Sustainable Action Now

Climate

Judge hammers EPA over lack of proof of wrongdoing in terminating $20B in climate grants

In a significant development surrounding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has criticized the agency’s handling of its decision to cancel $20 billion in climate grants. The case stems from actions taken by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who, citing concerns over program integrity, froze and later terminated the grants issued […]

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The Urgency of Climate Action: Understanding the Path Ahead

The Urgency of Climate Action: Understanding the Path Ahead Climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges of our time, affecting ecosystems, economies, and communities worldwide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided extensive research on the consequences of rising greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing the need for immediate action. This

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Advancing predictions of the Atlantic Niño and its oceanic drivers

[ad_1] The Atlantic Niño, a key climate pattern in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the counterpart to the well-known El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, influences rainfall, hurricanes, and other climate and weather worldwide. Scientists recently identified two distinct variations of the Atlantic Niño phenomenon that arise under different conditions, but those mechanisms have been

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New report on drought and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program in Arizona

[ad_1] The Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), a NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) team, releases a new report on livestock producers’ experience with the Livestock Forage Disaster Plan (LFP). LFP is one of three disaster assistance programs for livestock producers impacted by climate hazards administered through the Farm Service Agency. The LFP program provides

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Increasing wildfire area burned amid a fire deficit in North American forests

[ad_1] Although wildfires have burned increasing land area in recent decades, a new Nature Communications study found a persistent fire deficit in many North American forest ecosystems. This means that forests today experience fewer fires than they did historically due to decades of fire suppression, land use changes, and the disruption of traditional burning practices.

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New article on use of weather and climate products in wildland fire decision-making in the US Southwest

[ad_1] In the Southwest, wildfires are a persistent threat. Credit: Southwest Wildfire Science Consortium The Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), a NOAA Climate Program Office Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) team, recently published an article titled, “How Are Weather and Climate Products and Decision Support Systems Used in Wildland Fire Decision-Making in the U.S. Southwest?”

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Co-producing new knowledge systems for resilient and just coastal cities

[ad_1] Asset mapping in Santurce (San Juan), Puerto Rico. Credit: Feagan et al. 2025 The Climate Program Office’s Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) and Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) programs provided support for a new paper titled “Co-producing new knowledge systems for resilient and just coastal cities: A social-ecological-technological systems framework for data visualization.” This paper discusses how

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Scientists at AOML measure ocean’s crucial buffering against rising global carbon emissions

[ad_1] The ocean is a crucial player in the global carbon cycle. Credit: NOAA Every year, scientists at AOML participate in the international effort led by the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute in developing the annual Global Carbon Budget Report, an assessment of global carbon emissions and the progress towards achieving the climate goals

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Scientists find cloud feedbacks amplify warming more than previously thought

[ad_1] Clouds likely amplify warming, a new study has found. Credit: NASA Clouds play an important role in how much the Earth warms when greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide increase. However, scientists have struggled to determine whether low-level clouds in the tropics slow down or speed up global warming, creating uncertainty in climate predictions. A

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Improving drought predictions by tackling challenges in simulating snow

[ad_1] Snow is crucial to the water supply in the western United States. Credit: NASA Weather forecasts struggle to predict how much snow will stick around, or how quickly it will melt away. Scientists are addressing this challenge by improving how climate models simulate snow, a crucial step to better predict droughts and water availability

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Researcher deploys cutting-edge technology to assess smoke from the Los Angeles Area Fires

[ad_1] Smoke from the January 2025 Los Angeles fires. Credit: NASA As the Los Angeles area faces severe wildland-urban interface fires, scientists are racing to understand the complex mix of pollutants from burning homes, vehicles, and infrastructure that remains largely unknown. Shantanu Jathar, PhD, a Colorado State University researcher supported by The Climate Program Office’s

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Advancing our understanding of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)

[ad_1] The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation stretches thousands of miles. Credit: NOAA A recent study by scientists at AOML found that extensive weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) occurred in the 2000s, but has paused since the early 2010s due to a tug-of-war between the natural and anthropogenic signals.  The AMOC is the

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Wind stress intensifies seasonal sea level changes along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast

[ad_1] Sea level rise increases the risk of flooding. Credit: NOAA Along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast, sea level naturally follows a seasonal cycle, typically lowest in winter and highest in late summer, driven by the ocean and atmosphere. Coastal communities in this area are experiencing more extreme sea level changes, which are increasing the risk

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Close-up of a protest sign with Earth and 'One World' text, symbolizing climate change awareness.

WWF Film Calls for Action to Avoid our World Going “Up In Smoke”

[ad_1] Continuing their ongoing collaboration, WWF and London-based animation company NOMINT announce the release of “Up in Smoke” at COP28, a film that urgently addresses the global climate crisis driven by fossil fuel emissions and features a reinterpretation of Billie Eilish’s and Finneas’s hit song “When the Party’s Over.” Employing innovative stop-motion animation with real

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