A foundation created by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, will fund a project to send drone boats out into the rough ocean around Antarctica to collect data that could help solve a crucial climate puzzle. The project is part of a suite of funding announced today from Schmidt Sciences, which Schmidt and his wife Wendy created to focus on projects tackling research into the global carbon cycle. It will spend $45 million over the next five years to fund these projects, which includes the Antarctic research.
“The ocean provides this really critical climate regulation service to all of us, and yet we don’t understand it as well as we could,” says Galen McKinley, a professor of environmental sciences at Columbia University and the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and one of the lead scientists on the project. “I’m just really excited to see how much this data can really pull together the community of people who are trying to understand and quantify the ocean carbon sink.”
The world’s oceans are its largest carbon sinks, absorbing about a third of the CO2 humans put into the atmosphere each year. One of the most important carbon sinks is the Southern Ocean, the body of water surrounding Antarctica. Despite being the second smallest of the world’s five oceans, the Southern Ocean is responsible for about 40 percent of all ocean-based carbon dioxide absorption.
Scientists, however, know surprisingly little about why, exactly, the Southern Ocean is such a successful carbon sink. What’s more, climate models that successfully predict ocean carbon absorption elsewhere in the world have diverged significantly when it comes to the Southern Ocean.
One of the biggest issues with understanding more about what’s going on in the Southern Ocean is simply a lack of data. This is thanks in part to the extreme conditions in the region. The Drake Passage, which runs between South America and Argentina, is one of the toughest stretches of ocean for ships, due to incredibly strong currents around Antarctica and dangerous winds; it’s even rougher in the winter months. The ocean also has a particularly pronounced cloud cover, Crisp says, which makes satellite observations difficult.
“The Southern Ocean is really far away, so we just haven’t done a lot of science there,” says McKinley. “It is a very big ocean, and it is this dramatic and scary place to go.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom answering the Republican redistricting power-grab in Texas with a plan of his own is a powerful example of how Golden State Democrats are standing up to President Trump and firing up their base. But while the partisan fireworks draw attention, California Democrats are also quietly offering a different kind of model for the national party that may prove more meaningful in the long run. They’re not just resisting Trump; they’re actually governing.
Forget what you think you know about California and its lefty Democrats. They’re inching to the center, meeting voters where they are, and it’s improving people’s lives.
Just look at San Francisco, long seen as a dysfunctional emblem of failed progressive governance.
The city’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, a nonprofit leader and philanthropist, has shaken off left-wing taboos and focused on delivering results. Instead of defunding the police, he’s hiring more officers and cracking down on shoplifting and drug crimes. Instead of demonizing the business community, he’s partnering with them. He’s also reforming zoning laws to make it easier to build more housing, which should ease the city’s affordability crunch and the homelessness crisis. Lurie has been in office less than a year, but already crime is plummeting and his approval rate has reached 73%.
National Democrats can find a lesson here: Voters care about results, not just empathy and ideology.
In Sacramento, Newsom and legislative Democrats are taking a similar tack, with a stubborn focus on affordability and the courage to stare down opposition, even in their own coalition. For example, the Legislature recently reformed the California Environmental Quality Act, a well-intentioned 50-year-old law that had been twisted to obstruct construction projects, clean energy development and public transportation. This angered some powerful environmental activists, but it will ultimately help bring down costs for housing and energy.
CEQA reform is emblematic of California’s new, more balanced approach on some thorny issues, like energy and climate. The state recently announced that two-thirds of its power now comes from clean energy sources — a major achievement. At the same time, Newsom and the Legislature agreed to a package of bills that will increase oil drilling while extending the state’s cap-and-trade program. Together, the package can reduce energy costs for Californians and strengthen our state’s chances of reaching carbon neutrality by 2045. Some environmental justice advocates and climate purists oppose the deal, but it’s an example of how to make progress in the long term while addressing affordability in the short term.
Immigration is another example: Newsom and other leading California Democrats continue to stand up to the Trump administration’s inhumane immigration policies, including suing to stop the deployment of troops to Los Angeles. But they also recently passed a budget that pulls back on costly plans to provide health insurance to all low-income undocumented immigrants.
This reflects the new California model: principled resistance and pragmatic governance. The results speak for themselves. The Golden State recently surpassed Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world.
Democratic leaders are making these moves because they are listening to voters who consistently say that the high cost of living is their top concern.
In 2024, these concerns contributed to a surprising number of Californians abandoning Democrats, even with Kamala Harris, the state’s former U.S. senator and attorney general, on the ticket. Trump flipped 10 counties and boosted his support in 45. Since 2016, 72% of California counties have gotten redder, including many with heavy Latino populations.
Democrats are paying attention and are wisely changing course. Being responsive to voter concerns doesn’t have to mean sacrificing core values, but it does require new approaches when the old ways aren’t working.
Karen Skelton (whose father is a political columnist for the Los Angeles Times) is a political strategist, having worked in the White House under Presidents Clinton and Biden and at the United States Departments of Energy, Transportation and Justice.
Insights
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Ideas expressed in the piece
California Democrats are demonstrating effective governance by moving toward the political center while maintaining their core values, offering a model for the national Democratic Party that goes beyond mere resistance to Trump’s policies.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie exemplifies this pragmatic approach by hiring more police officers, cracking down on shoplifting and drug crimes, and partnering with the business community rather than demonizing it, resulting in plummeting crime rates and a 73% approval rating.
Sacramento Democrats are prioritizing affordability and practical results over ideological purity, as demonstrated by their reform of the California Environmental Quality Act despite opposition from environmental activists, ultimately helping to reduce housing and energy costs.
The state’s balanced approach to energy and climate policy shows how Democrats can make long-term progress while addressing immediate affordability concerns, achieving two-thirds clean energy power while also increasing oil drilling through a cap-and-trade package.
On immigration, California Democrats maintain principled resistance to Trump’s policies while making pragmatic budget decisions, such as pulling back on costly plans to provide health insurance to all low-income undocumented immigrants.
This strategic shift reflects Democrats’ responsiveness to voter concerns about the high cost of living, which contributed to Trump gaining support in 10 counties and 45 others in 2024, with 72% of California counties becoming redder since 2016.
Different views on the topic
Republican leaders view California’s redistricting response as a partisan power grab rather than principled governance, with some vowing to challenge the maps in court and arguing that the redistricting process violates the California Constitution by relying on outdated population data[1].
Environmental activists and climate advocates oppose California’s pragmatic approach to energy policy, particularly the package that increases oil drilling while extending cap-and-trade programs, viewing it as a betrayal of environmental justice principles.
Progressive organizations initially opposed California’s redistricting efforts, with Common Cause, a good governance group supporting independent redistricting, originally opposing the state’s partisan response before later reversing its stance[1].
Some Democratic constituencies argue that pulling back on progressive policies like universal healthcare for undocumented immigrants represents an abandonment of core Democratic values rather than pragmatic governance.
Critics contend that the centrist shift represents capitulation to conservative pressure rather than principled leadership, arguing that Democrats should maintain their progressive positions rather than moderating in response to political setbacks.
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative climate policy group is urging House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to subpoena records from the Environmental Law Institute’s Climate Judiciary Project as part of an ongoing probe into the influence of climate advocacy groups in climate policy litigation.
Hon. Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, a conservative pro-U.S. energy production policy group, wrote a letter to Jordan last week pointing to evidence from a Sept. 12 Multnomah County v. ExxonMobil et al. court filing that he says suggests “covert coordination and judicial manipulation.”
“This new evidence raises serious red flags about the credibility of both the so-called science being used in climate lawsuits and the judicial training programs behind the bench,” Isaac told Fox News Digital.
According to Isaac’s letter to Jordan, the court filing submitted by Chevron Corporation earlier this month reveals that “one of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys, Roger Worthington, had undisclosed involvement in at least two so-called scientific studies that the county is presenting as independent, peer-reviewed evidence.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on Oct. 13, 2023, in Washington. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
One of those studies “acknowledged funding from the Climate Judiciary Project in a draft version, but that disclosure was inexplicably removed from the final publication,” Isaac said in the letter.
