Climate Change

Teams of snowmakers are racing against the clock to meet the competition requirements for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, within ever-shorter cold windows. Climate change is reshaping the limits of technology. Organisers at Italy's Alpine venues are increasingly relying on artificially-produced snow to compensate for the declining and less predictable natural snowfall. This means that months of preparation can be squeezed into short periods of subzero temperatures, leaving less room for error. In order to accommodate the Olympic competition in Milano - Cortina, resorts like Livigno, Bormio and Antholz-Anterselva, which are already established, have added reservoirs, pumps and snow...

EPA reportedly removes a climate page that mentions "human-caused" Data preservation and tracking changes are a priority for groups The future of climate reporting is in the air By David Sherfinski The administration has removed all references to climate justice and environmental change from government resources. It even deleted or blocked access to data and information which could contradict or undermine his agenda. The implications of this are huge - and they could be even more severe during his remaining term. There is a perception among some that scientists who don't support the agenda will be muzzled, and that findings...

According to a recent data analysis, cancer-related deaths among U.S. adult under 50 years of age have declined for all leading cancers except colorectal. This cancer is now the most common cause, moving up from fifth place during the early 1990s. Researchers from the American Cancer Society noted that colorectal cancer has surpassed its original prediction of becoming the leading cause of cancer death in the age group under 50 by 2040. The analysis published in JAMA?found that from 1990 to 2023, the last year for which there are data available, nearly 1.3 millions people in the U.S. died of...

Microsoft and Indigo Carbon have agreed to purchase a record amount of?2,85 million soil carbon credits related to regenerative farming in the United States. The tech giant is aiming to be "carbon-negative" by 2030, despite the rising emissions associated with AI. Microsoft, the world's largest buyer of carbon credits, did not reveal the price of the 12-year deal. However, someone with knowledge of it said that the credits Indigo Carbon sells are priced between $60 and $80 per ton, which would put the value of the deal anywhere from $171 million to $228 million. Regenerative farming includes a variety of...

22% of companies achieve 'climate Leadership' More companies signing up for SBTi helps CEO: Corporates continue to move forward despite politics By Sharon ?Kimathi LONDON (Jan 14) - Japanese companies topped a ranking of corporate climate efforts, in part due to the fact that?more? have had their targets?signed off by an independent validator. Non-profit data tracker CDP announced this on Wednesday. Japan topped the list with 22% of its companies having achieved what CDP defines as "climate-leadership", followed by UK with 17% and the European Union with 16%. China and Southeast Asia were at 8%. CDP is the only independent...

His spokesperson stated that the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres regretted a U.S. withdrawal from dozens of U.N. bodies, and stressed that U.S. funding was mandatory for "a large number" of these organizations. U.S.?President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that United States will withdraw from dozens international and U.N. organizations, including one that promotes gender equity and women's empowerment and another that is a U.N. entity, as they "operate against U.S. National Interests." Stephane Dujarric said that a "large number" (of the 31 U.N. organizations on the U.S. List) are funded from the regular U.N. Budget. He added that...

The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC), which is based in the United States, said that La Nina persists, and there's a 75% probability of a shift to ENSO neutral conditions between January-March. "Atmospheric anomalies remained consistent with La Nina across the tropical Pacific Ocean." The U.S. forecaster said that for most of the month easterly winds anomalies remained over the central equatorial Pacific and upper-level westerly winds continued across the equatorial Pacific. Why it's important La Nina is a part of El Nino and the Southern Oscillation, which affects the water temperatures in central and eastern Pacific Ocean. La Nina...

Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief, said that the United States' decision not to sign a key U.N. climate treaty was a "colossal own goal" which would harm its economy, jobs and living standards. Stiell stated in a statement that "while all other nations are moving forward together, the latest step backward from global leadership can only harm the U.S. Economy, Jobs and Living Standards, as wildfires and?floods become more severe, and mega-storms, droughts, and floods worsen." "It's a colossal goal that will make the U.S.?less secure and less prosperous." Donald Trump, the U.S. president, who has been a vocal...

Some legal experts believe that the Trump administration's decision, made by the Trump Administration, to withdraw from the U.N. Climate Treaty, which was unanimously adopted in the U.S. Senate more than 30 year ago, could be illegal. They say Congress would have to approve the withdrawal. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from dozens international and U.N. organizations. This includes the U.N. The Framework Convention on Climate Change and the scientific Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are both "opposed to U.S. National Interests" by focusing on oil, gas, and mining development. Trump, who is...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has vetoed an important drinking water project in Colorado. This prompted immediate condemnation by Colorado Republican 'lawmaker'?Lauren Boebert. Boebert is a former MAGA ally and recently challenged Trump on his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. Late on Tuesday, the White House announced Trump vetoed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act (AVC), which had been unanimously approved by the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. A second measure, affecting a Florida-based project, was also rescinded. These were Trump's first two vetoes during his second term. The Colorado project was vetoed after Trump's...

Lauren Boebert of Colorado Republican Lawmaker, a former MAGA ally, who recently challenged Trump on the Jeffrey Epstein Files, immediately condemned Donald Trump's veto. Late on Tuesday, the White House announced Trump vetoed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act (AVC), which had been unanimously approved by the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. A second measure, affecting a Florida-based project, was also rescinded. These were Trump's first two vetoes during his second term. The Colorado project was vetoed after Trump's promise to retaliate for the state's refusal to release his ally Tina Peters, despite the fact that...

The demand for electricity from AI data centers is reviving peaker power plants Peakers emit more pollutants than power plants. The majority of power plants are located in minority and low-income communities By Laila Kearney Dec 23, CHICAGO - A 60s oil-fired plant rises from an industrial site behind Dvorak Park in Chicago's working class Pilsen district. In warmer weather, the park is crowded with children playing on its colorful playground or zooming down slides. Next year, the eight-unit Fisk Power Plant owned by Houston's NRG Energy is scheduled to be retired. The next step was artificial intelligence. As electricity...

The fires that raged near Concepcion, a city in southern Chile, were putting out by Wednesday morning. Cloudy skies and humid air brought cooler temperatures to coastal areas after extreme heat for days. The smoke plumes lingered and it was expected that the death toll would rise, as the police and state coroner continued to search for bodies inside apartment blocks damaged by fire. Residents began to clear debris and rebuild with the help of neighbors and volunteers. Carlos Lopez, city councillor of nearby Cobquecura gathered money, nails and wood as well as cement and other construction materials. With the...

Authorities in Chile said that at least 19 people have died as a result of wildfires. The government has carried out?mass-evacuations and is fighting nearly two dozen fires, which are exacerbated by high winds and intense heat. Luis Cordero said, "At a Monday morning news briefing, while the weather conditions over night helped to control some fires but the largest ones were still active and adverse conditions are expected all day." Cordero stated that the forecast for today was?high temperatures, and that the main concern was the possibility of new fires erupting?all over the region. Extreme heat warnings were issued...

Early on Sunday, Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two areas in the southern part of the country as wildfires forced?least?20,000 people from their homes and killed at least 16 others. CONAF, the Chilean forestry agency, reported that 24 fires were active in Chile as of Sunday morning. The largest of these was located in Nuble?and Bio Bio regions, where the government had declared an emergency. These regions are located about 500 km south of Santiago, the capital. "I have declared a catastrophe in Nuble and Biobio due to the ongoing serious wildfires." Boric stated on...

As wildfires raged in the southern part of the country, the Chilean president Gabriel Boric declared a catastrophe early on Sunday. At least 20,000 people were forced to flee. CONAF, the Chilean forestry agency reports that 24 fires are active in Chile as of Sunday morning. The largest of these is located in Nuble?and Bio Bio where the government has declared an emergency. These regions are located?about 500km south of Santiago. "As a result of the'serious and ongoing wildfires in Nuble and Biobio, I have declared a catastrophe for the two?regions. Boric stated on a X post that "all resources...

Scientists have created the most detailed map of the terrain beneath the vast ice sheets covering Antarctica. They discovered an exuberant landscape with mountains, canyons valleys, and plains. Researchers used high-resolution satellite images and a technique called ice flow perturbation analysis to map the entire continent, including parts that had never been explored before. A better understanding of the subglacial landscape could help forecast the climate-related retreat in Antarctica's Ice Sheet. Research has shown that rough terrain, such as jagged mountaintops and hillsides, can slow the retreat. The study, published in the journal Science, was led by Robert Bingham, a...

Restoration projects in Brazil have increased 160% since 2020 Wildfire-fueled deforestation breaks records Restoring soil with seed is a cost-effective alternative By Andre Cabette Fabio Oliveira, a seed collector from Mato Grosso is among the?more that 700 members of the Xingu Seeds Network who are working to recover forests and savannas in this major agricultural state. After the Brazilian government committed to restore 12,000,000 hectares of natural areas (or 30,000,000 acres) by 2030, as part of its climate goals in the 2015 Paris Agreement, forest restoration is now taking hold. This is thanks to the support of civil society, businesses,...

Chile is creating a national park to protect unique ecosystems and endangered wildlife at the very edge of the map. The proposed?Cape Froward National Park would cover approximately 150,000 hectares of forest, peatlands and glaciers, as well as coastlines facing the Strait of Magellan. Benjamin Caceres is the wildlife coordinator for Rewilding Chile. He said that humans must regulate their activities, including tourism and industry, to protect fragile ecosystems. "These are resilient places that create refuges for endangered species and maintain balance." Rewilding?Chile is a foundation founded by Douglas Tompkins who was a philanthropist, and the founder of North?Face, an...

In the midst of the bustle and noise in a posh coffee shop located on Sao Paulo’s Oscar Freire Avenue a barista prepares an unusual espresso. The shot is extra creamy with a cocoa nib aroma, but lacks the acidity that distinguishes coffees made from arabica beans. This premium espresso is 100% robusta, a bean that has been criticized in the coffee industry as a cheap filler more suited to instant coffee. Marco Kerkmeester said that the coffee has a lot more chocolatey notes and makes a great crema. He also noted the appeal of a variety cheekily labelled "0%...

Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva fought tears while global diplomats applauded for several minutes Saturday at the closing plenary session of the COP30 climate summit. She told the delegates in the Amazon rainforest town of Belem that "we've made modest progress, even if it was modest." Then she raised her fist defiantly above her head. "The courage to face the climate crisis is a result of persistence and collective efforts." The Brazilian hosts were able to release their frustrations in the tense room where many nations expressed their displeasure with a deal which failed to mention fossil-fuels, even though they...

Brazil's president Luiz inacio Lula da Silva said that the G20 climate summit in South Africa, and the COP30 summit in Brazil, show that multilateralism remains alive despite attempts by U.S. Donald Trump to dismantle. "Trump is trying to preach against multilateralism and to reinforce unilateralism. "I think multilateralism is going to win," he said to reporters at the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg. Lula said that Trump's absence from the summit "didn't really matter" to him. "The G20 is still strong." "We need to put the decisions we made into action," he said. He added that he was...

Brazil's COP30 summit was forced to face a crucial day on Saturday after all-night discussions to break an impasse. The European Union had blocked a deal that it felt would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases, which are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200...

Brazil's COP30 Climate Summit faced a crunch-day on Saturday, after all night talks to overcome an impass after the European Union had blocked a deal it claimed would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases that are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending...