Climate
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Growing Smarter: How Crops Can Thrive in a Hotter World
The world’s major farming regions—places like the California and the Midwest in the U.S. and parts of Asia and Africa—are heating up. These areas grow the foods we depend on most, like wheat, corn, and rice. But climate change is making it harder for these crops to survive. In fact, scientists say we’re already seeing smaller harvests in some places. And if temperatures keep rising, food shortages could get worse. Can scientists help them grow smarter to beat the heat? But there’s hope. Scientists around the world are working on ways to help crops survive in hotter conditions. This issue feels personal. My own county grows over $1.1 billion in…
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The Heat You Can’t See: Greenhouse Gases Explained
We hear the most about carbon dioxide (CO2) because it’s the main greenhouse gas causing climate change. Most of the CO2 comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas for things like electricity, cars, and factories. Since humans produce so much of it every day, CO2 has the biggest long-term impact on Earth’s temperature. That’s why people talk about it the most. We just reached 430 ppm CO2, a more than 50% increase since 1750. CO2 levels haven’t been this high in millions of years. That’s way before humans—or even most of the animals and plants we know today—existed. That’s a big warning sign for our planet. Don’t…
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Planet on the Edge: The Alarming Forecast from 2025–2029
Alarming Forecast: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a group that studies Earth’s weather and climate. They just released a new report that looks at what Earth’s climate might be like from 2025 to 2029, and it’s scary! This report, called the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, is something they publish regularly to help us understand what’s coming in the next few years. It uses powerful computer models to predict both long-term climate changes caused by things like greenhouse gas emissions and short-term natural patterns like El Niño, La Niña, and ocean cycles like the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV). What Does the Forecast Predict? 1. Super-hot years are probably…
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Fire and Smoke: How Climate Change Fuels Wildfires
Wildfires are becoming more common and intense, and human-caused climate change is a big reason why. Here’s a simple explanation of how climate change fuels wildfires. 🔥 Why Are Wildfires Getting Worse? As the Earth’s climate warms, certain areas experience hotter, drier conditions and thirstier air. This dries out trees, plants, and grass, making them more likely to catch fire. When a fire starts—due to lightning, human activity, or other causes—it can spread quickly and become harder to control. In fact, fire seasons are lasting longer and happening more often than they used to. Wildfires and Climate Change: A Two-Way Street Wildfires aren’t just caused by climate change—they can make…
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Hotter Earth, Sicker World: The Surge of Insect-Related Diseases
Climate change is making it easier for diseases spread by insects, like mosquitoes and ticks, to affect more people around the world. As temperatures rise and weather patterns change, these insects can live in more places and for longer periods. Now we’re seeing a surrge of insect-related diseases. What Are Insect-Related Diseases? Insect-related, known as vector-borne, diseases are are illnesses transmitted to humans through carriers like mosquitoes and ticks. These carriers, or “vectors,” pick up harmful germs from one host and pass them to another. Examples include: Malaria Dengue fever Zika virus Chikungunya Yellow fever These diseases are responsible for over 700,000 deaths each year and make up more than…
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Earth’s Coral Reefs Are in Big Trouble—Here’s Why
Since the beginning of 2023, about 84% of the world’s coral reefs have suffered from something called bleaching, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative. This is the worst global bleaching event ever recorded, even worse than the last big one that happened between 2014 and 2017. To say our coral reefs are in big trouble barely scratches the surface—this is an ocean emergency. What Is Coral Bleaching? Corals may look like underwater plants, but they’re actually animals—and they team up with tiny algae to survive. The algae give corals their bright colors and also provide food. In return, the corals give the algae a safe place to live and…
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The Year Nature Couldn’t Keep Up
In 2024, scientists saw the biggest jump in carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in Earth’s air since they started keeping track back in 1958. CO₂ went up by 3.58 parts per million compared to 2023, beating the old record from 2016. Nature couldn’t keep up. Most of this rise came from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. On top of that, natural events like El Niño and massive wildfires in North and South America made things worse. We know all this from something called the Keeling Curve—a graph that shows how CO₂ levels have changed over time. It’s named after Charles David Keeling, the scientist who started measuring CO₂…
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Ocean In Trouble: Toxic Algae Is Killing Sea Life
Off the coast of Southern California, something heartbreaking is happening for the fourth year in a row. A toxic algae bloom — caused by tiny ocean plants growing out of control — is making sea lions and dolphins sick. Many are getting stranded on beaches, helpless and confused. Some are even dying. This bloom started earlier than usual this year, likely because ocean waters are warmer than normal. Toxic algae produce a dangerous poison called domoic acid. It builds up in fish, and when sea lions and dolphins eat those fish, the poison attacks their brains. Sick animals may seem disoriented, have seizures, or lose their ability to swim and…
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Frozen in Time: Glaciers on the Brink
Glaciers on the Brink: Imagine a world where the towering glaciers, nature’s ancient water reservoirs, are on the brink of vanishing before our eyes. This isn’t a scene from a science fiction movie—it’s our current reality. What Are Glaciers and Why Do They Matter? Glaciers are like giant frozen libraries! They contain all kinds of important information about Earth’s past. They are massive, slow-moving rivers of ice found in mountain regions and polar areas that store about 70% of the world’s freshwater. They also hold clues about past climate, how Earth has changed over time, and they even preserve plants, animals, and microorganisms that are really old. As they melt…
