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  Since the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued its Endangerment Finding in 2009, the scientific evidence connecting greenhouse gas emissions to health impacts from climate change has only grown stronger. Over the past two decades, I’ve contributed to this body of research myself: quantifying the risks posed by rising CO₂ levels to people, infrastructure and the natural systems we depend on, and authoring multiple U.S. National Climate Assessments. These authoritative and exha...

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  Many of us eat meals we had no hand in planning, whether at school, at work, or in the hospital. Often, we assume there's nothing we can do about them ... but one hospital just proved otherwise. Read on! 🍽️ Good news: At a Vancouver hospital, psychology & sustainability researchers teamed up with a chef, dietitians, and doctors to create new fish- and plant-rich dishes patients loved. Nutrition went up, food-related emissions went down, and more than 20 other hospitals are following suit...

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  What does it look like when athletes personally experience extreme heat and climate change? This week, Talking Climate is hosted by two people who can answer that question firsthand: retired pro soccer/football player Imani Dorsey Kunzweiler and current pro Jasmyne Spencer - both EcoAthletes Champions. ⚽ Good news: Athletes everywhere are speaking up on climate and people are listening. Efforts range from integrating sustainability into college sports to climate-proofing community playing fie...

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  Last week, Toronto had the worst air quality of any major city in the world. I'm writing this week's newsletter under those same smoke-filled skies. ☀️ Good news: Solar is now so affordable in Australia that three states now offer a free window of electricity midday. 🔥 Not-so-good news: Nearly 900 wildfires are burning across Canada and a new study estimates $23 billion per year in health impacts ... yet the government just approved a new pipeline to carry a million barrels of oil a da...

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  For decades, coastal mangrove forests have been decimated by development. But just this past week, forty years of satellite data confirmed something remarkable ... 🌿 Good news: Mangrove forests worldwide are now growing back faster than they're disappearing, with forty years of NASA satellite data showing the decline has reversed thanks to conservation, restoration, and regrowth. 💰 Not-so-good news: A new study finds biodiversity loss carries a steep price tag that financial markets haven...

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  What do a giant new marine sanctuary, the loss of climate journalism, and plug-in solar panels for apartment balconies have in common? They all show how much the future depends on the choices we make today. 🐠 Good News: Papua New Guinea just created the largest marine protected area in its history, safeguarding a stretch of ocean nearly the size of the UK in one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth. 😱 Not-So-Good News: NPR's climate desk has been dismantled, and many other m...

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  Can we actually fix climate change? And if so -- how? This week, I handed Talking Climate over to climate scientist and Project Drawdown executive director Jonathan Foley. His message is simple: yes, we can. 🥗 Good News: From cutting food waste to protecting forests to improving how we farm, many of the solutions already exist. They just have to be scaled. ‼️ Not-So-Good News: Political leadership is faltering, corporate momentum is slowing, and climate journalism continues to shrink. Yet cle...

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  Today is #ShowYourStripes day! The warming stripes, created by climate scientist Ed Hawkins show how the place where you live has changed over time. They've been used on electric busses, concert backdrops, sports uniforms + more to raise awareness. This year, the UK's National Trust is projecting warming stripes onto Glastonbury Tor with the message: "Start a conversation about our warming world." Find yours at showyourstripes.info - there are stripes by cont...

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  🔋 Good news: The world installed 112 gigawatts of new grid battery storage in 2025, a tenfold increase from just four years ago, and Australia is quietly out front: one in every 25 homes now has a residential battery. 🌊 Not-so-good news: Islands in India's Hooghly estuary have already been lost to rising seas and erosion and their residents are now climate refugees. As one journalist put it: the engineers knew, the scientists warned, and the decision was made not to act. 💰 What you can...

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  For the first time on record, solar generated more electricity than coal across the entire U.S. - despite active federal policy pushing the other direction. ☀️ Good news: The UK shut off its last coal plant in 2024. China now installs more wind and solar annually than the rest of the world combined. And last month, the U.S. crossed a milestone that seemed impossible five years ago: solar beat out coal on the national grid, for the first time in history. 🌡️ Not-so-good news: A super El Niño is se...

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  Heat records are falling across Europe and North America right now. This week's Talking Climate connects what's happening to what you can do about it. ⚽ Good news: Voices inside football are speaking up about climate: not just asking for recycling bins, but pushing back on fossil fuel sponsorships and building tool-kits in six languages to help clubs turn climate action into something real for fans and communities. 🌡️ Not-so-good news: Early estimates suggest more than 20,000 people hav...

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  Climate action is often dismissed as a money-making scheme. But if “green” is the scam, who’s actually cashing the checks? In this episode of Cold Facts, Hot Takes, I dig into one of the internet’s favorite climate claims: the idea that “Big Green” is enriching itself off climate solutions and giving us scientists a cut. The trolls might be right that there’s money distorting this conversation — but they’re pointing at the wrong industry. Let’s follow the money and talk about fossil fuel subsi...

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  Climate change is already reshaping our energy systems, our health, and even the basic medicines we rely on. But progress continues, and we can help. ⚡ Good news: Global investment in clean energy hit a record $2.3 trillion last year, outpacing fossil fuel investment for the second year in a row. 🦠 Not-so-good news: New research suggests that warming temperatures and drought may be fueling antibiotic resistance in soil, making infections harder to treat. 🌿 What we can do: The Nature Conserva...

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  This week, I’m delighted to welcome fellow climate Katharine, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, as guest editor of Talking Climate. 🌍 Good news: The lawyers who contributed to the landmark International Court of Justice climate ruling reminds us how every one of us has unique gifts to bring to climate action. ⚠️ Not-so-good news: Young people are carrying an enormous emotional burden as climate impacts intensify, with many feeling fear and uncertainty about the future. 💚 What we can do: We don’t have t...

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  One of the biggest challenges in climate action is imagining what a better future could actually look like: especially when solutions are so often framed as sacrifices that require loss, instead of opportunities to benefit from. This week's good news and what-to-do takes those on directly -- 🏡 Good news: A new net-zero community in Ontario combines climate-friendly homes with walkable streets, hills and lakes, clean energy, and cold-climate heat pumps. 🚨 Not-so-good news: A new study...

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  The world is no longer headed for the most catastrophic futures climate scenarios once warned about: but not because the science was wrong. It’s because people listened, and acted. That is genuinely good news; but the new scenarios also tell us this: 📈 Not-so-good news - The new climate scenarios cover a narrower future, illustrating how human choices over the last 20 year have closed doors. While highest warming pathways are now less likely thanks to climate action over the last decade, our c...

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  What does it actually look like to move beyond fossil fuels — not someday, but now? 🌍 Good news: In Colombia, 57 countries gathered last week for the first-ever global conference dedicated to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Together, they're creating practical roadmaps for reducing fossil fuel use. 🌊 Not-so-good news: A new study warns that much of coastal Louisiana may eventually be lost to rising seas, erosion, wetland loss, and sinking land. New Orleans could become an island...

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  This past week brought a landmark legal opinion for climate and set another series of staggering heat records: a powerful reminder of why we all have a role in accelerating climate solutions. ✅ Good news: The International Court of Justice issued a historic advisory opinion affirming that governments have a legal duty to address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change. Initiated by Pacific Island law students, this ruling strengthens the case for climate justice...

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  Federal funding cuts and program terminations in the U.S. have put researchers on uncertain ground. Past Talking Climate guest editor James Rattling Leaf, Sr. joined me to explain how this is causing upheaval in Indigenous-led research. Scientists don’t know if they still have a job, researchers are fighting to finish their work, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to plan for the future. Why does this matter? As James wrote in his past guest edition, Indigenous peoples are uniquely sui...

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  We’re living in a moment of stark contrasts: awe-inspiring reminders of our place in the universe, alongside urgent warnings about the state of our planet and everyone who inhabits it. Here are a few of the stories that stood out to me this week. 🌖 Good news: The Artemis II mission gave us a rare, powerful perspective on Earth, reminding us just how unique and fragile our home is, and how much we share with each other. 💣 Not so good news: The latest State of the Global Climate 2025 confirms Ea...

