Across the storm-battered Caribbean, the islands are tired of waiting on governments to step in with climate finance, so now they are taking matters into their own hands through grant funding.
"It’s really, at this point, a matter of survival.”
Dollar Tree will soon be $1.25 tree.
The company announced it will raise prices from $1 to $1.25 on the majority of its products by the first quarter of 2022.
@nmeyersohn
reports.
Know who Pacific Islanders are—the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands in Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.
#AAPIHM
Here's the perfect infographic from (at)samismooches on IG to learn more:
Climate change is when the Gulf is still recovering from Hurricane Laura & a new storm is set to make landfall as a hurricane, while there are at least 4 other storms brewing in the Atlantic as the West Coast continues to burn & residents suffer from hazardous air ...
I'm beyond thrilled to announce that today is my first day as a writer on
@CNN
's new climate team!!✨
I couldn't have done it without a support system, but wanted to especially thank my friend & mentor
@saeed_ahmed
who basically made me part of his CNN legacy before leaving.
For the first time on record, precipitation at the summit of Greenland fell as rain — not snow.
It dumped 7 billion tons of water on the ice sheet, enough to fill the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in DC, nearly 250,000 times.
Admiral Dennis McGinn in a briefing with journalists right now: "Make no mistake if we were not addicted as an international community to fossil fuels, this war never would have happened."
As we near "AAPI" month, remember ....
Asian American Pacific Islander ❌
Asian American *AND* Pacific Islander ✅
The former further ostracizes and overshadows the voices and experiences of Pacific Islanders. Please.
Indigenous voters may have been key in flipping battleground states like Arizona and Wisconsin for Democrats.
“If it hadn’t been for the tribal nations, Biden truly wouldn’t be in office," one organizer told me. My latest on how they did it:
A very important story. From the "model minority” to "Black criminality” stereotypes, here's how white supremacy have long tried to divide Black and Asian communities — obscuring a long history of Black-Asian solidarity.
My latest w/
@JerusalemDemsas
:
many don't understand that when people say 'environmental justice,' it doesn't just mean hurricanes or wildfires disproportionately affecting bipoc communities — it can also mean, the fossil fuel industry or military intentionally setting shop in communities of color ... 1/
Pacific Islander activists calling for climate justice on the East River in front of the UN headquarters, as part of the Vanuatu-led bid for an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change.
Statement from the Alliance of Small Island States
@AOSISChair
on the latest draft: "We will not sign our death certificate. We cannot sign on to text that does not have strong commitments on phasing out fossil fuels."
#COP28
Five young climate activists are on their 7th day of a hunger strike outside the White House to demand government action on climate.
One was hospitalized, and now they're all striking on wheelchairs.
@ella_nilsen
and I talked to them.
ICYMI: All the names of the 8 victims killed in Atlanta are in.
- Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49
- Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, 33
- Daoyou Feng, 44
- Paul Andre Michels, 54
- Soon Park, 74
- Hyun Jung Grant, 51
- Suncha Kim, 69
- Yong Yue, 63
Know their stories.
It's not just Australia. Don't forget about Indonesia. Heavy rain, flooding, and mudslides left at least 67 people dead as rising waters deluged more than 180 neighborhoods. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are found.
At the climate change trial in Montana right now...
Plaintiffs Atty: Are you familiar w/ IPCC?
MT DEQ Director: I attended this trial last week when there was testimony relevant to IPCC, but prior to that I wasn't familiar & certainly not deeply familiar w/ its role or its work.
Lots going on, so I'm crafting a thread on stories I've written recently on how climate change is fueling these extreme weather events.
It's not your imagination. Climate change-fueled disasters have been getting more frequent & costly since the '70s. 1/
Many Pacific Islanders left their home islands to escape climate-related challenges. But where they've settled, climate change is appearing in different — though just as devastating — ways. I talked to some of those who moved to the Northwest about it.
With each new piece of climate research, climate news or tweets shared, a giant steel box in Tasmania will be recording it all — in hopes of telling future civilizations how humans created the climate crisis, and how we failed or succeeded to address it.
