#Inside Climate News

[alder-knight]

We're not going back to the climate that your grandparents had, depending on how old you are, in the 1950s and 60s – that climate is kind of gone. I try to tell people about it this way:

If you have a classical set of six-sided dice, one through six on each cube, and you just roll it, you get numbers between two and 12. Most of the time it's six, seven and eight. If you were to take that same pair of dice, remove the one on each face and put a seven there instead, and then start rolling them. Now, all your rolls are between four and 14, you still get a lot of sixes and sevens and eights, but now you get a 13 and a 14. What's that about?

And you never roll a two or a three again, because those numbers are gone. So, the whole system is kind of shifted in that direction. You know, 80 to 90% of the time you might not notice that much of a difference, but when that outward 10% happens, it happens in a big, bad way.

Sean Sublette, meteorologist for Inside Climate News, on warmer ocean temperatures supercharging hurricanes

Living On Earth, October 11, 2024

[hellofromuranus]

Despite national election results that have left environmentalists and their allies wary of what’s to come in the next four years, ballot initiatives related to climate policies fared well across the country on election day. 

At least five of six ballot measures related to climate change resulted in what most environmentalists consider wins. But state legislative races across the country that could impact climate policy had more uneven results.

[z0urcherri]

You love to see it!

[ncwortcunning]

Williams has devoted much of her career to salamanders, especially the hellbender. The Wildlife Society named her Biologist of the Year in 2020 for her conservation and monitoring of their habitats.

She’s seen how in western North Carolina, extreme weather, the result of climate change, is altering the hellbenders’ habitat. When it floods, the force of the water can wash them out of the river. In 2021, after the catastrophic Tropical Storm Fred, Williams said, “we found dead hellbenders near Asheville.”

As recently as last fall, 15 mountain counties experienced severe drought conditions during a stretch that ranked among the top five driest periods on record, according to the State Climate Office. When stream levels drop, the hellbenders’ eggs are exposed to predators. Even full-grown hellbenders can be plucked from the water by river otters and bald eagles.

[atompowers]

“Some of this language around energy infrastructure was really more focused on supporting dirty energy instead of clean energy infrastructure. So how are you going to advance energy justice if you are also supporting the energy injustice by supporting liquefied natural gas facilities to go into communities that have been already used as sacrifice zones. That makes no sense. That’s actually a form of insanity In my opinion.”

—Sacoby Wilson, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH)

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

"Research about health and safety related to solar panels is far ahead of the public’s perception of those issues, #dangearino reports."

[amnhnyc]

THIS WEEK AT THE MUSEUM: Join us at the Inside Out Project Photobooth truck from 9/9–9/11 in Theodore Roosevelt Park to have your portrait taken and your stories heard in anticipation of Climate Week NYC! 

You’ll be asked to reflect on the question, “As climate change reshapes our lives, what stories of transformation and dreams of a healthier future do you carry with you?” Select images will be displayed in the Portraits on Climate and Health: Dreams We Carry installation in the Museum’s Futter Gallery beginning 9/23.

[tj-crochets]

Hey y'all! I didn't get many requests for particular pride flags or pride plushies this pride month, but I did get a few requests for an intersex pride something. The intersex pride flag (like a few other flags) is more difficult for me to make, because a symbol is harder to incorporate into an oddly-shaped plushie than just stripes, and the circle will have to be* appliqued by hand so I'd prefer to limit the number of circles. So far, I have three ideas: 1. one of my pride bees (a very round bee consisting of three stripes) that's yellow with a purple stripe in the middle. There wouldn't be a flat ring, but the stripe would kind of form a ring? 2. a yellow dog plushie with a purple ring around its eye like the dog from Little Rascals. Idk how well known that dog is anymore or if it would be recognizable, but it's a one-applique option? I could also include purple patches on the back that are not rings, like the dog's markings in the show (in the movie? to be honest, I just remember the ring around the dog's eye) 3. a blue ringed octopus but the rings are purple. I think this would be awesome but I don't want to applique that many rings by hand and haven't found a fabric with the rings at quite the right scale and density for this project, so this is probably a longer-term one but I do want to make it eventually Do y'all have opinions on any of these, or any other ideas? For intersex pride plushies or for other pride plushies, I've had some work and some family things come up this month that mean I have not gotten as much sewing done this month as I wanted to, and I do love making pride plushies and would love more suggestions *yes, there are a few other ways I could possibly do that, but functionally with the way I make things it'd be by hand

[anenbyraccoon]

I'm rewatching icebound, and a random question came to mind...

So, Taishen is a dragonborne, which is typically based on lizards. In frozen tundra...

Most lizards can't survive the weather below 45F. How is he alive?

My only explanation is that because he's a fire based dragon, he can provide himself a little extra warmth.

[i-cant-sleep-thinking-of-bsd]

So, I've recently been attempting to learn Japanese, and one cool detail I noticed that probably everyone else already knows is that in Given, it's decided to change the band's name from "the seasons" to "given". Even tho it is stated that they also wanna change it because loads of other bands have similar names and because it was chosen before Mafuyu had joined, it is mentioned that it was a thing because all Haruki's, Ue's and Kagi's name have an element that references a season. So, Kagi's given name is Akihiko, and "aki" means autumn; Haruki's name has "haru", which means spring; Uenoyama's name means "the first day of summer".

Now, what I find really interesting is that, even tho the decide to change the name partly because Mafuyu wouldn't be included, Mafuyu's name also checks the boxes, since it contains the "fuyu", which means "winter" . So, had they kept the name, not only would they all have checked the "name after a season box", but they all would be representing a different one, and they'd cover all of them.

Again, I'm pretty sure loads of other people had noticed this before and I'm super late, but I thought it was worthy mentioned because I find it funny that they went through all the trouble of finding a new name even tho the one the already had was actually perfectly suited.

[markfaustus]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 😂 Comedy | Fighting | Content 🔥 (@fighthumor)

[hellofromuranus]

In less than half a day, you could walk all the way around the 10 acres the endemic species Tiehm’s buckwheat calls home in the Silver Peak Range of Nevada, where the small wildflower with yellow pom-poms grows in part thanks to the soil beneath it being filled with lithium and boron.

Those two minerals have attracted the attention of Ioneer LLC, a mining company, which if permitted to begin construction would destroy 22 percent of Tiehm’s buckwheat’s critical habit while degrading 100 percent of the flower’s range via dust from construction, the disruption of pollinating insects and the introduction of more invasive plant species to the area, according to a report sent to the Bureau of Land Management by environmental groups and scientists fighting to save the species from the proposed mine. The BLM is overseeing the permitting of the project given its location on public lands owned by the federal government.

[fifizero]

Spent about 3 hours looking for high fertility soil away from my base bc I already scoured it and I did find like seven blocks worth but then I get back to my base a different way and bam. Like 30+ blocks of high fertility soil. FUCKIN HELL

[biglisbonnews]

Why this beautiful rainbow sea slug is such an incredible scientific find The slug may be vibrant and rare, but experts believe we'll be seeing more of them as they adapt to warming waters thanks to climate change. https://www.businessinsider.com/rare-rainbow-sea-slug-found-uk-rock-pool-2023-5

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

“Impacts on people and nature will accelerate as global warming pumps up hydrologic extremes.” The “enormity of the consequences,” they added, requires trying to reverse global warming and cool the Earth down to the relatively stable range of the past 12,000 years, before carbon dioxide pollution disrupted the climate."

[phantomrose96]

Okay I have a story.

So my birthday is this Sunday (May 26th). My mom ordered some presents for me but one of them (an Etsy purchase) was seemingly stuck in transit and might not make it on time. I tell my mom all good, no worries. She gets in contact with the seller. After a long delay in response they get back with "Right we'll fix it!" It ships, tracking label and everything, good to go! ETA May 22nd (yesterday.)

During the work day I check the tracking and it says it's been delivered in/at mailbox! I double check with my mom "hey, is it mailbox size?" because if not, I don't want it sitting at the front door where anyone walking by could snag it.

She says "it's definitely NOT mailbox size." Okay. I text my neighbors in the building "Anyone seen a package delivered? It's a birthday gift from my mom and I wanna make sure it gets inside!" Success! Floor 2 David (not to be confused with Floor 1 David) had brought it inside. Inform my mom. All good!

I stop by home briefly around 4pm, because yesterday was hot-hot and I just installed my window A/C that morning in the living room, and according to my cat cam my stupid cat hasn't spent a single second in the climate controlled living room and is, instead, voluntarily baking herself elsewhere so I'm like "great" and hop on my bike to go home (10 minute ride) to check on her.

I get in the building door. Patches is crying from the top floor because she heard me. I maneuver my bike in the front hall. The ugliest fucking 6-foot-tall cat tree(?)/totem(?)/statue(?) I've seen in my entire life is just. Standing there.

My first thought is "What the fuck is that." My second thought is "Oh fuck that is for me." I look around at the floor in case there's perhaps anything else that might, in fact, be the gift.

No. Me and Cat Pole.

It's taller than me. I turn it around to face me and its face is painted and this is, in fact, uglier than it looked from the back.

Um.

Patches is crying. So I just haul it up to my level. MAYBE it was supposed to come with twine that I wrap around it (and hide its face from the world) for Patches to scratch. Maybe this is a prank. Maybe this is an inside joke, because when my mom moved into her current house the neighborhood gifted her some ugly-as-hell totem that apparently, by tradition, each newest-comer to the neighborhood is required to have and display in their window so maybe this is a very good riff on that.

Patches rubs against it. She's not afraid of this horrid facsimile of her kind.

Great.

Meanwhile SHE'S fine and the condo is a little toasty but totally liveable so I'm like "Good, cool, you're not baking. You're having a good time. Enjoy your new sister, I guess, I'll see you later."

I go back to work because this is a problem for later me.

After work, after my run, after whatever, I get home and it's like 8:00pm and Patches is so happy to see me and the totem pole is still just. There.

I text my friends like "so a bday gift is here from my mom and it's the Biggest Ugliest cat pole I've seen in my life. Is this a bit? Did my mom go 'that's so ugly haha! send!' Maybe she genuinely found it cute. How do I navigate this." My friend Sarah has the good advice to maybe text my mom neutrally like "Got the cat pole!" and feel the waters whether my mom is like "Isn't it ugly? 😂" or "Hope Patches likes it! 🥰"

My mom goes to bed early so I don't do any of that yet. Problem for tomorrow me.

This morning, Patches wakes me up for breakfast. I get her situated and I'm staring at the fucking Cat Pole again. I wonder if my Mom's been wondering all night what I thought of it.

I take a picture. I text her.

Okay.

I get on call with my mom. I ask for clarity that the ungodly horrid thing is NOT my birthday gift and is in fact a mix-up from the seller who sent me this instead of my actual gift. She's wheezing between words. She thinks I'm being too charitable for the amount of Absolute Fucking Ugly this is. I have to gently talk her out of using the word "monstrosity" while messaging the seller asking what the hell happened here.

I tell her I need to apologize for harming her dignity with Floor 2 David, who thinks this fucking thing is my mom's idea of a great birthday gift for her to-be-28-year-old daughter.

My heart goes out to the poor soul who did actually order this cat totem and is lacking it on this lovely day.