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2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #07
Posted on 16 February 2025 by BaerbelW, Doug Bostrom, John Hartz
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025.
This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if you spot any clear misses and/or have suggestions for additional categories, please let us know in the comments. Thanks!
Stories we promoted this week, by category:
Climate Change Impacts
- Climate change is worsening diabetes worldwide Heat waves exacerbate the danger of the disease. by Sanket Jain, Health, Inside Climate News, Feb 4, 2025
- New German Government Report Highlights Growing Climate Security Risks Climate-driven extreme weather disasters and resource conflicts can intensify social and political rifts both domestically and internationally, threatening global stability. by Bob Berwyn, Inside Climate News, Feb 12, 2025
- Women in Science: Climate and Wildfire Researcher Caroline Juang by Adrienne Day, State of the Planet, Feb 14, 2025
- Extreme weather is our new reality. We must accept it and begin planning | Gaia Vince As wildfires, floods, droughts and record-breaking temperatures have shown, the post-climate change era has arrived. Now we need honesty and action from our leaders by Gaia Vince, The Guardian, Feb 15, 2025
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Dollars in the dust: Is outback scrub really saving the planet? The nation (Australia) has made a multi-billion dollar bet that carbon locked in desert scrub will offset emissions elsewhere, but doubters are growing from scientists in the city to the farmers on the land. by by Michael Bachelard, Charlotte Grieve & the Visual Stories Team, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb87, 2025
- More Solar and Battery Storage Were Added to Texas’ Grid Than Any Other Power Source Last Year Texas has become one of the nation’s frontrunners in developing renewable energy. In recent years, the state’s reign came from wind power coupled with utility-scale solar. by Arcelia Martin, Clean Energy, Inside Climate News, Feb 10, 2025
Climate education and communication
- Solutions journalism can spur climate action, UO study finds By showing readers both the threats and ways to mitigate them, people are more willing to act by Leila Okahata, Oregon News, University of Oregon, Feb 10, 2025
Climate Policy and Politics
- Climate Wins Are Happening, You Just Aren’t Hearing About Them Research shows we’re drawn to bad news, and President Trump’s actions only amplify the noise. Still, there are hard-fought climate victories worth celebrating in the United States and beyond. by Jake Hall, Earth, ATMOS, Jan 31, 2025
- `Backsliding`: most countries to miss vital climate deadline as Cop30 nears Developing countries urge biggest polluters to act as Trump’s return to the White House heightens geopolitical turmoil by Fiona Harvey, The Guardian, Feb 08, 2025
- Big Oil’s Record-Breaking Spending on Lobbying Last Session Hobbled Key California Climate Measures One bill that would have required oil companies to help pay for damages from climate-driven disasters failed and another that would levy heavy fines on refineries that release toxic air contaminants was watered down. by Liza Gross, Fossil Fuels, Inside Climate News, Feb 6, 2025
- NOAA is told to make list of climate-related grants, setting off fears Industry "climate skeptics" seize control of NOAA by Christopher Flavelle, Raymond Zhong and Austyn Gaffney, New York Times, Feb 11, 2025
- Germany election 2025: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change A federal election is taking place in Germany on 23 February, following the collapse of the coalition government at the end of last year. by Carbon Brief Staff, Carbon Brief, Feb 11, 2025
- NOAA Is Told to Make List of Climate-Related Grants, Setting Off Fears Staff members search for spending on “climate science,” “climate crisis” and “pollution” as one of the world’s premier climate research agencies girds for cuts. by Christopher Flavelle, Austyn Gaffney & Raymond Zhong, Climate, New York Times, Feb 10, 2025
- The Trump Administration Is Targeting Science. The Scientific Integrity Act Could Help Protect It. by Kristie Ellickson, The Equation, Union of Concerned Scientists, Feb 6, 2025
- Trump is freezing climate funds. Can he do that? Courts have ordered the president to release Biden-era climate money — but he’s holding out. by Jake Bittle, Politics, Grist, Feb 13, 2025
- Trump officials signal potential changes at NOAA, the weather and climate agency by Alejandra Borunda, NPR Topics: Climate, Feb 15, 2025
Climate Science and Research
- Further thoughts on NOAA & NWS amid the chaos by David Swain, WeatherWest on Youtube, Feb 8, 2025
- Is it Game Over for the 1.5 Degree Climate Limit? by Adam Levy, ClimateAdam on Youtube, Feb 7, 2025
