IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Spain careens from extreme drought to extreme rain and deadly flash flooding; The toll of climate change on public health is rising, along with global temperatures, study finds; PLUS: World holds its breath to see if the U.S. will be a global climate leader ... or villain... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP US CELEBRATE WITH A DONATION!
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.
IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): U.S. Climate Politics Almanac: 2024 climate ballot measures; Spain’s horrific flooding another nasty hit in a fall where climate extremes just keep coming; Clean energy is booming in the US. Trump's election could change that; Geothermal energy promises to help some communities get off fossil gas; Big Ag, Pharma, and pesticide industries hope to sway COP16 Biodiversity talks; Why farmers use harmful insecticides they may not need, thanks to the agrichemical industry... PLUS: Disaster misinformation is part of the US political landscape now... and much, MUCH more! ...
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...
- Spain careens from extreme drought to catastrophic rains and flooding:
- Death toll from historic flooding in Spain soars to at least 158 (CBS News/MSN)
- Spanish floods kill 95 as year of rain falls in a day in Valencia (Reuters)
- Flash floods in Spain leave at least 95 dead and disrupt rail and road services (EuroNews)
- VIDEO: Flash floods kill at least 95 people in Spain (NBC News)
- Spain's 'monster' floods expose Europe’s unpreparedness for climate change (Politico):
Spain’s deadliest floods in decades are another harrowing reminder that Europe is unprepared for the consequences of a superheated atmosphere, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. "This is the dramatic reality of climate change. And we must prepare to deal with it," she said. - Spain flooding: Photos show the devastation in Valencia (NPR)
- Spanish government declares three days of mourning after dozens killed in flash flooding disaster (ABC Australia)
- What to Know About Spain’s Devastating Floods (NY Times):
Estimating the influence of climate change on any single flood event requires further scientific analysis, but scientists have said that global warming is making storms in many regions more intense. Warmer air holds, and releases, more water. - Toll of climate change on public health rising along with global temperatures:
- The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action (The Lancet)
- Extreme heat set records for health perils in 2023 (Axios)
- Health Risks Due to Climate Change Are Rising Dangerously, Lancet Report Concludes (Inside Climate News):
"This year's stocktake of the imminent health threats of climate inaction reveals the most concerning findings yet in our eight years of monitoring," Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown project at University College London, said in a statement. "The relentless expansion of fossil fuels and record-breaking greenhouse gas emissions compounds these dangerous health impacts, and is threatening to reverse the limited progress made so far, and put a healthy future further out of reach." - Heat-related deaths and diseases rising due to climate change, experts warn (Al Jazeera)
- WMO: Global emissions hit record levels last year:
- Greenhouse gas concentrations surge again to new record in 2023 (World Meteorological Organization)
- Planet-heating pollutants in atmosphere hit record levels in 2023 (Guardian):
Concentrations of strong but short-lived pollutants also surged. Methane concentrations hit 1,934 parts per billion (ppb), a rise of 165% from preindustrial levels, and nitrous oxide hit 336.9 parts per billion (ppb), a rise of 25%, it said. Saulo said: "We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2C and aiming for 1.5C above preindustrial levels. These are more than just statistics. Every part per million and every fraction of a degree temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet." - New reports ahead of COP29 show world spinning its wheels on climate action (Inside Climate News):
A trio of reports released ahead of next month’s COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan all show that the existing national policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement will heat the planet by close to 3 degrees Celsius by 2100, as warming has accelerated in the past few years. - How are the world's trees doing? A new assessment has answers (NY Times)
- Global climate disaster inevitable if emissions aren't drastically reduced by 2035, U.N. warns (CBS News)
- World waits to see if U.S. will be climate leader or villain:
- A Pivotal Choice: Trump vs. Harris on Climate Change (NY Times):
Kamala Harris calls global warming an "existential threat." Donald Trump dismisses it as a "scam." - Trump or Harris? Uncertain US political climate looms over COP29 (The National)
- What could stop the global green energy race? A Trump victory (Financial Times)
- VIDEO: Dr. Leah Stokes on the global stakes of the 2024 election: (Dr. Leah Stokes/Twitter):
Next week’s election isn’t just about American leadership; it’s about whether the U.S. will continue as a committed partner in global climate action. All eyes are on America. - VIDEO: Bernie Sanders on Gaza, climate, rights, and more if Trump wins: (Bernie Sanders/YouTube):
If Trump wins...the struggle against climate change is over. - Harris v. Trump: 15 ways the next president could affect the climate and your life (Vox)
- America’s Climate and Economy Are on the Ballot (The American Prospect):
The Biden-Harris administration sowed the seeds of a green American economy. A second Trump term would poison them. - What could stop the global green energy race? A Trump victory (Financial Times)
- Trump is the elephant in the room on climate targets (Financial Review)
- How Trump could exit the Paris climate deal — and thwart reentry (E&E News, 3/12/24)
'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page
- U.S. Climate Politics Almanac: 2024 Climate Ballot Measures (Hill Heat)
- Spain’s horrific flooding another nasty hit in a fall where climate extremes just keep coming (AP)
- Clean energy is booming in the U.S. The election could change that (NY Times)
- Disaster misinformation is part of the US political landscape now (Bloomberg)
- Big Ag, Pharma, and pesticide industries hope to sway COP16 Biodiversity talks: (DeSmog Blog)
- How bad are gas stoves for my health? They emit harmful pollutants, which makes good ventilation crucial. (NY Times)
- Greening concrete: a major emitter inches toward carbon neutrality (Yale e360)
- Army of bots promotes petrostate hosting global climate talks (Washington Post)
- Russia, China and Cuba are amplifying hurricane misinformation, US says (US News)
- Asia has 'enormous' shortfall of funds to adapt to climate change, warns Asia Development Bank (Financial Times, no paywall)
- Geothermal energy promises to help some communities get off fossil gas (Sierra Magazine)
- Texas AG Paxton sues Biden FWS over listing freshwater mussels as endangered (Texas Tribune)
- Why farmers use harmful insecticides they may not need, thanks to the agrichemical industry (Civil Eats)
- Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
- America's Climate and Economy Are on the Ballot (The American Prospect)
- How to power your home through an outage without a gas generator (Washington Post)
- VIDEO: John Oliver on Trump's Project 2025: Blueprint for the Death of Democracy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
- How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
- Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
- How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
- The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
- Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)