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Tag: climate change

Published on Leave a comment on List of Banned Words In the United States Is Growing
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Well, the forbidden words list in the USA is growing this year. That is, forbidden words in the US government. Censored words. Some of the many words: climate change (yes, it exists), clean energy (e.g., wind), global warming (temperatures are increasing, with new records being set continuously), water pollution, air pollution, solar energy, gender (we are all a gender), transgender, abortion. And on and on. Denying something's existence doesn't make it not exist.

The words are not allowed on government sites, in grant proposals, grant applications, or in research. Different government departments have different banned words lists (e.g., 110 words or phrases in the US Dept. of Agriculture research service - such as clean water, microplastics) Who knew that in 2025 that censorship would be so large scale? Yes, this is an attack on knowledge, on research, on medicine, and science. On all of us.

3 articles about the large-scale censorship. From NPR: Energy Dept. tells employees not to use words including 'climate change' and 'green'

The Department of Energy has told employees to avoid using certain words, including "climate change," "green" and "sustainable," according to an internal email sent to staff and obtained by NPR. ...continue reading "List of Banned Words In the United States Is Growing"

Published on Leave a comment on Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere

The US government would like to shut the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii down because it measures levels of atmospheric CO2, a measure of climate change. Well, unlike the US government, the rest of the world is very, very concerned about increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere, and what increasing levels of greenhouse gases are doing to our climate and environment.

The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) does not hesitate to loudly announce that CO2 levels are steadily rising, with record high levels in 2024, and what this means for our world going forward. Their words: it's "turbocharging our climate and leading to more extreme weather".

The important thing to know is that CO2 levels keep increasing, and each year new record high levels are set. Highest ever levels were in 2024. A big reason CO2 levels are increasing is due to the burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal). The increase in wildfires is also contributing.

Excerpts from New Scientist: CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels jumped by a record amount in 2024 to push concentrations to their highest point since measurements began, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported.

Between 2023 and 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million (ppm) to reach 423.9 ppm, the WMO has said. This is the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957 and is well in excess of the 2022 to 2023 increase of 2.3 ppm. ...continue reading "Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide In Our Atmosphere"

Published on Leave a comment on Carbon Dioxide Levels Still Going Up Even When Not Monitored

If there is no data about something, then there is no problem because there is no data that says whether there is a problem or not. Duh... It's the new official US government policy (ignorance is bliss!), whether there is a government shut-down or not.

Unfortunately, in 2025 the US has stopped data collection and actually eliminated many  departments and sites that have been collecting information - whether diseases, losses due to major disasters (which are increasing due to climate change), toxics and pollutants in our air and water, and even how much carbon dioxide is in the air.

The US government announced in 2025 that it would close the Mauna Loa observatory (the Global Monitoring Laboratory) that measures carbon dioxide in the air. Carbon dioxide levels have been steadily increasing since measurements started, due to the burning of fossil fuels (climate change!). Well, with the government shutdown, this is what one sees when going to the site: Nothing much. Many of the old measurements are no longer there, as well as nothing new being graphed.

Luckily, at this point not all data has been removed. As you click through the site, can still see that in August 2025 the carbon dioxide levels were 425.48 ppm and that 10 years ago the weekly level was 398.62 ppm. It's going up year by year.

From Global Monitoring Laboratory: Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Published on Leave a comment on Heat Is A Bigger Killer Than Other Weather Disasters

We are saddened when hearing about persons dying in floods, tornadoes, and other natural weather disasters. The numbers seem so high. But...it turns out the biggest killer each year is heat. Extreme heat kills more people most years than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.

Extreme heat events are on the rise globally (yup, climate change) and so the number of people dying are increasing. For example, the recent heat wave across Europe, when temperatures surged higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, is thought to have killed thousands of people. Especially since in many of the areas hit by the extreme heat people don't have air conditioning in their homes.

A quick analysis of heat-related deaths by researchers at the Imperial College London found that human-induced climate change intensified the European heatwave between June 23 and July 2, 2025 and tripled the number of heat-related deaths. They found that about 2300 people may have died from the extreme heat over the 10 day period across the 12 European cities they looked at, but that over all Europe there could have been tens of thousands of deaths. People over 65 accounted for a majority (88%) of the deaths.

Each year in the US, heat kills more people than any other type of extreme weather.

The following article was written last year, but it still applies since each year is getting hotter. Note that 2024 was hotter than 2023, which was the final year of the heat-related death analysis. NY Times: Heat Deaths Have Doubled in the U.S. in Recent Decades, Study Finds

As dangerous heat bears down on the central and eastern United States this week, a new study shows heat-related deaths across the country are on the rise. ...continue reading "Heat Is A Bigger Killer Than Other Weather Disasters"

Published on Leave a comment on Last Year Was the Warmest Year Since Global Records Began in 1850

Well, well... this is not a surprise. 2024 was the hottest year since temperature records began in 1850. And the second hottest year on record was 2023.

Unfortunately, this also means that we exceeded the goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees C that was agreed to at the Paris Agreement in 2016. Remember that agreement? The goal was to keep temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees C over pre-industrial temperatures (as defined by the 1850 - 1900 average). But last year was 1.6 degrees C over pre-industrial levels.