- Climate change and machine learning — the good, bad, and unknown Machine learning can drive climate action initiatives, but its widespread use could have negative implications, according to Climate Change AI’s Priya Donti. by ByBeth Stackpole, MIT Management, Feb 10, 2025
- Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show by Andrew King & Liam Cassidy, Environment & Energy, The Conversation AU,, Feb 11, 2025
- Why the US is freezing as the planet reaches record warmth by Umair Irfan, Climate, Vox, Feb 14, 2025
International Climate Conferences and Agreements
- Analysis: 95% of countries miss UN deadline to submit 2035 climate pledges Around 95% of countries have missed a UN deadline to submit new climate pledges for 2035, Carbon Brief analysis shows. by Daisy Dunne, UN Climate Talks, Carbon Brief,, Feb 10, 2025
Public Misunderstandings about Climate Science
- Fact Check: Cherry-picked Antarctic ice data does not disprove climate change by Staff, Reuters Fact Check, Feb 11, 2025
Public Misunderstandings about Climate Solutions
- Sabin 33 #15 - Does EM radiation from wind turbines pose a threat to human health? by Bärbel Winkler, Skeptical Science, Feb 11, 2025
- Fact brief - Is sea level rise exaggerated? by Sue Bin Park, Skeptical Science, Feb 15, 2025
Miscellaneous (Other)
- How do climate scientists maintain their hope in a warming world? by Bianca Hall, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald , Feb 1, 2025
- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #06 A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. by Bärbel Winkler, Doug Bostrom & John Hartz, Skeptical Science, Feb 09, 2025
- International Day of Women and Girls in Science by Staff, UNESCO, Feb 11, 2025
- Geoengineering Fails Again': Coalition Cheers End of Arctic Ice Project One campaigner said the cancellation "marks another monumental victory for our planet and future generations, a victory where Indigenous peoples' resistance has been central." by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, Jan 30, 2025
- Ad Firms Make Oil Companies Look Green. Here`s Six Ways They Greenwash Themselves. New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions. by Kathryn Clare and Cartie Werthman, DeSmog, Feb 11, 2025
- World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking ‘carbon bomb’, warns study Bogs and swamps are a colossal carbon store but their continued destruction would blow climate change targets by Damian Carrington, Environment, The Guardian, Feb 13, 2025
- Trump’s New Energy Secretary Called Germany’s Energy Transition ‘Unreliable.’ But He Missed All the Nuance Chris Wright spent part of his introductory speech criticizing German policies and championing natural gas. Experts in and out of the country say he oversimplified a complex process. by Dan Gearino, Inside Clean Energy, Inside Climate News, Feb 13, 2025
- Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood. by Clayton Aldern, Grist, Feb 13, 2025
- Two-thirds of Americans still believe climate change is impacting the Earth, despite what Trump contends With stronger hurricanes and longer wildfire seasons, Americans saw the impact of the climate crisis firsthand last year by Julia Musto, Climate, The Independent (UK), Feb 14, 2025
If you happen upon high quality climate-science and/or climate-myth busting articles from reliable sources while surfing the web, please feel free to submit them via this Google form so that we may share them widely. Thanks!
There are many items this week in the Climate Policy and Politics category, and in other categories, regarding anti-learning actions by Trump/Musk-led Republicans.
This new CBC News item “Scientists at U.S. weather forecasting agency ordered to get clearance before talking to Canadian counterparts” provides some additional details. The article opens with a general statement and a rather weird specific example.
Travelling for international meetings or even joining a call with Canadian counterparts has become impossible for some U.S. government scientists, under new directives since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
Canadian ecologist Aaron Fisk says he recently tried to set up a virtual call to discuss plans with American colleagues, including a government scientist, around sampling fish.
"We tried to have a quick meeting with one of our collaborators … and they were denied access," Fisk said.
Attempts to restrict and control ‘learning’ are to be expected whenever and wherever people who like to benefit in ways that are potentially, or actually understandably, detrimental to Others become significantly powerful and influential threats that emerge and grow from inside a socioeconomic group.
There is a long history of anti-learning types becoming harmfully popular and powerful. See my comment on Weekly News #6 that includes details of anti-learning actions in Canada in the early 2000s. Note that the Trump/Musk-led Republicans can also be seen to be promoting the growth of popularity of anti-learning in Europe and elsewhere around the world.