El Niño events, which happen roughly once every two to seven years, upset weather patterns around the globe. For the Amazon basin, they typically trigger severe droughts. Some researchers suggest that the developing El Niño, coming on top of warming and drying caused by climate change, might push the rainforest past its ‘tipping point’ — shorthand for the threshold at which a runaway cascade of drying, tree death and wildfire would begin to spread irreversibly across the Amazon basin. If that were to happen, rainforest would give way to savannah and degraded woodland over decades, potentially releasing an amount of carbon equivalent to several years of global emissions and dramatically reducing rainfall across South America and beyond
GREENING
Scientists compared the lung capacity of children in Luton, a town about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of London, with that of children living in London. They found that children in the UK capital had smaller lungs before London introduced its ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), but that over five years this changed so that the two groups had similar levels of lung size and health. The study also found that the proportion of children who had clinically impaired lung function fell twice as much in London as in Luton over the period.
Maria Gallucci has a geothermal exclusive: Sage Geosystems is now producing power in Texas from its first next-generation geothermal facility. The system is just the third of its kind to come online in the U.S. as the sector races to commercialize the source of on-demand clean electricity.
A report finds enrolling 10% of California’s EVs in vehicle-to-grid programs by 2036 could supply about 9 GW of power for 12 hours, or more than one-third of the state’s long-duration energy storage target for that year. (Electrek)
Google is expanding its technology for avoiding climate warming contrails. “Our AI-powered forecasts have enabled flight crews and air traffic controllers to make targeted adjustments that avoid contrail-sensitive regions while remaining within normal flight operations. Now, we’re taking the next major step: expanding beyond individual airline trials to coordinated contrail mitigation across an entire flight corridor.” This initiative is sponsored by the UK government, with Google supplying technology and the government designing and running the experiment.
2025 marked the first year that over half the apartment buildings constructed nationwide came equipped with the überefficient electric appliances called heat pumps according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Buildings with heat pumps, which can both heat and cool indoor spaces, accounted for 53% of new apartment complexes, up from 46% in 2024.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans Monday to invest roughly $50.2 billion into upgrading the nation’s hydroelectric fleet and building new wind turbines, part of the Liberal government’s effort to “build a stronger, more independent, and more sustainable country.”
South Korea–based LG Energy Solution’s latest battery manufacturing facility just opened in Michigan. LG invested more than $2 billion into building its new Lansing plant, which currently employs 900 people and plans to hire approximately 800 more. Once at full capacity next year, the facility is expected to produce more than 35 gigawatt-hours of battery cells annually, according to Anthony O’Donovan, the plant’s operations director.
In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, UN policy makers, scientists and global negotiators are gathering to convey an urgent message: The world’s rangelands, which make up about half ofEarth’s land surface, are in trouble. But these same lands offer an opportunity. If, collectively, farmers and land users restore rangelands and soils, they can combat drought and preserve a major global carbon sink.
CLIMATE DESPOLIATION
In a new survey of Americans, nearly 40 percent of respondents said extreme weather—from tornadoes to floods—damaged their community in the past year. And of those individuals, around 60 percent are worried it will happen again in the next year. Concerns are highest in the Mountain region of the country.
A study by Portland State University researchers published this year found that, of 33 American cities included in a survey, 73 percent were losing greenery. Crucially, that loss was concentrated in neighborhoods that were the hottest to begin with.
The water level of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, dropped to a record low in early August, reported Carbon Brief. Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir, also hit a record low shortly after. The U.S. government on Friday finalized a two-year plan to slash water supplies to California, Nevada and Arizona to manage the drought-stricken Colorado River, while leaving open the possibility of far deeper cuts later in the decade. The three so-called lower basin states will take around a 21% reduction in water from the river in 2027 and 2028, but cuts could nearly double in later years, according to the plan signed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
OpenAI, with backing from Nvidia, signs a deal with SoftBank’s SB Energy to develop a 10-GW data center complex in Ohio, which will be powered by a 9.2-GW gas plant built and owned by the U.S. government — two projects of unprecedented size. (Source)
Older adults will bear the brunt of increasingly frequent sustained spells of extreme heat globally. Research has found that people aged 60 and over face dangers to their health from exposure to heat at much lower temperatures than previously thought.
Heatwaves and wildfires are not just scorching forests, they are adding to the tipping point risks in the world’s vast permafrost regions, which contain three times more carbon [especially methane] than all the living vegetation on Earth. Check out the Guardian’s Q&A with Gustaf Hugelius, a professor at Stockholm University.
DARK AGE CLIMATE POLITICS
Court Blocks Road Through Alaskan Wildlife Refuge: A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration broke the law when it approved a deal to allow a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is rolling back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule prohibiting logging and road construction in undeveloped parts of national forests, including more than 4 million acres of federally managed forest lands in California. The change could open some of California’s most remote backcountry to new roads and development — even as U.S. Forest Service research shows that roads are a major source of wildfire ignitions in the state’s national forests. Over half a million Americans sent public comments to the administration opposing this effort.
A new carbon-pricing deal will see Alberta oil-sands producers pay less than $2 per barrel of oil – a marginal expense that will do little to achieve its goal of incentivizing reduced carbon production. Read more »
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) issues an executive order requiring that data center developers meet energy affordability, community engagement, economic development, and environmental protection standards before the state will grant them necessary permits. (NBC News, news release)
The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection on Wednesday approved long-delayed regulations designed to protect homes from wildfire, but they’re less stringent than defenses recommended by scientists and firefighters. The new rules, which apply to about 2 million homes, reduce the 5 ft Zone Zero scientists proposed to only 1 foot. The weakening comes because of advocacy by a relatively small group of wealthy homeowners. Since it means home destruction in fires is more likely, it may eventually result in higher insurance premiums for other home owners.
Take Action!
Increasingly, high-powered “e-motos” — often exceeding 750 watts and capable of motorcycle-level speeds are being marketed and sold as “e-bikes,” especially to youth. SB 1167 draws a clear line. It protects legitimate Class 1, 2, and 3 electric bicycles while requiring higher-powered electric motorcycles and mopeds to be truthfully labeled, properly disclosed, and regulated as motor vehicles.
Help pass SB 1167 by sending a letter to your legislators. Click here.
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