[Apr 8-13'25] THE BRIEF
🔥 Heat Waves and more Trump Cuts: Climate Crisis Intensifies as Human Heat Limits Revealed
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉
References: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6].
If you’re only getting The Brief but want to get the full version of the newsletter be sure to upgrade your plan to paid. Check out the preview that you will receive to see why more than 30 people think it’s worth paying for. And see a recent week’s full newsletter for details for why I decided to go paid.
If you’re getting both: Thank you so much for deciding to upgrade to go paid 🙏. And thanks to everybody for reading my newsletter regardless of which version you read 🤗.
‼️News you can’t miss
Here’s one important scary/bad (🙀), good (😻), interesting (😼) and fossil (💩) news item.
🙀 [#Climate research cuts]: The Trump administration proposes significant budget cuts to NOAA, eliminating its research division and reducing funding for climate-related programs. This could severely impact weather forecasting and scientific research capabilities.
😻 [#Home electrification model]: A Massachusetts pilot program provides subsidized solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries to make clean energy accessible to low-income households. The successful initiative reduces energy costs while serving as a potential model for nationwide efforts.
😼 [#Carbon debt framework]: A new "net-zero carbon debt" measure reveals North America and Western Europe will accrue climate overshoot debt by 2030, while sub-Saharan Africa may not until later this century. This highlights the need for policies addressing historical emissions contributions and the disproportionate burden on younger generations.
💩 [#Coal revival attempt]: Trump signed executive orders supporting the coal industry by lifting regulations and targeting states addressing climate change. Experts doubt these measures will significantly revive the industry as coal's decline is primarily due to cheaper natural gas.
This week's highlights
Here are the top climate stories of the week, featuring concerning developments in climate research funding, positive steps in home electrification, a new framework for understanding climate responsibility, alarming research on human heat tolerance, and the massive economic costs of our warming planet.
Trump administration proposes major cuts to NOAA research
The Trump administration has announced significant budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including plans to eliminate its research division entirely. These cuts would severely reduce funding for climate-related programs, potentially crippling America's weather forecasting capabilities and undermining critical scientific research. The proposed changes mark another step in the administration's pattern of dismantling climate science infrastructure. Read more...
Massachusetts pioneers comprehensive home electrification program
A groundbreaking pilot program in Massachusetts is showing remarkable success in making clean energy accessible to low- and moderate-income households. The initiative provides subsidized solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries as a complete package, effectively reducing both energy costs and emissions. Despite challenges like homeowner resistance to removing fossil fuel systems, the program's comprehensive approach has received positive feedback and could serve as a model for similar efforts nationwide. Read more...
New "carbon debt" framework reveals regional responsibility for climate overshoot
As global warming approaches the critical 1.5°C threshold, researchers have developed a new measure called "net-zero carbon debt" to assess which regions bear responsibility for climate overshoot. The findings show that North America and Western Europe will accrue substantial climate debt by 2030, while sub-Saharan Africa may not face similar debts until later this century. This framework highlights the urgent need for policies that address historical emissions and acknowledges that younger generations will face increased climate impacts. Read more...
Human heat tolerance lower than previously thought, study warns
A concerning new study reveals that the human body can only withstand wet bulb temperatures of 26 to 31 degrees Celsius—significantly lower than previous estimates. This finding has alarming implications as global temperatures continue to rise, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. With heat-related deaths already occurring worldwide, the research underscores the escalating risks of heat stress caused by climate change and the urgent need for adaptation measures. Read more...
Climate change could trigger $38 trillion annual economic disaster
Climate change is on track to create economic damage exceeding $38 trillion annually by 2049, according to new economic forecasts. These costs would devastate real estate, agriculture, and the financial system, potentially triggering a climate-induced credit crunch with systemic risks to global capitalism. As rising temperatures inundate coastal cities and exacerbate extreme weather events, experts warn of cascading effects on food security, public health, and critical infrastructure that could fundamentally destabilize the world economy. Read more...
That’s it for this week folks!
If you want more details or simply think my newsletter rocks remember that you can always go paid to get the full version of the Weekly Climate. But before you do, ask yourself this question: Does it provide you with 1.25$ worth of value every week? Obviously I think it does. In fact I really hope that just the time alone I save you should easily cover those 1.25$. Don’t hesitate to ping me on michael@weeklyclimate.com or comment below with any questions, feedback or comments regarding this.
Remember if you’re feeling down, angry or sad from some of the news in this newsletter one cure is to act. And one way you can always act that also happens to be one of the most powerful things you can do is to talk about it. That also works if what you just read made you hopeful or happy btw.
If you enjoyed this newsletter don’t forget to share it with your friends, coworkers or other people you think could benefit from getting it. If you got directed here by a friend or another link on the Internet don’t forget to subscribe!
See you all next week 👋