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Toxic Rice? How Climate Change Is Threatening Our Food
More than half the people in the world eat rice every day. But now, rising carbon dioxide and hotter temperatures are creating toxic rice. Global Hunger in Focus The world is already facing a huge hunger crisis. Right now, about 1.9 million people are experiencing extreme hunger, mostly in places like Gaza and Sudan, but also in parts of Sudan, Haiti, Mali, and parts of the Middle East. These people are very close to famine, which means not having enough food to survive. In one camp in northern Sudan, famine is already happening. Many of these hunger emergencies are getting worse each year because of many problems happening at the…
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Brace Yourself: Why Turbulence Is Getting Worse
Have you flown lately? Have you noticed that turbulence is getting worse? Remember these shocking 2024 headlines? “A flight attendant broke her back during severe turbulence on a flight in Turkey—the third major incident of its kind in a week.” “Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence, one passenger dead.” Buckle Up! Turbulence is making headlines! More and more, we’re hearing jaw-dropping stories of terrifying flights. In May 2024, a Singapore Airlines flight hit extreme turbulence, bouncing like a roller coaster and plunging 178 feet in just 4.6 seconds! The chaos left 104 people needing medical help, with 20 in intensive care. One person suffered a fatal heart attack. That same…
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Fact-Checking Series No. 5: Busting Yet Another Myth About Climate Change
Let’s Call a Spade a Spade! I’m back, busting yet another myth about climate change! Ever heard of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)? It’s a “think tank” (a group that shares ideas) that doesn’t believe humans are causing climate change. Sounds wild, right? Even more interesting, they’ve gotten money from groups that don’t like environmental rules, like the Charles Koch Foundation and ExxonMobil. Through 2016, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation contributed over $2.2 million to CEI.—that’s a whole lot of cash! Now, CEI once published a list basically saying, “People have been predicting environmental disasters since the 1960s, and they’re still doing it today!” But are these predictions really…
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Fact-checking Series No. 4: Busting Myths About Climate Change
Climate change is a big issue, and there are a lot of myths about climate change out there that can make it hard to know what’s true. Some people think it’s just a natural cycle, while others believe small actions don’t matter. These ideas can cause confusion and slow down efforts to fix the problem. In this article, we’ll break down some common myths about climate change and explain the real facts in a simple way, so everyone can tell what’s true and what’s not. Scientists predicted global cooling in the 70s I see this myth about climate change on social media almost every day. It’s actually a myth that…
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Fact-Checking Series No. 1: Uncovering the Truth About Climate
I’d love to share with you my new Fact-Checking Series, where I will focus on uncovering the truth about climate and clarifying misunderstandings. I’ll be addressing the usual claims from people who don’t believe that Earth’s climate is changing because of human activities. I’ll start with some of the most common myths I come across on social media every day. Climate’s Changed Before Climate Has Changed Before? Bingo! Who would’ve guessed? Of course, scientists are well aware of this. Uncovering the truth: while Earth’s climate has naturally warmed and cooled over the ages, the rapid warming we’re seeing today can’t be chalked up to natural causes like changes in Earth’s…
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How are “Global Warming” and “Climate Change” Different?
Social media spreads a lot of false information about climate change. This really confuses people and slows down progress on environmental solutions. Some people post claims that deny climate change or push strange theories, like saying secret projects cause natural disasters. One common myth is that “they” changed from “global warming” to “climate change”. This is false. “Global warming” means the Earth’s temperatures are getting higher. This is because more greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, are building up in the atmosphere. “Climate change” includes global warming but also covers other big changes happening to our planet, like sea levels going up, glaciers and ice sheets getting smaller. Other major changes…
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Fact-checking Series No. 2: Uncovering the Truth About Climate
Welcome to the second installment of my Fact-Checking Series, where I focus on uncovering the truth about climate and clarifying misunderstandings. I’ll be addressing more of the common climate myths from people who don’t believe that Earth’s climate is changing because of human activities. Below are more common claims I come across on social media every day. Beware, the list is very long! Changes in Earth’s magnetic field are causing global warming This climate myth is false. Studies show that the last three magnetic field excursions, and any within the last 2.8 million years, haven’t caused notable climate changes. Earth’s magnetic field shifts naturally, but these shifts do not influence…
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Fact-checking Series #3: Myths About Carbon Dioxide
Welcome to the third part of my Fact-Checking Series, where I dig into myths about carbon dioxide and clear up misunderstandings about climate. Carbon dioxide, or CO₂, is an invisible gas that is all around us in the air. It’s made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. People and animals breathe it out when we exhale, and plants take it in to help them grow through a process called photosynthesis. CO₂ is also a strong greenhouse gas, which means it traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Without CO₂, our planet would be too cold for us to live. While this is natural and important for life, too…
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What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate?
You’re not alone if you don’t know the difference between the two. It’s a very common question! Weather and climate are related, but they are not the same thing. Weather is what’s happening outside right now or over a short period, like a day or a week. It includes things like temperature, rain, wind, or snow. Is it sunny or cloudy out today? That’s also weather. Climate, on the other hand, is the average weather in a place over a long time, usually 30 years or more. For example, it might rain a lot in one week (that’s weather), but if an area usually gets lots of rain year after…
