Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies’ Post

I encourage you to read, Anna Jane Joyner 's piece in the Los Angeles Times. "Fossil fuel executives have known since the 1970s that burning oil, coal and gas would cause escalating climate catastrophes and worldwide suffering. Yet they lied, sacrificed our safety for their greed and just unleashed an apocalypse on my hometown. Their actions will condemn children today to a planet that’s more hell than Earth by the end of the century if we don’t stop them. It isn’t just a tragedy; it’s a crime against humanity." "Right now, what I desperately need are authentic stories that help us figure out how to be human in this changing world, to face this overwhelming crisis with bravery. Stories that help us navigate our very understandable fear, anxiety, grief, despair, uncertainty and anger in a way that allows us to feel seen. Stories that make us laugh — not in ignoring our reality, but in the midst of it — and stories that remind us there’s still so much beauty here to fight for. That capture how, in the living nightmare of climate disasters, people demonstrate extraordinary kindness and creativity, as they’re doing in Asheville and Black Mountain at this very moment. And we need stories that expose the guilt of the fossil fuel industry." #climate #helene #climateaction #stories https://lnkd.in/evge6FUf

As climate change events become more common, many would-be homeowners are considering air quality and climate risk, especially on the West Coast. In 13 metro areas, air quality and affordability pushed would-be homeowners out to places like Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee, according to Redfin! Would you make an interstate move for better air quality and affordability?

As we ask for systemic changes to fight climate change, we need to also ask for systemic changes in universities regarding the mental health care of scientists in the front lines. Individual actions are great, but insuficient. Check this article in Nature by Meghie Rodrigues on environmental grief and in which I ask 'Who will protect us from seeing the world's largest rainforest burn?' https://lnkd.in/dbK8QACk

As climate change events become more common, many would-be homeowners are considering air quality and climate risk, especially on the West Coast. In 13 metro areas, air quality and affordability pushed would-be homeowners out to places like Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee, according to Redfin! Would you make an interstate move for better air quality and affordability?

For the Midwesterners who love when it ❄️ snows... This year has been a disappointment. With snow storms far and few between, there really is less snow this year. My kids didn't experience the joy of making ☃️or snow angels. Children were barely able to find days to ski, even on fake snow. It was too warm to keep the fake snow from melting I had to forego my 'winter workout' of shoveling snow for my house and our neighbors. Overall, its been a dry, mostly warm winter for Chicago. And today we have a chance to break the High Temp record with a high expected in the mid 70's. In Chicago. In February! Let's band together to make changes to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. At your manufacturing plant, at your business, and at your home. Our kids and grandkids should have the opportunity to make a ☃️! Inspired by Bloomberg's Mike Sullivan: "There is also a lack of snow across the much of the US. Currently only 17.1% of the contiguous 48 states is covered. A year ago on Feb. 27, 40% of the US had snow cover, according to the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. Along with these factors are the long-term impacts of a warming climate"

Forests are indispensable to human health. Forests provide natural resources, such as food, fiber, and fuel, that support people’s health and livelihoods. They also filter our air, regulate water cycles, and help mitigate the hazardous effects of climate change through carbon sequestration. But the relationship between healthy people and forests goes deeper.

Where's the Snow Going? Colorado's Vanishing Snowpack Mystery 🌨️❄️ Science sleuths have stumbled upon a puzzling case in Colorado's frosty mountains. The usual suspects, snowpack and the Colorado River, are involved, but something's amiss. It's like a whodunit where the snowpack seems to have vanished without a trace! The snowpack in Colorado's mountains is the lifeblood of the Colorado River, which provides water to millions of people. But recent research has revealed a puzzling trend: even when the snowpack is abundant, less water is making it into the river. It's like the snow is disappearing into thin air! Scientists have been scratching their heads, trying to figure out what's going on. They've discovered that spring rainfall is the missing piece of the puzzle. Spring rainfall helps melt the snowpack and allows it to flow into the river. But in recent years, spring rainfall has been declining in Colorado, leading to less snowmelt and lower water levels in the river. So, what's causing the decline in spring rainfall? Climate change is likely playing a role. As the climate warms, the atmosphere can hold more water vapor, which means less rainfall. This is a serious problem because the Colorado River is a critical water source for millions of people. Scientists are continuing to investigate this mystery, hoping to find a solution to ensure a healthy Colorado River for future generations. In the meantime, we can all do our part to conserve water and protect our precious water resources. **#ColoradoRiverMystery #SnowpackVanishes #ClimateChangeImpacts #WaterConservation**

Forests Resources

Despite what some may say (including various elected officials and presidential candidates), the planet is unequivocally warming. One of the pernicious aspects of this warming, though, is that it is far from uniform. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article this weekend about temperature variations along the BART Network. On July 6, it was 108 degrees at the Walnut Creek BART Station, while it was just 63 degrees in Daly City. https://lnkd.in/ekFksuGn This morning, the The New York Times published an article about the massive differences in temperature between the hottest and coolest bus stops. Unsurprisingly, the 400 hottest, "some of the busiest in the city, many located in impoverished communities with mostly people of color," were 14.5 degrees hotter than the coolest 400. https://lnkd.in/e4XPSebV We have to confront the fact that these temperature differences across our transit systems represent not just a transit equity issue, but also a dangerous health equity and environmental justice issue. All this on the heels of a new study in Nature Magazine finding that extreme heat exacerbated by our impacts on the climate contributed to 48,000 deaths in Europe last year—the hottest year on record. The #climate crisis is a #health crisis. https://lnkd.in/eVhTqxPz #extremeheat #sf #nyc #environmentaljustice #transit

Snowdrops are beautiful flowers. Delicate, ethereal signs of spring, first to peek through last year's fallen leaves and dwindling patches of ice. They bloom in early March, a couple of weeks before the brave spears of daffodils pierce the earth. Which is why it's mildly horrifying to find both of them growing together on an early February walk in New England. In fact, this year, the daffodils had already begun sprouting in mid-JANUARY. In BOSTON. This floral anachronism may be tiny, but it is a blunt reminder of how out-of-whack our seasons are becoming. If the snowdrops and the daffodils lose their natural rhythm, it's only a matter of time before the corn, wheat, and rice do, too. Global warming will wreak havoc on our food supply sooner rather than later - in many places of the world, it already is - and failing crops will kill far more people than Category 6 hurricanes. We must exert just as much effort to prepare for and mitigate it as we do to shore up physical infrastructure. More, probably, considering how few resources are going into adaptation and resiliency so far. I realize I'm likely preaching to the choir, posting this to a network that's already full of climate advocates and mission-driven professionals. But when you have a moment in your busy lives to breathe, please remember the snowdrops. We may not have them for much longer.