2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17

Stories we promoted this week, by category:

Climate Change Impacts (10 articles)

• A more troubling picture of sea level rise is coming into view Scientists have uncovered a “blind spot” in the research on rising seas, revealing that tens of millions of people thought safe from coastal flooding are at risk of inundation. Grist, Fred Pearce, Apr 18, 2026.
• Wildfires used to 'go to sleep' at night. Climate change is turning them into prime burning hours Phys.org, Seth Borenstein, Apr 18, 2026.
• The Guardian view on Japan`s cherry blossom: when spring slips out of time | Editorial A 1,200-year dataset shows the ‘peak bloom’ is arriving earlier. Global heating is unsettling nature’s rhythms – and their cultural meaning The Guardian, Editorial, Apr 19, 2026.
• Lost millennium of Galapagos deep-sea corals linked to major Pacific climate shift Phys.org, University of Bristol, Apr 20, 2026.
• State of the climate: Strong El Niño puts 2026 on track for second-warmest year The first three months of 2026 have been the fourth warmest on record, with each successive month surpassing historical averages by a greater margin. Carbon Brief, Zeke Hausfather, Apr 21, 2026.
• What`s driving the catastrophic wildfires in Georgia Drought conditions have been worsening for months in the Southeast. Now tens of thousands of acres are burning, displacing people and destroying dozens of homes. Grist, Emily Jones, Apr 22, 2026.
• As Climate Disasters Create an Insurance Crisis, a California Bill Seeks to Make Fossil Fuel Companies Pay Premiums “have gone through the roof” and insurers have been leaving the state as the costs of disasters soar amid worsening extreme weather. Inside Climate News, Steven Rodas, Apr 23, 2026.
• Hot, dry and hurricane-scarred: How climate change fueled wildfires in Georgia and Florida Widespread drought in the Southeast is largely to blame for the fires, but their spread has also been fueled by leftover debris from past hurricanes that swept across the region. NBC News, Denise Chow, Apr 24, 2026.
• The “grim news” that isn’t making headlines Dr Gilbz on Youtube, Anna Gilbert, Apr 24, 2026.
• The Next El Niño Could Lock Earth Into a Hotter Climate The Pacific heat pulse is temporary, but scientists warn that its climate impacts are not. Inside Climate News, Bob Berwyn, Apr 25, 2026.

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation (3 articles)

• Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for `first time ever` Renewable energy has overtaken coal to become the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, according to thinktank Ember. Carbon Brief, Molly Lempriere, Apr 20, 2026.
• Why Climate Work Is Community Work State of the Planet, Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht, Apr 23, 2026.
• Transition risk: The human cost of net zero Stranded assets and ghost factories The Climate Brink, Andrew Dessler, Apr 23, 2026.

Climate Law and Justice (3 articles)

• Climate Change, the Courts and US policy - a Critical Perspective From a Former Judge of the UK Supreme Court Climate Law Blog, Robert Carnwath, Apr 22, 2026.
• Republicans introduce extreme bill to ban lawsuits against Big Oil forever HEATED, Emily Atkin, Apr 23, 2026.
• Criminalisation of climate protesters in UK is counterproductive, research finds Study of 1,300 campaigners finds arrests, fines and jail terms increase determination of activists to take direct action The Guardian, Damian Carrington, Apr 25, 2026.

Miscellaneous (3 articles)

• Big Oil Breaks Everything The planet, our democracy, our courts... The Crucial Years, Bill McKibben, Apr 19, 2026.
• 2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #16 A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 12, 2026 thru Sat, April 18, 2026. Skeptical Science, Bärbel Winkler, John Hartz and Doug Bostrom, Apr 19, 2026.
• EGU2026 - My plans for attending virtually The European Geoscience Union's General Assembly will take place from May 4 to 8 in Vienna and online. Skeptical Science, Bärbel Winkler, Apr 22, 2026.

Climate Science and Research (2 articles)

• Madagascar's ancient baobabs store 700 years of climate secrets-what they reveal The Conversation, Estelle Razanatsoa, Lindsey Gillson, Malika Virah-Sawmy, Apr 20, 2026.
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2026 2026''s 17th edition of Skeptical Science's weekly climate research introduces a new regular feature: scoreboarding citations of previously listed articles. Skeptical Science, Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodack, Apr 23, 2026.

International Climate Conferences and Agreements (2 articles)

• Revealed: Scientists tell Colombia fossil-fuel transition summit to `halt new expansion` Countries attending a first-of-its-kind fossil-fuel summit have been asked to consider “action recommendations” such as “halting all new fossil-fuel expansion” and “reject[ing] gas as a bridging fuel”, according to a preliminary scientific report seen by Carbon Brief. Carbon Brief, Daisy Dunne, Apr 20, 2026.
• New global panel aims to accelerate move away from fossil fuels Scientists and economists will help countries develop plans to reduce dependence on oil, gas and coal The Guardian, Jonathan Watts and Fiona Harvey, Apr 25, 2026.

Health Aspects of Climate Change (2 articles)

• This Growing Climate Threat Could Be Increasing Your Blood Pressure Lede: A growing body of research suggests that saltwater leaching into freshwater supplies is increasing the risk of human health problems. Inside Climate News, Kiley Price, Apr 21, 2026.
• Pollen season in UK and mainland Europe extended by climate breakdown Research finds global heating has already lengthened the pollen season in addition to worsening heatwaves and droughts The Guardian, Ajit Niranjan, Apr 22, 2026.

Climate Education and Communication (1 article)

• The really big picture, in four pictures If you had to explain climate change in 10 seconds, what would you say? Climate Trunk, John Lang, Apr 22, 2026.

Climate Policy and Politics (1 article)

• Q&A: What Magyar`s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy The right-wing populist Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán has suffered a landslide electoral defeat to the centre-right Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar. Carbon Brief, Josh Gabbatiss, Apr 17, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Solutions (1 article)

• Trust, Media Habits, and Misperceptions Shape Public Understanding of Climate Change Most Americans are concerned about climate change, but they don’t think most others share that concern. That quiet misunderstanding is one of the biggest barriers to climate action in the United States. This report explores how trust in information, media consumption patterns, and perceptions of others shape how people think about climate change. The findings point to a striking paradox: while many Americans trust the information they encounter and are concerned about climate change, they believe others are far less concerned and less able to recognize accurate information. ecoAmerica, Marryam Ishaq , Apr 09, 2026.

Posted by BaerbelW on Sunday, 26 April, 2026

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