Climate Change

Largest Power Grid Declares Emergency For Eastern US

Bloomberg News reports: PJM Interconnection LLC has declared a level one emergency for the 13-state eastern US grid and called on all power plants to operate at full capacity Thursday during a heat wave. The largest US grid issued an Energy Emergency Alert level one, meaning it is concerned about being able to maintain adequate power reserves on July 27 …

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Glenn Beck: It’s Only Hot Because The Sun Is “On Fire”

“It is hot. Yes, it is. And you know what causes that? There is this thing — if you go outside right now, depending on where you are, what time zone — but you go outside and you look up, and you will see the sky is on fire in one particular spot. Why is space, which is closer to …

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Study Warns Of Change To System Of Ocean Currents

CNN reports: A vital system of ocean currents could collapse within a few decades if the world continues to pump out planet-heating pollution, scientists are warning – an event that would be catastrophic for global weather and “affect every person on the planet.” A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature, found that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current – …

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AP: Florida Ocean Temperature Hits “Hot Tub Level”

The Associated Press reports: The water temperature on the tip of Florida hit hot tub levels, exceeding 100 degrees (37.8 degrees Celsius) two days in a row. And meteorologists say that could potentially be the hottest seawater ever measured, although there are some issues with the reading. The initial reading on a buoy at Manatee Bay hit 101.1 degrees (38.4 …

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Miami’s Record 100°F+ Heat Stretches To 43rd Day

Axios reports: Hot, dangerous conditions that parts of the West, Texas and Florida have endured for weeks will expand across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. this week — starting in the north-central states and Plains, the National Weather Service warns. Nearly 78 million people were under heat alerts in the U.S. Monday morning, as health officials report a spike …

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Warm Water Is Bleaching Florida’s Coral Reefs [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said. The corals should be vibrant and colorful this time of year, but are swiftly going white, said Katey Lesneski, research and monitoring …

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Heat Index Breaks Miami Records: 13 Days Over 106°

Axios reports: The weeks-long heat wave affecting a vast swath of the U.S. has been particularly noteworthy in one city that was not the subject of many extreme weather headlines this past week: Miami. The city is typically hot in June and July, but this spring and summer has been a different level of South Florida heat. According to meteorologist …

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Guardian: Big Oil Has Walked Back Climate Pledges

The Guardian reports: It was probably the Earth’s hottest week in history earlier this month, following the warmest June on record, and top scientists agree that the planet will get even hotter unless we phase out fossil fuels. Yet leading energy companies are intent on pushing the world in the opposite direction, expanding fossil fuel production and insisting that there …

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Florida Ocean Temperatures Break Another Record

ABC News reports: Floridians usually flock to the ocean to escape the summer heat. But this week, it may not have been much help as sea surface temperatures soared to the mid-90s, even encroaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit at some points. Some of the highest temperatures are off South Florida, with a NOAA buoy off the tip of the state recording …

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90 Million Across US Under Extreme Heat Warning

CNN reports: An already dangerous weekslong heat wave will only worsen this weekend as a heat dome intensifies and reaches peak strength over parts of the Western United States. The heat dome is so formidable the National Weather Service in Phoenix called it “one of the strongest high pressure systems this region has ever seen.” Around 100 heat records could …

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Climate Change Is Causing Oceans To Change Color

CNN reports: The color of the ocean has changed significantly over the last 20 years and human-caused climate change is likely responsible, according to a new study. More than 56% of the world’s oceans have changed color to an extent that cannot be explained by natural variability, said a team of researchers, led by scientists from the National Oceanography Center …

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Jordan Goes After Wall Street Giants On Climate Change

Bloomberg News reports: House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and two other House Republicans fired off letters to financial industry giants including BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group Inc., and State Street, contending that their efforts to combat climate change could violate US antitrust law. The lawmakers warned in the letters on Thursday that agreements to decarbonize their assets “and reduce emissions to …

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AP: Unofficial Global Heat Record Was Set Yesterday

The Associated Press reports: Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record. The planetary average hit 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius), surpassing the 62.9-degree mark (17.18-degree mark) set Tuesday and equaled Wednesday, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate …

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Climatologists: Last Month Was Hottest June On Record

Axios reports: The globe set a record for the warmest June since at least 1940, new and emerging climate data shows, obliterating the previous milestone from 2019. Separately, the globe set new single day records for the hottest day yet measured, on July 3 and 4. The records are an indication of the influence that an El Niño event is …

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Texans Asked To Reduce Power Usage Amid Brutal Heat

The Texas Press reports: Both the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are urging residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce electricity use as temperatures soar above 100 degrees over much of the state. Temperatures set record highs for June in several Texas cities: 111 degrees in Junction, 115 in Laredo, and 113 in Del …

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Tropical Storm Bret Forecast To Become Hurricane

CNN reports: A tropical storm named Bret has formed over the central Atlantic Ocean and will likely become a hurricane on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said Monday afternoon. The storm now has winds of 40 mph and continues to move quickly to the west, according to the center. The hurricane center first identified the storm as a tropical depression …

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Record Warm Waters Could Spawn Early Hurricane

The Washington Post reports: Waters in the tropical Atlantic Ocean are at their warmest levels on record, which could help fuel an exceptionally early seasonal hurricane by the middle of the week. A tropical disturbance 1,000 miles west of the coast of Africa is predicted to steadily organize over the coming days, with high chances of it becoming a named …

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Climatologists Predict Record Heat Over Next 5 Years

The New York Times reports: Global temperatures are likely to soar to record highs over the next five years, driven by human-caused warming and a climate pattern known as El Niño, forecasters at the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. The record for Earth’s hottest year was set in 2016. There is a 98 percent chance that at least one …

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Researchers Predict 13 Named Atlantic Storms For 2023

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: The 2023 hurricane season officially begins on June 1, and Arlene sits at the top of this year’s list of storm names. The National Hurricane Center moves through an alphabetical list throughout the season. Though hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30, storms can form at any time. It is not uncommon for …

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FL To Borrow Up To $750M To Cover Hurricane Claims

Climate Wire reports: The Gulf Coast insurance crisis has hit a new low as two state-chartered insurance associations are being forced to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars for the first time in three decades to pay the hurricane claims of insolvent insurers. Borrowing in Florida and Louisiana could reach a combined $1.35 billion and will be repaid largely by …

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