Welcome to the week.
First things first: the US Constitution guarantees immigrant rights. Know those rights and defend our friends who are most at-risk with our Defend Our Friends shirts — on sale now for $1 each (100% of profits go to the ACLU). Fuck ICE.
And now, in other news:
This Week
And more!
Have a great week,
— Willow
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Last week, we asked: Do you believe AI weather forecasting will become more important as climate change intensifies?
You said:
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Absolutely critical for adaptation (16%)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Very important for managing climate impacts (32%)
“I think if used correctly and run by ethical people, it would drastically increase our chances of being prepared for ever more frequently changing and surprising weather events.”
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Somewhat helpful but not game-changing (23%)
“As with so much related to AI, it’s hard to predict what future capabilities will look like. But if AI can help researchers determine patterns and speed up their work (without fostering over-reliance and cutting out human judgment and expertise), I can see it being very impactful.”
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not particularly relevant (7%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Could actually be counterproductive (17%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Something else (write in!) (5%)
“A few things here: For the MOMENT it's been better than experts at predicting for the short term. AI can only digest and apply what we've told it. We don't have enough information to know how good our models are yet and AI doesn't pivot. AI meets a philosophical definition of bullshit ("unconcerned with truth or falsity") and therefore we have no way to knowing when or how it's wrong unless humans guide the process, but Given what the Trump administration is doing to the NOAA it may be in many cases our only choice. So I guess g) all of the above?”
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⚡️ Climate change:
Mayors are taking local climate action into their own hands by electrifying transportation, creating more green spaces, and implementing energy efficiency programs that address climate change while reducing costs and creating jobs (Grist)
New research suggests that heat waves can increase disease burden by up to 13 times compared to normal temperatures, creating complex effects on parasite transmission that current climate-disease models may be overlooking (Bloomberg)
More than $14 billion in clean energy projects have been canceled or delayed this year due to concerns over the elimination of clean energy credits, resulting in the loss of 10,000 jobs (AP News)
🌍 Indian states and private companies are beginning to introduce livestock insurance to compensate dairy farmers for production losses caused by heat stress (Down To Earth)
🌎 India has launched a new weather forecasting model to improve agricultural planning and flood management, as monsoon rains become more challenging to predict (Bloomberg)
🦠 Health & Bio:
Happy Pride! Here’s a list of major corporations that have withdrawn their sponsorship and support for Pride parades and LGBTQ+ support in 2025 (Popular Information)
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (actual doctors) have expressed concern and disappointment over the HHS’s decision to no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy, reiterating that the vaccine remains safe and crucial for protecting pregnant patients and infants (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
The Trump administration has canceled a contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine for humans (despite scientific consensus on the safety and effectiveness of mRNA technology, and the looming bird flu crisis) (The New York Times)
🌎 Tuberculosis was once responsible for up to 25% of all deaths in 18th and 19th century Europe and America. Not anymore, because of public health! It’s about time we get it done for the rest of the world (Our World in Data)
Despite often being portrayed as a tragic medical disaster, many people actively choose and benefit from a hysterectomy, but face barriers to access due to a medical system that views people with uteruses primarily as potential mothers (Yes! Magazine)
💦 Food & Water:
Some nuanced coverage of ultra-processed foods! Thank God! While they are associated with poor health outcomes, they serve practical purposes and can still be part of a healthy diet (they key is overall diet quality) (Your Local Epidemiologist)
Milwaukee’s lead poisoning crisis has been left to the city to handle alone after the CDC’s lead poisoning experts were laid off in April (Vox)
The proposed budget cuts would slash $6.7 billion from USDA programs, including funding for conservation services, NIH research, WIC benefits for fruits and vegetables, and international food aid programs. Get mad! (Civil Eats)
New research suggests that “atmospheric thirst” caused by higher temperatures from climate change has made droughts 40% more severe over the past four decades (The New York Times)
Wildtype, based in San Francisco, has become the first company approved to sell cultivated seafood in the US after receiving FDA clearance for its cell-cultured salmon (Ag Funder News)
👩💻 Beep Boop:
The Anthropic CEO warns that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, spiking unemployment to 10-20% within the next one to five years (Axios)
AI companies will inevitably incorporate advertising, potentially manipulating users’ decisions without their awareness (Big Technology)
Teachers and professors are overwhelmed by students using AI to complete assignments, spending countless hours trying to detect AI use (404 Media)
Widespread AI cheating is causing major universities to bring back pen-and-paper testing (Gizmodo)
Some potential policy principles to protect children from harmful digital technology could include age verification, phone-free schools, minimum design standards, and AI regulations (After Babel)
🌎 = Global news
This month could change everything
You've heard people say it. It shouldn't have been called Earth. It should have been called Ocean, but it is simultaneously a planet of trees.
As Richard Powers put it in The Overstory: We live in a world of trees. Once something like 6 trillion trees, and humanity are the late arrivals. So how do we reconnect with trees to stop using them for toilet paper?
How do we learn more about why they're suffering and in some unexpected places surviving to know them, to care for them, and maybe even know ourselves a little bit better along the way?
My guest today is Marguerite Holloway.
Marguerite is the author of the wonderful new book Take To The Trees: A Story of Hope, Science, and Self-Discovery in America's Imperiled Forests. Marguerite is a professor at Columbia University's graduate school of journalism. She loves maps and is the author of The Measure of Manhattan.
She has written about science, including climate change, natural history and environmental issues, public health, physics, neuroscience, and women in science for publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Natural History, WIRED and Scientific American, where she was a long time writer and editor.
📖 Prefer to read? Get the transcript here.
▶ Or watch the full episode on YouTube.
Last week’s most popular Action Step was learning how to avoid forever chemicals with this list of PFAS-free brands.
🌏 Donate to improve air quality and reduce deforestation in Africa with burn’s efficient cooking appliances.
🌎 Volunteer with GVI and participate in their ethical, sustainable, proven conservation and community programs that make real, lasting change.
🌎 Get educated about all things water by subscribing to Circle of Blue for their excellent coverage of the water crisis.
Be heard about keeping tax dollars in programs that feed families instead of providing tax breaks for the rich, and call your Senators.
Invest in mutual funds and EFTs that aren’t invested in fossil fuels using Fossil Free Funds.
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