Climate Crisis AM Edition 2/15/24 Climate Denier Roadmap

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A new study published in Nature, titled “The social anatomy of climate change denial in the United States,” analyzed data from Twitter (X). The researchers used “artificial intelligence (AI) and network analysis” to track denialism trends. The conclusion was that 14.8% of Americans do not believe in climate change. These people were concentrated in rural areas, locations with populations that rely on fossil fuels, and in populations that “mistrust” science. The results should come as no surprise. A large number of Americans have rejected climate change as a reality. Some studies show this is even true with some members of Congress.

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Locust outbreaks can be made worse by climate change, according to a piece of research in Science titled “Unveiling the role of climate in spatially synchronized locust outbreak risks.” The study focused on Africa and the Middle East. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Hub was used to examine activity between 1985 and 2020. The “top 10” locust hotspots “are located in Northwest Africa (Morocco and Algeria), East Africa (Sudan and Kenya), the African Transition Zone (Mauritania and Niger), the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and the Indo-Pakistan area (India and Pakistan).” The AP reviewed the data, and a reporter wrote, “The researchers also found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and weather and land conditions like air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and wind.” Each scientist the AP spoke with said climate change was the cause of the locust problem.

Latin American Fires

Nature published a paper titled. “Why is Latin America on fire? It’s not just climate change, scientists say.” The cause of the fires is often because “non-nature” plants are moved into cool and wet areas. “Humans have also provided ample fuel for local wildfires with well-intentioned tree planting.” While many believe this planting action is good for the climate, it worsens fire risk.

The International Committee of the Red Cross published a paper titled “Climate change affects everyone, but not equally.” The paper points out that climate change is particularly difficult for people who face war and food instability. Migration and relocation of large populations also worsen climate change’s effects on these groups. Among the conclusions, “In many places where the ICRC works, climate extremes are compounding the impact of armed conflicts on agricultural production and are increasing food insecurity.”