Climate Change

ABC News reports: Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday as it takes aim at Florida’s west coast. Landfall is expected as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Milton is closing in as Floridians are still recovering from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene. A record-breaking storm surge of 8 to 12 feet …

The Weather Channel reports: Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a strong Category 3 and hurricane and storm surge watches are now posted along Florida’s western Gulf Coast, where the storm poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek. “Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,” the National Weather Service …

The New York Times reports: Over the past 15 years, North Carolina lawmakers have rejected limits on construction on steep slopes, which might have reduced the number of homes lost to landslides; blocked a rule requiring homes to be elevated above the height of an expected flood; weakened protections for wetlands, increasing the risk of dangerous storm water runoff; and …

The Associated Press reports: More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it — an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts. That’s enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium 51,000 times, or Lake Tahoe just once. If …

ABC News reports: Asheville, North Carolina, has been called a potential safe haven for climate refugees by real estate researchers, praised for its temperate mountain weather, distance far from the coast, experiencing less extreme heat and fewer wildfires. Certainly, there are locations that are going to be able to withstand some of those impacts more than others, according to Dave …

Florida Politics reports: Following the devastating Hurricane Helene that unleashed winds and water, the state issued an emergency order to protect property owners from losing their insurance. The emergency order from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation comes as Florida’s insurance industry was already in crisis before the Category 4 Hurricane Helene arrived. Under the emergency order, insurance companies are …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: More than 50 people were sent to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital on Friday and are awaiting rescue as flooding cut the hospital off from land, according to Ballad Health. Ballad previously announced at 10:45 a.m. that the hospital had closed and suspended operations due to the threat of flooding. Ballad stated in a …

Florida Politics reports: Though the concept of climate change has been removed from state law in recent months, Florida’s former Governor is saying he agrees with mainstream scientists on the issue. “The climate is clearly changing,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said on CNN, addressing the destruction left by Hurricane Helene. “We know things are changing. We’ve got to figure out, …

The Verge reports: Zillow has announced that its real estate property listings in the US will soon feature details about climate risks, including the potential for wildfires, flooding, extreme temperatures, high winds, and poor air quality. Buyers will also see what types of insurance are required or recommended for a property. The climate risk data, provided through a partnership with …

The Hill reports: Ten Republican governors this week announced a coalition aimed at reducing regulations around energy production and opposing renewable energy mandates. The organization, the Governors Coalition for Energy Choice, said in a statement that the coalition aims to “ensure continued energy choice, minimize permitting and other regulatory barriers.” Members of the organization include Louisiana’s Jeff Landry, New Hampshire’s …

The South Dakota Spotlight reports: Governor Kristi Noem’s administration recently turned down more than $70 million of federal funds from energy efficiency and environmental programs, according to her top budget official. The Home Energy Rebates program would have provided the state with $69 million to give South Dakotans rebates for energy-efficient home retrofits and high-efficiency electric appliances. Over the course …

The Washington Post reports: There was no shortage of false claims and exaggerations offered by former president Donald Trump during his conversation with Elon Musk on Monday night. Working feverishly, fact-checkers might be able to publish a delineation of all of them shortly before the heat death of the universe. But there was one claim that seemed as though it …

“They’re playing politics. Some people don’t want to do money to help victims of natural disaster in our own country because they want more money for things like Ukraine and things halfway around the world. And I think they need to stop playing politics with it and just get it done. We are way more proactive than any other state …

Reuters reports: Tropical Storm Debby is expected to gather strength and become a hurricane on Sunday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, rather than Monday, as it had forecast just hours before. Forecasters expect a large number of Atlantic hurricanes in the 2024 season, which began on June 1, with four to seven seen as major, among 25 …

The Weather Channel reports: T​he latest National Hurricane Center forecast shows this system becoming Tropical Storm Debby on Saturday or Saturday night. It will then head toward a landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Sunday night or Monday morning as either a strong tropical storm or possibly a Category 1 hurricane. It’s important to note that impacts from this …

The Texas Tribune reports: Chevron Corporation will move its headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston before the end of the year, the company said Friday. Chevron is the latest company to leave California for Texas seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment. Last month, Elon Musk said he’ll move X and SpaceX to Texas because California Gov. Gavin Newsom …

Reuters reports: A northern California wildfire is now the country’s largest, after doubling in size in 24 hours. The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres about 90 miles north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Evacuation orders and warnings were …

USA Today reports: The world’s population is expected to grow to an estimated 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, according to a new report from the United Nations. That’s up from the current global population of 8.2 billion people. The estimated size of the world’s population at the end of the century (2100) is now expected to be 6% smaller …

CNN reports: The weekend is off to a sizzling start as more than one-third of US residents face heat advisories and additional cities are expected to see record temperatures in the coming days. The list includes customarily hot Las Vegas, where temperatures are expected to be near 114 degrees Saturday and even hotter Sunday, when it could break the daily …

USA Today reports: Climate change is taking a dramatic toll on glaciers in Alaska: Glacier melt in a major Alaskan icefield has accelerated and could reach an irreversible tipping point earlier than previously thought, a new scientific study released this week suggests. Alaska has some of our planet’s largest icefields, and their melting is a major contributor to sea-level rise. …