Editor's Note: Click on headline to read full story. Some items may be behind a pay wall.
Worsening ocean heat waves are ‘supercharging’ hurricane damage
WASHINGTON (AP) — Marine heat waves are supercharging damage caused by hurricanes and tropical cyclones across the globe, a new study found.
Researchers looked at 1,600 tropical cyclones — the broader category of storms that includes hurricanes — that made landfall since 1981 and found those that went over the extra-hot water were more likely to intensify rapidly, a problem that’s becoming more frequent. This resulted in 60% more disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage — adjusted for inflation — when they hit land, according to a study in Friday’s journal Science Advances.
A better understanding of how marine heat waves amplify hurricanes could help forecasters, emergency officials and long-term planners prepare for future storms.
The study defined marine heat waves as long-lasting, large areas of water in the top 10% of historical heat. They are becoming more of a danger with climate change and ever hotter oceans, study authors said. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes.
UF researchers ask South Floridians to look out for Asian swamp eels
Along with Burmese pythons and green iguanas, there's another invasive animal that South Floridians need to keep an eye out for: Asian swamp eels.
University of Florida researchers are urging residents for help against the spread of the eels. They are native to East and Southeast Asia -- and were first observed in the Florida Everglades in 2007, where scientists have raised concerns about their affect on native wildlife. Evidence suggests the eels are responsible for some declines in crayfish and amphibians.
The eels adapt well to South Florida’s environment: they can breathe air, survive in low-oxygen conditions, and persist through wet and dry seasons by burrowing into mud.
Climate Change Denial Sees a Resurgence in Trump’s Washington
Climate change is a hoax perpetrated by “leftist politicians.” Fossil fuels are the greenest energy sources. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be harmless.
These were some of the false claims made at a conference on Wednesday held by groups that reject the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. What might have seemed like a fringe event in years past this time boasted a prominent keynote speaker: Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and one of President Trump’s possible choices for the next attorney general.
“We aren’t just following blind obedience to whatever the dire, doom-and-gloom prediction of the day is,” Mr. Zeldin said at the conference, which drew around 220 attendees to the basement ballroom of a hotel in downtown Washington.
“We won’t sign up for the script that the world is imminently about to end,” Mr. Zeldin added, drawing applause from the crowd, which had given him a standing ovation before his speech.
Here’s how the wildlife trade fuels disease outbreaks across the globe The global wildlife trade — a massive industry encompassing exotic pets, trophy hunting, materials used in fashion and more — is amplifying the transmission of pathogens between animals and humans, according to findings published Thursday.
To reduce the risk of deadly outbreaks and pandemics, the authors of the detailed study in the journal Science call for better surveillance and oversight of these sprawling animal-to-human links.
“We are interacting really closely with these species at every step of the supply chain,” said Colin Carlson, a Yale School of Public Health professor and co-author of the study. “It’s that intensity that really lets pathogens make the jump very quickly.”
Fighting Climate Change in Southwest Florida with Mangroves
A curious trend is underway in Southwest Florida. Young red mangroves trees, some with nicknames like Rosie, Penelope and Dingle, are being adopted and raised in backyard gardens, at restaurant host stands, beside bank teller windows and in school classrooms throughout Sanibel Island and the Fort Myers area.
Their purpose is an existential one for the state: to help buffer the fragile coastline from rising seas and increasingly ferocious storms. (Free Article. Click Link to Read)
Trump Visits "Alligator Alcatraz"
OCHOPEE, Florida — As President Donald Trump visited a new immigration detention center in the Everglades, the White House celebrated the local alligators as a new kind of security force.
“There is only one road leading in and … the only way out is a one-way flight,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday, previewing the facility for reporters and describing the local reptiles as a feature to discourage detainees from attempting escapes.
When asked Tuesday whether the intent was for the alligators to eat escaping detainees, Trump said he guessed “that’s the concept.”
How Much do Wetlands Protect Private Property
Though construction and development have diminished the Everglades to half their original size, South Florida is still defined by this vast wetland. Just how, exactly, do they help protect us from flooding, which is intensifying as a warmer climate brings more precipitation and stronger hurricanes?
To answer our readers’ questions, the Herald spoke to Meenakashi Chabba, an ecosystem and resilience scientist at the non-profit Everglades Foundation who earned a PhD in Earth System Science at Florida International University and used to work on economic evaluations and risk reduction at FIU’s Disaster Risk and Resilience in the Americas Program. (Free Article. Click Link to Read)
Vermont to Charge Fossil Fuel Firms for Climate Change Damage
Vermont lawmakers passed a bill this week that is designed to make big fossil fuel companies pay for damage from weather disasters fueled by climate change.
The legislation is modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s superfund program, which requires the companies responsible for environmental contamination to either clean sites up themselves or reimburse the government for the costs of work to do so.
Vermont’s bill, referred to as its Climate Superfund Act, would similarly mandate that big oil companies and others with high emissions pay for damage caused by global warming.
Seminole County Moves to Protect Wildlife Corridor
As officials and conservationists work toward protecting key land in the Florida Wildlife Corridor throughout the state, Seminole County is on the precipice of strengthening its already-important conservation land. And that will come down to a public vote in November.
An example of how an informed public can help land stay in conservation is right in Seminole County: the rural boundary.
Along the east side of the county is a boundary that separates urbanized areas from the East Rural Area, encompassing nearly 75,000 acres.
While it was first envisioned in the 1970s and adopted in the county’s comprehensive plan in the 1980s, the rural boundary was strengthened more in 2004 when Seminole County voters approved a referendum to keep it protected. The voters’ involvement helped prevent future development, though that law is not perfect, nor is the East Rural Area fully protected.
Florida Bakes As DeSantis Scrubs Climate Change from Law
Scorching temperatures set numerous records across South Florida on Wednesday, and historically hot conditions for mid-May will persist through the weekend.
On Wednesday, Key West experienced a particularly brutal combination of heat and humidity, registering a heat index of 115 — matching the highest mark on record for any time of year. Want to know how your actions can help make a difference for our planet? Sign up for the Climate Coach newsletter, in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday.
The record heat comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday signed a bill scrubbing most references to climate change from state law. Critics say the measure, which will take effect July 1, ignores the threats Florida faces from extreme heat as well as powerful hurricanes and worsening toxic algae blooms.
What South Florida Can Expect As Sea Level Rise Accelerates
Sea levels are rising, swamping roads and homes in South Florida. And it’s picked up the pace in recent years.
In the last 80 years, sea level rise has risen about a foot, with 8 inches of that total in the last 30 years, said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s best estimates, that pace is expected to speed up — dramatically.
It took about 80 years for the first foot. The second one will only take 30 years. The next, 20 years. And Florida could see the next foot in merely a decade after that.
Summer-like Heat Stressing Caribbean Coral Reefs
As the world’s coral reefs suffer a fourth global bleaching event, heat stress in the Caribbean is accumulating even earlier than it did in 2023, the previous record year for the region, according to data made public on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“I hate that I have to keep using that word ‘unprecedented,’” said Derek Manzello, coordinator of the agency’s Coral Reef Watch Program. “But, again, we are seeing unprecedented patterns again this year.”
Scientists hope that relief will set in as the natural climate pattern known as El Niño, which is associated with warmer ocean temperatures, fades. Officials said conditions were quickly changing to a neutral stat, with a cooler La Niña forecast for this summer or fall.
Florida "Ends" Climate Change by Legislative Fiat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida, perhaps the most vulnerable state to sea-level rise and extreme weather, is on the verge of repealing what’s left of a 16-year-old law that lists climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. Instead, the state would make energy affordability and availability its main focus.
A bill waiting to be signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis would strip the term “climate change” from much of state law and reverse a policy then-Gov. Charlie Crist championed as he built a reputation for being a rare Republican fighting to promote green energy over fossil fuels.
