Snow Monsters, Ban On Wind Illegal, MAHAs vs EPA, & 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 Culture:

❄️ High in the mountains of Japan live a rare Earthly occurrence known as “snow monsters” or “juhyo”. Frost and snow form a thick coat over fir trees in a unique mix of conditions that create the appearance of otherworldly figures that tower above skiers and visitors who come to see them. “Because such precise meteorological and ecological conditions align in very few places, Zao’s snow monsters are a phenomenon almost unique to northern Japan”. But warming temperatures from climate change and tree disease have shrunk these snow monsters over the years and ultimately may erase this culturally cherished natural wonder. This threat has brought together conservationists, researchers, and the community to work towards protecting Japan’s iconic snow monsters, to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Philanthropy At Work:

🌳 Coalition for Rainforest Nations is hosting a webinar this Thursday, December 18th about their work in 2025 and whether this year’s COP in Brazil was a bust. Sign up here.

🧠 And registration is live for another webinar, this one from Climate Mental Health Network slated for next year on Feb 5th entitled “Thriving in an Age of Disasters: How to build emotional resilience and take action”.

Environmental News:

👩‍⚖️ A federal judge ruled that the Trump admin’s ban on wind energy projects on federal land and water was illegal. It’s a win in theory, thanks to the 17 states plus DC who brought about this lawsuit, but in practice, wind projects will still face many challenges and roadblocks so long as this administration stays in office.

🤥 The erasure of scientific fact continues under Trump’s watch, as the EPA recently removed mentions of human-caused climate change from its website pages, which serve as an educational resource for our citizens. While the term ‘climate change’ and major national climate reports from various agencies had already been taken down, until now, true climate language had remained on the EPA site. But now for example, on its “Causes of Climate Change” page, it only lists natural processes, like volcanic activity or changes to Earth’s orbit. There is zero mention of the burning of fossil fuels by human activity, which is the main driver of increased CO2 levels warming our planet. This omission of fact is deeply disturbing, and highlights the deep-rooted problem of misinformation that is infecting our society. When asked about the edits, a spokesperson said that the agency “no longer takes marching orders from the climate cult.” To counter, a group of x-NOAA employees are building a new site called climate.us, to house all the climate truth for those of us who live in actual truth.

🙅‍♀️ Rational people who want to protect the environment from pollution and prioritize human health by limiting and banning harmful toxins released into our environment by companies may have an ally in the MAHA’s, or Make America Healthy Again movement. MAHA’s are calling for EPA head, Lee Zeldin, to be fired for his anti-regulation agenda, specifically around PFAS (forever chemicals). He has approved of new pesticides containing PFAS and he’s loosened restrictions and delayed implementation of lower limits on the toxic chemicals found in our drinking water. The MAHAs don’t like toxic chemicals like PFAS in their food and water. What a concept! They say Zeldin “has prioritized the interests of chemical corporations over the well-being of American families and children.” He sure has. Though in reading the comments of their petition to fire Zeldin, these people don’t seem to understand that Trump is the source of the problem, and he’ll continue to prioritize corporate profits over human health, regardless of who’s the agency figurehead. But yes, let’s get rid of Lee Zeldin.

💪 Public comments do help! You may recall how Trump’s EPA is trying to repeal the Endangerment Finding, which is the main lever the agency has to limit emissions and curb climate change, based on the scientific consensus that climate pollution threatens human health and welfare. Well partially thanks to over 500K public comments, the agency can’t meet its goal to have repealed the rule by the end of the year, as they have to address all the points made in the comments. Delays are our friend. The good guys can play ‘flood the zone’ too.

🪼 Deep sea mining company, The Metals Company, has been funding independent research to understand the environmental impact of its future business operations, which entails dropping machinery down to the otherwise untouched and unexplored deep dark sea floor to scoop up mineral-rich nodules that lie there. A recently published report found that the number of animals in the path of the machines declined by 37% after some test runs. Currently, there is no commercial seabed mining happening on Earth nor is it allowed by UN consensus. But companies and Trump are chomping at the bit to start. It would be some real life Avatar-bad-guy level sh*t, if you can imagine it.

🔌 Los Angeles is now officially off coal. It’s been a process long in the making, and just last year 11% of the city’s power came from coal. This helps them progress towards their goal of 100% clean energy by 2035.

️🎓 Eighteen universities in the UK have banned fossil fuel companies from recruiting for jobs at their job fairs and on job listings. It’s an example showing how there are so many pockets of society where we can impact business-as-usual, and help create the world we want to see – without planet-killing industries.