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TCN Journal

Reporting, analysis, summary, synthesis

Changes to Endangered Species Act rules could threaten Texas species

A rule change allowing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to publish information on the economic impact of listing species as endangered, which triggers protection, may be bad news for a West Texas lizard.

TCN Journal October 9, 2019

Imelda’s extreme rainfall was “increased substantially” by global warming

New research on Tropical Storm Imelda by an international team of scientists echoes studies that concluded man-made climate change boosted Hurricane Harvey’s devastating flooding in Houston and other Texas locations.

TCN Journal October 3, 2019

Studies find animals struggling to keep up with climate change

Animals have successfully adapted to a new climate in the past, but today’s pace of change is much faster. “Climate change is just happening too quickly, and animals are not adapting fast enough,” said one Texas scientist.

TCN Journal September 12, 2019

Yes, Texas summers really are hotter, more humid today than 40 years ago

A new analysis finds that many Texas cities are already experiencing significantly more days of oppressive and dangerous heat – a trend that's expected to accelerate in the future.

TCN Journal August 28, 2019

No thaw here: Trump’s EPA appointees toe contrarian line on climate science

Some key Republicans say they now back climate action, which presupposes acceptance of climate science. You won't find evidence of such acceptance in two key EPA appointments with Texas connections, however.

TCN Journal August 12, 2019

Soggy Midwest spring leads to sizable 2019 Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’

Looking ahead, heavier rains resulting from climate change are expected to send more freshwater and nutrients to the Gulf, which deplete oxygen and harm marine life there. Warming Gulf waters could aggravate the problem.

TCN Journal July 10, 2019

Texas-based AT&T is getting ready for climate change, even if Trump isn’t

The telecommunications giant headquartered in Dallas launched a climate resiliency plan using supercomputer projections to help plan for the next Harvey. The readiness project contrasts starkly with the president's climate stance.

TCN Journal July 2, 2019

Those hot summer nights are getting hotter as climate change progresses

“High lows” – increasing overnight minimum temperatures – are happening in Texas, throughout the U.S. and around the world. Warmer weather at night can pose significant health risks, scientists say.

TCN Journal June 21, 2019

Oceans of trouble: Austin man swimming through Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Ben Lecomte, a French-born long-distance swimmer who now calls Texas home, is collecting ideas and data on his trek while he calls attention to plastic debris and other ocean conservation problems.

TCN Journal June 8, 2019

Houston survey: Climate concern steady but less support for related policies

The Rice University poll's authors noted that “the instinctive resistance to an increase in government controls over the initiatives of the private sector is still firmly embedded, it would seem, in Houston’s basic DNA.”

TCN Journal May 22, 2019

Is a breakthrough in sight for climate action? New polls shed some light

After years near the bottom of public priorities, climate change is now the top concern among Democratic voters, one recent survey found. Other polls also reveal a growing feeling of urgency, especially among young people.

TCN Journal May 6, 2019

Climate change producing more pollen, longer allergy season, research shows

Scientists say one new analysis "illustrates a clear positive correlation between recent global warming and an increase in the seasonal duration and amount of pollen for multiple allergenic plant species."

TCN Journal April 24, 2019

Students rally worldwide for climate action: Houston’s event in pictures

Young people in Texas joined hundreds of thousands of others across the U.S. and around the world in cutting class (or, for some, skipping Spring Break recreation) to demand more vigorous action against climate change.

TCN Journal March 18, 2019

Rising temperatures threaten health of fetuses, researchers say

An international team of researchers projected as much as a 35 percent increase in newborns with heart malformations in a region including Texas. Two medical experts in Houston told TCN the finding is cause for concern.

TCN Journal March 6, 2019

Some wildlife areas in Rio Grande Valley spared wall construction – for now

Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo secured statutory reprieves for some areas protecting the region's rich biodiversity. Other conservation tracts, however, are potentially vulnerable to President Trump's “emergency” declaration.

TCN Journal February 19, 2019

Elsewhere: Introducing our occasional selections of climate news beyond Texas

Texas Climate News is Texas-centric. How could we not be? Texas is the first word in our name. We also pay attention to goings-on beyond our state's borders, of course. And with articles tagged “Elsewhere,” we're doing that in a new way.

TCN Journal ELSEWHERE February 5, 2019

Warming oceans, melting ice: New studies record hurricane-boosting trends

New research on rising ocean temperatures and melting ice in Arctic and Antarctic regions underscores warnings that Harvey and Ike were harbingers of what climate change has in store for Texas and other coastal locations.

TCN Journal January 23, 2019

Recent polls find growing embrace of climate science, climate action

Texas' governor wouldn't say if he thinks climate change is fueling weather disasters: “I'm not a scientist.” Texas scientists told him firmly that it is. National polls indicate public opinion moving in the scientists' direction.

TCN Journal January 14, 2019

For more livable cities, landscape architect says answer the call of the wild

Kevin Sloan of Dallas is a big proponent of "rewilding," a practice of designing green space to attract wildlife and reframe cities. Austin journalist Asher Elbein talked with Sloan about the meaning and promise of the concept.

TCN Journal January 4, 2019

50 years ago, an image of a blue planet inspired environmental awareness

On Christmas Eve 1968, astronaut Bill Anders captured an iconic image, Earthrise. It helped catalyze “whole Earth” consciousness, dominated today by climate concerns. Later photos by U.S. astronauts reinforced its influence.

TCN Journal December 24, 2018

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