EDF study shows urban gas leaks are a climate problem in Europe with a clear technology solution.

Op-ed by Ann Hayden and Cannon Michael in CALMatters about finding common ground and coming together as Californians to address water challenges as we head into 2021.

Op-ed by Ann Hayden and Cannon Michael in CALMatters about finding common ground and coming together as Californians to address water challenges as we head into 2021.

Sstatement from Eric Schwaab, senior vice president of EDF Oceans, on the progress Japan is making to sustainably manage 100% of its national waters.

Environmental Defense Fund Europe welcomes the United Kingdom’s announcement of its climate commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce its emissions by at least 68% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels.

Written by Dominique Browning

A new administration that understands the global warming crisis must use all the tools at our disposal to cut climate pollution.

The‌ ‌2020‌ ‌hurricane‌ ‌season‌ ‌broke‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌records.‌ ‌Is‌ ‌it‌ ‌a‌ ‌sign‌ ‌of‌ ‌what’s‌ ‌to‌ ‌come?‌ ‌

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season sometimes felt like a never-ending onslaught of storms — some even happening at the same time. It was the most active and one of the most devastating seasons ever. The recovery will take years.

With studies continuing to indicate that, among other things, climate change is fueling more intense storms, the messages of this hurricane season are clear: It’s time to stabilize the climate and create a better future for those who face the worsening impacts of extreme weather.

The many ways this season broke records

This season brought 31 tropical or subtropical depressions and 30 named storms — surpassing the previous record of 28 tropical or subtropical depressions and 27 named storms in 2005. That year included such destructive hurricanes as Katrina and Rita.

From Hurricanes Arthur to Iota, storms this year stretched from early May to mid-November, quickly cycling through all the season’s designated storm names before moving nine letters deep into names from the Greek alphabet.

The 2020 season, which officially ended Nov. 30, also had more storms make landfall than ever — 12, five of which hit my home state of Louisiana. In fact, Louisiana was in the cone of uncertainty — or potential path — of eight different storms.

Of the storms that made landfall in Louisiana, Hurricanes Laura and Delta brought back-to-back intense blows of Categories 4 and 2 in August and September, devastating the southwest portion of our state.

Beyond the Gulf, hurricanes slammed into Central America well into November, with Category 4 Eta and Category 5 Iota making landfall within 15 miles of each other just a few weeks apart.

The storms unleashed massive rainfall, causing flooding and mudslides that killed hundreds of people, plus widespread damage across Central America. We will likely see more climate and poverty-based migration as a result.

Donate today to help find solutions to climate change How climate change intensifies hurricanes — fast

While our hope is that this past season was an extreme outlier, the latest scientific research is indicating that, at a minimum, climate change is fueling more intense hurricanes.

And that is exactly what happened this year with many storms, including Laura, which rapidly intensified into a Category 4 storm before making landfall in southwest Louisiana as the strongest storm to hit that state in more than 150 years. In fact, 10 storms from 2020 experienced rapid intensification, tying the record from 1995.

Rapid intensification poses significant risks to human safety as someone may choose to ride out a weaker storm, but then may not have time to get out when that storm suddenly intensifies.

Warmer ocean temperatures are also causing storms to stay stronger for longer, according to a recent study published in Nature [PDF], driving more severe impacts, such as extreme rainfall, as they move inland to areas far beyond the coast, leading to destructive flooding.

Watch: How is climate change fueling more intense storms? This destructive season shows why we must act

We must keep a spotlight on those who are still recovering from this year’s hurricanes and help them rebuild better before the next storm. (The people of the Gulf Coast still need our help. See how you can support them.)

And the destruction we’ve seen during the 2020 hurricane season must propel us to a safer future for all communities.

Taking action on climate change is a must to limit the impacts of extreme weather, while also making smart investments, such as in natural infrastructure across our coasts and within our floodplains, to provide vital natural buffers between floodwaters and communities.

We can’t stop the storms from coming, but we can limit their increasing severity and better protect our communities before the storms arrive.

Now more than ever, we need you

Climate change is already impacting people and the environment. Join more than 2.5 million EDF supporters to find solutions to protect people and nature.

Give today and triple your impact with a $2-for-$1 match.

Donate now mmelendez December 3, 2020 - 12:07

The‌ ‌2020‌ ‌hurricane‌ ‌season‌ ‌broke‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌records.‌ ‌Is‌ ‌it‌ ‌a‌ ‌sign‌ ‌of‌ ‌what’s‌ ‌to‌ ‌come?‌ ‌

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season sometimes felt like a never-ending onslaught of storms — some even happening at the same time. It was the most active and one of the most devastating seasons ever. The recovery will take years.

With studies continuing to indicate that, among other things, climate change is fueling more intense storms, the messages of this hurricane season are clear: It’s time to stabilize the climate and create a better future for those who face the worsening impacts of extreme weather.

The many ways this season broke records

This season brought 31 tropical or subtropical depressions and 30 named storms — surpassing the previous record of 28 tropical or subtropical depressions and 27 named storms in 2005. That year included such destructive hurricanes as Katrina and Rita.

From Hurricanes Arthur to Iota, storms this year stretched from early May to mid-November, quickly cycling through all the season’s designated storm names before moving nine letters deep into names from the Greek alphabet.

The 2020 season, which officially ended Nov. 30, also had more storms make landfall than ever — 12, five of which hit my home state of Louisiana. In fact, Louisiana was in the cone of uncertainty — or potential path — of eight different storms.

Of the storms that made landfall in Louisiana, Hurricanes Laura and Delta brought back-to-back intense blows of Categories 4 and 2 in August and September, devastating the southwest portion of our state.

Beyond the Gulf, hurricanes slammed into Central America well into November, with Category 4 Eta and Category 5 Iota making landfall within 15 miles of each other just a few weeks apart.

The storms unleashed massive rainfall, causing flooding and mudslides that killed hundreds of people, plus widespread damage across Central America. We will likely see more climate and poverty-based migration as a result.

Donate today to help find solutions to climate change How climate change intensifies hurricanes — fast

While our hope is that this past season was an extreme outlier, the latest scientific research is indicating that, at a minimum, climate change is fueling more intense hurricanes.

And that is exactly what happened this year with many storms, including Laura, which rapidly intensified into a Category 4 storm before making landfall in southwest Louisiana as the strongest storm to hit that state in more than 150 years. In fact, 10 storms from 2020 experienced rapid intensification, tying the record from 1995.

Rapid intensification poses significant risks to human safety as someone may choose to ride out a weaker storm, but then may not have time to get out when that storm suddenly intensifies.

Warmer ocean temperatures are also causing storms to stay stronger for longer, according to a recent study published in Nature [PDF], driving more severe impacts, such as extreme rainfall, as they move inland to areas far beyond the coast, leading to destructive flooding.

Watch: How is climate change fueling more intense storms? This destructive season shows why we must act

We must keep a spotlight on those who are still recovering from this year’s hurricanes and help them rebuild better before the next storm. (The people of the Gulf Coast still need our help. See how you can support them.)

And the destruction we’ve seen during the 2020 hurricane season must propel us to a safer future for all communities.

Taking action on climate change is a must to limit the impacts of extreme weather, while also making smart investments, such as in natural infrastructure across our coasts and within our floodplains, to provide vital natural buffers between floodwaters and communities.

We can’t stop the storms from coming, but we can limit their increasing severity and better protect our communities before the storms arrive.

Now more than ever, we need you

Climate change is already impacting people and the environment. Join more than 2.5 million EDF supporters to find solutions to protect people and nature.

Give today and triple your impact with a $2-for-$1 match.

Donate now mmelendez December 3, 2020 - 12:07

Thanks for listening to this episode of Delta Dispatches. Our hosts, Simone & Jacques, catch up after a few weeks off and reflect on the long (and finally over) 2020 hurricane season. Our first guess is Ilissa Ocko, senior climate scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund. She talks about her work and how climate change impacts hurricanes. On the second half the show, we chat with Meg Adams, the Director of Environmental Stewardship at New Orleans City Park. Meg talks ...

Read The Full Story

The post Delta Dispatches: Climate Science & Hurricanes and New Orleans City Park appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Delta Dispatches. Our hosts, Simone & Jacques, catch up after a few weeks off and reflect on the long (and finally over) 2020 hurricane season. Our first guess is Ilissa Ocko, senior climate scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund. She talks about her work and how climate change impacts hurricanes. On the second half the show, we chat with Meg Adams, the Director of Environmental Stewardship at New Orleans City Park. Meg talks ...

Read The Full Story

The post Delta Dispatches: Climate Science & Hurricanes and New Orleans City Park appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

A report released today by EDF and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School finds that electric utilities in the U.S. have a legal obligation to plan for the dangers of climate change.

(This post was co-authored by EDF’s Sarah Ladin and Romany Webb of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School) As the owners and operators of immense infrastructure, electric utilities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Many electric utilities are already struggling to respond to higher temperatures, changing rain […]

The post Why Electric Utilities Must Engage in Climate Resilience Planning appeared first on Climate 411.

(This post was co-authored by EDF’s Sarah Ladin and Romany Webb of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School) As the owners and operators of immense infrastructure, electric utilities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Many electric utilities are already struggling to respond to higher temperatures, changing rain […]