Climate Point: Fighting 'climate doomism' with climate solutions

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and the environment. I’m Erin Rode, writing from Palm Springs, California. 

While some older generations may recall a time when climate change wasn’t top of mind, Gen X and younger Millennials have always lived in a world where climate change was a present and growing threat. For me, "The Day After Tomorrow," a movie that (spoiler alert) ends with most of the northern hemisphere covered in ice, came out when I was 7. While the film got decidedly mixed reviews, it is forever seared into my brain as one of the first times I remember feeling what we now refer to as climate anxiety — a feeling that only became more real while growing up amid wildfires and drought in Southern California. 

But now, after growing up with increasingly dire warnings about climate change in the headlines and in popular culture, more and more young people are now focusing on climate solutions, Cara Buckley reports for the New York Times. Many are fighting “climate doomism,” or the belief that it’s too late to turn things around, writes Buckley, and believe that focusing only on negative climate news can cause feelings of dread and foster inaction. Instead, they’re taking to social media platforms like TikTok to spread positive news about climate solutions. 

“People are almost tired of hearing how bad it is; the narrative needs to move onto solutions,” said Alaina Wood, a 25-year-old sustainability scientist with the handle @thegarbagequeen on TikTok. ‘The science says things are bad. But it’s only going to get worse the longer it takes to act.”

Here are some other stories that may be of interest this week. 

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Must-read stories

Disaster debris. As climate change brings more natural disasters, it’s also bringing more debris, which comes with its own set of health risks, Kyle Bagenstose reports for USA Today. Disaster debris can include asbestos, lead, household chemicals, and other potentially hazardous wastes, and a lack of advance planning often means this debris ends up in unlined landfills, where it can result in groundwater contamination and cause airborne health risks. And even when the debris is handled correctly, it takes up landfill space that is already at a premium. 

“Climate change is supercharging the increasing frequency and intensity of certain types of extreme weather that lead to billion-dollar disasters,” said Adam Smith, a climatologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Most notably the rise in vulnerability to drought, lengthening wildfire seasons in the western states, and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall across the eastern states.”

Awaiting the next flood. The Flats, a low-income neighborhood located near two rivers in Mamaroneck, New York, has experienced several catastrophic floods in recent years, including from Hurricane Ida. Water from Ida displaced businesses, community organizations, and residents, and more than a dozen families from the neighborhood remain homeless six months after Ida, Eduardo Cuevas reports for the Rockland/Westchester Journal News. Those who haven’t moved away from the area are now adjusting to flooding as a way of life, from laminating photos and other keepsakes to replacing a church’s carpet and pews with wood floors and chairs. 

Water in the West

Dry and getting drier. Nearly 60% of the continental U.S. is experiencing drought, the largest percentage since 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week. Those drought conditions are expected at least through June, with conditions expected to worsen due to above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation, Maggie Astor reports for the New York Times. In Arizona, which has experienced a long-term drought since 1996, moderate and severe drought levels are increasing, with the west side of the state experiencing extreme drought, Zayna Syed reports for the Arizona Republic. Also in Arizona, Lake Powell’s water levels dipped to a new low last week, dropping below a buffer level meant to protect hydropower generation. 

As water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powel fall, water managers are preparing to negotiate new rules for the 100-year-old Colorado River Compact to address how to allocate the river’s declining flows, Brandon Loomis reports for the Arizona Republic. From the river’s headwaters in Wyoming and Colorado to the cities of Phoenix and Las Vegas, 40 million people use water from the Colorado River. 

Declining allocations. In California, the state’s driest January-March period in at least a century means water agencies that serve 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland will just get 5% of the amount of water they’ve requested this year from state supplies beyond what’s needed for necessary activities like drinking and bathing, Kathleen Ronayne reports for the Associated Press. California’s dry winter led state officials to revise that allocation figure down from the 15% allocation that was announced in January, after a rainy December. 

Missing the target. But the constant headlines about worsening drought conditions haven’t led to an increase in water conservation from California residents. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 15%, but the cumulative water savings from July through the end of January were at just 6.4%. And urban water use actually increased by 2.6% in January, compared to January 2020, Hayley Smith reports for the Los Angeles Times. And three of the state’s top five residential water users so far this winter are in the arid Coachella Valley, Janet Wilson reports for the Desert Sun, where the water agency serving Palm Springs actually increased water use by 0.6% from July 2021 through January. 

Shrinking communities. As water disappears amid the state’s third year of an intensifying drought, so are California’s farms and agricultural communities, Scott Wilson reports for the Washington Post. One example: The student population at Westside Elementary School in the San Joaquin Valley has declined from nearly 500 students in 1995 to just 160 today, with enrollment continuing to fall. 

Hot takes

Risk disclosure. A new proposed rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission would require public companies to disclose the risks they face from global warming. USA Today 

Hexavalent chromium. California became the first state in the nation this week to propose a standard for hexavalent chromium in drinking water. The contaminant was made famous by the 2000 movie "Erin Brockovich." CalMatters

Hot air. Researchers at the University of Arizona recently ran into difficulties while trying to test an air pollution monitoring system in Tucson — temperatures were too hot for the equipment. Arizona Republic 

Runoff in rivers. Indiana has the most dirty waterways in the country, with more than 25,000 miles of rivers and streams too polluted for recreation and swimming, according to a new report released 50 years after the passage of the landmark Clean Water Act. In Indiana, the main issue is agricultural runoff, which is essentially unregulated under the law. Indianapolis Star

Barely above failing. The Sierra Club’s Hoosier Chapter gave Indiana state legislators an average grade of D+ for their votes on green bills dating back to 2014. Meanwhile, the Hoosier State is consistently ranked as one of the most polluted states in the country. Indianapolis Star

And another thing

The beginning of spring often marks the start of flower and fruit festivals, from the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan. But as warmer temperatures mean earlier blooms, organizers of some festivals are adapting by moving their dates up earlier in the year, Dinah Voyles Pulver reports for USA Today. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, for example, has traditionally started in April, but with March temperatures increasing, the festival now hasn’t started in April since 1994. 

That's all for this week. Stay in touch @RodeErin on Twitter or via email at erin.rode@desertsun.com, and you can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox for free here.