My friends on Guam & the CNMI are going to wake up to my takedown piece on Netflix's Operation Christmas Drop: To release a film set against the backdrop of the growing militarization of the Pacific in the name of holiday cheer couldn't be more tone-deaf.
It's a good time to educate, learn and read more about Asian American history.
@voxdotcom
has been putting out great explainers with deep nuances and historical context to make sense of it all.
I suggest starting with this story from
@liszhou
:
Whew, I got three stories up today!! Have you seen
@CNN
's homepage yet?
Climate stories up top, all thanks to our incredible climate team, particularly our tireless editor
@angelafritz
!!
More than 1 million bottles of water are sold every minute around the world and the industry shows no sign of slowing down.
According to a new UN report, global sales of bottled water are expected to nearly double by 2030. 1/
California's two largest reservoirs — Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville — are at "critically low levels" at the point of the year when they should be the highest. Here is what's at stake for Californians.
New: Greenland is experiencing its biggest meltdown of 2021, as temperatures in the Arctic surge.
The amount of ice that melted on Tuesday alone would be enough to cover the entire state of Florida in two inches of water.
NEW: At least 20 countries have agreed to end financing for all fossil fuel projects abroad, a UK official told CNN, in a deal expected to be announced Thursday.
With the slew of executive orders Biden's making on climate change, it's crucial for reporters to look beyond the economic angle of how this will impact Big Oil/jobs & start looking at the environmental justice angle of how the overall benefits outweigh costs for communities.
I wrote a story for
@voxdotcom
on anti-blackness within the Asian American community. I talked about the "model minority" myth, provided some historical context, how to address anti-blackness in our community and more.
Hard to emphasize how important IPCC reports are, yet they always compete for space amid busy news cycles. As journalists, it's our job to continue the momentum.
IPCC co-chairs said today "continued communication b/t scientists & the media as well as policymakers" is critical.
New
@UN
report: Climate change is on course to push billions of people and other species to irreversible tipping points.
The IPCC report is "an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,"
@antonioguterres
said.
If you're just catching up, I put together a brief "what we know and what we don't know" story about yesterday's shooting that left six Asian women dead.
Without a “dramatic increase” in inflow by 2024, experts warn Utah lawmakers the Great Salt Lake is set to disappear in the next five years.
"It’s honestly jaw-dropping and totally disarming to see how much of the lake is gone," one expert tells me.
My latest: 12,000+ pages of US government documents show military operations contaminating the Pacific Ocean — including the islands of Guam, CNMI, Marshall Islands — with radioactive waste, nerve agents & chemical weapons, as chronicled in a new book.
From using coconut oil as an alternative to diesel to reclaiming their Indigenous seafaring culture, Pacific Islanders across Oceania are combining Indigenous practices with the latest science to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. My latest:
Deforestation rates, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions are significantly lower in forests protected and governed by Indigenous peoples, according to a new
@UN
report that analyzed more than 300 scientific studies. I wrote more about the report here:
Watching the finale of
@ReliableSources
when the lead story is the end of the show itself is a bizarre feeling. Also
@brianstelter
bringing up the climate crisis less than 10 minutes in — this show has come a long way.
CNN hosting this town hall on the toxic train derailment in Ohio is such an important service journalism.
Residents get a chance to share concerns & ask questions directly to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine & EPA chief Michael Regan. No holding back.
"The big message ... is we need to end the age of fossil fuel," one of the IPCC authors told journalists this morning. Ending fossil fuel subsidies could reduce emissions by up to 10% by 2030.
And to those of you screaming about economic impact ...
Nearly 600 gallons of oil spilled into the San Francisco Bay from Chevron's Richmond refinery.
This is a major public health and environmental disaster.
On Monday, 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap was shot multiple times and killed in an officer-involved shooting in O'ahu.
This is a part of a larger issue that Micronesian Pacific Islanders face in places like Hawaii. Also, only ONE news outlet covered it. 1/
A few photos I took from today's
#StopAsianHate
rally in Manhattan. Reporting on these events this past week has been taxing, but also reminded me why I became a journalist in the first place.