Earlier drafts of the study, labeled “DO NOT DISTRIBUTE,” were found on Worthington’s law firm website, the letter revealed.
According to the American Energy Institute, the study seeks to “attribute global economic losses from climate change to specific oil companies.” The website also included a “pre-publication draft of a CJP judicial training module” with internal editorial comments, according to the letter.
Isaac told Jordan this mark-up raises “serious questions about how and why a plaintiffs’ attorney had early access to, and possibly editorial influence over, materials being presented to state and federal judges as ‘neutral’ science.”
Another module was designed to “educate” participant judges on how to apply “attribution science” in the courtroom, according to Isaac.
Attribution science seeks to measure how much human-caused climate change is responsible for certain extreme weather events, per Science News Explores’ definition.
“The Environmental Law Institute has claimed neutrality, yet documents suggest coordination with plaintiffs’ counsel who stand to profit from the outcomes,” Isaac told Fox News Digital. “If the same lawyers suing energy companies are shaping the studies and educating the judges, that is not justice; it is manipulation. Congress is right to dig deeper, and the American Energy Institute is proud to support that effort.”
Isaac is requesting that Jordan formally request “communications, draft documents, funding agreements, and internal editorial notes related to the scientific studies and CJP curriculum.”
While commending Jordan’s leadership, Isaac said, “Judges and the public deserve to know whether the courtroom is being quietly shaped by coordinated climate advocacy posing as neutral expertise.”
Isaac said the Environmental Law Institute and Worthington should answer several questions about their involvement in the studies, including the “judicial education module on attribution science.”
A climate protester scales the Wilson Building as part of an Earth Day rally against fossil fuels on April 22, 2022. (Getty Images)
“Does ELI regularly seek input from plaintiffs’ attorneys on its judicial education modules?” Isaac questioned.
“ELI did not fund the Nature study, and the Climate Judiciary Project has not coordinated with Mr. Worthington,” Environmental Law Institute spokesman Nick Collins told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“CJP does not participate in or provide support for litigation,” Collins added. “Rather, CJP provides evidence-based continuing education to judges about climate science and how it arises in the law. Our curriculum is fact-based and science-first, grounded in consensus reports and developed with a robust peer review process that meets the highest scholarly standards.”
When 23 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter last month to Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin calling on him to cancel funding to the Environmental Law Institute, Collins told Fox News Digital that the Climate Judiciary Project’s projects are far from “radical.”
“The programs in which the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) participates are no different than other judicial education programs, providing evidence-based training on legal and scientific topics that judges voluntarily choose to attend,” Collins said.
The demonstration took place on the eve of Climate Week NYC, the world’s largest climate event, which runs September 21-28 across all five boroughs of New York City.
Why It Matters
The timing of these protests underscores growing tensions between grassroots climate activism and institutional climate discussions.
As world leaders, business executives, and policy makers prepare to gather for Climate Week NYC’s official programming, activists are demanding more aggressive action from those with the greatest economic and political power.
Climate Week NYC bills itself as a platform for “inspiring heads of government, ministers and climate envoys, and some of the most prominent leaders from the world of business, tech, academia, and civil society.”
Protestors march through Manhattan up to Central Park at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. Protestors march through Manhattan up to Central Park at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
People march through Manhattan in the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. People march through Manhattan in the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
What To Know
Protesters specifically targeted Billionaires’ Row and Trump Tower, chanting “Make Billionaires Pay” while connecting climate justice to broader social and political issues. The march linked environmental concerns with calls for democracy, gender equality, free speech, immigration reform, and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Climate Week NYC features hundreds of events across New York’s five boroughs, from policy gatherings and climate fintech discussions to community-led initiatives and art installations. Most official events are free and designed to be accessible to all participants.
The week addresses what organizers call “the biggest challenges of our time,” focusing on competitive strategies in a changing world, cost reduction, barrier removal, and clean technology investments.
However, protesters argue that current approaches remain insufficient given the urgency of the climate crisis.
People carry a “Climate Polluters Bill” the length of an Olympic swimming pool (50 meters long) through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. People carry a “Climate Polluters Bill” the length of an Olympic swimming pool (50 meters long) through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty marches through Manhattan in the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty marches through Manhattan in the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
What People Are Saying
Climate Week NYC Organizers: “The need for immediate climate progress grows every year, every month, every day. There has never been a more important time than right now.”
Protestors sit for a moment of silence for the Global South at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. Protestors sit for a moment of silence for the Global South at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
An art piece of Jeff Bezos with bloody hands carrying the globe is marched through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. An art piece of Jeff Bezos with bloody hands carrying the globe is marched through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
What Happens Next?
Climate Week NYC continues through September 28, with events scheduled across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.
The week’s programming includes both high-level policy discussions and community-focused initiatives.
People march through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. People march through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
An effigy representing Elon Musk with a bloody hand holding a globe is marched through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest in New York, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. An effigy representing Elon Musk with a bloody hand holding a globe is marched through Manhattan at the “Make Billionaires Pay” climate protest in New York, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
The popularity of these conspiracies may also be on the rise in right-wing spaces. Some MAHA figureheads, including Nicole Shanahan, have shared geoengineering content promoting conspiracy theories, while Marla Maples, Donald Trump’s ex-wife, told Fox News in July that she helped Florida’s anti-weather modification bill pass. (Bill Gates’ track record of funding solar geoengineering research has undoubtedly helped fan some of these flames.)
Doricko, the Rainmaker CEO, has spent much of the past year testifying in state legislatures that were considering vague anti-geoengineering bills that would have also banned cloud seeding. In May, he told WIRED that he and his team had spoken in front of 31 state legislatures. Education, he says, is key to getting people on board with the technology.
“I think there’s some cohort of people that believe that, you know, Joe Biden is actually a lizard person,” he says. “I think that a lot of people aren’t quite that far along, but are very concerned about chemtrails, probably. Showing them farms that are greener than they otherwise would have been with testimonies from those farmers—that’s probably the way that we’re gonna win hearts and minds.” (Doricko told WIRED last week that in recent months, his company has had “interest, curiosity, and excitement” from various state governments, both Democratic and Republican, in using cloud seeding to enhance water supply. “The education that we had the opportunity to do ultimately I think assuaged a lot of reasonable people’s concerns.”)
There is one additional type of human-caused shift in the world’s weather that played an outsize role in the hearing: climate change. Greene and other Republican lawmakers repeated many climate denial talking points and bad framing around climate science, including the idea that carbon dioxide is good for the planet because it is plant food. There were multiple mentions of beach houses owned by Barack Obama and Al Gore as a way of illustrating supposed hypocrisy about sea level rise. One of the witnesses called by the House majority works at an organization with a long history of questioning established climate science; he claimed in his testimony that there is “uncertainty as to exactly how much influence humans have exerted” over the global rise in temperature—a take that is out of line with mainstream science.
“My view is that this is mainly a way of saying there are secret forces at work that are making your life miserable, and everything bad is due to these secret forces,” says Dessler. “When in reality, it’s not secret forces, it’s climate change and it’s these other things that are hurting people.”
But even a whole hearing dedicated to a conspiracy theory grab bag may not be enough for some. On X, a popular anti-geoengineering community was alight with posts about the hearing—including many critical of the experts and their findings. “This was a scripted show to protect the government’s weather control agenda,” one moderator’s post reads. “Why no independent voices?”
