Laura Barbas Rhoden

A map of the United States that indicates the number of days of risky, summer heat added by climate change with color coating from white to dark orange and red.

#ClimateMatters Climate Week— 📍Spartanburg, SC felt the heat this summer with 42 consecutive days at 90° or above. And in everyday life? Camp rec plans changed, tomatoes dropped blossoms, and emergency cooling shelters opened.

Screenshot of whether attribution website with headline that climate change was a driver of hurricane Helene

#ClimateMatters Climate Week —Hurricane Helene ploughed thru FL, GA, SC, NC almost 1 year ago. Here in Upstate SC, winds gusted at daybreak, and old oaks whipped, creaked, and -need a new sonic verb- as their root balls ripped from the ground and they toppled.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

If you're an author and haven't yet signed up for the Anthropic settlement, do yourself a favor (and strike a blow against AI) by checking to see if any of your books were involved.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Image of four college students holding visualizations of climate data

Thanks for the amazing graphics @climatecentral.org - our Wofford research team used them in interviews and conversation circles this summer as we asked Spartanburg residents to share with us how they are living with a changing climate — and wow, did people have a lot to say!

As States Continue to Fail Workers, We Need Federal Heat Protections It's getting hotter. And states keep blocking heat protections for outdoor workers—including, most recently, Kentucky.

"While heat is the leading cause of weather-related death, heat injury and mortality can be prevented if cautionary measures are taken. Currently, there is no federal mandate requiring employers to provide workers adequate water, rest, or shade despite such a proposal being supported by voters."

Erratic rainfall and high temperatures are stressing agriculture in Central America and northern South America, according to a FEWS Net (Famine Early Warning System) report.
That heat? According to the CSI, made up to 5x as likely due to climate change.
fews.net/node/35466

Where does the climate movement go from here? In the face of Trump's climate assault, Bill McKibben proposes a sun-soaked path forward.

“California, the fourth largest economy on planet Earth, is this summer using 40 percent less natural gas than it did two years ago to generate electricity.

If you wanna know why the fossil fuel industry is freaking out and sponsoring every bad politician on Earth, that's why.”

Street sign with icons for cyclists, musicians, a person walking, another person walking with a cane, and a vehicle. Against the backdrop of an urban skyline with trees.

More signs and streets like these, please. #Asheville

View from above of Charleston harbor; trees in foreground, ocean beyond on a sunny day.

Charleston: beautiful and facing a rising sea. +10 inches since 1950, with an acceleration to 1 inch every 2 years since 2010. Truly a special place in which to present climate stories shared with @c-sorrell-dinkins.bsky.social and me by people in SC.

Volume 17 Issue 1 | Environmental Humanities | Duke University Press

Special dossier Energy Cultures in Latin America in the March 2025 issue of Environmental Humanities
read.dukeupress.edu/environmenta...

Digital Government Hub The Digital Government Hub is an open-source reference library for anyone using design, data, and technology to improve government service delivery.

Some incredible efforts are underway to archive US government digital content and data.

We started the www.digitalgovernmenthub.org to showcase exemplary digital policy and practice. We have many federal resources and have many more rescued items coming soon.

Thread of efforts:

It’s Black History Month every day, all day 💚♥️🖤🇵🇷✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

As expected, the Trump team is already deleting climate info from government websites. In anticipation, our team at Urban Ocean Lab created a permanent archive of 100+ key resources and published a permanent archive: www.urbanoceanlab.org/resource-hub 👩🏽‍💻

“In addition to undocumented residents who may be subject to arrest and removal, Barbas-Rhoden pointed to others potentially affected by a mass deportation program, including children and other family members.”

“We’re part of an ecosystem,” said Hernández-Laroche.“The impact will be felt widely if we lose a considerable number of people participating in the workforce – including those who are helping us rebuild after Hurricane Helene – or who spend money in shops and go to our schools.”

Here's what immigration looks like in South Carolina as Trump pushes mass deportations About 88,000 undocumented immigrants live in the Palmetto state, according to estimates; officials and advocates are on alert for potential impacts

Paywall, but linked posts share quotes by me + a colleague at a nearby uni:

Two students holding handmade poster reading student athletes for climate action

Group of college students outside holding handmade poster reading terriers for climate justice. Terriers is the university mascot.

Climate leadership is all around us, co-created + cultivated in dialogue and community. Photos from 2024 Climate Week tabling event hosted by the Climate Roots and Resilience learning community at my college in South Carolina.

Trump’s Day 1 Attacks on the Environment 🤬 And what you can do.

9 of the Executive Orders that Trump signed on Day 1 of his administration specifically assault our environment and our ability to address climate change. Here's a summary of the worst of it: ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/p/trumps-day...

The new White House has already deleted dozens of environmental justice websites and reports. Worry not, they’re all backed up on various independent university websites. eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker-type...

🧪🌎

New special issue of Hispanófila: Environmental Humanities in Latin American, Latinx, and Iberian Studies: muse.jhu.edu/issue/54116