by Chris Anthony, et al, in Stanford Social Innovation Review..The climate-driven wildfire crisis calls for a comprehensive, cross-sector approach to funding, research, and action.
IPBES report highlights Indigenous & local knowledge as key to ‘transformative change’
by Sonam Lama Hyolmo in Mongabay…The report identifies three underlying causes of the biodiversity crisis: the disconnection from nature, inequitable power and wealth distribution, and the prioritization of short-term gains. Karen O’Brien, co-chair of the assessment and a sociology professor at the University of Oslo, said these issues have led to destructive views and behaviors that exacerbate biodiversity loss, including the risk of irreversible tipping points that threaten ecological systems.
The AMOC Might Be WAY More Unstable Than We Thought…Here’s Why
from PBS Terra…There is a mysterious cold blob in the North Atlantic that could be a warning sign that the largest heat transfer system on the planet, the AMOC, is on the brink of collapse.
Climate change forged a new reality in 2024: ‘This is life now’
by Diana Baptista in Context…In 2024, billions of people endured heatwaves, storms and floods; 2025 is set to be worse as man-made climate change wreaks havoc.
Derailment risk: A systems analysis that identifies risks which could derail the sustainability transition
by Laurie Laybourn in Earth Systems Dynamics…How will the effects of climate change, nature loss, and other environmental change impact our ability to tackle the causes of these problems? There is already a high demand on resources to respond to worsening climate shocks, knock-on impacts for areas such as food production and health, and the many other growing consequences of changes to the Earth system.
Dancing with a permanent emergency
by Jonathan Rowson in The Joyous Struggle…In the real world, there is scope to change the opponent (whether that is fossil fuel companies, politicians, or ourselves), the goal(we can do so much better than GDP), and the rules of the game (climate litigation) and some of those transformative possibilities are where my work is now focussed.
More in this category
NEOM is a city of the future. The land is the cost.
by K.O. in Atmos…NEOM has been hailed as the future of the climate-resilient, smart city. But, for local communities, its construction threatens displacement and exploitation.
Silicon dreams and carbon nightmares: The wide boundary impacts of AI
by Nate Hagen in The Great Simplification…What are the environmental implications of a tool with unbound computational capabilities aimed towards goals of relentless growth and extraction? How could artificial intelligence play into the themes of power and greed, intensifying inequalities and accelerating the fragmentation of society? What role could AI play under a different set of values and expectations for the future that are in service to the betterment of life?
Column: How ‘Sesame Street’ can prepare kids for climate disasters
by Sammy Roth in the LA Times…Twenty-three years ago, “Sesame Street” aired a remarkable series of episodes during which the iconic puppets and their human friends must recover from a hurricane. One focus is Big Bird’s struggle to come to terms with the destruction of his nest.
Living Landscapes: rethinking biodiversity in Southern Africa
by Oak Foundation….One of the strengths of the course is that the students taking part already work in conservation areas where they can make a difference, such as biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, and governance (land, water, and the ocean).They come with a wide range of expertise – from government agencies, conservation organisations, climate justice, and not-for-profit organisations. This means they bring experience with them, which they can share with the group.
Extreme wildfires have doubled in frequency and intensity in the past 20 years
by Victor Fernandez Garcia & Christina Santin in Wired.com….The doubling in extreme wildfires adds to a complex picture of fire patterns and trends. This new evidence underscores the urgency of addressing the root causes behind worsening wildfire activity, such as land cover changes, forest policies and management, and, of course, climate change. This will better prepare us for these extreme fires, which are near-impossible to combat using traditional firefighting methods.
NEOM is a city of the future. The land is the cost.
by K.O. in Atmos….NEOM has been hailed as the future of the climate-resilient, smart city. But, for local communities, its construction threatens displacement and exploitation.
Denmark unveils ‘groundbreaking’ roadmap towards plant-based food
by Daniel Clark in Plant Based News…Plant-based foods are “the future,” according to the country’s Minister for Food
Insufficient pollinator visitation often limits yield in crop systems worldwide
by Katherine J. Turo in Nature….Declining pollinator populations could threaten global food production, especially if current crop yields are limited by insufficient pollinator visitation to flowers, in a phenomenon referred to as ‘pollinator limitation’.
Canada’s 2023 wildfires outsmoked global aviation, yet emissions go uncounted
by Liz Kimbrough in Mongabay….The climate crisis appears to be driving this trend toward more extreme fire seasons. Higher temperatures caused by climate change dry out the landscape and make forests more susceptible to fire. The researchers point out that Canada and other northern regions are warming up about twice as fast as the rest of the world.
Reporting on Doomsday Scenarios
from 60 Minutes….From 2022, Jon Wertheim’s report on “preppers” who are gearing up for extreme catastrophes.
Millaray Huichalaf: Mapuche woman’s 15-year defence of a sacred river
by Ali Qassim in LAB…Mapuche leader Millaray Huichalaf defends the Pilmaiken River through legal challenges, international alliances, and the arts
Extreme wildfires have doubled in 2 decades, study finds
by Austyn Gaffney in The New York Times…In a changing climate, extreme wildfire events are becoming far more common and more intense, according to a new analysis.
With extreme heat, is the Earth getting too hot for humans to survive?
by The Conversation in Fast Company….https://www.fastcompany.com/91142194/extreme-heat-earth-global-warming-humans-climate-change
How ocean warming is warping the world
by David Wallace-Wells in The New York Times….The vastness is also growing — not just because of melting Arctic and Antarctic ice, which could raise global sea levels by several feet this century and many more in the millenniums to come, but also because of what is known as “thermal expansion.” Heat expands the volume of water too and to date is responsible for at least one-third of all sea-level rise.
The climate is the economy
by Nitish Pahwa on Slate.com…Intensifying hurricanes, floods, and heat waves are wreaking havoc across the country—and on all of our bank accounts.