News broke over the weekend that NASA’s preliminary data indicated that February 2016 set yet another record as the warmest month globally since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. Read more >
Global Warming is Happening FAST, but is it Causing Extreme Weather Events?
Astrid Caldas, climate scientist
March 17, 2016 11:16 AM EDT
U.S. Braced for Historic Inland Flooding and Coastal Storm Surge Even As Joaquin Blew Out to Sea
Brenda Ekwurzel, senior climate scientist
October 5, 2015 10:59 AM EDT
Hurricane Joaquin, while a category 4, unleashed torrential rain over the Bahamas, uprooting trees, disrupting power and ripping rooftops. Joaquin lingered in the tropics, shedding vast amounts of moisture that became part of a complex mix of weather systems in the eastern U.S., creating soggy conditions even before Joaquin shifted northeastward from the tropics offshore of the U.S., giving a one-two punch for the eastern states. Punch one was life-threatening inland flooding, and punch two was storm surge along coastal areas. Read more >
Climate Change is Turning up the Heat on July 4th in our National Parks
, Adam Markham, deputy director, Climate & Energy Program
July 3, 2014 11:14 AM EDT
New research shows that more extreme climate conditions due to global warming are already affecting more than 250 national parks, including the Mojave National Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Mammoth Cave National Park. Recent temperatures at Grand Canyon National Park have been at the extreme end of historical averages. Read more >
Gina McCarthy, the Power Plant Carbon Standards, and Reducing the Risk of Power Outages
, John Rogers, senior energy analyst, Clean Energy
June 5, 2014 12:33 PM EDT
The EPA’s new power plant carbon standards are a potential climate game changer for a whole lot of reasons, given how much fossil-fueled power plants contribute to global warming. And in her speech unveiling the proposed standards on Monday, in talking about what global warming means for the power sector, rather than the other way around, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy nailed it. Read more >
Power Outages, Extreme Weather, and Climate Change: How Smart Energy Choices Will Help Keep the Lights On
, Steve Clemmer, director of energy research, Clean Energy
April 21, 2014 9:51 AM EDT
Our nation’s aging electricity system is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events — including flooding, extreme heat, drought, and wildfires — which often cause power outages. Today UCS released a new report called Power Failure, which describes how extreme weather events are likely to increase in the future as global temperatures continue to rise, with major consequences for the electricity sector. Read more >
