Observations from the Little Bunker
A systematic observation of climate change, extreme weather events, and their cascading effects on society
🌍 Latest Environmental Observations
Trump Targets Federal Employees Working on Conservation and Environmental Protection
The Trump administration issued a new round of furlough notices to EPA employees on Monday while the Interior Department disclosed plans to cut 2,050 positions...
Improving Air Quality in Bogotá, Colombia, from the Ground Up
In Bogotá, WRI Colombia led efforts to improve the city’s air quality alert system and reduce pollution in key neighborhoods across the city. From 2020...
Ahead of COP30, Brazil grants Petrobras a licence to drill for oil in Amazon region
Two weeks before Brazil hosts the COP30 summit in the Amazon city of Belém, its state-run oil firm Petrobras has been granted a licence to...
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the only places in the world without the insectsMosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the...
Renewable Energy Act Before Illinois Legislature Would Decrease Stress on Ratepayers, Advocates Say
Groups are pushing the state General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, as increased strain on the grid has led to...
New England Says Goodbye to Coal as Merrimack Station Powers Down
After decades of operation, Merrimack Station’s closure marks the region’s final exit from coal—and the start of a new chapter in renewable energy development.By Ryan...
Why Democrats aren’t talking about climate change much anymore
Nearly a year after the 2024 election, Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong. In the midst of this soul-searching, a new...
Solar Growth Cushions Colorado River Hydropower Declines
Southwest utilities are diversifying their electricity assets.By Brett Walton, Circle of BlueIn late May, as the outside temperature approached 100 degrees, Arizona’s top water policy...
Submesoscale Air‐Sea Interactions as Revealed by SWOT
Abstract At midlatitudes, air‐sea interactions have been documented in numerical models, in situ campaigns and satellite observations down to the ocean mesoscales. However little is...
COP30 needs an implementation forum, not another cover decision
Paul Watkinson is a former chief climate negotiator for France who now works independently on ways to improve the multilateral climate process and strengthen climate...
Scientists just found hidden life thriving beneath the Arctic ice
Melting Arctic ice is revealing a hidden world of nitrogen-fixing bacteria beneath the surface. These microbes, not the usual cyanobacteria, enrich the ocean with nitrogen,...
October heat records broken across Australia as Sydney braces for temperatures ‘way above the norm’
Birdsville sets new high as BoM forecasts more record hot weather, with heatwave warnings in place in some statesFollow our Australia news live blog for...
JD Vance officiated the wedding of new head of NIH environmental institute
Unusual hiring process raises fears of political favoritism
Mind the gap: bringing adolescents and young adults and emotional resilience into climate action
Young people around the world are experiencing a range of emotional responses to the climate crisis. While many are organizing for action, most policies and...
Framework for assessing the climate vulnerability of unpaved roads in Sierra Leone
IntroductionUnpaved roads make up 80% of the global road network and 90% in developing countries. In Sierra Leone—one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations—secondary unpaved...
Stranded coral boulders point to a medieval tsunami in the Caribbean
Study pinpoints likely date for a massive earthquake on the Puerto Rico Trench—and highlights an underappreciated regional hazard
A surprise bonus from COVID-19 vaccines: bolstering cancer treatment
Patients who got shots of mRNA before starting a type of cancer immunotherapy lived much longer
4 Questions That Will Shape COP30 for Vulnerable Countries
In a year marked by escalating climate impacts, economic headwinds, climate policy rollbacks and a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, the road to the 2025 UN...
Lab mice can now have periods like humans
Studies of rodents with a menstrual on/off switch could help people with endometriosis and other disorders
ADVISORY: WRI Press Call on Expectations for COP30
Washington (October 20, 2025) — Join World Resources Institute (WRI) for a press call on Monday, October 27, at 9:00am ET / 2:00pm CET, where experts...
Beetle compound is so valuable insects eat bird poop to get it
To obtain the toxic chemical cantharidin, insects suck beetles’ blood—and even munch on their digested remains
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