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Culture

Biden Just Approved Another Big Offshore Wind Project
Climate

AM Briefing: Another Win for Wind

Orsted’s Sunrise Wind farm, crazy cocoa prices, and hydropower trends

Culture

The Complicated Case for Pollotarianism

America should eat more chicken. But how many is too many?

Green
Economy

AM Briefing: A Warning Signal From Swiss Re

On insurance and extreme weather, Nissan’s new business plan, and paint that cools

Yellow
Economy

AM Briefing: Cleaning Up Heavy Industry

On a $6 billion federal investment, solar geoengineering rules, and restoring nature

Yellow
Briefing image.

AM Briefing: Red States Hit Back

On Biden’s big legal challenge, the Ukraine war, and sea levels

Yellow
Why the GOP Is Mad at the IEA

AM Briefing: The GOP vs. the IEA

On peak oil contention, hurricane names, and smoke over D.C.

Yellow
Climate

AM Briefing: A ‘Red Alert’ for the Planet

On a startling new warning, drought in Vietnam, and Coke’s recycled bottles

The WMO Just Issued a Climate ‘Red Alert’
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Much of the Northeast will be cold, windy, with a chance of snow today • Rio de Janeiro remains under an excessive heat warning • It is 45 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny in Seoul, South Korea, where the MLB kicked off its regular season.

THE TOP FIVE

1. UN agency issues ‘red alert’ on worsening climate crisis

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization is “sounding the Red Alert to the world” on the urgency of the climate crisis after publishing its annual State of the Global Climate report yesterday. The report paints a dire picture of the state of the planet in 2023, with record high greenhouse gas levels, temperatures, and sea level rise. “Climate change is about much more than temperatures,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat, and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern,” she said. A few key findings:

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Climate

AM Briefing: The Air Pollution Problem

On air quality, Ford’s pivot, and solar geoengineering

The World’s Most Polluted Countries
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Flash floods inundated parts of northern Iraq • Fire weather watches are in effect across several states, from Iowa to Maryland • Today marks the official start of spring.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Just 7 countries met WHO pollution limits in 2023

A region’s air should contain no more than 5 micrograms per cubic meter of the dangerous pollutant known as PM2.5, according to World Health Organization recommendations. In Bangladesh last year, the average concentration was 79.9 micrograms, making it the most polluted country in the world. Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso also had alarmingly high levels of PM2.5, which comes primarily from burning fossil fuels and is linked to 4 million premature deaths every year. The findings come from Swiss company IQAir, which uses 30,000 air quality monitors to understand pollution levels across the world. “The number of countries and regions with air quality monitoring has steadily increased over the past six years,” the company said in a press release.

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