Planet Week: Hurricane Laura batters through US
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
Welcome to Planet Week, where we highlight the last week of environmental news and what it means for our planet.
California and Amazon wildfires are making 2020 a record year, with global fires up 13% from 2019. More than half of Antarctica’s ice shelves are now at risk of fracturing. And researchers just linked a common air pollutant, NO2, to higher COVID-19 death rates.
In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the planet:
Monday, August 24
Environmental groups sue over Trump’s Arctic drilling
Last week, we started with United States President Donald Trump’s reckless plan to allow oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This week, a dozen environmental groups sued to stop the plan, claiming it violated several environmental policies, including the Endangered Species Act and the Wilderness Act.
“Birds can’t vote and they can’t file a lawsuit — but we can. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect America’s bird nursery from drilling,” said David Yarnold, president and CEO of the National Audubon Society, in a statement. Read more by the Associated Press.
Black is the new black for wind turbines
In other bird news, new research suggests that painting wind turbine blades black could reduce bird mortality by almost 72%.
Wind power is reliably cheaper than fossil fuels, but with its rise in popularity across the world, some turbines have had devastating effects on local populations of flying animals, like birds and bats. Estimates from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service suggest that between 140,000 and 500,000 birds die each year in turbine collisions. E&E News has the story.
Tuesday, August 25
U.S. Senate unveils $400 billion climate bill
With Republicans generally ignoring — and sometimes denying — climate change, U.S. Democrats are moving forward without them. After House Democrats rolled out its first comprehensive climate bill last month, Senate Democrats followed suit on Tuesday with a plan of their own.
The 260-page report recommends spending more than $400 billion a year to hit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The plan aims to create millions of jobs, in areas like clean energy and research and development. The report also includes a provision that would require 40% of benefits to go to “communities of color and low-income, deindustrialized, and disadvantaged communities.”
Now, all Democrats need is to win enough seats — and have enough gumption — to turn this plan into action. Read more at The Hill.
Our mental health crisis
Converging disasters like COVID-19 and climate-fueled storms are driving a mental health crisis across the U.S., and the federal government is vastly unprepared to handle it. That’s according to an in-depth analysis by The Center for Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations.
Every year, 1% of FEMA’s annual total relief fund, goes to mental-health work in disaster-stricken communities, they report. But this work lasts about a year, which is only a fraction of the lingering psychological effects for many survivors. And many times, the aid fails to even get to the people that need it most.
With more frequent and intense storms and wildfires in a climate-fueled future, this gap in mental health services can grow wider and exacerbate already existing inequalities.
ExxonMobil drops off the Dow
Oh, how the mighty have fallen: After 92 years spent ruining the planet, ExxonMobil will officially be dropped from the Dow Jones at the end of the month.
The Dow serves as an economic indicator, telling us when a company or industry is on the up — and things are not going well for oil and gas. Exxon’s market value fell by more than $200 billion between 2011 and 2020, with $1.7 billion lost in the first seven months of this year. And it’s hard to feel bad for them after years of funding climate misinformation and stalling action.
“Exxon’s deep fall today is another powerful reminder of how fossil fuels are too volatile to be the basis of a resilient economy,” May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, wrote. “It is past time for Exxon to recognise that it is not only one of the most responsible for the climate crisis, but also that its assets are quickly becoming stranded as we move towards more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative economic systems.”
Wednesday, August 26
Rains flood Pakistan and Afghanistan
Heavy rains swept through Pakistan and Afghanistan last week, killing nearly 200 people and damaging thousands of homes, reports Al Jazeera.
Poor urban planning and weak infrastructure left residents at risk, and local rescue teams, also battling COVID-19, are overwhelmed trying to clean up the mess. This year has brought devastating Monsoon rains and floods to Asia, affecting millions of people — and climate change is largely to blame.
Thursday, August 27
Hurricane Laura batters through U.S.
Early Thursday morning, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southern Louisiana. As a Category 4 storm, Laura was the most powerful storm to hit that region in over a decade, as felt by Louisiana and Texas communities hardest hit.
Hurricane Laura brought intense flooding and high-speed winds, killing at least 10 people, leaving 700,000 Texas and Louisiana residents without power, and causing a string of concerning industrial fires. Laura also tied for the most rapid intensification of a Gulf storm, jumping from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 within 24 hours, reports The Washington Post. That intensification is likely due to climate change: Warm water gives hurricanes energy, which allows them to strengthen faster than they normally would.
Meanwhile, during the Republican National Convention, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence offered prayers to those affected by Laura, while dismissing climate action and heralding fossil fuel production. Helpful.
Laura and Marco, which hit Louisiana as a Tropical storm on Monday, were the earliest L- and M-named Atlantic storms on record. And the next two storms — Nano and Omar — may already be forming.
Bonus
Tree survivors
Last week, wildfires tore through California’s oldest state park, destroying the historic headquarters but leaving the old growth redwood trees mostly intact. The trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park — some of them 2,000-years-old — play an important role in the forest ecosystem and serve as a symbol of resilience amid devastation.
“The forest is not gone. It will regrow,” said Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, in an interview with NBC. “Every old growth redwood I’ve ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.”
See you next week.
— Brandon and Sam