Extreme Weather - Inside Climate News

University of Maryland Researchers Are Playing a Major Role in the Future of Climate-Friendly Air Conditioning

By Hannah Marszalek — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Thanks to consistent funding from the Department of Energy, the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering has been improving the global landscape of energy conversion.

By Hannah Marszalek

As global temperatures continue to rise at a dangerous rate, so does the number of air conditioning units in use. Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Energy Engineering have been working for years on Department of Energy-funded projects to implement technologies that may be the solution to making these machines more efficient and eco-friendly as dependence on them grows.

As Global Hunger Levels Remain Stubbornly High, Advocates Call for More Money to Change the Way the World Produces Food

By Georgina Gustin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:55:00 +0000

High-level policy discussions have built momentum for “food system transformation” that would help farmers address the climate crisis.

By Georgina Gustin

As much of the world heads into the fall harvest season and agriculture once again enters international policy conversations, humanitarian groups are calling for fundamental changes to the global food system—not only to feed the world’s hungry but also to enlist more farmers in solving the climate crisis.

New Federal Report Details More of 2023’s Extreme Climate Conditions

By Bob Berwyn — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Some indicators, including “super-marine heatwaves,” may suggest a major shift in the global climate system.

By Bob Berwyn

Last year was already one for the climate record books, but a new report from the American Meteorological Society is adding to that already substantial list.

After $615 Million and 16 Months of Tunneling, Alexandria, Virginia, Is Close to Fixing Its Sewage Overflow Problem

By Sarah Vogelsong — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Another 700 municipalities have similarly antiquated combined sewer systems, designed to overflow into rivers and creeks during storms and heavy rains. Climate change is making the problem much worse.

By Sarah Vogelsong

For centuries, the Potomac River has helped fuel the nation. Winding 405 miles from West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, the river beloved by George Washington has been a source of everything from fish and drinking water for the nation’s capital to a channel for commerce, a defense against the Confederate Army and a backdrop for a thousand tourist photos of Washington, D.C.

As Baltimore’s Sewer System Buckles Under Extreme Weather, City Refuses to Help Residents With Cleanup Efforts

By Aman Azhar — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Advocates want city officials to expand a sewage cleanup program and invest in the sewer system as its infrastructure ages and climate stressors increase.

By Aman Azhar

A sewage cleanup program meant to assist Baltimore residents with backups in their homes has been in limbo for more than a year because of a deadlock between city authorities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

Texas Likely Undercounting Heat-Related Deaths

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Deaths from heat are notoriously difficult to quantify because of how complex and subjective the process is. It leaves officials with an incomplete picture of who heat kills.

By Yuriko Schumacher, Emily Foxhall, Alejandra Martinez, Martha Pskowski, Dylan Baddour

This story is a collaboration between The Texas Tribune and Inside Climate News. Schumacher, Foxhall and Martinez reported for the Tribune, and Pskowski and Baddour reported for ICN.

Disaster Recovery Is a Delicate Act of Balancing Priorities

By Mathilde Augustin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:43:57 +0000

A year after wildfires, Maui is grappling with the challenge many communities face post-disaster: how to recover without worsening inequalities.

By Mathilde Augustin

Last Thursday marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui. The blaze claimed more than 100 lives and left more than 12,000 people without housing.

First Snow, then Heat Interrupt a Hike From Mexico to Canada, as Climate Complicates an Iconic Adventure

By Bing Lin — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Impassible snow foiled my 2019 hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, and my return to that section this summer was “flip-flopped” by record heat. In the weeks ahead, I’m backpacking to see how climate is changing wildfires, water and wildlife on the famed wild path.

By Bing Lin

Miles to Go: The first in an ongoing series Inside Climate News fellow Bing Lin is reporting from the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California. Over the course of a 500-mile hike, the series is exploring the impacts of climate change on the trail and what outdoor recreation can teach society about sustainability, adaptation and coexistence in a warming world.

NOAA Affirms Expectations for Extraordinarily Active Hurricane Season

By Amy Green — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The federal agency issued a slight revision down from its May forecast, which called for the most named storms the agency had ever predicted.

By Amy Green

ORLANDO, Fla.—Expectations for an extraordinarily active 2024 hurricane season remain essentially unchanged, after NOAA released its midseason forecast Thursday.

Rez Dogs Are Feeling the Heat From Climate Change

By Taylar Dawn Stagner, Grist — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 08:50:00 +0000

A lack of infrastructure and extreme weather are putting unhoused pets on reservations in danger.

By Taylar Dawn Stagner, Grist

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.