Climate news digest: Autumn 2023
Here are some of the top climate news items this autumn.
Policy
How a farmer turned his fields into a wildlife sanctuary
Karl Wenner’s Oregon land once leaked pollution into a nearby lake. Now, 70 acres are home to waterfowl, turtles and endangered fish. “This place wanted to be a wetland.”
New research linking climate emergency to polar bear demise could benefit salmon and other endangered species
A George W. Bush-era policy prevented federal agencies from considering the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on endangered polar bears, but new peer-reviewed research illustrates a direct link.
We’re all benefiting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — especially Republicans
One year after its passage, Republican congressional districts have received nearly $74 billion in announced or awarded funding, with less than $10 billion in funding for Democratic districts.
Activist Supreme Court supremely undermines role of wetlands in carbon sequestration
Conservative justices disregard science and precedent in controversial 5-4 ruling severely limiting protections in the Clean Water Act.
Absent Feinstein, Senate undermines EPA rule limiting air pollution
The lengthy absence of Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) is hindering the slim majority Democrats hold in the U.S. Senate, enabling Republicans to undermine efforts to protect Americans from air pollution.
Thunberg’s ‘Climate Book’ is a road map to a better future
The Climate Book is an easy-reading exploration of how we got here, where things are headed, and ways toward a just transition away from the continued destructive use of fossil fuels.
Political will all we need to avert climate catastrophe, say Mann, Whitehouse
Solving the climate emergency is merely a matter of policy, say two leading voices who long have championed urgent action.
Climate-related regulation at risk as Supreme Court considers case lacking facts
Note: Updated Feb. 28 with links summarizing oral arguments and the threat to separation of powers. The U.S. Supreme Court Feb. 28 will hear arguments…
All climate change is local
The late Massachusetts Congressman Tip O’Neill is credited for suggesting “all politics is local” — the notion that, to some, suggest local issues outweigh national…
