Yale Climate Connections

This week’s Arctic onslaught and how it compares to blasts from the past » Yale Climate Connections Winter weather has to push uphill in our warming climate, but this event could set records for total damage and in some areas for prolonged cold.

This winter blast is far from over. Washington, DC, is on track for its longest stretch below 32F in almost 40 years. Nearly 400,000 U.S. customers are without power. And snow could envelop NC's Outer Banks this weekend. @climateconnections.bsky.social

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I have converted close to 100% of my public talks to making this point -- they want us to think we're alone, but actually MOST AMERICANS IN MOST STATES THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING AND IT'S BAD

That includes right here in Kentucky!! A majority in EVERY KY COUNTY thinks climate change is real!

Earth was hit by 55 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2025 » Yale Climate Connections The world endured its costliest wildfire on record in 2025, its sixth-deadliest heat wave, and four floods or storms that caused at least 1,000 deaths.

I summarized the biggest weather disasters of 2025 using last week's summaries from Gallagher Re and Aon. The costliest: $65 billion in damage from the L.A. wildfires. The deadliest: 24,000+ killed in the summer heatwave in Europe.

yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/eart...

Prince’s former school is being turned into a climate resilience hub » Yale Climate Connections The building where the rock star once walked the halls is becoming a place where people can get help during emergencies.

Another story of community care from Minneapolis:

Winter 2025-26 (finally) hits the U.S. with a vengeance » Yale Climate Connections The armada of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and bitter cold may get reinforcements next week.

A week-plus in DC below freezing? Perhaps, as a prolonged winter storm moves into the central and eastern U.S. this weekend. Heavy snows will stretch from the Ohio Valley to New England, with dangerous ice from TX to NC.
@climateconnections.bsky.social

yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/wint...

El invierno 2025-26 (por fin) azota a Estados Unidos con fuerza » Yale Climate Connections La armada de nieve, aguanieve, lluvia helada y frío intenso podría recibir refuerzos la próxima semana.

La intensidad, duración y extensión geográfica de esta tormenta podría tener consecuencias importantes, desde cortes de energía prolongados hasta interrupciones en el transporte y cierres generalizados de negocios:
yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/el-i...

My latest for @climateconnections.bsky.social ⚡️

To survive warming winters, the Olympics will need to change » Yale Climate Connections Winter weather is now less dependable in many cities that have historically hosted the games.

Great post by @bhensonweather.bsky.social on how climate warming threatens the future of the winter Olympic Games.
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Small farms fight for survival in a warming Midwest » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Your farmers market veggies often come from people without much of a safety net. Climate change is making that a crisis.
yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/smal...

A graph of electricity prices from 1997-2024. The graph tracks the change in electricity price for residential users (like you and me), commercial users (like data centers) and industrial users (like factories). Since 2008, home electricity prices and gone up and up. But the same is not nearly as true for commercial and industrial use. Since 2021, the trend is even worse. Basically, everyday people are paying ever-increasing rates, while tech companies are scoring sweet discounts.

Excited to see the data I crunched for @climateconnections.bsky.social was used in a Washington Post story on the same topic.

It's jut wild that as data centers burn up more and more energy, their bills don't go up. But ours do.

Key graphic below.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

How Trump Doomed the American Auto Industry - The American Prospect Ford and GM made a big bet on electrification. Then Trump plunged a knife into their backs.

Canada's EV deal with China shows how U.S. belligerence is driving allies away. It also is stranding the once-powerful U.S. auto industry, now doomed to make domestic gas guzzlers and exist as a footnote globally. @ryanlcooper.com reports:
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Sea otters are California’s climate heroes  » Yale Climate Connections From kelp forests to sea grass meadows, these charismatic predators are quietly holding parts of the coast together.

Don’t let their cute faces deceive you. Sea otters are fierce predators and climate heroes.

Nonprofit cuts the climate impact of fashion, one scrap at a time » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Check out this nonprofit that resells scrap fabric so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill:

We love this park so much and it’s such a smart build

Atlanta park doubles as a flood protection system » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Whoa! Smart idea:

A preview of the new year — in 12 new books » Yale Climate Connections A toolkit of books to help you survive 2026.

Which of these books will you read first?

yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/a-pr...

Slight imbalance ⚖️👀
My latest for @climateconnections.bsky.social

A new neighborhood shows off the advantages of life without cars » Yale Climate Connections In Tempe, Arizona, residents walk, bike, and ride transit instead of driving – and say they feel more connected to each other.

What if cities were built for people, not parking? A new Tempe neighborhood shows how walkability can help people build stronger community ties.

Scientists push back on climate myths » Yale Climate Connections A global network of experts at Science Feedback is correcting false claims about climate change and clean energy.

Misinformation about climate solutions is everywhere, but scientists are fighting back with facts.

Fourth warmest year in U.S. history: 2025 » Yale Climate Connections It was the first year in a decade without a U.S. hurricane landfall - but it still ranked third for billion-dollar disasters.

2025 was yet another unusually warm year for the United States – and another year packed with costly disasters, despite the absence of any landfalling U.S. hurricanes.

@climateconnections.bsky.social @drjeffmasters.bsky.social

yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/four...

E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.

Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.

Where things stand on climate change in 2026 » Yale Climate Connections Last year saw the U.S. move backward on climate while China ascended. Here’s what to expect next.

Will China continue to trounce the U.S. in the clean energy fight in 2026?

Five keys to understanding Venezuela’s oil history » Yale Climate Connections The country holds the world’s largest oil reserves, but its oil industry now operates far below its historical potential.

Five keys to understanding Venezuela’s oil history

yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/five...

Scientists push back on climate myths » Yale Climate Connections A global network of experts at Science Feedback is correcting false claims about climate change and clean energy.

Yale Climate Connections is a good source. But not all of them are. Remember to fact-check everything you see on social media.
#ClimateMisinformation
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/scientists-push-back-on-climate-myths/

A congressman’s climate pilgrimage » Yale Climate Connections U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois travels to national parks to raise awareness about climate change.

“They’re so beloved. They’re the quintessential national natural treasure. And if they’re endangered, nothing is safe.” – U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley

Cinco claves para entender la historia petrolera de Venezuela » Yale Climate Connections El país posee las mayores reservas probadas de petróleo del mundo, pero su industria petrolera opera hoy muy por debajo de su potencial histórico.

“A mí lo que me obligó a irme del país fue la falta de medicinas; todo se relaciona. Escasez de gasolina, inflación y desabastecimiento."
yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/01/cinc...

Where things stand on climate change in 2026 » Yale Climate Connections Last year saw the U.S. move backward on climate while China ascended. Here’s what to expect next.

For @climateconnections.bsky.social today I review the big climate & clean energy news of 2025 and look ahead to 2026. For the US, 2025 was obviously incredibly bleak, but 2026 presents a major policy opportunity. The global picture is looking much better, especially in China 🧵 (1/8)

i love many thing about my job but the best part is when i get to make a slightly insane collage. this is a great article by Tree and you should read it.

My brush with dengue was excruciating. What’s even scarier is how fast it’s spreading. » Yale Climate Connections As temperatures rise and rains become more intense, the world’s becoming more hospitable to mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.

“When the chills, body shivers, and pounding headache first hijacked my system, I was 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, midway through a 14-hour flight to Manila in the Philippines.”

Six photos show how climate change shaped our world in 2025 » Yale Climate Connections This year's most notable wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and heavy rains were made more devastating and deadly by climate change.

One year ago, wildfires worsened by climate change devastated the LA area. Check out our roundup of six photos that show how climate change shaped 2025: