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'Disclosure Day' anchor Courtney Grace breaks down that unforgettable ending
Her name is Courtney Grace and she carries Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller to its emotional climax. She discussed her experience working on the film.
Highest possible ambition: science-aligned fossil fuel phase-out…
This brief presents some timelines on what transitioning away from fossil fuels could look like at both the global and national level, building on the Highest Possible Ambition scenario released last year by Climate Analytics and PIK. Focusing on fossil fuel demand, this brief provides data on the…
These forward-looking, early-stage businesses are already standing out
The World Changing Ideas On the Rise honorees are tackling issues like accessibility, climate change, and more.
4 ways cities can become more marketable for business
Multinationals want to locate in cities with ample talent, venture capital, mobility infrastructure and climate resilience.
Coral reefs are not doomed – but policy must catch up with the science
A new study shows some reefs still have a meaningful chance to survive and recover from climate impacts – provided they are protected
Emigholz on Jersey Thing: Business Climate Analysis Shows Competitive Struggles with Neighboring States
In a recent interview on Jersey Thing with Eric Scott, NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Christopher Emigholz said New Jersey’s disappointing ranking
Digital Science Launches Dimensions Citation Check API for Self-Citation Risk Screening
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2026) - Digital Science, a leading technology company serving stakeholders across the research...
Scientists Can Now Measure Climate Change’s Role in Coastal Flooding
This article was originally published on The Science Diplomat. For decades, scientists have warned that rising seas would increase the risk of coastal flooding. What has been harder to determine [...]
El Niño Is Here And Scientists Say This One Could Become A “Godzilla” Event
The Pacific warning has become an active global climate event.
Trump administration's assault on climate science and ocean research
Scientists are sounding the alarm after the Trump administration said it plans to dismantle a deep-sea observation system that provides critical data on ocean health.
The End of Climate Politics
As the West debated a green energy future, Beijing was building it.
Your Company Formations Releases Analysis on the Impact of AI on New UK Business Formation
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 15, 2026) - Your Company Formations, a UK company formation specialist, has released new...
Beneath our feet lies a fungal superhighway stretching 68 quadrillion miles
Beneath our feet lies a vast hidden fungal superhighway that helps sustain much of life on Earth—and scientists have now mapped it for the first time. Researchers estimate that these underground networks stretch an astonishing 110 quadrillion kilometers, move about 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide into soils each year, and play a major role in supporting plants and regulating the climate.
World Cup 2026: How Scientists Helped Engineer The Perfect Soccer Field
Ahead of the largest World Cup in history, researchers spent years testing grasses and stadium conditions to create consistent playing surfaces across climate zones.
From Pakistan to Indiana: climate change and patient health
Climate change and patient health share one warming planet. A Pakistani Hoosier student links Pakistan's floods to climate change health equity in Indiana.
Scientists Horrified as Huge Heatwave Hits Antarctica
Record-breaking temperatures are hitting Antarctica, which is extremely bad news for the planet's delicate climate.
As El Niño develops, climate scientists are losing the tools to study it
Post readers on El Niño, ACA enrollment fraud, a rail merger and more.
As Global Warming Threatens Corals Worldwide, Woods Hole Scientists Search for ‘Super Reefs’ That Can Take the Heat
If protected, researchers say these coral strongholds may help repopulate more degraded reefs across the Central Pacific.
ONE BRAND, ONE CITY, ONE CONTINENT: LIMA 2027 UNVEILS ITS OFFICIAL BRAND
Under the slogan “Together We Shine Brighter,” the journey begins toward the […]
Judge blocks Trump national parks order, calling it ‘censorship’
A federal court barred the Trump administration from continuing to remove information about civil rights, climate change and other topics from national parks, directing the government to restore what it changed within the coming weeks.
Trump admin must restore displays at national parks by July 4, judge rules
Federal judge orders exhibits and signs on topics like slavery and climate change that were removed be put back at parks and monuments by July 4th.
