2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #20

Stories we promoted this week, by category:

Climate Change Impacts (10 articles)

• This critical climate system is tipping…. Or is it? DrGilbz on Youtube, Ella Gilbert, May 9, 2026.
• This summer, the American water crisis becomes real Concerns over water access are poised to consume summer in the U.S., as crises in Corpus Christi and across the Colorado River threaten to boil over. Grist, Molly Taft, May 10, 2026.
• Poll: Most Coloradans say climate change is harming human health More than 1 in 3 Coloradans say they or a loved one has experienced a climate-change related health impact, according to new survey data Colorado Sun, John Ingold, May 11, 2026.
• Why has this autumn been so hot and dry? Australia's autumn behaves as expected from climate models The Conversation, Kimberley Reid, May 11, 2026.
• 2026 Has Already Broken Climate Records. El Niño Could Break More. The increasingly likely emergence of an El Niño this summer will likely continue the year’s record-breaking weather trends and could lead to “an unprecedented year of global fire,” according to a statement from World Weather Attribution, a climate research collaboration. Eos, Grace van Deelen, May 12, 2026.
• Some climate shocks can increase the likelihood of war Researchers warn against oversimplifying climate change’s role in conflicts, but some conditions can increase the likelihood of violence. The Daily Climate, EHN Curators, May 12, 2026.
• Something startling is happening in the Gulf of Mexico Its waters are heating up twice as fast as the global oceans, with huge implications for hurricane risk. Yale Climate Connections, Jeff Masters, May 13, 2026.
• Melting of Greenland ice sheet could release large stores of methane Seismic surveys and sediment cores suggest that dozens of deep pockmarks on the sea floor were created when Arctic methane stores were disrupted by climate change after the last glacial maximum. New Scientist, Alec Luhn, May 14, 2026.
• Scientists find climate change is reducing oxygen in rivers worldwide Global warming is causing rivers to slowly lose oxygen, threatening fish and other lives. The Independent News, Seth Borenstein, May 15, 2026.
• Are we wrong about this..? Dr Gilbz on Youtube, Ella Gilbert, May 15, 2026.

Climate Science and Research (4 articles)

• Why Should You Care About Changes In Atlantic Ocean Currents? Mechanisms and impacts of a collapsing Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) explained— good to know because AMOC cessation is currently a favorite hobbyhorse of climate denialists due to it being convenently confusing. CleanTechnica, Carolyn Fortuna, May 09, 2026.
• Antarctica is melting from below and scientists say it`s worse than expected Hidden warm-water traps beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves may be speeding up sea level rise far faster than expected. ScienceDaily, iC3 Polar Research Hub, May 10, 2026.
• Drilling Into the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica A deep read on the why, how and extraordinary challenges of obtaining deep samples of the sea level critical Thwaites glacier, with some spectacular photographs. NYT, Raymond Zhong and Chang W. Lee, May 11, 2026.
• A New Study Explains How Carbon Dioxide Cools the Upper Atmosphere-and Warms Earth Below In a new study, researchers from Columbia University describe the phenomenon’s mechanics, illuminating how it is largely determined by the way carbon dioxide (CO2) interacts with different wavelengths of light. State of the Planet, Columbia Climate School, May 12, 2026.

Climate Policy and Politics (3 articles)

• Top climate research center at risk of cuts sues Trump administration Universities that run the National Center for Atmospheric Research want to keep it from being dismantled Scientific American, Alexandra Witze, May 09, 2026.
• Nudge theory was all about taking responsibility - but it allowed big business to look the other way 'Nudges" inadvertently result in ''responsibilisation,'' disproportionate assignment of culpability for environmental harm to individuals when that harm is rooted in industrial practices often begging for better regulation. The Conversation, Nick Chater, May 11, 2026.
• The Global Impact of Losing U.S. Sea Level Science Cuts to climate science risk halting or even erasing decades of progress in global change research—just as risks from rising seas demand better data, informed decisionmaking, and faster action. Eos, Andra J. Garner, Robert E. Kopp, Gregory G. Garner, Aimée B. A. Slangen and Benjamin P. Horton, May 15, 2026.

Climate Education and Communication (2 articles)

• The scientific study story has a questionable future. That may be a good thing The way we do science journalism is going to change ReportEarth, Chris Mooney, May 11, 2026.
• As tick bites surge, conspiracy theories follow The conspiracists are right about one thing: Ticks are getting worse. Grist, Zoya Teirstein, May 14, 2026.

Climate Law and Justice (2 articles)

• Why climate action stalls, despite widespread popular support The Conversation, Laurie Parsons, May 08, 2026.
• Changing climate law to prevent civil cases removes a key protection for NZ citizens The government’s plan to change the law to bar claims for harms from greenhouse gas emissions shuts down New Zealand’s most important climate tort case, meaning it will never be decided on its merits. The Conversation, Bjørn-Oliver Magsig, May 14, 2026.

Health Aspects of Climate Change (2 articles)

• How climate change could help hantavirus find more hosts Experts say extreme weather is boosting the odds that the pathogens carried by rodents will spill over into human populations. Grist, Zoya Teirstein, May 12, 2026.
• Hantavirus is a climate story Scientists tell HEATED the hantavirus outbreak is a warning that climate change is scrambling the boundaries between humans, wildlife, and disease. HEATED, Emily Atkin, May 14, 2026.

Miscellaneous (2 articles)

• 2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19 A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 3, 2026 thru Sat, May 9, 2026. Skeptical Science, Bärbel Winkler & Doug Bostrom, May 10, 2026.
• Trump`s EPA Seeks Looser Construction Rules for Gas Plants, Data Centers and Factories Changes would allow companies to begin more construction before an air permit is issued—ramping up the pressure for permit approval. Inside Climate News, Charles Paullin, May 12, 2026.

• How this climate conference secured a breakthrough Youtube, Simon Clark, May 7, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Science (1 article)

• Talking Shop: Trump's Embrace of Climate Denialism Youtube, Covering Climate Now, May 7, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Solutions (1 article)

• But what about China' ‘But what about China?’ is a fair question. China is simultaneously the world’s largest emitter and the world’s leading ‘electrostate’. Climate Trunk, John Lang, May 10, 2026.

Posted by BaerbelW on Sunday, 17 May, 2026

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