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  More evidence that recent cuts to health, science and climate don't reflect what voters want: New research from the Yale Program on Climate Communication finds 75% of registered US voters want federal agencies to maintain or increase efforts to protect people from the health harms of global warming. Read more: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/a-majority-of-registered-voters-want-federal-agencies-to-increase-their-efforts-to-protect-people-from-the-health-harms-of-glo...

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  ⛪️ Good news: In the U.K., over 100 church leaders are calling out climate misinformation, making the moral case for why it causes real harm and delays action. 🐍 Not so good news: Climate change is shifting where species live—and in the case of venomous snakes, a new global study finds rising temperatures could increase the likelihood of dangerous encounters for millions. 🌱 What you can do: In the Netherlands, nearly 13M pavement tiles have been replaced with plants through a nationwide “tile f...

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  🌱 Good news: Cities like London, Paris, and Barcelona are redesigning streets for people instead of cars. This cuts pollution while improving health, local economies, and quality of life. 🌡️ Not so good news: Rising nighttime temperatures are disrupting sleep worldwide, with cascading effects on health, learning, and productivity—especially for the most vulnerable. 🏡 What you can do: Simple steps like adding window film, choosing reflective roofing, and planting trees can keep your home cooler,...

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  What if one of the most powerful climate solutions isn’t technology—but conversation? 💇‍♀️ Good news: Hairdressers may be some of the most effective climate communicators we’ve been overlooking. A U.K. study shows that when salons spark climate conversations, nearly 73% of clients say they’d adopt more eco-friendly habits. ⚠️ Not so good news: War doesn’t only devastate lives - it also drives massive emissions. A Climate and Community Institute analysis shows the first two weeks of the Iran confli...

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  When did caring about the planet become “un-Christian”? In this episode of Cold Facts, Hot Takes, I take on troll comments about faith and climate change - and I get a lot of them. I also paint the broader picture of how theology, ideology, and identity have become intertwined in the U.S.—and how that shapes what people believe, even when those beliefs conflict with both science and faith. Watch the full video by joining the Talking Climate community on Substack: https://www.talkingclimate.c...

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  🌎 Good news: One of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth, the Great Bear Sea, is Canada’s first - and the world's second largest - marine protected area network, co-governed by 17 First Nations. ⚠️ Not-so-good news: A new The Nature Conservancy Science study finds that 35% of the world already lives in areas where extreme heat limits safe outdoor activity for part of the year. 🌱 What you can do: Even small actions like planting native species or supporting community gardens ca...

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  Hope isn’t something we wait for: it's something we create. This week's Talking Climate news illustrates why it matters so much, and how innovation and courage can help! 💧 Good news: A solar-powered system can pull drinking water directly from the air—up to 1,000 liters of clean water a day, even in dry areas where billions of people already face water scarcity. 🧠 Not-so-good news: Climate change is increasingly affecting people's mental health, from Madagascar to Appa...

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  This week in Talking Climate: why a warming world can mean worse winter weather, and how one of the world's biggest cities just cleaned up its air 184 years ahead of forecast. Read on! 🌫️ Good news: London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone cut pollution in half and brought the city into legal air quality compliance 184 years earlier than forecast, proving that climate policy is health policy. ❄️ Not so good news: While average snowfall is declining in many places, a warmer atmosphere holds more...

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  The U.S. is stepping back from global climate policies at the very moment the global clean energy transition is accelerating. Christiana Figueres, former UN climate leader and architect of the Paris Agreement, explains why this attempt to double down on fossil fuels is economically and technologically out of step with the rest of the world — and why it won’t stop the broader shift already underway. Instead, it leaves the U.S. trailing behind; and catching up in a global clean energy race is far...

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  Most weeks, bad climate news feels like a deluge. But even in the midst of the storm, there's always good news too. Hang on to your seats, here we go! ✅ Good news: New Carbon Brief analysis finds China’s emissions have flattened and may even be starting to decline. Combined with their previous analysis showing China's clean energy exports cut global emissions 1% in 2024, and you can see there's reason for hope. ⚠️ Not-so-good news: The U.S. EPA has rescinded the Endanger...