Hey team, and welcome back to one5c! It’s super important in weeks like this—when much of the country is in a deep blast of biting cold—to remember that climate is not weather. Weather is a measure of what’s going on in the atmosphere at a given time (stuff like temperature, precipitation, wind), and it can change daily and can swing wildly from one extreme to another. Climate is about patterns that occur over decades. Think of it this way: Weather is what tells you you might need to put on a scarf; climate is what tells you how to stock your wardrobe.
You signed up for a climate-action newsletter, so the idea that the world can be warming even though it’s positively freezing outside isn’t news to you. But I find it centering to remind myself of plain facts like this one in moments when the denial narratives have an opportunity to pop into the conversation. In fact, I even find it motivating, which is why I’m glad for a couple easy and impactful to-dos we’ve got for y’all this week. —Corinne
WHAT WE’RE INTO THIS WEEK
By Sara Kiley Watson
Action alert
Let’s fix those ultra-confusing ‘best by’ labels
Ever tossed out a can of beans or tub of yogurt because the little date on the package made it seem like it was inedible? Well, we’ve all been there: 84% of consumers chuck some of their food because the “best-by” date told ’em to. The thing is, those dates mean pretty much nothing in terms of food safety. That means we’re not only throwing money away, but also sending food waste to the landfill to decompose and burp methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The FDA currently has a proposal out to swap those “best by” dates for a clearer “best if used by” stamp. The agency is now taking public comments on the change, which is a great chance to voice your support. Click right here to tell the agency why you back the new labeling scheme, and use data (like, say, the stats in this email!) to make your point.
Greenwatch
Are IVF cows really greener beef?
Many of us have a dream of tucking into a climate-friendly cheeseburger. After all, livestock accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A big part of this contribution traces back to all the land it takes to raise and feed cattle, but another chunk of the negative impacts grabs the headlines: Cows are especially troublesome thanks to their methane-filled farts. Solutions to ease this gassy problem crop up on the regular—be they mineral salt supplements or a diet of seaweed. The latest effort making the rounds proposes using IVF to genetically select for more “methane-efficient” animals. Unfortunately, it’s likely a lot of hot air: Even if the fart issue were to go poof, it doesn’t change the fact that livestock use up some 80% of agricultural land. For now, the most tried and tested way to lower emissions from our diets is to skip the beef.
Study guide
A fresh reminder to keep your phone
The technosphere—aka the melange of machines, gadgets, buildings, cars, and more filling the world—is a massive carbon sink. At least for as long as those pieces of tech are in use. A new study published in Cell Reports Sustainability has found that 8.4 gigatonnes of carbon accumulated in the technosphere between 1996 and 2019. Sounds great, right? Your iPad and Prius are socking away planet-warming gases! The rub? That’s only true as long as the products stay in use. Millions of tons of e-waste wind up in landfills every year, and a hefty chunk of these products get incinerated, sending that carbon (otherwise known as “embodied carbon”) bursting out into the atmosphere. The key to reaping the benefits is to use the stuff you have for as long as possible. Our tips for extending the life of your phone can help get you started.
Cause for optimism
Why EVs love cold roads
When it gets icy out, some EV drivers get nervous. Range can take a hit when it’s cold, because it takes extra energy to keep the car defrosted and the chemical reaction that keeps lithium-ion batteries chugging slows down when it’s chilly. But, reports InsideEVs’ Patrick George, an electric whip has one leg up on traditional vehicles—and that’s traction. An EV is way faster at getting power than a gas-powered car, which means delivering the torque and making EVs extra good at maintaining a grip on the road in wintry weather. Certain EVs will handle the chill better than others, but many perform pretty darn well even without the help of snow tires.
MIC-DROP CLIMATE STAT
5.1 tons
The annual carbon savings of swapping an electric furnace for a heat pump—equivalent to the emissions of 10 round-trip flights between New York and Los Angeles. Thinking of making the switch? Check out our guide to get started.
CLIAMTE SPEAK
THE STORIES WE HAVE OUR EYES ON IN 2025
By Sara Kiley Watson
2025 is here, and there’s a lot coming. The impacts of climate change will continue to seep into our everyday lives, and all that’s happening against the backdrop of an incoming administration that has little to say about solving that problem and promises policies that will likely make it worse. Here are four big stories we’ve got our eyes on in the coming months.
Can the IRA survive?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), President Joe Biden’s stacked 2022 climate bill, provides funding for the gamut of clean energy and low-carbon initiatives, from helping families make their homes efficient and boosting renewable energy production to electric school buses. According to a recent report from American Clean Power, the IRA stands to grow the economy by $1.9 trillion over the next year. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to eliminate the IRA, but there’s a whole cohort of people across the political spectrum hoping to leave the policy and its benefits alone. It’ll be interesting to see if fossil fuel interests or climate-smart economic policies come out on top.
The changing landscape of climate fault
The concept that the polluter must pay for damage wrought on the environment isn’t new—it’s the driving principle behind how the U.S. government cleans up Superfund sites. But that approach is now gaining traction when it comes to who’s responsible for heating up the planet. Last year, the International Court of Justice heard arguments from more than 100 at-risk nations asking for greater legal repercussions for the wealthy nations most responsible for the climate crisis, and Vermont and New York passed laws that would require parties responsible for fossil fuel extraction to pay for climate adaptation projects. This tension is sure to find its way into the courts, and we’ve got our eyes peeled.
A new cycle of strange weather
2024 was officially the hottest year on record, and the global average temperature now sits at 1.3 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures—even if it doesn’t feel like it, as millions across the U.S. are blasted by some of the heaviest snowfall and coldest temperatures of the decade. According to a recent report from World Weather Attribution, the connection between a hotter planet and extreme weather events like massive flooding, heat waves in the Amazon rainforest, and superstorms is unmistakable. While La Niña patterns might make 2025 slightly cooler, this trip around the sun will hardly be “safe” or “normal,” Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London, tells Reuters.
Local climate action
State and local leaders aren’t backing away from their climate goals, and their power isn’t something to scoff at. An analysis from the University of Maryland has found that nonfederal leaders could slim emissions by 54% to 62% even if the federal government rolls back policy or does nothing at all. “[Mayors] are going to double down on our commitment, passion, and vigor to continue to address these issues, especially at the local level,” Justin Bib, the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, and chair of Climate Mayors, told Smart Cities Dive. At the same time, the young activists who organized during President Trump’s first term are entering adulthood and training their attention toward local and state-level battles and policies.