Trump administration must re-install exhibits on slavery, climate change and other topics at national parks, judge rules
President Donald Trump last year directed the Interior Department to make changes to parks, monuments and memorials to address any “false revision of history.”
Trump administration must restore history, science materials at parks, US judge rules
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to reinstall exhibits and signs touching on topics like slavery and climate change that it had removed from parks and monuments nationwide.
Trump administration must restore history, science materials at parks, US judge rules
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to reinstall exhibits and signs touching on topics like slavery and climate change that it had removed from parks and monuments nationwide "that do not align with its preferred narrative."
Prolific food and business reporter Katie Taranto leaving ARLnow after two years
After two years of connecting with local businesses, exploring Arlington's wide-ranging food scene and satisfying residents' questions and curiosity, reporter Katie Taranto is leaving ARLnow. Taranto, who is departing to cover federal climate policy at the trade publication Inside EPA, wrote prolifically about the arrival and departure of countless restaurants and retailers in Arlington, while
Have politics finally come for the National Academies of Science?
A pending report on climate attribution may be setting the stage for conflict.
Energy Secretary Takes Heat in First House Science Hearing
Democrats used the opportunity to challenge the department’s decision-making on a host of science topics, including Genesis, clean-energy projects, and last year’s Climate Working Group report.
Climate researchers navigate ‘coordinated assault’ on attribution science
Scientists at a climate law conference said they will continue to study how corporate pollution leads to stronger heat waves, hurricanes and other
New Jersey ranks last in regional business climate report for 8th straight year, while Pennsylvania scores best
The analysis looked at six factors, including a range of taxes and the minimum wage in seven northeastern and mid-Atlantic states.
Combining the general and the specific for urban science and policy
As the world's population becomes more and more urban, cities are emerging as key components of the Anthropocene—both as major contributors to climate change and as potential trendsetters for innovation ...
White House polices hitting small business contractors hard, Senator says
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the small business committee, found more than 6,500 small firms have left the federal market in the last 15 months.
El Nino is here. It'll be big, bad and costly, scientists fear
El Nino, Nature's chaotic climate agent, has formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to historic strength, meteorologists announced Thursday.
To fight child hunger, coordinate food, health and climate policy
A new Cornell-led report shows protecting nutrition now depends on integrating food and health systems as climate shocks strain both at once.
Scientists warn of record heat, threats to climate monitoring
Planetary heating is intensifying and key climate indicators are deteriorating, top scientists said Thursday, warning
Feds will abruptly dismantle system monitoring climate change, oceans
Critics say the move to retire the $360 million system doesn't make sense. The National Science Foundation cites new scientific priorities.
New Jersey business climate still worst in region, according to NJBIA analysis
NJBIA’s 2026 Regional Business Climate Analysis shows N.J. continues to rank last in the region in cost competitiveness and business taxes.
Inside the war to sideline stronger climate science, before it’s used in court
An emerging field of research that can measure how much climate change has worsened individual disasters is under attack by friends of the fossil fuel industry. Billions of dollars are at stake.
Statement - Europe lost 200 000 people to heat in 4 years yet nearly all of them were preventable
Good morning. The impacts of climate change are a clear and present danger, and its most immediate and lethal manifestation is extreme heat. Heatwaves are no longer freak weather anomalies. They are now a recurring crisis inflicting suffering, claiming lives and fracturing our health systems and infrastructure.
