‘Green News Report’ – February 15, 2024

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Mysterious oil spill triggers national emergency in Trinidad and Tobago; Big changes underway as Greenland warms; Wildfires are reversing hard-won gains against air pollution in the U.S.; PLUS: Climate change has come for your chocolate… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): A collapse of the Amazon could be coming ‘faster than we thought’; Extreme weather is driving food prices higher; Farmers, tribes reach ‘historic’ Klamath River deal; Giant Baytown refinery complex wants to expand amid community backlash; Anxiety builds as deadline for new Biden rules nears; In $100 million Colorado River deal, water and power collide; The plastics industry would like a word with your kids; US gas producers are racing to sell to Asia by going through Mexico… PLUS: The East Coast is sinking. A major culprit: over-pumping of groundwater… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

Oil spill triggers national emergency in Trinidad and Tobago:

Trinidad and Tobago cleans up beaches following 12-kilometer oil spill (Reuters)
Trinidad & Tobago says oil spill from mystery vessel is national emergency (Guardian):
The prime minister, Keith Rowley, said it was not immediately clear how much oil had spilled and how much remained in the largely submerged vessel. Nor was it clear what caused the vessel to overturn.
Tobago oil spill mystery deepens as tug boat vanishes (Trinidad Tobago Newsday):
“This situation should not result in a paradise lost, certainly not for Tobago. But we need those responsible to come clean and we need those responsible to know that they have to pay for this mess, that they are culpable as part of this mess,” [Chief Secretary Farley Augustine] told reporters at the Scarborough lay-by.
VIDEO: Prime Minister Keith Rowley – Oil spill sparks national emergency in Trinidad and Tobago (Reuters/YouTube)

Greenland ice melt threatens to shut down criticial Atlantic ocean current:

Gift link: Why this is one of the planetary shifts scientists are most worried about (Washington Post):
“RenÃ© van Westen watched in alarm…The influx gradually slowed the aquatic conveyor belt that circulated water throughout the ocean basin, until, in the blink of an eye, the entire system shut down. Temperatures in North America and Europe dropped several degrees in a matter of decades. Global weather patterns shifted, depriving Africa and Asia of vital monsoon rains.”
Ocean system that moves heat gets closer to collapse, which could cause weather chaos, study says (AP):
An abrupt shutdown of Atlantic Ocean currents that could put large parts of Europe in a deep freeze is looking a bit more likely and closer than before as a new complex computer simulation finds a “cliff-like” tipping point looming in the future…A collapse of the current – called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC – would change weather worldwide because it means a shutdown of one of key the climate and ocean forces of the planet.
VIDEO: Newest Research: Atlantic Current Shows Signs of Slowing (This Is Not Cool blog)
VIDEO: Bill Nye and Others on Greenland Melt and North Atlantic Current (This Is Not Cool blog)
What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) (NOAA/National Ocean Service)
Physics-based early warning signal shows that AMOC is on tipping course (Science Advances)

Greenland is getting greener:

Climate experts sound alarm over thriving plant life at Greenland ice sheet (Guardian):
Significant areas of Greenland’s melted ice sheet are now producing vegetation, risking increased greenhouse gas emissions, rising sea levels and instability of the landscape…As ice has retreated, the amount of land with vegetation growing on it has increased by 33,774 sq miles, more than twice the area covered when the study began. The findings show a near-quadrupling of wetlands across Greenland, which are a source of methane emissions.
Greenland is getting greener. That could have huge consequences for the world (CNN)
Land cover changes across Greenland dominated by a doubling of vegetation in three decades (Nature)
VIDEO: Bill Nye and Others on Greenland Melt and North Atlantic Current (This Is Not Cool blog)

Climate change has come for your chocolate:

Cocoa prices spiked to an all-time high right before Valentine’s Day (NPR):
“There were massive rains, and then there was a massive dry spell coupled with wind,” says CoBank senior analyst Billy Roberts. “It led to some pretty harsh growing conditions for cocoa,” including pests and disease. Now, cocoa harvests are coming up short for the third year in a row.
Cocoa prices soar to record highs as traders scramble for supplies (Reuters):
Global cocoa prices hit fresh record highs on Thursday as traders continued to scramble for supplies, predicting ever wider deficits this season and with concerns growing for the next.
Cocoa prices are soaring. Will it affect your Valentine’s Day chocolate? (CNN)
Chocolate maker Hershey issues warning over record cocoa prices (Guardian)
VIDEO: Chocolate prices expected to soar as cocoa hits record high (Reuters/YouTube)

Wildfires, climate change reversing hard-won air pollution gains in the U.S.:

Wildfire Smoke Will Worsen, New Study Shows, and Protections Are Few (NY Times):
Climate change is amplifying wildfires, and more smoke means higher risk of heart and lung disease from inhaling tiny particles that can drift far and wide, researchers said.
Climate change is erasing previous gains in air quality â€” fires are mostly to blame (The Verge):
As the planet heats up, pollution is getting harder to stop. A new report and online tool zooms in on rising risks in the US…A hotter planet sets the stage for more wildfire smoke and supercharges the chemical reactions that lead to smog. That means the game is changing when it comes to how to prevent pollution in the future.
Climate change reversing gains in air quality across the U.S.: study (Axios)

Walmart building a national public fast-charging EV network at its stores:

Walmart is rolling out its ‘coast-to-coast’ network of DC fast chargers (Electrek)
Walmart plans an expansion of its electric vehicle charging services (Scripps News Service)

Bill Nye offers hope on climate change through action:

VIDEO: Bill Nye and Others on Greenland Melt and North Atlantic Current (This Is Not Cool blog):
“If you want to do something about, two things I tell everyone to do. Talk about it. And the thing to do about it really is to VOTE. We have people running for president in the world’s most influential country who won’t even talk about climate change, let alone talk about what they’re going to do about it…The sooner we get to work, the better.”

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page