CDP: Oceans Clips: February 28, 2023
Does President Biden Mean What He Says On Climate? According to The Hill, “In his recent State of the Union address, President Biden acknowledged the ‘existential threat’ posed by climate change, citing an obligation to our children and grandchildren to confront it. Now, his administration is about to test its fidelity to that obligation. It will soon decide whether to approve a major drilling project in Alaska that could pump 280 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, derailing the administration’s ability to meet its own climate commitments. The Biden administration has set the most ambitious climate agenda in U.S. history, pledging to more than halve U.S. emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Thanks to watershed legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, we have our last, best chance to build a clean economy before it is too late.” [The Hill, 2/27/23 (=)]
Native American Tribes Want Brake On Offshore Wind. According to Politico, “The National Congress of American Indians is urging the Biden administration to halt its efforts to raise offshore wind farms until it works more closely with tribes on the rapidly evolving renewable industry. In a resolution signed during the congress’ winter session last week, the group said all federal wind scoping and permitting should be stopped until the Interior Department inks ‘a comprehensive and transparent procedure adequately protecting tribal environmental and sovereign interests.’” [Politico, 2/27/23 (=)]
Biden’s Offshore Wind Dreams Face Rising Controversy, Opposition. According to Forbes, “In stark contrast to its do-nothing approach to holding lease sales for offshore oil and gas exploration, the Biden administration has mounted an aggressive push to speed along the development of offshore wind farms in the federally-owned waters of the United States. But that effort is now facing pushback from a rising number of stakeholders, even as a series of mysterious whale deaths along the Atlantic coast has raised concerns about potential negative impacts on marine life from the projects.” [Forbes, 2/27/23 (=)]
Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Another Record Low. According to USA Today, “Sea ice around Antarctica reached a record low for the second straight year this month, scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced Monday. ‘Antarctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 691,000 square miles on February 21, 2023,’ the data center said in a news release. The 2023 ice minimum is the lowest since records began in 1979. This year’s minimum extent beat the previous record low set last year by 52,500 square miles, an area roughly the size of the state of Alabama.” [USA Today, 2/27/23 (=)]
Hurricane Damage Will Increase In Surprising New Places In The Coming Decades. See Where It’s Trending Higher. According to CNN, “As the planet warms, hurricanes are changing – they are getting stronger faster, bringing more flooding rain, pushing farther inland after they make landfall and tracking farther north in general. Those changes are exposing more people and properties to hurricanes’ damaging winds, according to a new report from nonprofit organization First Street Foundation – with the potential to cause millions of dollars in damage in the coming decades. Importantly, the report lays out how homeowners’ financial loss from hurricane damage is likely to increase significantly in surprising new places, including the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.” [CNN, 2/27/23 (-)]
Why Hurricanes Feel Like They're Getting More Frequent. According to NPR, “Flooding and wind damage from hurricanes is getting more common in the United States, and that trend will accelerate and threaten millions of people as the Earth gets hotter according to new research. The findings highlight a counterintuitive effect of climate change: coastal communities are experiencing dangerous storms more frequently, even though the total number of storms doesn't appear to be changing.” [NPR, 2/27/23 (-)]
Responses to this email are not monitored.
Please email any questions or comments to aaron@beehivedc.com