WHO urges targeted action to strengthen emergency workforce capacities for shared health risks across the Asia-Pacific region
At a time when the world is more interconnected than ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is disseminating a comprehensive regional analysis of shared health risks across Asia and the Pacific, urging Member States to invest in enhancing workforce capacities regionwide to mitigate these risks and ensure health systems are better prepared to anticipate, tackle and withstand a range of crises and shocks. Over 100 delegates from 49 countries and areas in the Asia-Pacific region reviewed results from the regional risk analysis during the WHO-led Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APHSAF) Stakeholders Meeting in Malaysia. Synthesizing insights from 21 strategic risk assessments and more than 800 multisectoral experts, the regional analysis highlighted an urgent imperative: countries must proactively invest in emergency workforce preparedness to navigate a landscape where climate hazards, disease outbreaks and geophysical events increasingly overlap. These complex converging crises create devastating, compounding impacts on health systems and communities – reiterating the need for investing in a fit-for-purpose regional health workforce and multisectoral action.Key findings: an evolving risk landscape More than half of the participating countries ranked flooding, cyclones, dengue and pandemic-potential respiratory pathogens as being of high or very high risk, while antimicrobial resistance, landslides and gastroenteritis remain widespread concerns as well. “Given that 51% – over half – of these assessed hazards are deeply interconnected, isolated health interventions are no longer sufficient,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “Extreme weather events like cyclones and floods directly trigger subsequent disease outbreaks, while environmental degradation – driven by sea-level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion – fuels health risks across the Pacific. Mitigating these cascading risks requires unified, cross-sectoral action linking environmental, agricultural and public health policies to build true regional resilience.” Priority recommendations for action To address critical vulnerabilities, WHO calls on Member States in the Asia-Pacific region to urgently prioritize the following strategic actions: Bridge workforce capacity gaps. Embed and standardize emergency preparedness within academia to promote regional workforce interoperability. Foster multisectoral coordination. Address ad-hoc taskforce responses and fragmented surge support through formalized contingency plans and standard operating procedures that are frequently updated and tested. Secure sustainable financing for emergencies. Overcome systemic barriers to access dedicated funding for both immediate anticipatory actions and long-term emergency preparedness initiatives. Enable emergency-ready primary health care. Embed emergency management into public health workforce readiness planning. Ensure that emergency planning is inclusive. Establish clear pathways for inclusive emergency planning that actively involves communities most at risk and other vulnerable groups. Optimize communication. Update risk communication and community engagement strategies, aligning them with seasonal risk calendars. Elevating workforce readiness to meet regional health risks While the gaps identified are significant, the Asia-Pacific region possesses solid foundational pillars, including dedicated clinicians, laboratory staff, rapid response teams, emergency medical teams and extensive community networks. However, to adequately address the compounding nature of modern crises, the various components of the emergency workforce must collaborate cohesively. True resilience depends entirely on transforming this currently fragmented workforce into a highly trained, interconnected and rapidly deployable asset. To achieve this, WHO is actively advancing regional workforce capacities through the Global Health Emergency Corps initiative. This initiative – supported by the Gates Foundation and the Institute of Philanthropy – seeks to build a seamless network of emergency workforce across borders and sectors, ensuring that when a crisis strikes, a standardized, well-coordinated and trained workforce is immediately ready to respond. “Scaling up emergency workforce readiness is no longer optional,” said Dr Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for WHO in the Western Pacific. “It is the definitive factor that will determine how effectively the Asia-Pacific region safeguards health and protects lives in an increasingly unpredictable future.” ____________________For more information, or to arrange media interviews, contact: Ara Johannes, WHO Western Pacific Health Emergencies Division: johannesa@who.int WHO Western Pacific Communications: wprocom@who.int
An Opportunity to Strengthen Key Health Measures in National Climate Plans
The majority of national climate adaptation plans fail to fully integrate health needs or engage populations most at risk from climate change, found an international team of investigators led by Weill Cornell Medicine.
Science on Screen event explores severe weather events and climate change
The Georgia Southern Museum concluded its Science on Screen series last week with an event focused on severe weather, climate change, and disaster preparedness.
Strengthening key health measures in national climate plans
The majority of national climate adaptation plans fail to fully integrate health needs or engage populations most at risk from climate change, according to a new study.
Mysterious 'cold blob' in the Atlantic is a sign of the Gulf Stream weakening — and that's bad news for the US East Coast
The Atlantic's enigmatic "cold blob" has once again been linked to a weakening of key ocean currents and a devastating climate tipping point.
When is rare good news on climate science actually bad? When News Corp misrepresents it
The worst-case scenario for a high-emissions scenario has been revised downward – but the best-case option is now implausible
Discover this week's must-read health stories
Top health news: WHO declares Ebola emergency in DRC and Uganda; AMR rising as climate changes, study finds; Europe’s aid cuts under scrutiny, and more.
Trump EPA move sparks fears over kids’ health
An advocate warns that rolling back a key climate finding could expose children – especially in Black and Brown communities – to more dangerous air pollution.
NYC ignores science to wreck precious parks in the name of climate doom
Even the UN now admits its extreme climate scenarios are wrong — but that won't stop the scandalous destruction of Manhattan's precious waterfront parks.
NJBIA’s 2026 Regional Business Climate Analysis Shows NJ Still Worst in Region
NJBIA’s 2026 Regional Business Climate Analysis, released today, shows New Jersey continues to rank last in the region in cost competitiveness and business taxes for an eighth consecutive year. The analysis, found here, shows New Jersey remains a regional outlier with the top corporate tax rate (11.5%) and highest property tax paid as a percentage of personal income (4.38%). Additionally, New Jersey[...]
Seattle slips in ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign investment, fueling concerns about business climate
The fourth annual list compiled by British newspaper Financial Times and stock market index Nikkei ranks Seattle 13th among 95 U.S. cities — a drop of 11 places from last year's second-place position.
Politics and the pitch
UD political science professor combines academics and hobby as a soccer referee
Robert Charles details Maine's political climate and need for change
Robert Charles, Maine gubernatorial candidate, discusses his strong polling lead despite being outspent. He highlights Mainers' frustration with 'woke' schools, high taxes, crime and insiders, emphasizing a grassroots movement for 'massive change.'
Alaskans Reel From the Loss of National Science Foundation Ocean-Monitoring Instruments
In the nation’s fastest-warming state with a multi-billion-dollar fishing industry and storm-threatened coastal communities, scientists say the federal government’s decommission of a deepwater sensor system is ill-timed and wrong-headed.
Dr. Jessica A. Johnson: How race, politics and sports intersect
Toward the end of the spring semester, I sent a final email to students in my Sports Icons class at Ohio State University’s Lima campus regarding the NAACP’s proposed boycott urging Black football players to avoid attending Power 4 conference schools in Southern states that have redrawn their congressional and local legislative districts. I explained […]
Race, politics, sports intersect
Toward the end of the spring semester, I sent a final email to students in my Sports Icons class at Ohio State University’s Lima campus regarding the NAACP’s proposed boycott urging Black football players to avoid attending Power 4 conference schools in Southern states that have redrawn their congressional and local legislative districts. I explained […]
How ‘Undone Science’ Shaped Chile’s Glacier Protection Battle
A new study examines how
ORNL scientist: How AI helps scientists predict Earth's future
Oak Ridge scientist Forrest Hoffman explains how AI and supercomputers help predict Earth's complex climate systems.
The weather and climate science AI revolution isn’t revolutionary
Machine learning has its limits—how is it being used?
Why are so many Democrats going quiet on climate change?
The conventional wisdom says it's a losing issue. Evidence suggests it actually helps Democrats win elections.
Scientists sound alarm on World Oceans Day as Trump axes deep-sea monitoring
The United States has removed hundreds of deep-sea instruments used to monitor the impact of climate change on marine environments, alarming scientists as the United Nations marks World Oceans Day.
Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts
A portion of one of the most ambitious ocean monitoring networks ever built will go dark this month when scientists board a research vessel and motor off the Oregon coast to pull a research buoy from deep out of the Pacific. The buoy 80 meters below the water's surface will…
WHO urges targeted action to strengthen emergency workforce capacities for shared health risks across the Asia-Pacific region
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11 June 2026 – At a time when the world is more interconnected than ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is disseminating a comprehensive regional analysis of shared health risks across Asia and the Pacific, urging Member States to invest in enhancing workforce capacities regionwide to mitigate these risks and ensure health systems are better prepared to anticipate, tackle and withstand a range of crises and shocks. Over 100 delegates from 49 countries and areas in the Asia-Pacific region reviewed results from the regional risk analysis during the WHO-led Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APSHAF) Stakeholders Meeting in Malaysia. Synthesizing insights from 21 strategic risk assessments and more than 800 multisectoral experts, the regional analysis highlighted an urgent imperative: countries must proactively invest in emergency workforce preparedness to navigate a landscape where climate hazards, disease outbreaks and geophysical events increasingly overlap. These complex converging crises create devastating, compounding impacts on health systems and communities - reiterating the need for investing in a fit-for-purpose regional health workforce and multisectoral action. Key findings: an evolving risk landscape More than half of the participating countries ranked flooding, cyclones, dengue and pandemic-potential respiratory pathogens as being of high or very high risk, while antimicrobial resistance, landslides and gastroenteritis remain widespread concerns as well. “Given that 51% - over half - of these assessed hazards are deeply interconnected, isolated health interventions are no longer sufficient,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “Extreme weather events like cyclones and floods directly trigger subsequent disease outbreaks, while environmental degradation - driven by sea-level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion - fuels health risks across the Pacific. Mitigating these cascading risks requires unified, cross-sectoral action linking environmental, agricultural and public health policies to build true regional resilience.” Priority recommendations for action To address critical vulnerabilities, WHO calls on Member States in the Asia-Pacific region to urgently prioritize the following strategic actions: Bridge workforce capacity gaps. Embed and standardize emergency preparedness within academia to promote regional workforce interoperability. Foster multisectoral coordination. Address ad-hoc taskforce responses and fragmented surge support through formalized contingency plans and standard operating procedures that are frequently updated and tested. Secure sustainable financing for emergencies. Overcome systemic barriers to access dedicated funding for both immediate anticipatory actions and long-term emergency preparedness initiatives. Enable emergency-ready primary health care. Embed emergency management into public health workforce readiness planning. Ensure that emergency planning is inclusive. Establish clear pathways for inclusive emergency planning that actively involves communities most at risk and other vulnerable groups. Optimize communication. Update risk communication and community engagement strategies, aligning them with seasonal risk calendars. Elevating workforce readiness to meet regional health risks While the gaps identified are significant, the Asia-Pacific region possesses solid foundational pillars, including dedicated clinicians, laboratory staff, rapid response teams, emergency medical teams and extensive community networks. However, to adequately address the compounding nature of modern crises, the various components of the emergency workforce must collaborate cohesively. True resilience depends entirely on transforming this currently fragmented workforce into a highly trained, interconnected and rapidly deployable asset. To achieve this, WHO is actively advancing regional workforce capacities through the Global Health Emergency Corps initiative. This initiative - supported by the Gates Foundation and Institute of Philanthropy - seeks to build a seamless network of emergency workforce across borders and sectors, ensuring that when a crisis strikes, a standardized, well-coordinated and trained workforce is immediately ready to respond. “Scaling up emergency workforce readiness is no longer optional,” said Dr Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for WHO in the Western Pacific. “It is the definitive factor that will determine how effectively the Asia-Pacific region safeguards health and protects lives in an increasingly unpredictable future.” For more information, or to arrange media interviews, contact: Ara Johannes, WHO Western Pacific Health Emergencies Division: johannesa@who.int WHO Western Pacific Communications: wprocom@who.int
Science 2, Trump 1 as U.S. Courts Rule on Climate Cutbacks
Two major research institutions got a new lease on life but more than 900 deep-ocean monitoring units are being removed as Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle climate science made their way through the U.S. Congress and court system.
Spencer Pratt's Race for Mayor Shows How Climate Disasters Can Fuel Anti-Establishment Politics
Research has long shown that poorly managed disasters foment distrust in institutions.
How prediction markets could forecast the future of science
Online prediction markets are taking bets on everything from climate change to quantum computing. But researchers question their accuracy
Scientists sound the alarm as dangerous amoebas spread globally
Scientists warn that free-living amoebae may be an underappreciated public health threat, capable of causing deadly infections and shielding other dangerous microbes from water treatment. Climate change and aging infrastructure could help these resilient organisms spread more widely in the years ahead.
