Climate Stripes, Electricity Mix By State, Go Green, and More!

Hey climate heroes! Welcome to The Climate Roundup, where we round up the change, er the news about climate and the environment. As part of the Gen E community, we thank you for making climate action part of everyday life. (Reading this newsletter counts!)

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In Pop Culture:

‘Climate stripes’ refer to a data visualization of long-term temperature trends for a specific location, a concept created by a climate scientist to help people understand global warming. Blue lines mean cooler than average years, red means hotter than average, and the darker the color, the greater the delta. Climate stripes have become a symbol of the climate movement, and they’ve been known to show up in knitting circles to large scale art installations.

I’d like to propose the next placement for climate stripes: on the New York Rangers’ ‘third jerseys’. The stripes on these jerseys already look an awful lot like climate stripes (see above image), so why not just lean into it? Hockey is the perfect sport to start raising awareness about climate change, given that rising temperatures are preventing ponds and lakes to freeze, threatening the development of the sport, especially for kids without access to an ice rink. But overall, it’s long overdue that a professional sports league elevates environmental issues, the way they all do with other topics like cancer or sexual orientation. I’d like to see the NHL embrace climate change as an issue they stand to fight against, and I tag the Rangers as the first team to make climate stripe sweaters.

Philanthropy At Work:

🥳 A key pillar of work for Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network is advocacy for the Rights of Nature. The Rights of Nature movement is a legal framework that aims to grant ecosystems the right to exist, thrive, and regenerate, and similar to human rights, nature can be defended by people in the courts. Several wins have been secured globally as this movement grows, with the latest being in New Zealand, where Mount Taranaki, or Taranaki Maunga, has been given legal personhood. This will help with preservation of the mountain and protection of the wildlife that lives there.

In Environmental News:

🥵 This January was the hottest January our modern planet has ever experienced, and by a considerable margin. This is not sitting right with climate scientists who expected to see a bit of a cool down due to the La Niña cooling event going on. This highlights how our climate system is beginning to do unexplainable things as human-caused global warming breaches ‘safe’ levels.

😉 Clean energy execs are rebranding their industries as ‘energy dominant’ and crafting new pitches that align with the language and mandates of the current administration. In their lobbying efforts, renewable energy industry reps are focusing on job creation and the boost to American manufacturing, particularly seen in Republican districts.

📈 A new report analyzes the intersection of climate change’s influence on insurance prices, human migration, and economic patterns in the U.S. The cities most likely to see the biggest spikes in insurance premiums are Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, New Orleans, and Sacramento. The report also predicts that “more than 55 million Americans will voluntarily relocate within the U.S. to areas less vulnerable to climate risks by 2055.”

🍚 Scientists have developed a new strain of rice that emits 70% less methane than traditional varieties, while still producing above-average yields.

🤓 If you’re interested in learning about the breakdown of how each state generates electricity, this interactive slide deck is for you. Fun fact: Vermont generates 100% of its electricity from renewable sources! Where does your state shake out?

Go Green!

🦅 The Superbowl is today and while a lot of waste is created for the event itself and all the ancillary events, the NFL does have plans in place to do better from a sustainability perspective, and to collect data to benchmark against past Superbowls. They have extra people to sort through recycling, they’ll donate uneaten food to a local food bank, and through the NFL’s environmental initiative, NFL Green, they are ‘supporting’ local environmental groups in New Orleans to help fortify the area’s quickly diminishing wetlands and shorelines. They don’t seem to be addressing the sources of waste in the first place, which is critical, but at least they’re making an effort on the backend. If you want to read how both the Eagles and the Chiefs include environmental initiatives into their seasons, read here.