Pope Leo XIV fed fish, petted horses and visited organic vineyards Friday as he inaugurated the Vatican’s ambitious project to turn Pope Francis’ preaching about caring for the environment into practice.Leo formally opened Borgo Laudato Si, a 55-acre utopian experiment in sustainable farming, vocational training and environmental education located on the grounds of the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. The Vatican hopes the center, open to student groups, CEOs and others, will be a model of ecological stewardship, education and spirituality for the Catholic Church and beyond.Leo travelled by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo and then zoomed around the estate’s cypress-lined gardens in an electric golf cart to reach the center, which is named for Francis’ landmark 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si,” or Praised Be. The document, which inspired an entire church movement, cast care for the planet as an urgent and existential moral concern that was inherently tied to questions of human dignity and justice, especially for the poor.Leo has strongly reaffirmed Francis’ focus on the need to care for God’s creation, and celebrated the first “green” Mass in the estate’s gardens earlier this summer, using a new set of prayers inspired by the encyclical that specifically invoke prayers for creation. On Friday, some 10 years after Laudato Si was published, Leo presided over a liturgy to bless the new center after touring its gardens, fishpond, farm, and classrooms.Leo recalled that according to the Bible, human beings have a special place in the act of creation, created in the “image and likeness of God.”“But this privilege comes with a great responsibility: that of caring for all other creatures, in accordance with the creator’s plan,” he said. “Care for creation, therefore, represents a true vocation for every human being, a commitment to be carried out within creation itself, without ever forgetting that we are creatures among creatures, and not creators.”A greenhouse inspired by St. Peter’s SquareLeo spoke from the heart of the project: a huge greenhouse in the same curved, embracing shape as the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square that faces a 10-room educational facility and dining hall. Once it’s up and running, visiting groups can come for an afternoon school trip to learn about organic farming, or a weekslong course on regenerative agriculture.The center aims to accomplish many of the goals of the environmental cause. Solar panels provide all the power the facility needs, plastics are banned, and recycling and composting systems used to reach zero-waste. Officials say water will be conserved and maximized via “smart irrigation” systems that use artificial intelligence to determine plants’ needs, along with rainwater harvesting and the installation of wastewater treatment and reuse systems.There is a social component as well. The Vatican’s first-ever vocational school on the grounds will aim to provide on-site training in sustainable gardening, organic winemaking, and olive harvesting to offer new job opportunities for particularly vulnerable groups: victims of domestic violence, refugees, recovering addicts, and rehabilitated prisoners.The products made will be sold on-site, with profits reinvested in the educational center: Laudato Si wine, organic olive oil, herbal teas from the farm’s aromatic garden, and cheese made from its 60 dairy cows, continuing a tradition of agricultural production that for centuries has subsidized monasteries and convents.While school groups are a core target audience, organizers also want to invite CEOs and professionals for executive education seminars, to sensitize the world of business to the need for sustainable economic growth.Officials declined to discuss the financing of the project, other than to say an undisclosed number of partners had invested in it and that confidential business plans precluded the Vatican from releasing further information.
Pope Leo XIV fed fish, petted horses and visited organic vineyards Friday as he inaugurated the Vatican’s ambitious project to turn Pope Francis’ preaching about caring for the environment into practice.
Leo formally opened Borgo Laudato Si, a 55-acre utopian experiment in sustainable farming, vocational training and environmental education located on the grounds of the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. The Vatican hopes the center, open to student groups, CEOs and others, will be a model of ecological stewardship, education and spirituality for the Catholic Church and beyond.
Leo travelled by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo and then zoomed around the estate’s cypress-lined gardens in an electric golf cart to reach the center, which is named for Francis’ landmark 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si,” or Praised Be. The document, which inspired an entire church movement, cast care for the planet as an urgent and existential moral concern that was inherently tied to questions of human dignity and justice, especially for the poor.
Leo has strongly reaffirmed Francis’ focus on the need to care for God’s creation, and celebrated the first “green” Mass in the estate’s gardens earlier this summer, using a new set of prayers inspired by the encyclical that specifically invoke prayers for creation. On Friday, some 10 years after Laudato Si was published, Leo presided over a liturgy to bless the new center after touring its gardens, fishpond, farm, and classrooms.
Leo recalled that according to the Bible, human beings have a special place in the act of creation, created in the “image and likeness of God.”
“But this privilege comes with a great responsibility: that of caring for all other creatures, in accordance with the creator’s plan,” he said. “Care for creation, therefore, represents a true vocation for every human being, a commitment to be carried out within creation itself, without ever forgetting that we are creatures among creatures, and not creators.”
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE
Pope Leo XIV attends the inauguration of the “Borgo Laudato Si’” Advanced Training Center at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, on September 5, 2025. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A greenhouse inspired by St. Peter’s Square
Leo spoke from the heart of the project: a huge greenhouse in the same curved, embracing shape as the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square that faces a 10-room educational facility and dining hall. Once it’s up and running, visiting groups can come for an afternoon school trip to learn about organic farming, or a weekslong course on regenerative agriculture.
The center aims to accomplish many of the goals of the environmental cause. Solar panels provide all the power the facility needs, plastics are banned, and recycling and composting systems used to reach zero-waste. Officials say water will be conserved and maximized via “smart irrigation” systems that use artificial intelligence to determine plants’ needs, along with rainwater harvesting and the installation of wastewater treatment and reuse systems.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE
Pope Leo XIV presides over a Liturgy of the Word after the inauguration of the “Borgo Laudato Si’” Advanced Training Center at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, on September 5, 2025. Borgo Laudato Si’ is training in integral ecology and fraternity, an education that aims to be inclusive and accessible to all, with particular attention to those in vulnerable situations. From job training to educational programs, from immersive experiences in contact with nature to seminars and cultural events, Borgo Laudato Si’ is committed to protecting and developing through investment in education, with a consistent commitment to promoting a culture of care. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
There is a social component as well. The Vatican’s first-ever vocational school on the grounds will aim to provide on-site training in sustainable gardening, organic winemaking, and olive harvesting to offer new job opportunities for particularly vulnerable groups: victims of domestic violence, refugees, recovering addicts, and rehabilitated prisoners.
The products made will be sold on-site, with profits reinvested in the educational center: Laudato Si wine, organic olive oil, herbal teas from the farm’s aromatic garden, and cheese made from its 60 dairy cows, continuing a tradition of agricultural production that for centuries has subsidized monasteries and convents.
While school groups are a core target audience, organizers also want to invite CEOs and professionals for executive education seminars, to sensitize the world of business to the need for sustainable economic growth.
Officials declined to discuss the financing of the project, other than to say an undisclosed number of partners had invested in it and that confidential business plans precluded the Vatican from releasing further information.
Marissa Loewen first started using artificial intelligence in 2014 as a project management tool. She has autism and ADHD and said it helped immensely with organizing her thoughts.
“We try to use it conscientiously though because we do realize that there is an impact on the environment,” she said.
Her personal AI use isn’t unique anymore. Now it’s a feature in smartphones, search engines, word processors and email services. Every time someone uses AI, it uses energy that is often generated by fossil fuels. That releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.
And it’s getting harder to live without it.
The climate cost
AI is largely powered by data centers that field queries, store data and deploy information. As AI becomes ubiquitous, the power demand for data centers increases, leading to grid reliability problems for people living nearby.
“Since we are trying to build data centers at a pace where we cannot integrate more renewable energy resources into the grid, most of the new data centers are being powered by fossil fuels,” said Noman Bashir, computing and climate impact fellow with MIT’s Climate and Sustainability Consortium.
The data centers also generate heat, so they rely on fresh water to stay cool. Larger centers can consume up to 5 million gallons (18.9 million liters) a day, according to an article from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. That’s roughly the same as the daily water demand for a town of up to 50,000 people.
It’s difficult to imagine, because for most users the impact isn’t visible, said AI and Climate Lead Sasha Luccioni with the AI company, Hugging Face.
“In one of my studies, we found that generating a high-definition image uses as much energy as charging half of your phone. And people were like, ‘That can’t be right, because when I use Midjourney (a generative AI program), my phone battery doesn’t go down,’” she said.
Jon Ippolito, professor of new media at the University of Maine, said tech companies are constantly working to make chips and data centers more efficient, but that does not mean AI’s environmental impact will shrink. That’s because of a problem called the Jevons Paradox.
