Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉
References: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6].
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… I’m back. Finally.
Thank you so much for sticking with me ❤️ — in fact surprisingly it looks like I’ve gained about 10% free subscribers since abruptly stopping in September. 🤗 If this is your first newsletter — welcome! And if this is your umpteenth well, then welcome back! 🥳
Suffice to say it has been a pretty rough 1.5 quarter for my family with serious illness hitting close by 😰, not out of the woods yet, but things are stabilising (and no it’s not me). Finally, once things stabilised in early December I was knee-deep in fundraising for Elby (which I will bring some news about in a later newsletter).
Finally, I decided here in Feb to relaunch the newsletter. Why? This newsletter, IMO, just became more important than ever. In a time where Meta, Twitter is a nightmare of fake news and other crap. In a time where an orange haired convict can take the reigns of the US. And much other bullshit. I think the world needs at least one place to get a curated list of the most important climate news.
I actually got a few ideas for some add-ons, that I plan to work on implementing here in the next month or so. I’ve already made a few optimisations in this one:
URL Integration (paid only): Embedded article URLs directly into #topic tags to make them more accessible.
Visual Enhancement (paid only) : Added dots at the beginning of references which seems to me to improve readability.
Title Optimization: Moved away from schematic title/subtitles to more engaging, "catchy" titles (I hope 😅).
“The Brief” Format Evolution (free only) : Experimenting with new structure for better information presentation.
So kicking off February 2025 with the first newsletter since Sep 2 2024. Naturally, there’s a quite a bit about the orange haired climate killer in this one 😰
Oh .. and in case you know somebody who should read this newsletter don’t forget to share it with them.
💸 I’M BACK-special discount 💸
Oh.. one more thing: I’m running an “I’m back”-special discount of 30% on all subscription types. Offer runs until March 1 2025.
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‼️News you can’t miss
Here’s one important scary/bad (🙀), good (😻), interesting (😼) and fossil (💩) news item.
🙀 #ClimateLeadership: Trump's victory threatens to derail US climate progress with plans to withdraw from Paris Agreement and roll back clean energy initiatives.
😻 #AfricanRenewables: African nations commit to massive $35 billion renewable energy rollout to provide electricity to millions while driving economic growth.
😼 #JapanVeganism: Japan's traditionally meat-heavy culture sees unexpected rise in veganism driven by environmental concerns and tourism influence.
💩 #FrackingControversy: Texas city approves new fracking site near schools and daycare centers despite serious health and safety concerns from the community.
This week’s highlights
This week's climate news presents a stark contrast between ambitious progress and concerning setbacks. Here are the five developments that caught my attention:
In a landmark announcement, African leaders have committed $35 billion to a massive renewable energy rollout. This ambitious initiative aims to provide electricity to millions while driving economic growth, prioritizing energy access over traditional climate change narratives. The scale of this commitment signals Africa's determination to leapfrog fossil fuel dependency while addressing energy poverty.
Doomsday Clock: A Wake-Up Call
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has moved their Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight - the closest to catastrophe in its history. This adjustment reflects mounting concerns about climate change, nuclear threats, and global misinformation. The scientists emphasize that collaborative action is urgently needed to address these interconnected crises.
Ocean Temperature Crisis Deepens
New research reveals alarming data about ocean warming, which has quadrupled over the past 40 years. This acceleration is attributed to greenhouse gas emissions, changes in pollution regulations, and El Niño patterns. The consequences are already visible in coral bleaching events and intensified hurricanes, signaling a critical tipping point for marine ecosystems.
Trump's Climate Policy Reversal
In a concerning development, the Trump administration is attempting to overturn the EPA's endangerment finding - a crucial foundation for regulating greenhouse gases. This move could significantly impact U.S. climate action, though experts note that legal challenges and shifting public opinion may complicate these efforts.
Climate change has increased wildfire likelihood in Los Angeles by 35%, with Santa Ana winds driving 90% of fall and winter fires. This crisis exemplifies how climate change is amplifying natural hazards, creating unprecedented challenges for urban areas. The situation has spurred innovative responses, including AI-powered detection systems and new approaches to vegetation management.
These developments highlight the complex interplay between political decisions, technological solutions, and environmental challenges. While some regions push forward with ambitious climate action, others face potential reversals, underlining the critical importance of sustained global commitment to addressing climate change.
That’s it for this week folks!
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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.
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See you all next week 👋