While Florida is distinct for having an enormous coastline and being flat — Miami’s average elevation is roughly 6 to 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level — the chairman of House Infrastructure Strategies Committee said it also has unique challenges and the climate change language in law makes meeting them more difficult.
Firm Sees Profit in Reforesting the Amazon
The residents of Maracaçumé, an impoverished town on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, are mystified by the company that recently bought the biggest ranch in the region. How can it possibly make money by planting trees, which executives say they’ll never cut down, on pastureland where cattle have been grazing for decades?
“We are killing pasture that a lot of farmers need,” said Josias Araújo, a former cowboy who now works in reforestation, as he stood on a patch of soil he was helping to fertilize. “It’s all strange.”
The new company, which is also Mr. Araújo’s new employer, is a forest restoration business called Re.green. Its aim, along with a handful of other companies, is to create a whole new industry that can make standing trees, which store planet-warming carbon, more lucrative than the world’s biggest driver of deforestation: cattle ranching.
Florida Wildlife Corridor Could Mitigate Climate Change Effects
Florida’s population is booming. Climate change is making temperatures and sea levels rise. And the state is also trying to protect animals and open land with the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
As the state grows hotter and more crowded in the future, it looks like a three-way collision.
But according to a new report by scientists from four major Florida universities, the wildlife corridor — if completed — will not only allow wildlife to survive in the coming decades, it will make climate change less destructive to humans.
Five Major Climate Policies Trump Would Probably Reverse if Elected
Former President Donald J. Trump has vowed to “cancel” President Biden’s policies for cutting pollution from fossil-fuel-burning power plants, “terminate” efforts to encourage electric vehicles, and “develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet” by promoting oil and gas.
Those changes and others that Mr. Trump has promised, if he were to win the presidency again, represent a 180-degree shift from Mr. Biden’s climate agenda.
When he was president, Mr. Trump reversed more than 100 environmental protections put in place by the Obama administration. Mr. Biden has in turn reversed much of Mr. Trump’s agenda.
But climate advocates argue a second Trump term would be far more damaging than his first, because the window to keep rising global temperatures to relatively safe levels is rapidly closing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Marine heat waves are supercharging damage caused by hurricanes and tropical cyclones across the globe, a new study found.
Researchers looked at 1,600 tropical cyclones — the broader category of storms that includes hurricanes — that made landfall since 1981 and found those that went over the extra-hot water were more likely to intensify rapidly, a problem that’s becoming more frequent. This resulted in 60% more disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage — adjusted for inflation — when they hit land, according to a study in Friday’s journal Science Advances.
A better understanding of how marine heat waves amplify hurricanes could help forecasters, emergency officials and long-term planners prepare for future storms.
The study defined marine heat waves as long-lasting, large areas of water in the top 10% of historical heat. They are becoming more of a danger with climate change and ever hotter oceans, study authors said. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes.
UF researchers ask South Floridians to look out for Asian swamp eels
Along with Burmese pythons and green iguanas, there's another invasive animal that South Floridians need to keep an eye out for: Asian swamp eels.
University of Florida researchers are urging residents for help against the spread of the eels. They are native to East and Southeast Asia -- and were first observed in the Florida Everglades in 2007, where scientists have raised concerns about their affect on native wildlife. Evidence suggests the eels are responsible for some declines in crayfish and amphibians.
The eels adapt well to South Florida’s environment: they can breathe air, survive in low-oxygen conditions, and persist through wet and dry seasons by burrowing into mud.
Climate Change Denial Sees a Resurgence in Trump’s Washington
Climate change is a hoax perpetrated by “leftist politicians.” Fossil fuels are the greenest energy sources. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be harmless.
These were some of the false claims made at a conference on Wednesday held by groups that reject the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. What might have seemed like a fringe event in years past this time boasted a prominent keynote speaker: Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and one of President Trump’s possible choices for the next attorney general.
“We aren’t just following blind obedience to whatever the dire, doom-and-gloom prediction of the day is,” Mr. Zeldin said at the conference, which drew around 220 attendees to the basement ballroom of a hotel in downtown Washington.
“We won’t sign up for the script that the world is imminently about to end,” Mr. Zeldin added, drawing applause from the crowd, which had given him a standing ovation before his speech.
Here’s how the wildlife trade fuels disease outbreaks across the globe The global wildlife trade — a massive industry encompassing exotic pets, trophy hunting, materials used in fashion and more — is amplifying the transmission of pathogens between animals and humans, according to findings published Thursday.
To reduce the risk of deadly outbreaks and pandemics, the authors of the detailed study in the journal Science call for better surveillance and oversight of these sprawling animal-to-human links.
“We are interacting really closely with these species at every step of the supply chain,” said Colin Carlson, a Yale School of Public Health professor and co-author of the study. “It’s that intensity that really lets pathogens make the jump very quickly.”
Fighting Climate Change in Southwest Florida with Mangroves
A curious trend is underway in Southwest Florida. Young red mangroves trees, some with nicknames like Rosie, Penelope and Dingle, are being adopted and raised in backyard gardens, at restaurant host stands, beside bank teller windows and in school classrooms throughout Sanibel Island and the Fort Myers area.
Their purpose is an existential one for the state: to help buffer the fragile coastline from rising seas and increasingly ferocious storms. (Free Article. Click Link to Read)
Trump Visits "Alligator Alcatraz"
OCHOPEE, Florida — As President Donald Trump visited a new immigration detention center in the Everglades, the White House celebrated the local alligators as a new kind of security force.
“There is only one road leading in and … the only way out is a one-way flight,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday, previewing the facility for reporters and describing the local reptiles as a feature to discourage detainees from attempting escapes.
When asked Tuesday whether the intent was for the alligators to eat escaping detainees, Trump said he guessed “that’s the concept.”
How Much do Wetlands Protect Private Property
Though construction and development have diminished the Everglades to half their original size, South Florida is still defined by this vast wetland. Just how, exactly, do they help protect us from flooding, which is intensifying as a warmer climate brings more precipitation and stronger hurricanes?
To answer our readers’ questions, the Herald spoke to Meenakashi Chabba, an ecosystem and resilience scientist at the non-profit Everglades Foundation who earned a PhD in Earth System Science at Florida International University and used to work on economic evaluations and risk reduction at FIU’s Disaster Risk and Resilience in the Americas Program. (Free Article. Click Link to Read)
Vermont to Charge Fossil Fuel Firms for Climate Change Damage
Vermont lawmakers passed a bill this week that is designed to make big fossil fuel companies pay for damage from weather disasters fueled by climate change.
The legislation is modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s superfund program, which requires the companies responsible for environmental contamination to either clean sites up themselves or reimburse the government for the costs of work to do so.
Vermont’s bill, referred to as its Climate Superfund Act, would similarly mandate that big oil companies and others with high emissions pay for damage caused by global warming.
Seminole County Moves to Protect Wildlife Corridor
As officials and conservationists work toward protecting key land in the Florida Wildlife Corridor throughout the state, Seminole County is on the precipice of strengthening its already-important conservation land. And that will come down to a public vote in November.
An example of how an informed public can help land stay in conservation is right in Seminole County: the rural boundary.
Along the east side of the county is a boundary that separates urbanized areas from the East Rural Area, encompassing nearly 75,000 acres.
While it was first envisioned in the 1970s and adopted in the county’s comprehensive plan in the 1980s, the rural boundary was strengthened more in 2004 when Seminole County voters approved a referendum to keep it protected. The voters’ involvement helped prevent future development, though that law is not perfect, nor is the East Rural Area fully protected.
Florida Bakes As DeSantis Scrubs Climate Change from Law
Scorching temperatures set numerous records across South Florida on Wednesday, and historically hot conditions for mid-May will persist through the weekend.
On Wednesday, Key West experienced a particularly brutal combination of heat and humidity, registering a heat index of 115 — matching the highest mark on record for any time of year. Want to know how your actions can help make a difference for our planet? Sign up for the Climate Coach newsletter, in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday.
The record heat comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday signed a bill scrubbing most references to climate change from state law. Critics say the measure, which will take effect July 1, ignores the threats Florida faces from extreme heat as well as powerful hurricanes and worsening toxic algae blooms.
What South Florida Can Expect As Sea Level Rise Accelerates
Sea levels are rising, swamping roads and homes in South Florida. And it’s picked up the pace in recent years.
In the last 80 years, sea level rise has risen about a foot, with 8 inches of that total in the last 30 years, said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s best estimates, that pace is expected to speed up — dramatically.
It took about 80 years for the first foot. The second one will only take 30 years. The next, 20 years. And Florida could see the next foot in merely a decade after that.
Summer-like Heat Stressing Caribbean Coral Reefs
As the world’s coral reefs suffer a fourth global bleaching event, heat stress in the Caribbean is accumulating even earlier than it did in 2023, the previous record year for the region, according to data made public on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“I hate that I have to keep using that word ‘unprecedented,’” said Derek Manzello, coordinator of the agency’s Coral Reef Watch Program. “But, again, we are seeing unprecedented patterns again this year.”
Scientists hope that relief will set in as the natural climate pattern known as El Niño, which is associated with warmer ocean temperatures, fades. Officials said conditions were quickly changing to a neutral stat, with a cooler La Niña forecast for this summer or fall.
Florida "Ends" Climate Change by Legislative Fiat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida, perhaps the most vulnerable state to sea-level rise and extreme weather, is on the verge of repealing what’s left of a 16-year-old law that lists climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. Instead, the state would make energy affordability and availability its main focus.
A bill waiting to be signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis would strip the term “climate change” from much of state law and reverse a policy then-Gov. Charlie Crist championed as he built a reputation for being a rare Republican fighting to promote green energy over fossil fuels.
While Florida is distinct for having an enormous coastline and being flat — Miami’s average elevation is roughly 6 to 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level — the chairman of House Infrastructure Strategies Committee said it also has unique challenges and the climate change language in law makes meeting them more difficult.
Firm Sees Profit in Reforesting the Amazon
The residents of Maracaçumé, an impoverished town on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, are mystified by the company that recently bought the biggest ranch in the region. How can it possibly make money by planting trees, which executives say they’ll never cut down, on pastureland where cattle have been grazing for decades?
“We are killing pasture that a lot of farmers need,” said Josias Araújo, a former cowboy who now works in reforestation, as he stood on a patch of soil he was helping to fertilize. “It’s all strange.”
The new company, which is also Mr. Araújo’s new employer, is a forest restoration business called Re.green. Its aim, along with a handful of other companies, is to create a whole new industry that can make standing trees, which store planet-warming carbon, more lucrative than the world’s biggest driver of deforestation: cattle ranching.
Florida Wildlife Corridor Could Mitigate Climate Change Effects
Florida’s population is booming. Climate change is making temperatures and sea levels rise. And the state is also trying to protect animals and open land with the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
As the state grows hotter and more crowded in the future, it looks like a three-way collision.
But according to a new report by scientists from four major Florida universities, the wildlife corridor — if completed — will not only allow wildlife to survive in the coming decades, it will make climate change less destructive to humans.
Five Major Climate Policies Trump Would Probably Reverse if Elected
Former President Donald J. Trump has vowed to “cancel” President Biden’s policies for cutting pollution from fossil-fuel-burning power plants, “terminate” efforts to encourage electric vehicles, and “develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet” by promoting oil and gas.
Those changes and others that Mr. Trump has promised, if he were to win the presidency again, represent a 180-degree shift from Mr. Biden’s climate agenda.
When he was president, Mr. Trump reversed more than 100 environmental protections put in place by the Obama administration. Mr. Biden has in turn reversed much of Mr. Trump’s agenda.
But climate advocates argue a second Trump term would be far more damaging than his first, because the window to keep rising global temperatures to relatively safe levels is rapidly closing.