past 10 years the hottest ever recorded, Trump attacks critical federal science agencies, Trump seeks a less healthy, more dangerous and costlier future, Texas becomes a renewable-electricity powerhouse

According to the World Meteorological Association, the past 10 years were the hottest on record. The New York Times reports that this is “the first time since record keeping began that all of the 10 hottest years have fallen within the most recent decade.” 2024 was the hottest year yet, with carbondioxide concentrations in the atmosphere reaching levels unseen in at least two million years, while concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide are now higher than anytime in at least 800,000 years. The article notes: “Homo sapiens, or modern humans, emerged around 300,000 years ago, so our species has never before experienced an atmosphere so laden with planet-warming greenhouse gases.”

As the world heats up, it’s not a surprise that glaciers are disappearing at an accelerating rate. Reuters reports that the last three-year period witnessed the largest glacial mass loss on record. “The accelerated loss has made mountain glaciers one of the largest contributors to sea level rise, putting millions at risk of devastating floods and damaging water routes that billions of people depend on for hydroelectric energy and agriculture.” Meanwhile, The New York Times notes a NASA report indicating that the amount of sea ice on the planet had reached the lowest level ever recorded in March. And, as climate scientists like to point out, “changes in remote polar regions affect the rest of the globe, including changes to ocean currents and weather patterns” (i.e., what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic).

The New York Times summarizes the widespread damage Trump has done to scientific and environmental programs in the federal government. “Much of the damage to the country’s environmental regulatory apparatus may be long-lasting.” The Guardian details the impact of planned cuts to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency.” Among other things, NOAA is the primary resource for emergency managers and the public during extreme weather events and natural disasters, “providing key insights and forecasts relied upon by a vast array of communities and industries, from weather shifts that could impact crop schedules, to emergency response preparation when hurricanes are brewing or fire conditions are aligning. The agency operates warning systems for tsunamis, monitors seafood supply chains and provides ocean data needed for safe shipping and port operators.” Gee, who needs that?

RealClimate describes the value of the National Weather Service (NWS, which is part of NOAA) and how foolish and shortsighted the cuts to NOAA are. An op-ed in Scientific American makes similar points, noting that the attack on NOAA is due to the warped idea from Project 2025 that NOAA is part of “the climate change alarm industry”. Inside Climate News reports that TV meteorologists are speaking out about the danger of cuts to the NWS. The article focuses on James Spann, a well-known TV meteorologist in Alabama with over 1.3 million Facebook followers, plus another 300,000 on Instagram and 565,000 on X. Spann notes that people say they’ll rely on him or their weather app if the NWS is not available. “Where do you think the information on your app comes from? It comes from computer model output that’s run by the National Weather Service.” It’s like saying we don’t need farms because we have grocery stores.

An op-ed in Scientific American by three leading American scientists calls upon the National Academy of Sciences to speak out about the Trump Administration’s destruction of America’s scientific infrastructure. They provide many examples of how American scientific leadership has benefited the country and the world. The authors note that, “without a strong scientific enterprise, the U.S. will finish among the ‘also-rans’ for decades to come.” There’s an op-ed in The Guardian entitled When the physicists need burner phones, that’s when you know America’s changed.

Rolling Stone gives an overview of how the Trump Administration is attempting to dismantle the United States government’s efforts to decarbonize our economy. “The consensus seems to be that the Trump administration is doing everything it can to make climate change worse and make Americans reliant on dirty energy for years to come.” This is happening while renewable energy has, in many locations around the world, become cheaper than fossil fuels. So Trump is attempting to give Americans a less healthy, more dangerous and more expensive future.

The New York Times examines the impact of Elon Musk’s actions and behavior on the sale of Tesla vehicles. The brand has seen a significant reduction in sales around the world, and the stock price has plummeted precipitously. Recently, President Trump hawked Teslas on the south lawn of the White House, after vilifying electric cars for years. While Sean Hannity and other Republican celebrities are now buying Teslas as a political statement, most analysts think that the damage done to Tesla’s brand is significant, as many Democratic and progressive-leaning potential buyers are turning away.

As Trump and Musk charge ahead with their efforts to ensure a harmful and regressive fossil-fuel-powered future, Canary Media reports that Texas is heading in the opposite direction. The Texas grid set records “for most wind production (28,470 megawatts), most solar production (24,818 megawatts), and greatest battery discharge (4,833 megawatts).” The battery fleet in Texas has grown so fast that it is providing nearly as much instantaneous power as nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, the state is struggling to add new gas-power plants despite “offering up billions of taxpayer dollars for a dedicated loan program to private gas developers. In 2024, Texas produced almost twice as much wind and solar electricity as California.”

Politico notes that “a growing number of House Republicans are urging the party to preserve the clean energy tax credits in Democrats’ climate law — and warning they may oppose the party’s budget bill if those incentives get axed.”

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