One Health in a Fractured World: Why Global Health Governance Must Adapt to Geopolitical Fragmentation - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Introduction In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the weaknesses of global health systems to infectious diseases. However, less recognized was how the emergence of this novel virus highlighted the global changes converging to heighten outbreak risks: increased human-animal contact and agricultural intensification, accelerated population growth and urbanization, and changing weather and climatic patterns. These […]
LGBTQ+ business climate declines for fourth straight year
A new business climate index found lower-ranked states falling further behind while top-performing states continue strengthening LGBTQ+ protections.
How climate services for health protects lives and economies
Climate-smart investments and smart tools will become increasingly vital to keep health systems running as extreme weather events become more frequent.
Alaska Science Forum: Research team seeks answers from a changing river
A shifting climate is bringing big, sudden changes to the Kuskokwim River and the people who rely on it
In the Smoky Mountains, a volunteer effort aims to document every species
For citizen scientists, counting thousands of species is one way to monitor climate change in America's most biodiverse national park.
Invisible Geniuses, Visible Challenges: Science Communication in the Age of Attention
While social media has put celebrities and influencers at the centre of public attention, the scientists shaping society’s future often remain on the sidelines. This visibility gap not only affects how science is perceived but also shapes how we understand and respond to the most pressing challenges of our time, including climate change.
Can AI Be Safe, Accurate, and Beneficial in Science?
A preview of the “AI Ethics & Policy in the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise” session at the 2026 AMS Washington Forum/
Rutgers Researchers Expand Global Climate and Forest Science Collaboration in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula
When people think of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, images of turquoise waters, white-sand beaches, pristine jungles and ancient Mayan cities often come to mind. Yet beyond these iconic landscapes lies a region where tropical forests, agricultural lands and local communities are navigating the complex realities of environmental change. A Rutgers-led international research collaboration is helping to […]
White House Plan to Vet Grants Puts Climate Science in Jeopardy
The Trump administration’s proposal to tighten political control over federal grants would hinder research, experts say.
Scientists will lose critical climate record as ocean observatory goes dark under Trump funding cuts
The National Science Foundation announced it would dismantle most of the ocean monitoring system, pulling instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027.
Countries unite at WHA79 to advance refugee and migrant health through stronger national systems
At a high-level event held on the margins of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79), countries and partners reaffirmed the urgent need to strengthen refugee and migrant health through inclusive national health systems and shared practical experiences for turning global commitments into action.
Scientists warn Oregon could lose critical ocean data under federal cuts
A federal decision to dismantle ocean monitoring systems off Oregon's coast could impact forecasting, fisheries, and climate science.
Scientists warn Oregon could lose critical ocean data under federal cuts
A federal decision to dismantle ocean monitoring systems off Oregon's coast could impact forecasting, fisheries, and climate science.
Why climate scientists have dropped a worst-case scenario
International scientists decided it is no longer useful to study the most extreme model of runaway global warming. So why are some people upset?
Sharks As Climate Scientists?Here’s How They Improve Ocean Forecasts.
A new study shows that data from tagged sharks can improve ocean forecasts by up to 40 percent in some regions, offering a surprising new tool for understanding and predicting climate patterns.
Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts
An expert said it’s a crippling loss of information.
Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra lead California governor primary vote count
Another Democrat, billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, is in third place as the tally continues.
Sustainability In Your Ear: IFT’s Brendan Niemira on Why Food Science Is Climate Science
Kelp-powered planes, super El Niño and the science of sunburn
In this news roundup: climate crisis fuels hantavirus spread, extreme heat kills 3,400 Indians per day and countries endorse ICJ opinion
Scientists lose critical climate monitoring in oceans along nation’s coastlines in wake of Trump funding cuts
In what a scientist called "a crippling loss of information," the Trump administration is dismantling a vital $386 million network of ocean sensors, including Oregon and Washington's coast.
Scientists' ocean observatory off Oregon, Washington will go dark under Trump funding cuts
Funded by the foundation, the observatories have tracked everything from ocean circulation and marine ecosystems to climate change and extreme weather.
