Sign In or Create an Account.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Climate

Wildfire Emissions Are Skyrocketing

On burning forests, the NFL, and climate anxiety

Wildfire Emissions Are Skyrocketing
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Fire weather in California has prompted intentional power cuts for more than 5,000 PG&E customers • Large parts of central and northern Italy are flooded after heavy rains • The eastern U.S. will see “tranquil and near seasonable” weather this weekend.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Forest fire CO2 emissions have skyrocketed since 2001

Carbon emissions from forest fires have risen by 60% in two decades, according to a new study published in the journal Science. “We had to check the calculations because it’s such a big number,” Matthew Jones, the lead author of the report and a physical geographer at the University of East Anglia in England, toldThe New York Times. “It’s revealed something quite staggering.” The research specifically links this trend to climate change, which is creating hotter, drier conditions. Emissions from boreal forest fires in Canada and Siberia saw a particularly large increase between 2001 and 2023. In one type of boreal forest, emissions nearly tripled. The rise in emissions from forests – which normally serve as large carbon sinks – “poses a major challenge for global targets to tackle climate change,” the researchers said.

2. NFL stadiums could see huge losses from climate disasters

NFL stadiums across the country could suffer $11 billion in losses by 2050 due to climate-related disasters, according to a new report from climate risk analysis firm Climate X. The report ranks 30 stadiums based on their vulnerability to extreme weather events. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey ranks highest, with damages exceeding $5.6 billion by 2050. California’s SoFi Stadium and Arizona’s State Farm Stadium are also highly exposed. It’s worth noting that the Climate X analysis uses a “high-emissions” scenario that would see temperatures rise by 4.3 degrees Celsius by 2100. The International Energy Agency estimates we’re more on track to see about 2.4 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century.

3. Biden administration approves large Fervo geothermal project

The Interior Department yesterday announced the approval of Fervo’s Cape Geothermal Power Project in Utah. The project could generate up to 2 gigawatts of electricity, which would supply power to more than 2 million homes. Fervo’s enhanced geothermal system works by injecting water into hot rock beneath Earth’s surface and using the heated water to generate electricity.

In government funding news, the Department of Energy on Friday announced $2 billion for 38 grid transmission projects across 42 states. This is the the third round of awards from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program. The DOE estimates these projects will create 6,000 jobs and support 7.5 gigawatts of capacity.

4. Coral bleaching crisis worsens

More than three-quarters (77%) of all the coral reef areas on the planet have experienced heat stress that can trigger coral bleaching since February 2023, representing the largest mass bleaching event ever recorded, Reutersreported. “This event is still increasing in spatial extent and we’ve broken the previous record by more than 11% in about half the amount of time,” said NOAA Coral Reef Watch coordinator Derek Manzello. “This could potentially have serious ramifications for the ultimate response of these reefs to these bleaching events.” Researchers have called for an emergency session on coral bleaching to be held at the UN COP16 biodiversity summit in Colombia, which starts on October 21.

5. Study finds widespread climate anxiety among young Americans

Climate change is causing “widespread distress” among America’s young people, according to a new study published in The Lancet that is the first of its kind to focus on the U.S. The researchers surveyed some 15,800 people between the ages of 16 and 25 and found that:

  • 85% of respondents reported being worried about the climate crisis.
  • For nearly 60% of respondents, those worries were rated as extreme.
  • More than 40% said the climate crisis was affecting their mental health.
  • Three quarters expressed feeling afraid of the future.
  • 70% said climate change will influence where they choose to live.
  • More than half of the respondents expressed hesitancy to have children due to climate change.

“These effects may intensify, across the political spectrum, as exposure to climate-related severe weather events increases,” the authors said. The state-by-state breakdown of how concerned people feel is quite interesting:

The Lancet

THE KICKER

New York State has reached its goal of installing 6 gigawatts of distributed solar generation one year ahead of schedule.



Editor's note: An earlier version of this article inaccurately described the generating capacity of the Fervo project in item number three. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.

Yellow

You’re out of free articles.

Subscribe today to experience Heatmap’s expert analysis 
of climate change, clean energy, and sustainability.
To continue reading
Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.
or
Please enter an email address
By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy
Electric Vehicles

AM Briefing: BYD Leapfrogs Tesla

On EV sales, a clean energy lobbying blitz, and fusion

BYD Deals Another Blow to Tesla
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Firefighters in South Korea are struggling to contain wildfires that have charred more than 36,000 acres • Reports of fire ant stings in Australia have exploded in recent weeks after torrential rain from Cyclone Alfred forced the invasive pests above ground • Temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona, reached 96 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, breaking a daily heat record in place since 1990. Today is expected to be even hotter.

THE TOP FIVE

1. BYD overtakes Tesla with $100 billion in annual sales

China’s BYD reported annual sales over $100 billion for the first time, dealing yet another blow to its chief U.S. rival, Tesla. The company’s shares have risen by 91% over the past 12 months. Tesla, by contrast, has yet to hit $100 billion in annual revenue, and its shares have dropped about 30% since the start of 2025, wiping out its post-election bump.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow
Politics

A Clean Energy Lobbying Blitz Is About to Descend on Washington

The fight to preserve the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits begins in earnest this week.

Washington, DC.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

More than 100 clean energy companies, trade associations, and other industry stakeholders are descending on Capitol Hill this week to amplify an ongoing lobbying push to preserve clean energy tax credits in the upcoming budget reconciliation bill. Groups such as Clean Energy for America, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Carbon Capture Coalition will be making their case alongside battery storage companies like Enphase, investors from CleanCapital, utility-scale wind and solar developers, small residential solar installers, and customers that have benefited, including school superintendents.

Their mission? Convince Republicans on the House Ways and Means committee that the clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act are key to executing President Trump’s energy agenda.

Keep reading...Show less
Blue
Climate

AM Briefing: Global Energy Demand on the Rise

On the IEA’s latest report, wildfires in North Carolina, and EV adoption

Extreme Heat Boosted Energy Demand in 2024
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: A wildfire in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest has burned 2,300 acres • An ancient Roman bridge collapsed in central Spain after extreme rainfall from four consecutive storms • Los Angeles could see record-breaking March heat today with temperatures nearing 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

THE TOP FIVE

1. The IRA has a math problem

The ballooning price tag of President Trump’s tax cut wishlist and preliminary budget negotiations on the Hill are pointing toward a budgetary showdown in which many of the Inflation Reduction Act’s benefits could become fiscal casualties. D.C. veterans, including former GOP Hill staff, tell Heatmap that even the most bipartisan parts of the IRA could be sacrificed in the budget reconciliation process in order to make room for Trump’s biggest legislative priorities, including extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security, and removing the cap on the state and local tax liability deductions.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow