Climate News Round-Up | August 3 - August 20 2019

Land use was a major theme in climate news the past two weeks. The IPCC released its special report on Climate Change and Land, warning that unsustainable global agricultural practices and climate change could result in declining crop yields, making food more expensive even as it becomes less nutritious.

While IPCC also highlighted that forest preservation is key for global environmental health, another report warned 40% of North American forests are in danger from invasive pests. On both sides of the equator, drought in Alaska and development in the Amazon are causing massive wildfires.

Climate-friendly agriculture was a talking point for some 2020 Democratic candidates as they campaigned in Iowa--but Portugal’s super-sustainable wineries could lead the way in agricultural management.

A new report from NOAA shows 2018 had the highest concentration of greenhouse gases, and the fourth highest temperatures, ever recorded. Small island nations spoke out against Australia at the Pacific Island Forum in Tuvalu, where the larger country did not endorse an end to coal mining. Greenland’s Prime Minister held a funeral for the first glacier lost to climate change as the semi-autonomous region faces the European heatwave.

Melting isn’t the Arctic’s only problem -- microplastics have been found in the highest latitudes, transported through the atmosphere by snow. Luckily, cities, states, and even nations are starting to take concerted action against plastic -- Pakistan is the latest country to ban single-use plastic bags.

Around the states, Senator Marco Rubio pens op-ed calling for climate adaptation in Florida as Miami sets sunny-day flooding records in early August. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signs executive order supporting the state’s goal of carbon free electricity by 2050. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper releases draft legislation on state carbon cap, and Trump administration changes to Endangered Species Act cause controversy and prompt lawsuits from states and NGOs.

• Food Supply Threatened by Climate Change Says United Nations, EESI

• Food Will be scarce, Expensive and Less Nutritious, Climate Report Says, CNN

• What Does the IPCC Special Report say About Forests?, Ecosystem Marketplace

• Tree-Damaging Pests Pose ‘Devastating’ Threat to 40% of US Forests, The Guardian

• Late-Season Fires Flare Up in Drought-Stricken Parts of Alaska, Reuters

• #PrayForAmazonia Trends as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro Blasted for Inaction Over 3-Week-Long Forest Fires Ravaging the ‘Lungs of Our Planet’, Newsweek

• In Iowa, Candidates Are Talking About Farming's Climate Change Connections Like No Previous Election, InsideClimate News

• How Portugal Became the Epicenter of Sustainability for the Wine Industry, Fortune

• Reporting on the State of the Climate in 2018, NOAA

• Pacific Forum Turns into Row with Australia over Climate Goals, BBC

• Iceland Holds Funeral for First Glacier Lost to Climate Change. The Guardian

• Greenland Sees Massive Ice Melt Amid Heat Wave, New York Post

• 'Punch in the Gut' as Scientists Find Microplastic in Arctic Ice, Reuters

• Pakistan Moves to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags, Washington Post

Highlights from Around the Country:

• Rubio on Climate Change: 'We Should Choose Adaptive Solutions', USA Today

• Report: Sea Level Rise Triggers Miami's High-Tide Flooding, NewsMax

• Gov. Tony Evers Signs Executive Order Calling Again for Carbon-Free Electricity by 2050, Wisconsin State Journal

• Cooper Energy Plan Contemplates Carbon Cap, WRAL