Climate Point: NIMBYs pass the torch to Z, a mass extinction warning and the bright side of global warming
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate change, energy and the environment. I'm Evan Wyloge — filling in for Janet Wilson this week — writing to you from breezy Palm Springs.
Here's one for the books: Three Mile Island, which melted down 40 years ago and has struggled financially for years, will be shut down later this year, Jacey Fortin writes for The New York Times. Though the disaster had — arguably — little health fallout, the event sparked a generation of anti-nuclear NIMBY activism. And the cultural aftershocks are still tangible.
Here are some other things you may want to know:
MUST READ STORIES
A million here, a million there. Probably this week's biggest news related to life — or the lack of it — on Earth: One million species of plants and animals (there are only 8 million total) are at risk of extinction, as USA Today's Doyle Rice writes. That’s what a United Nations panel of 450 scientists gathered in Paris said this week. Their summary, published under the banner of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, blames habitat degradation, overfishing, fossil fuel use, pollution and invasive species.
Always look on the bright side of life. Demonstrating a radically glass-half-full attitude and without ever using the phrase "climate change," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared a silver lining to the Earth's melting ice caps: new trade passages, untapped oil and gas — even rare minerals, like gold and diamonds! Jennifer Hansler's report for CNN detail's Pompeo's vision for shipping companies that will be able to whiz across what used to be the frozen arctic. And without that thick layer of ice, more easily accessible oil and mineral fields will be ripe for mining.
POLITICAL CLIMATE
Not trying to 'cause a big s-s-sensation. Speaking of a generation being activated by environmental disasters unfolding in front of them, Generation Z — those born between the mid-'90s and the mid-2000s — are shaping up to be a feisty bunch, USA Today's Elizabeth Weise reports this week. They're mad about inaction on the climate and they're going to demand changes, political prognosticators are predicting, and they're more numerous than either Baby Boomers or Millenials. A key question is whether the expected surge will be able to keep momentum, and that, one expert predicts, will hinge on whether changes come as a result of the activism. If a movement leads to some tangible achievements, like "progressive" reforms that followed the activism of the 1960s, the ideals can stick with the generation. If not, they could "become fatalistic about the possibility of making change and give up."
Bag up those disco fries — for now. New Jersey lawmakers said FUGGEDABOUTIT!! to a statewide ban on plastic bags, plastic straws and foam food containers, so activists there are adjusting their aim. A smattering of cities, many along the Jersey Shore, have already adopted local ordinances banning the single-use plastic products. As Scott Fallon and Meghan Grant report in the North Jersey Record, plastic industry lobbyists have focused their opposition to the ban on the state level, but less attention has been paid to local prohibitions, so environmental activists are refocusing there.
IT'S WILD OUT THERE
No quarter. The country's national parks have long been a refuge from the increasingly urban American life, but new research shows even these national crown jewels are feeling the effects of human activity — specifically air pollution. As Ledyard King writes for USA Today, "Relying heavily on National Park Service data, the report evaluated each of the 417 parks on four criteria: unhealthy air, hazy conditions, climate change and 'harm to nature.'"
When it rains... The start of tornado season has already been brutal for some areas. A dozen tornadoes tore through Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday. Meanwhile, large spring storms have pounded parts of the south and Midwest, causing flooding from Houston to Wisconsin, Doyle Rice writes for USA Today.
What's the opposite of a silver lining? This winter delivered bountiful — and much needed — moisture to California, in the form of rain and snow, but new research shows that damage left by wildfires could contribute to a positive feedback loop where burned areas lose snowpack faster, leading to quicker drying and greater fire risk. As Benjamin Spillman writes for the Reno Gazette-Journal, scientists say they're learning more about the way fire damage can impact the water cycle, and vice versa.
AND ANOTHER THING
How does that make you feel? Has the prospect of a hotter, more volatile, species-shedding planet, teetering on the edge of habitability, got you down? You're not alone. Climate change-related anxiety is real, reports CNN's Jen Christensen. "Solastalgia: the distress caused by environmental change" can include symptoms ranging from PTSD-similar panic or nightmares to depression and even phobias. The American Psychological Association put out a 69-page report on mental health issues related to climate change in 2017.
Here's this week's carbon dioxide numbers. Scientists say to keep a livable planet, we need to cut the amount to 350 parts per million. We're well above that and rising.
That's all for this week. You can find me at @EvanWyloge For more climate, energy and environment news, follow Janet Wilson on Twitter at @janetwilson66. You can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox for free here.