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Gulf Coast Record Snow Linked to - You Guessed it - Climate Change
From the Gulf coast snow storm, to climate victories, to future threats against climate technology, we have the latest climate news and information in this week's ClimateWatch newsletter.
Hello! We’re back with the latest climate news and information! There has been a lot happening in the weather and climate realm lately, so it was tough to choose what to share.
Probably the biggest story is the record snowfall along the Gulf Coast states last week. While some say the frigid cold and snow is a sign that climate change does not exist, it is actually a perfect example of why it DOES exist. We get in to that in the first article of this week’s newsletter.
After that, we’ll look at some climate victories from 2024 and talk about how the new administration is already making waves in the climate community.
Enjoy!
❄️ Gulf Coast Snow Storm Linked to Climate Change
A winter storm swept through the U.S. last Tuesday dumping several inches of snow across multiple Gulf Coast states. Around 21 million people from Texas to Florida were under a winter storm warning, and several counties near the Texas-Louisiana border were under their first ever blizzard warning. Some people have been quick to say that this storm is an example of why climate change is NOT happening, when in reality, it’s a great example of why it IS happening. The Arctic polar vortex, a band of strong winds above the north pole that usually locks in extremely cold air stretched south, allowing cold air to flow south. These stretching events are becoming more frequent and have been linked to human-caused global warming. As Arctic temperatures warm, pressure and temperature differences decrease between the colder Arctic air and warmer air to the south, heightening the chance for polar vortex disruptions. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico combined with a low pressure system and the cooler air to create this one-in-a-lifetime event.
Climate Victories in 2024
Global temperatures hit record highs and extreme weather events ramped up, but there were also some significant breakthroughs for the climate in 2024. The United Kingdom closed its last coal-fired power plant. Renewable energy sources are growing rapidly around the world, and wind generation in the United States hit a record in April. A growing number of rivers, mountains, waves, and whales were given legal personhood. Deforestation reached a nine-year low in the Brazilian Amazon. Conservation initiatives found that more often than not, they are effective in slowing or reversing biodiversity loss. Salmon returned to the Klamath River after a 100-year hiatus following dam removal projects.
📑 Trump Executive Orders Threaten Climate-Friendly Technology
Last Monday, President Trump signed many executive orders, with some changing the trajectory of climate-friendly technology in the United States. One of the EOs reversed several climate-focused directives, including tailpipe emissions standards and electric vehicle adoption. Another EO has, at least temporarily, halted federal approvals for lease sales of off shore wind projects in federal waters and restricted federal agencies from issuing new permits or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects. These orders come amid recent growth in both the adoption of electric vehicles and increased use in renewable energy in a push to decarbonize the U.S. energy market. Trump also declared that the U.S. would exit the Paris Agreement, through which nations set carbon emissions reduction goals to limit global warming.
If you’re new here, or if you missed any of our other newsletters in January, here is a recap:
That’s all for this week! If you enjoyed our newsletter, please share it with your friends!
-Hannah, Eric, Amy, and Nick
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