Another killer hurricane in the US

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♻️ This week’s sustainability news

Second destructive hurricane worse due to climate change

What’s happening: An initial analysis by scientists at World Weather Attribution shows that Hurricane Milton caused 20 to 30 percent more rain in Florida, and the rain was about twice as likely to be as intense compared to the climate in the late 1800s. Climate change has made storms like Milton, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico near Florida, 40 percent stronger, according to the analysis. In the past, Milton would have hit land as a Category 2 storm. However, on Wednesday night, it reached the shore near Siesta Key, south of Sarasota, as a Category 3 storm.

Why it’s happening: Similar to Hurricane Helene, which happened 12 days before, Hurricane Milton quickly became much stronger. It increased its wind speed by 35 miles per hour in just one day, which is what scientists call ‘rapid intensification’. However, Milton's wind speed increased by an incredible 95 miles per hour in one day while it was over the southern Gulf of Mexico. Only two other storms, Wilma in 2005 and Felix in 2007, became stronger faster in the Atlantic region, which includes the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the open Atlantic Ocean. Although climate change might not be causing more storms overall, there is evidence that a higher percentage of storms are becoming Category 4, which aligns with most climate models.

Why it’s important: Misinformation and conspiracy theories have been spreading widely on social media since the severe flooding in the Appalachian region caused by Hurricane Helene. Although it seems ridiculous this has to be stated, claims that the government made and controlled hurricanes for political reasons have no basis in reality. This rapid intensification of storms and hurricanes is expected to occur more frequently in today's warmer climate. Seeing this data live caused experienced South Florida meteorologist John Morales to become emotional during his broadcast on NBC6 in Miami on Monday. He was describing Milton's rapid strengthening, a moment that has since been widely shared online. For every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature, the strongest storms have winds that are about 12 percent stronger. This results in a 40 percent increase in wind damage, according to climate scientist Michael Mann from the University of Pennsylvania.

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans

What’s happening: Australia's environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced that the country will soon protect more of its oceans than any other nation. This will happen after the government completes a plan to expand a sub-Antarctic marine park by over 300,000 square kilometres. Before a global nature summit in Sydney, Plibersek said that the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve, located about 4,000 km southwest of Perth, will become four times larger. Heard and McDonald Islands are about 1,700 km away from Antarctica. They have glaciers, wetlands, and Australia's only active volcanoes. Scientists believe these islands are some of the least disturbed places by humans on Earth. Plibersek announced new habitat protection zones and national park areas that are about the size of Italy. These will be added to existing sanctuary zones, which already have the highest level of conservation.

Why it’s happening: According to the minister, the decision meant that Australia would protect 52% of its ocean area, which is much more than the global goal of 30% by 2030 that the government agreed to two years ago. After asking the public for their opinions starting in June, the government expanded the Macquarie Island Marine Park, another area in the sub-Antarctic, to three times its original size last year.

Why it’s important: A group of 27 environmental organisations called Save Our Marine Life mostly supported the announcement of the marine park. However, they noted that some important areas for albatross, penguins, seals, and fish did not receive the highest level of protection that scientists had suggested. Fiona Maxwell, who manages national oceans for The Pew Charitable Trusts, told The Guardian that the two islands are “wildlife havens”. The decision means most of the waters around the islands will be protected from mining and new fishing for mackerel icefish and Patagonian toothfish. However, she noted that some important underwater areas were not included in the protected zones. Science organisations also want to use the global nature summit to point out that Australian governments are not investing enough to protect the environment. A major government review, withheld by the previous federal government until after the last election, found that the environment is in poor and worsening condition.

🌐 Travel to Sydney

Experience amazing natural rock pools

Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park: Read our new article to discover everything you need to enjoy a pleasant hike there before relaxing in these beautiful and unique pools naturally formed in a rock shelf.

😇 People doing great things

“Because secondhand is feckin’ grand”

One woman is on a mission to repurpose clothes in Ireland: Mary Fleming was on vacation in Kenya when she noticed a huge pile of used clothes by a river, so big that it was falling into the water. In Ireland, she loved shopping and bought new clothes almost every weekend. But in East Africa, she saw the shocking impact of fast fashion and overconsumption. Ten years later, Fleming is now leading a campaign to reduce waste by swapping, reusing, repairing, and repurposing clothes with the catchy slogan: "Because secondhand is feckin’ grand." She started Change Clothes, a non-profit group that has a swap shop in Dublin. They also have temporary stores and workshops all over Ireland. People can rent, trade, and buy used clothes there, and they offer lessons on how to fix and improve old clothes. Surplus clothing still in good shape is given to places that help refugees and to assisted living homes. Change Clothes is popular for people who already love secondhand clothing, but Fleming wants to reach those who usually throw away old clothes and shop at stores like Zara, Next, or Gap for new ones.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

Study shows solar farms don’t harm property values

May even slightly increase them: A study published in the December 2024 issue of the journal Solar Compass examined property values near 70 large solar projects in the Midwest of the US and found the projects actually had a small positive effect, slightly increasing property values by 0.5% to 2%.

New battery-free solar desalination system created

By a team at MIT: The solar-powered device changes its desalination speed based on the amount of sunlight, speeding up when the sun is bright and slowing down when it's cloudy, using solar energy efficiently to produce large amounts of clean water all day long without needing extra batteries or electricity from the grid.

Norway’s football stadium boasts vertical solar roof

The world’s biggest: Vertical solar panels are proving to be a new solution for northern regions, yielding 20 per cent more energy than traditional panels, with Norway’s national football stadium boasting 1,242 solar panels stretching across the roof that are bifacial, meaning they have two active sides, and installed vertically.

Portugal introduces a €20 monthly pass for all train services

Unlimited travel across the country: The government has introduced the Green Rail Pass to help meet its environmental goals and provide citizens with a cheaper way to commute and explore across all national rail services, with this new pass costing less than half of the previous rail pass at €49.

Sea turtle nests in the Mediterranean reach record numbers

One of the oldest living species: From Spain in the west to Cyprus in the east, there has been a record rise in sea turtle nesting due to the painstaking efforts of environmentalists determined to save a species believed to have existed for more than 100 million years, with only one in 1,000 turtle hatchlings making it to adulthood.

Big decreases in pollution at the biggest ports in the US

Lowest levels since records began in 2005: The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach saw similar sizeable reductions in planet-heating and health-harming pollution; the two ports are the two biggest ports in the nation and also some of the largest sources of Southern California’s carbon pollution and smog.

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