“The cheaper resources get, the more we tend to use them anyway,” he said. When cars replaced horses, he said, commute times didn’t shrink. We just traveled farther.
Quantifying AI’s footprint
How much those programs contribute to global warming depends on a lot of factors, including how warm it is outside the data center that’s processing the query, how clean the grid is and how complex the AI task is.
Information sources on AI’s contributions to climate change are incomplete and contradictory, so getting exact numbers is difficult.
But Ippolito tried anyway.
He built an app that compares the environmental footprint of different digital tasks based on the limited data he could find. It estimates that a simple AI prompt, such as, “Tell me the capital of France,” uses 23 times more energy than the same question typed into Google without its AI Overview feature.
“Instead of working with existing materials, it’s writing them from scratch. And that takes a lot more compute,” Luccioni said.
And that’s just for a simple prompt. A complex prompt, such as, “Tell me the number of gummy bears that could fit in the Pacific Ocean,” uses 210 times more energy than the AI-free Google search. A 3-second video, according to Ippolito’s app, uses 15,000 times as much energy. It’s equivalent to turning on an incandescent lightbulb and leaving it on for more than a year.
It’s got a big impact, but it doesn’t mean our tech footprints were carbon-free before AI entered the scene.
Watching an hour of Netflix, for example, uses more energy than a complex AI text prompt. An hour on Zoom with 10 people uses 10 times that much.
“It’s not just about making people conscious of AI’s impact, but also all of these digital activities we take for granted,” he said.
Limit tech, limit tech’s climate impact
Ippolito said he limits his use of AI when he can. He suggests using human-captured images instead of AI-generated ones. He tells the AI to stop generating as soon as he has the answer to avoid wasting extra energy. He requests concise answers and he begins Google searches by typing “-ai” so it doesn’t provide an AI overview for queries where he doesn’t need it.
Loewen has adopted the same approach. She said she tries to organize her thoughts into one AI query instead of asking it a series of iterative questions. She also built her own AI that doesn’t rely on large data centers, which saves energy in the same way watching a movie you own on a DVD is far less taxing than streaming one.
“Having something local on your computer in your home allows you to also control your use of the electricity and consumption. It allows you to control your data a little bit more,” she said.
Luccioni uses Ecosia, which is a search engine that uses efficient algorithms and uses profits to plant trees to minimize the impact of each search. Its AI function can also be turned off.
ChatGPT also has a temporary chat function so the queries you send to the data center get deleted after a few weeks instead of taking up data center storage space.
But AI is only taking up a fraction of the data center’s energy use. Ippolito estimates roughly 85% is data collection from sites like TikTok and Instagram, and cryptocurrency.
His answer there: make use of screen time restrictions on your phone to limit time scrolling on social media. Less time means less personal data collected, less energy and water used, and fewer carbon emissions entering the atmosphere.
“If you can do anything that cuts a data center out of the equation, I think that’s a win,” Ippolito said.
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SALEM — The Peabody Essex Museum has recommitted to a three-year renewable energy agreement that matches 100% of the museum’s annual electricity use across its entire 23-building campus with renewable energy credits.
And this Saturday, July 26, PEM will open a new climate-focused exhibition, titled “Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest.” The exhibit, available in English and Spanish, will be on view until Sept. 27 of next year, and spotlights the boreal forest and its ecosystem’s vital importance to the health of the planet.
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday took another step to make it harder to find major, legally mandated scientific assessments of how climate change is endangering the nation and its people.
What You Need To Know
The Trump administration has made it harder for people, local and state governments to find critical climate change reports
On Monday, NASA announced it would not host the National Climate Assessments, reversing earlier plans
These reports detail climate impacts across the U.S. and were previously available on government websites that went offline earlier this month
NASA stated it has no legal obligation to host the data, while critics, including scientists, accuse the administration of trying to bury vital information
Earlier this month, the official government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Such sites tell state and local governments and the public what to expect in their backyards from a warming world and how best to adapt to it. At the time, the White House said NASA would house the reports to comply with a 1990 law that requires the reports, which the space agency said it planned to do.
But on Monday, NASA announced that it aborted those plans.
“The USGCRP (the government agency that oversees and used to host the report) met its statutory requirements by presenting its reports to Congress. NASA has no legal obligations to host globalchange.gov’s data,” NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said in an email. That means no data from the assessment or the government science office that coordinated the work will be on NASA, she said.
On July 3, NASA put out a statement that said, “All preexisting reports will be hosted on the NASA website, ensuring continuity of reporting.”
“This document was written for the American people, paid for by the taxpayers, and it contains vital information we need to keep ourselves safe in a changing climate, as the disasters that continue to mount demonstrate so tragically and clearly,” said Texas Tech climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. She is chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy and co-author of several past national climate assessments.
Copies of past reports are still squirreled away in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s library and the latest report and its interactive atlas can be seen here.
Former Obama White House science adviser and climate scientist John Holdren accused the administration of outright lying and long intended to censor or bury the reports.
“The new stance is classic Trump administration misdirection,” Holdren said. “In this instance, the administration offers a modest consolation to quell initial outrage over the closure of the globalchange.gov site and the disappearance of the National Climate Assessments. Then, two weeks later, they snatch away the consolation with no apology.”
“They simply don’t want the public to see the meticulously assembled and scientifically validated information about what climate change is already doing to our farms, forests, and fisheries, as well as to storms, floods, wildfires, and coast property — and about how all those damages will grow in the absence of concerted remedial action,” Holdren said in an email.
That’s why it’s important that state and local governments and every day people see these reports, Holdren said. He said they are written in a way that is “useful to people who need to understand what climate change is doing and will do to THEM, their loved ones, their property and their environment.”
“Trump doesn’t want people to know,” Holdren wrote.
The most recent report, issued in 2023, found that climate change is affecting people’s security, health and livelihoods in every corner of the country in different ways, with minority communities, particularly Native Americans, often disproportionately at risk.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Kristy strengthened into a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday and was expected to remain away from land as the storm grows more powerful, forecasters said.
The storm was 590 miles (950 kilometers) west-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
Kristy became a tropical storm Monday off of Mexico’s southern Pacific coast before strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to rapidly intensify and could become a Category 3 storm this week before weakening, forecasters said.
The storm was expected to continue moving over open waters without threatening land. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
In the Atlantic Ocean, Oscar disintegrated into tropical remnants Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. The island is recovering from flooding and power outages.
NEW DELHI (AP) — As India gears up for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, people are divided over whether they should celebrate by setting off firecrackers, which worsen the country’s chronic air pollution.
Diwali, which will be celebrated Thursday, is marked by socializing and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Many Indians light earthen oil lamps or candles. But every year the festivities are tinged with worries over air pollution, as smoke-emitting firecrackers cause toxic smog that can takes days to clear.
FILE – Children play with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)
The capital, New Delhi, which is among India’s worst cities for air quality, is particularly impacted by the problem and is usually shrouded in toxic gray smog a day after Diwali. Authorities there and in some other states have banned the use and sale of firecrackers since 2017, asking people to opt for more sustainable options like environmentally friendly firecrackers and light shows, but the rule is often flouted. Firecrackers can be easily bought from roadside stalls and stores.
Some residents in New Delhi say the ban doesn’t make much difference, while others see it as a necessary measure to fight pollution.
Vegetable vendor Renu, who only uses one name, loves celebrating Diwali in the city. Every year her kids set off firecrackers at night. She tells them to be careful but not to refrain from using them.
A thick layer of smog hangs over the skyline of Delhi ahead of Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Shonal Ganguly)
“Diwali is a day of celebration and happiness for us which comes only once a year, and I feel the ban should not be there,” she said.
Others are against it.
Unlike most kids, Ruhaani Mandal, 13, doesn’t light firecrackers. She acknowledges it is fun, but says it is hazardous for people and animals.
“I have seen firsthand the struggle of my father, who has lost his sense of smell due to pollution, and I see how his health worsens after Diwali celebrations,” she said.
New Delhi and several northern Indian cities typically see extremely high levels of air pollution between October and January each year, disrupting businesses and shutting schools and offices. Authorities close construction sites, restrict diesel-run vehicles and deploy water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze and smog that envelopes the skyline.
Commuters drive amidst morning smog ahead of Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
This year, thick, toxic smog has already started to engulf New Delhi. On Wednesday, authorities reported an AQI of over 300, which is categorized as “very poor.”
Several studies have estimated that more than a million Indians die each year from air pollution-related diseases. A high level of tiny particulate matter can lodge deep into the lungs and cause major health problems, including chronic respiratory diseases.
New Delhi’s woes aren’t only due to firecrackers. Vehicular emissions, farm fires in neighboring states and dust from construction are the primary causes of the capital’s air pollution woes. But health experts say the smoke emitted from firecrackers can be more hazardous.
Fishermen row their boat amidst morning smog in the river Yamuna as toxic foam floats in the river ahead of Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
“The smoke that is produced by firecrackers contains heavy metals like sulphur, lead and toxic gases like carbon monoxide and fumes of heavy metals that are dangerous to our respiratory system,” said Arun Kumar Sharma, a community medicine professor at New Delhi’s University College of Medical Sciences.
Meanwhile, authorities in New Delhi have largely failed to enforce a strict ban on the use of firecrackers to avoid offending millions of Hindus across the country, for whom Diwali is one of the biggest festivals. To sidestep the ban, many sellers offer firecrackers online, some with the convenience of home delivery.
Gyaanchand Goyal sits in his shop in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Goyal said that the ban on firecrackers has served as a disadvantage to sellers like him and affected their biggest source of income during the festive season. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
Shopkeeper Gyaanchand Goyal said the ban on firecrackers has disadvantaged sellers like him and affected their biggest source of income during the festive season.
“The government enforces a restriction on firecrackers solely to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Other than that, I don’t think there are any other consequences of this ban,” he said.
Leonardo DiCaprio is endorsing Kamala Harris for president, with the Oscar-winning actor expressing support for the Democratic nominee in a video Friday.
“Climate change is killing the earth and ruining our economy, we need a bold step forward to save our economy, our planet and ourselves,” DiCaprio said in the video posted to Instagram. “That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris.”
DiCaprio, long an outspoken advocate for addressing the climate crisis, has supported Democratic candidates in the past. In early 2020, he attended a fundraiser for Joe Biden at the home of former Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing.
His Instagram caption cited the recent devastation from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which he called “unnatural disasters caused by climate change.” In the video, DiCaprio praised Harris’ ambitious targets for achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and helping to build a green economy. He also noted her involvement in passing the Inflation Reduction Act. As vice president, Harris cast the tiebreaking vote on President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law that was approved with only Democratic support.
He also criticized Trump for withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord and rolling back “critical environmental protections.” Trump, he said, continues to “deny the facts” and “deny the science.”
With less than two weeks until Election Day, Harris has received the support of many high-profile entertainers including Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Chris Rock and George Clooney.
Republican nominee Donald Trump’s celebrity supporters include Elon Musk, Dennis Quaid, Roseanne Barr and Kid Rock. In December 2016, DiCaprio and the head of his eponymous foundation met with Trump, then president-elect, to discuss how jobs centered on preserving the environment could boost the economy.
This election will determine the future of our country and our communities, and early voting is a powerful way to ensure that our voices are heard. When President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, we were proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket, and especially excited with her incredible vice-presidential pick: Governor Tim Walz.
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The United Nations’ Environmental Program has released a new with yet more dire news about our odds of avoiding climate disaster caused by greenhouse gas emissions. According to this assessment, the current trajectory of international commitments will see the planet’s temperature increasing 2.6 degrees Celsius or more over the course of this century. That amount of temperature change would lead to more catastrophic and life-threatening weather events.
UN members are due to submit their latest Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of the COP30 conference in Brazil next year. The NDCs lay out each country’s plan for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. One part of the NDCs are to reach the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and one part targets keeping global temperature increases to within a less ideal 2 degrees Celsius. While the report says it is technically possible to reach the Paris Agreement goal, much larger actions will be required to cut emissions by the necessary amount.
“Increased deployment of solar photovoltaic technologies and wind energy could deliver 27 percent of the total emission reduction potential in 2030 and 38 percent in 2035,” the report gives as an example of what’s still needed. “Action on forests could deliver around 20 percent of the potential in both years.”
“Every fraction of a degree avoided counts in terms of lives saved, economies protected, damages avoided, biodiversity conserved and the ability to rapidly bring down any temperature overshoot,” UN Environment Program Executive Director Inger Andersen wrote in the report’s forward.
International collaboration, government commitments and financial contributions will also be essential for getting back on track to either the 2-degree or 1.5-degree goals. “G20 nations, particularly the largest-emitting members, would need to do the heavy lifting,” the report reads.
If all of this sounds familiar, that’s probably because the UN has issued the same stark warnings in each of its annual reports on emissions for now. And other reports have echoed their calls, such as damning earlier this year that just 57 companies are responsible for 80 percent of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
Are you craving some vitamin D or looking for a change of scenery? Well, you’re not alone. More and more people are looking to move to sunnier cities throughout the country. In fact, sunny, relatively affordable metro areas have been some of the most popular migration destinations over the last few years.
The Sun Belt region of the U.S. has actually been popular for well over 60 years, and many cities have seen significant development. People have long been attracted to new economic opportunities, growing communities, and gorgeous weather.
So, if you’re considering moving to a sunnier city but aren’t sure which one to choose, we’re here to help. We’ve compiled a list of the sunniest cities in the U.S., so you can move with confidence. Read on to learn more and discover if one of these sunny cities is right for you.
What is sunny weather?
Before diving into the sunniest cities, let’s define what sunny weather means. Sunniness is divided into three categories: sunny (or clear if overnight), mostly sunny/cloudy, and partly sunny/cloudy.
Sunny: less than 1/8th of the sky is covered with clouds
Mostly sunny: 1/8-2/8ths of the sky is covered with clouds
Partly sunny: 3/8-5/8ths of the sky is covered with clouds
This list of cities focuses on the first category, sunny. Keep reading to see our ranking of the sunniest cities with over 100,000 residents based on their annual number of sunny days.
During the summer months, the city averages more than 13 hours of sunlight per day, mainly due to its location in the hot Sonoran Desert. However, the desert climate leads to sweltering summers; temperatures are typically in the 110-degree range throughout July and August.
That hasn’t slowed the city’s growth, though. In the past 50 years, Yuma’s population has grown by more than 150,000.
You can use those sunny days to take advantage of all the outdoor activities the city has to offer. From rafting on the Colorado River to exploring the nearby Imperial Sand Dunes, there’s something for everyone in Yuma. In town, you can see the historic city center or visit one of the many local boutiques. And just outside of town, you can see farms stretching for miles in every direction, producing 90% of the U.S. and Canada’s lettuce during the winter.
Located in central Arizona, the state’s capital is also one of the sunniest in the country. All the sun leads to plenty of heat, however, as the area averages well over 100 days in the triple digits annually. Recently, in 2024, Phoenix saw a record-smashing 113 days with temperatures above 100°F, 70 days above 110°F, and 21-straight record-hot days in October.
The unbearable heat hasn’t deterred people from moving there, though – its population grew by over 200,000 between 2010 and 2020, the fastest by a major city. It was also a top relocation destination just after the pandemic.
There are tons of reasons to move to Phoenix. The city is known for its gorgeous landscapes, cacti, hiking, and numerous resorts. There is also plenty to do in the area, from walking at Papago Park to hiking up Piestewa Peak. And if you’re a sports fan, the city is home to professional hockey, football, basketball, and baseball teams. After a long day out, grab a bite in the Melrose District for a tasty treat.
