps rose nearly 4°F on average. ? Many of the cities with the most warming have traditionally cold winters, including Burlington, Vermont (+8.1°F), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (+7.3°F), and Green Bay, Wisconsin (+7°F). ⛷️ Warmer winters can be a bummer for skiers and snowboarders, and affect water supplies tied to annual snowmelt. Go deeper.

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Climate change is straining Alaska’s Arctic. A new mining road may push the region past the brink

AMBLER, Alaska (AP) — Ice blocks drift past Tristen Pattee’s boat as he scans the banks of Northwest Alaska’s Kobuk River for caribou. His great uncle Ernest steadies a rifle on his lap. It’s the last day of September, and by every measure of history and memory, thousands should have crossed by now. But the tundra is empty, save for the mountains looming on the horizon — the Gates of the Arctic National Park.

https://apnews.com/article/ambler-access-road-alaska-trump-inupiaq-576396b002d65700b12a063b10569e90?

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❄️ Winters are getting shorter (Really!)

Data: Climate Central. (Winter temperature threshold based on the coldest 90-day window.) Map: Jacque Schrag/Axios This winter has been brutally cold for many Americans — yet winters are getting shorter across most U.S. cities amid climate change, Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new Climate Central report. The climate research group's analysis is based on temperatures, not calendar dates. 🌡️ Compared to 1970-1997, temperature-defined winters are now shorter in 80% of the 245 major U.S. cities analyzed. Winter has shortened the most in Juneau (62 days) and Anchorage (49 days), "consistent with exceptionally rapid warming in Alaska and other high-latitude locations." 🌴 Among continental U.S. cities, Miami's winters have shortened the most (38 days). Go deeper.

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🤧 Map to go: Longer allergy seasons

Data: Climate Central. (Map shows data for the two largest cities in each state, where available.) Map: Axios Visuals Allergy season is getting longer in many U.S. cities amid climate change, Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new Climate Central analysis. From 1970 to 2025, plants' freeze-free growing season lengthened in nearly 90% of the 198 cities analyzed. 🌿 That's the time between the last and first freeze, used here to represent allergy season. Zoom in: Allergy season has lengthened the most in the Northwest, where the freeze-free period is now 31 days longer on average. Go deeper.