Also, the groups most vulnerable to maladaptation are the groups that are the least responsible for global emissions and those that already bear the brunt of climate extremes.
One big story out of the
#IPCC
report is "maladaptation"--the fact that study authors found so many examples of climate adaptation attempts that are destroying nature, putting peoples’ lives at risk or increasing greenhouse gas emissions that they have to warn us about it is...😬
It's Indigenous Peoples Day! A reminder that even today, Indigenous activists continue to face high rates of criminalization, physical violence, and even murder for their efforts to protect the planet. I wrote this back in June:
Something about seeing my hometown, Rep. Sheila Babauta, on stage at
#COP26
, introducing
@BarackObama
....
The Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific, has been on the frontlines of the climate crisis and is plagued by rampant militarization.
When Hurricane Ian came barreling toward southwest Florida this week, it obliterated landscapes and knocked out power to more than 2.6 million customers in the state.
But in Babcock Ranch, the lights stayed on — all thanks to solar power.
Another delightful phone call with
@DrBobBullard
, and one thing that stood out in our conversation:
"Environmental justice is not a footnote anymore. It’s a headline," he told me.
I wrote a lil thing about the Girl Scouts of Colorado, and how they fashioned tiny homes for wild bees called "bee hotels” to fight the depopulation of bees across the country.
some news: i'm launching a newsletter called The Breaking Point, because for many of us, 2020 was – or is – a breaking point.
i've been having a whirlwind of thoughts (yes, other than climate & environment) that needs an outlet. pls sign up, thank u💚!!
The boreal forests, which blanket the top of the globe, could flip from being a major carbon sink to becoming a carbon emitter.
I wrote about how Indigenous solutions like Thaidene Nëné and robust policies can save the world's largest intact forest.
New: Activism comes at a heavy price. Environmental activists specifically — particularly indigenous activists and activists of color — have for years faced high rates of criminalization, physical violence & murder for their efforts to protect the planet.
We're seeing a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes across the US:
• An 84yo Thai man died after a brutal attack in SF
• A 64yo Vietnamese lady was assaulted in San Jose
• A 61yo Filipino man was slashed in the face in NYC
Still, a lack of news coverage.
As historic drought cripples the West, an environmental crisis exploded into a water war along the Oregon-California border that pit local farmers against Native American tribes, government agencies, and conservationists. My first
@CNN
byline:
Given the link between elevated air pollution & severe COVID-19 outcomes, this data point is important: COVID-19 mortality rate is "nearly 80 percent higher in Palm Beach County than it is in Miami-Dade County, which has more than three-and-a-half times the caseload."
The Pacific Northwest is scorching this weekend, and experts say it is ill-equipped for the blistering triple-digit heat.
I wrote about how it would affect vulnerable communities, the power grid, and how it should prepare for a warmer future. My latest:
What's another legacy of redlining? Extreme heat. Watch this video, in which
@heypenner
and I give an in-depth explanation of how extreme heat is way worse in formerly redlined neighborhoods — zooming in on my old stomping grounds in Portland, Oregon.
NEW: High-elevation forests in the Rocky Mountains are burning more now than any time in the past 2,000 years amid extreme, climate change-induced drought.
"After 2020, it's clear we're in uncharted territory," study's lead author
@PhilipHiguera
told me.
With emerging discussions on fetishization & hypersexualization of Asian women, I spoke with film scholar
@CelineShimizu
about the history of it all — from the Page Act to US-led wars in Asia as well as Miss Saigon — and how it relates to the shootings.
Great quote in this
@nytimes
story: “Russia is incredibly unimportant in the global economy except for oil and gas,” said Jason Furman, a Harvard economist who was an adviser to President Barack Obama.
“It’s basically a big gas station."
Several Micronesian workers were recruited to work at an Iowa pork plant, only to have their passports seized and be threatened to have the workers deported if they got sick or missed shifts. They struggled to find their footing in an unfamiliar city ...
Rare, new discovery from
@UNESCO
: Deep in the ocean off the coast of Tahiti, scientists found acres of giant, pristine, rose-shaped corals .... with no evidence that the reef has yet been harmed by the climate crisis.
