⚠️ United Nations Global Risk Report

🏜️ Earth’s Growing Thirst is Worsening Droughts

A new study from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford shows that atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) needs to be taken into consideration in drought monitoring rather than relying on precipitation alone. AED acts like an invisible sponge, soaking up moisture faster than it can be replaced, which can increase water stress on plants, soil, and rivers. As the planet warms, the AED rises, which results in more severe drought events, even in wet regions. The rise in AED has made droughts 40% more severe across the globe in the past 40 years. The research suggests that scientists will need to further study how farmers, cities, and ecosystems can adapt to a world where the atmosphere constantly demands more moisture. Developing targeted socio-economic and environmental adaptation strategies and improving early warning and risk management systems will be key for agriculture, water resource, energy, and public health industries.

University of Oxford

⚠️ United Nations Global Risk Report

The United Nations issued its first-ever Global Risk Report that is based on survey responses from more than 1100 stakeholders across 136 countries. The survey considered the respondents’ perspectives on the importance of 28 risks across societal, technological, economic, environmental, and political categories. Five of the top eight most important global risks are climate change-related. Climate change inaction was deemed the most important global risk in 2024, with large-scale pollution ranking second. Natural hazard risks was fourth on the list and biodiversity decline was sixth. Natural resource shortages was found to be the eighth most important global risk in the survey. All of these risks were seen as both highly likely and severe, highlighting their potential for catastrophic long-term impacts on ecosystems, economies, and societies.

United Nations Global Risk Report 2024

📝 EPA to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change

The Trump administration is drafting plans to repeal a fundamental scientific finding that gives the United States government its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. The proposed EPA rule would rescind a 2009 declaration that scientifically established that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane endanger human lives. If the repeal is approved, it would not only erase all current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars, factories, power plants, and other sources, but it would also prevent future administrations from trying to tackle climate change. The EPA intends to argue that imposing climate regulations on automakers poses the real harm to human health because it would lead to higher prices and reduced consumer choice.

Lisa Friedman, The New York Times