Lovingly known as Sin City, Las Vegas, NV, is an entertainment paradise full of luxurious hotels, casinos, fine dining, and wild adventures. The city is located in the dry Mojave Desert and receives a lot of sunshine, wind, and very little rain. Similar to Phoenix, Las Vegas saw a summer of record-breaking heat that stretched deep into October.
There are plenty of outdoor activities to experience around Las Vegas, including adventure tours, mountain biking, ziplining, and rock climbing. If you’re looking for something more relaxed, look for one of the many spas, golf courses, museums, aquariums, and parks. The weather is generally warm year-round, so there is always something to do outside.
Sitting in the heart of California’s fertile Central Valley, Fresno, CA, is known for its agriculture, orchards, and history. It also has all the outdoor activities you could want. The city is conveniently located just a few hours from the coast and three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia.
While Fresno is often sunny during the spring and summer, mornings during the fall and winter are generally filled with a thick fog called “tule fog.” This weather pattern, endemic to the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys (both part of the larger Central Valley), helps regulate temperatures but can lead to low visibility. During the summer, temperatures are warm, and the skies are generally clear.
Fresno is an adventurer’s haven, featuring numerous parks, lakes, trails, and activities just outside the city. Because of its proximity to Central Valley farms, local cuisine and produce is famous and a point of pride among locals. Plus, there are plenty of neighborhoods and suburbs with relatively affordable homes.
Tucson is a hot, sunny, desert city with wondrous outdoor recreation, UNESCO-certified cuisine, lively college athletics, and plenty of history. In fact, Tucson is such a remarkable city that Redfin named it the best place to live in Arizona in 2024. Summer heat can be unbearable at times, but because of the city’s elevation, it’s generally about five degrees cooler and a bit wetter than Phoenix to the north.
Frankly, getting outside and experiencing the unique desert landscape, whether it’s at Saguaro National Park or Catalina State Park, is a joy. Or, just walk the historic streets and stop for a bite to eat at a local restaurant. You can see everything the nature in the region has to offer at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Located within the Chihuahuan Desert on the southwestern edge of Texas, El Paso is known for its amateur sports, natural splendor, and warm, dry climate. While it’s generally sunny year-round, summers are the wettest time of the year due to the North American monsoon. Because of its inclusion in the Paso del Norte (Borderplex) and its proximity to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, it’s a largely bilingual and binational metropolis.
El Paso isn’t an isolated desert town, either. Plenty of nearby cities provide alternative places to live and explore, like Horizon City and Canutillo.
If you’re looking to soak up the sun in the Pass of the North, there’s a lot to do, from touring local vineyards and museums, to spending time with friends at water parks and zoos. The city is also situated on the Rio Grande, which offers numerous attractions and vistas, and White Sands National Park. 17th-century Spanish mission buildings are local landmarks that still hold religious services.
Just an hour from Los Angeles, and situated in the middle of one of the largest agricultural producing areas in the world, Bakersfield, CA, is a dry, sunny city.
The area receives most of its rain during the winter, and sees sunny and hot summers. But unlike other Central Valley cities, Bakersfield sees only light fog during the winter. While Bakersfield is known for agricultural production, its oil, natural gas, and other extraction industries are some of the largest in the country.
There’s a lot to do in Bakersfield, from visiting the Kern County Museum and Bakersfield Museum of Art, to strolling along the Kern River. Bakersfield also has a famous music scene, notably its unique Bakersfield Sound country music genre. Other activities around the city include exploring nearby farms, eating the local cuisine at dozens of restaurants, or shopping in the Antique District.
Home to free weekly summer concerts, the world’s largest almond processing plant, gold-rush era attractions, and local wineries, Sacramento, CA, is a fun and sunny place to be. It’s also a hub for excellent local cuisine, railroad history, politics, and outdoor adventure.
The region gets most of its rain during the foggy fall and winter months, while it’s usually dry during the summer. Temperatures can also get quite hot.
As the capital of California, Sacramento is home to plenty of attractions and things to do. Along with great food and music, you can explore Folsom Lake and Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. And just outside the city, the California State Fair offers a traditional but lively fair experience. For something a bit less stimulating, consider seeing the Tower Bridge or strolling along the American River Parkway.
Los Angeles, CA, is a global hub for fashion, entertainment, finance, technology, and travel. Famous for being the home of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and numerous other iconic locales, the second-largest city in the U.S. is also one of the sunniest.
Because of its enormous urban sprawl, temperatures can vary widely throughout the city (from the coast to further inland), although it’s generally warm and dry year-round. Add in some of the calmest winds in the nation (1.9 mph average) and it’s no wonder people come for the weather.
There are plenty of things to do around L.A. You can catch the sunrise from Griffith Park, snap photos of the Hollywood sign, tour one of many famous museums, head to Venice Beach for a casual walk along the coast, visit Disneyland, or eat at any number of quality restaurants. Living in the city is expensive, though, which has pushed many residents out.
A city stocked full of life, Stockton, CA, is known for its restaurants, museums, parks, and famous nature center. Located in the Sacramento Valley, it’s just an hour from both the capital and coast, making for convenient trips into a large city.
Stockton receives most of its gloomy weather and rain in the winter, while summers are hot, sunny, and dry. The massive California Delta flows through the city, providing water to most of Central and Southern California via large pumps that are only a short drive from the city center.
If you’re looking for outdoor activities, you can visit the Haggin Museum, take a walk downtown, or drive a few hours to the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hikes, lakes, and beautiful weather are plentiful.
This list contains annual sunshine data for major cities with over 100,000 residents. Comparative Climatic Data was obtained from a 2020 review by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and its parent administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sunlight was only measured during daylight hours.
Atlantic salmon populations in England and Wales have plummeted to unprecedented lows, according to the Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment for 2024, a report published this month by the United Kingdom Environment Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.
According to the report by the two government agencies, a massive 90 percent of wild river salmon in England are classified as either “at risk” or “probably at risk”.
This latest classification is due to salmon stocks declining to levels that are insufficient for a self-sustaining salmon population.
“Forty years ago, an estimated 1.4 million salmon returned to UK rivers each year. We are now at barely a third of that – a new low and evidence of the wider, growing biodiversity crisis,” Alan Lovell, chairman of the Environment Agency, said when the report was released.
At the end of last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an international organisation dedicated to nature conservation, changed the status of Atlantic salmon from “least concern” to “endangered” in Great Britain on its Red List of Threatened Species.
“There are rivers that used to have in the UK maybe 20,000 to 30,000 Atlantic salmon running them, and they’re now down to 1,000 to 2,000, and there are some rivers with literally a few hundred left,” Dylan Roberts, head of fisheries at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in the UK, told Al Jazeera.
“We’re looking at about an 80 percent decline over the last 40 years in wild Atlantic salmon.”
An Atlantic salmon jumps out of the water at the Shrewsbury Weir on the River Severn in Shropshire, England, as it migrates upstream to spawn [Shutterstock]
Why is Atlantic salmon endangered?
In December, Atlantic salmon was classified as endangered due to a 30 to 50 percent decline in British populations since 2006 and a 50 to 80 percent projected decline from 2010 to 2025, according to the IUCN.
The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species has nine categories based on risk of extinction. These classifications help the wider scientific community assess and monitor the conservation status of different species.
They are the following:
Not evaluated: species that have not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria
Data deficient: species for which there is insufficient information to make a direct or indirect assessment of their risk of extinction
Least concern: species that are widespread and abundant and do not qualify for any higher risk category
Near threatened: species that do not currently qualify as threatened but are close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future
Vulnerable: species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild
Endangered: species at very high risk of extinction in the wild
Critically endangered: species that face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and meet criteria indicating an imminent threat to their survival
Extinct in the wild: species that survive only in captivity or outside their natural range and are presumed extinct in their native habitat after exhaustive surveys
Extinct: species for which there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died, confirmed by extensive surveys without sightings
The IUCN’s Red List includes more than 45,300 species that are threatened with extinction, which includes any species in the classifications from vulnerable to extinct in the wild.
According to Roberts, species do not automatically make the IUCN’s Red List just because of low numbers. What gets a species on the list is how sharp the slope of decline is.
“The slope on salmon is endangered. Hence they went on the red list. You’re looking at quite dramatic declines,” he said.
Why are salmon faring so badly in UK rivers?
Agricultural practices
Salmon habitats globally face multiple threats, including agricultural pollution, increased sedimentation on riverbeds, chemical run-off from industrial activities, wastewater discharge and even disruption of rivers due to new road infrastructure.
Additionally, structural barriers built in rivers that impede migration routes, water scarcity due to excessive use and rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change further endanger salmon ecosystems.
Bycatch
European and British salmon travel along a migration route through rivers and streams known as the “smolt superhighway” as they head north to feed into the North Atlantic.
Peak migration time when many of these young fish are heading through this superhighway is around May and June. At this time, young salmon often get caught by large trawlers entering in the same zone in the sea to catch other fish such as mackerel or herring.
This directly reduces the number of fish that can grow to adulthood and return to their natal rivers to spawn.
Bycatch refers to catching fish that are not the main target for trawlers. “Bycatch would be the accidental capture of things like seals, seabirds, dolphins, whales, sharks, rays, skates and [are] protected,” Roberts said. “All these species are recorded. The problem is that salmon just aren’t recorded. And other protected fish as well, such as sea trout, which go to sea.”
According to Roberts, a solution to this problem is to collect better data on how salmon are moving through the rivers and oceans to get a better sense of the impact on the population.
A turtle, shown on deck of a fishing trawler after being caught as bycatch, will be recorded as a protected species. Salmon caught in this way are not recorded, however [Shutterstock]
Maize production
The environmental impact of maize production in the UK has proven to be another factor that has adversely impacted rivers and streams vital to salmon. The growth in the use of maize in biofuels and cattle fodder has exacerbated the problem.
“The habitat has been destroyed by intensive agriculture and all the algae and the sediment run-off. So you get this filamentous algae growing on the riverbed, and the riverbed just gets smothered with it,” Roberts said.
The overproduction of algae is detrimental to insects and invertebrates that live in the river and on which salmon are dependent as a food source.
Farm salmon fishing in Norway, the biggest producer of farmed salmon in the world [Shutterstock]
Can salmon farming make up for these losses?
Not really and, in some cases, it may be making the situation for salmon stocks worse.
According to some estimates, roughly 70 percent of the world’s salmon is produced through salmon farming and not caught in freshwater streams.
Salmon farming in the UK generates 1.5 billion pounds ($1.95bn) a year in revenues.
Some experts argue that vast numbers of salmon raised in cramped conditions in aquaculture facilities pose significant challenges and health risks. These practices not only impact the welfare of the salmon but also carry implications for human health and environmental sustainability.
Intensive salmon farming coupled with cramped conditions in farming sea cages can result in the salmon being more susceptible to catching diseases.
“You end up with disease problems – viruses, biological sea lice, sea lice problems – then all the waste that goes into these lochs because they’re in sheltered areas. They don’t get a full flushing from the tides, and over time, they build up,” Roberts explained.
“And what they’re finding now in these lochs is that they’re getting eutrophication [a build-up of algae]. So the locks are turning green, and that’s killing the fish in the cages,” he added.
Eutrophication is often caused by agricultural practices and can cause salmon to experience hypoxia, a depletion of oxygen levels. This can happen to both wild salmon and farmed salmon.
Salmon sometimes escape from the aquaculture farms through nets damaged by severe weather, just being worn down or via poorly secured drains.
Once these escapees from the “fish asylum” are in freshwater rivers and streams, they can interbreed with wild salmon, disrupting their natural development and passing on diseases.
“If you upset the genetic gene pool, that’s a big problem,” Roberts said.
A salmon farm in Loch Fyne in Scotland that uses round fish ‘cages’ [Shutterstock]
According to a 2023 annual fish health report from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, roughly 17 percent of the country’s farmed salmon died due to infectious diseases. Norway is the top producer of salmon, contributing roughly 50 percent of global production.
Diseases can range from winter sores to heart skeletal muscle inflammation. Although there are treatments for some of these diseases, the treatments themselves can weaken fish, making them even more susceptible to other infectious diseases.
“Infectious diseases are an extensive problem both for the fish’s welfare and survival in the sea,” said Edgar Brun, department director at the Veterinary Institute.
However, industry experts say finding the right preventive measures to reduce disease in fish remains challenging. Moreover, the overuse of vaccines can increase antibiotic resistance, making certain pathogens more entrenched in the salmon population.
Is salmon endangered in other parts of the world as well?
In Ireland and Iceland, overfishing and habitat destruction have led to significant declines in the salmon population.
According to Inland Fisheries Ireland, an organisation responsible for protecting inland fisheries and sea angling resources, wild salmon numbers returning to Ireland dropped from 1.76 million in 1975 to 171,700 in 2022.
In the US, specific species, including Chinook and Coho salmon, have endangered status due to overfishing, pollution from agricultural run-off and urban development.
In Canada, the fourth largest producer of salmon, production has fallen from a peak of 148,000 tonnes in 2016 to 90,000 tonnes in 2023, according to the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. Many experts attribute some of the decline to hundreds of thousands of salmon escaping from sea cages and spreading diseases to the wild stock.
[Shutterstock]
Should we all stop eating salmon?
Until recently, salmon was considered a luxury food in many parts of the world. These days it is eaten much more frequently, and many experts say we eat too much of it.
Although salmon is often celebrated by health experts for its omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health, there is a risk of overconsumption, given the levels of freshwater contamination and diseases that can become pervasive in fish farms, causing populations to fall.
Some farmed salmon has more omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon but can have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). PCBs are synthetic chemicals that have widespread industrial uses. PCBs can “live” in industrial waste that gets dumped into our seas, rivers and streams. PCBs tend to be more prevalent in closed-system environments than open environments, like freshwater rivers.
Many health experts recommend eating wild salmon because of their lower levels of PCBs. Freshwater salmon also tend to be less susceptible to those fish-related diseases that are more common in farm-raised salmon.
According to Roberts, encouraging people to eat less salmon would not be particularly practical.
However, he said, collaboration with organisations like the Missing Salmon Alliance, which brings together other NGOs that advocate for sensible production of salmon while preserving the salmon ecosystem, can help put pressure on governments to implement more stringent rules for fisheries to preserve current populations and increase salmon populations.
A European eel in the River Culm, England [Shutterstock]
Are other fish species in danger as well?
According to Roberts, another endangered fish is the eel. The conditions that have endangered salmon are very similar to those that are threatening eels: overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change.
Eels are an important food source for mammals that live around rivers and streams, including minks and otters. Smaller eels are an important food source for birds too.
Due to low eel populations, the European Union implemented regulations on eel fishing in 2018.
According to a May report from the European Parliamentary Research Service: “The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has suffered a 90 percent to 95 percent decline in its population since the 1980s. Within 50 years, the European eel has turned from one of the most abundant freshwater fish to an endangered species.”
How is climate change contributing to this?
Rising water temperatures as a result of climate change pose significant challenges for salmon. As the water warms, its oxygen content decreases, making breathing more difficult for these fish. Consequently, salmon must swim greater distances in pursuit of nourishment and cooler waters, further taxing their already strained systems.
According to Roberts, warmer waters destroy some nutrients in oceans and rivers, which affect food chains. Atlantic salmon typically eat zooplankton, blue whiting, sand eels, small insects, insect larvae and small crustaceans called amphipods or scuds. As food for the salmon becomes more scarce, this can have a negative impact on the size of the salmon.
Smaller salmon produce fewer eggs. Fewer eggs mean a decrease in the overall population.
“Now, as it grows, it gets faster, more powerful. It can evade predators, but if they grow more slowly, they’re more vulnerable to predation,” Roberts said. “And what we found is that the decrease in the growth rate of salmon is most marked during their first summer at sea.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 announced Wednesday that it plans to shut down a Los Angeles-area refinery by the end of 2025, citing market concerns.
