Now NOAA Predicts So Many Hurricanes This Year They May Run Out of Names – YIKES

Now NOAA Predicts So Many Hurricanes This Year They May Run Out of Names – YIKES

Late last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its annual update on this year’s outlook for tropical hurricanes and they are now predicting the conditions are ripe for a huge season, with 19-25 named storms with sustained winds over  39 mph or greater, and even worse, 7 to 11 are expected to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater.

Why This Matters:  Hurricane season really gets serious only now, so the worst is still ahead of us. And the revised forecast is a big increase over what had been forecast at the beginning of the season when NOAA said it there was a 70% chance of 13 to 19 named storms.

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Brazil Under Fire As Amazon Burning Is Connected to Soy and Beef Exports

Brazil Under Fire As Amazon Burning Is Connected to Soy and Beef Exports

A recent study published in Science found that a significant percentage of beef and soy exported from Brazil to the EU is connected with illegal deforestation. As YaleE360 reported  that “as much as 22 percent of soy and 60 percent of beef…back to illegal tree felling and fires in the Amazon and Cerrado regions.”

Why This Matters: The study’s lead author Raoni Rajão said, “Until now, agribusiness and the Brazilian government have claimed that they cannot monitor the entire supply chain, nor distinguish the legal from the illegal deforestation.” This new study undercuts that idea, showing that Brazil can (and must) monitor agribusiness’ connections to illegal deforestation.

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Summer Increasingly Brings Toxic Algae to Freshwater Lakes in US – Watch Your Pets

Summer Increasingly Brings Toxic Algae to Freshwater Lakes in US – Watch Your Pets

As the “dog days” of summer are here, so is the threat of toxic algae in lakes and ponds across the U.S., according to reports from news outlets nationwide.  The Boston Globe’s David Abel reported on how the 996 small lakes on Cape Cod that had provided a respite from saltwater are now warming so rapidly that they are being “transformed by climate change” that saps their oxygen, makes them dangerous for swimming by humans and pets, and harms wildlife.

Why This Matters:  Often these blooms occur because of runoff pollution, but in some locations on Cape Cod with little of that, the culprit seems to be climate change.

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More Than A Thousand Scientists Denounce Trump’s Denigration of Science

More Than A Thousand Scientists Denounce Trump’s Denigration of Science

1,240 National Academy of Science (NAS) members have “registered their personal concern about the Trump administration’s denigrations of science,” Inside Climate News reported this week. The open letter, first written in 2016 has amassed hundreds of signatures in just the past few weeks. 

Why This Matters: In the midst of a global pandemic and horrifying examples of the effects of climate change, we need science-based policies more than ever.

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Dems Demand Assurances NOAA’s Weather Forecasters Will Be Insulated From Politics

Dems Demand Assurances NOAA’s Weather Forecasters Will Be Insulated From Politics

With hurricane season about to enter its peak, The Hill reported that six Democratic Senators demanded that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide them assurances that they will put tougher rules in place to prevent another “Sharpie-gate” from interfering with the work of the weather and climate scientists at the agency.

Why This Matters:   Dems are right to demand that there will be no political interference with agency forecasts during this hurricane season — the public’s safety must be paramount.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Over CA-Canada Cap and Trade

Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Over CA-Canada Cap and Trade

A federal judge on Friday dismissed a challenge brought by the Trump administration against a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program that creates a market for emissions credits between the state of California and the Canadian province of Quebec.

Why This Matters: The Trump administration challenged the program because it argued California had no authority to deal directly with the government of another nation — that its program usurps the federal government’s primacy in foreign affairs.

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