15 September 2018
If Trump cares about Hurricane Florence, his policies don’t show it
When it comes to extreme weather, the president is complicit.
www.washingtonpost.com
The United Nations reports that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5°C warming target, with devastating impacts expected unless countries implement promised climate policies.
In short:
Key quote:
“We’re playing with fire, but there can be no more playing for time.”
— Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Why this matters:
If countries fail to curb emissions drastically, the world could face severe climate impacts by mid-century, including more frequent and intense storms, wildfires and droughts. These changes threaten ecosystems, infrastructure and global public health, making climate action urgent.
Learn more: Global warming predictions exceed critical thresholds
As climate-driven disasters intensify, cities face a cycle where infrastructure, insurance and financial challenges compound, potentially triggering economic crises across urban America.
In short:
Key quote:
“Climate risk makes things uninsurable. No insurance makes things un-mortgageable. No mortgages crashes the property markets.”
— Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
Why this matters:
As insurance companies withdraw from high-risk areas, U.S. cities may see cascading financial failures that undercut their resilience against disasters. Without systemic policy changes and investment, cities risk entering a cycle of economic decline, leaving behind vulnerable residents unable to relocate or recover.
The United States has rapidly added large-scale battery storage to stabilize its power grid amid increasing reliance on renewable energy and the impacts of climate change.
In short:
Key quote:
“We can leverage that stored energy and dispatch it when we need it.”
— Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E
Why this matters:
Expanding battery storage helps make renewable energy more reliable, allowing the grid to balance supply even when wind or solar production dips. As the climate crisis intensifies, these systems can prevent blackouts during severe weather, though broader grid updates are essential for a fully resilient energy transition.
Canadian scientists are scrambling to save the nation’s largest public fungi biobank, which holds thousands of fungal strains vital for disease research and drug development but faces imminent shutdown without new funding.
In short:
Key quote:
“We absolutely are seeing climate change-driven increases in certain diseases that stand to wipe out populations of certain animals.”
— James Scott, director of the UAMH Centre for Global Microfungal Biodiversity
Why this matters:
Fungi are a critical but often overlooked component of ecosystems and medicine. This biobank supports research on treatments for fungal infections and the impacts of climate change. Its closure could hinder Canada’s ability to respond to rising health threats.
Learn more: How fungi could help clean up our biggest toxic messes
Global conservation efforts show that restoring damaged ecosystems can effectively halt biodiversity loss and support struggling species, with proven successes across oceans, wetlands and forests.
Isabelle Gerretsen, Martha Henriques and Katherine Latham report for BBC.
In short:
Key quote:
"Our hope is that our action will not only benefit our people and wildlife in the Azores, but inspire the rest of the world."
— Luis Bernardo Brito e Abreu, Azores government advisor
Why this matters:
As climate change accelerates, protecting diverse ecosystems is crucial to preserving water sources, curbing carbon emissions and supporting local livelihoods. Conservation success stories underscore the urgent need for worldwide commitments to restore and protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030.
Related EHN coverage:
The Biden administration has approved a large lithium-boron mine in Nevada, dismissing concerns from environmentalists who fear it could threaten a rare wildflower species.
In short:
Key quote:
“The Endangered Species Act does not have carve-outs if we really, really want the minerals that are going to drive a species extinct.”
— Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity
Why this matters:
Balancing renewable energy needs with biodiversity protection raises critical questions about environmental laws and their resilience amid the shift to cleaner technologies. As the U.S. ramps up lithium production, managing resources sustainably will be key to avoiding irreversible ecological impacts.
Saudi Arabia’s Neom project, a purported eco-city, relies on Western PR firms to market sustainability claims that critics say mask human rights abuses and ongoing fossil fuel dependence.
In short:
Key quote:
“Everyone [is] accepting Saudi money in exchange for silence.”
— Lina Alhathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy for ALQST for Human Rights
Why this matters:
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is using Neom’s green branding to deflect attention from its environmental and human rights issues. With billions invested in Neom’s image, the campaign underscores the growing influence of fossil-fuel-dependent states on global narratives about sustainability.
Related:
Just three facilities near Pittsburgh cost the state $16 million in lost economic activity annually, according to a new report.
“Chemicals are really at the center of this triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity and climate change.”
“Las sustancias químicas están realmente en el centro de esta triple crisis planetaria de contaminación, biodiversidad y cambio climático”.
Groups are choosing to repair broken lines of communication and visualize the transition for its true potential to mitigate climate change – the common enemy.
Environmental activists are struggling with paranoia, panic attacks, and depression. Now, a growing network of mental health shelters in South America hopes to fill a void in care.
"At some point, they will kill you and kill all of us," environmental leader Yuvelis Natalia Morales Blanco was told.