The refinery accounts for about 8% of California’s refining capacity, according to the state’s Energy Commission. The company said it will remain operating in the state.
“With the long-term sustainability of our Los Angeles Refinery uncertain and affected by market dynamics, we are working with leading land development firms to evaluate the future use of our unique and strategically located properties near the Port of Los Angeles,” CEO Mark Lashier said in a statement. “Phillips 66 remains committed to serving California and will continue to take the necessary steps to meet our commercial and customer demands.”
The closure will impact 600 employees and 300 contractors who help operate the refinery, the company said in a news release. The refinery consists of two facilities that were built more than a century ago.
The announcement comes days after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law aimed at preventing gas prices from spiking at the pump. The law authorizes energy regulators to require refineries to maintain a certain level of fuel on hand. The goal is to avoid sudden increases in gas prices when refineries go offline for maintenance.
Phillips 66’s decision to close was not related to the new law, the company said. It said it supported the state’s efforts to keep certain levels of fuel on hand to meet consumer needs.
The company also operates a refinery near San Francisco that accounts for about 5% of California’s refining capacity, according to the state Energy Commission. Phillips 66 Santa Maria, a refinery that was located about 62 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Santa Barbara, shut down in 2023 after the company announced plans to convert its San Francisco-area site into “one of the world’s largest renewable fuels facilities.”
Newsom has applied pressure on lawmakers to pass oil and gas regulations. He called the state Legislature into a special session in 2022 to pass legislation aimed at cracking down on oil companies for making too much money. The Democrat often touts California’s status as a climate leader. The state has passed policies in recent years to phase out the the sale of new fossil fuel-powered lawn mowers, cars, big rigs and trains.
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This story has been corrected to show that the Los Angeles-area refinery accounts for about 8% of California’s refining capacity, not that it produces that amount of the state’s crude oil. It has corrected the same error for the San Francisco-area refinery.
Monstrous hurricanes Helene and Milton caused so much complex havoc that damages are still being added up, but government and private experts say they will likely join the infamous ranks of Katrina, Sandy and Harvey as super costly $50-billion-plus killers.
Making that even more painful is that most of the damage — 95% or more in Helene’s case — was not insured, putting victims in a deeper financial hole.
What You Need To Know
Damages from intense storms are climbing
There have only been eight $50 billion hurricanes
Helene and Milton would make seven in the last seven years.
Most of that damage, particularly in Helene’s case, is not insured
Storm deaths have been dropping over time, although Helene was an exception. But even adjusted for inflation, damages from intense storms are skyrocketing because people are building in harm’s way, rebuilding costs are rising faster than inflation, and human-caused climate change are making storms stronger and wetter, experts in different fields said.
“Today’s storms, today’s events are simply vastly different from yesterday’s events. One of the things that we’re seeing is the energy content that these systems can retain is significantly greater than it used to be,” said John Dickson, president of Aon Edge Insurance Agency, which specializes in flood coverage. “The weather seems to be, in many cases, moving faster than we as a society are able to keep pace with it.”
In the last 45 years, and adjusted for inflation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has counted 396 weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage. 63 of those were hurricanes or tropical storms.
The $50 billion mark for direct losses is a threshold that differentiates “truly historic events,” said Adam Smith, the economist and meteorologist who runs the list out of NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information in Helene-hit Asheville, North Carolina.
Only eight hurricanes reached that threshold. Smith said he thought Milton and Helene have “a very good shot” of joining that list.
The first $50 billion hurricane was Andrew in 1992. The U.S. went 13 more years before Katrina topped the damages chart, then seven years until the third costly whopper, Sandy. Helene and Milton would make seven in the last seven years.
Calculating damages is far from an exact science. The more complex and nastier storms are — like Milton and Helene — the longer it takes, Smith said. Damage is spread over different places and often a much larger area, with wind damage in some places and flood damage elsewhere. Helene, in particular, caused widespread flooding and in places not used to it. Estimates for those storms from private firms in recent days vary and are incomplete.
There’s three categories of damage: insured damage, uninsured damage and total economic cost. Many risk and insurance firms only estimate insured losses.
Homeowner insurance usually covers wind damage, but not flood. Special insurance has to be bought for that. Flood insurance coverage rates vary by region and storms differ on whether they cause more wind or water damage. Helene was mostly water damage, which is less likely to be covered, while Milton had a good chunk of wind damage.
Of the top 10 costliest hurricanes as compiled by insurance giant Swiss Re — not including Helene or Milton yet — insured damage is about 44% of total costs.
But with Helene, Aon’s Dickson estimated that only 5% of victims had insurance coverage for the type of damage they got. He estimated $10 billion in insured damage so doing the math would put total damage in the $100 billion to $200 billion range, which he called a bit high but in the ballpark. Insured losses for Milton are in the $50 billion to $60 billion range, he said.
With Helene, Swiss Re said less than 2% of Georgia households have federal flood insurance, with North Carolina and South Carolina at 3% and 9%. In North Carolina’s Buncombe County, where more than 57 people died from Helene’s flooding, less than 1% of the homes are covered by federal flood insurance, the agency said.
Risk modeling by Moody’s, the financial services conglomerate, put a combined two-storm total damage estimate of $20 billion to $34 billion.
Karen Clark and Company, a disaster modeling firm that uses computer simulations superimposed on storm and insurance data, wouldn’t give total damage estimates for the storms. But the company figured insured losses alone were $36 billion for Milton and $6.4 billion for Helene.
“The economic losses are going up because we’re putting more infrastructure and housing in harm’s way,” said University of South Carolina’s Susan Cutter, co-director of the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute, who added that climate change also plays a role. “Human losses and deaths are going down because people are being a little bit more vigilant about paying attention to preparedness and getting out of harm’s way.”
Much of the damage is because of flooding. Studies show that hurricanes are getting wetter because of the buildup of heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Basic physics dictates that clouds hold 4% more moisture for every degree Fahrenheit, and that falls as rain.
“There is scientific agreement that floods and flooding from these hurricanes is becoming more frequent and more severe. So it is likely that we’re going to be seeing a higher frequency of storms like Helene in the future,” said Karen Clark, who founded her namesake firm. “It’s not really an insurance issue because it’s not privately insured. This is really a societal issue and political question. How do we want to deal with this?”
Clark and several of the experts said it’s time for society to think about where it builds, where it lives and if it should just leave dangerous areas and not rebuild, a concept called “managed retreat.”
“At what point do you as an individual continue to build, rebuild, rebuild and rebuild versus saying ‘OK, I’ve had enough’,” Cutter said.
And when it comes to flood insurance, many homeowners in risky areas find it’s too expensive, so they don’t buy it, Clark said. But when a storm hits them, she said “all of us as taxpayers, we’re going to pay it because we know there are going to be federal dollars coming into those areas to help people rebuild. So all taxpayers, we’re actually paying for people to live in risky areas.”
BANGKOK (AP) — Flooding in northern Thailand forced many residents of the city of Chiang Mai and its outskirts to seek safety on higher ground on Friday, with members of the animal world under similar threat.
Evacuations were underway at the Elephant Nature Park, which houses around 3,000 rescued animals, including 125 elephants, 800 dogs, 2,500 cats, 200 rabbits and 200 cows.
Flood waters caused by heavy rainfall swept through the park on Thursday.
Heavy seasonal monsoon rains and the effects of Typhoon Yagi combined to cause serious flooding in many parts of Thailand, with the northern region particularly badly hit.
Video posted online by the park vividly illustrated that care and compassion are not solely human traits.
The video shows several of the park’s resident elephants fleeing through rising, muddy water to ground less inundated.
Three of them dash through the deluge with some ease but, according to the park, a fourth one is blind and was falling behind. It showed greater difficulty passing through wrecked fencing.
Its fellows appear to call out to it, to guide it to their sides.
Efforts to evacuate more animals were hampered by the high water, while more rain is forecast.