A growing number of cities have already banned natural gas hookups in new homes as part of their climate goals, yet a company is trying to bring in gas lines in this already net-zero community where the homes produce enough energy a year with renewables.
Note: The Dem's Build Back Better package contains $555 billion in climate provisions.
But that funding — designed to be applied over the course of 10 years — pales in comparison to what the US is now spending on disasters. Graphics by
@jkeefe
.
On the same day scientists released the study that 8.7 million people died globally in 2018 from air pollution caused by the fossil fuel industry,
@Chevron
managed to dump roughly 600 gallons of oil in the SF Bay.
Jennifer Mercer with
@NSF
told me operations at the Summit Station would now need to change because of the significant rain event.
"We need to consider weather events that we have not had to deal with before in the history of our operations there."
I talked to author Tommy Orange about self-reflection during a time of racial reckoning, why Thanksgiving is still a widely celebrated holiday despite its history & with Covid-19 disproportionately affecting tribal communities, a novel sequel, and more.
Low-income communities of color in the U.S. are exposed to higher levels of pollution, studies have found. Scientists are racing to understand if that plays a role in the coronavirus crisis, particularly since minorities are disproportionately dying.
"In Guam, even the dead are dying," CHamoru author and activist
@julian_aguon
writes in his new book.
I've been looking forward to publishing this conversation I had w/ him, in which we talked about our home islands, his new book and so much more.
I'm extra fragile today. On top of everything that happened this week, I just received some disheartening personal news from my family in the Philippines. The pandemic has really robbed us a year of spending some quality time with loved ones & these are extremely difficult times.
New
@UN
report: Climate change is on course to push billions of people and other species to irreversible tipping points.
The IPCC report is "an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,"
@antonioguterres
said.
The National Black Environmental Justice Network is back and stronger than ever, co-chaired by environmental justice pioneers Dr. Beverly Wright &
@DrBobBullard
. Their message? Environmental injustice is not a single issue.
Here is what they're up to.
... or formerly redlined neighborhoods facing environmental gentrification by constructing green parks to attract white residents ... or folks in prison, more likely pocs bc of mass incarceration, disproportionately facing the impacts of severe heat & pollution !! etc etc ugh 2/
The amount of hateful messages I receive daily for covering race—especially after my Asian-Black relations story that published today—is quite appalling, considering they're mostly from white men.
To add to that, this shooting in which FOUR Asian women were killed at 3 spas ...
With the Biden administration passing a slew of executive orders on climate change, I wrote about the significance of environmental justice reporting — and how environmental racism impinges on every story whether it's healthcare, economics, or immigration.
I'm late to this, but today I learned about how the first Native American newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, ended during the Jackson administration's push to remove Indians from their lands. The paper's editors were attacked, jailed & censored bc of their critical coverage.
Industry — not individuals — should be held accountable for the climate crisis, scientists and advocates say.
There are things individuals can do, "but they won't be sufficient to rise up to the challenge of halting climate change." From me &
@apbenven
:
A story near and dear to my heart: Often overlooked and misrepresented, Pacific Islanders in the US are disproportionately dying of Covid-19.
But the data often lumps Pacific Islanders in with Asian Americans, which dangerously hides the true narrative.
.
@mchancecnn
hearing a series of explosions in Kyiv on live TV. They are now moving places.
Meanwhile,
@clarissaward
tells
@donlemon
, "We are in the midst now of something significant."
I sent my ballot this weekend. Since then, I've been thinking about the people in the Marianas & the rest of the ~4 million Americans living in US territories who cannot vote for their next president.
A: Would you agree that every tonne of CO2 emissions adds to global warming?
Montana DEQ Director Chris Dorrington: I think you're calling for me to speculate about that. I don't really know.
I interviewed a migrant farmworker who says heat is making every day a grueling endurance exercise. It's a story already told before.
Outdoor workers are just one of the many vulnerable groups for which summer is now a survival test. Read my latest here:
The onus of solving the climate crisis doesn't lie entirely on individuals, but there are things you can do such as composting more, protesting or listening to Indigenous peoples.
I talked to 30 climate experts for this month's
@SELFmagazine
cover story.