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New studies reveal genetic adaptations in California birds

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Thursday, May 2, 2024

Two studies reveal how genetic changes in bird populations in California respond to environmental threats, highlighting the potential for adaptation and the risks of genetic dilution.Rebecca Heisman reports for The Revelator.In short:The southwestern willow flycatcher has developed genetic traits for heat tolerance in response to changing climate conditions, although its population is still declining.Savannah sparrows face the dilution of their salt-tolerant adaptations due to gene flow from inland birds, threatening their ability to survive in saltmarsh environments.Both studies underline the importance of natural history collections in understanding and addressing these environmental challenges.Key quote:“These genetic changes are imperceptible to the human eye ... [but] we were able to identify several genes that are likely involved in heat tolerance and the birds’ ability to effectively dissipate heat in humid environments.”— Sheela Turbek, postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State UniversityWhy this matters:Understanding genetic adaptations to environmental changes helps inform conservation efforts, enabling scientists to safeguard species facing increasingly rapid shifts due to climate change. Read more: Climate change creates camouflage confusion in winter-adapted wildlife.

Two studies reveal how genetic changes in bird populations in California respond to environmental threats, highlighting the potential for adaptation and the risks of genetic dilution.

Rebecca Heisman reports for The Revelator.

In short:

The southwestern willow flycatcher has developed genetic traits for heat tolerance in response to changing climate conditions, although its population is still declining.
Savannah sparrows face the dilution of their salt-tolerant adaptations due to gene flow from inland birds, threatening their ability to survive in saltmarsh environments.
Both studies underline the importance of natural history collections in understanding and addressing these environmental challenges.

Key quote:
“These genetic changes are imperceptible to the human eye ... [but] we were able to identify several genes that are likely involved in heat tolerance and the birds’ ability to effectively dissipate heat in humid environments.”

— Sheela Turbek, postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University

Why this matters:
Understanding genetic adaptations to environmental changes helps inform conservation efforts, enabling scientists to safeguard species facing increasingly rapid shifts due to climate change. Read more: Climate change creates camouflage confusion in winter-adapted wildlife.

Read the full story here.

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Climate Change Is Making Extreme Downpours in Spain Heavier and More Likely, Scientists Say

Human-caused climate change made Spain’s rainfall about 12% heavier and doubled the likelihood of a storm as intense as this week’s deluge of Valencia, according to a rapid but partial analysis Thursday by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming’s role in extreme weather.Monstrous flash floods in Spain claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia region alone. An unknown number of people are still missing and more victims could be found. Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday.World Weather Attribution said climate change is the most likely explanation for extreme downpours in southern Spain, as a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to heavier downpours. The group noted its analysis is not a full, detailed attribution study, as the scientists did not use climate models to simulate the event in a world without human-caused warming. Scientists looked at historical observations of rainfall, which they say indicate that one-day bursts of rain in this region are increasing as emissions from the burning of fossil fuels warms the planet.“We haven’t had time yet to do a full attribution study about the flooding that’s just taken place in Spain. But what we have been able to do is to look at observations of rainfall in the area," said WWA expert Clair Barnes. “And based on the recorded rainfall, we’ve estimated that similar events have become about 12% more intense, and probably about twice as likely as they would have been in a pre-industrial climate, about 1.3 degrees (Celsius) cooler, without human-caused climate change.”“I’ve heard people saying that this is the new normal,” added Barnes, a statistician who researches extreme weather events and climate change at the Imperial College London. “Given that we are currently on track for 2.6 degrees of warming, or thereabouts, within this century, we are only halfway to the new normal.” Since the mid-1800s, the world has already heated up by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit), up from previous estimates of 1.1 or 1.2 degrees because it includes the record heat last year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s annual Emissions Gap Report released last week. The world is on pace to hit 3.1 degrees Celsius (5.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. But if nations somehow do all of what they promised in targets they submitted to the U.N., that warming could be limited to 2.6 degrees Celsius (4.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the report said. “These back-to-back events show how dangerous climate change already is with just 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming," Clarke said in a statement. ___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

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Climate change worsened disasters that caused over half a million deaths: Report