New discovery upends an 80-year-old theory of turbulence
Researchers discovered a way to reverse the direction of energy flow in turbulence, challenging a theory that has stood for more than 80 years. The finding could open new possibilities for controlling ocean currents, improving medical technologies, and enhancing climate forecasting.
Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts
The Trump administration is dismantling a $386 million network of more than 900 ocean sensors funded by the National Science Foundation.
Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts
NJBIA: Samsung’s Exit Underscores NJ’s Challenging Business Climate
Samsung’s decision to relocate its U.S. corporate headquarters in Englewood Cliffs to Texas by the end of the year underscores New Jersey’s difficult tax
New book offers tips to translate climate science into political gains
At a time when climate politics in the United States and globally remain deeply polarized, Will Hackman, a climate advocate and political operative, argues that the climate movement needs a new language — one rooted less in doom, guilt and abstract planetary crisis, and more in people’s everyday lives, health, safety, costs and communities. In […]
New book offers tips to translate climate science into political gains
At a time when climate politics in the United States and globally remain deeply polarized, Will Hackman, a climate advocate and political operative, argues that the climate movement needs a new language — one rooted less in doom, guilt and abstract planetary crisis, and more in people’s everyday lives, health, safety, costs and communities. In […]
How Science Works
The 2nd Weather and Climate Livestream is now underway. It is organized by a group of early-career researchers concerned about declining funding for the field and eager to demonstrate how weather and climate research makes a difference in our lives. Last year’s event was a great success, drawing terrific press coverage including a piece in the NY Times. This year features a strong lineup of talks aimed at a general audience — I highly recommend tuning in. Share I gave a talk yesterday about How Science Works in Three Steps. You can see the short presentation here (I’ve appended a transcript below): And please tune into the livestream here. It runs through tomorrow at 6 pm ET. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe Cleaned up transcript: Thank you, and thanks to everyone tuning in. I want to talk about something I think a lot of people don’t really understand: how science actually works. Arguments over any scientific topic — climate change, vaccines, you name it — revolve around competing claims. For climate change, the claims are: Is the Earth warming? Are humans to blame? What will the impacts be? Over the last 150 years, the scientific community has developed a remarkably robust method for sorting out which claims are true and which aren’t. That method is what I want to walk through. So how does science generate knowledge? If you ask a high schooler, they’ll give you the version they learned in ninth grade: an individual scientist forms a hypothesis, runs an experiment, and draws a conclusion. That’s more or less what happens at the individual level, though in practice it’s more iterative — you design, test, and refine all at once, landing on a slightly different idea each time until you reach a conclusion about whatever hypothesis you’ve ended up with. But this isn’t science. It’s only step one. Any individual scientist can make mistakes — scientists are human. Maybe there’s a bug in the code, maybe there’s an error in the experiment. Just because someone ran an experiment and reached a conclusion doesn’t mean it’s right, and scientists don’t treat a single result as settled truth. Step two is peer review, the first layer of quality control. The scientist writes up what they did and submits it to a journal, which sends the paper to other experts in the field. Those experts judge whether the methods are sound, whether it properly references prior work, and whether the conclusions actually follow from the data. Ask any scientist and they’ll tell you peer review is miserable — the comments come back brutal, often harsh, and you have to revise and resubmit, sometimes multiple times, before an editor finally accepts the paper. Peer review catches an immense amount of bad science, but it can’t catch all of it. Reviewers get sloppy or overworked, they miss obvious mistakes, and they can’t catch hidden errors — a bug in the code, a misread instrument. So a peer-reviewed paper making it into a journal doesn’t mean the paper is right. Nobody treats a single paper as the final word. That’s where step three comes in: the crucible of science. Important results get retested by the broader community. If you publish something interesting, it gets dissected. Sometimes people try to reproduce your work directly but more often they test its implications. If someone claims X is true, and that implies that Y is also true, then scientists will go check Y. If a claim survives this gauntlet long enough, it becomes