Eco Report – January 27, 2023

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HEADLINES

All Stories by Norm Holy

With the legislature in session, there are many bills that will impact the quality of life in Indiana. Will the legislature address real problems, or will special interests dominate again this year?

A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings.

Midwest Energy says the appeal of electric cars is straightforward: Owners get to save money by skipping trips to the gas station and feel good about doing their part to cut carbon emissions. That’s part of the reason why U.S. sales are currently soaring.

The world remained firmly in warming’s grip last year, with extreme summer temperatures in Europe, China and elsewhere contributing to 2022 being the fifth-hottest year on record, European climate researchers said this week.

America’s greenhouse gas emissions from energy and industry rose last year, moving the nation in the opposite direction from its climate goals, according to preliminary estimates published by the Rhodium Group, a nonpartisan research firm.

A new study published in Science calculated how different degrees of warming would impact the more than 215,000 glaciers that exist outside Antarctica and Greenland.

Inside Climate Change says forests managed by Indigenous peoples and other local communities in the Amazon region draw vast amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, while the rest of the rainforest has become a net source of the greenhouse gas, a new report has found.

A New York Times story provides a fascinating insight into our climate long ago. Eva-Maria Sadowski, a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, didn’t have a particular agenda in mind when she decided to borrow the biggest fossil flower preserved in amber ever found.

 

CALENDAR

The Eagles Over Monroe event returns with a full slate of programs and activities continuing now, and running through Tuesday, January 31st.  Each day offers a special event or activity.  To learn about all the activities and to sign up, go to the DNR website.

Learn all about Backyard Birds at McCormick’s Creek State Park on Saturday, January 28th, beginning at 10 am.  Meet in the bird viewing room at the Nature Center to learn about feeding the birds and not the racoons.

Don’t forget about Whooper Wednesdays at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area this coming Wednesday, February 1st, beginning at 8 am.  Walk the property to spot resident winter birds, including the endangered Whooping Cranes.  Meet at the Visitors Center and dress for the weather.

The Brown County State Park Hike Series continues with a “The Lake That Never Was” Hike on Saturday, February 4th, from 11 am to 1:30 pm.  You will learn about Taylor Hollow Lake, a lake that was started but never finished.  The hike is about 2.5 miles long and is very rugged.  Lots of steep climbs with ruts and several creek crossing.  Dress for the weather and wear waterproof boots.  Meet at the Nature Center.

Take the Full Snow Moon Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, February 4th, from 8 to 9:30 pm.  Join Anthony for a 1-mile hike on Trail 1 and 4 to learn all the history and folklore of the Full Snow Moon.  Meet at the Lakeview Activity Center.