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An accidental breakthrough creates water from thin air

I spoke with Dr. Daeyeon Lee about an accidental breakthrough in water vapor harvesting research and its potential future uses.
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

There’s so much happening right now, I thought I’d put together a running thread on the dismantling of #climate and research and knowledge infrastructure in the United States 🧵

A public information statement announcing the end of some weather balloon launches due to staffing issues.

More fallout from the indiscriminate NWS firings:

"Effective immediately, and until further notice, the [NWS] is temporarily suspending some weather balloon launches in Albany, New York, and Gray, Maine, due to a lack of Weather Forecast Office (WFO) staffing."

www.weather.gov/media/notifi...

This Colombian 'hotel for cows' could help reduce deforestation in the Amazon Clearing land for cattle and cows is the single biggest driver of rainforest loss in the Amazon. This "hotel for cows" in Colombia offers a solution.

Clearing land for cattle and cows is the single biggest driver of rainforest loss in the Amazon. This "hotel for cows" in Colombia offers a solution.

Trump administration dramatically cuts staff at water agency in California The Trump administration is firing employees at the Bureau of Reclamation, drawing concerns from California water agencies that depend on it to deliver supplies.

The Trump administration has ordered firings and buyouts at the federal agency that operates water infrastructure in California. Managers of water agencies in the Central Valley warn this could jeopardize the agency’s ability to manage dams and deliver water.
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Exxon, others should face climate claims by Puerto Rican towns, US judge says A U.S. judge said Thursday that Exxon , Chevron , Shell and six other oil companies should face part of a lawsuit in Puerto Rico accusing them of misleading the public about climate change and conspiring to suppress clean energy alternatives.

Big court win: judge rules Exxon, Shell, Chevron, BP and others must face claims by Puerto Rican towns in a RICO case alleging the companies engaged in a coordinated, decades-long deception campaign to conceal the true dangers of fossil fuel consumption.
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

New on my Substack: I talked with UNM's @jfleck.bsky.social about why Colorado River negotiations are at an impasse and what happens when the federal government becomes an unreliable partner. www.westernwaternotes.com/p/q-and-a-th...

Update: Told by sources that direct hire USAID staff are now being locked out of their accounts. Some told they’ve *maybe* been placed on administrative leave.

Direct hires were some of the last remaining staff in USAID not locked out.

The agency has been entirely dismantled.

Newsom suspends landmark environmental laws to ease rebuilding in wildfire zones Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order suspending parts of the Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act to aid homeowners rebuilding after losses in last week's wildfires.

Newsom suspends environmental laws to ease rebuilding of homes and businesses in zones destroyed by the fires www.latimes.com/california/s...

This is not a forest. You can't just rake the leaves. It's a shrubland that used to be a lot more grassland when it was burned by the original Indigenous people and grazed during the ranching era. With climate change, increasing drought that intersects with Santa Ana winds is the recipe for fire.

UN plastic treaty talks fail to reach an agreement

No agreement was reached at U.N. plastics treaty talks last week despite nearly 100 countries supporting limits to plastic production.

abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Climate and environment updates: Colorado River at a tipping point over drought threat, new study finds The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it's happening right now.

"It doesn’t take a lot of climate change to put the system into a very vulnerable future."

My latest for the ABC News Climate and Environment blog on the Colorado River possibly reaching a point of no return.
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

October was 2nd warmest month on record, NOAA announces

If you thought October was unusually warm, it isn't your imagination. It was the 2nd warmest month on record. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

As the world grapples with the climate crisis, many of its leaders are skipping this year's COP climate conference

Each year, world leaders and climate advocates gather at COP, but who is not at the Conference this year? abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Biden pledges $325 million in clean tech funding for developing nations

Biden's investment in the CTF locks in climate funding that Trump won't be able to touch abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

UN climate lead says millions of lives are at stake and delegates should 'cut the theatrics'

Week 2 of #COP29 began with a strong reminder of what is at stake for the planet abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Trump victory won't stop climate progress, US officials tell COP29

Day 5: U.S. officials tell COP29 that climate progress in the states will continue throughout the Trump presidency, no matter what happens on the federal level abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Solving the climate crisis could cost trillions, according to new report

Day 4: A new report came out showing that solving the climate crisis could cost trillions abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Day 3 at COP29 shows how hard it will be for the world to quit fossil fuels

Day 3 at COP29 shows how hard it will be for the world to quit fossil fuels abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

World leaders send mixed messages about the climate crisis on Day 2 of COP29

Day 2: World leaders send mixed messages about the climate crisis abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Global climate conference off to a challenging start

I've been covering #COP29 for the last week -- catch up on the Conference at the ABC News Climate and Environment blog: abcnews.go.com/Internationa...