accepted. That’s how we generate knowledge. Let me give an example: the ozone hole. In 1985 — and I doubt many people watching were around then, but I remember it well — Joe Farman and his colleagues published observations from Antarctica showing that a huge chunk of ozone was disappearing every year. This was shocking because most atmospheric chemists had expected ozone loss to occur at mid-latitudes and high altitudes, not over the South Pole. When scientists see something they don’t understand, they rush to explain it, and several competing hypotheses quickly appeared in the peer-reviewed literature. One pointed to chlorine chemistry from chlorofluorocarbons. A second blamed nitrogen chemistry, possibly driven by solar proton events — meaning the sun was responsible. A third argued it wasn’t chemistry at all but dynamics: winds were carrying naturally low-ozone air from the lower atmosphere up into the stratosphere. Then the community went to work testing which theory could survive the crucible. Aircraft flew into the ozone hole and found no nitrogen, ruling out the nitrogen theory. Measurements showed the air in the polar vortex was descending, not rising — which would bring high-ozone air down, eliminating the dynamics theory. Meanwhile, those same flights measured enormous amounts of chlorine, strongly correlated with exactly the regions where ozone was being destroyed. That became known as the “smoking gun” paper, and it established that chlorine chemistry was the cause. Through this process, a consensus emerged. And it’s worth being clear that this consensus is organic. There’s no vote, no poll, no meeting where it gets decided. Scientists go to conferences, talk to one another, and independently arrived at the same answer. It’s the ultimate free market of ideas. After the consensus was established, the peer-reviewed literature doesn’t even mention the rival theories — it simply takes chlorine chemistry as given. That’s what a consensus looks like. It doesn’t mean every single scientist agrees, but it does mean there’s no longer any legitimate debate. So where can you see what scientists actually think? It’s all in the peer-reviewed literature, which contains the entire historical record of the argument: the discovery, the competing theories, the debate, the testing, and finally the community coalescing around one answer. But there’s a lot of room for misrepresentation. You can dig up an old paper claiming the ozone hole was caused by dynamics and wave it around as if there still was a debate about the cause of the ozone hole — without mentioning that the idea was disproven long ago and that even its own authors no longer believe it. There’s a bigger problem, though: the peer-reviewed literature is written in a language I call “nerd.” It’s extremely hard to read — honestly, some of it is hard for me to follow. It takes graduate students years to work through the literature in a single field, so we can’t expect policymakers or ordinary people to do it. This is where scientific assessments come in. The most famous is the IPCC — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The job of an assessment is to read and summarize the peer-reviewed literature, synthesizing what’s settled, what’s been disproven, and what remains genuinely debated. To ensure the assessments accurately summarize the peer-reviewed literature, assessments are written by large teams, which are far less prone to bias than individuals and which dilute the influence of any one scientist with an axe to grind. The teams are deliberately assembled to avoid stacking the deck, and the reports themselves go through multiple rounds of peer review. That rigorous process is exactly why you can trust them and why people consider the IPCC to be the gold standard of what we know about the climate system. An assessment produced through a different process may well not be credible. You can even watch the consensus evolve across assessments. Take the attribution of warming. The 1990 IPCC report said the observed warming was broadly consistent with model predictions but also comparable to natural variability — in other words, we don’t know whether humans are responsible. By 1995, it concluded that the balance of evidence suggested a discernible human influence — a sentence only a committee could write, and one that barely commits to anything. By 2001, most of the warming over the previous 50 years was judged “likely” due to greenhouse gases; by 2007, “very likely”; by 2013, “extremely likely.” The 2023 report says essentially the same as 2013 — there’s not much stronger language available. So, to wrap up: science is our ultimate tool for deciphering the universe — the most successful method we’ve ever developed for determining what’s true and what isn’t. Our understanding is written into the peer-reviewed literature, so if you want to know what scientists think, that’s where to look. And for those of us who don’t speak nerd, scientific assessments are the Rosetta Stone — they translate nerd into English. Let me open the floor to questions. Thank you.
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