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A RESILIENT FUTURE FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES
The report outlines 30 federal policy recommendations to improve coastal resilience in the United States, emphasizing community-led planning, nature-based solutions, and equitable financing. It argues that federal policies must shift from relying on past climate data to anticipating future conditions, particularly for infrastructure and land use. Key priorities include integrating climate justice, supporting tribal sovereignty in adaptation planning, and reforming benefit-cost analysis tools to better value social and environmental outcomes. The document also advocates for the creation of a national 'green bank' and a federal climate heritage coordination office to manage the intersection of cultural preservation and climate change.
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Document type: Report
Second Lowest on Record
The Arctic sea ice reached its 2020 minimum extent of 1.44 million square miles on September 15, marking the second lowest extent in the nearly 42-year satellite record. This loss is driven by factors including a Siberian heat wave and a reinforcing feedback loop where the darker ocean surface absorbs more heat, contributing to the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. The 14 lowest extents in the satellite era have all occurred within the last 14 years, with the record low set in 2012.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Roads Model
The document details how climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) is integrated into the SAVi Roads model to improve the analysis of climate-related risks. It focuses on three primary impacts: precipitation effects on road lifetime, weather effects on injury accidents, and precipitation-based road runoff. Simulation results for a 1,000 km road network between 2020 and 2100 show that CDS integration reveals higher cumulative road disruption, an increase in injury accidents, and significantly higher stormwater runoff compared to a 'no climate' baseline. The economic analysis indicates that the most substantial cost increase stems from stormwater management, totaling an additional USD 2.06 billion over 80 years.
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Document type: Report
2020 Ocean Heat Waves
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged extreme warm water events, defined as temperatures above the 90th percentile for at least five consecutive days. These events have increased since the early twentieth century, driven by a 2.3°F (1.3°C) rise in sea surface temperatures over the last 100 years. MHWs cause severe ecological damage, including coral bleaching, kelp forest collapses, and sea bird die-offs, and can disrupt industries through fishery closures. A notable example is "the Blob" in the Pacific Ocean (2013), which lasted 226 days and was 4.5°F (2.5°C) warmer than average.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Politics & Global Warming, April 2020
A survey of 1,029 U.S. adults conducted in April 2020 reveals that while 75% of registered voters believe global warming is happening, views on its causes and the urgency of action vary significantly by political affiliation. Despite these divisions, there is broad cross-party support for renewable energy research, public land use for clean energy, and the Paris Climate Agreement. The report also finds that a candidate's position on global warming is a 'very important' voting factor for 43% of registered voters.
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Document type: Report
Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic
The document details a March 3 hearing where U.S. defense officials discussed the strategic challenges of the Arctic. Key issues include the military buildup of Russia and China, the degradation of military and local infrastructure due to permafrost thaw, and a critical shortage of icebreakers. While the U.S. is pursuing a Polar Security Cutter Program, officials acknowledged current limitations in conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in ice-congested waters compared to Russia's extensive icebreaker fleet.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview
The document describes a vulnerability assessment protocol developed for the National Park Service (NPS) to evaluate coastal infrastructure risks. The assessments focus on physical exposure and characteristics, helping managers decide whether to protect, move, or decommission assets. While sea level rise models projected to 2050 are used, the text notes that hurricanes at current sea levels contribute significantly to exposure scores. Practical applications include raising utilities in Florida and incorporating local perspectives at Cumberland Island National Seashore.
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Document type: Briefing
Politics & Global Warming
The report finds that 75% of registered U.S. voters believe global warming is happening, with strong bipartisan support for renewable energy research and the Paris Climate Agreement. However, significant polarization remains regarding the causes of global warming and the Green New Deal, with Democrats viewing climate change as a much higher voting priority than Republicans.
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Document type: Report
Coastal Resilience in Alaska
The document details the impacts of climate change on Alaskan coastal communities, highlighting the synergy between thawing permafrost and decreasing sea ice that accelerates shoreline erosion. It emphasizes the high financial cost of community relocation and the critical need for integrating indigenous knowledge with western science. The briefing also discusses the role of regional partnerships, such as the Aleutian Bering Sea Initiative, in managing marine mammals and improving domain awareness, while identifying significant barriers to resilience, including inadequate elevation data, limited telecommunications, and a lack of central coordinating authority for adaptation.
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Document type: Briefing
Safety at the Helm: A Plan for Smart Shipping through the Bering Strait
The Bering Strait is experiencing a significant increase in vessel transits due to climate-driven sea ice decline and the expansion of the Northern Sea Route. This growth elevates risks of oil spills, ship strikes on marine mammals, and pollution in a biologically productive region vital to Indigenous subsistence. While the IMO approved two-way routes and Areas to Be Avoided in 2018, the report argues that current frameworks like the Polar Code have gaps regarding heavy fuel oil and underwater noise. WWF recommends that the US and Russia collaborate to implement e-navigation technologies, a joint Sea Traffic Coordination Center, and a transboundary Area to Be Avoided around the Diomede Islands, alongside industry-led speed restrictions and zero-discharge zones.
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Document type: Report
Media’s COVID-19 Coverage Proves It Could Also Spotlight Climate Crisis
The author contends that the media's ability to define reality is evident in its exhaustive coverage of COVID-19, contrasting this with the historically lower priority given to the climate crisis. The text argues that the perceived immediacy of the pandemic versus the perceived abstraction of climate change is a faulty distinction, as climate-related disasters are already impacting millions. It suggests that newsrooms should apply the same 'all-hands-on-deck' approach to climate reporting, focusing on 'flattening the curve' of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the document highlights how overlapping crises—such as floods in the American Midwest occurring alongside the pandemic—and the shared origins of climate and COVID-19 misinformation further underscore the need for urgent, high-profile climate journalism.
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Document type: Statement
Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade
The 2010s saw a significant surge in billion-dollar disasters in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of all such events and costs since 1980. The decade recorded 119 billion-dollar disasters with costs exceeding $800 billion, with notable spikes in central states like Texas, Illinois, and Missouri. The document links these trends to climate change—specifically warmer oceans and a wetter atmosphere—and notes that pre-disaster adaptation spending saves an average of $6 in recovery costs.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Politics & Global Warming
The November 2019 report by the Center for Climate Change Communication reveals that 73% of registered U.S. voters believe global warming is happening, though beliefs and policy support vary significantly by political party. While there is broad bipartisan support for renewable energy research and the Paris Climate Agreement, deep divisions persist regarding the causes of global warming and the expansion of fossil fuel production. The report also highlights an increase in the importance of global warming as a voting issue for the 2020 presidential election, particularly among Democrats.
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Document type: Report
Politics & Global Warming
The report finds that while a majority of registered U.S. voters believe global warming is happening and human-caused, significant partisan divides persist. There is broad support for clean energy research and carbon pricing, but voters are split on fossil fuel expansion. Global warming has increased in importance as a voting issue for the 2020 presidential election.
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Document type: Report
Our Unhealthy Democracy
The report argues that a negative feedback loop exists in the United States where restrictive voting laws and partisan gerrymandering insulate legislators from accountability, leading to the adoption of policies that exacerbate public health disparities. Using data from America's Health Rankings and the Cost of Voting Index, the author finds that states with greater partisan bias and higher barriers to voting are associated with lower life expectancy and more severe health declines between 2010 and 2017. Specifically, the report links extreme gerrymandering to higher increases in opioid deaths among African Americans in high-poverty states and higher infant mortality for non-Hispanic black communities. To break this cycle, the document recommends reforms to reduce the costs of eligibility (such as automatic voter registration), reduce the costs of casting a vote (such as early in-person voting), and protect the equal value of votes through independent redistricting commissions and public campaign financing.
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Document type: Report
Stop the Attack on Public Lands – Statement of Principles
Mighty Earth opposes the Trump administration's removal of protections from millions of acres of US public lands and waters, warning that companies engaging in extractive activities in these areas face risks of stranded assets, legal challenges, and public backlash. The statement calls for companies and banks to adopt policies against new or expanded commercial activity on protected or formerly protected federal lands.
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Document type: Statement
IPCC report on the ocean and cryosphere
The document outlines the accelerating degradation of the Earth's cryosphere and oceans due to climate change. It details the rapid loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the thawing of permafrost, and the warming, acidification, and deoxygenation of the global oceans. These changes drive sea level rise, threaten biodiversity, and disrupt essential services like freshwater supply from mountain glaciers and food security from fisheries. The briefing emphasizes that while some damage is irreversible, cutting emissions can reduce risks and facilitate adaptation for vulnerable coastal and indigenous populations.
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Document type: Briefing
Americans Oppose Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
A survey of 1,097 registered U.S. voters found that 67% oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Opposition is widespread across political affiliations, with majorities of Democrats (81%) and Independents (64%) and half of Republicans (50%) opposing the practice. The document notes that the Trump administration planned to open the 1.6 million-acre coastal plain to exploration, despite the area being home to species already threatened by global warming.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Americans Oppose Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
A survey of 1,097 registered U.S. voters found that 67% oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), with strong opposition outnumbering strong support by nearly four to one. Opposition is highest among Democrats (81%) and Independents (64%), while half of Republicans (50%) also oppose the practice.
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Document type: Fact sheet
COMMUNICATION TO THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD In the case of CHIARA SACCHI (Argentina); CATARINA LORENZO (Brazil); IRIS DUQUESNE (France); RAINA IVANOVA (Germany); RIDHIMA PANDEY (India); DAVID ACKLEY, III, RANTON ANJAIN, AND LITOKNE KABUA (Marshall Islands); DEBORAH ADEGBILE (Nigeria); CARLOS MANUEL (Palau); AYAKHA MELITHAFA (South Africa); GRETA THUNBERG (Sweden); RASLEN JBEILI (Tunisia); & CARL SMITH AND ALEXANDRIA VILLASEÑOR (USA); Petitioners, V. ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, FRANCE, GERMANY & TURKEY, Respondents
The document is a formal petition by sixteen children from various countries against five states, alleging that their failure to mitigate climate change violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It details specific harms faced by the petitioners—including extreme heat, wildfires, and sea-level rise—and argues that the respondents' current emission pathways are inconsistent with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The petitioners request that the Committee recognize climate change as a children's rights crisis and recommend that the respondent states accelerate mitigation efforts and prioritize the best interests of children.
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Document type: Report