Juan Declet-Barreto

Climate Scientist

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Juan Declet-Barreto is a climate scientist for the UCS Climate & Energy program and the Center for Science and Democracy. He partners with environmental justice groups and activists to research the potential effects of carbon trading on disadvantaged communities, as individual states begin implementation of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. See Juan's full bio.

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Dos años después de la catástrofe climática, Puerto Rico aparece en el mapamundi

September 18, 2019 5:04 PM EDT

Durante los últimos dos años, Puerto Rico ha vivido el episodio más tumultuoso de su historia moderna. En 2017, el Huracán María pasó factura climática a una isla que ya no tenía recursos políticos, económicos ni de infraestructura (urbana, energética) para saldar tal deuda. El huracán—como me dijo un colega hace tiempo—no fué lo que destruyó a Puerto Rico: la crisis de gobernabilidad, la crisis por la agobiante deuda pública que melló servicios públicos, educativos, y sociales, así como la rentabilidad de la isla—la misma crisis que pensamos había tocado fondo durante el cierre del gobierno en 2006—fue lo que destruyó a la isla, y sus escombros fueron barridos por María. Read more >

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Photo: AP/Bebeto Matthews

Vulnerable Populations Across US Metro Areas at Risk of Fatal Heat by Mid-Century

July 23, 2019 2:09 PM EDT

If we don’t take action now to reduce heat-trapping carbon emissions, we will experience many more days of killer heat in many parts of the country, putting millions of people at risk of heat-related illness or death. We estimate that without action, by midcentury there could be more than four times the amount of days with a heat index over 105°F across the country. Read more >

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Photo: Staff Sgt. Herschel Talley/Nebraska National Guard

The Wettest 12 Months: New Analysis Shows Spikes in Flood Alerts in the US

May 23, 2019 1:24 PM EDT

April 2019 marked the wettest 12-month period in the United States since record-keeping began 124 years ago, breaking the previous record set from May 2015–April 2016.  In most places in the contiguous US, by April 2019 it had already rained more than the annual average during the 20th century. This week, heavy rain is dumping up to 1 foot of rain in northern and central parts of the US. It’s evident that extreme precipitation events are getting more extreme, and also that climate change is one of the culprits. Read more >

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Photo: Barry M. Goldwater Historic Photograph Collection

Climate Justice Requires Prioritization of The Poor and Vulnerable

April 22, 2019 12:03 PM EDT

The legend of the mythological Phoenix tells the story of a “female sacred firebird with beautiful gold and red plumage”. It was said that at the end of its centenarian plus life-cycle, the Phoenix ignited herself among a nest of twigs, and, reducing itself to ashes, a new young Phoenix would arise from the smolder.  It’s a fitting metaphor for Phoenix, Arizona, a relatively young city at 150 years, yet located in the Salt River valley, a Sonoran Desert region that has been inhabited and abandoned by people for thousands of years before its current form as a sprawling metropolitan area.

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Photo: Barry M. Goldwater Historic Photograph Collection (FP FPC 1, Box 8, Folder 1. Historic Photographs, Places: Canals and Irrigation. 1890-1901. Arizona Collection, Arizona State University
Photos: – Barry M. Goldwater Historic Photograph Collection
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
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Photo: Vasiliki Volkova/Unsplash

Oregon Climate Impacts: 2019 is The Year for Bold Climate Legislation

January 30, 2019 4:46 PM EDT

In the last decade or so, Oregon has endured destructive wildfires, reductions in snowpack, and declining fisheries.  First responder and resident Oregonian communities alike still vividly recall the devastation brought by the 2003 B&B Complex wildfire. Although the Beaver State had a good 2018 ski season, snowpack this winter is more than one-quarter down from what has in the past been considered ‘normal’. Ocean acidification is killing oyster and plankton in farms along the Oregon coast.

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Photo: Vasiliki Volkova/Unsplash
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