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Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup This week we share news about improving resilience in the Everglades, how trash management can reduce emissions, the role of climate change in this week’s southern snowstorms, and more!

Species like the Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbill serve as indicators for the health of America’s Everglades. Photo: John Studwell/Audubon Photography Awards

Biden Administration Plans to Spend More than $1 Billion on Everglades Restoration From the Miami Herald “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday unveiled its plan for spending $17.1 billion in supplemental funding it received through the new infrastructure law for the 2022 fiscal year, which lasts through September. The funds for the Everglades restoration aim to increase the ecosystem’s resilience against climate change by storing surface water runoff and minimizing seepage losses during dry periods, according to the White House.” Read the entire article.

The US Inches Toward Building EV Batteries at Home From Wired.com “The history of battery science is filled with short circuits, explosions—and, occasionally, tales of redemption. One of these is the story of the lithium-iron-phosphate battery… There are signs that the battery industry is heeding its own warning. Last month, GM and Posco Chemicals, a Korean cathode materials company, announced plans for a US factory to produce cathode materials.” Read the entire article.

Circular Trash Management is a Powerful But Overlooked Climate Solution From Anthropocene Magazine  “A new study suggests that by 2050 the world could largely eliminate an entire source of air pollution, which currently contributes 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually – just by changing how we throw things away. The amount of garbage produced is growing every year as the global population increases and gets wealthier. Global generation of garbage could nearly double between 2015 and 2050… Trash causes multiple environmental impacts including air pollution, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. But waste management is often overlooked in discussions about climate change.” Read the entire article.

Climate Change Made the Past 7 Years the Warmest on Record From New Scientist “The past seven years were the warmest on record as climate change continued apace, despite the cooling effect of the La Niña weather pattern in 2021, the United Nations has found. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) analysed the six main global temperature data sets, which revealed that last year was the seventh hottest to date, at 1.11°C above pre-industrial levels.” Read the entire article.

The Surprisingly Low Price Tag on Preventing Climate Disaster From Time Magazine “According to the International Energy Agency, achieving a net-zero carbon economy would require us to spend just 2% of annual global GDP over what we already do on our energy system. In a recent poll of climate economists conducted by Reuters, most agreed that getting to net zero would cost only 2% to 3% of annual global GDP. Other estimates put the cost of decarbonizing the economy a bit lower or a bit higher, but they are all in the low single digits of annual global GDP.” Read the entire article.

Southern Snowstorm Likely Worsened by Climate Change, Scientists Say From Yahoo News “The snowstorm that battered the South this weekend, leaving thousands without power, was likely exacerbated by climate change, according to leading climate scientists. It’s a counterintuitive suggestion, because greenhouse gases are trapping heat and causing higher average temperatures. Sometimes winter weather is milder as a result. But in North America, especially the East Coast and the South, colder winds are blowing in with greater frequency because of how Arctic warming is distorting two phenomena: the jet stream, a band of air flowing west to east, and the polar vortex, a wintertime area of cold air near the North Pole.” Read the entire article.

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