Climate Change

In November, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the country “has no choice” but to relocate its capital. Severe ecological strain has made Tehran impossible to sustain. Even as that country’s regime spends billions of dollars on rebuilding its military and nuclear infrastructure as well as supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East, Iran is running out of water.

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is the primary way to mitigate the effects of climate change. Converting to renewable energy sources to generate electricity and the electrification of vehicles are key requirements for reducing emissions. But industrial plants produce about 20% of global emissions. Major contributors include the production of petrochemicals, cement, and fertilizers. The emissions come from both the heat required for the industrial processes and from the processes themselves.

New York State has some of the nation’s most aggressive policies addressing climate change, including a law that is aimed at all but eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Gas-powered cars, oil-burning heaters and furnaces, and fossil-fueled electric plants are supposed to be on the way out. But the state has recently started putting the brakes on progress towards that green future.

Contrails – short for condensation trails – are linear clouds made up of ice crystals that form behind jet aircraft at high altitudes. These artificial cirrus clouds are formed when hot and moist aircraft exhaust meets cold and humid ambient air. Water vapor in the exhaust condenses on particles that originate from soot in aircraft exhaust.

Livestock production contributes between 11% and 19% of global greenhouse emissions. The largest source of these emissions is enteric methane, the gas produced during digestion as the feed ferments in the animal’s stomach and is released mainly through burping. There are other cattle-related emissions as well, including the release of nitrous oxide from manure.

Within a day of President Trump shutting down five major offshore wind farms off the East Coast, the governors of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York arranged a conference call to craft strategies to save the projects.

In mid-December, the Trump administration ordered a halt to the five offshore wind projects currently being built in the United States, a major blow to the American power-generating industry at a time when electricity consumption is increasing rapidly.

PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – otherwise known as forever chemicals – are man-made chemicals known for their extreme persistence. They resist breaking down in the environment and in the human body and have led to widespread contamination in water, soil, and unfortunately in human blood. They are used in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, and firefighting foams. PFAS have been linked to serious health issues like cancers, thyroid disease, and reproductive problems.

The United States and China are considered to be the two superpowers vying for world dominance in the current era. Unlike the Cold War period in which military strength and then spaceflight was at the center of the competition, these days economic strength and domination of the energy future are the main focal points.

Climate change is increasing pressure on farmers around the world as rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events make growing conditions less predictable. In Ghana, where agriculture largely depends on rainfall, cacao farmers are already feeling its impacts. As rains become less reliable, how can cocoa production adapt to a changing climate?