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Climate change is widely taught in American public schools—but students are receiving mixed messages

9Jul

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University, Science

Climate change is widely taught in American public schools—but students are receiving mixed messages

Only 27 U.S. states received a B+ or better on how they teach climate change, according to a report from the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund. Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels.com By Josh Archote Roughly 75% of public school science teachers in the U.S. teach climate change and almost all public school students likely receive at least some education about recent global warming, according to a 2016 paper from the National Center for Science Education. But students are receiving mixed messages from teachers about the causes of global warming, the report found. Among its findings: More than a quarter of teachers give equal time to perspectives that raise doubt about the scientific consensus.Few teachers doubt that average global ...

Ocean warming could have negative effects on marine life and coastal communities

1Jul

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University, Science

Ocean warming could have negative effects on marine life and coastal communities

Ocean warming could disrupt marine life ecosystems and have negative effects on coastal communities that rely on fisheries. Photo by thanhhoa tran on Pexels.com By Ava Borskey, Nicole Nguyen Jade Cave has lived near the ocean since her family moved to Fiji, a small island in the South Pacific, when she was 6 years old. “I was raised by a community of people whose history and culture are directly linked to the ocean,” Cave said. “It was a fundamental aspect of the identity of the country that raised me.” Now 17 and a resident of Cape Town, South Africa, Cave has continued to observe the impacts the ocean has on her life. “When I look at the ocean…I see coastal communities all over the global South whose lives, cultures, history and existence is held in that water,” Cave said....

The Battle over Ballona: Wetlands, SoCalGas and Protestors

22Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Energy, Loyola Marymount University, Video

The Battle over Ballona: Wetlands, SoCalGas and Protestors

https://youtu.be/frRi643dfQU Edited by Cristobal Spielmann. Just outside the front gate to LMU, the Ballona Wetlands are the site of more than just flora and fauna. A SoCal gas reserve on the wetlands is drawing concern from activists and L.A. politicians alike. Watch to learn more about natural gas and the battle at Ballona. Check out more about the use of natural gas here, and why people oppose it here.

Southern Louisiana at risk of more severe hurricanes, heavier rainfall as planet warms

16Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University, Science

Southern Louisiana at risk of more severe hurricanes, heavier rainfall as planet warms

Broken tree limbs and debris sit aside a road in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura brought up to 137 mph winds to the City. Photo by Rob Perillo. By Josh Archote, Domenic Purdy LAKE CHARLES, LA – The last year of extreme weather in Louisiana has been devastating. Two back-to-back major hurricanes, an ice storm and a spring flood have left the region, especially Southwestern Louisiana, in a perpetual state of recovery.  The state’s fifth largest city, Lake Charles, has suffered greatly from each catastrophe, leading the Weather Channel to call it the “most weather-battered city” in America.  Today, as the state enters what’s projected to be another active hurricane season, residents are still battling with insurance compani...

‘We’re tired. But we’re strong’: the future of weather-battered Southwestern Louisiana

16Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University

‘We’re tired. But we’re strong’: the future of weather-battered Southwestern Louisiana

By Josh Archote, Domenic Purdy LAKE CHARLES, LA -- Lifelong Lake Charles, Louisiana, resident Madeline Reeves has lived through multiple hurricanes and floods. But the last year of natural disasters in Southwestern Louisiana has been unprecedented. Madeline Reeves, pictured right, a 24-year old nurse, and her mother, Lisa Thompson, have lived in Lake Charles their entire lives. Reeves, a 24-year-old nurse at Lake Charles’ largest hospital, said she’s observed increased sickness in her patients after hurricanes Laura and Delta displaced thousands in 2020. “I see a lot of the effects of people being displaced, not having access to their medication or ignoring problems they may have been experienci...

Carbon storage, hurricanes and history: The importance of preserving coastal wetlands

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University

Carbon storage, hurricanes and history: The importance of preserving coastal wetlands

Louisiana wetlands continue to disappear, threatening to displace coastal communities and release stored carbon into the atmosphere By Nicole Nguyen BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana native Jack Green’s family grew up in Lake Charles, and their history is rooted in the state and its natural landscape.  “People tie their culture to Louisiana and all these different cultures that are so endemic to the coastline, and I think that’s all tied to the land and appreciation of natural wildlife,” Green said. But many of the wetlands Green’s family grew up around had eroded by the time he was born. “When my parents were growing up, they would tell me stories of what it used to look like prior to now,” Green said. “There's still a little bit ...

United Nations panel deems new industrial development in ‘Cancer Alley’ form of environmental racism

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University

United Nations panel deems new industrial development in ‘Cancer Alley’ form of environmental racism

By Josh Archote This piece was originally published on March 21, 2021, by The Reveille. The Mississippi River bridge sits on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 on the Mississippi River. Courtesy of Elizabeth Sullivan. In St. James Parish, a welcome sign sitting beside a gravel road is covered in reddish-brown dust called bauxite, a potentially harmfulbyproduct of an alumina manufacturing plant nearby. Below the sign in white letters barely visible through the dust reads “Don’t Litter” and the phone number to report litterers. But littering is the least of concerns for residents in St. James and surrounding parishes, who are exposed to some of the highest concentrations of cancer-causing chemicals and toxic air in the country. [1, 2]. “You can see that the air is n...

Algal blooms brought on by climate change and nutrient runoff a danger to fishing, coastal communities

8Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Kent State University, Louisiana State University

Algal blooms brought on by climate change and nutrient runoff a danger to fishing, coastal communities

By Domenic Purdy, Spencer Hayes and Madison Ledyard-King An active algal bloom consumes Lake Erie where summer blooms have impacted fishing and recreational activities. “You have to adapt with time,” said longtime fisherman David Koch, founder of Sandusky’s Whites Landings Fisheries in Ohio.Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Summer is here. That means mouth-watering barbecues, sunscreen and fun on the water. But thanks in part to rising temperatures due to climate change, vacationers may run into unwanted guests as summers become warmer: algal blooms. Waterways separated by thousands of miles are experiencing a dangerous buildup of algae, not just ruining family fun, but threatening people’s livelihoods. For blue co...