The 10 deadliest extreme weather events of the previous two decades, which contributed to some 570,000 deaths, were all intensified by human-caused climate change, according to a new study from World Weather Attribution. The events in question included three hurricanes, four heatwaves, two floods and a drought. Each of the events had features intensified by either climate change or its downstream effects, the study found. For example, Somalia’s 2011 drought, which contributed to 258,000 deaths, was made worse by a combination of low rainfall between March and May, as well as increased temperatures causing greater evaporation from plants and soil. Similarly, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which killed 138,366 people in 2008, was exacerbated by climate change making its precipitation more intense and its wind speeds up to 5.2 miles per second more intense, as well as making sea surface temperatures up to 0.66 degrees Celsius warmer. In Russia’s 2010 heatwave, which caused 55,736 deaths, climate change likely made temperatures 0.3 to 4.3 degrees hotter, according to the researchers. “Climate change isn’t a distant threat. It worsened extreme weather events that left more than 570,000 people dead,” Friederike Otto, Co-founder and Lead of World Weather Attribution at the Center for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, said in a statement. “This study should be an eye-opener for political leaders hanging on to fossil fuels that heat the planet and destroy lives. If we keep burning oil, gas and coal, the suffering will continue.” The link between burning fossil fuels and warming temperatures has been observed since the mid-20th century, but the link between that warming and extreme weather is a more recent discovery. While climate change does not appear to actively cause more hurricanes, for example, it likely makes them more intense, and potentially deadlier, by increasing ocean surface temperatures and the level of moisture in the air.

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Analysis-Companies Boost Social and Climate Reporting Amid ESG Backlash

By Ross Kerber(Reuters) - Many U.S. companies have stepped up reporting on environmental and social matters in recent years even with sustained...

(Reuters) - Many U.S. companies have stepped up reporting on environmental and social matters in recent years even with sustained pressure from conservative politicians, data reviewed by Reuters shows.The trend shows the importance investors and regulators now place on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, analysts said, amid rapid global warming and shifting workforce demographics. Some political conservatives call the attention misplaced or worry the disclosures could give activists leverage to force companies to make unnecessary changes."Most ESG problems are business problems. I'm an accounting professor. I can tell you that if you pick any company's 10K and look at the risk factors, they are full of E and S problems," said Shiva Rajgopol, who teaches at Columbia Business School.The data contrasts with a some high-profile cases where companies have dialed back ESG efforts such as working less with industry climate efforts and cooperating less with an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.Many executives may be taking a wait-and-see approach until national elections on Nov. 5 set a new balance of power in Washington, D.C., starting next year, Rajgopol said."If you're a company and something is getting you into trouble with some constituents, it's simplest to back away from doing things that seem risky for now and just stay put and wait until January and then reassess," he saidWhich party holds the White House and Congress could energize or squash efforts to restrict ESG investing, a cause that has lagged to date.The share of S&P 500 companies making workforce data by race and gender public rose to 82.6% as of Sept. 1 from 5.3% in 2019, according to DiversIQ, which tracks diversity data for investors, consulting firms and corporate clients.The number of U.S. companies sharing environmental data, meanwhile, has also grown, with 85% of large-cap U.S. companies disclosing details of their greenhouse gas emissions at the end of last year, up from 54% disclosing in 2019, according to ESG investment advisor HIP Investor.Obtaining public disclosures on ESG data has been a focus of pro-ESG activist investors including Democratic public pension officials. The disclosure uptick also shows boards responding to new rules like the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, said Ken Rivlin, partner at law firm A&O Shearman.Many companies also made public commitments around climate, pay equity and workforce, details they cannot easily shift with the latest news cycle."Establishing corporate policy in reaction to the latest pro- or anti-ESG news story is not a recipe for success," Rivlin said.Various conservative politicians and social media figures have targeted companies' diversity efforts including their links to LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, which surveys companies on issues including same-sex partner benefits and transgender healthcare.In August, home improvement retailer Lowe's said it would no longer participate in the survey and restructured diversity efforts. A Lowe's representative said at the time it would continue to report workforce diversity and pay-gap data that investors had asked for.A Ford representative said via email that "we will continue to disclose our human capital management and DEI data" in an annual sustainability report, but did not provide further details.Despite the departures, more than 1,400 companies participated in this year's survey, to be released in January, up slightly from 1,384 in the most recent survey issued in November 2023, HRC said.Companies "know that this is what their workforce and consumers demand," said HRC President Kelley Robinson.Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which calls itself a Christian law firm and opposes many corporate ESG efforts, said pullbacks like those by Lowe's and Ford stand in contrast to several years ago when many companies rushed to align with climate and social-justice activists.Successful lawsuits targeting corporate diversity policies based on the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on college admissions could accelerate corporate changes, Tedesco said. "Unfortunately companies went too far and there's a lot of course-correction," he said.Many corporate climate disclosures stem from pressure from top fund firms backing shareholder resolutions. Since around 2021, however, investors have cut their support including State Street's asset-management arm.Like other investors, State Street said companies have already made significant changes. "Disclosure has dramatically improved, especially related to E and S issues over the past five years," said Ben Colton, State Street's stewardship chief. "I'd imagine we'll continue to see this kind of disclosure," he said.(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston. Additional reporting by Isla Binnie in New York. Editing by Simon Jessop in London and Anna Driver)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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World Will Miss Paris Climate Target as Nitrous Oxide Rises, Report Says

By Valerie VolcoviciWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Failing to curb emissions of nitrous oxide will make it impossible to meet the main goal of the Paris...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Failing to curb emissions of nitrous oxide will make it impossible to meet the main goal of the Paris climate agreement to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the first major global assessment of the pollutant released on Thursday.Nitrous oxide is the third most prevalent greenhouse gas and the worst ozone-depleting gas.The Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment (N2O) report is similar to the 2021 Global Methane Assessment, which showed that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by up to 45% this decade and laid the groundwork for 150 countries to commit to the Global Methane Pledge to curb those emissions by 30% by 2030.Nitrous oxide emissions, driven primarily by the agricultural use of synthetic fertilizers and manure, have increased globally by 40% since 1980, and are on pace to rise 30% over 2020 levels by 2050, the report said.Taking global action to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) could avoid the equivalent of up to 235 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2100, it said.A U.S. State Department official told Reuters earlier this year that slashing N2O emissions from production of fertilizers or the production of materials like nylon is cheap, costing as little as $10 per metric ton through projects using the voluntary carbon offset market."Ambitious action to reduce nitrous oxide emissions could move the world closer to meeting a wide range of global climate, ozone and other environmental and human health goals," said the assessment, published by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition of over 180 governments, NGOs, and international organizations.U.S. officials also met with Chinese counterparts to discuss cooperating on slashing N2O emissions. The countries are the biggest emitters of the greenhouse gas.(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sonali Paul)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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Spain flood death toll expected to rise as weather warning systems criticised

Rescue workers are set to comb through debris in worst hit areas like Valencia, after at least 95 people were killed in deadliest floods in a generationRescue workers in Spain continued to search for more victims after deadly floods, as questions were raised about how one of the world’s most developed nations failed to respond adequately to an extreme storm.Torrential rains that began at the start of the week sparked flooding that has left at least 95 people dead, the deadliest such disaster in the western European country since 1973. Continue reading...

