{"id":424295,"date":"2026-05-04T05:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/424295\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T05:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:20:17","slug":"we-need-to-speak-out-against-policies-that-are-exacerbating-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/424295\/","title":{"rendered":"We Need To Speak Out Against Policies That Are Exacerbating Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription<\/a> or on Stripe<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Stabilizing rising global surface temperatures is essential for the long-term health of the planet. Climate change is an existential crisis that affects everyday life, how businesses operate, and the ways that countries acquire materials and regulate systems. Yet we are immersed in a moment in time in which too many governments have stalled or overturned net zero emissions goals.<\/p>\n

In October 2025, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a major report detailing the strongest evidence to date that carbon dioxide, methane, and other planet-warming greenhouse gases are threatening human health. That wasn\u2019t meaningful to the US EPA, which a few months later published its rescission of the Endangerment Finding \u2014 the 2009 conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act that contribute to pollution that endangers public health or welfare.<\/p>\n

The EPA also revisited its regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from US vehicles.<\/p>\n

Trashing climate regulations won\u2019t stop there. The Trump administration has done everything it can to accentuate the federal government\u2019s legal authority to control the pollution that is driving climate change. As our intrepid CleanTechnica writer, Steve Hanley, reminds<\/a> us, \u201cMake no mistake about it; the carnage being inflicted on the US government today has been bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry.\u201d The consequences of those fossil fuel bribes keep piling up.<\/p>\n

What Happens When Weather Data Is Missing?<\/p>\n

March 2026 was the world\u2019s second-warmest March since 1850. Human-induced global warming not only causes long-term changes in energy and water system but also reveals itself through climate extremes. Every region of the world now exhibits changes in intensity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events, and devastating storms that were nearly impossible in the past are now occurring with catastrophic consequences.<\/p>\n

Meteorologists across the US are concerned that a lack of data from weather balloons is inhibiting their ability to detect these severe weather threats in advance. Their forecasting abilities aren\u2019t enough to to forecast when extreme weather is imminent. As Ken Mahan reports in the Boston Globe, changes to the National Weather Service launch schedules have resulted in fewer or delayed weather balloon releases. Without a consistent pattern of releases, a data void has resulted, so that forecasters are ill-equipped to alert the public about fast-changing extreme weather conditions.<\/p>\n

It is commonly understood by meteorologists that even missing or delaying a single launch can degrade forecast accuracy. That\u2019s because data is fed from the balloons into forecast model runs, such as the GFS, Euro, NAM, and new AI forecast models<\/a> \u2014 without that data input, reliable and accurate forecasts become haphazard.<\/p>\n

We Need To Rethink The Way We Fertilize Our Crops<\/p>\n

Fertilizers form a key pillar of our global food system,<\/a> and, yet, they signify a key flaw in the way the world feeds its citizens. That\u2019s been made transparent in the US\/Israel war on Iran and the shipping delays in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Yes, few agricultural inputs matter as much as fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilizers are essential to feeding the world, yet they remain one of the most energy-intensive parts of the food value chain, long reliant on fossil fuels. There are alternatives to relying on industrial ammonia and synthetic fertilisers, which are part of complex, multi-national fossil fuel supply chains that spews out environmentally-devastating nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions.<\/p>\n

New low-carbon production routes can now sharply reduce<\/a> emissions, decoupling fertilizer supply from fossil energy and strengthening food security. From there, circularity determines whether those cleaner inputs are used efficiently or lost. Approaches like composting, digestate reuse, and biological crop protection help close nutrient loops. Smarter irrigation and drought-resilient crops further improve water efficiency, reinforcing soil ecosystems rather than depleting them.<\/p>\n

We need to empower<\/a> small holder farmers and shift control of food systems by giving local and regional farmers incentives to develop technologies so native food systems thrive. Soil integrity and ecosystem biodiversity become held in high esteem. Local infrastructure supports local food so that processing centers, aggregators, transportation hubs, and distribution locations become part of robust community building food system efforts. Food systems attain circularity and success.<\/p>\n

When Ocean Waters Warm, Marine Creatures Struggle<\/p>\n

For decades southern right whales have functioned as a kind of canary-in-the-coal-mine for climate change<\/a>. Industrial hunting in the 19th and 20th century pushed them to the brink of extinction, but conservationists fought for policies that would protect these whales. Insufficient foraging success can lead to reproductive failure, reduced calf survival, and extended calving intervals, as already shown in the population calving in the Southwest Atlantic, according to researchers whose study is chronicled on Nature\u2019s Scientific Reports.<\/p>\n

Their findings suggest the observed decline in reproductive success of the western Australian population of southern right whales is influenced by environmental changes in mid- and high-latitude feeding grounds. In other words, as their frozen habitat dissipates, the crustaceans that the southern right whales depend on have been moving farther south into colder waters. They\u2019ve disappeared from some locations, forcing the whales to expend more precious energy as they travel greater distances to feed.<\/p>\n

The Scientific Research Community Is Reeling From Funding Cuts<\/p>\n

A research biologist for the US Geological Survey in Alaska who left their position in 2025 due to the Trump administration\u2019s assault on federal science wrote about their experience on bioGraphic. Describing how an estimated 352,000 employees have so far been fired or left the federal workforce in response to the Trump administration\u2019s policies, Caroline Van Hemert explained how \u201cscience has been hit especially hard, with climate, environment, health, and wildlife budgets specifically targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around 7,800 research grants have been frozen or terminated, and, \u201calthough Congress is pushing back, much of the damage has already been done.\u201d Further proposed cuts could result in additional losses to programs and personnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmong our collective roles, we forecasted earthquakes and other natural hazards, measured toxin levels in subsistence foods, gauged streamflow that boaters and aquatic life depend on, mitigated human-wildlife conflicts, and provided early warning for infectious diseases like avian influenza. Far from being elite academics, my colleagues worked directly for the benefit of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mangroves & Extreme Weather: Prediction To Save Ecosystems<\/p>\n

Maybe you don\u2019t live in a place that has mangroves, and you aren\u2019t aware of the benefits they provide to coastal communities. Mangrove ecosystems enrich the area around them by providing food, regulating climate, stabilizing shorelines<\/a>, and protecting against devastation caused by cyclones, primarily to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate shorelines around the globe. Yet damage from cyclones has been projected to increase as storms intensify with climate change.<\/p>\n

Right now, cyclones account for almost half of naturally induced mangrove mortality globally. That\u2019s according to researchers writing in a 2025 issue of Science Advances, who say that a whole slew of physical damage to mangroves is more likely due to strengthening cyclone forces such as winds, waves, surges, and rainfall. The end results, consistent with climate change, already observed are canopy destruction, uprooting, and substrate erosion as well as hydrological damage triggered by cyclone-induced environmental changes such as flooding, sediment smothering, and salinity stress, often manifested as diebacks.<\/p>\n

Their study points to a series of preventative measures that coastal communities can take to diminish the effects of dangerous cyclones.<\/p>\n

In regions experiencing frequent fast-moving cyclones, prioritization should be given to protection against physical damage along relatively steep shorelines, such as erosion.
\nThe development of living oyster reefs that can effectively reduce wave heights should be promoted in such locations, whereas engineering structures such as seawalls that generally result in steepened coastal slopes should be avoided.
\nIn regions facing more frequent slow-moving cyclones, management should focus on minimizing the risk of surge-induced hydrological and biogeochemical damage by preserving local and watershed hydrology. This means more emphasis needs to be placed on maintaining freshwater inputs and tidal exchange and minimizing human disturbance such as dyke and road construction.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

Corporations and governments continue to shape the speed and scale of climate disruption, and we as climate activists need to drive<\/a> systemic corporate change in 2026. It\u2019s going to happen through a confluence of pressure that creates enabling conditions and individuals who make eco-conscious daily choices. We can start by thinking<\/a> about the inter-relationships among humans, physical forces, and ecosystems. We can help others to rethink nature<\/a> as an investment. We can educate our local leaders<\/a> about the importance of nature-based investments<\/a> as climate solutions.<\/p>\n

We would be wise to listen to Frank Elderson of ECB and his thoughts about incorporating nature into supervisory climate change practices. After all, Elderson argues, \u201cNature is the life-support system on which our economies depend.\u201d The World Bank estimates that as much as half of the world\u2019s GDP relies on biodiversity, nature capital, and ecosystem services. A healthy environment protect us against global heating and related extreme weather events.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, the effects of nature degradation are far-reaching and material,\u201d he continues. \u201cLet us refine our approaches and continue sharing sound practices. Let us shape solutions that match the scale of the task at hand. Because in the face of the ongoing nature crisis, inaction is never neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resources<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate-driven reproductive decline in Southern right whales.\u201d Claire Charlton, et al. Nature. February 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreenhouse gas endangerment finding.\u201d Harvard Law School<\/a>.\u00a0March 19, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the wake of the storm.\u201d Caroline Van Hemert. bioGraphic. February 26, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeteorologists warn of \u2018ridiculous\u2019 forecast data gaps amid severe weather season.\u201d Ken Mahan. Boston Globe. April 28, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cNational Academies publish new report reviewing evidence for greenhouse gas emissions and US climate, health, and welfare.\u201d National Academies.<\/a> 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpening remarks by Frank Elderson, member of the executive board of the ECB and vice-chair of the supervisory board of the ECB, at the NGFS Annual Plenary Event panel discussion on \u2018Incorporating nature into supervisory practices.\u201d ECB<\/a>. March 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cShifting cyclone travel speed and its impact on global mangrove ecosystems.\u201d Yu Mo, et al. Science Advances. December 5, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouthern Right Whales are having fewer calves; Scientists say a warming ocean is to blame.\u201d Teresa Tomassoni. Inside Climate News. February 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

Sign up for CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summaries<\/a>, sign up for our daily newsletter<\/a>, and follow us on Google News<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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