Observations from the Little Bunker
A systematic observation of climate change, extreme weather events, and their cascading effects on society
🌍 Latest Environmental Observations
The Guardian view on food security: Britain can no longer trust markets alone | Editorial
As climate and geopolitics shocks bite, countries are rebuilding food buffers. The UK clings to neoliberal ideas while households pay the priceFood policy across much...
Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says
Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expertThe world has entered an era of “global water...
How are African livestock farmers responding to climate variability and change? A systematic review
Livestock underpin livelihoods and food security in Africa, using marginal lands to produce high-quality protein for the household or as a source of income. For...
Atmospheric rivers increase global flood risk
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow corridors of concentrated moisture known to distribute moisture globally and influence extreme precipitation events. However, the contribution of ARs to...
Final funding bill for NIH pushes back against Trump cuts
Measure gives agency slight boost and blocks multiyear awards and cuts to indirect costs
Predicting aflatoxin risk with seasonal meteorological forecast
Aflatoxin contamination in maize (Zea mays), primarily caused by Aspergillus flavus, is strongly influenced by meteorological conditions and remains a major food safety concern. Predictive...
Classifying pan-Arctic supra-permafrost aquifer function under present and projected conditions
The changing Arctic climate is affecting groundwater flow and storage in supra-permafrost aquifers due to groundwater recharge changes and thaw-driven alterations to aquifer properties and...
Typology of U.S. transit systems reveals energy data gap and potential for diesel-based emissions reductions
We present a typology of 2205 U.S. transit systems, derived from 167 operational indicators in the National Transit Database, to reveal distinct patterns. Using kernel...
Trading away forests: embodied deforestation in agriculture and livestock through a gravity model
Global trade in agricultural and livestock commodities plays a significant role in driving deforestation, as land-use changes in producer countries often supply consumption in distant...
Who owns the desert basins of the American West? A typology for moving beyond the public–private binary in conservation and development
Desert lakes worldwide are being lost to human water diversions and land use change, creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that benefit distant interests. In the American West,...
Decrease in the spatial inhomogeneity of tropical cyclone rainfall in China
The increasing impact of tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall underscores the need to understand regional variations in its spatial distribution. Using high-resolution satellite precipitation data from...
Climate at Davos: Energy security in the geopolitical driving seat
The annual World Economic Forum got underway on Tuesday in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, providing a snowy stage for government and business leaders...
Global evidence for co-variability of tidal constituents
Understanding how tides respond to short-term climate variability and long-term climatic trends is central to projecting future coastal hazards. While past research has focused on...
Future changes in the influence of the Southern Annular Mode on South Pacific chlorophyll-a in the CESM2 large ensemble
The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the leading mode of atmospheric variability in the Southern Hemisphere, exerting a significant influence on ocean circulation and marine...
Huge amounts of extra land needed for RFK Jr’s meat-heavy diet guidelines
Even 25% increase in meat and dairy consumption would require 100m more acres of agricultural land, analysis saysThe Trump administration’s new dietary guidelines urging Americans...
As Greenland loses ice, global sea levels will rise—and its own will fall
The island is rebounding from ice melt so fast that scientists are rethinking how Earth’s interior works
Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores?
The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half...
A California Climate Expert Is Working to Restore Climate Risk Scores Deleted by Zillow
The real estate website scrubbed the data under pressure from California’s real estate brokers and agents who were concerned about its impact on home prices....
In Bangladesh, thousands of volunteers are battling climate-fueled disease at its source
It is a cloudy, humid September morning near the end of monsoon season in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and one of the world’s most...
Trump is keeping coal on life support. How long can it last?
Heading into President Donald Trump’s second term, coal looked like an industry nearing the end of its life. Utilities planned to retire more than half...
Antarctic penguins have radically shifted their breeding season – seemingly in response to climate change
Changing temperatures may be behind change in behaviour, which experts fear threatens three species’ survivalPenguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding season, apparently as...
In the Brazilian Amazon, an Indigenous Bioeconomy Takes Root
In the southern Brazilian Amazon, seed collectors carefully search the forest floor. They move among the trees, mindful not to harm surrounding plants as they...
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