It's been 48 years since the last time the world had a cooler year than average year. You can thank rising greenhouse emissions for the overall upward trend in heat.

Sooo....what will 2025 be like? Stay tuned.

Excerpts from Ars Technica: Everyone agrees: 2024 the hottest year since the thermometer was invented

Over the last 24 hours or so, the major organizations that keep track of global temperatures have released figures for 2024, and all of them agree: 2024 was the warmest year yet recorded, joining 2023 as an unusual outlier in terms of how rapidly things heated up. At least two of the organizations, the European Union's Copernicus and Berkeley Earth, place the year at about 1.6° C above pre-industrial temperatures, marking the first time that the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5° has been exceeded. ...continue reading "Last Year Was the Warmest Year Since Global Records Began in 1850"

Published on Leave a comment on This Year Will Be The Hottest On Record

It shouldn't be a surprise that 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record. In fact, the years 2015 to 2024 will be the warmest ten years on record globally. North America had its warmest October on record

The World Meteorological Association also pointed that "the loss of ice from glaciers, sea-level rise, and ocean heating are accelerating". Of course, it's climate change from our addiction to oil, gas, and plastics (which are made from petrochemicals).

Yet, governments are in denial or not willing to take the necessary steps to reduce our reliance on petrochemicals. We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, not just talk about or ignore the problem. It appears the mantra of many governments is: Burn Baby, Burn!

From World Meteorological Association: 2024 is on track to be hottest year on record as warming temporarily hits 1.5°C

 The year 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record after an extended streak of exceptionally high monthly global mean temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

...continue reading "This Year Will Be The Hottest On Record"

Published on Leave a comment on Summer 2024 Was the Hottest On Record

Summer 2024 was the hottest summer on record, and this is following last summer (June through August) - which was the hottest summer globally up to that point. As you can see, the bar keeps rising.

Looking back years from now, we may view the summer of 2024 as "cool" compared to what's ahead....  Climate change, of course. The world is in uncharted territory now.

From Yale E360 (Yale School of the Environment): This Summer Was the Hottest on Record

The summer of 2024 set new records, European scientists have found. The world has never seen temperatures reach so high between June and August. ...continue reading "Summer 2024 Was the Hottest On Record"

Published on Leave a comment on Research Says Critical Ocean Currents Could Collapse In Our Lifetime

There has been a lot of discussion recently over whether or when the Atlantic Ocean current called Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) could collapse soon. The Gulf Stream is part of this current. This critically important current acts like a conveyor belt that brings warm water through the Atlantic Ocean up to the north Atlantic (Europe) and colder, saltier water down to the Southern Hemisphere.

A new study predicts a collapse of the current happening soon - at some point between 2037 and 2064, but most likely before 2050. The current has been slowing down in recent years due to climate change, warming oceans, and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.

The AMOC collapse would have devastating effects not just in Europe (it brings warm temperatures to Europe), but to the world. The AMOC keeps the Northern Hemisphere warm, the Southern Hemisphere from overheating, and distributes nutrients throughout the marine ecosystem.

One result: Arctic ice and cold would creep south in Europe and North America.

Excerpts from CNN: A critical system of Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as early as the 2030s, new research suggests

A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents that influences weather across the world could collapse as soon as the late 2030s, scientists have suggested in a new study — a planetary-scale disaster that would transform weather and climate. ...continue reading "Research Says Critical Ocean Currents Could Collapse In Our Lifetime"

Published on Leave a comment on The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week

Uh-oh. The Earth is really warming up, and very rapidly. Sunday was the hottest day recorded globally. But then... Monday was even hotter! This means that in the space of several days, two global records were set in two days.

And it will continue to get warmer (hotter) in the coming months and years. We do know what is causing this climate change of increased global warmth - it's the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., gas, oil, coal). The big question - can humans change their ways?

From The New York Times, the Climate Newsletter: Earth’s Hottest Days Ever

Twice this week, global temperatures broke records, but scientists are more concerned about a longer-term pattern of hotter weather.

This past Sunday was the warmest single day ever recorded, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union-funded research organization. That is, until Monday, when global temperatures inched up a bit more. Then Monday became the hottest day in modern history, with an average global temperature of 17.16 Celsius or 62.88 Fahrenheit. Tuesday was almost as hot. ...continue reading "The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week"

Published on Leave a comment on Carbon Dioxide Levels In Atmosphere Keep Rapidly Rising

It shouldn't be a surprise to read that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are surging and accumulating faster than ever. In May, it surged to 427 parts per million (426.90 ppm) - while in 1960 it was about 320 ppm.  It's depressing, and it doesn't bode well for our future.

These high levels of carbon dioxide are a major driver of the record-setting heat we've been experiencing in recent years. Carbon dioxide is the gas that accounts for the majority of global warming (yes, climate change) and is caused by human activities. The human activities are burning of fossil fuels, such as gas and oil - in vehicles, coal-fired plants, large industrial operations, ships, airplanes, rockets.

Graph of carbon dioxide levels increasing Credit: NOAA

Excerpts from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): During a year of extremes, carbon dioxide levels surge faster than ever

Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever — accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today. ...continue reading "Carbon Dioxide Levels In Atmosphere Keep Rapidly Rising"