Rescue workers in Spain continued to search for more victims after deadly floods, as questions were raised about how one of the world’s most developed nations failed to respond adequately to an extreme storm.Torrential rains that began at the start of the week sparked flooding that has left at least 95 people dead, the deadliest such disaster in the western European country since 1973.Defence minister Margarita Robles told Cadena Ser radio station that a military unit specialised in rescue operations would on Thursday start combing through the mud and debris with sniffer dogs in the worst-hit areas.Asked if the number of victims was likely to increase, she said: “Unfortunately we are not optimistic”. The teams have brought with them 50 mobile morgues.A frame grab from handout video footage taken by the UME – Spanish Military Emergencies Unit shows Spanish rescuers taking a man suspended in mid-air on a platform into a helicopter in Valencia. Photograph: UME/AFP/Getty ImagesMore heavy rain was predicted for the hardest-hit eastern Valencia region and other areas on the north-east coast on Thursday.Some residents have appealed for news of their missing loved ones via social media, television and radio broadcasts. Leonardo Enrique told RTVE that his family had searched for hours for his 40-year-old son, Leonardo Enrique Rivera, who was driving a delivery van when the rain began.His son sent a message saying his van was flooding and that he had been hit by another vehicle near Ribarroja, an industrial town in Valencia, Enrique said.National weather agency AEMET launched a red alert for Valencia region on Tuesday morning and conditions deteriorated throughout the day.But it was only in the early evening that the regional body in charge of coordinating the emergency services was set up.And an alert sent by the civil protection service urging residents in the Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia not to leave home was issued after 8pm.Cars piled in the street after flash floods hit the Sedaví area of Valencia, Spain. Moire heavy rain is predicted for the region on Thursday. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty ImagesFor many, it was already too late. Motorists began journeys only to find themselves trapped on roads and left at the mercy of raging torrents of water.“They raised the alarm when the water was already here, there’s no need to tell me the flood is coming,” fumed Julian Ormeno, a 66-year-old pensioner in the Valencia city suburb of Sedavi.“Nobody came to take responsibility,” he told AFP.With weather forecasters issuing warnings beforehand, such tragedies are “entirely avoidable” if people can be kept away from surging flood water, said Hannah Cloke, hydrology professor at the University of Reading.The devastating outcome suggests Valencia’s warning system failed, she said. “People just don’t know what to do when faced with a flood, or when they hear warnings.”“People shouldn’t be dying from these kinds of forecasted weather events in countries where they have the resources to do better,” added Liz Stephens, a professor in climate risks and resilience at the University of Reading.“We have a long way to go to prepare for this kind of event, and worse, in future.”Tuesday’s floods were Spain’s worst since 1996, when 87 people died after torrential rain hit a campsite in the Pyrenees mountains. Europe’s most recent catastrophic floods came in July 2021, killing 243 people in Germany, Belgium, Romania, Italy and Austria.The intense rain has been attributed to a phenomenon known as the gota fría, or “cold drop”, which occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean. This creates atmospheric instability, causing warm, saturated air to rise rapidly, leading to heavy rain and thunderstorms.Experts say the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.A flooded street in the Sedaví area of Valencia. The floods were in the worst in Spain since 1996. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty ImagesThe events “are yet another wake-up call that our climate is changing rapidly”, according to Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Britain’s Newcastle University.“Our infrastructure is not designed to deal with these levels of flooding,” she added, saying “record-shatteringly hot” warmer sea temperatures fuel storms that dump extreme levels of rain in one place.Scientists warn that extreme weather events are becoming more intense, last longer and occur more frequently as a result of human-induced climate change.But in some cases, even the best-prepared warning systems can be caught off guard, analysts said.Such extreme weather “can overwhelm the ability of existing defences and contingency plans to cope, even in a relatively wealthy country like Spain”, said Leslie Mabon, senior lecturer in environmental systems at Britain’s Open University.“The floods in Spain are a timely reminder that no country is exempt from the risks of climate change.”For Linda Speight, a lecturer at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, warnings for intense thunderstorms are “incredibly hard to issue” as the exact location of the heaviest rainfall is usually unknown in advance.“We urgently need to adapt our cities to be more resilient to floods,” she added, suggesting making space for water to flow through urban environments without causing damage.“We take preparation for other hazards such as earthquakes and tsunami very seriously,” added Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology, at the University of Reading.“It is time we afforded the same to flood risk preparedness.”Government minister Angel Victor Torres declined to answer directly when asked about the potential delay in sending alerts to the population.Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report

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New studies reveal genetic adaptations in California birds

Related News

Climate Change Is Making Extreme Downpours in Spain Heavier and More Likely, Scientists Say

Climate change worsened disasters that caused over half a million deaths: Report

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World Will Miss Paris Climate Target as Nitrous Oxide Rises, Report Says

Spain flood death toll expected to rise as weather warning systems criticised

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New studies reveal genetic adaptations in California birds

Related News

Climate Change Is Making Extreme Downpours in Spain Heavier and More Likely, Scientists Say

Climate change worsened disasters that caused over half a million deaths: Report

Analysis-Companies Boost Social and Climate Reporting Amid ESG Backlash

World Will Miss Paris Climate Target as Nitrous Oxide Rises, Report Says

Spain flood death toll expected to rise as weather warning systems criticised

Suggested Viewing

Caught in Quicksand

TripleF***

A Whale's Worth

CO2? CO-Nee!

Crossing the Divide

Join us to forgea sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future