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We are World Animal Protection. We were known as WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals). Our vision is a world where animals live free from suffering.

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Why Endangered Species Matter

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 to protect "imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" and help them recover.

The Trump administration has put forth a number of proposals that would weaken the ESA. These include measures to allow for the consideration of economic impacts when enforcing the ESA, ending the practice of automatically giving threatened species the same protection as endangered species, and making it easier to remove species from the endangered list.

In a way, this is nothing new because the ESA has been under attack for decades from construction, development, logging, water management, fossil fuel extraction and other industries that contend the act stifles economic development. But between 2016 and 2018 alone, there were almost 150 attempts to undercut the ESA; and last year, from July 8 to 22, Republicans in Congress or the Trump administration introduced 24 such measures and spending bill riders.

These bills included efforts to remove the gray wolf's protected status in Wyoming and the western Great Lakes; a plan to remove from the endangered list the American burying beetle that lives on oil-rich land; and a strategy to roll back protection of the sage-grouse, which also inhabits oil-rich land in the West and whose numbers have declined 90 percent since the West was first settled. The Trump Administration recently opened up nine million acres of sage-grouse habitat to drilling and mining.

Endangered species, if not protected, could eventually become extinct-and extinction has a myriad of implications for our food, water, environment and even health.
Extinction rates are accelerating
Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct over the course of five mass extinctions, which, in the past, were largely a result of natural causes such as volcano eruptions and asteroid impacts. Today, the rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster because of human activity. The main modern causes of extinction are the loss and degradation of habitat (mainly deforestation), over exploitation (hunting, overfishing), invasive species, climate change, and nitrogen pollution.

There are also other threats to species such as the pervasive plastic pollution in the ocean-a recent study found that 100 percent of sea turtles had plastic or microplastic in their systems.

Emerging diseases affecting more and more wildlife species such as bats, frogs and salamanders are the result of an increase in travel and trade, which allows pests and pathogens to hitch rides to new locations, and warming temperatures that enable more pests to survive and spread. Wildlife trafficking also continues to be a big problem because for some species, the fewer members there are, the more valuable they become to poachers and hunters.
How many species are endangered?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, over 26,500 species are in danger of extinction. This includes 40 percent of amphibians, 34 percent of conifers, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 25 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds. In the U.S., over 1,600 species are listed as threatened or endangered.

A 2018 report by the Endangered Species Coalition found that ten species in particular are "imperiled" by the Trump administration's proposals: California condor, giraffe, Hellbender salamander, Humboldt marten, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, red wolf, rusty patched bumble bee,

San Bernardino kangaroo rat, West Indian manatee, and Western yellow-billed cuckoo.
The web of life
While it may seem unimportant if we lose one salamander or rat species, it matters because all species are connected through their interactions in a web of life. A balanced and biodiverse ecosystem is one in which each species plays an important role and relies on the services provided by other species to survive. Healthy ecosystems are more productive and resistant to disruptions.

A recent study found that extreme environmental change could trigger an "extinction domino effect." One of the study's authors said, "Because all species are connected in the web of life, our paper demonstrates that even the most tolerant species ultimately succumb to extinction when the less-tolerant species on which they depend disappear." So saving one species means saving its habitat and the other species that live there too.

"When you lose one species, it affects the ecosystem and everything around it gets a little bit more fragile while it adapts to change," said Kelsey Wooddell, assistant director of the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability. "Even if it's not a keystone species [a species that others in an ecosystem depend on], its loss will weaken the functionality of the entire ecosystem, which just makes it easier for that ecosystem to stop working."
What are the consequences of extinction? Altering ecosystems through cascading effects
If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can prompt cascading effects through the food chain (a "trophic cascade"), impacting other species and the ecosystem itself.

An often-cited example is the impact of the wolves in Yellowstone Park, which were hunted to near extinction by 1930. Without them, the elk and deer they had preyed upon thrived, and their grazing decimated streamside willows and aspens, which had provided habitat for songbirds. This left the stream banks susceptible to erosion, and a decline in songbirds allowed mosquitoes and other insects the birds would have eaten to multiply. When the wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995, they once again preyed on the elk; plant life returned to the stream banks and along with it, birds, beavers, fish and other animals. (Note: David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the Department of the Interior, just announced a proposal to strip gray wolves of their endangered status in the Lower 48 states.)

Kelp forests are another classic example. They play an important role in coastal ecosystems because they provide habitat for other species, protect the coastline from storm surges and absorb carbon dioxide.

Yet kelp forests are rapidly getting mowed down by exploding numbers of purple sea urchin. California sea otters eat the purple sea urchins that feed on giant kelp. These otters used to number in the hundreds of thousands to millions, but their population has been reduced to about 3,000 as a result of unchecked hunting in the 19th century and pollution. Moreover, in 2013 the sunflower starfish, which also eats purple sea urchins, began dying because of a virus that was likely exacerbated by warmer waters. Without the sea otter and the sunflower starfish predators, the purple sea urchin began feasting on the kelp forests, which declined 93 percent between 2013 and 2018. (A new study found that kelp forests are now also threatened by ocean heat waves.) The explosion of sea urchins not only damaged the kelp ecosystem, it also had serious impacts on Northern California's red urchins that are valued for sushi. Fish that need the kelp forests for spawning, such as sculpin, rock cod and red snapper may become vulnerable in the future as well.

As another example, Wooddell explained that on Guam, after the invasive brown tree snake was accidentally introduced to the island in the 1950s, 10 of the island's 12 endemic bird species went extinct. "Typically birds eat seeds and spread seeds elsewhere on the island but that is no longer a functioning ecosystem," she said. "So the forest and the trees have decreased a lot. And Guam is covered in spiders because the birds are not there to eat them."
Losing apex species has multiple effects
Eliminating the large predators at the top of the food chain, the "apex species," may be humans' most serious impact on nature, according to one study. These large species are more vulnerable because they live longer, reproduce more slowly, have small populations, and need more food and a greater habitat area. Scientists say their loss has played a role in pandemics, fires, the decline of valued species and the rise of invasive ones, the reduction of ecosystem services, and decreased carbon sequestration.

Elephants are an apex species that may go extinct in our lifetime, as a result of tourism, habitat loss and poaching for ivory. This could dramatically change ecosystems in Africa and Asia. Through consumption and digestion, elephants disperse more seeds farther than any other animals; this fosters the growth of plants and trees that birds, bats and other animals depend upon for food and shelter.

Elephants also dig water holes that all animals share, and they fertilize the soil with their rich dung, which provides food for other animals.

The loss of apex species can also affect wildfires. After rinderpest, an infectious virus, wiped out many plant-eating wildebeest and buffalo in East Africa in the late 1800s, plants flourished. During the dry season, this over-abundance of vegetation spurred an increase in wildfires. In the 1960s, after rinderpest was eliminated through vaccinations, the wildebeest and buffalo returned. The ecosystem went from shrubbery to grasslands again, decreasing the amount of combustible vegetation, and the wildfires decreased.
Jeopardizing pollination
Seventy-five percent of the world's food crops are partially or completely pollinated by insects and other animals, and practically all flowering plants in the tropical rainforest are pollinated by animals. The loss of pollinators could result in a decrease in seed and fruit production, leading ultimately to the extinction of many important plants.

Flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are the only pollinators of some rainforest plants. They have been over-hunted in tropical forests with several species going extinct. One study noted that 289 plant species, including eucalyptus and agave, rely on flying foxes to reproduce; in turn, these plants were responsible for producing 448 valuable products.

Bees pollinate over 250,000 species of plants, including most of the 87 crops that humans rely on for food, such as almonds, apples and cucumbers.

But in recent years, large populations of bees have been wiped out by the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" wherein adult honeybees disappear from their hive, likely in response to numerous stressors.

Over the last 20 years in the U.S., monarch butterflies, which pollinate many wildflowers, have decreased 90 percent. The rusty-patched bumble bee, another important pollinator and the first bee species to be put on the endangered list, now only occupies one percent of its former range.

Insect populations overall are declining due to climate change, habitat degradation, herbicides and pesticides. A 2014 review of insect studies found that most monitored species had decreased by about 45 percent. And a German study found 75 percent fewer flying insects after just 27 years. As insect populations are reduced, the small animals, fish and birds that rely on them for food are being affected, and eventually the predators of fish and birds will feel the impacts as well. One entomologist who had studied insects in the rainforest in the 1970s returned in 2010 to find an up to 60-fold reduction. His study reported "a bottom-up trophic cascade and consequent collapse of the forest food web."
Endangering the food chain
Plankton, tiny plant and animal organisms that live in the ocean or fresh water, make up the foundation of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton are critical to the health of oceans and the planet because they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during photosynthesis.

In 2010, researchers found that phytoplankton had decreased 40 percent globally since 1950, and attributed the decline to rising sea surface temperatures. The scientists speculated that the warming surface waters did not mix well with the cooler, deeper waters rich in nutrients that phytoplankton need. In addition, zooplankton are very sensitive to slight changes in the amount of oxygen in the ocean, and may be unable to adapt as areas of low oxygen expand due to climate change.

The quantity and quality of plankton also affects the nutrition of other creatures further up the food chain. In the Mediterranean Sea, the biomass of sardines and anchovies declined by one-third in just ten years. One scientist speculated that this is because the sardines' and anchovies' normal plankton had disappeared, so they had to resort to eating a less nutritious species of plankton with fewer calories. Changes in plankton quality could be a result of water temperature, pollution or lack of nutrients, but scientists are not exactly sure why the plankton makeup in some places is changing. If it is due to global warming and pollution, some say the situation could worsen.

However, Sonya Dyhrman, a professor in Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who studies phytoplankton with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is more sanguine about the future. "Microbes like phytoplankton can adapt, can acclimate, and can evolve, so I worry less about lineages of phytoplankton going extinct and more about how phytoplankton community composition will change in the future ocean," said Dyhrman.

A different community composition of phytoplankton could change the food web structure, but Dyhrman is not really worried about the total collapse of fisheries. She is concerned, however, that "there could be changes in ocean ecosystems and we don't really know what those changes will be. What will the architecture of that ecosystem look like in the future? The problem is, the ocean is already changing and we don't understand the architecture of the ecosystem right now well enough to predict what will happen in the future."
Losing nature's therapeutic riches
More than a quarter of prescription medications contain chemicals that were discovered through plants or animals. Penicillin was derived from a fungus. Scientists are studying the venom of some tarantulas to see if one of its compounds could help cure diseases such as Parkinson's. One molecule from a rare marine bacterium could be the basis of a new way to treat to melanoma.

Scientists have so far identified about 1.7 million different types of organisms, but between 10 and 50 million species are thought to exist on Earth.

Who knows what substances or capabilities some of these species might possess that could help treat diseases and make human lives easier?
Destroying livelihoods
According to a study for the U.N., the continued loss of species could cost the world 18 percent of global economic output by 2050.

Already, a number of industries have been economically impacted by species loss. The collapse of bee populations has hurt many in the $50 billion-a-year global honey industry. Atlantic cod in the waters off of Newfoundland formed the basis of the local economy since the 15 th century - until overfishing the cod destroyed the livelihoods of local fishermen.
What you can do about extinction
Extinction is hard to see. We may not realize how much of the natural world has been lost because the "baseline" shifts with every generation. Past generations would regard what we see as natural today as terribly damaged, and what we see as damaged today, our children will view as natural.

Wooddell believes the most important thing one can do is to put pressure on Congress and elected leaders to create land management, pollution and other sustainable policies that will protect biodiversity and the environment. However, because it's unlikely that these kinds of top-down policies will be instituted in the current political climate, she recommends mobilizing grassroots community groups to create "bottom-up" policies.

Here are some other things you can do to protect endangered species and prevent extinction:

Eat less meat. Soybean production is one of the main causes of deforestation, and most soybean meal is used for animal feed.

Buy organic food because organic farmers use only non-synthetic or natural pesticides on their crops. Synthetic pesticides may be toxic for other organisms.

Choose sustainable seafood. The Marine Stewardship Council provides a list of certified sustainable fish for responsible eating.

Compost food waste. In New York City, the compost is used for urban farming and gardening, which provide habitat for pollinators.

Buy wood and paper products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, to ensure they're harvested from responsibly managed forests.

Don't buy products made from endangered or threatened species, such as tortoise shell, ivory, coral, some animal skins, and "traditional" medicines.

Be aware of the source of palm oil used in countless food and cosmetic products. Many tropical forests are being razed for palm oil plantations. If a product contains palm oil, make sure it's from a deforestation-free plantation.

Reduce your use of plastic.

If you have a garden, plant native shrubs and flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweed is particularly helpful for monarch butterflies.

Set up a beehive.

Diversify your diet. Eating these 50 foods will promote biodiversity and a healthier plant.

Support and get involved with organizations that are helping endangered animals.

Join the Center for Biological Diversity and use their Take-Action Toolboxes.

Correction: This post was updated on April 3, 2019 to remove a sentence about cownose rays devastating scallop populations off of North Carolina. It turns out that other studies have challenged those findings.

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The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 to protect "imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" and help them recover. The Trump administration has put forth a number of proposals that would weaken the ESA.

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https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/protecting-species

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1IDQSeJ1cs

https://www.independentri.com/arts_and_living/article_3a367422-97dd-11eb-a495-fb64b4fd4490.html

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La Bestia

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El tren de la muerte ("The Death Train") refers to a network of Mexican freight trains that are utilized by U.S.-bound migrants to more quickly traverse the length of Mexico, also known as La Bestia ("The Beast") and El tren de los desconocidos ("The train of the unknowns"). It is estimated that yearly between 400,000 and 500,000 migrants, the majority of whom are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, ride atop these trains in the effort to reach the United States. Although these trains (which transport products and materials including corn, cement, and minerals) are regarded as a free form of travel that allows migrants to avoid Mexico's numerous immigration checkpoints and 48 detention centers, the risks are high and many riders are left with life-altering injuries that limit their capacity to work.

As of May 9, 2014, train operators have banned the passengers from traveling by the train.

Many of the dangers posed by this journey result from the train itself and the process of climbing aboard and getting off moving trains. Because migrants board between 10 and 15 trains during their 1450-mile journey, which typically begins in Arriaga, Chiapas, the chances of sustaining a major injury are high before they even arrive at Lechería station in Mexico City, which serves as a sort of halfway point before the train route scatters into various directions that head closer to different points on the U.S. border. Often, migrants fall asleep while riding atop trains and are jolted off and onto the tracks where many are killed instantly by decapitation, blood loss, and shock. Because accidents often occur during the night and in rural areas, victims are often not found immediately.

As with all migrant routes, those who use freight trains are subject to high rates of violence and property crime. Mexican states crossed by the freight trains also experience very high rates of kidnapping. Due to fears of deportation, it is believed that the actual rates of such crimes are higher than reported.

Many Central American migrants receive aid from Mexican families and community members who provide migrants with food, shelter, clothes, and medicine despite their own poverty. A government support service, called Grupos Beta, was also created to help migrants. Often, Grupos Beta ride along the train tracks and visit rest stops, where they provide medical aid and information to migrants. Essentially, they are a "mobile humanitarian unit [that] does not enforce the law." That is, their purpose is not to convince migrants to not ride the trains to the border, rather their goal is simply to educate migrants about how to protect themselves throughout their journey. Apart from Grupos Beta, the Mexican Government has been criticized for its relaxed approach to the countless instances of rights violations and abuses regarding Central American migrants.

"El Tren de la Muerte" has been depicted in literature, news articles, and in many films, including documentaries. One example is Which Way Home, which specifically follows the stories of children who have left their homes to come to the United States. The children range in age from 9-15 years old and are from places like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. Like many other children, the kids in this documentary travel without an accompanying adult and their mode of transportation is "El Tren de la Muerte." These stories focus on the emotional impact of the journey as well as the physical danger. The documentary also shows what happens to children when they fail to arrive at their destination and are forced to go back to their countries of origin. Many of the other films that center around this topic feature similar stories, such as , , and El Tren de la Muerte. Most of these films have been acclaimed for bringing to light the many circumstances that migrants endure during their journey to the United States.

Sonia Nazario's best-selling novel, "Enrique's Journey", also depicts the process and obstacles of train migration. The book depicts the struggles and dangers of the journey north through the eyes of one migrant. It includes explicit details about migrants' encounters with street gangs, corrupt officials, hunger, exhaustion, discrimination, poor weather, and trains.

El Salvadorian journalist Óscar Martínez's book The Beast also depicts the hardships faced by migrants on the journey to the United States.

Other forms of media have also discussed the topic of migration and the means by which migrants travel to the United States. The presses in Central America, Mexico, and the United States cover the topic with a particular focus on the grim and unfortunate aspects of the migration process.

The train was also featured in Al Jazeera America's Borderland.

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El tren de la muerte ("The Death Train") refers to a network of Mexican freight trains that are utilized by U.S.-bound migrants to more quickly traverse the length of Mexico, also known as La Bestia ("The Beast") and El tren de los desconocidos ("The train of the unknowns").

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https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/effects-of-climate-change

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https://theconversation.com/people-hate-cruelty-to-animals-so-why-do-we-do-it-127448

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How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody (Published 2020)

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The Times has reconstructed the death of George Floyd on May 25. Security footage, witness videos and official documents show how a series of actions by officers turned fatal.

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Climate Change Effects: Earth’s Atmosphere

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Learn about how climate changed effects the Earth’s atmosphere.

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Why More Policing Isn't the Answer to a Rise in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

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Recent anti-Asian hate crimes have targeted the elderly, but many caution against looking to police for safety, saying community efforts are needed.

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Covering about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the world's oceans have a two-way relationship with weather and climate. The oceans influence the weather on local to global scales, while changes in climate can fundamentally alter many properties of the oceans. This chapter examines how some of these important characteristics of the oceans have changed over time.

Why does it matter?

As greenhouse gases trap more energy from the sun, the oceans are absorbing more heat, resulting in an increase in sea surface temperatures and rising sea level. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents brought about by climate change will lead to alterations in climate patterns around the world. For example, warmer waters may promote the development of stronger storms in the tropics, which can cause property damage and loss of life. The impacts associated with sea level rise and stronger storms are especially relevant to coastal communities.

Although the oceans help reduce climate change by storing large amounts of carbon dioxide, increasing levels of dissolved carbon are changing the chemistry of seawater and making it more acidic. Increased ocean acidity makes it more difficult for certain organisms, such as corals and shellfish, to build their skeletons and shells. These effects, in turn, could substantially alter the biodiversity and productivity of ocean ecosystems.

Changes in ocean systems generally occur over much longer time periods than in the atmosphere, where storms can form and dissipate in a single day. Interactions between the oceans and atmosphere occur slowly over many months to years, and so does the movement of water within the oceans, including the mixing of deep and shallow waters. Thus, trends can persist for decades, centuries, or longer. For this reason, even if greenhouse gas emissions were stabilized tomorrow, it would take many more years-decades to centuries-for the oceans to adjust to changes in the atmosphere and the climate that have already occurred.

Summary of Key Points

Ocean Heat. Three independent analyses show that the amount of heat stored in the ocean has increased substantially since the 1950s. Ocean heat content not only determines sea surface temperature, but also affects sea level and currents.

Sea Surface Temperature. Ocean surface temperatures increased around the world during the 20th century. Even with some year-to-year variation, the overall increase is clear, and sea surface temperatures have been consistently higher during the past three decades than at any other time since reliable observations began in the late 1800s.

When averaged over all of the world's oceans, sea level has risen at a rate of roughly six-tenths of an inch per decade since 1880. The rate of increase has accelerated in recent years to more than an inch per decade. Changes in sea level relative to the land vary by region. Along the U.S. coastline, sea level has risen the most along the Mid-Atlantic coast and parts of the Gulf coast, where some stations registered increases of more than 8 inches between 1960 and 2015. Sea level has decreased relative to the land in parts of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
A Closer Look: Land Loss Along the Atlantic Coast. As sea level rises, dry land and wetlands can turn into open water. Along many parts of the Atlantic coast, this problem is made worse by low elevations and land that is already sinking. Between 1996 and 2011, the coastline from Florida to New York lost more land than it gained.

Coastal Flooding. Flooding is becoming more frequent along the U.S. coastline as sea level rises. Nearly every site measured has experienced an increase in coastal flooding since the 1950s. The rate is accelerating in many locations along the East and Gulf coasts. The Mid-Atlantic region suffers the highest number of coastal flood days and has also experienced the largest increases in flooding.

Ocean Acidity. The ocean has become more acidic over the past few decades because of increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which dissolves in the water. Higher acidity affects the balance of minerals in the water, which can make it more difficult for certain marine animals to build their protective skeletons or shells.

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climate change; global warming; science; indicator; data; ocean;

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Climate Change Indicators: Oceans | US EPA

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Covering about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the world's oceans have a two-way relationship with weather and climate. The oceans influence the weather on local to global scales, while changes in climate can fundamentally alter many properties of the oceans. This chapter examines how some of these important characteristics of the oceans have changed over time.

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This story appears in the October 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine.

LIFE, BESIEGED

Most of the animals shown here are among the more than 28,000 species of animals and plants that the International Union for Conservation of Nature says are threatened with extinction. That number actually understates the risk. Since 1964, when the IUCN established a " red list" of threatened species and began compiling data gathered worldwide, the list has become the preeminent global database of endangered life and an essential tool for conservation policy. Yet the IUCN has been able to assess only about 106,000 species of the more than 1.5 million species of animals and more than 300,000 plants that scientists have described and named-which they estimate is less than a quarter of what's really out there. A recent intergovernmental report on the biodiversity crisis estimated that extinction threatens up to a million animal and plant species, known and unknown. The IUCN hopes to raise the number of species assessments to 160,000 by 2020. Next up on its agenda: a " green list " of conservation successes. It will be much shorter than the red one.

THE BIGGEST THREAT: HUMANS

Habitat loss-driven primarily by human expansion as we develop land for housing, agriculture, and commerce-is the biggest threat facing most animal species, followed by hunting and fishing. Even when habitat is not lost entirely, it may be changed so much that animals cannot adapt. Fences fragment a grassland or logging cuts through a forest, breaking up migration corridors; pollution renders a river toxic; pesticides kill widely and indiscriminately. To those local threats one must increasingly add global ones: Trade, which spreads disease and invasive species from place to place, and climate change, which eventually will affect every species on Earth-starting with the animals that live on cool mountaintops or depend on polar ice. All of these threats lead, directly or indirectly, back to humans and our expanding footprint. Most species face multiple threats. Some can adapt to us; others will vanish.

If we lived in an ordinary time- time here being understood in the long, unhurried sense of a geologic epoch-it would be nearly impossible to watch a species vanish. Such an event would occur too infrequently for a person to witness. In the case of mammals, the best-studied group of animals, the fossil record indicates that the "background" rate of extinction, the one that prevailed before humans entered the picture, is so low that over the course of a millennium, a single species should disappear.

But of course we don't live in an ordinary time. Everywhere we look, species are winking out. Just in the past decade, two mammal species have gone extinct: a bat known as the Christmas Island pipistrelle and a rat, the Bramble Cay melomys.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists more than 200 mammal species and subspecies as critically endangered. In some cases, like the Sumatran rhino or the vaquita-a porpoise native to the Gulf of California-there are fewer than a hundred individuals left. In others, like the baiji (also known as the Yangtze River dolphin), the species, though not yet officially declared extinct, has probably died out.

And unfortunately, what goes for mammals goes for just about every other animal group: reptiles, amphibians, fish, even insects. Extinction rates today are hundreds-perhaps thousands-of times higher than the background rate. They're so high that scientists say we're on the brink of a mass extinction.

The last mass extinction, which did in the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago, followed an asteroid impact. Today the cause of extinction seems more diffuse. It's logging and poaching and introduced pathogens and climate change and overfishing and ocean acidification.

But trace all these back and you find yourself face-to-face with the same culprit. The great naturalist E.O. Wilson has noted that humans are the "first species in the history of life to become a geophysical force." Many scientists argue that we have entered a new geologic epoch-the Anthropocene, or age of man. This time around, in other words, the asteroid is us.

What's lost when an animal goes extinct?

One way to think of a species, be it of ape or of ant, is as an answer to a puzzle: how to live on planet Earth. A species' genome is a sort of manual; when the species perishes, that manual is lost. We are, in this sense, plundering a library-the library of life. Instead of the Anthropocene, Wilson has dubbed the era we are entering the Eremozoic-the age of loneliness.

Joel Sartore has been photographing animals for his Photo Ark project for 13 years. In an ever growing number of cases, animals housed in zoos or special breeding facilities are among the last remaining members of their species. In some instances, they are the only members.

Toughie, a Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog from central Panama, lived at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. He became the last known of his kind when a fungal disease swept through his native habitat and a captive-breeding program failed. Toughie died in 2016, and it's likely the Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog is now extinct.

Romeo, a Sehuencas water frog that lives at the natural history museum in Cochabamba, Bolivia, was likewise believed to be a sole survivor. Scientists created an online dating profile for him. It linked to a donation page, and the $25,000 raised helped fund expeditions in the eastern Andes, where the species was once abundant.

Amazingly, the search has revealed five more Sehuencas water frogs, two males and three females. All were taken to Cochabamba; the one female mature enough to breed with Romeo was named Juliet. Whether she will prove a worthy mate and perpetuate the species, no one knows.

Was the Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog beautiful? Not in the flashy way of, say, the Spix's macaw (which is believed to be extinct in the wild) or the Gee's golden langur (which is endangered). But with its expressive brown eyes and gangly limbs, it had its own kind of charm.

Sartore treats all creatures-great and small, handsome and homely-with reverence. His photos capture what's singular and, I'd also like to say, soulful about every living thing. One of my favorite images of Joel's is of a Partula nodosa, or niho tree snail, laying down a trail of slime. There used to be dozens of Partula species in the South Pacific, occupying different islands and different ecological niches. Much like Darwin's finches, they are the darlings of evolutionary biologists-living, slime-producing illustrations of the power of natural selection. The introduction of carnivorous snails from Florida drove nearly a third of the Partula species extinct; several survive solely thanks to captive-breeding programs.

Precisely because extinction takes place so frequently now, it's possible to become inured to it. This desensitizing is what makes Sartore's images so crucial: They show us just how remarkable each species is that's being lost.

We live in an extraordinary time. Perhaps by recognizing this, we can begin to imagine creating a different one-one that preserves, as much as is still possible, the wonderful diversity of life.

THREAT: DISEASE

Since the 1980s, a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis, likely spread through direct contact and by infected water, has ravaged global amphibian populations. More than 500 species have been affected; 90 of these may be extinct. The fungus disrupts transmission of electrolytes through the skin of a frog or toad, ultimately stopping its heart.

THREAT: INVASIVE SPECIES

THREAT: FRAGMENTATION

THREAT: HABITAT LOSS

Butterflies can fly long distances and feed on many types of flowers, but caterpillars are locavores, eating plants they hatch on or near. As those plants are lost to development or farming, butterflies disappear. The ones here aren't listed by the IUCN-which has evaluated only 8,100 insect species-but are considered at risk by other authorities.

THREAT: POACHING

THREAT: DEFORESTATION

For tree-dwelling lemurs, there's no life without the forest-or Madagascar, their only home. Yet the island nation has lost 80 percent of its trees to development, charcoal production, and slash-and-burn agriculture. Lemurs are squeezed into limited protected areas; 38 species are critically endangered. Fuel-efficient stoves are being introduced to encourage people to reduce wood use and protect forest habitat.

Elizabeth Kolbert's most recent book, The Sixth Extinction, won the Pulitzer Prize. Photographer Joel Sartore has been called a modern-day Noah for building the Photo Ark, the world's largest collection of animal studio portraits.

Photo Ark is a joint project of National Geographic and Joel Sartore. Learn more at natgeophotoark.org.

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Animals are disappearing at hundreds of times the normal rate, primarily because of shrinking habitats. Their biggest threat: humans.

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html

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hehe

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Species List | Endangered, Vulnerable, and Threatened Animals | WWF

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WWF is committed to saving endangered species. Learn more about the species we are working to protecting from becoming endangered or extinct.

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World Animal Protection (formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals) is an international non-profit animal welfare organization that has been in operation for over 30 years. The charity describes its vision as: A world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty has ended.

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You Are Here: Endangered Species Home "

Ensuring an Effective Endangered Species Act

The ESA provides a broad and flexible framework to facilitate conservation with a variety of stakeholders. Learn about the tools in place that help us work with our diverse network of partners to deliver meaningful conservation.

Humpback Chub Reclassified from Endangered to Threatened: Collaboration by Partners Has Improved Conservation Status

Thanks to the hard work of state, regional, Tribal and federal agencies, as well as private partners, significant progress has been made conserving and recovering the humpback chub...
News Release

What's in Your Backyard?

Learn about the endangered and threatened species in your area and what is being done to help recover them.

An Integrated Framework for Conservation

The Species Status Assessment was developed to enhance conservation success under the ESA. This framework is based on the best available scientific and commercial information, and it delivers the foundational science for informing all ESA decisions...

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Endangered Species, Sarah Leon

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You Are Here: Endangered Species Home " The ESA provides a broad and flexible framework to facilitate conservation with a variety of stakeholders. Learn about the tools in place that help us work with our diverse network of partners to deliver meaningful conservation.

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https://climate.nasa.gov/

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climate change :")

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There's no question that we're messing up the oceans big time. But shocking new research shows the world's addiction to fossil fuels is changing the bodies of big ocean predators like narwhals. A published this month in Current Biology uses narwhal tusks to examine how the animals store mercury over time, finding that levels of the pollutant have shot up in the whales' bodies over the past two decades.

Narwhals are definitely one of the funnier looking critters in the sea due to their tusks, which spiral out, unicorn-like, from the front of their heads. While the tusks may resemble horns, they're actually just overgrown front teeth. (There's even records of some male narwhals sporting two horns.)

These tusks also contain valuable information on the life of each narwhal. Because they're connected to the bloodstream of the whale, each new growth layer contains valuable information, telling a story about what the animal ate that year and any exposure it may have had to pollutants. Since narwhals can live up to 50 years, tusks can cover a lot of ground and be a pretty valuable historic record. The best analogy, said study author Jean-Pierre Desforges, a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University, is that of a tree ring.

"Each of the individual layers in a tree gives you a lot of information about the condition of the tree in that year of growth," he said. "It's the exact same way with a narwhal tusk. We can count up [the layers] and get a number on how old the animal is, and we can link each individual layer to a date in time, broadly speaking, to a year. If the animal is 50 years old, we can count 50 layers in a tusk, and date it back all the way to 1960."

This specificity is important when analyzing the exposure to pollutants of a top-level predator like a narwhal, especially when it comes to something like mercury. Once it gets in, mercury stays in the food chain, entering the bloodstream of each successive predator that eats a smaller animal tainted with mercury. For predators like narwhals, which traditionally dine on larger fish like halibut and cod, that means they can accumulate a lot of mercury in their bloodstream.

In the study, researchers looked at tusks ranging in length from just under 5 feet (1.5 meters) to 8 feet (2.5 centimeters) from 10 animals living off the coast of northwest Greenland. Some tusks had layers dating back to 1962, enabling the researchers to cover a nearly 50-year span. They found that small changes in the mercury in the tusks happened from 1990 to 2000, correlating with a change in the whales' diet-but that the levels really started to skyrocket after the new millennia.

Human fossil fuel use is driving a lot of changes to the narwhals' environments that could affect their tusks. First, there's how their physical environment is changing. Until the mid-1990s, most of narwhals' hunting grounds were covered with ice, but Arctic sea ice took a sharp turn for the worse a few decades ago.

The narwhals' diet shifted as the sea ice did, moving from the larger fish that lived near sea ice in their traditional diet to smaller fish that live on the open ocean, like species of smelt. These new fish are of a step down on the food chain than the bigger species, which should suggest that the narwhals' tusks would contain less mercury.

Narwhal tusk records match "really well with sea ice records," Desforges said. "The fact that our dietary patterns [found in the tusks] matched that sea ice pattern was telling to us that there's probably some sort of climate change affect."

But then there's mercury emissions themselves. Human activity-including the use of coal-fired power-emits thousands of tons of mercury into the atmosphere each year, which makes its way into the oceans and enters the aquatic food chain. And while the retirement of coal-fired power plants in Europe and North America have helped lower some of those emissions, the continued use of coal in China and India is still cause for concern. Some evidence suggests that increasing ocean temperatures can drive up mercury levels in fish -even as we're decreasing the amount of mercury we're spewing into the air.

It's this last point that Desforges said is the most concerning: The level of mercury in the narwhals' tusks shot up even as their new diet should have made mercury levels stay on the lower end. That may suggest larger charges are happening with how mercury is moving around the planet's oceans as well as human influence in the ocean.

"In our study, we show that mercury changes over time, due to dietary factors, but after the year 2000, the mercury pattern shifts away from a strong association with diet and it goes more toward the human impact angle," he said. "We're seeing changes in mercury that are disassociated with diet, meaning that humans are having an impact on mercury [in the ocean], especially in recent decades."

And this rapid biological response to human influence has serious implications for species up and down the food chain, Desforges said. That's true even for top predators who may think they have nothing to worry about (cough, cough, humans).

"We're adding to a growing body of literature in Arctic research that climate change is not only affecting the physical environment, but that impacts translate all the way up the food web to top predators that live for a long time," Desforges said. "These are slow-adapting species, low reproductive rates-but they are responding quickly to this rapid change in the environment."

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Narwhal Tusks Show Climate Change and Pollution Reshaping the Arctic

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There's no question that we're messing up the oceans big time. But shocking new research shows the world's addiction to fossil fuels is changing the bodies of big ocean predators like narwhals.

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https://www.thefreshreads.com/article-on-the-state-of-education-today/

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For the practice of checking travellers’ documents when entering a country, see border control. For the album by Show-Ya, see Immigration (album).

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In the United States, animal protection laws can be enacted and enforced at every level of government.

Most animal protection legislation happens at the state level. There are also a handful of federal animal protection laws. Additionally, some cities and counties pass ordinances to protect animals.

This is why it's critically important to advocate for better animal protection laws with lawmakers in all government bodies. Each has the power to help.

Federal Animal Protection Laws

There are only a handful of federal animal protection laws:

The Animal Welfare Act: Signed into law in 1966, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the primary federal animal protection law. The AWA mainly involves animals kept at zoos and used in laboratories, as well as animals who are commercially bred and sold like those in puppy mills.

The AWA directs the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture to set minimum standards regarding these animals' "handling, care, treatment, and transportation." Dog fighting and cockfighting are also prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act, so long as the activity in some way crosses state lines.

The AWA itself, as well as its enforcement by the Department of Agriculture, are frequently criticized for allowing inhumane practices to go unchecked.

The "28 Hour Law": This law, enacted in 1873, requires vehicles transporting certain animals for slaughter to stop every 28 hours to allow the animals exercise, food and water. The law does not apply if the vehicle in which animals are being transported contains access to food or water, and there are many other exceptions as well. Birds like chickens and turkeys, which are the most-farmed animals in the United States, are considered exempt by the federal government.

The Humane Slaughter Act, or the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act : This law was first passed in 1958, then amended in 1978. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires that animals be stunned into unconsciousness before slaughter, to minimize pain.

Though chickens, turkeys and other birds feel pain just like other animals, they are not protected by this law. Enforcement of this law has been found by government inspectors to be "inconsistent."

The Endangered Species Act : Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act protects fish, mammals and birds - as well as plants - listed as threatened or endangered in the United States and beyond. The ESA outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow regarding listed species, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations. This law is chiefly administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.

Companion animals:

Companion animals - a category often limited to dogs and cats, but that sometimes includes birds, horses, and other animals as well - usually receive the strongest level of protection under state laws. However, there have been cases where someone has been prosecuted for having committed egregiously cruel acts against wildlife or farmed animals.

This can even extend to marine animals. In 2017, three Florida teenagers were charged with animal cruelty for their torture of a shark.

Each state also has laws governing some aspects of the "hands-on" care of animals. For example, there are laws regulating how long animal shelters must "hold" stray animals before they can be adopted or euthanized. There are also laws about how frequently pets must be vaccinated against rabies. States often also have some regulations concerning commercial breeding of companion animals.

"Hot car laws" criminalize leaving an animal in a vehicle in extreme weather, and some hot car laws allow these animals to be rescued from vehicles in certain circumstances and make the rescuer immune from civil or criminal liability. Anti-tethering laws limiting how long pets can be tied up or chained outside, especially in extreme weather, are also growing in popularity, as are laws allowing pets to be included in domestic violence protective orders.

California is at the forefront of some other statewide animal protection measures. In 2017, California became the first state to pass a statewide "retail pet sale ban." Under this law, retail establishments like pet stores may only sell cats, dogs and rabbits coming from shelters and rescue groups-and not from commercial breeders. Maryland passed its own statewide retail pet sale ban in 2018, becoming the second state with this type of law.

Wildlife:

Each state also has wildlife protection laws, as well as laws regarding the time and manner under which it is sanctioned to kill wildlife through hunting and fishing.

Wild animal performance bans: Some states regulate the use of wild animals in performances. In 2017, Illinois and New York passed the country's first statewide bans on the use of elephants in entertainment. This is generally seen as the beginning of a more widespread trend.

Farmed animals:

While farmed animals are often left out of state animal protection laws, a number of states have adopted measures to limit the use of "intensive confinement" farming practices. Such practices entail confining animals in restraints that are so small the animals often can't fully stand up or move around. Chickens and hens kept in battery cages don't have room to stretch their wings.

Local animal protection laws: Many other companion animal protection measures are enacted and enforced at the local level. For example, hundreds of cities and counties have retail pet sale bans like California's and Maryland's.

Similarly, in states without anti-tethering laws, many cities and counties pass their own such laws. A growing number of cities are passing and enforcing their own wild animal performance bans.

While state and federal laws would offer more protection to more animals, these local laws are very important. They not only protect the animals in that area - but they can also act as a bellwether for more expansive protections to come. It is not infrequent for new animal protection measures to begin at the city or county level, and then as the public increasingly demands it, to be taken up by the state legislators.

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In the United States, animal protection laws can be enacted and enforced at every level of government. Most animal protection legislation happens at the state level.

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TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - In a surprising blow to Canadian consumers, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is abandoning commitments to farm animal welfare.

Earlier this week , RCC announced it will "remove previous commitments on sow housing and cage-free eggs", even though it had declared the phasing out of gestation stalls for pregnant pigs (sows) by 2022 and the phasing out of battery cages for laying hens by 2025. RCC stated that it will "pursue and make commitments solely through NFACC (the National Farm Animal Care Council)", which develops Codes of Practice related to the welfare of farmed animals. It should be noted the code requirements are voluntary and not legally binding in most provinces.

Across Canada these intelligent, curious, social creatures are often forced to spend their entire lives in caged housing where they cannot even turn around.

Humane Canada™, the national voice for animal welfare and the federation of humane societies and SPCAs, has been sitting at NFACC's multi-stakeholder table for decades and sees this as a significant loss to farmed animal welfare in Canada. World Animal Protection, the only other national animal welfare organization at the NFACC table (since 2015), says this is a step backwards for farm animals. World Animal Protection's research into Canadian laws and benchmarking of corporates shows that Canada's animal welfare practices lag far behind global standards.

"These commitments signaled meaningful progress to how animals are raised in Canada and reflect consumer expectations for humane farm animal treatment. Retailers should be leading the way and pushing for positive change within the industry," said Colin Saravanamuttoo, Executive Director at World Animal Protection.

This development provides further evidence of the critical need for a proper compliance system in Canada to ensure that commitments made by the farming and food sector are actually followed through.

"Animals can't wait any longer. RCC needs to step back up into the bold commitments they made in 2013 (for gestation stalls) and in 2016 (for battery cages) and carry on with their plans to phase out products from pigs housed in gestation stalls and eggs sourced from hens housed in battery cages," concluded Barbara Cartwright, CEO at Humane Canada.

Many Canadian consumers care about where their food comes from, how the animals are treated and want reassurance that grocery stores are not abandoning animal welfare.
About World Animal Protection
From our offices around the world, including China, Australia, Brazil, Kenya and Canada, we move the world to protect animals. Last year, we gave more than 220 million animals better lives through our campaigns that focus on animals in the wild, animals in disasters, animals in communities and animals in farming. For more information visit www.worldanimalprotection.ca
About Humane Canada
Humane Canada™, the federation of SPCAs and Humane Societies, convenes and represents the largest animal welfare community in the country. Together with our members, we work to end animal cruelty, improve animal protection and promote the humane treatment of all animals. To learn more about Humane Canada, please visit www.humanecanada.ca

SOURCE World Animal Protection

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2021/01/c5662.html

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Retail Council of Canada backtracks on animal welfare commitments

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TORONTO, April 1, 2021 /CNW/ - In a surprising blow to Canadian consumers, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is abandoning commitments to farm animal welfare. Earlier this week , RCC announced it will "remove previous commitments on sow housing and cage-free eggs", even though it had declared the phasing out of gestation stalls for pregnant pigs (sows) by 2022 and the phasing out of battery cages for laying hens by 2025.

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Hunters in Wisconsin killed more than 200 wolves last week, far exceeding the state's limit as they scrambled to take advantage of Trump-era wildlife rules that they worry may be tightened by the Biden administration.

At least 216 wolves were killed in less than 60 hours, exceeding the state quota of 119 and prompting Wisconsin to end what was meant to be a one-week hunt four days early, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Environmentalists, who fought unsuccessfully in state court to stop the hunt, said the killings had occurred during breeding season, when gray wolves are especially vulnerable. They said the large number of wolves killed in such a short time underscored the need for President Joe Biden to put the gray wolf back on the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

"These animals were killed using packs of dogs, snares and leg-hold traps," Kitty Block, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said Tuesday. "It was a race to kill these animals in the most cruel ways."

The hunt, reported by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, follows the gray wolf's January removal from the Endangered Species Act. In October, the Trump administration announced that the species, which had been all but exterminated in the lower 48 states by the mid-20th century, had rebounded enough that it no longer needed federal shielding.

The removal of the wolf from the list was one of many rollbacks of environmental regulations under the Trump administration, which last summer announced new rules that would make it easier to remove a species from the endangered list and weaken protections for threatened species.

The resurgence of wolves in certain parts of the country has been called a success story for conservationists. But as their numbers grew, ranchers have had to contend with wolves' appetite for cattle and sheep. Conservationists counter that wolves keep deer, elk and other species in check and therefore help prevent more vegetation loss.

The last time wolves were hunted in Wisconsin was 2014, after President Barack Obama said the wolf could be removed from federal protection.

A federal judge later rejected the Obama administration's efforts to keep the wolf off the list.

Wisconsin is the only U.S. state that requires a yearly wolf-hunting season if the animal is not protected under the Endangered Species Act, according to Nicholas Arrivo, a lawyer for the Humane Society.

The Trump administration's decision meant the state would have to hold one hunting season a year, which under Wisconsin law starts in early November and ends Feb. 28.

Wisconsin wildlife officials had scheduled the start of the hunting season for this November, citing the need for time to develop a "science-based" harvest quota and work closely with the public and Native American tribes to create a plan.

But Hunter Nation, a hunters group led by Luke Hilgemann of Wisconsin, accused state officials of "intentionally delaying the wolf harvest to give radical anti-hunting groups time to block the delisting and stop a hunt altogether."

The group filed a lawsuit Feb. 2 in which it argued that under state law, the hunt should be scheduled immediately since the wolf was taken off the list Jan. 4.

The lawsuit noted a letter from Republican state lawmakers dated Jan. 15 in which they called for a wolf hunt season that month.

In their lawsuit, hunters pointed to Biden's executive order to tackle climate change, which included a review of all existing regulations and policies enacted by federal agencies under the Trump administration.

"There is a substantial possibility that Wisconsinites' time to hunt wolves is limited," according to the lawsuit.

On Feb. 12, a Jefferson County circuit court judge ruled in favor of the hunters, ordering the state to start the season that month.

Before the hunt, state officials estimated there were about 1,200 gray wolves in the state.

Arrivo said it was possible that many of the wolves killed last week were pregnant or might have been mothers with new pups that were still dependent on them and might now die of starvation.

"I think the actual death toll is considerably higher because of the rippling effects through the wolf family structure," Arrivo said.

Hunter Nation said the large number of wolves hunted in such a short period of time showed that the population had "significantly increased."

The group said that in 2014, it took two months for hunters to kill about 100 wolves.

"This season it took just three days!" the organization said in a statement, describing the hunt as a success. "Clearly, the population of gray wolves has significantly increased during that time and the DNR must take a serious look at their population models and counting methods."

Richard M. Esenberg, a lawyer for Hunter Nation, said it was misleading for animal rights activists to claim that hunters had killed double the number of wolves allowed by the state.

The state had set a quota of 200 wolves, with 119 for hunters who applied for permits with the department and 81 set aside to the Ojibwe Tribes under their treaty rights.

"The notion that there was this wide divergence between the outcome of the hunt and the number of the wolves that could be hunted simply doesn't bear up to analysis," Esenberg said.

But the tribes consider wolves to be sacred and made a deliberate decision not to hunt them, said Dylan Jennings, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which represents the tribes.

The tribes saw their allocation as a way to conserve a large number of the wolves - not to give hunters more animals to kill, he said.

The losses are "appalling," Jennings said. "There are a lot of people upset about it."

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Hunters kill over 200 wolves in less than 3 days after removal from Endangered Species Act

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Hunters in Wisconsin killed more than 200 wolves last week, far exceeding the state's limit as they scrambled to take advantage of Trump-era wildlife rules that they worry may be tightened by the Biden administration.

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Our Trajectory

Earth Will Continue to Warm and the Effects Will Be Profound

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions, and an increase in the wind intensity and rainfall from tropical cyclones. Credit: left - Mike McMillan/USFS, center - Tomas Castelazo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, right - NASA.

Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth's climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming sooner.

Effects that scientists had long predicted would result from global climate change are now occurring, such as sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves.

" The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming."

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires, and extreme rainfall) are happening faster than scientists previously assessed. In fact, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the United Nations body established to assess the science related to climate change - modern humans have never before seen the observed changes in our global climate, and some of these changes are irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for many decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

A Degree of Difference

So, the Earth's average temperature has increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. What's the big deal?

Read more

The IPCC's Sixth Assessment report, published in 2021, found that human emissions of heat-trapping gases have already warmed the climate by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since 1850-1900. The global average temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees C (about 3 degrees F) within the next few decades. These changes will affect all regions of Earth.

What's the difference between climate change and global warming?

"Global warming" refers to the long-term warming of the planet. "Climate change" encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet, including rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and shifts in flower/plant blooming times.

detailed answer

The severity of effects caused by climate change will depend on the path of future human activities. More greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more climate extremes and widespread damaging effects across our planet. However, those future effects depend on the total amount of carbon dioxide we emit. So, if we can reduce emissions, we may avoid some of the worst effects.

" The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future." ²

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Future Effects in the U.S.

U.S. Regional Effects

U.S. Regional Effects

Climate change is bringing different types of challenges to each region of the country. Some of the current and future impacts are summarized below. These findings are from the Third and Fourth National Climate Assessment Reports, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Is it too late to prevent climate change?

Humans have caused major climate changes to happen already, and we have set in motion more changes still. However, if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Temperatures would then plateau but remain well-elevated for many, many centuries.

detailed answer

Northeast. Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose increasing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Farmers can explore new crop options, but these adaptations are not cost- or risk-free. Moreover, adaptive capacity, which varies throughout the region, could be overwhelmed by a changing climate. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.

Northwest. Changes in the timing of peak flows in rivers and streams are reducing water supplies and worsening competing demands for water. Sea level rise, erosion, flooding, risks to infrastructure, and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire incidence and severity, heat waves, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are causing widespread forest die-off.

Southeast. Sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the region's economy and environment. Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture, and more. Decreased water availability will have economic and environmental impacts.

Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy downpours, and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also worsen a range of risks to the Great Lakes.

Southwest. Climate change has caused increased heat, drought, and insect outbreaks. In turn, these changes have made wildfires more numerous and severe. The warming climate has also caused a decline in water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, and triggered heat-related health impacts in cities. In coastal areas, flooding and erosion are additional concerns.

References
References
Header image shows cracked mud stretches across sections of the Panamint Valley. Credit: NPS/Kurt Moses; A degree of concern thermometer image credit: Pixabay/geralt

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intergovernmental panel on climate change

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Long-term effects of global climate change in the United States.

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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/where-does-the-black-church-fit-in-todays-black-lives-matter-movemen

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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The Greenhouse Effect

Increasing Greenhouses Gases Are Warming the Planet

Scientists attribute the global warming trend observed since the mid-20 th century to the human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" ¹ - warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.

Life on Earth depends on energy coming from the Sun. About half the light energy reaching Earth's atmosphere passes through the air and clouds to the surface, where it is absorbed and radiated in the form of infrared heat. About 90% of this heat is then absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-radiated, slowing heat loss to space.

Gases that Contribute

The Role of Humans

Human Activity Is the Cause of Increased Greenhouse Gas Concentrations

Over the last century, burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ₂). This increase happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO ₂. To a lesser extent, clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.

How do we know what greenhouse gas and temperature levels were in the distant past?

Ice cores are scientists' best source for historical climate data. Other tools for learning about Earth's ancient atmosphere include growth rings in trees, which keep a rough record of each growing season's temperature, moisture and cloudiness going back about 2,000 years. Corals also form growth rings that provide information about temperature and nutrients in the tropical ocean. Other proxies, such as benthic cores, extend our knowledge of past climate back about a billion years.

detailed answer

The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by nearly 50% since 1750 ². This increase is due to human activities, because scientists can see a distinctive isotopic fingerprint in the atmosphere.

In its Sixth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, composed of scientific experts from countries all over the world, concluded thatit is unequivocal that the increase of CO ₂, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere over the industrial era is the result of human activities and that human influence is the principal driver of many changes observed across the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere.

"Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact."

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The panel's AR6 Working Group I (WGI) Summary for Policymakers report is online at https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/.

Is the Sun to Blame?

Evidence Shows That Current Global Warming Cannot Be Explained by Solar Irradiance

Scientists use a metric called Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) to measure the changes in energy the Earth receives from the Sun. TSI incorporates the 11-year solar cycle and solar flares/storms from the Sun's surface.

Studies show that solar variability has played a role in past climate changes. For example, a decrease in solar activity coupled with increased volcanic activity helped trigger the Little Ice Age.

The above graph compares global surface temperature changes (red line) and the Sun's energy that Earth receives (yellow line) in watts (units of energy) per square meter since 1880. The lighter/thinner lines show the yearly levels while the heavier/thicker lines show the 11-year average trends. Eleven-year averages are used to reduce the year-to-year natural noise in the data, making the underlying trends more obvious.

The amount of solar energy that Earth receives has followed the Sun's natural 11-year cycle of small ups and downs with no net increase since 1880. Over the same period, global temperature has risen markedly. It is therefore extremely unlikely that the Sun has caused the observed global temperature warming trend over the past half-century. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

But several lines of evidence show that current global warming cannot be explained by changes in energy from the Sun:

Since 1750, the average amount of energy from the Sun either remained constant or decreased slightly³.

If a more active Sun caused the warming, scientists would expect warmer temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, they have observed a cooling in the upper atmosphere and a warming at the surface and lower parts of the atmosphere. That's because greenhouse gases are slowing heat loss from the lower atmosphere.

Climate models that include solar irradiance changes can't reproduce the observed temperature trend over the past century or more without including a rise in greenhouse gases.
References
References

1. IPCC 6 th Assessment Report, WG1, Summary for Policy Makers, Sections A, " The Current State of the Climate "

IPCC 6 th Assessment Report, WG1, Technical Summary, Sections TS.1.2, TS.2.1 and TS.3.1

2. P. Friedlingstein, et al., 2022: "Global Carbon Budget 2022", Earth System Science Data ( 11 Nov 2022): 4811-4900. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4811-2022

3. IPCC 6 th Assessment Report, WG1, Chapter 2, Section 2.2.1, " Solar and Orbital Forcing"

IPCC 6 th Assessment Report, WG1, Chapter 7, Sections 7.3.4.4, 7.3.5.2, Figure 7.6, " Solar"

M. Lockwood and W.T. Ball, Placing limits on long-term variations in quiet-Sun irradiance and their contribution to total solar irradiance and solar radiative forcing of climate," Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 476, issue 2228 (24 June 2020): https://doi 10.1098/rspa.2020.0077

Header image credit: Pixabay/stevepb

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. What is the "greenhouse effect"? What is causing it? Are humans to blame? What does solar irradiance have to do with it? Answers here.

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Imagine a 6th-grade math teacher with high hopes for her students. Let's call her Ms. Rodriguez. She wants her students to find joy in the beauty and complexity of math, make connections to the world around them, and master the skills and content they'll need to succeed in middle and high school, college, and beyond. She believes that each one is capable of rigorous study and is committed to doing all she can to prepare them.

But in a typical class of 25 students, she's finding that as few as five can keep up with 6th-grade work. One day, after her students struggled with adding and subtracting decimals, she sensed that most of them hadn't quite mastered decimal place value in the 5th grade. So she found a suitable lesson online and retaught place value-after all, you can't hope to add decimals accurately if you can't keep your tenths and hundredths straight. Her students caught on quickly and were relieved by the refresher.

By chance, the principal dropped in for an observation that day, and the feedback wasn't good. Stick to the 6th-grade curriculum, he said. That's what will be covered on the end-of-course exam, so that's what students need to be taught. There won't be time enough to cover much else.

Ms. Rodriguez believes in keeping expectations high. But she doesn't see how students will ever meet 6th-grade standards if she can't help them address unfinished learning from elementary school that is foundational to middle-school math. Gaps in learning lurk beneath the surface, and math instruction builds on itself each year. By only looking at the current year's curriculum, how will her students ever master all they need to know?

This is what the organization I lead has identified as the "Iceberg Problem," and it's what inspired us to create a personalized-learning model for middle-grade math eight years ago. That program, Teach to One, provides students with individualized instructional programs each day that integrate teacher-led instruction, collaborative learning with peers, and virtual online study. Our goal is the same as Ms. Rodriguez's: for students to access the right lesson, in the right way, based on where they are starting and where they need to go.

We expected to run into a number of barriers that we would need to overcome if we were to be successful. We would need to raise capital, hire top-notch academicians and technologists, find interested schools, and navigate the myriad of operational complexities that can arise in any school environment-unfilled staff positions, uneven teacher quality, frequent leadership transitions, politicized decisionmaking, and unreliable technology infrastructure, to name a few.

Then came another barrier that we did not anticipate, which has emerged as one of our most formidable challenges.

It is that in math, today's assessment and accountability policies may be inadvertently working against the interests of the very students they were designed to help.
High Expectations Matter, And...
The shift to more rigorous college- and career-ready standards has been one of the biggest policy developments in recent decades. Federal education legislation adopted in 2001 under No Child Left Behind and amended in 2015 under the Every Student Succeeds Act requires each state to administer annual math and reading tests aligned with grade-level standards for grades 3 through 8 and at least once in high school. The cumulative impact has set more consistent expectations for students based on benchmarks pegged to a college- and career-readiness trajectory and yielded progress in several areas, including greater transparency into achievement gaps between student subgroups, increased clarity for teachers on what students need to stay on a college- and career-ready path, and more objective information for families on whether students are reaching key educational milestones.

But in math, the subject our organization knows best, these well-intended standards and measures don't always consider the diverse needs of individual learners to encounter material and progress at an optimal pace. To be sure, keeping expectations high for all students is critical-and for students from historically disadvantaged communities, there is ample evidence that many schools do not expect nearly enough. But within an individual class, an on-grade lesson for one student may be far out of reach, while that same lesson for another student may be too easy. Assuming that grade-level content is what's best for everyone fails to acknowledge the reality that individual students have different levels of background knowledge.

When students miss key steps along the prescribed grade-level path, or learn at a pace that is faster or slower than state standards anticipate, the standards alone do not provide guidance to teachers on where to focus instruction. Instead, policies signal to a 7th-grade teacher, for example, that all 7th-grade students should be taught 7th-grade content-whether students happen to be performing at grade level or not.

For students who never fell behind, 7th-grade materials may be perfectly appropriate. But for those who may have missed key concepts along the way, trying to cover 7th-grade material when key concepts from 5th or 6th grade weren't quite mastered can cause learning gaps to accumulate. The pattern repeats, year after year, as they fall farther away from the college- and career-ready track.

Few can credibly argue that a policy orientation focused on annual grade-level mastery is working. Only 34 percent of American students in 8th grade met the proficiency level or above in math based on the 2019 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, with historically disadvantaged student groups hitting this target at less than half the rate of white students. These middle-grade math woes are often rooted in the elementary years, where one in five 4th graders fell into the lowest tier of math performance, well below grade level.

What are middle-school math teachers like Ms. Rodriguez to do when the grade-level material they must teach depends on foundational knowledge students do not have? How exactly are teachers supposed to deliver an impactful lesson on quadratic equations when many of their students do not understand exponents?

There is an acute tension between an instructional program that is best for each student to ensure they are ready for college and career and an underlying policy context rooted in grade-level expectations. The mathematical skills required for students to engage with grade-level material in middle school and high school are built on a deep, conceptual understanding from previous years. And although many students arrive at middle school without these foundational skills, state and federal policy systems incentivize teaching to grade-level standards to curtail low expectations and inequitable outcomes.

We do not see strong evidence in the field or in research that, in math, strict adherence to grade-level content is best for all students.

There is a path for far more students to achieve college and career readiness, but it requires systematically addressing students' unfinished learning from prior years. Simply demanding that teachers somehow figure out both how to address students' unfinished learning from previous years and how to cover all grade-level material may be causing some students to fall farther behind.
Math: The Jenga Game of Subjects
Math is cumulative, with new learning resting atop earlier mastery. Year by year, students learn interconnected concepts in a coherent progression, building a foundational body of knowledge that undergirds new understanding in the grades ahead.

For example, 7th-grade math typically includes performing basic operations with rational numbers. For students to know how to do that, they need to have mastered several key skills and concepts from 5th and 6th grade, including understanding integers and rational numbers and performing basic operations with decimals and fractions (see Figure 1).

When a student starts the school year with unfinished learning from prior years, the challenge of both covering grade-level material and addressing unfinished learning can be daunting. For example, 8th graders are expected to learn about multistep equations during the course of the school year, even though some students begin the year not having mastered critical predecessor skills such as solving simple equations, operations on rational numbers, or adding and subtracting algebraic expressions.

Imagine being asked to solve 2(x + 1) - x = 5 without understanding the order of operations or how to work with x. It can't be done. And lessons focused on multistep equations would be lost-alongside the foundational lessons missed the first time around.

So would precious instructional time.

Of course, high-performing math teachers and thoughtful curriculum materials build in opportunities to revisit important concepts, including through "spiraling" questions that reinforce recent skills and topics throughout the school year. But what happens when the missing knowledge is from several grade levels ago? In the example above, each of these component skills could take three to four days to cover sufficiently-and they are only the predecessors for one grade-level skill. For many students, the learning gaps they are expected to bridge in one year in order to attain grade-level proficiency are so substantial that meeting that benchmark in that time period is highly improbable.

Longitudinal studies of individual students over time can show more precisely how students who fall behind are likely to stay behind. In a 2012 study conducted by ACT, researchers tracked math test results from tens of thousands of students to calculate their math skills and relative chances of reaching grade-level expectations in the 8th and 12th grades. Students below grade level in math in 4th grade had just a 46 percent chance of reaching grade-level expectations in 8th grade; those below expectations in 8th grade had a 19 percent chance of reaching 12th-grade expectations (see Figure 2). These figures were even more daunting for the lowest-scoring students, whose chances of meeting expectations for the 8th and 12th grades were 10 percent and 3 percent, respectively. This same study also found that the lowest-scoring students were much more likely to attend high-poverty schools.

There are multiple reasons why it can be so hard for lower-performing students to catch up in math. In some communities, there are particular challenges in recruiting, developing, and retaining high-quality math teachers, many of whom have more attractive employment opportunities in other sectors. In other communities, ongoing leadership transitions at the school or district level can lead to continual shifts in organizational direction. Poverty-related issues such as trauma, violence, and nutrition are all highly relevant to student academic performance. So, too, are the expectations that adults have for students.

While the impact of these and other factors are well documented, an underlying policy landscape that incentivizes grade-level instruction may also be playing a key role in preventing students from getting back on track.
When Policy Meets Practice
Under federal law, all students in grades 3 through 8 must take a statewide summative assessment in math that is aligned to their enrolled grade level to form the basis of states' accountability systems. All 6th graders take the 6th-grade test, all 7th graders take the 7th-grade test, and so forth, with only a narrow set of exceptions.

These exams are used as key components across many evaluation and decisionmaking activities. All states are required to set goals based on test results, including to increase the share of students who meet standards in reading and mathematics, accelerate progress of underperforming subgroups, improve graduation rates, and identify low-performing schools for varying levels of support and intervention. Some states have opted to include tests among measures of student growth in teacher-evaluation systems. Local communities review their test performance closely, and many district and school administrators believe their career success is dependent upon success on annual assessments. For many charter schools, meeting test-based goals for proficiency and student growth can mean the difference between closure and continued existence.

States have discretion to choose which test to use. All the tests, though, are required to be aligned to grade-level standards that reflect a college- and career-ready academic trajectory. Few, if any, of the actual test questions relate to anything other than the standards that match each student's enrolled grade level. The idea is to have the equivalent of an educational "dipstick" so that decisionmakers and the public can have an objective, comparable view of where each student performs in relation to state expectations.

The combination of grade-level tests and high-stakes accountability interjects reliable data into the decisionmaking process of administrators, teachers, parents, and policymakers. It ensures that school communities remain focused on measurable student outcomes and highlights profound inequities across and within schools and districts that can require public response. But as currently constructed, there's a significant tradeoff: Teachers face pressure to focus instruction on the grade-level material appearing on the end-of-year test, regardless of students' background knowledge. And in math, for those students whose incoming preparation is poorly matched to standard grade-level expectations, these incentives can produce the opposite of their intended effect.

When a 6th-grade student is taught 6th-grade material, some of those skills will be learned and some will go "unlearned" for a variety of reasons (e.g., lack of predecessor knowledge, uneven teacher quality, student absences). The next year, as the focus of accountability shifts to the 7th-grade assessment, the unlearned skills from 6th grade remain unaddressed, even though those skills may be essential to mastering 7th-grade content. By 8th grade, even more learning gaps accumulate so that by the time a student enters high school, the student is simply unprepared for more advanced mathematical topics.

In middle-grade math, while the gaze of policymakers is focused on how students are performing relative to grade-level assessments, learning gaps continue to accumulate below the surface, making longer-term success harder to achieve. This is the "Iceberg Problem" illustrated in Figure 3.

The authors of the Every Student Succeeds Act likely foresaw the value in measuring growth outside of grade-level standards, as the law permits states to adopt assessments that also "measure academic proficiency and growth using items above or below the student's grade level." However, subsequent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education specifies that if states design tests to include additional measures of off-grade performance, they must still measure and score students' on-grade performance accurately. Any off-grade measures would not satisfy the law's accountability provisions for student performance. As a practical matter, due to the broad set of standards at each grade level and pressures to reduce test time and length, most summative state assessments are almost exclusively focused on grade-level content.

The federal policies that undergird statewide assessment and accountability systems send an unmistakable signal to middle-grade math teachers: focus your instruction on the grade-level standards.
Putting Personalization to the Test
Teach to One is just one approach schools use to meet the unique needs of each student. It is designed around 300 mathematical skills and concepts that connect basic numerical understanding to college-readiness benchmarks.

The program uses ongoing assessments of students' competencies to tailor instruction. A customized software program assesses individual skill levels and creates customized skill libraries, units of study, and tests and quizzes. Day to day, students learn in extended class periods that include instruction from teachers, group work, individual practice, and a brief daily assessment of progress called an "exit slip." Up to three times a year, they take the Measures of Academic Progress, a computer-based adaptive test that measures learning growth over time.

The idea is to ensure that students are continually learning within their "zone of proximal development," where the material they are expected to learn is appropriate given what they already understand and where they need to go. With the right support, students working in the "zone" can master content that was previously out of reach. This approach can fill knowledge gaps and catch up students who are lagging, as well as accelerate learning and engage students ready to advance beyond grade-level material. Of the students in grades 6 though 8 who have participated in Teach to One over the past three years, about two thirds started the school year at least two grade levels behind, and 9 percent were four grade levels behind. Just 2 percent were ahead of their grade level.

In its eight years, Teach to One has operated in districts and schools with different philosophies regarding the role of grade-level material, notwithstanding federal signals. In schools where accountability systems imposed at the district or school level are based on growth measures that cross multiple grades, the program can tailor a personalized curriculum for each student that includes a mix of pre-grade, on-grade, and post-grade material, depending on his or her unique starting point. By contrast, in schools focused on students' performance on annual state assessments, leaders have often asked us to weigh students' personalized curricula more heavily toward grade-level content for the year. This can mean leaving important pre-grade gaps unaddressed.

Our preference would be to help schools fill pre-grade gaps and cover grade-level material. But a 180-day school year is often not enough to make up for multiple years of unfinished learning. Absent clarity on how to reconcile this tension, schools can struggle to make hard choices about what to prioritize.

This challenge was highlighted in an experimental study of Teach to One at five schools in New Jersey published in 2018. During the study period of 2015 to 2018, different schools requested a variety of program adjustments that either emphasized or deemphasized grade-level content. As a result, researchers were unable to draw any conclusions on the overall impact of the program as it was designed.

What can happen when schools make a clear choice to prioritize learning growth over grade-level exposure? A 2019 study looking at progress on the Measures of Academic Progress assessment compared the growth of Teach to One students at 14 schools over three years to national averages. It found that Teach to One schools whose accountability systems focused on growth made stronger gains than schools whose accountability systems focused on proficiency (see Figure 4). The study also found suggestive evidence that schools tended to see stronger gains when the math content presented to students matched their tested grade level from the beginning of the year.

While firm causal evidence of the impact of grade-level assessment and accountability has yet be established, these findings should be viewed as an important contrast to the evidence base for what policy currently promotes: providing all students with grade-level content, regardless of their starting point.

Researchers explored the effects of giving students content far outside their current skill level after a policy push in the early 2000s placed many 8th-grade students in Algebra who would have otherwise taken a pre-algebra 8th-grade math course. In 2008, Tom Loveless found that very low-achieving math students enrolled in Algebra courses performed about seven grade levels below their peers on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and struggled with questions that tested elementary-level understanding. Another study found that low-achieving students pushed into algebra did less well in subsequent math courses throughout high school, especially in geometry (see " Solving America's Math Problem," research, Winter 2013).

There is little evidence to suggest that in math, low-performing students pushed into grade-level content without appropriate support and attention to prerequisite skills will be better off in the long run. Yet today's policy landscape incentivizes just that.
Fixing the Iceberg Problem
This is not a call to reverse the principles of standards, accountability, rigor, transparency, and equity that form the basis of education policy and practice today. These are essential elements for building a school system worthy of the students it serves. The historical roots of our inequitable education system run deep, and the need for guardrails within federal policy to mitigate and, ultimately, reverse this pernicious legacy is essential.

But it is a candid acknowledgement of the tradeoffs and costs that a focus on annual grade-level expectations creates. In math, preparing students for college or a career requires honestly confronting any gaps in learning that lie beneath the surface. That does not mean lowering expectations for students; rather, given the inherently sequential nature of mathematics, it means designing viable paths that can connect students from where they are starting from to where they need to be.

Today's policy landscape is constraining these kinds of innovations.

I have seen in our work that individualized instruction and high expectations can go hand in hand, and that if we are able to identify and address unfinished learning from prior years, students can advance more quickly and successfully toward their goals. I hope our experience can help to spur the development of more innovative learning models that seek to address individual students' learning needs. Teach to One is by no means the only way for schools to do that. Ensuring all students can access a tailored path to college and career readiness will require the development of a variety of innovative learning models with different philosophies and pedagogical approaches underpinning them.

There are several steps states and districts can take to address students' unfinished learning while working within the current framework of federal law. They can measure learning growth more comprehensively by using adaptive assessments that adjust in difficulty based on student responses. They can also adjust their accountability systems to emphasize proficiency at key grade levels, as opposed to annually. States might also create space for innovation (as Texas has done with its Math Innovation Zones program) so that new learning models can be properly implemented and tested in ways that operate largely outside of the current grade-centric system.

But in the longer term, policymakers and advocates will need to develop and advance a shared vision for what one day might be a new assessment and accountability system. It will need to be one that preserves our current values and commitments without promoting instructional practices that prevent students from accessing academic paths that might better enable their longterm success.

Joel Rose is co-founder and chief executive officer at New Classrooms, which published The Iceberg Problem, from which this essay is adapted.

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The Grade-Level Expectations Trap: How lockstep math lessons leave students behind - Education Next

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Imagine a 6th-grade math teacher with high hopes for her students. Let's call her Ms. Rodriguez. She wants her students to find joy in the beauty and complexity of math, make connections to the world around them, and master the skills and content they'll need to succeed in middle and high school, college, and beyond.

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Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project

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The coronavirus outbreak continues to have far-reaching health and economic consequences for the American public. But for many, especially Black and Asian Americans, the effects extend beyond medical and financial concerns. About four-in-ten Black and Asian adults say people have acted as if they were uncomfortable around them because of their race or ethnicity since the beginning of the outbreak, and similar shares say they worry that other people might be suspicious of them if they wear a mask when out in public, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Black and Asian Americans are also more likely than their white and Hispanic counterparts to say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity, but Asian adults are the most likely to say this has happened to them since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. About three-in-ten Asian adults (31%) say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the outbreak began, compared with 21% of Black adults, 15% of Hispanic adults and 8% of white adults. This aligns with some reports of incidents of discrimination against Asian Americans since the virus outbreak first emerged in China and then started spreading in the United States.

At the same time, about half of Black Americans (51%) say they have heard expressions of support because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak; about three-in-ten Hispanic (29%) and Asian (28%) adults say the same. The survey was conducted during a time when demonstrations continued across the country to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed while in Minneapolis police custody.

Beyond the personal experiences of various groups, about four-in-ten U.S. adults (39%) say it is more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views about people who are Asian than it was before the coronavirus outbreak, while 30% say it has become more common for people to express these views toward people who are Black. Smaller shares say that, compared with before the outbreak, it is more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views about people who are Hispanic (19%) or white (14%). Asian Americans, who account for 6% of the U.S. population, are the fastest growing major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Hispanics make up 18% of the population overall, while Black Americans are 12%.

A majority of Asian adults (58%) say it is more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views about people who are Asian than it was before the coronavirus outbreak; roughly four-in-ten white, Black and Hispanic adults say this is more common now. A sizable share of Black adults (45%) also say it is more common for people to express racist views about Black people than before the outbreak, more than the shares of white, Hispanic and Asian adults who say the same.

These are among the findings of a Pew Research Center survey of 9,654 U.S. adults conducted from June 4-10, 2020, using the Center's American Trends Panel.

Asian and Black Americans are more likely to report adverse experiences due to their race or ethnicity since the pandemic began

About four-in-ten Asian (39%) and Black (38%) adults - and 27% of Hispanic adults - say someone has acted uncomfortable around them because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak. Only 13% of white adults say this has happened to them.

When asked about other negative situations they may have experienced because of their race or ethnicity since the pandemic, Asian and Black adults are more likely than Hispanic and white adults to say that they have been the subject of slurs or jokes or feared someone might threaten or physically attack them because of their race or ethnicity.

Asian Americans are more likely than any other group to say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak: 31% say this has happened to them, compared with 21% of Black adults, 15% of Hispanic adults and 8% of white adults. About a quarter (26%) of Asian Americans and 20% of Black Americans say they feared someone might threaten or physically attack them, more than the shares of white and Hispanic Americans.

Black adults younger than 50 are more likely than older Black adults to say they have had each of these experiences. For example, 44% of Black adults in the younger age group say people have acted as if they were uncomfortable around them since the pandemic began, compared with 30% of Black adults ages 50 and older. About three-in-ten Black adults under 50 (28%) say they have feared someone might threaten or physically attack them (vs. 9% of older Black adults) and 25% say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak (vs. 15%).

Black men (49%) are more likely than Black women (31%) to say someone acted as if they were uncomfortable around them. Black men are also more likely to say they have feared being threatened or physically attacked because of their race or ethnicity (27% vs. 15% of Black women).

The survey also asked about expressions of support since the coronavirus outbreak. About half of Black adults (51%) say someone has expressed support for them because of their race or ethnicity during this period, more than any other racial group. In particular, younger Black adults say they received this support (55% vs. 44% among those ages 50 and older). This survey was conducted at a time when Americans were following news coverage of George Floyd's killing while in custody of Minneapolis police nearly as closely as they were following news related to COVID-19.

About four-in-ten Black Americans (42%) and 36% of Asian Americans say they worry a great deal or a fair amount that other people might be suspicious of them because of their race or ethnicity if they wear a mask or face covering when in stores or other businesses. About a quarter of Hispanic adults (23%) and just 5% of white adults say they worry about this.

Despite these concerns, majorities of Black (69%) and Asian (80%) adults - as well as white (62%) and Hispanic (74%) adults - say they've worn a mask or a face covering all or most of the time in the past month when out in stores or other businesses.

Black men and women are about equally likely to say they worry that other people might be suspicious of them because of their race or ethnicity if they wear a mask or a face covering in stores or other businesses. About four-in-ten in each group say they worry at least a fair amount, with 21% of Black men and 16% of Black women saying they worry a great deal (this 5 percentage point difference is not statistically significant).

Concern among Black adults varies considerably by age. About half of Black Americans younger than 50 (51%) say they worry about people being suspicious of them because of their race or ethnicity if they wear a mask or face covering; 30% of Black adults ages 50 and older say the same.

Three-in-ten or more U.S. adults say racist views about Asian and Black Americans are more common than before the pandemic

A majority of Asian Americans (58%) and 45% of Black Americans say that it is more common for people to express racist views toward their group since the coronavirus outbreak. Smaller shares of Hispanic (21%) and white (18%) Americans say the same about people expressing racist views toward people who are Hispanic or white, respectively.

Age and education are linked to differing perceptions of whether racist views toward Asians are now more common. About half of younger adults ages 18 to 29 (51%) say that racist views about Asian people are more common now since the coronavirus outbreak, compared with about four-in-ten or fewer among those in older age groups. Those with college degrees or more (47%) also are more likely than those with some college or less education (35%) to say the same.

Democrats and those who lean Democratic (52%) are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners (25%) to say that it is more common for people to express racist views about Asian Americans since the coronavirus outbreak. This partisan gap is narrower when it comes to views about whether it is now more common for people to express racist views about people who are Black (33% of Democrats vs. 27% of Republicans say this) or Hispanic (18% vs. 8%). Meanwhile, Republicans (23%) are more likely than Democrats (16%) to say that it is more common for people to express racially insensitive views about white people.

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Many Black and Asian Americans Say They Have Experienced Discrimination Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak

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About four-in-ten Black and Asian adults say people have acted as if they were uncomfortable around them because of their race or ethnicity since the beginning of the outbreak, and similar shares say they worry that other people might be suspicious of them if they wear a mask when out in public, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

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T wo days after a Minneapolis cop killed George Floyd in late May, the novel coronavirus tallied its 100,000th American victim. More than 22,000 of those lost were black, though we only make up 13 percent of the overall U.S. population. As the global pandemic was laying bare virtually all of America's structural inequalities, unrest on the Minneapolis streets swelled into the largest and most numerous public demonstrations for civil rights seen in generations. Tens of thousands of nonviolent protesters from various cultural backgrounds, in city after city, are crying out " black lives matter," the mantra of the modern civil-rights movement and the rallying cry against the casual acceptance of our deaths.

Civil-rights organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi put those three words into our minds and hearts seven years ago, when they began to change the country. The sweeping calls for change we see today are not sudden, but the fruits of the labor of activists like them. Their work has given us room to demand more, because black lives don't truly matter just because people simply say so. This year alone, a white father and son carried out the modern-day lynching of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery near Brunswick, Georgia. If black lives mattered by now, we wouldn't have to say the name of Breonna Taylor, lost to a hail of police bullets in her own home in Louisville in March. Or chant the name of Floyd, killed for allegedly spending a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill at a corner grocery.

The protesters mobilized quickly and with unapologetic fury, their range of targets plentiful, whether it be overly militarized policing or inadequate medical services; mass incarceration or bigotry in the workplace; food insecurity or housing, Confederate monuments or racism in the entertainment industry. As "black lives matter" rings out from the mouths of protesters and corporations alike, what will it take to build an America where those three words are a statement of fact - not a fight for survival?

I t was seven years ago this July that Garza reacted to George Zimmerman's acquittal of murder in the Trayvon Martin case with a viral Facebook post expressing her pain, writing: "Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter. Black Lives Matter.""I was impacted in a way that I didn't expect," Garza tells me. "We see black death all the time, and I don't know what it was about this, but I know I went home and then I woke up in the middle of the night crying. And I picked up my phone and I started clickety-clacking, right?" Garza is now the principal of the Black Futures Lab, which works with voters and produces a Black Census Report. Patrisse Cullors, a Southern California activist close to Garza, saw the post and added the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. In New York City, immigration organizer Opal Tometi learned of the Zimmerman verdict after leaving a screening of the Ryan Coogler film Fruitvale Station, about the 2009 police shooting that killed Oscar Grant III. Already emotional, Tometi then read Garza's viral post.

"That is what hit me," Tometi says. "There [was] a lot of rage, a lot of pain, a lot of cynicism. But her post resonated with me, for a number of reasons. I think it being explicitly black, it being a message rooted in love, and it just felt very hopeful."

By the next day, Tometi, who knew Garza through the Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity Network, contacted her fellow organizer. She hadn't yet met Cullors, but in short order, the three joined forces and launched the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

"Patrisse and I, we started talking about building an organizing project around state violence," Garza said about the Global Network's founding. "Patrisse had been working on her own stuff at the time - the Dignity and Power Now. She was just getting that off the ground. All of this stuff kind of came into synergy. I knew designers and artists here in the Bay [Area] who were really excited to help and reached out and said, 'What can we do?' And so that's really the genesis of this."

Garza says Black Lives Matter was not initially her full-time job. But after the shooting death of Michael Brown Jr. by officer Darren Wilson in 2014, a Freedom Ride to Ferguson, Missouri, came together. Cullors, writing with co-organizer Darnell L. Moore in The Guardian that September, described the bus ride with 40 others in the spirit of the Freedom Rides across the segregated South during the early 1960s as "a tangible example of self-determination in the face of anti-black violence on the part of Ferguson residents and those of us who traveled from across the country to join them."

"I probably was the one out of the three of us that was like, 'Let's go, let's get big, let's get everybody.' I wasn't necessarily thinking about organizational structure," Cullors says today. "I was mostly thinking about building a mass movement that people can be a part of and feel an identity around. I was interested in giving folks like black, poor people who've been marginalized, brutalized, an opportunity to have more visibility. Before seven years ago, we could barely get the news to talk about police violence, let alone police death."

Garza also remembers how merely asking that black lives matter was too much for America, even in the wake of Zimmerman's acquittal. "On a political landscape, Black Lives Matter was just dead in the water," she says. "When you look at those polls, basically saying anything about Black Lives Matter - [it] just made everybody mad. And so from a political standpoint, you couldn't bring Black Lives Matter into a state legislature, because Black Lives Matter was synonymous in people's heads to, like, the Black Panther Party, and people were not fucking with it."

They're fucking with it now. In the wake of Floyd's death, corporations that wouldn't have gone near racial controversy in 2013 are now saying black lives matter. Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whose league exiled quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he knelt in nonviolent protest against police violence and systemic racism during the 2016 season, has had a change of heart. It's part of a broad Caucasian confession session: The Boston Red Sox are apologizing for fans hurling racial slurs at black players, NASCAR is banning the Confederate flags that typically flood their stands, and Paramount is canceling the squalid Cops, squashing television's cockroach after more than three decades of glorifying police brutality and dehumanizing victims of it.

"One of the things about Black Lives Matter is that it's become a rallying cry. That's really important," documentarian Stanley Nelson Jr., who has chronicled everyone from Marcus Garvey to the Black Panthers, tells me as he speaks about the value of slogans in movements. "How many white people do you see out there with signs that say, 'Black Lives Matter,' just like kneeling and holding up a fist has become a symbol?"

The public is also, belatedly, recognizing the reality of police racism and brutality, particularly as smartphones capture it on film in clips that go viral on social media. Nineteen percent of Gallup respondents on June 10th said that "race relations or racism" is the most important problem in the U.S., up from just four percent the month before and the highest such total the poll has measured since another pivotal year: 1968. A June 2nd Monmouth survey indicated that "a majority of Americans (57 percent) say that police officers facing a difficult or dangerous situation are more likely to use excessive force" against black individuals, "compared to one-third (33 percent) who say the police are just as likely to use excessive force against black and white culprits in the same type of situation." Compare that with the same poll in the summer of 2016, when two Baton Rouge, Louisiana, cops shot Alton Sterling dead, and only 34 percent of respondents said black individuals were more likely than others to face excessive force. The numbers are flipped from when an NYPD officer killed Eric Garner with a chokehold in 2014. At that time only 33 percent said the application of excessive force had a racist bent, while a full 58 percent said the police treated black people equally when using force.

Survey results and corporate press releases won't save lives, however - nor, on their own, will protests. Rebuilding a country that doesn't care about black life into one that does must include a fundamental and systemwide reformation of American policing. But "black lives matter" going mainstream helps the liberation movement up its demands. If America accepts that black lives are inordinately threatened, we have to then talk about what and who is threatening them. Historian Blair L.M. Kelley, who teaches at North Carolina State, says that "we're still far away from that kind of change that we need to see in order for lives to get saved. But at the same time [Black Lives Matter has] raised the floor of what's possible."

That is evident in the demands being made by the organizers since Floyd's death. Critics have dismissed and derided incremental reform plans for law enforcement, instead embracing changes once considered more radical, such as "defunding" police departments to shift resources toward other community programs.

"That's what you want; you want your radical demands to become popular," says Cullors, now the chair of the advocacy group Reform L.A. Jails. "Then they become actionable, and then your elected officials won't feel as scared to pass something like stopping a $3.5 billion jail because, hey, everybody else is saying the idea of caging thousands of human beings who have mental-health issues isn't a good idea anymore."

The Rev. Dr. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta and daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., speaks of her father's own outspoken advocacy at the end of his life for divestment from the military-industrial complex and reinvestment in communities. "Because our police departments have become more militaristic, we have to redirect the funds and begin to put money into some of these more important social issues in our society like education and health and the environment," King says. "So I would elevate it to say that we need to divest in militarism holistically, and reinvest in those issues that make us whole as a nation."

Fifty years ago, the U.S. spent about as much on "law and order" - courts, law enforcement, and incarceration - as it did on items such as temporary financial assistance, food stamps, and Social Security. But as The Washington Post reported in June, the gap between the two has ballooned ever since. Today, "law and order" gets twice the spending as cash-welfare programs.

During that same stretch, the U.S. government has systematically defunded the black community. Tometi cited public-safety-net cuts under Republican presidents from Reagan through both Bushes, and now on to Trump, whose entire presidency has often demonstrated either an indifference or an open hostility to black survival. From lowering environmental standards to his willful mishandling of public-health crises, Trump has embraced the white-nationalism mandate his voters provided him after he ran arguably the most racially divisive campaign since George Wallace in 1972, even unleashing tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House during a respiratory pandemic.

As with any conversation about Trump's racist policies or rhetoric, it cannot begin or end with him. The failures, on the federal and local levels, began long before his election, including the mediocre reforms that did nothing to contain the flow of money to law enforcement nor did much to curtail physical abuse. As a result, though overall rates of shootings of unarmed suspects have dropped since 2015, police are still four times more likely to kill unarmed black suspects than white ones.

This is why, as Harvard Kennedy School historian Khalil Gibran Muhammad says, Americans need to be aiming higher than short-term reforms. "We need to be talking about a massive reimagining of what a world with less policing actually looks like: [one] that is not an abstraction but is tethered to the Green New Deal, [one that] is tethered to the need to invest in public-health workers; they should also be the ones to help us do violence interruption, to be community-led initiatives for public safety, that don't rely on the police. Period."

And according to Muhammad, we can make these big asks now in large part not merely because of Garza, Cullors, and Tometi, but because of the framework they established. Black Lives Matter was born as an organization with a queer, feminist framework that grasped the importance of intersectionality. "Both Patrisse and I have this experience being queer black women in a movement for black freedom that really isn't shaped in our image. One of the things that actually connected Patrisse and I very early on is what it meant to try to navigate that space," Garza says.

That was especially important at a time when the media focused on black death centered on straight black men and boys. Since people are oppressed because of race, gender, and all of the various ways they are identified, if black lives are to truly matter, they all had to matter. It is to the movement's credit that the deaths of trans people like Tony McDade and Nina Pop haven't been lost in the shuffle of recent tragedies. But visibility hasn't been the sole accomplishment.

"This moment crystallizes how important organizing is to movement work and movement building," Muhammad says. "It's clear that what they did helped to prepare, city by city, what is emerging as a national network of organizers who have been ready, willing, and able to step into a crisis. We have to see what's happening here in terms of the nucleus of these massive protests being the outcome of all of that work."

Organizer Brittany Packnett Cunningham, who emerged as a national leader during the Ferguson unrest in 2014, also wants to ensure that Americans give credit where it is due. "If I look at this moment through the lens of what has been built over the last six years, what I really think of is that everyone, from the people who are out on the streets right now to the people who are making phone calls and sending emails, everyone needs to thank a protester," she says. "Because [of] those folks - from 2014, 2013, from the Nineties, the Eighties, the Seventies, the Sixties - it is the culmination of activity from thousands, if not millions, of people over generations that has finally brought America to a point of reckoning when it comes to the incredibly violent institution of policing."

'Y was the first time I cried for joy," Tometi tells me after the protests in early June. "Seeing the news clearly display our images and our slogans about defunding police, I was moved to see the people got the message. Because for far too long, we weren't being heard. Part of why we even had to go to -Twitter and had to go to Facebook and had to use social media was because there was a silence around anti-black racism in our society. It was just a practical means of communicating."

Change once painted as impossibly radical is becoming reality. After Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey refused to commit to defunding the police in early June, the City Council announced plans to disband the MPD entirely and invest in community-led public-safety efforts. Their move was certainly the most far-reaching early on, but the strong momentum for defunding police departments broke down even city leaders whose police forces had been notorious for their abuses.

After previously sticking to his plan to raise police funding by $19 million while making cuts to programs like youth-violence prevention, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced in early June that he would eliminate that budget increase and review a proposed set of reforms. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had been trying to leave the NYPD's nearly six percent chunk of the city's $90 billion budget untouched, caved and pledged to cut police funding.

It's a handful of cities now, but it's growing, and if adopted broadly, would interrupt the nation's decades-long bipartisan binge on police spending and militarization. That alone seemed unthinkable even a month ago. Something is changing here.

I feel it, as well. Accountability after the fact used to be the most that I once hoped for, as a black man just living and trying to survive. Wishing for the cops not to target me indiscriminately felt almost like too much to ask. But I must be honest: If this era of Black Lives Matter activism has not resulted in the kinds of changes to America that would ensure my safety, then it has made me feel more secure in demanding those concessions from my country. And it seems, judging from the crowds in major cities and even in some of the whitest towns of Texas, Maine, and Montana, others agree with me. These peaceful marches look like flowing bloodstreams through cities that had been lifeless during the pandemic for the past several months, and that isn't mere symbolism. They need to keep going, for there are still powerful people to be made uncomfortable.

For what it is worth, the three founders are pressing even harder as the battle rages. Cullors recently got "Measure R" passed in Los Angeles County, a measure that institutes civilian oversight of the sheriff's department and focuses on improving psychiatric care, drug treatment, and other services for those incarcerated in county jails. "I've been in this movement now for 20 years," she said, "and I've always been incredibly optimistic - almost to a fault. I think that so much of what I've seen over the last seven years is [that] the power of infrastructure and organizing cannot be undermined. When there's a rebellion that happens, an uprising that happens, organizations play such a critical role. These are the opportunities where we get to make such big and bold changes."

Tometi recognizes the urgency and unique nature of this moment. "Thinking about this moment, for me, leading up to this, it felt like we weren't working fast enough," she tells me, sounding exasperated. "Our work wasn't as effective as it needed to be. We've received all of the awards. I'm like, 'Dear God, I don't want another award, I want this to end.' I do not care for any more accolades! This to me is common sense. You don't want to see people dying and being murdered like this."

I took Tometi's tone to heart when she said it. There was more exasperation than excitement in her voice. These have been a long seven years, and unimaginably so for activists immersed in this work. Black pain has always been conspicuous in America, physical or otherwise. Physical or emotional, it stands out like the keloids on the backs of our enslaved ancestors, seen in daguerreotypes with the raised welts they would wear forever as reminders of where the whip stung them. Just like the permanence of those scars, black people have always needed to put our own health at risk in order to reveal to America its own fatal comorbidities. There is likely no path to a Voting Rights Act in 1965 without the Bloody Sunday on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, without the murder of activist Jimmie Lee Jackson by an Alabama state trooper. It has always been crucial that white Americans first see violence visited upon the bodies of black people before a finger is lifted in the direction of equality, and 2020 is no different.

Similarly, we need white people to be involved in the fight against these structures that serve them at our expense, but we shouldn't need them to save us. I welcome those first steps so many of them took toward taking an active and conscious role, even if many were awkward or flat-flooted. People needed to learn what "anti-racism" meant. What books to read, where to send cash to help the struggle, and where to stop spending their money. And protests needed to manifest at this magnitude to force politicians to take meaningful action that wasn't another session of sensitivity training. White people were marching en masse for the sanctity of black life. Now, all of a sudden, politicians were moving out of their seats to get things done.

When black folks begged for our survival in so many places before now, prayed over so many bodies, it was insufficient. When Eric Garner and Eric Harris and George Floyd and Javier Ambler begged for breath in police custody, they were ignored. Dr. King's father, Martin, said in his final speech, "All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper.' The word of this nation has to mean something, eventually, to its black citizens. The words "black lives matter," so courageously put forward by these three activists and carried forward now by legions, must be sustained by the actions and policies of those in powerful positions if they choose to utter them. That goes for NFL commissioners, studio executives, and politicians. The struggle continues to build an America where black people can breathe, one where we do not need white people to validate our demand to do so. Until we hold this nation accountable for failing to meet its own potential, our black lives won't truly matter here.

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How the movement that's changing America was built and where it goes next

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https://theconversation.com/bees-how-important-are-they-and-what-would-happen-if-they-went-extinct-121272

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The Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border Can't Be 'Solved' Without Acknowledging Its Origins

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Biden's attempts to address immigration may be new, but the issue is one that has dogged his predecessors for decades

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NASA has found direct evidence that shows how humans are impacting and causing a change in Earth's climate.

"Our study is the first time we've been able to track how humans are directly changing Earth's energy balance on the global scale over time with observations," Ryan Kramer, a co-author of the study, told FOX Television Stations.

Scientists have long known that climate change is a response to energy imbalances in the climate system. For example, rising greenhouse gases directly cause an initial imbalance in the planetary radiation budget and surface temperatures increase in response as the climate attempts to restore balance.

This forcing and its subsequent feedbacks dictate the amount of warming in the atmosphere.

The study, which is described as a first of its kind, calculated driving forces and found they increased between 2003 and 2018, accounting for nearly all of the long‐term growth in the total top‐of‐atmosphere radiation imbalance during this period.
RELATED: Humans are likely cause of shift in Atlantic hurricane cycles, climate study suggests
"We confirm that rising greenhouse gas concentrations account for most of the increases in the radiative forcing, along with reductions in reflective aerosols. This serves as direct evidence that anthropogenic activity has affected Earth's energy budget in the recent past," NASA wrote.

While scientists have long known that there is a causation between humans and Earth's warming, the study is the first by NASA that directly links humans to recent climate change.

"Our results show that human actions are directly changing the Earth's energy balance. It's confirmation from observations that human activity is leading to climate change. While we've known this for decades and there are countless other lines of evidence, our finding is based on direct, modern-day global observations while the other sources of evidence often require at least a little bit of interpretation using climate model simulations," Kramer continued.

NASA calculated and quantified the individual forcings from specialized satellite measurements to determine how much of each component cooled or warmed the atmosphere. The scientists found that the forces by computer models for decades matched the changes they calculated in the observations.

RELATED: NASA reveals 18 astronauts on Artemis Team, includes first woman, next man on moon

"By bringing in additional types of satellite measurements, we were able to first diagnose the energy changes caused by processes that can be either human-caused or naturally occurring, such as changes in clouds, which reflect and absorb energy, or changes in the amount of moisture in the air. We then diagnosed the portion of the energy change left over, after subtracting these components from the total. This is the energy change specifically caused by emissions of heat trapping greenhouse gases or reductions in aerosols - energy reflecting particles that often come from pollution. These human-induced energy changes are known as the radiative forcing of the Earth. Our study is the first to diagnose it on the global scale with observations," Kramer explained.

Kramer said the scientific result of this study is not surprising but is a testament to the progress that the science and engineering fields have made over the decades.

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NASA finds direct evidence that humans are causing climate change

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NASA has found direct evidence that shows how humans are impacting and causing a change in Earth's climate. "Our study is the first time we've been able to track how humans are directly changing Earth's energy balance on the global scale over time with observations," Ryan Kramer, a co-author of the study, told FOX Television Stations.

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Over the past year, attacks on Asian Americans have increased more than 150% over the previous year, including the March 16 murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta.

Some of these attacks may be classified as hate crimes. But whether they meet that legal definition or not, they all fit a long history of viewing Asian Americans in particular ways that make discrimination and violence against them more likely.

I have researched and taught on Asian America for 20 years, including on the pernicious effects of stereotypes and attacks on individuals. Race can play a role in violence and prejudice, even if the offender does not clearly express a racist intent.

Much remains unknown about the attacks in Atlanta, but the man charged with the murders has said he did not have a racial prejudice against people of Asian descent. Rather, he has claimed he has a sexual addiction. But that statement indicates that he assumed these women were prostitutes, whether that's true or not.

This assumption, and the resulting violence, is just one of many that Asian Americans have suffered through the years.

Mary Altaffer/AP

A long history of prejudice

The presupposed connection between Asian women and sex dates back almost 150 years: In 1875, Congress passed the Page Act, which effectively barred Chinese women from immigrating, because it was impossible to tell if they were traveling "for lewd and immoral purposes," including " for purposes of prostitution." The assumption that all Chinese women were of questionable moral character placed the burden on the women themselves to somehow prove they were not prostitutes before being allowed to immigrate.

The U.S. military contributed to this conception of Asian women as hypersexualized. During the wars in the Philippines at the start of the 19th century, and during the mid-20th-century wars in Korea and Vietnam, servicemen took advantage of women who had turned to sex work in response to their lives being wrecked by war.

In the 1960s, the U.S. government brokered a deal with Thailand to be a "rest and relaxation" center for military personnel fighting in Vietnam. That bolstered what became the foundations of Thailand's modern-day sex tourism industry, which attracts men from the United States and Europe.

This association of Asian women with men's sexual fantasies has permeated popular culture, such as a scene in the 1987 Stanley Kubrick movie "Full Metal Jacket" in which a Vietnamese woman entices two servicemen by saying, "Me love you long time," and regular themes in the animated comedy " Family Guy." This makes Asian women more desirable to sex traffickers, brought over to serve male desires in spas and massage parlors such as the ones attacked in Atlanta.

This history of sexualization of Asian women, shaped by the U.S. military and patriarchy, creates the backdrop to the Atlanta shootings. It helped create the conditions for the Asian spas and massage parlors to be there in the first place. It presents Asian American women as submissive, responsive agents of sexual temptation.

Race and gender inform what happened, and the public response to it, whether the alleged shooter articulates racist motives or not.

Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images

Stereotypes and perceptions matter

Other crimes against Asian Americans may also lack clear evidence of racial bias, but still echo anti-Asian American stereotypes.

For instance, many elderly Asian Americans have been shoved to the ground in recent weeks, and Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old man, died in one such incident in February in San Francisco.

The public defender representing the accused perpetrator in Ratanapakdee's death denies that race motivated the crime. But that is different from saying race was not a factor at all.

Practically all Asian Americans, but elderly men in particular, are often viewed as nonaggressive, meek and unable or unwilling to fight back, in contrast to men of other races. They are easy targets.

It's not always a crime

Other anti-Asian American racism isn't criminal at all, but still fits with the nation's racist history. As COVID-19 spread across the U.S., Asian-owned restaurants and stores were the first to experience declining revenue, even though most of the earliest cases in the U.S. came from Europe.

There is a long history of suspecting Asian Americans of carrying disease into the U.S., which made it seem natural for people to avoid Asian American-owned businesses. President Donald Trump's repeated public declarations that the "Kung Flu" virus came from China reinforced those feelings.

This race-based and erroneous assumption has resulted in Asian Americans having among the highest unemployment rates in the nation, though they had among the lowest before the pandemic.

It defies logic to claim that race isn't relevant in attacks on Asian Americans unless the perpetrator actively references it. Research has found that most Americans assume a person of Asian descent is foreign-born, unless there is some aspect of their appearance that clearly marks them as American - such as being overweight.

Asian Americans of all types experience this perception of being " forever foreigners " in a wide range of ways. Regardless of whether some or all - or none - of these latest assaults on Asian Americans are proved to be hate crimes or not, race plays a historic role.

[_ The Conversation's most important election and politics headlines, in our Politics Weekly newsletter.]

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Racism is behind anti-Asian American violence, even when it's not a hate crime

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Over the past year, attacks on Asian Americans have increased more than 150% over the previous year, including the March 16 murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta. Some of these attacks may be classified as hate crimes.

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AARP launches ads in W.Va. urging Manchin to support reconciliation bill

WASHINGTON - AARP, the advocacy group for Americans over fifty, is launching new cable and broadcast TV ads in West Virginia urging centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to support a budget reconciliation bill that includes a major prescription drug savings policy.

The new TV ad, first reported by NBC News, is slated to run in West Virginia starting this Wednesday through at least July 5. An AARP spokesperson said it is part of a multi-million-dollar ad campaign that will include radio and print ads.

"Everybody knows Joe Manchin cares about West Virginians. And he knows too many of us are struggling to pay for our medicine. That's why he supports letting Medicare negotiate lower drug prices," says a narrator in the ad, which ends with: "Joe Manchin, keep fighting to lower drug prices."

It focuses on a priority of AARP's: allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which Manchin has publicly endorsed. And it comes at a crucial stretch: In recent weeks, the senator has held private negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about a bill that can bypass Republicans, who oppose the idea of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

"We know we have the votes to pass Medicare negotiation through reconciliation, and we are committed to pushing back whenever PhRMA and their allies try to mislead the public and block Congress from lowering prescription drug prices," said Nancy LeaMond, the chief advocacy officer for AARP.

Manchin has said he would be open to a package that includes drug savings, energy investments and tax hikes on high earners and corporations.

The recent Manchin-Schumer negotiations have been tight-lipped and the West Virginia Democrat, who scuttled the House-passed Build Back Better Act, is facing conflicting pressures on striking a narrower reconciliation deal over tax and spending policy that can bypass the filibuster. The new AARP ad campaign is designed to push back on drug industry opposition to the savings policy and aims to give Manchin political cover to support the bill.

David Perdue lags far behind Gov. Kemp in ad spending Georgia's GOP primary

Ahead of Georgia's May 24 primary, former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., is falling behind in the race for the state's GOP gubernatorial nomination.

He's spent no money on ads since April 29, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. In total, he's spent $1.2 million on ads, a relatively low amount for that race.

Perdue is backed by former President Donald Trump and is challenging Gov. Brain Kemp, who drew ire from Trump in 2020 when he refused to overturn the results of the presidential election in the state, which was carried by President Joe Biden.

So far this cycle, Kemp has spent over $5 million on ads. He's recently pivoted his focus to the general election this fall, where Democrats are leading in ad spending by the millions, rather than spending money against Perdue.

Recent polls show that Kemp not only leads Perdue, but he also could clear 50 percent of the primary vote, meaning he would avoid a runoff election. A runoff would take place on June 21 if neither candidate clears that 50 percent threshold.

If he wins outright, Kemp will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in a rematch of their 2018 election, where Abrams lost by less than two percentage points. Abrams is already the de facto Democratic nominee, facing no challengers in the primary contest.

On top of Kemp's ad spending, the Republican Governors Association has spent on his behalf, pouring over $4.6 million on the airwaves to back Kemp.

But Abrams and her allies are far and away the leaders in ad spending in the race so far. Abrams' campaign has spent $7.8 million on the airwaves and Fair Fight Action has spent an additional $6.6 million on ads supporting Abrams.

Midterm Roundup: A busy primary night

Tuesday's primaries across the country featured some key races in places like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oregon, Idaho and North Carolina. In Oregon, President Joe Biden's endorsement doesn't seem to have helped Rep. Kurt Schrader. Though the race hasn't been called yet, he's trailing his challenger, Jamie McLeod-Skinner by over 20 percentage points.

And in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate for Senate, Mehmet Oz, hasn't run away with it. The race is still too close to call, and former hedge fund manager David McCormick is trailing Oz by only 0.20 percentage points.

Here are some other key results from Tuesday's wild primaries, with NBC News' projection in parentheses, as they stand now:

Here are some other key results from Tuesday's wild primaries, with NBC News' projection in parentheses, as they stand now:

Kentucky-03 (Democratic): Morgan McGarvey 63.3 percent (winner), Attica Scott 36.7 percent.

Idaho-02 (GOP): Mike Simpson 54.6 percent (winner), Bryan Smith 32.7.

North Carolina-01 (GOP): Sandy Smith 30.7 percent, Sandy Roberson 26.1 percent (race has not been called).

North Carolina-13 (GOP): Bo Hines 32.1 percent (winner), DeVan Barbour 22.7 percent.

North Carolina-13 (Democratic): Wiley Nickel 51.7 percent (winner), Sam Searcy 23 percent.

North Carolina-14 (Democratic): Jeff Jackson 86.4 percent (winner), Ram Mammadov 13.8 percent.

Oregon governor (Democratic): Tina Kotek 57.4 percent (winner), Tobias Read 33 percent.

Oregon governor (GOP): Christine Drazan 23.5 percent, Bob Tiernan 20 percent.

Oregon-04 (Democratic): Val Hoyle 65.3 percent (winner), Doyle Canning 15.5 percent.

Oregon-04 (GOP): Alek Skarlatos ran unopposed.

Oregon-05 (GOP): Lori Chavez-DeRemer 42.2 percent, Jimmy Crumpacker 30.5 percent (race has not been called).

Oregon-06 (Democratic): Andrea Salinas 37.8 percent (winner), Carrick Flynn 19 percent.

Pennsylvania-01 (GOP): Brian Fitzpatrick 65.5 percent (winner), Alex Entin 34.5 percent.

Pennsylvania-08 (GOP): Jim Bognet 68.8 percent (winner), Mike Marsicano 31.2 percent.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

Oklahoma Senate: The Daily Beast is reporting that Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who is running in the crowded GOP Senate primary, plans to introduce a bill to expunge Trump's impeachment

Pennsylvania Senate: NBC's Mike Memoli reports that Rep. Conor Lamb faced long odds with President Biden, a key supporter of his marquee 2018 House race, sitting on the sidelines.

New York governor: Gov. Kathy Hochul is up with a new spot centered on protecting abortion access.

Los Angeles Mayor: There were a few big developments in the race for mayor - actor Danny Trejo cut an ad for Councilman Kevin de León, rapper Snoop Dog endorsed businessman Rick Caruso, and City Attorney Mike Feur dropped his bid to endorse Rep. Karen Bass.

Two neighboring Pa. districts tell the tale of changing terrain for Democrats

MONACA, Pa. - If you want a sense of the challenges Democrats face in 2022's House races, look no further than two districts that share a common border in western Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's 12th District, which includes Pittsburgh as well as suburbs to the east and south looks to be solidly Democratic. A deep blue stronghold, the district is home to Democratic candidate Summer Lee, who has built her campaign around environmental justice and income inequality.

The state's 17th District, which holds some of Pittsburgh's suburbs and all of rural/exurban Beaver County, looks much more like a toss-up. The district is home to Democratic candidate Chris Deluzio, who focuses on his veteran status and his work to help unionize the University of Pittsburgh's faculty.

Both districts include parts of Allegheny County, the home of Pittsburgh, but the two offer very different terrains for Democrats.

Not long ago, this entire area was Democratic. In the 2000 presidential race, Democrat Al Gore carried Allegheny County by 16 points, while carrying Beaver by 9 points. But 2020 showed how the map had changed. Joe Biden carried Allegheny by 20 points, but Donald Trump carried Beaver by 18 points.

What happened? Pittsburgh, still considered the "steel city" by many Americans, has morphed into a medical and tech center. About 43 percent of the 25-and-over population has a bachelor's degree. But many of the suburbs around the city, like those in Beaver, are still rooted in the area's industrial past; about 26 percent of adults in Beaver have a bachelor's degree.

The emerging differences are clear to see on the ground.

Last week in Pittsburgh, we met with Jasiri X, the co-founder and CEO of 1Hood, a community organizing group in the city. His concern is whether Democrats are doing enough on the issues that Black voters face on a day-to-day basis.

"2018 was this very pivotal year for Pittsburgh," he said. "We had a very high profile police killing of a young man named Antwon Rose. ... We also had the Tree of Life massacre later on that year."

"It began to be like, 'OK, well, protesting by itself isn't enough," he continued. "Can we move to come together to actually create and change laws?'" He says that these voters haven't seen the return on their investment and want Democrats to push harder on progressive policies instead of being "passive."

An hour drive away from the city, in the far northern reaches of the northwestern Pittsburgh suburbs - the United Steelworkers Local 1016 held a meeting in Wheatland, Pennsylvania. There, we heard a very different message of what the country needs: Trump's new brand of union workers were more worried about issues like the emerging Supreme Court decision on abortion.

United Steelworkers District 10 Director Bernie Hall studied his crowd of union leaders closely, taking stock of what political questions arose. A Biden voter himself, he was worried about candidates increasingly going to "extremes." If the Supreme Court can overturn a law like Roe v. Wade from 1973, what about the 1935 Wagner Act that said employees have a right to establish a union?

"We'll have dozens of these [meetings] across the state," he said. "I'm concerned that people aren't getting facts in general, not only about President Biden but just about the political process and issues that face our country."

In Aliquippa, after the local steel mill shut down, nature is slowly reclaiming empty homes and many of residents of this hard-hit African-American community are well beneath the poverty line.

Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker (D) urged Democrats to unite the rural voters and urban progressives. The way forward in Western Pennsylvania, he says, is to remind people the area is the birthplace of the unions.

"There's 72,000 Democrats [here that are] 'light blue' [Reagan Democrat]" he said. "But they'll vote Republican just based off the message. The message just has to be claimed."

Oz and McCormick backers have dominated ad spending but pro-Barnette group made late push

Groups backing businessman David McCormick and television doctor Mehmet Oz alone make up 88 percent of all ad spending in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary, data from the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics shows.

But a late push by a powerful ally of Republican activist Kathy Barnette meant that she and her allies actually outspent the pro-Oz effort in the race's final week.

Overall, the pro-McCormick effort has spent $32.8 million on ads through Tuesday, with $16.9 million coming from the Honor Pennsylvania super PAC and $12 million from McCormick's campaign alone (two other super PACs added another $3.9 million).

While Oz's campaign spent $13.2 million, more than McCormick's campaign, he had a far smaller, $4.3 million push from super PACs, bringing the pro-Oz ad spending total to $17.5 million.

And Barnette's campaign, which has spent just $210,00 on ads, was boosted by a $2.1 million, last-minute ad buy from Club for Growth Action.

While Pennsylvanians have been inundated with ads for McCormick and Oz for months, that late push by the Club, coming amid Barnette's late surge, made her competitive with her rivals on the airwaves for the final week. The pro-McCormick effort still led the pack with $4 million spent over the last seven days, but the Club's spending pushed the pro-Barnette effort into second place for the final week with $2.2 million in ad spending, followed by the pro-Oz $1.4 million.

Where is Trump's endorsement power on the line in Tuesday's primaries?

Trump has endorsed 25 candidates in Tuesday's primaries in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Idaho, with a handful of races testing the former president's power over the GOP.

All but six of those endorsements are incumbent lawmakers who are typically favored to win their primaries. Trump has backed eight candidates in North Carolina, eight in Pennsylvania, six in Kentucky and three in Idaho.

The most closely-watched tests of Trump's endorsements will come in statewide contests, particularly in Pennsylvania. There Trump has backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the open Senate race, but conservative commentator Kathy Barnette has surged late in the race as she tries to capture grassroots enthusiasm. Trump made a last-minute endorsement in the governor's race, backing controversial state Sen. Doug Mastriano over the weekend after Mastriano emerged as a frontrunner.

Trump has also weighed in on North Carolina's open Senate race, backing GOP Rep. Ted Budd over former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker. Budd has also benefited from $11.8 million in outside spending from Club for Growth Action, which has launched ads attacking Budd's opponents, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

In Idaho, Trump has backed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in a primary against GOP Gov. Brad Little. Trump didn't mention LIttle in his statement backing McGeachin in November, when he described the lieutenant governor as someone who has been "a true supporter of MAGA since the very beginning." Little has outspent McGeachin on the airwaves, spending $945,000 to McGeachin's $215,000, per AdImpact.

Trump has also weighed in on a handful of notable House races. He backed controversial GOP Rep Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina's 11th District. Cawthorn's opponents, including state Sen. Chuck Edwards, have painted Cawthorn as an attention-seeker who hasn't prioritized his district.

The GOP primary in North Carolina's 13th District will also test Trump's endorsement after he decided to back law student Bo Hines in the competitive, open seat race. Club for Growth has spent nearly $1.3 million boosting Hines, who faces self-funding attorney Kelly Daughtry, veteran Kent Keirsey, and former Rep. Renee Ellmers in the primary.

In Pennsylvania's 8th District, Trump has backed political consultant Jim Bognet to take on Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright. Bognet lost to Cartwright by nearly 4 points in a district Trump would have won by 3 points had the new congressional map been in place in 2020. Bognet faces former Hazleton Mayor Mike Marsicano, who is also a former Democrat, in the GOP primary.

Outside group launches $6 million ad campaign supporting Ron Johnson

One Nation, a super PAC with ties to the conservative Senate Leadership Fund, is launching a $6 million ad campaign to back Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., today.

The group's first ad will run for eight weeks in Wisconsin and highlights Johnson's efforts to curb inflation.

"Gas, groceries, rent. Everything costs more. Senator Ron Johnson is fighting back," a narrator in the ad says.

The narrator adds, "The D.C. liberals' spending spree is out of control. Jacking up inflation on Wisconsin families. Wiping out wage gains and making it harder for families to make ends meet."

Johnson is running for a third term this year and while he faces no significant primary challenge, Democrats are eyeing his seat as one they can flip in November. So far, there are three main candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for Senate - state treasurer Sarah Godlewski, businessman Alex Lasry and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Wisconsin's primary election is August 9.

So far, Lasry has spent the most on ads of any candidate, spending $5.6 million on the airwaves, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. Johnson himself has spent over $5.1 million on ads.

Godlewski and Barnes trail, with Godlewski having spent $1.9 million on ads so far and Barnes having spent under $100,000 on ads.

Barnes, however, has racked up significant progressive endorsements, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., planning to campaign for him soon, according to NBC News' Shaq Brewster.

One Nation, however, will be competing against an anti-Johnson outside group, Opportunity Wisconsin. The group hasn't explicitly backed any of the Democratic candidates, but they have been running ads against Johnson since early this year.

The commercials allege Johnson used loopholes in legislation he supported to make money for himself. So far, the group has spent the most of any candidate or group on the airwaves, spending $6.4 million.

Like One Nation, Opportunity Wisconsin is an advocacy organization that does not have to disclose its donors, though the group's website claims they're, "made up of a diverse group of leaders who span the urban/rural divide and live and work in communities and industries through Wisconsin."

Barnette says she won't support "globalist" candidates if she loses Pa. GOP primary

Republican Kathy Barnette, who has been surging in the final days before the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary race, threw cold water on the idea of her backing rivals Mehmet Oz or David McCormick if she loses the primary election.

"I am not a globalist, both of them are. They have very strong ties to the World Economic Forum. I've heard McCormick several times espouse the glowing benefits of ESG scores --environmental social governance scores. If you just look at who they are, Mehmet Oz is not only an American but also Turkish as well. That's a very important distinction," Barnette said during an interview with SiriusXM's Breitbart News Daily.

When asked subsequently if she'd back the eventual GOP nominee if she loses Tuesday, Barnette replied: "I have no intention of supporting globalists."

"I don't think we have room to just vote for any old warm body with an 'R' next to their name. I think we can do better than that."

During the interview, Barnette went onto criticize Oz and McCormick as not authentic conservatives, as well as criticizing the idea that they're electable because they have deep pockets to loan to their campaigns.

"I have been an America First individual long before I decided to run for this race. And now, these two particular men, because it's convenient, because we have this seat open, they are now presenting themselves as Trump, card-carrying members of the Patriot Party," Barnette said.

"That's not how they've lived their life prior to stepping into this role."

In recent interviews with NBC News, both Oz and McCormick raised questions about Barnette's candidacy.

"He's not been transparent. And every time she answers a question, she raises a lot more," Oz told NBC's Dasha Burns last weekend before saying he would support her if she wins.

And Monday, McCormick criticized Barnette for losing her 2020 congressional bid.

"I've gotten to know Kathy on the campaign trail, I respect her personal story. She's been tested, she was tested 18 months ago when she ran for Congress and lost by 20 percentage points," McCormick said.

- Dasha Burns contributed

Poll: Democrats are becoming more progressive, while most Republicans want Trump to lead GOP

Ahead of a slew of notable primary races taking place over the next two weeks, the latest NBC News poll finds that the Democratic primary electorate has become more progressive since 2020.

It also shows a majority of Republican primary voters wanting Trump to continue leading their party.

Now neither development should be that surprising to anyone who follows politics. But it's instructive to see them backed up by numbers.

Per the poll, 63 percent of Democratic primary voters say they prefer a candidate who proposes larger-scale policies even if they cost more and might he harder to pass, versus 33 percent who prefer a candidate who proposes smaller-scale policies that cost less and might be easier to pass.

That's a jump from Feb. 2020 - during the height of the Democratic presidential primary season - when 53 percent wanted candidates proposing larger-scale policies, versus 41 percent who wanted candidate with smaller-scale policies.

As for Republican primary voters, 55 percent believe the party should continue to be led by former President Donald Trump; 33 percent say he was a good president but it's time for new leaders; and 10 percent say he was a bad president, and it's time to move on.

On a separate question, however, 34 percent of Republicans in the poll identify themselves as more supporters of Trump, while 58 percent consider themselves more supporters of the party.
The NBC News poll was conducted May 5-7, 9-10 of 1,000 adults - including 750 on their cell phone - and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error for the poll's 259 Democratic primary voters is plus-minus 6.09 percentage points, and the margin of error for the poll's 247 Republican primary voters is plus-minus 6.24 percentage points.
Fetterman won't appear at campaign's primary night event after last week's stroke

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman won't attend his Senate campaign's primary-election night event on Tuesday after suffering a stroke late last week.

In a press release Monday, the campaign said Fetterman's wife and "other special guests" will deliver remarks, while Fetterman himself "will not be in attendance on Tuesday as he will remain in the hospital resting and recovering."

Fetterman Sunday that he had suffered a stroke Friday, but he said that he didn't suffer "cognitive damage" and insisted he is "well on my way to full recovery." The Democrat is considered the frontrunner in the Democratic primary bid, where he's running against Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

In Pennsylvania, Mastriano rises to top of GOP field despite little ad spending

State Sen. Doug Mastriano has established himself as a frontrunner in the GOP primary for Pennsylvania governor despite being vastly outspent on the airwaves.

Mastriano's campaign has spent just $332,000 on ads ahead of Tuesday's primary, accounting for just over 1 percent of the $22.7 million spent on the governor's race by the total GOP primary field, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Mastriano, who has championed former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, has been the target of a $1.1 million ad campaign from Pennsylvania Patriots for Election Integrity. The group has knocked Mastriano for supporting a 2019 law expanding mail voting in the state (which Mastriano has said he would reverse if elected).

Despite minimal spending on campaign ads, Mastriano has established himself as a frontrunner in the crowded race and he picked up Trump's endorsement over the weekend.

Trump's endorsement in the final days of the primary race came after he encouraged his supporters last month to reject former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain, calling McSwain a "coward" for not investigating election fraud.

Half of all ad spending in the GOP race - $11.1 million - has bolstered McSwain. But Commonwealth Leaders Fund, which has spent millions supporting McSwain, announced over the weekend that it is instead backing former Rep. Lou Barletta in an attempt to consolidate behind one Mastriano opponent.

The group's decision comes after two other candidates, state Sen. Jake Corman and former Rep. Melissa Hart, dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Barletta, whose campaign has spent $967,000 on ads.

Aside from McSwain, the top spender in the race has been former Delaware County Councilman David White's campaign, which has dropped nearly $5.7 million on ads so far. The conservative Club for Growth Action has spent $801,000 on an ad campaign opposing White.

Rep. Mike Simpson is seeking to fend off primary challenger in Idaho

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, will be defending his seat Tuesday when he faces a challenge from personal injury attorney Bryan Smith in Idaho's 2nd district GOP primary.

The two have been engaged in an intense ad war, running over a dozen unique ads combined this cycle. Most of those ads have been on the offensive, with Smith attacking Simpson over his decision to vote in favor of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Simpson has attacked Smith for his debt collection practices, featuring families in his ads who were sought after by Smith's business to pay back small amounts.

Smith has spent over $450,000 on his ads, while Simpson has spent just over $368,000 on the airwaves, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.

However, Simpson has been defended by outside groups, including the Defending main street Super PAC, which has run ads supporting him. That group has spent over $460,000 on ads in Simpson's favor.

Defending Main Street is the political arm of the Republican Main Street Partnership and is spending in House GOP primaries across the country, including in Ohio and Minnesota.

Smith has had the backing of an outside group, too. America Proud PAC has poured $405,000 into ads supporting him in the district, accusing Simpson of being a "career politician" and a RINO (Republican In Name Only). The group is largely funded by Boise real estate developer Joe C. Russell, according to FEC filings.

Simpson has been serving in this seat since 1999, and it's the second time he's faced a primary challenge from Smith. In 2014, Smith ran against Simpson, but Simpson earned 61.6 percent of the vote on election night, compared to Smith's 38.4 percent.

Though former President Donald Trump has endorsed against some members of Congress who voted in favor of the January 6 commission, he has not publicly supported either candidate in this race.

Data Download: The number of the day is... -19 percentage points.

That's the net-negative rating for the Democratic Party in the latest national NBC News poll, with 50 percent of adults saying they had negative feelings about the Democratic Party and 31 percent saying they had positive feelings about the party. That's also the highest net-negative rating the Democratic Party has seen in 30 years of the survey.

Adults surveyed in the poll gave the Republican Party a net negative rating of minus 11 percent, with 46 percent viewing the party positively and 46 percent viewing the party negatively.

The results are yet another warning sign for Democrats heading into a difficult midterm election, with the Democratic Party's image struggling across the country. Among registered voters in the suburbs, the Democratic Party had a net negative rating of minus 24 percent, which is nearly three times their negative rating among suburban voters in 2018.

The party also had a 2 percent net-positive rating among urban voters, a sizable drop from a plus 15 percent rating in 2021. Rural voters have increasingly reported negative feelings about the Democratic Party, giving the party a rating of minus 32 percent.

Here's the positive/negative ratings - from most popular, to least popular - for all the politicians or institutions the NBC News poll measured:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: 62 percent positive, 9 percent negative (+53)

Disney: 33 percent positive, 30 percent negative (+3)

Ron DeSantis: 28 percent positive, 26 percent negative (+2)

The US Supreme Court: 36 percent positive, 35 percent negative (+1)

The Republican Party: 35 percent positive, 46 percent negative (-11)

Joe Biden: 37 percent positive, 51 percent negative (-14)

Donald Trump: 36 percent positive, 51 percent negative (-16)

Kamala Harris: 31 percent positive, 48 percent negative (-17)

The Democratic Party: 31 percent positive, 50 percent negative (-19)

PACs funded by crypto executives face first tests in Tuesday's primaries

The crypto executives behind multiple super PACs this cycle will get their first chances at victory next week in a handful of House primaries as they flood Democratic races with cash.

The super PACs Protect Our Future and Web3Forward have spent a combined $8 million on ads in next week's primaries so far, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The bulk of that spending has been focused on Oregon's 6th District, Protect Our Future has spent over $6.5 million on ads supporting former government contractor Carrick Flynn's election. The 6th District is brand new, created due to population gain during redistricting in the state.

Protect Our Future is a new group funded by crypto executives including Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the crypto currency exchange FTX. The PAC has endorsed nearly a dozen candidates and lawmakers and claims to be focused on candidates who take long--term stances on certain legislation, particularly related to pandemic preparedness.

The amount of money spent on Flynn significantly outweighs the money spent on any other candidate in the race, which include veteran and businessman Cody Reynolds, internal medicine Dr. Kathleen Harder, and former state Rep. Andrea Salinas, who has the support of BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. House Majority PAC, a group tied to top congressional Democrats, has also spent in Flynn's favor.

Protect Our Future has also spent significantly in two other open Democratic primaries in deep blue districts - Kentucky's 3rd District and North Carolina's 4th district.

In North Carolina, the group has spent $625,000 on ads supporting state Sen. Valerie Foushee, who's running to replace retiring Democratic Rep. David Price. She's been endorsed by EMILY's List, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and other members of Congress.

Her most notable opponent is Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who's been endorsed by progressive lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is also running.

In Kentucky, Protect Our Future has poured $591,000 into ads supporting state Sen. Morgan McGarvey. McGarvey faces one opponent, state Rep. Attica Scott, in his bid for an open seat to replace retiring Rep. John Yarmuth.

Another crypto-backed super PAC has spent heavily on the open seat race in Oregon's 4th District.

Rep. Peter DeFazio is retiring, leaving a reliably Democratic seat open. He and Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., have endorsed Val Hoyle, Oregon's Labor Commissioner.

Web3 Forward, which is tied to another PAC funded by crypto executives from companies like Coinbase and FTX, has spent $286,000 on ads supporting Hoyle. The PAC "supports Democratic candidates committed to making the next generation internet more secure, open and owned by the users," according to the group's website.

Web3Forward so far endorsed three Democratic candidates in primaries - Hoyle, Sydney Kamlager in California and Jasmine Crockett in Texas, who's facing a primary runoff later this month.

Super PACs target Kathy Barnette in Pennsylvania Senate race

A pair of super PACs launched two new TV ads Friday morning attacking conservative commentator Kathy Barnette as she surges in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary.

The ads come as former President Donald Trump, who has backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the race, and Barnette's opponents target her as she has turned the race between Oz and former hedge fund manager David McCormick into a three-way contest.

Honor Pennsylvania, a pro-McCormick super PAC that's spent $16.1 million largely attacking Oz, launched an ad where a narrator asks, "What do we really know about Kathy Barnette?"

The spot goes on to accuse Barnette of supporting the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd and of saying, "I was not a Trumper," citing her Twitter feed and her book.

Another super PAC, USA Freedom Fund, launched a new ad blasting Barnette for supporting the building of a statue of former President Barack Obama.

The ad starts by mentioning comments Obama made about conservatives in 2008, saying some conservative voters are bitter and "cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them."
"Remember how that made you feel?" the ad's narrator asks. He adds, "One candidate for Senate doesn't care. In fact, Kathy Barnette wants to build a statue of Barack Obama right next to the one of Abraham Lincoln on Capitol Hill."
The ad references a Change.org petition that appears to be written by Barnette, advocating for erecting statues of Obama, his family and abolitionist Frederick Douglas in Washington, D.C. The petition was written two years ago. NBC News hasn't independently verified whether Barnette was indeed the person who wrote the petition.

USA Freedom Fund previously supported former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel's unsuccessful run for Senate.

New ads target GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn in primary race

A super PAC supporting one of GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn's primary challengers launched two new ads targeting the controversial congressman ahead of next week's primary in North Carolina.

Cawthorn, who has former President Donald Trump's endorsement, has been at the center of numerous scandals.

The first-term congressman, who faced sexual harassment allegations in his first bid, drew criticism for his repeated lies and aggressive rhetoric about the 2020 election; he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug" and he said that he had been invited to drug-fueled sex parties by other lawmakers. And he's also been the subject of leaked photos and videos of a sexual nature that attempt to paint Cawthorn in a negative light.

The new spots from the outside group Results for NC slam Cawthorn for falsely claiming an accident prevented him from attending the Naval Academy, even though he had already been rejected prior to the accident.

One of the new ads labels Cawthorn an untrustworthy "playboy politician," and flashes one of those leaked images. The other spot features a woman veteran who is backing state Sep. Chuck Edwards in the May 17 primary.

Results for NC has spent the most on the airwaves of any campaign or outside group in the 11th District so far, dropping $739,000 on ads, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Edwards has picked up endorsements as Cawthorn has racked up headlines. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is supporting the state senator.

If no candidate wins more than 30 percent of the primary vote on Tuesday, the top two contenders head to a primary runoff in July.

Beasley internal poll shows dead heat in North Carolina Senate general election

North Carolina Democrat Cheri Beasley's internal campaign polling shows her in a statistical tie with the two Republican frontrunners squaring off in next week's Senate primary.

In a new polling memo shared with NBC News, Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, is tied with Republican Rep. Ted Budd at 45 percent in a general election matchup with 10 percent undecided. Beasley trails former Gov. Pat McCrory in a separate matchup with McCrory at 45, Beasley at 44 and 11 percent undecided.

The live-caller poll of 800 likely general election voters taken from April 28 through May 4 has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent, meaning that the polling shows Beasley in a statistical dead heat with either of the two Republicans. The poll tested head-to-head matchups, which don't capture third-party candidates that may be on the ballot (last cycle, conservative third-party candidates pulled about 4 percent of the vote in the Senate race).

The memo includes favorability ratings for all three candidates, suggesting that the raucous GOP primary may have affected how voters view McCrory and Budd, even while Beasley remains known to a smaller portion of the general electorate.

McCrory, who served four years as the state's governor, has a favorable rating in the poll from 33 percent of the likely general electorate, compared to a 45 percent unfavorable rating. Budd has a 28 percent favorable rating and a 30 percent unfavorable rating.

By comparison, Beasley has a 30 percent favorable rating and a 15 percent unfavorable rating in the poll.

The memo also suggests Beasley leads Budd with suburban voters and white college-educated voters, but the full crosstabs of the poll were not included.

Most public polls show a tight contest in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 2008 but did elect a Democratic governor in 2016, when Roy Cooper defeated McCrory. Former President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election, defeating President Biden by a margin of 50 percent to 49 percent.

The race is expected to draw tens of millions in ad spending - the GOP backed Senate Leadership Fund has $22 million of ad time booked in the race already after primary day, per the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And Politico reported Thursday that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is buying $6.5 million in advertising time in the state with ads starting Friday.

Biden's influence to be tested in Oregon on Tuesday

Most high profile primary elections this cycle have been viewed at least partially as a test of former President Trump's power of the Republican Party through the success of candidates he's endorsed. But on Tuesday, we'll have the first chance to see how far President Joe Biden's power extends as his first endorsed candidate faces a challenge in Oregon's Democratic primary for the 5th congressional district.

Biden is backing Rep. Kurt Schrader as he faces a challenge from public official Jamie McLeod-Skinner who has attacked Schrader for taking "millions in corporate PAC money" as he "sold out to big pharma."

Schrader has defended himself on the airwaves, citing his record fighting for lower prescription drug prices and affordable healthcare.

He's spent over $1.8 million on ads already, with five days to go until the primary. Two groups - Center Forward and Mainstream Democrats - have also spent money on the airwaves to support Schrader and attack McLeod-Skinner. They've spent a combined $1.3 million, according to AdImpact.

Center Forward in particular has run ads highlighting the fact that McLeod-Skinner was fired from a position as city manager in Phoenix, Oregon, in 2018 for being too antagonistic.

McLeod-Skinner has spent just over $250,000 on ads. She also trails Schrader in fundraising, raising almost $700,000 so far this cycle compared to the over $2 million Schrader has raised, according to the FEC.

She's also run for Congress before. In 2018, she ran for and won the Democratic nomination for Oregon's 2nd district, but was defeated in the general election by then-Rep. Greg Walden.

The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates this district as Lean Democratic, but there's a chance Republicans could flip the seat in November. On that side of the aisle, Jimmy Crumpacker and Lori Chavez-DeRemer are engaged in a tight primary.

Crumpacker ran for the state's 2nd district in 2020, but came fourth in the GOP primary. Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor of Happy Valley from 2010 to 2018.

Chavez-DeRemer has raised $669,000 so far this cycle, while Crumpacker trails slightly, having raised $541,000, according to the FEC. He also slightly trails her in ad spending. According to AdImpact, Chavez-DeRemer has spent $286,000 on ads so far, while Crumpacker has spent $254,000.

Club for Growth goes in for Barnette in late Pennsylvania Senate primary push

The Club for Growth is coming to the aid of conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, whose Pennsylvania GOP primary candidacy has gained steam in recent days, with a new $2 million ad buy hoping to magnify her surge.

It's the Club's first expenditure of the primary, a biographical spot that features Barnette talking about her roots growing up on a rural pig farm and serving in the military before pivoting to her attacking Democrats.

"Kathy Barnette is a principled conservative and a fighter who will take on the socialists in Washington to preserve the American Dream for generations to come," David McIntosh, the president of Club for Growth Action, said in a statement. "We look forward to supporting Barnette in her race to become the next Senator from Pennsylvania."

The spending push is good enough to make the Club the top spender in the race's final week, a shake-up on airwaves that have long been dominated by the efforts supporting celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and businessman David McCormick.

Up until this point, the pro-Barnette effort has been virtually non-existent on the airwaves. The pro-McCormick and Oz outfits alone have outspent Barnette's campaign (she's had no outside help until this week) by a margin of more than 328-to-1.

It's also another marquee race where the Club is breaking from former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Oz. The Club's preferred candidate in Ohio's recent Senate race, former Treasurer Josh Mandel, lost to author J.D. Vance, Trump's pick. But the two were aligned in Tuesday's West Virginia primary, backing Rep. Alex Mooney over Rep. David McKinley.

McCormick dodges Trump question ahead of Pennsylvania primary

Former hedge fund manager David McCormick would rather not get into how he plans to win Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary next week without former President Donald Trump's support.

McCormick is trying to win over Republican voters ahead of the May 17 contest, while Trump has endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the race.

Asked after a campaign event in Tunkhannoc, Pa., how he plans to win without Trump, McCormick responded, "Listen, I'm not doing any more interviews."

The dodge underscores the challenge McCormick faces in trying to win over the Trump faithful without the former president's backing. On Monday McCormick launched a new TV ad featuring footage of Trump praising McCormick and images of Trump and McCormick together.

On Tuesday Ozreleased his own ad rebutting McCormick's spot, featuring footage of Trump calling McCormick "a liberal Wall Street Republican."
For more coverage of Pennsylvania's Senate race, tune into Meet the Press Daily's special report from the Keystone State at 1 pm E.T on MSNBC.
Infrastructure vote threatens one House Republican. What about the others?

Former President Donald Trump has promised to exact revenge on Republicans who supported the bipartisan infrastructure package. And one of his best chances to do so comes Tuesday in West Virginia's 2nd District.

"If this deal happens, lots of primaries will be coming your way," Trump warned in a July statement as senators were negotiating the package.

On the same day President Joe Biden signed the infrastructure package into law in November, Trump announced he was backing West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney in his primary against GOP Rep. David McKinley, who voted for the package. Mooney and McKinley were forced to run for the same seat due to redistricting, since the Mountain State lost a House seat.

The two congressmen are in a hotly contested race that's attracted a few million dollars in ad spending from their campaigns and outside groups. But the other six House Republicans who bucked their party to vote for the infrastructure package, and are still running for re-election, aren't facing similar contests.

Trump has not yet endorsed primary challengers against those House members, even as he's made his displeasure known.

At a rally in Nebraska earlier this month, Trump called GOP Rep. Don Bacon a "bad guy," and wished his primary challenger "good luck." But Trump stopped short of endorsing the challenger, roofer Steve Keuhl. Bacon's primary is also set for Tuesday, but Keuhl has only raised $5,000 and didn't have any money left in his campaign account as of March 31.

Trump has said he still supports New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis despite her vote for the package. But her race is still uncertain with New York's congressional lines in flux. Fellow New York GOP Rep. Andrew Gabarino also voted for the infrastructure package.

Two New Jersey Republicans - Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew - also voted for the bill. So did Pennsylvania Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick, whose primary is set for May 17, but he does not face any well-funded challengers from the right.

Of course Trump could still try to elevate a primary challenger against one of these Republicans, but so far the West Virginia race is his best opportunity to take down a GOP lawmaker who crossed the aisle.

Five of the House Republicans who voted for the package - New York Reps. John Katko and Tom Reed, Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and Michigan Rep. Fred Upton - are not running for re-election. Another Republican who voted for the package, Alaska Rep. Don Young, died in March.

Data Download: Big money flooded into Tuesday's West Virginia Republican primary clash

The GOP primary in West Virginia's 2nd District is the crown jewel of the state's primary on Tuesday - the member-on-member clash has drawn $4.1 million in ad spending, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Voters head to the polls there today to choose between two GOP congressmen, David McKinley and Alex Mooney, in the first incumbent vs. incumbent primary of the year.

Mooney's campaign has spent nearly $1.5 million on the airwaves, while McKinley's campaign has spent $1.2 million. Outside groups have also jumped into the race, with Club for Growth Action and School Freedom Fund dropping a combined $931,000 to bolster Mooney. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Defending Main Street super PAC have spent a combined $423,000 supporting McKinley.

Both candidates reference former President Donald Trump in their closing ads, although Mooney has Trump's endorsement. In Mooney's closing spot, a narrator says, "President Trump warned us about RINOs, sellouts and known losers. David McKinley proved him right," knocking McKinley for supporting the bipartisan infrastructure package and a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

McKinley's latest ad on the airwaves goes after the Club for Growth's spending, with a narrator saying, "Mooney and his Washington special interest group are spending millions lying about David McKinley. Just like they did about President Trump."

Club for Growth faces tests of its sway in May primaries

The conservative Club for Growth's sway in GOP primaries will face key tests in May, with half of the candidates being backed by its PAC so far in 2022 facing primaries this month. The contests also come as the group's past opposition to former President Donald Trump has faced new scrutiny.

So far the Club for Growth's independent expenditure arm, known as Club for Growth Action, has spent $25.9 million on ads to support its candidates in May primaries, with the most of that spending centered on three Senate races, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The group did not succeed in helping one of its preferred Senate candidates, former Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel, win the GOP nod. Author J.D. Vance, who had Trump's endorsement, won the primary last week instead.

That race sparked a clash between Trump world and the Club, which has been a staunch Trump ally after initially opposing Trump's candidacy in 2016.

That past has even popped up in races where both the Club and Trump are backing the same candidate. In West Virginia, GOP Rep. David McKinley highlighted the group's past opposition to Trump to push back on the Club's involvement in the 2nd District race in which he is facing fellow GOP Rep. Alex Mooney. Trump and the Club are both backing Mooney in the contest.

McKinley launched a new ad this week saying the Club, which has spent $571,000 on ads boosting Mooney, was "lying about David McKinley, just like they did about Trump."

Club for Growth spokesman Joe Kildea wrote in an email to NBC News that the group has "no concerns" that its past opposition to Trump will become a more prominent issue in GOP primaries.

"We are confident that we will win most of our races this month," Kildea wrote.

Ohio isn't the only place where the Club is at odds with the former president.

In Alabama's Senate race, the Club has stuck by GOP Rep. Mo Brooks even after Trump withdrew his support. So far Club for Growth Action, has spent $4.3 million on ads to bolster Brooks.

And in Georgia's 6th District, the Club is backing Rick McCormick, the 2020 nominee, in the May 24 primary, although the group has not yet spent on the airwaves. Trump endorsed another candidate in that race, attorney Jake Evans, on Thursday.

But the Club is largely aligned with Trump in other key primaries. So far the group has spent $11 million on ads backing GOP Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina's Senate primary, set for May 17. The Club has also spent nearly $1.1 million ads to support Trump-backed law student Bo Hines in the open seat race in North Carolina's 13th District.

Wisconsin Senate politics to make appearance in Game 4 of Bucks-Celtics

When the Milwaukee Bucks face off against the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Game 4 of an intense playoff series, some viewers will be reminded of another contest - Wisconsin's competitive Democratic Senate primary.

A new ad from Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, first obtained by NBC News, takes aim at Alex Lasry, the wealthy former Bucks executive who's rising in the polls and easily outspending his opponents in TV and digital ads.

In it, Nelson, competing against Lasry, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski for the chance to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the fall, criticizes the $250 million of public money that went into building Fiserv Forum, the home of the Bucks.

Wearing a sweatband and a green jersey with the number 34 on it, the number worn by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nelson says he's rooting for his home team.

"What I'm not rooting for is using your tax dollars to make billionaires richer," Nelson says in the ad. "We paid a quarter of a billion dollars for the Fiserv Forum, even more than Foxconn, every dollar spent was taken from schools, roads, tax relief, things that benefit all of us."

Lasry, thanks in part to his deep pockets, is quickly becoming a threat in a race in which Barnes had long been considered the favorite and Nelson has been trying to gain steam when he's been vastly outspent. In recent days he has been ramping up his attacks on Lasry, calling on the Lasry family to refund taxpayers.

Lasry has defended the investment, pointing to evidence that the arena has quickly become an economic driver for Milwaukee.

A Marquette Law School poll in late April had Barnes leading Lasry by just 3 points, with Treasurer Sarah Godlewski following with 7 percent support and Nelson with 5 percent.

In 2015, the state approved a $250 million investment in a funding deal to help build Fiserv Forum. At the time of the deal, then-Bucks head coach Jason Kidd made a prediction.

"Will the new arena be hosting NBA Finals games within a few years? I`m not one to predict, but I think we look forward to our future," Kidd said, according to a report by Fox News Milwaukee in 2015. "We have a chance to grow, get better each day, and our goal is to hold that gold trophy in that new arena."

When the prediction came true last year, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial page applauded the state's investment, noting the arena now draws tens of thousands of fans to Milwaukee's downtown, who then pour into nearby restaurants and bars.

"All of Wisconsin has a share in the Bucks' remarkable rise from small-market doormat to NBA champions," read an editorial in the Journal-Sentinel just after the Bucks claimed the NBA championship last year. "None of it would have happened without a new arena, built with $250 million of public money."

Pompeo joins McCormick campaign to criticize Oz on Turkish vote

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined Pennsylvania Republican David McCormick's Senate campaign Friday to criticize McCormick's top rival, Mehmet Oz, over new reporting that he voted in the 2018 Turkish elections and claiming it raises questions about his priorities should he be elected.

"He engaged in the Turkish political process - and that raises, in my mind, lots of judgments about his priorities. And we need to get him and his team to explain why he had time and energy and focus to vote in a Turkish election, but not in an American election," Pompeo said.

"And you stack that up with some of the work that he has done. Some of the political involvement he's had with Turkey. And I think that the campaign owes the people of Pennsylvania, the Mehmet Oz campaign, owes the people of Pennsylvania an explanation for this."

ABC News reported this week on Oz's 2018 vote, and his dual citizenship (which he has said he would relinquish if he wins) has been a target of criticism from political opponents like McCormick. But Pompeo stressed repeatedly on Friday's call that his comments are "separate and apart from politics."

Brittany Yanick, an Oz spokesman, defended the decision by Oz to keep his dual citizenship as made to help him take care of his mother and criticized the attacks as baseless.

"These are pathetic and xenophobic attacks on Dr. Oz by David McCormick, who should be ashamed of himself. Now that he lost President Trump's endorsement, he's resorted to sad and desperate attacks that are no different than the tropes used against Catholics and Jews," she told NBC in a statement.

"Dr. Oz has already said when elected to the Senate he would renounce his citizenship. There is no security issue whatsoever, and David McCormick knows that Dr. Oz has maintained his dual citizenship to make it easier to help care for his mother who has Alzheimer's and lives there."
-Dasha Burns contributed
More than a dozen states appeal to DNC for early primary position

The Democratic National Committee wanted to shake up its presidential primary system and so far, there are plenty of states signaling that they are willing to join the effort.

As of Friday afternoon, nearly 20 states and territories have notified the DNC they're interested in holding a first-in-the-nation primary or be considered somewhere among the early window of primary contests in 2024. Those requests are required to be sent by the end of the day Friday.

Sources tell NBC News that once the next phase begins - which entails submitting an application and making a pitch before the Rules and Bylaws Committee - those numbers are expected to drop off. There are also some states that have significant hurdles, including Republican legislatures that dictate their primary dates or costly media markets that price out candidates who aren't independently wealthy.

The panel has said it intends to make a decision by the beginning of August.

The DNC recently scrapped its early state system that long allowed Iowa and New Hampshire to kick off the presidential primary contests followed by Nevada, then South Carolina. They are asking those states to reapply and make their case to be considered in the early window, while allowing other states to try to move up the primary calendar as well.

The dynamic has already set off some backroom brawling. Much of the push for change was prompted by a caucus debacle in Iowa in 2020, where a technological failure delayed revealing results.

Charges have also mounted that the electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire are too white and should not have such an outsized role in dictating the Party's nominees. Nevada is making an aggressive push to supplant New Hampshire, while New Hampshire is making its case to remain the first-in-the-nation primary.

Here are the states that have so far sent letters of interest to the DNC: Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, Puerto Rico, Maryland, Delaware. (This list will be updated).

Democratic group aims to flip key state legislatures

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is targeting Republican majorities in three state legislatures this year.

Minnesota's Senate, Michigan's House and Senate, and New Hampshire's House and Senate are where the DLCC sees vulnerable Republican majorities that could be nabbed by Democrats this fall.

Additionally, the group plans to invest to defend Democratic majorities in five state legislatures - ​​Colorado's House and Senate, Maine's House and Senate, Minnesota's House, Nevada's Assembly and Senate and New Mexico's House.

DLCC finalized their list of state targets before a Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to Politico earlier this week, the group's president Jessica Post said in a virtual press briefing on Friday.

However, Post said she was "absolutely horrified about the future of Roe," and they are motivated to gain Democratic majorities in Minnesota and Michigan to help protect reproductive rights in those states.

In Michigan, a law restricting abortion from the 1930s is still on the books and could go into effect once a Supreme Court Decision overturning Roe is handed down.

And in Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has so far vowed to protect abortion access in the state. But, he faces a tough reelection fight to keep the governor's mansion blue this fall.

"Roe has the ability to change the landscape dramatically," Post said. She added later, "Michigan is at the top of our target list."

Specifically, the group plans to use their resources in their target states this year to support local candidates, provide polling data and candidate-specific research and potentially finance early campaign investments.

"It takes a lot to support state legislative candidates," especially if they're still working full-time, Post said.

Pa. Senate's GOP frontrunners have relied mostly on self-funding, new reports show

A little more than a week before the pivotal Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary, new fundraising reports show how Mehmet Oz and David McCormick have heavily relied on their own personal wealth to boost their bids.

Oz loaned his campaign more than $12 million through April 27, the latest campaign finance reports show, the vast majority of the $15 million he's raised so far. McCormick loaned his campaign $11 million of the $16 million he's raised.

Not only are the candidates giving to their campaigns at relative parity, but they've spent almost exactly the same - about $14.1 million - so far (this includes all campaign spending reported to the Federal Election Commission, not just ad spending).

But just looking at ad spending, the pro-McCormick team is outspending the pro-Oz team largely thanks to big super PAC spending.

McCormick's campaign has spent $10.4 million on advertising, per AdImpact, with his allied super PACS Honor Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Conservative Fund spending $14.2 million and $2.6 million respectively.

Oz has spent $12.1 million, with the anti-McCormick American Leadership Action spending another $3.2 million.

Jessica Cisneros warns Henry Cuellar could be the "Joe Manchin of the House"

Progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros is warning Democratic primary voters that her primary opponent, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, could block the party's priorities if he's re-elected, likening Cuellar to a certain influential Democratic senator from West Virginia.

"There's so many key issues where he's always standing with Republicans, and he could become the Joe Manchin of the House," Cisneros said Thursday on MTP Daily. "We don't want Henry Cuellar to be the deciding vote on the future of our fundamental freedoms and rights in this country. We just can't risk that."

Cisneros faces Cuellar in a primary runoff on May 24 after neither candidate won a majority of the primary vote on March 1. Cisneros has made abortion a central issue in the race following a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision signaling the court was preparing to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Cuellar is the lone Democrat in the House who opposes abortion rights, and he has said his stance reflects his heavily Latino, more socially conservative, district in South Texas. But Cisneros pushed back on that characterization, telling MTP Daily that her close primary race in March and her close primary challenge to Cuellar in 2020 show the district is not as conservative as Cuellar claims.

"People have just taken Henry Cuellar's word that this district is conservative as it is when it comes to this issue," Cisneros said.

"I know that it's important to voters because I've been out there talking to them myself," Cuellar added on the abortion issue. She recalled holding a phone bank shortly after Cuellar was the only Democrat who voted against a measure to codify abortion rights into federal law.

"The first few voters that I got on the line were talking about - they were telling me about how upset they were that Henry Cuellar had sided with Republicans on this issue," she said.

Cuellar has had support from House leadership in his primary race. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., traveled to the district this week to stump for the nine-term congressman. Clyburn said Wednesday that Cuellar "gives us a much better chance of winning their seat than anybody else."

Cisneros responded to Clyburn's statement, saying, "People in this district aren't voting for me because I am progressive. They're voting for me because I'm putting forth policies that are actually going to enact change in this district ... I really hope that the Democratic leadership doesn't stand in the way of the change that South Texans want to see."

Republicans are targeting the seat in November. President Joe Biden would have carried the 28th District by 7 percentage points had the new congressional map been in place in 2020. The Cook Politico Report rates the race a Toss Up.

Poll: Fetterman holds large lead in Pennsylvania, while GOP race is a dead heat

Less than two weeks until Pennsylvania's key Senate primaries, Lt. Gov John Fetterman has jumped out to a nearly 40-point lead in the Democratic contest, while the Republican race is neck-and-neck between celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund executive David McCormick.

That's according to a new Franklin and Marshall poll of the state that was conducted April 20 to May 1, and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 4.4 percentage points.

In the Democratic race, Fetterman leads U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., by 39 points among Democratic voters, 53 percent to 14 percent, with state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta at 4 percent.

Twenty-two percent say they're undecided or unsure.

Last month, the poll had Fetterman ahead of Lamb by 24 points, 41 percent to 17 percent.

In the Republican race, Oz - whom former President Donald Trump has endorsed - gets support from 18 percent of GOP voters, McCormick gets 16 percent and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette gets 12 percent.

A whopping 39 percent are undecided or unsure.

Unlike Ohio's Senate contest, where Trump's endorsement of J.D. Vance changed the contours of that primary Vance won, this poll shows Trump's endorsement of Oz hasn't really shifted this GOP race.

Last month's Franklin and Marshall poll - which was conducted mostly before Trump's endorsement - had Oz at 16 percent and McCormick at 15 percent, with 43 percent undecided.

Ad watch: Abortion politics

Wisconsin state TreasurerSarah Godlewski, one of the Democrats running to take on GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, is going up with a new TV ad filmed in the aftermath of the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

"We're at the Supreme Court where it looks like Ron Johnson is going to get exactly what he wants: Overturning Roe v. Wade, reinstating Wisconsin's cruel abortion ban and putting doctors in jail," Godlewski says in the ad, shared first with NBC News, which was filmed in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

"But that's not what Wisconsinites want," Godlewski adds. "We don't want politicians making health care choices for women."

The 30-second spot is part of a six-figure statewide television ad buy, per Godlewski's campaign, and the portion in front of the Supreme Court was shot on an iPhone. Godlewski, the only high-profile woman in the Democratic primary, has been endorsed by EMILY's List, which backs women candidates who support abortion rights.

Abortion emerged among top themes in April's midterm election ads

Out of 462 political ads in House, Senate and gubernatorial races in April, inflation, immigration, election integrity and abortion topped the list of issues mentioned by candidates and outside groups.

Inflation was the top mentioned issue, with 46 unique ads - or 10 percent of all political ads tracked by NBC News in April - mentioning inflation or rising prices. Immigration and border security appeared as a theme in 35 ads. Election integrity or voting rights appeared as an issue in 31 commercials and abortion was mentioned in 30 spots.

Immigration and inflation topped the list in March, too, though the sheer number of ads in March (210) was smaller than April.

Abortion is an emerging issue in midterm ads, which are still largely focused on intra-party primary contests. The topic also fell strictly across party lines, with only Republican candidates highlighting anti-abortion rights stances and only Democrats vowing to protect abortion rights.

Most candidates just cited their stance on abortion among a list of other topics they are for or against. But some, like Nebraska state Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Brett Lindstrom, have run entire ads focusing on the issue.

"Like many Nebraskans, I've long prayed for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade," Lindstrom says in one ad. "Nothing in the Constitution establishes a right to an abortion, and we have a moral obligation to protect life at every stage."

On the Democratic side, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Penn., ran ads highlighting his pro-choice stance, saying "If we don't win this Senate race, we're going to lose a lot more than just an election. Republicans are attacking the right to vote. They're attacking womens' right to choose. ... I've beaten Trump-backed candidates in Trump districts three elections in a row. I know how to win tough races."

As Democrats and Republicans face each other this fall, it's likely abortion will come into sharper focus as the midterm election cycle moves forward, particularly in light of a leaked draft Supreme Court decision obtained by Politico that would overturn Roe v. Wade this year.

The only primary where abortion has become a focal point this cycle is in Texas' 28th district, where progressive Jessica Cisneros has targeted Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who was the only Democrat in the House to vote against legislation that would enshrine the right to an abortion on the federal level.

Other issues mentioned where opinions and statements fell squarely among party lines was election integrity and voting rights. Six percent of ads mentioned the issue, with only Republicans vowing to strengthen election integrity and only Democrats promising to expand voting rights.

In Georgia's 7th district, where two incumbents are facing each other due to redistricting, Reps. Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux each ran ads highlighting their stances on voting rights.

"My father pushed me in a stroller at the March on Washington. There's nothing more American than the right to vote," McBath says in one ad before adding, "I'm fighting for my good friend, John Lewis' Voting Rights Act on the front lines to protect our right to vote."

In her ad, Bordeaux says, "They say we can't pass a new Voting Rights Act, but if we stand together, it can be done."

In previous months, NBC News ad analyses have also tracked the presence of "boogeymen" in political ads. Just like previous months, in April, President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and China topped the list of GOP boogeymen, or entities candidates target outside of their direct opponents.

A new boogeyman emerged in April among Republicans, though - Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. He was mentioned in four unique ads by outside groups like Buckeyes for a Strong Ohio, who attacked former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel for previously supporting Romney, a Republican senator known for bucking former President Donald Trump. Mandel ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

"While we struggle with high gas and grocery bills, Josh Mandel supported the politicians who got us here, endorsing Romney," the ad's narrator says.

While GOP groups and candidates have name checked Biden in ads all year, Democrats have just started to use Trump or "Trump Republicans" as boogeymen in their ads.

"Carrick will stand up to the Trump Republicans so we can tackle climate change head on and take on the drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs," an ad paid for by the House Majority PAC in favor of Carrick Flynn's campaign for Oregon's 6th district stated.

Democratic Governors Association booking $75 million for initial fall TV ad salvo

The Democratic Governors Association is reserving $75 million of television advertising time for the fall across eight states, NBC News has learned exclusively, as it looks to make early investments aimed at shoring up Democratic incumbents.

The group's top three states as far as initial spending are ones featuring incumbents who flipped their states' governor's mansions blue in 2018 - Michigan ($23 million), Wisconsin ($21 million) and Nevada ($10 million).

The DGA is also booking $5 million in both Colorado and Maine, $4.5 million in Minnesota and $2.5 million in New Mexico. The DGA and its allies in Kansas are booking another $4 million in fall TV spending there, and have already been spending in other races too.

"The DGA is all in to protect our incumbents. As the fight to defend our democracy and fundamental rights shifts to the states, ensuring Democratic governors are in office is more vital than ever," DGA Executive Director Noam Lee told NBC in a statement. "Our track record of smart, strategic investments has helped us elect Democratic governors across the country, and it is how we are going to win this fall."

The heavy emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin is no surprise - Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Tony Evers, respectively, are the Democratic Party's only bulwark in those states against Republican-controlled legislatures. (That's the case in Kansas, with Gov. Laura Kelly, too.)

November's elections are expected to be tough for Democrats as President Joe Biden's approval rating languishes and Republicans have closed the gap on the generic ballot.

But Democrats are hopeful that their party can rebound as the pandemic wanes, particularly with a more empathetic message about the economy and by contrasting themselves with some high-profile Republican gubernatorial hopefuls who continue to spread echo lies about the 2020 election. Vulnerable Democratic governors have also responded to the recently leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade by promising to protect abortion access from their seat in power.

Campaign organizations regularly make early, large advertising buys in order to lock in lower rates before advertising time gets more expensive. The DGA's Republican counterpart, the Republican Governors Association, released its list of first major television advertising buys in March - $31.4 million in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, states where Republicans largely hope to go on offense. Both groups, along with other outside groups, are expected to spend heavily in these races, and others, as Election Day draws closer.

White House looks for political boost from high court's draft leak

The White House has for months been crafting a political and policy strategy for the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, cemented in the belief that such a move could dramatically change Democrats' dim fortunes in November's midterm elections.

On Monday night some of those plans were set in motion.

President Biden received a phone call from White House chief of staff Ron Klain informing him that Politico had just published a draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade. White House aides then got to work on a presidential statement on the matter, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters..

By Tuesday morning, Biden had signed off on a statement that made one of the key political points - "it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November" - and signaled there would be future policy moves by his administration.

A couple of hours later, the president hit on another part of the White House's political strategy: Warning that abortion rights is just the beginning. "If the rationale of the decision as released were to be sustained, a whole range of rights are in question," Biden said, citing same-sex marriage and contraception.

Politically, the Biden aide said, the "strategy is to set up a clear choice" in the midterms between Democrats who support abortion rights and Republicans who don't.

A decision by the Supreme Court isn't expected until this summer and is unlikely to fundamentally change from the draft.

Even in draft form, however, the document is seen by the White House as potentially helping Democrats win back suburban women voters who were critical to Biden's election but may be swayed by Republican arguments about issues such as government influence on decisions about their children's education.

"It has the opportunity to galvanize the Biden coalition in ways that other issues don't," the Biden aide said of the abortion decision. "That is women, of course. It is communities of color. It is young people across genders. And it is also suburban women and independent women in particular."

Republicans are poised to pick up seats in the midterms, with voters unhappy about inflation and high gas prices. Democrats have also been on the defensive over Biden's handling of migrants at the southern border.

With a lack of votes for legislation in Congress to codify protections in Roe v. Wade, even among Democrats, the policy possibilities under discussion in the White House involve possible executive action or using the bully pulpit to influence states.

While the senior Biden advisor was mum on specifics in the White House's federally-focused strategy, the adviser also acknowledged that much of the work to shore up abortion rights and reproductive protections would fall to the states-and that that's where the midterm battles would be waged, too.

Still, one ally close to the White House described the Supreme Court decision, politically, as "a gift."

White House officials made clear the overturning of Roe v. Wade is not a fight they want to have. But the raw political calculation is that specific action by the Supreme Court is easier for Democrats to organize around than a theoretical threat, and that it gives voters something tangible besides economic issues to evaluate candidates on.

"They should feel empowered that they have an opportunity to do something about the Supreme Court's decision here, if it comes to pass, and that opportunity is to make their opinions and voice loud and clear and vote in November for pro-choice elected officials," the Biden aide said.

Ad spending breakdown: DeWine and Whaley win gubernatorial nominations

NBC News has projected the Ohio gubernatorial general election matchup - Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Dayton Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley - two candidates who faced different ad spending environments on their way to the nomination.

DeWine outspent every candidate and outside group on ads in the race on both sides of the aisle, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, $4.9 million. That's significantly more than the next-highest-spending Republican, former Rep. Jim Renacci, who spent $1.7 million.

Whaley, on the other hand, was narrowly outspent by Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, spent on ads. Cranley spent $1.85 million, per AdImpact, while Whaley spent $1.54 million.

Now DeWine and Whaley will face off in what could become an expensive general election matchup.

Correction (May 4, 2022, 1:20 p.m): Due to a misreading of the ad-spending data, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated a lower figure for Whaley's ad spending. Her campaign spent $1.54 million on television ad spending, not $155,000.

Record numbers for early voting in Georgia

Early voting in Georgia's midterm primary election began Monday and voters turned out in record numbers.

The Georgia Secretary of State's office said that 27,298 voters cast their votes yesterday, NBC News' Blayne Alexander and Charlie Gile report (the Secretary's office originally said that the number of early votes was 27,366 but have corrected the total).

On the first day of early primary voting in 2018, only 9,226 voters cast early votes. That's an increase of over 18,000 first-day early votes in four years.

The party breakdown of Monday's vote was: 14,731 Republican, 12,308 Democratic and 259 who were non-partisan.

Early voting began about three weeks ahead of the state's primary election, where voters will pick nominees for the major parties for governor, secretary of state and Congress.

Among the most notable races, Gov. Brian Kemp faces a challenge from Trump-endorsed former Sen. David Perdue in the race for the Republican nomination. Kemp has been polling ahead of Perdue in the state, but he needs to earn over 50 percent of the vote to clear a runoff.

Sen. Raphael Warnock is also on the ballot, though he's expected to easily coast through the Democratic ticket to the general election ballot, where he'll likely face former football star Herschel Walker in November.

Kathy Hochul appoints Rep. Antonio Delgado member as new lieutenant governor

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., has tapped Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado to be her new lieutenant governor, replacing former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who resigned after he was indicted on bribery charges.

"We share a belief in working together to get things done for New Yorkers, and Representative Delgado has an incredible record of doing just that in Congress," Hochul said in a Tuesday statement. "With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as Lieutenant Governor, we will both make history - and make a difference."

Delgado will serve as Hochul's running mate as she runs for a full term in November, according to The New York Times, leaving open his competitive Upstate New York House seat.

Delgado, who is Black and Latino, was first elected to represent the competitive 19th District, which is largely white, in 2018, defeating former GOP Rep. John Faso after winning a competitive Democratic primary. He has proven to be a strong fundraiser and was potentially facing a tough re-election fight this year. New York's congressional map is still in flux after the state Supreme Court tossed out the map as a partisan gerrymander late last month.

It's not immediately clear when Delgado will leave the House to take on his new role as lieutenant governor. But his impending exit would leave an even smaller majority for the Democratic Caucus. His exit would also make him the 31st House Democrat not running for re-election this year.

More than $73 million has been spent on Ohio Senate primary ads

Roughly $73.3 million has been spent on ads in the Ohio Senate primaries, surpassing all other Senate races so far, with $69.9 million spent on the GOP primary alone.

Wealthy candidates who funded their own campaigns led the pack of Republican candidates vying to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman, while outside groups also poured in millions, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Investment banker Mike Gibbons' campaign spent the most of any candidate or outside group on ads, dropping $13.5 million on the race. Gibbons loaned and contributed a combined $16.8 million of his own money to his campaign.

The super PAC Protect Ohio Values spent $10.4 million on ads to bolster "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance. The group, which is funded by billionaire Peter Thiel, has launched ads touting former President Donald Trump's decision to endorse Vance. Vance's own campaign spent $1.7 million on the airwaves.

State Sen. Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, spent $9.3 million on ads. Dolan also largely self-funded his campaign with an $8 million contribution and a $2.6 million loan.

Club for Growth Action, a conservative outside group backing state Treasurer Josh Mandel, spent $8.9 million on ads while Mandel's campaign spent $6.2 million. USA Freedom Fund, which is also backing Mandel, has spent $4.8 million

Former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, who has Portman's endorsement, spent $4.1 million on ads. She also had help from a pair of outside groups, Ohio Leads and Winning for Women Action Fund, which have spent nearly $3.7 million combined.

Just $3.4 million has been spent in the Democratic primary, with $2.9 million coming from Rep. Tim Ryan's campaign. Ryan is facing attorney Morgan Harper in the race.

Dolan criticizes Vance for campaigning with and defending Gaetz

Ohio Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan criticized one of his fellow U.S. Senate hopefuls, author J.D. Vance, in an interview with NBC News over Vance's decision to campaign with, and defend, a congressman under federal investigation.

Dolan singled out Vance's decision to campaign with embattled Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, among other allies, over the past weekend. Sources familiar with the case tell NBC that Gaetz is being investigated for sex trafficking - the congressman has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime. The Columbus Dispatch reported that during a conversation with reporters on the trail, Vance commented on the allegations against Gaetz.

"Being accused of a crime, as we've learned in the past four years in this country, is very often more about corrupt law enforcement than it is about anything anybody's actually done," he said, per the Dispatch. "Do I think Matt Gaetz is a child sex predator? Of course I don't."

Dolan blasted those comments in an interview Monday.

"The weekend before the election, he's telling Ohio law enforcement officers: You are corrupt. Those are his words, not mine. And he's trying to demonstrate that a person from out of state who has come in to campaign for him, he has to prove that person's not a sexual predator?" Dolan told NBC News about Vance.

"This is about who can go to Washington and reflect Ohio and fight for Ohio's concerns. If he's demeaning law enforcement and having, let's just say, questionable people supporting him from out of Ohio, Ohioans need to know that."

Dolan's campaign also released comments from the state's former Attorney General, Betty Montgomery, and the National Sheriffs' Association President, Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, criticizing Vance over the comments. Both have endorsed Dolan.

The Vance campaign did not respond to a request for additional comments about the decision to campaign with Gaetz, or about Dolan's criticism.

While most of the candidates in the broad Ohio Republican Senate field have been moving toward the right of the party - Vance recently won former President Trump's endorsement - Dolan has struck out on a different path that's more reminiscent of the political career of the retiring Republican senator whose seat he hopes to replace, Sen. Rob Portman (Portman has endorsed former state GOP chair Jane Timken).

In his interview with NBC, Dolan added that a victory on Tuesday would show that "Ohioans want somebody to go into battle in November representing Republican ideas, Republican values, but keeping Ohio and what's important to Ohio first and foremost."

UPDATE: Gaetz, who has called the investigation against him a "witch hunt," responded to Dolan's comments shortly after publication.

Midterm roundup: A big night for 'J.D. Mandel'

Former President Donald Trump traveled to Nebraska Sunday to rally supporters around his pick for governor, businessman Charles Herbster, who is also facing multiple groping allegations (which Herbster has denied). But Trump didn't just focus on Herbster's race in his 104-minute speech, NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard reports.

Trump flubbed J.D. Vance's name, Trump's preferred candidate in Ohio's Senate race, instead calling him "J.D. Mandel," an apparent mix-up with another candidate, state Treasurer Josh Mandel. ("We've endorsed J.P., right-J.D. Mandel," Trump said.)

He also praised Missouri GOP Rep. Billy Long as Long continues to vie for Trump's endorsement in the Show Me State's Senate race.

And Trump criticized a series of other sitting Republicans, including Nebraska's own Sen. Ben Sasse and Rep. Don Bacon, saying he would not endorse Bacon or Bacon's primary challenger ahead of the May 10 primary. But he added that Bacon is a "bad guy" and wished his primary challenger "good luck."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Arizona Senate: Politico reports that state Attorney General Mark Brnovich appears to have lost his lead in the GOP Senate primary as other candidates in the race hit the airwaves.

Colorado Governor: Danielle Neuschwanger, who fell just short of the votes needed at the state GOP convention to qualify for the Republican primary ballot, will run a third-party candidacy.

Georgia Governor: Early voting starts today in Georgia ahead of the May 24 primary. GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue met again on the debate stage Sunday. Trump is holding a tele-rally for Perdue tonight.

Wisconsin Governor: Republican businessman Tim Michels booked another $117,000 in ad spending for this week as he rolls out his new gubernatorial bid.

Florida-27: Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell is ending his Democratic Senate bid to run for Congress against GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar

Ad Watch: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin backs a Republican House candidate

Just over one week ahead from West Virginia's primary election, a familiar face is backing Rep. David McKinley, R-W. Va., on the airwaves. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., is featured in a new ad supporting McKinley in his primary election.

Due to population loss, West Virginia was forced to downsize from three congressional districts to just two, leading McKinley to face another incumbent congressman, Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W. Va., in a primary.

Mooney is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Manchin opens the ad by highlighting the failure of Build Back Better, a tenet of President Joe Biden's agenda that failed in part due to Manchin's opposition of the plan.

"I've always said if I can't go home and explain it, I can't vote for it, and that's why I opposed Build Back Better," Manchin says at the beginning of the ad.

"For Alex Mooney and his out of state supporters to suggest David McKinley supported Build Back Better is an outright lie," he adds. "David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending because it doesn't make sense for West Virginia."

Manchin isn't the first high profile West Virginian to support McKinley on the airwaves. Republican Gov. Jim Justice has also been featured in ads promoting McKinley.

Mooney and McKinley have been locked in an intense, months-long ad war as the two head to a primary on May 10. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates this district as Solid Republican, meaning whoever wins the primary is likely to keep the seat in November's general election.

AIPAC super PAC spends over $1.6 million in four races

A new AIPAC-backed super PAC is spending big in Democratic congressional primaries. United Democracy Project is running a combined $1.6 million in four races - one in Pennsylvania, another in Texas and two in North Carolina.

In Pennsylvania, UDP has spent $472,000 so far in ads opposing state Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive candidate backed by Justice Democrats, the same group who backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's, D-N.Y., first run for Congress. Lee is seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 12th district. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Penn., decided not to run again after the district became more Democratic following redistricting.

The UDP ads against Summer Lee feature a narrator who attacks her for not supporting Biden.

"Summer Lee attacked Biden's character, said he'd take us backwards and Lee refused to support Biden's infrastructure plan that's now rebuilding bridges and roads in Western Pennsylvania," the ad's narrator says.

"Summer Lee, more interested in fighting Democrats than getting results," the ad intones.

In Texas' 28th district, where progressive Jessica Cisneros is facing Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in a runoff primary at the end of May, UDP has spent $128,000 so far running ads against Cisneros.

The ad's narrator tells viewers, "Jessica Cisneros would cost us thousands of jobs in south Texas," pointing to her plan to cut the number of border patrol agents and reassign them to other functions.

"Jessica Cisneros is backed by groups who want to cut police funding, too, costing us even more jobs. Jessica Cisneros: a risk to our jobs, and our safety," the narrator adds.

In North Carolina, UDP is running positive ads, supporting state Sen. Don Davis in the state's first district and state Sen. Valerie Foushee in the state's 4th district. Foushee faces seven other candidates in the Democratic primary for retiring Rep. David Price's, D-N.C., seat.

The group has already spent over $577,000 on ads supporting Foushee.

The ads in her favor highlight her life story and her time in the state Senate, "where she stood with Roy Cooper to improve education, stop Republican attacks on voting rights and protect a woman's right to choose," the ad's narrator says.

Davis is running for retiring Rep. G.K. Butterfield's seat and the ads in his favor highlight his life story and his record in the state Senate.

"Davis voted to raise teacher pay, invest in maternal health, and when Republicans tried to gut Medicaid, Don Davis took them on," the ad's narrator says.

UDP has spent $444,000 on ads supporting Davis so far.

Nebraska governor's race heats up ahead of Trump rally

UPDATED 4:20 p.m. | Former President Donald Trump is heading to Nebraska on Sunday to boost his preferred candidate for governor, businessman Charles Herbster. And the rally comes as the race has heated up on the airwaves.

Herbster, who is expected to speak at the rally, faces a crowded field of candidates, including Jim Pillen, a businessman and livestock producer, and state Sen. Brian Lindstrom. Those three candidates have outspent the rest of the field on the airwaves, spending a combined $11.1 million on ads, per the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Trump's rally also comes as Herbster is facing sexual misconduct allegations, with eight women, including a state senator, accusing him of groping, according to a report in the Nebraska Examiner.

Herbster has denied the allegations and launched a TV ad accusing his Pillen and GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has backed Pillen in the race, of conspiring to lie about Herbster. The ad compares Herbster to Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, who respectively faced allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Herbster's campaign has outspent his opponents on the airwaves, spending $5.2 million as of Friday. Pillen has spent $4.3 million on ads, while Lindstrom has spent $1.5 million. One outside group known as Conservative Nebraska has spent $848,000 on anti-Herbster ads. Another outside group known as Restore the Good Life has spent $510,000 to boost Marine veteran Michael Connely.

Whoever wins the GOP primary on May 10 is expected to win the general election. Trump won the Cornhusker State by 19 percentage points in 2020 and the Cook Political Report rates the Nebraska governor's race Solid Republican.
This post has been updated to reflect that Trump postponed his rally from Friday to Sunday due to inclement weather.
Midterm roundup: Ohio Senate GOP primary is down to the wire

With the Ohio primary just four days away, outside groups are hitting the airwaves in the competitive GOP Senate contest. Protect Ohio Values, the Peter Thiel-backed super PAC supporting author J.D. Vance, is running a new spot attacking former Treasurer Josh Mandel as a "moderate," noting his endorsement of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, Drain the DC Swamp PAC has a new ad supporting Mandel, spanning a range of issues including Mandel's support for the controversial Arizona audit of the 2020 election. Ohio Leads, a super PAC backing former state GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, is up with a new spot highlighting Vance's anti-Trump comments.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will hit the campaign trail for Vance on Sunday and Monday, along with Turning Point Action founder Charlie Kirk. And investment banker Mike Gibbons is hosting a tele-town hall on Monday with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.

Elsewhere on the trail ...

GA-SEN: Republican Kelvin King is running his first television ad, a bio spot that criticizes incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock on inflation.

OK-SEN: GOP Sen. James Lankford is putting $312,000 behind a new ad buy that spans virtually all of June ahead of the state's June 28 primary, per AdImpact.

AZ-GOV: Democrat Aaron Lieberman's first TV ad takes aim not just at GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake, but also Democratic frontrunner Katie Hobbs, criticizing her over an employment discrimination case.

HI-GOV: Punchbowl is reporting that Hawaii Democratic Rep. Kai Kahele is leaving Congress to run for governor.

GA-GOV: Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a handful of controversial education bills into law Thursday.

MD-GOV: Fox 45 in Baltimore has a new story noting other times when Democrat Wes Moore did not correct interviewers who misrepresented his biography. The good news for Moore: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is endorsing him.

IL-5: Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley says he won't run for mayor of Chicago.
Read more in today's First Read, the daily briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. Sign up for First Read here.
Data Download: Biden, Harris have only had two private lunches this year

The First Read number of the day is two, the number of times that President Biden and Vice President Harris have had private lunches this year.

That's a significant decrease from the 21 times the two lunched in 2021, after Biden said he wanted to forge a similar relationship with his second-in-command as then-President Obama forged with him over regular, private lunches.

At this point during Biden's second year as vice president, he had 13 private lunches with Obama.

When asked about the infrequency of their lunches, Deputy White House Press Secretary Chris Meagher said: "The president and vice president are in constant touch with each other, and he relies on her counsel, partnership, and friendship as they work together to continue to grow the economy, cut costs for working families, rally the world in the face of Russia's aggression, and make historic investments in our nation's infrastructure."

Both Biden and Harris have had separate overseas trips this year while also ramping up their domestic travel schedules. Harris also worked remotely for a period in mid-March after her husband, Douglas Emhoff, tested positive for COVID.

But Biden and Harris' schedules overlapped often this year, with joint public or private events on 39 days, making the absence of weekly lunches more conspicuous.

Biden has had other private lunches as well this year, including one for old time's sake with Obama. Harris later joined them for a public event about expanding the Affordable Care Act.
Read more in today's First Read, the daily briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. Sign up for First Read here.
Trump backs Clark County sheriff for Nevada governor

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo in the crowded GOP primary to take on Nevada's Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.

"As Governor, Joe will fiercely Protect our under-siege Second Amendment, Oppose Sanctuary Cities, Support our Law Enforcement, Veto any Liberal Tax Increase, Protect Life, and Secure our Elections," Trump said in a Thursday night statement.

The GOP primary, which is set for June 14, also features North Vegas Mayor John Lee, venture capitalist Guy Nohra, and former Sen. Dean Heller, who Trump supported in 2018 after pressuring Heller to vote to repeal the 2010 health care law. Heller lost re-election that year by 5 percentage points.

In statements to the Las Vegas Sun, Lee said Trump "made the wrong decision" while Nohra said he would "work hard to earn every vote as I have promised." Heller's campaign manager Jack Finn said Trump's endorsement is "not going to change our approach one bit."

Democrats used Trump's decision to weigh in on the race as an opportunity to blast Lombardo.

"After months of flailing on the campaign trail and getting pummeled on the airwaves by his opponents, Joe Lombardo's campaign is on life support and desperately called on the one person he claimed he wouldn't seek out," Nevada Democratic Victory spokesperson Mallory Payne said in a statement. Payne was referring to Lombardo's pushback on reporters' questioning whether he would seek Trump's endorsement.

Nevada is a top target for Republicans in November. President Joe Biden carried the state by just 2 points in 2020 after Hillary Clinton won the Silver State by the same margin in 2016.

Super PAC hits Vance on Ukraine war comments

A super PAC backing former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is up with a new ad criticizing author J.D. Vance as "weak" on Ukraine because of past comments about his ambivalence to the war's outcome.

The ad quotes Vance saying "I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another." The spot goes on to call Vance's comments "music to Putin's ears," evoking the state's Ukrainian population.

"Wrote a book trashing Ohioans as hillbillies, then sold his story to Hollywood. J.D. Vance, liberal elite, not for Ohio," the ad ends.

The clip comes from an interview with Steve Bannon, who was previously a top aide to former President Donald Trump. In it, Vance added that "I do care about the fact that in my community right now the leading cause of death among 18-45 year olds is Mexican fentanyl that's coming across the southern border."

Vance subsequently put out a statement calling "Russia's assault on Ukraine is unquestionably a tragedy," and saying that America "must avoid blundering our way into the conflict there."

But the Republican's primary opponents have used Vance's comments against him - state Sen. Matt Dolan wrote in a subsequent op-ed that "The misguided and shameful notion that we, as Ohioans and Americans, shouldn't care about what happens in Ukraine is wrong."

Poll: Wisconsin Senate Democratic primary in dead heat

A new poll of Wisconsin's Senate Democratic primary shows two candidates at the top of the field - Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry - but almost a majority of likely Democratic primary voters unsure of who they support.

Marquette University's poll found Barnes with support from 19 percent, with Lasry close behind at 16. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski is at 7 percent and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson with 5 percent. The margin of error for the poll, conducted between April 19-24 of 363 likely primary voters, is 6.6 percent.

The results represent a downtick in support for Barnes since Marquette's February poll - down from 23 percent. Lasry has seen a slight improvement from 13 percent in April, and Godlewski's support grew from 3 percent to 7 percent.

Lasry has spent markedly more than the the rest of the field on advertising: $5.6 million, per AdImpact. Godelwski has spent $1.6 million, while Barnes has spent just $94,000.

In the other big primary in the state, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch leads the GOP gubernatorial primary with 32 percent, with military veteran Kevin Nicholson at 10 percent and state Assemblyman Tim Ramthun at 5 percent.

As far as voter enthusiasm ahead of November, Republicans and Democrats had similar levels of enthusiasm. Eighty-one percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats said they were either very or somewhat enthusiastic to vote in November.

Maryland Democratic candidates for governor face Baltimore voters in forum

BALTIMORE - Seven of the ten Maryland Democrats running for governor gathered for an economic empowerment forum here on Tuesday night where they discussed the city's issues and laid out their positions on proposed solutions.

For the candidates, it's a crucial city to court. In the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Baltimore City voters made up 14.3 percent of the primary electorate, the fourth largest county in the state by proportion of voters.

And it has plenty of issues for candidates to talk about - the city is last in the state in high school graduation rate, has the highest rate of homelessness in the state and the highest rate of crime per 100,000 people of any other county in the state. And in eight years under Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Baltimore has seen a public transit plan for the city axed and funding withheld from some public schools.

It was with that backdrop that voters got a chance to scrutinize most of the candidates at Coppin State University in West Baltimore on Tuesday.

The candidates - former Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, nonprofit leader Jon Baron, state Comptroller Peter Franchot, former state Attorney General Doug Gansler, former nonprofit executive Wes Moore, former U.S. Secretary of Education Tom Perez and philosopher Jerome Segal - discussed their plans to tackle criminal justice reform, economic inequality and expanding public transit.

Three candidates were not in attendance - former U.S. Secretary of Education John King, teacher Ralph Jaffe and Ashwani Jain, a former staffer in the Obama administration.

The candidates weighed in on their stances on the transit system, and explained their plans to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, an education bill passed by the state legislature in 2021.

On criminal justice reform, the candidates agreed there was more to be done to reform Baltimore's police department, which has been embroiled in multiple scandals in the last ten years, including the 2015 death of an unarmed Black man, Freddie Gray, in police custody.

Baker touted his record on police reform as a county executive, telling viewers, "by the time I left, we had not only reduced crime by 50 percent, we also had reduced arrests."

He added, "Here's the thing. In this city, we have had over 2,000 murders over the last eight years. That is unacceptable."

There's very little light between the candidates in this race - all tout relatively progressive stances on everything from funding for Maryland's four HBCUs, K-12 education, transit and criminal justice. But questions about electability in a general election are creeping in.

Maryland is a deeply Democratic state - President Joe Biden won the state by more than 30 points in 2020. But, Hogan, a Republican, won the governor's mansion for two terms in a row.

Gansler was the only one to bring up the subject on Tuesday, arguing that someone who has won a statewide election would be the best bet in a general election.

"We just need a governor who cares about Baltimore, which is why it's going to be so important to elect a Democrat that can actually win," he told voters.

All ten candidates have less than three months left until the July 19 primary that was was pushed back from June due to redistricting issues.

The Democratic nominee will face one of four Republican candidates for governor - state Rep. Dan Cox, former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schultz, attorney Robin Ficker and Joe Werner, who previously ran for office as a Democrat.

New poll shows warning signs for Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania' Senate primary

A new Monmouth University poll of Pennsylvania's upcoming Senate primaries next month contains warning signs for Dr. Mehmet Oz in the GOP contest, despite the celebrity doctor recently receiving former President Donald Trump's endorsement.

Notably, the poll doesn't have horserace numbers (this comes after Monmouth's decision to stop election polling after erring in last year's gubernational race in New Jersey).

But the other numbers - favorable/unfavorable scores, more likely/less likely to vote) - show Oz faring worse than rival David McCormick.
Favorable/unfavorable scores

David McCormick 51 percent favorable, 15 percent unfavorable.

Mehmet Oz 48 percent favorable, 37 percent unfavorable.

Jeff Bartos 28 percent favorable, 6 percent unfavorable.

Kathy Barnette 37 percent favorable. 5 percent unfavorable.

More likely/less likely to support

McCormick 61 percent likely to support (including 19 percent very likely) vs. 29 percent not likely to support.

Oz 51 percent likely to support (including 22 percent very likely) vs. 42 percent not likely to support.

Barnette 51 percent likely to support (including 18 percent very likely) vs. 33 percent not likely to support.

Bartos 45 percent likely to support (including 7 percent very likely) vs. 39 percent not likely to support.

Asked specifically about Trump's endorsement of Oz, 22 percent of GOP voters say it gives them a more favorable view of Oz, 8 percent say a less favorable view, and 69 percent say it makes no difference.

For the Democratic Senate primary, frontrunners Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Congressman Conor Lamb both enjoy positive numbers, but Fetterman's are stronger.
Favorable/unfavorable scores

John Fetterman 68 percent favorable, 5 percent unfavorable.

Conor Lamb 51 percent favorable, 6 percent unfavorable.

Malcom Kenyatta 32 percent favorable, 4 percent unfavorable.

More likely/less likely to support

Fetterman 74 percent likely to support (including 44 percent very likely) vs. 13 percent not likely to support.

Lamb 59 percent likely to support (including 23 percent very likely) vs. 24 percent not likely to support.

Kenyatta 40 percent likely to support (including 14 percent very likely) vs. 45 percent not likely to support.

The Monmouth poll of Pennsylvania was conducted April 20-25, and it has a maximum margin of error of plus-minus 4.9 percentage points.

Midterm roundup: Ad-Vance-ing in the polls

WASHINGTON - Next week's Ohio primary will be the first big test of whether former President Donald Trump's endorsement can propel a candidate to victory, and a new poll shows that it might.

Fox News released a poll of the GOP Senate primary showing Trump's pick in the race, "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, at 23 percent among Republican primary voters - followed by former state Treasurer Josh Mandel at 18 percent, investment banker Mike Gibbons at 13 percent, state Sen. Matt Dolan at 11 percent and former state GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken at 6 percent.

Importantly, Vance's 5-point lead is within the poll's margin of error, and 25 percent of GOP primary voters say they're still undecided.

Meanwhile, the race has pitted Trump against Club for Growth Action, threatening their alliance, per The New York Times. The group, which is backing Mandel, launched a new ad with footage of Vance describing himself as a "Never Trumper."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Georgia Senate: Former football player Herschel Walker reserved $1 million in airtime in his first major TV buy of the Georgia Senate race tracked by AdImpact. Walker is Trump's pick in the race, and he is favored to win the May 24 GOP primary. His first TV ad is a 30-second bio spot that also touts Trump's endorsement.

Utah Senate: Republican Sen. Mike Lee is out with a new spo t framing him as someone who hasn't been changed by Washington.

Florida Governor: The Dispatch reports that Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist has only voted in person four days of this House session, with his spokeswoman saying "the proxy offers a great way to ensure his constituents' voices continue to be heard" while he's running for governor.

Kansas Governor: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is up with a new spot where she literally stands in the middle of the road to argue she's "not too far right, or too far left."

Maryland Governor: At an economic empowerment event in Baltimore last night, seven of 10 candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor discussed their plans for criminal justice reform, the implementation of new public transit and education.

North Carolina 11: Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn had a rough news day, first accused of bringing a gun to the airport before a new report from the Washington Examiner questioning whether he improperly touted a cryptocurrency based on the "Let's Go Brandon" meme.

Texas 28: South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn is heading to Texas to stump for Rep. Henry Cuellar before next month's Democratic primary runoff.

McCormick hits Oz over Trump endorsement in new ad

After Monday night's Republicans debate in Pennsylvania's Senate race, where Mehmet Oz touted his endorsement from former President Donald Trump, rival David McCormick has released a new TV ad directly addressing Trump's endorsement of Oz.

"I like Trump," says one voter in ad.

"I love Trump," says another.

"But not his Senate pick," says a third voter.

"Trump made a mistake on this," says a fourth.

McCormick struck the same themes in Monday night's debate, where he told voters, "the reason Mehmet keeps talking about President Trump's endorsement is because he can't run on his own positions and his own record."

Oz did tout his endorsement from Trump multiple times on the debate stage Monday night. At one point he said, "Mr. McCormick approached President Trump ... but was unable to pull the wool over his eyes. President Trump saw right through him. He therefore did not endorse Mr. McCormick, he did endorse me."

This commercial is the latest in an ad war between Oz and McCormick, who have spent over $20 million combined on the airwaves so far, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.

Oz and McCormick are neck-and-neck in the race and have been at a near tie in recent local polling. The state's primary is just three weeks away, on May 17.

Cisneros attacks Cuellar on abortion ahead of May runoff

Texas Democrat Jessica Cisneros has launched her first new ad ahead of her runoff election against Repp. Henry Cuellar, a spot that criticizes the incumbent for his 2021 vote against expanding abortion access.

The ad's narrator begins the spot by mentioning Texas' strict abortion law, which went into effect last year and is being challenged in court. It goes on to note that Cuellar, shortly after the state law passed, voted against a federal law that aimed to codify abortion rights protections.

Cuellar was "the lone Democrat against a woman's right to make her own decisions," the narrator says.

"On May 24, you can have the last word. Jessica Cisneros is the pro-choice candidate who will fight for our health care and always protect our right to make our own decisions."

Cuellar has long been to the right of his party's base on emotional issues like immigration and abortion, something that has fueled progressives like Cisneros to oppose him. But the longtime congressman has defended himself from those attacks for years, arguing he's representing the will of his constituents and that he delivers for the district.

The latter is the focus of a new Cuellar ad, where a woman says: "Henry helps us with prescriptions and Social Security benefits. If we lose him in Congress, we lose everything."

Pa. Democratic Senate primary to see increased ad spending as challengers try to catch Fetterman

With just a few weeks left before Pennsylvania's midterm primary election, candidates have started to target the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has led in the polls and was dominating the campaign ad airwaves up until a few weeks ago. One of the first outside groups to attack him, a pro-Rep. Conor Lamb group called Pennsylvania Progress, drew ire from establishment Democrats for calling Fetterman a "silver spoon socialist."

Since then, Fetterman has had to engage in two debates with his rival candidates - Lamb, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and Jenkintown Borough Council member Alexandria Khalil - where he's been questioned about a 2013 incident where he pointed a firearm at an unarmed Black jogger. The incident was briefly mentioned again at the most recent debate Monday night where Fetterman again denied the allegation that he pointed the gun at the man's chest, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

His candidacy has also been criticized as being too progressive to win a general election in Pennsylvania. and in Monday's debate, he flashed some progressivism by arguing that government spending packages passed under the Biden administration didn't contribute to rising inflation.

The contest is about to expand to the airwaves. Through Tuesday, Fetterman has spent the most on TV ads of all the Democratic candidates and groups - over $3.5 million according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm. Lamb has spent over $1.4 million and Kenyatta trails at less than $100,000.

Outside groups have spent less than Fetterman as well, with Pennsylvania Progress, the group that called him a socialist, having spent $1.2 million before today.

But looking ahead, Fetterman could be outspent in the remaining days leading up to the May 17 primary. For the period between Tuesday and May 17, Lamb has secured $1.3 million worth of ad space and Fetterman has only secured $714,000 worth, according to AdImpact.

Pennsylvania Progress has also already planned over $230,000 worth of ad time.

Oregon Democrat touts Biden endorsement in new TV ad

Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., has launched a new TV ad touting President Joe Biden's endorsement ahead of the May 17 primary.

The 30-second spot features footage of Biden praising Schrader earlier this month, saying the seven-term congressman has "played a key part in the progress we've made as a nation on jobs, economic growth and clean energy. And he's [a] strong and consistent voice to make sure we modernize infrastructure and help Oregon and everyone all across America."

Schrader is a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, and he led the group's political arm. Schrader has broken with Biden on some high-profile votes, including as one of two Democrats who voted against Biden's so-called American Rescue Plan for pandemic relief. He also opposed a proposal that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs.

Schrader is now trying is trying to fend off a primary challenge from his left in the newly drawn 5th District. He faces former Talent City Manager Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who has been endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Roughly $2.5 million has been spent on ads in the race, which has divided national and local Democrats. A trio of outside groups, including two with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, has spent a combined $1 million on ads supporting the congressman, according to the ad tracking firm, AdImpact. McLeod-Skinner has only spent $100,000 on the airwaves.

Midterm roundup: Peach State poll

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp with a significant lead over his GOP primary challenger, former Sen. David Perdue, despite Perdue running with former President Donald Trump's endorsement. A majority of likely GOP voters - 53 percent - back Kemp, while 27 percent support Perdue.

Kemp needs to win a majority of the May 24 primary vote to avoid a runoff.

Trump, for his part, is sticking by Perdue, saying in a statement last night, "it is not easy to beat an incumbent, however, if our voters turn out, David Perdue will win in a landslide."

The poll also finds 66 percent of likely primary voters supporting former football player Herschel Walker, who has Trump's backing in the Senate race, while the other candidates polled in the single digits. Roughly 23 percent said they were undecided.

The University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs conducted the poll, surveying 866 likely primary voters from April 10-22. The survey had margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Colorado Senate: Republican Joe O'Dea is up with a new ad touting his business career, highlighting his support for the military and police, as well as a promise to "stop inflation."

Ohio Senate: Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel has a new ad that features footage of Trump-backed candidate J.D. Vance saying he's a "never-Trumper."

Florida Governor: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a new bill that creates an election police unit for the state that will investigate voter fraud and other election-related crimes.

Pennsylvania Governor: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the top Democrat in the gubernatorial race, is up with his first TV ads with a minute-long bio spot and an ad highlighting his work against predatory student loan companies.

Texas Governor: Democrat Beto O'Rourke tested positive for Covid, and says his symptoms are mild.

Wisconsin Governor: GOP businessman Tim Michels launched his gubernatorial bid Monday that he says he will fund primarily with his own personal wealth.

Ohio 11: The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC goes after former Bernie Sanders campaign co-chair Nina Turner in a new ad as Turner takes on Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown in a primary rematch.

Kansas redistricting: A district court judge rejected the GOP legislature's congressional map, ordering the legislature to draft another one that is less partisan and does not dilute the power of minority groups.

Climate agenda: NBC's Julie Tsirkin reports that West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski organized a bipartisan meeting to discuss the possibility of a bipartisan climate and energy security bill, including seven GOP senators, eight Democratic senators and three House members.

Young Americans sour on Biden, politics broadly

Young Americans could still turn out in droves in the midterms, but they're souring on President Joe Biden and politics writ large, according to a new online poll from the Harvard Institute of Politics. The new survey comes amid Democratic fears that a depressed youth turnout could hurt their chances in November.

A majority of 18 to 29 year-olds surveyed in the poll agreed that "politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing." Just 41 percent of young Americans approved of Biden, which is down from a similar survey conducted in the late fall, which found 46 percent of young Americans approved of Biden.

The online poll, which had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points, did find that young voters expressed interest in the upcoming midterm elections, with 36 percent saying they will definitely vote. That figure was at 37 percent during the 2018 midterms, which saw record high youth turnout for a midterm.

Young Americans also still tend to favor Democrats, with 55 percent saying they preferred Democratic control of Congress, and 34 percent saying they preferred GOP control. B

But Young Republicans reported an increase in enthusiasm about the election, while Democratic enthusiasm dropped compared to 2018.

That year, 51 percent of Democrats said they were more likely to vote, while 46 percent now say the same. Meanwhile 43 percent of Republicans said they were more likely to vote, an increase from the 36 percent who said the same in 2018.

"While this is an off-year election; there's no evidence in this survey that young Americans are off the grid," IOP Polling Director John Della Volpe said in a statement. "Their contempt for a system that favors the elite and is overwhelmingly partisan is clear, but at the same time they see a role for government and are unlikely to abandon those most in need."

The poll surveyed 2,024 18 to 29 year-olds online from March 15 through March 30.

Ad Watch: Democratic senate candidate hits both parties in new spot

Republicans appear to have a midterm strategy to win over voters this year - attack President Joe Biden and Democrats over inflation and immigration. On top of those issues, Democrats are also facing a stalled agenda, and a war between Russia and Ukraine as they have struggled to settle on a unified message.

In North Carolina, Democrat Cheri Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, is trying out one message she hopes will resonate with voters: Blame both parties.

In a new ad out Monday, Beasley tells voters, "Looking at Washington, I think both parties are doing the job wrong. Instead of focusing on what people care about, they get caught up in political games."

Beasley is not the only candidate distancing herself from both parties to gain favor with voters. Earlier this month, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, ran an ad in his campaign for U.S. Senate where he said, "We can't afford to be Democrats and Republicans. Right now, we have to be Americans first."

Both Beasley and Ryan are running in states with incumbent Republican senators. Ryan is running to fill Sen. Rob Portman's, R-Ohio, seat when he retires at the end of his term. Beasley is looking to flip Sen. Richard Burr's, R-N.C., seat when he retires at the end of his term.

In Georgia, too, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., has struggled to find a message to entice voters after just one year in office, where Democrats failed to pass any major piece of President Biden's agenda. In a recent ad, he highlighted just that - his newness to the Senate.

"In just a year in the Senate did I think I could fix Washington? Of course not," he says in the ad, trying to convince voters that he needs a full term to make a big difference.

NRSC targets Mark Kelly on immigration

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is targeting Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., in a new ad campaign in the senator's home state.

While Arizona Republicans won't have an official nominee to replace Kelly until after the August 3 primary, the NRSC - the campaign arm for Senate Republicans - is filling the void when it comes to attacking the Democrat.

The ad's narrator claims that "Kelly votes 97% with Biden. He voted for sanctuary cities, for benefits to illegals and against a border wall."

"Tell Senator Kelly stop voting with Biden and against Arizona," the ad continues.

Kelly has voted with Biden's agenda 97.7 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. But he's also opposing the president on at least one major immigration issue - the administration's plan to lift Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that prohibited migrants seeking asylum from crossing the border.

Kelly and a bipartisan group of senators even introduced a bill to delay the lifting of Title 42, which is currently set to end on May 23.

The NRSC is running ads targeting Kelly in English and Spanish, hoping to appeal to Arizona's large Spanish-speaking population.

"This will continue to be an important theme in both English and Spanish advertising," Chris Hartline, the NRSC's communications director told NBC News.

This particular commercial is part of a seven-figure ad buy, Hartline added.

He also said that the group will continue to attack Kelly on other themes, too, including inflation and his past in business.

David Perdue's 2022 gubernatorial bid has been mostly about 2020

In Georgia's upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary, former Sen. David Perdue has relied - almost entirely - on Donald Trump and relitigating the former president's discredited claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, according to an analysis of Perdue's ads, speeches and tweets in his contest against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

All five of Perdue's television ads have mentioned the 2020 election or election security, and they all prominently feature Trump's endorsement.

"Kemp is just another establishment politician who fought Trump," Perdue says in his most recent ad. "I'll make sure our elections are never stolen again," he continues, arguing that Kemp shouldn't have certified the 2020 presidential election results after Joe Biden defeated Trump in the Peach State by more than 11,000 votes.

In Perdue's five-minute speech at Trump's rally in Commerce, Ga., in March, all five minutes were dedicated to Trump's presidential record, the 2020 election and Perdue's top campaign issue of establishing an election law enforcement agency and eradicating Dominion voting machines.

"In the state of Georgia, thanks to Brian Kemp, our elections in 2020 were absolutely stolen," Perdue said.

And of Perdue's nearly 70 tweets since March 1, 17 have mentioned Trump; four have mentioned Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.; eight have mentioned 2020 election theories or allegations of fraud; and only four mention other issues - like eliminating the state income tax and education.

"President Trump endorsed me because he knows Kemp can't defeat Abrams in November. Kemp abandoned conservatives, divided our party, and can't pull us together," Perdue, the former senator who lost his seat in Jan. 2021, tweeted back in March.

"Georgia conservatives have been abandoned by Kemp, and he cannot pull the party together to win the general election," Perdue's campaign said in a statement to NBC News.

"While David Perdue continues to run a failing campaign based on lies about Brian Kemp's record, Gov. Kemp will continue to tell the truth, [and] share his record with Georgia voters," said Cody Hall, Kemp's communications director, responds.

Polls have consistently shown Kemp leading Perdue in the May 24 primary, with one Fox News poll from March putting the incumbent governor ahead by double digits.

Still, Charles Bullock, a political-science professor at the University Georgia, points to recent polling finding that nearly half of Republican voters believe Trump's endorsement is very or somewhat important, as well as three-quarters of them saying that widespread voter fraud took place in 2020.

In fact, Perdue allies point to how Trump's endorsement of Kemp in 2018 catapulted him to the governor's mansion four years ago.

If no candidate clears 50 percent of the vote next month, this GOP gubernatorial primary will head to a June 21 runoff, and the winner will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in November.

Rivals confront Fetterman at debate over 2013 gun incident

Pennsylvania Senate Democratic hopefuls Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta pushed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman onto the defensive during Thursday's primary debate over questions about a 2013 incident when Fetterman confronted an unarmed Black jogger with a shotgun after saying he heard gunshots.

Asked if he would do anything differently about the incident today, Fetterman recounted the situation and said that: "It's not it's certainly not a situation that anyone would want to be involved with with gun violence. But I'd like to point out that I'm the only Democrat on this stage that has successfully confronted crime and gun violence and has been in charge of a police department."

He quickly clashed with his rivals over the question of whether he pointed his gun at the jogger, Christopher Miyares. Miyares has said that Fetterman pointed the gun at his chest, but Fetterman has repeatedly denied that charge. When the lieutenant governor describes the incident, he has said he had his gun but never pointed it at Miyares.

"Not only will John not admit that to pointing, he won't admit that he was pointing the gun at this person," Lamb said during the debate.

"He also won't really answer your question as to whether he did anything wrong and should have done it differently. And I just think that's disqualifying for any of us who have to work hard to gain the trust of the black community."

Then state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who is Black, repeatedly asked Fetterman if he would apologize for the incident. After Fetterman denied pointing the gun at the man and repeated his comments that he "successfully confronted gun violence" in his town while mayor, Kenyatta replied: "You're the only Democrat who used a shotgun to chase down an unarmed black man."

While the conversation about the incident may have been the flashpoint of the debate, the three candidates mixed it up on a variety of other issues.

Lamb and Kenyatta came out against suspending the federal gas tax, something Fetterman said he'd support. Lamb and Fetterman supported extending the Title 42 pandemic border policy that has blocked asylum on the Southern border, and split on Philadelphia's recent, and brief, reimposition of its indoor mask mandate (Fetterman and Kenyatta against it, with Lamb supportive of it).

And the group tangled over Fetterman's support for a tax on the wealthiest individuals. Fetterman responded to a question from the moderator about what income levels he'd want a wealth tax to apply for by saying "you know it when you see it."

That prompted both Lamb and Kenyatta to attack, criticizing Fetterman for offering a lack of specifics.

The race for Indiana's ninth district heats up on the airwaves

Indiana's primary election is less than two weeks away, and the Republican fight for the state's ninth Congressional District is heating up on the airwaves.

The seat is up for grabs in the wake of Rep. Trey Hollingsworth's decision not to seek another term, setting up a battle featuring nine candidates, three of whom have been spending on TV ads.

Stu Barnes-Israel, a veteran who's running for the Republican nomination, has been up on the air for weeks. In an ad from March, he touts his "conservative plan" to "fight for freedom, lower gas prices and secure the southern border."

Barnes-Israel has also had an outside group, Hoosier Values, running ads in his favor.

In one such ad, the narrator says, "Hoosiers don't need another politician in Congress. We need a conservative outsider. Stu Barnes Israel."

"Stu supports a strong military and opposes Biden's disastrous foreign policy," the narrator adds later.

Barnes-Israel has also earned endorsements from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

His most prominent opponents are two candidates who have run for the seat before - businessman Mike Sodrel and former state Sen. Erin Houchin. Sodrel even served as the representative for this district for one term from 2005 to 2007.

Sodrel's ads have focused on inflation, with a narrator telling voters "Mike Sodrel will work to get American energy independent again, stop inflation and lower prices at the gas pump."

He's also got an outside group running ads to support him and attack Houchin.

"Career politician Erin Houchin has failed us. It's time to drain the swamp," a narrator says in an ad funded by the House Freedom Action. The group supports conservative candidates in congressional elections across the country. In Wyoming, they're backing an opponent to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and in Colorado, they support right wing Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Meanwhile, Houchin has been touting her record in state politics in an ad.

"To save America, we have to fight," she says. "I fought Biden's mandates, and won. After the 2020 election, I wrote the bill to require photo ID for everyone. I authored the ban on critical race theory and have been the state's number one defender of our law enforcement officers."

She adds, "I'm pro-life, pro-Trump, pro-Second Amendment."

Of the candidates, Sodrel has spent the most on ads so far, dropping $225,000, per AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. Houchin is behind him, having spent $133,000 and Barnes-Israel trails, with only $111,000 spent on ads.

Sanders advisor: Democrats need to use power, authority

Faiz Shakir, a senior advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders and his former campaign manager called on Democrats to embrace a more progressive stance in the midterm elections in an interview with MTP Daily Thursday.

Shakir discussed a memo he recently wrote to Sanders supporters, in which he argued that a progressive agenda is popular and can work to win elections.

"The Democratic Party is certainly losing some support," Shakir said on Thursday. "Who are they losing support with? Young people, working class people, disaffected people who have become cynical about politics. Who speaks to them? How do you get people who aren't already with you? And I think Senator Sanders' vision does that."

Watch the full interview:

Outside group hits Alabama GOP's Mike Durant on gun comments

A new ad in Alabama's hotly contested GOP Senate primary uses old footage of Mike Durant talking about gun regulations to argue that he's a "RINO," or a Republican In Name Only.

The new spot from Alabama RINO PAC, which popped up earlier this year to attack Durant, relies on recently unearthed footage of Durant in 2011, when he said: "From a military perspective, the first thing that needs to be done is to disarm the population. Let's face it, if we could do that in some of our U.S. cities, that would be a pretty good step toward law and order. But, you ever ask yourself: Why don't we do it here? Because it's hard. It could result in rioting and widespread rebellion, making the situation worse."

While the comments are more than a decade old, they were recently unearthed by the conservative media website Breitbart. In response, Durant told the Rightside Radio show that the comments were "mischaracterized" and that he's "absolutely pro-2nd amendment" with his "own collection of weapons."

"I was an attack helicopter pilot in special aviation operations. I shoot more rounds every month than most people shoot in their lives. You know, this is just typical. If this is the best you can do ... my opponents can dig up something from 10 years ago that wasn't really what I was saying, then, you know, I guess it's part of the game. But to me, it's really meaningless."

Durant is running primarily against former GOP Senate aide Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks, who had been endorsed by former President Trump before he rescinded his endorsement.

Alabama RINO PAC has spent about $630,000 on ads in the race so far, far less than other outside groups - the Club for Growth, which is backing Brooks, has spent $3.5 million and Alabama's Future, which has opposed Brooks, has spent $3.7 million, per ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Durant has spent more on advertising than any other candidate with $2.4 million, ahead of Britt's $1.9 million.

UPDATE: Durant launched an ad on Friday responding to the super PAC spot, calling it a "false attack ad."

March NBC poll found country split over transportation mask mandate

In light of the recent federal court decision that halted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate on public transportation, NBC's last poll in March found a slight majority supported keeping the mandate in effect.

FIfty-one percent said that the government should continue to require face masks on public transportation, with 46 percent saying that they wanted the government to end the requirement (within the poll's 3.1 percent margin of error).

Out of those who wanted the mandate to continue, 38 percent wanted it to last longer than 6 more months, 28 percent wanted it to last between 4-6 months, 16 percent wanted it to last 2-3 more months and 3 percent said they wanted it to last for the next month.

The main fault lines on the issue were by political leaning and race. Eighty-four percent of Democrats supported keeping the mandate in place, but just 22 percent of Republicans.

People of color (70 percent keep, 27 percent end mask mandate) were far more likely than whites (43 percent keep, 55 percent end) to support the mandate's extension.

NBC polled 1,000 adults from March 18-23, about a month before this week's decision U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle for the Middle District of Florida that the CDC lacked the authority to impose the mandate. The Justice Department is appealing the ruling, but right now, the mandate is not being enforced.

Rep. Joe Wilson endorses primary challenger against fellow SC Rep. Nancy Mace

GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., has endorsed Republican Katie Arrington in her primary bid against one of his own colleagues, fellow GOP South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace.

"Katie is a proven fighter for our conservative principles of limited government with expanded freedom which provides for a strong national defense and the safeguarding of our border," Wilson said in a statement first reported by The State Newspaper. Wilson garnered national attention for shouting, "You lie!" during former President Barack Obama's 2009 State of the Union address.

Mace responded by saying that Wilson is not sufficiently conservative and that he "is the reason we need term limits in Congress."

It's unusual, but not unprecedented, for a House member to back a primary challenger taking on one of his or her colleagues. Four Democratic House members, for example, have endorsed attorney Jessica Cisneros over Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Arrington in February, setting up the primary as a test of Trump's influence in the party. Mace sharply criticized Trump after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, but she was not one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting an insurrection.

Mace has argued that she is best positioned to win the 1st District in November. Arrington lost the 1st District in 2018 after defeating another Trump critic, former GOP Rep. Mark Sanford, in a Republican primary. The 1st District did become more Republican after redistricting, per 538. The Cook Political Report rates the 1st District race Solid Republican.

Like other Republicans facing Trump-backed primary challengers, Mace outraised Arrington in the first fundraising quarter of the year. Mace raised $863,000, ending the quarter with $2 million in her campaign account, while Arrington raised $814,000 and had $754,000 on hand.

The South Carolina primary is set for June 14.

Bernie Sanders' campaign memo had advice for his candidates. So who has he endorsed?

Sen. Bernie Sanders' former campaign manager Faiz Shakir made headlines for a memo that pointedly reminded us all that the Vermont Independent hasn't ruled out another run for president in 2024.

The memo that caused all the stir, addressed to Sanders' "allies," was mainly directed at candidates on the ballot this year, detailing a list of suggestions for how Sanders' preferred candidates should respond to questions about his endorsement.

Yet Sanders has only endorsed eight candidates so far, and a majority are running in deeply Democratic areas.

He's only backed one candidate for Senate - Vermont Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, who is running for his home state's open Senate seat. Sanders has also backed two House candidates taking on Democratic incumbents in primaries: attorney Jessica Cisneros, who faces Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in a May 24 primary runoff next month, and Nina Turner, his presidential campaign co-chair who is taking on Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown in a May 3 primary.

Three Democrats running in solidly Democratic open House seats have also earned Sanders' endorsement. Former Austin City Councilman Greg Casar won the Democratic primary in Texas' 35th District in March, while state Rep. Jasmine Crockett is competing in a primary runoff on Texas' 30th District. Sanders has also endorsed state Rep. Summer Lee, who is running in the open 12th District race in Pittsburgh. Lee's primary is set for May 17.

Democrat Lee Merritt of Texas had Sanders' backing in his failed bid for Texas attorney general. Sanders has also endorsed Los Angeles City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo.

Of these candidates, Cisneros has taken the most heat for her progressive policies. Shakir did provide some advice for candidates like Cisneros, encouraging them to embrace Sanders' endorsement.

"Sen. Sanders is putting forward an extremely popular vision for the Democratic Party that will win back critical support that we have lost," he wrote.

Shakir also noted at the end of the memo that Sanders "is interested in endorsing more candidates."

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.

Even small bipartisan efforts becomes baggage in GOP primary races

Even Republican incumbents who seemingly made all the right moves to avoid an intra-party challenge in the 2022 midterm elections are finding that any hint of working across the political aisle can be fodder for attacks on their party purity.

Take, for example, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., who recently became the subject of an attack ad from a super PAC called the Arkansas Patriot Fund - an ad which singled out Boozman's votes to confirm eight of President Joe Biden's cabinet nominees early in his presidential term.

Historically, bipartisan votes for presidential nominees have not been a flash point for primary contests unless a nominee is particularly controversial. And Boozman is one of the most conservative members of the Senate, only voting with Biden's agenda 34.1 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. Only 16 senators vote with Biden less often, according to the analysis.

President Donald Trump has even endorsed Boozman, a move that's usually considered a conservative seal of approval. But that hasn't stopped the Arkansas Patriots Fund from calling the senator "Biden's favorite Republican."

Arkansas Patriots Fund is a PAC that supports Boozman's primary challenger, veteran Jake Bequette. It's funded by Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein, the founder of shipping and packing supply company Uline. He's a donor to other conservative groups, including Club for Growth Action.

The GOP infighting over working with the other party has also popped up in Nevada, where one Republican primary candidate for governor, John Lee, is attacking another, Joe Lombardo, in a TV ad for being Nevada Democratic Gov. "Steve Sisolak's favorite Republican."

The narrator in the ad accuses Lombardo for being too liberal because he served on Sisolak's transition team when he became governor.

Lombardo and Sisolak are distant now, but originally became friends in the aftermath of the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas. At the time, Lombardo was the Clark County sheriff and Sisolak was head of the Clark County Commission.

The attacks reflect the more ideologically conservative primary electorate, said Dr. Lawrence Jacobs, the Director of the Center for the Study of Politics & Governance at the University of Minnesota and author of the book "Democracy under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History."

"It's a very small number of people who are involved in the primaries, and they are exercising enormous influence," Jacobs said.

Jacobs added that primary voters " tend to be much more ideologically extreme, whereas most Americans tend to be a bit more moderate and they're willing to look at compromise."

Nationally, a 2021 Morning Consult poll found that 71 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, "the policies with bipartisan support are the best policies."

The same poll found that 78 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, "I respect politicians more when they make efforts to get bipartisan support."

Midterm roundup: Granite State Grind

President Joe Biden traveled to New Hampshire Tuesday, where he was joined by two Democrats facing tough re-election fights: Sen. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Chris Pappas. Both lawmakers also got shoutouts from the president for their work on the bipartisan infrastructure package, per NBC News' Mike Memoli.

Their appearances at Biden's event shows that some vulnerable Democrats may not be skittish about appearing with Biden, even as his approval ratings hit new lows - and especially when they can tout new infrastructure spending.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
California Senate: A tech executive is defending his quixotic Senate bid amid allegations it's a personal vendetta (Dan O'Dowd's first ad dropped this week, which attacks Tesla over its self-driving cars).

Georgia Senate: In Sen. Raphael Warnock's new ad, the Democrat tells viewers that he knew he couldn't "fix Washington" in just one year because he's not a magician, but touts the work he has done since taking office.

North Carolina Senate: The Club for Growth, which is backing Rep. Ted Budd, is running a new spot where Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson criticizes Budd's Senate GOP primary rival, former Gov. Pat McCrory, calling him " a nice guy, but he's no conservative."

Pennsylvania Senate: Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has a new TV ad up in the Democratic primary responding to attack ads from a super PAC backing Rep. Conor Lamb. In the GOP primary, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is headlining a campaign rally for former hedge fund manager David McCormick.

Vermont Senate: Democratic Rep. Peter Welch is up with his first TV spot of his Senate campaign, touting his work as the state's at-large congressman. Welch's campaign reserved $69,000 worth of airtime, per AdImpact.

Florida Governor: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked lawmakers to rescind a special carve-out for Disney that shields it from certain regulations and taxes amid conservatives' anger at the company. Meanwhile, Democratic Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Freid is suing the federal government over a statute that bans marijuana users from owning firearms or getting concealed-carry permits.

Michigan 11: The Democratic primary between Reps. Haley Stevens and Andy Levin has become a proxy war for the party's ideological divides, particularly on Israel, NBC News' Jonathan Allen reports from the 11th District.

Maryland Governor: The family of the incarcerated man that Maryland Democrat Wes Moore partially based his best-selling book off is accusing the Democrat of exploiting their relative's life story.

Nebraska Governor: Republican Charles Herbster, who was accused of groping by eight women, will speak at Trump's April 29 rally in Nebraska.

Tennessee 05: The Tennessee GOP kicked former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus and two other candidates off the primary ballot for failing to vote in three recent GOP primaries and actively participating in the state or local parties. Ortagus, who has Trump's endorsement in the 5th District race, said her team "is evaluating the options before us," NBC News' Allan Smith reports.

Why is Bidenism failing? The NBC News poll offers an answer

Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. asked a provocative question: Why is Bidenism failing?

Noting President Biden's low poll numbers after more than a year into office - despite pursuing relatively popular policies and trying to be a more unifying president than Donald Trump was - Bacon pointed to centrist complaints that Biden has swung too far left, progressive criticism that he hasn't been progressive enough, and a structural explanation that growing polarization makes it nearly impossible for any president to be popular.

But our NBC News poll offers another answer: It's the leadership. Or at least the perceptions of Biden's leadership.

Biden's approval rating started off relatively strong despite the political polarization - 53 percent approve, 39 percent disapprove in April 2021 - and so did perceptions of his leadership

But by the end of the year - after the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, the Delta and Omicron surges, the end of "Build Back Better" negotiations, and growing signs of inflation - Biden's presidential qualities tumbled, even though the unemployment was falling below 4.0 percent and hundreds of thousands of jobs were being created each month.

Compared with past presidents on these qualities, Biden's numbers on "being easygoing and likeable" were worse than George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's, though far better than Donald Trump's.

But on a perceived Biden strength -- "uniting the country" -- Biden's net rating was lower than Trump's.

And Biden has tied Trump on "being a good commander-in-chief," while significantly trailing Obama, Bush 43 and Bill Clinton on the same question.

The thing about poll numbers is that they can change. Just ask Obama. Or even Trump (who did see his approval rating increase during the course of his presidency).

But to answer why Bidenism is failing - right now - those perceptions above help tell part of the story about Biden's presidency.

Latest fundraising wave shows handful of struggling incumbents in competitive districts

We've already told you about some of the biggest fundraisers of the quarter, but there's a flip-side of the latest round of Federal Election Commission reports - a handful of incumbents who got beat out by their challengers.

Two House members, one from each party, who are running Cook "toss up" races were outraised by challengers of the opposite party in the first fundraising quarter - Michigan Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee and Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Chabot.

Republican self-funder Paul Junge, who raised nearly $1.3 million (including a $1.1 million contribution from Junge himself), outraised Kildee and his $869,000. But Kildee did have more cash on hand, with $2.4 million in the bank to Junge's $1.2 million.

And while Chabot raised raised $197,000 and had $582,000 banked away at the end of the quarter, the top Democrat in his race, Greg Landsman, raised $533,000 and had $419,000 in the bank.

In other competitive, but not "toss up" races:

Iowa Republican Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (who raised $440,000) was outraised by Democrat Christina Bohannan (who raised $514,000) in her "likely Republican" race.

Former Democratic Rep. Max Rose outraised New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis ($706,000) in the "lean Democratic" seat.

Indiana Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan ($178,000) was outraised by Republican Blair Milo ($208,000) in his "likely Democratic" seat.

California Republican Young Kim, who had a strong $1 million quarter, was outraised by Democrat Asif Mahmood, who raised $1.4 million.

And Arizona Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran ($579,000) was outraised by Republican Eli Crane ($650,000).

A handful of incumbents in competitive seats were also outraised by their primary challengers as well.

The most stark example was Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was massively outraised by his primary runoff opponent, Jessica Cisneros. Cisneros raised $1.7 million, spending $1.1 million and closing the quarter with more than $1 million. Cuellar raised $753,000, spent $586,000 and had $1.4 million on hand.

GOP Rep. Dave Schweikert, who has long been dogged by ethics issues, was also outraised by a primary challenger, Elijah Norton, because of his challenger's loans to his campaign. Norton loaned his campaign $900,000, totaling almost $1.1 million in receipts for the quarter, while Schweikert, who loaned his campaign $200,000, ended with $380,000 raised for the quarter.

Other incumbents in safe seats were outraised by their primary challengers too, including Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny Davis, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, and New York Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jamaal Bowman.

Pennsylvania, Ohio top Senate candidate spending

Almost half of Senate candidate spending in competitive races during the first three months of the year was concentrated in two states: Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Senate candidates in the nine races the Cook Political Report rates as competitive spent a combined $111 million, according to fundraising reports filed Friday. Pennsylvania saw the most spending, with $25.7 million, with Ohio a close second with $24.7 million in spending.

Both contests have competitive Republican primaries in May with wealthy candidates spending millions of their own money, while Pennsylvania is also hosting a contested Democratic primary.

Former hedge fund manager David McCormick spent nearly $9.6 million from January through March, surpassing the rest of the GOP field ahead of Pennsylvania's May 17 primary. McCormick was followed by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who spent 6 million. Lt. Gov John Fetterman led the Democratic field, spending nearly $4.3 million.

Ahead of Ohio's May 3 GOP primary, investment banker Mike Gibbons has spent nearly $8.4 million, followed by state Sen. Matt Dolan, who has spent $6 million. Both have been self-funding their campaigns.

Although Pennsylvania and Ohio saw the most combined spending from candidates, the candidate in a competitive race who spent the most campaign cash in the first quarter was Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Georgia Democrat spent $10.8 million from January through March as he runs for a full term in November.

Warnock accounted for much of the $15.5 million that candidates spent in the Georgia race. In Arizona, candidates spent a combined $12.8 million, while contenders spent $12 million in Wisconsin. Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Val Demings spent $8.2 million in Florida, while Senate candidates in Nevada spent a combined $6.1 million.

Senate races in North Carolina and Nevada saw the lowest amounts of candidates spending, with $4 million and $2.3 million spent in those races respectively.

Pro-impeachment Republicans outraise Trump challengers

All six of the Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol outraised their Trump-backed primary challengers in the first there months of 2022, new fundraising reports show.

On average, a House incumbent facing a Trump-backed challenger raised nearly twice as much as the primary challenger and ended the quarter with more than three times as much cash on hand

One of the most high-profile Trump critics, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, outraised her primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, $2.9 million to $1.3 million. Cheney also ended the first fundraising quarter on March 31 with significantly more campaign cash. Cheney had $6.8 million in her campaign account, while Hageman's campaign had nearly $1.1 million.

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski is the only Republican senator up for re-election this year who voted to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection. She maintained a financial advantage in her race, where she faces Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka. Murkowski raised nearly $1.6 million in the first quarter and hand $5.3 million on hand, while Tshibaka raised $673,000 and ended the quarter with $968,999 on hand.

Three other House Republicans who did not vote to impeach Trump, but who face Trump-endorsed challengers - Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, and West Virginia Rep. David McKinley - also raised more than their primary opponents during the first fundraising quarter, according to reports filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission.

McKinley's primary presents the first test of the power of Trump's endorsement against a sitting House member. He faces fellow GOP Rep. Alex Mooney on May 10, after the pair of lawmakers were drawn into the same district after redistricting.

McKinley narrowly outraised Mooney with a $482,000 haul to Mooney's $465,000. But Mooney had more cash on hand, with $1.4 million in his campaign account to McKinley's $1 million.

Former Obama campaign manager backs Arizona Democrat for governor

Former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina announced Monday that he is backing, and will informally advise, Marco Lopez, a Democratic candidate for governor of Arizona - a move which could give the underdog candidate some footing to gain ground on his primary opponent, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

"If we want Arizona to go blue in November, we need someone like Marco on the ticket who can excite Latinos and the diverse coalition that helped President Biden win Arizona in 2020," Messina said in a press release from Lopez's campaign.

Lopez, the former mayor of Nogales, Arizona, served as the chief of staff to the United States Customs and Border Protection under the Obama Administration. But with four months until the Democrats' August primary, Lopez must catch Hobbs.

"We know there's a large degree of undecided voters throughout the state of Arizona, and we encounter them," Lopez said, adding about Hobbs: "They're waiting for us to come in off the sidelines and make our case known."

The Hobbs campaign did not respond to a request to comment on the record about the endorsement.

There is scant public polling in the primary, but the last credible poll released in early January in Arizona showed Hobbs, who also has maintained a fundraising advantage, with a sizable lead over Lopez and state Rep. Aaron Lieberman . But Hobbs has faced scrutiny in recent months, including losing a lawsuit over the treatment of a Black legislative aide and the subsequent firing of that aide in 2015.

"Steady as you go, stay focused and stay on message," Lopez said, referring to Messina's advice to him as he harkened back to Obama's early rise as a largely-unknown candidate.

This fall, Democrats are facing an exceedingly-tough race to replace Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. Former local news anchor Kari Lake, who is backed by Trump, continues to sit atop the GOP polls, but she is facing a stiff challenge from another well-financed Republican, Karrin Taylor Robson.

Midterm roundup: Trump bets on JD Vance in Ohio Senate

A Good Friday announcement may not necessarily be the best way to maximize exposure, but former President Donald Trump's decision to endorse author J.D. Vance in Ohio's Senate race late Friday afternoon shook up another crowded GOP primary.

The news came one day after NBC reported Trump had decided to endorse but had been facing pressure from others to hold off.

Just weeks from the May 3 primary, Vance now has a major selling point for GOP voters who may be on the fence. But his opponents aren't backing down, and some are still emphasizing Vance's past critiques of Trump and Trump supporters.

The big picture: After a slew of safe endorsements, Trump is stepping out onto the ledge with endorsements in crowded primaries, with several coming up in May. Wins in races like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina would help Trump keep hold on the power he has among Republicans, but the former president is taking risks that could hurt how he's perceived if his candidates lose.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
North Carolina Senate: WRAL reports on how GOP Rep. Ted Budd, who's running with Trump's blessing, continues to avoid debating his top primary rival, former Gov. Pat McCrory.

Iowa Senate: Democratic Senate hopeful Abby Finkenauer will remain on the ballot, thanks to a state Supreme Court ruling regarding her nominating petition signatures.

Oklahoma Senate: Former EPA head Scott Pruitt, who resigned amid multiple ethics scandals, is running for Senate.

Florida Governor: Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist for governor in Florida, Politico reported. Crist faces Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Sen. Annette Taddeo in the Democratic primary to take on GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Georgia Governor: A federal judge ruled against Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams' challenge to the state's campaign finance laws.

Ohio 11: Democratic Majority for Israel PAC is up with a new spot touting Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown's first few months in Congress weeks ahead of her primary rematch against Democrat Nina Turner. DMFI was a big Brown ally during Brown's special election victory over Turner last year.

Midterm roundup: Campaign cash

The Federal Elections Commission fundraising reports for the first quarter of 2022 are due by midnight Friday and the political world will get a new look at which House and Senate contenders have financial advantages heading into another expensive midterm election cycle.

Some candidates have stepped up their fundraising, including Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc. He raised $7.1 million in the first quarter, according to Fox News, ten times the $711,000 he raised in the final quarter of 2021.

Senate Democrats have also announced eye-popping hauls ahead of the filing deadline. On Thursday Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., announced he raised a whopping $13.6 million in the first fundraising quarter, ending the quarter with $25.6 million on hand for his re-election. His chief GOP opponent, former football player Herschel Walker, announced Friday morning that he raised $5.5 million, but he did not release a cash on hand number.

Ohio Senate: Former President Donald Trump is expected to endorse author JD Vance in Ohio's Republican primary for Senate. The May 3 primary is just a few weeks away, but NBC News' Marc Caputo and Vaughn Hillyard report that other leading candidates in the race, including former GOP Chair Jane Timken and former state treasurer Josh Mandel, are less than thrilled about Trump's decision and are actively working to dissuade him from endorsing Vance.

Pennsylvania Senate: Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman slammed an ad from an outside group that called Fetterman a "democratic socialist" as "demonstrably a lie," in an interview with NBC10 in Philadelphia. Fetterman described himself as "a good, solid Democrat." Rep. Conor Lamb was also asked about the ad, which came from a group backing Lamb in the Senate primary, and said, "The Republicans will call any of us a socialist that gets the nomination. What we have to discuss as Democrats is who does that lael stick to and who it doesn't."

Nebraska Governor: Several women, including a state senator, have accused GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster of groping them. Herbster, who has been endorsed by Trump, denied the allegations, calling them "a ridiculous, unfounded dirty political trick."

South Carolina 01: GOP Rep. Nancy Mace launched her first TV ad of her primary, where she faces a Trump-backed challenger, Katie Arrington. Her opening spot focuses on border security and immigration, featuring Mace at the southern border saying, "Finish the wall and secure the border, once and for all." Mace's campaign spent $78,000 on broadcast and radio, per AdImpact.

Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar launches first ad of primary runoff race

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is out with the first ad of his runoff election against progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros.

Cuellar's campaign is re-airing an ad that originally ran in mid February, a few weeks before Texas' March 1 primary. In it, he attacks Cisneros over her plans to become less dependent on law enforcement officials on the border, alleging, "she'd split Border Patrol in half, leaving us with open borders that would make us less safe and cost us thousands of jobs."

Cisneros is an attorney and is running as a progressive alternative to Cuellar, who is one of the more moderate Democrats in the House. The two faced off in 2020, where Cuellar narrowly beat Cisneros in a primary.

In the rematch this year, the presence of a third candidate prevented either Cuellar or Cisneros from getting over 50 percent of the primary vote, which was needed to avoid a runoff.

So far, both candidates have spent over one million dollars on ads, according to AdImpact, but that number is expected to rise as they get closer to the May 24 runoff.

A new issue that could impact voters in the runoff is the Biden administration's plan to lift Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration policy that prevents migrants from entering the U.S. when seeking asylum. Title 42 is supposed to be lifted on May 23, the day before the runoff.

It will once again allow for migrants to present at the U.S.-Mexico border, claim asylum and be allowed into the U.S. pending an asylum hearing in front of a judge. During the pandemic, migrants were forced to wait in Mexico while waiting for their asylum case to be adjudicated, rather than enter the U.S.

Cuellar is one of a handful of House Democrats to already come out against the White House's plan, telling Chuck Todd on MTP Daily yesterday, "why are we letting 100 people in - 100 percent of them, when we should only be saying 'Bienvenidos' to only 10 or 12 percent."

"The system has to be at the border, it has to be more efficient. The way the administration, with all due respect, and we've given them very constructive ideas - is not the right way of handling the border situation," Cuellar added.

Cisneros has previously advocated for the Biden administration to lift Title 42.

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Meet the Press Blog: Latest news, analysis and data driving the political discussion

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WASHINGTON - AARP, the advocacy group for Americans over fifty, is launching new cable and broadcast TV ads in West Virginia urging centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to support a budget reconciliation bill that includes a major prescription drug savings policy.

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10 Easy Things You Can Do to Save Endangered Species - Endangered Species Coalition

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1. Learn about endangered species in your area. Teach your friends and family about the wonderful wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you. The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they...

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1. INTRODUCTION

In late December 2019, an outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia characterized by fever, dry cough, and fatigue, and occasional gastrointestinal symptoms happened in a seafood wholesale wet market, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan, Hubei, China. The initial outbreak was reported in the market in December 2019 and involved about 66% of the staff there. The market was shut down on January 1, 2020, after the announcement of an epidemiologic alert by the local health authority on December 31, 2019. However, in the following month (January) thousands of people in China, including many provinces (such as Hubei, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Henan, Hunan, etc.) and cities (Beijing and Shanghai) were attacked by the rampant spreading of the disease. Furthermore, the disease traveled to other countries, such as Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, Germany, United States, and Singapore. The first case reported in our country was on January 21, 2019. As of February 6, 2020, a total of 28,276 confirmed cases with 565 deaths globally were documented by WHO, involving at least 25 countries. The pathogen of the outbreak was later identified as a novel beta-coronavirus, named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and recalled to our mind the terrible memory of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-2003, caused by another beta-coronavirus) that occurred 17 years ago.

In 2003, a new coronavirus, the etiology of a mysterious pneumonia, also originated from southeast China, especially Guangdong province, and was named SARS coronavirus that fulfilled the Koch's postulate. The mortality rate caused by the virus was around 10%-15%., Through the years, the medical facilities have been improved; nevertheless, no proper treatment or vaccine is available for the SARS. The emergence of another outbreak in 2012 of novel coronavirus in Middle East shared similar features with the outbreak in 2003. Both were caused by coronavirus but the intermediate host for MERS is thought to be the dromedary camel and the mortality can be up to 37%. The initial clinical manifestations for both SARS and MERS are usually nonspecific except that the majority of patients presented with fever and respiratory symptoms. Unprotected hospital staff who were exposed to patients' droplets or through contact prone to be infected and nosocomial infections ensue., Furthermore, cases associated with travel had been identified for SARS, MERS, and COVID-19., Because of global transportation and the popularity of tourism, COVID-19 is a genuine threat to Taiwan.

2. VIROLOGY

Coronavirus is an enveloped, positive single-strand RNA virus. It belongs to the Orthocoronavirinae subfamily, as the name, with the characteristic "crown-like" spikes on their surfaces. Together with SARS-CoV, bat SARS-like CoV and others also fall into the genus beta-coronavirus. COVID-19 (caused by 2019-nCoV infection) is classified as a fifth-category notifiable communicable disease in Taiwan on January 15, 2019. The genus beta-coronavirus can be divided into several subgroups. The 2019-nCoV, SARS-CoV, and bat SARS-like CoV belong to Sarbecovirus, while the MERS-CoV to Merbecovirus. SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and 2019-nCoV all cause diseases in humans but each subgroup may have mild different biologic characteristic and virulence.

The exact origin, location, and natural reservoir of the 2019-nCoV remain unclear, although it is believed that the virus is zoonotic and bats may be the culprits because of sequence identity to the bat-CoV., According to previous studies on the SARS- and MERS-CoV, epidemiologic investigations, their natural reservoir is bat, while palm civet or raccoon dog may be the intermediate (or susceptible) host for SARS-CoV and the dromedary camel for MERS-CoV., A field study for the SARS-CoV on palm civet ruled out the possibility as the natural reservoir (low positive rate); instead, the prevalence of bat coronavirus among wild life is high and it shares a certain sequence identity with the human SARS-CoV. Therefore, bats are considered the natural host reservoir of SARS-like coronavirus. However, the origin or natural host for the 2019-nCoV is not clear, although it might come from a kind of wild life in the wet market. Theoretically, if people contact or eat the reservoir or infected animal, they could be infected. However, to result in large scaled person-to-person transmission as in the past SARS outbreak, the virus must spread efficiently. Initially, the 2019-CoV outbreak was reported as limited person-to-person transmission and a contaminated source from infected or sick wild animals in the wet market may have been the common origin., But more and more evidences came out with clusters of outbreaks among family confirmed the possibility of person-to-person transmission.,,,, In addition, the involvement of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) as the cellular receptor (like SARS) made droplet transmission to the lower respiratory tract possible., Furthermore, contact transmission like SARS is also likely although the survival time in the environment for the 2019-nCoV is not clear at present. Currently, there was no evidence of air-borne transmission. Viral RNAs could be found in nasal discharge, sputum, and sometimes blood or feces.,,,, But whether oral-fecal transmission can happen has not yet been confirmed. Once people are infected by the 2019-nCoV, it is believed that, like SARS, there is no infectivity until the onset of symptoms. However, one report describes infection from an asymptomatic contact but the investigation was not solid. The infectious doses for 2019-nCoV is not clear, but a high viral load of up to 10 ⁸ copies/mL in patient's sputum has been reported. The viral load increases initially and still can be detected 12 days after onset of symptoms. Therefore, the infectivity of patients with 2019-nCoV may last for about 2 weeks. However, whether infectious viral particles from patients do exist at the later stage requires validation.

3. EPIDEMIOLOGY

The illness onset of the first laboratory-confirmed case of 2019-nCoV infection was on December 1, 2019 in Wuhan, China ( Table 1). Initially, an outbreak involving a local market, the Huanan Seafood Market, with at least 41 people was reported. The local health authority issued an "epidemiologic alert" on December 31, 2019, and the market was shut down on January 1, 2020. A total of 59 suspected cases with fever and dry cough were referred to a designated hospital (the Jin Yin-tan Hospital). Of the 59 suspected cases, 41 patients were confirmed by next-generation sequencing or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Twenty-seven (66%, 27/41) patients had history of Huanan Seafood Market exposure. However, there is a caveat that the first case on December 1 did not show history of Huanan Seafood Market exposure and the subsequent cases started on December 10, nine days later. In the following days, a burst of cases was spreading from Wuhan to the whole Hubei province. Subsequently, many cities and provinces were attacked by this virus. One of the reasons may be due to the heavy transportation load during the Chinese Lunar New Year (on January 25) period. The first exported case was into Thailand on January 13, 2020. However, the disease spread rapidly and globally. Not only familial clusters but also outbreaks in ocean liners were reported. As of February 6, 2020, a total of 28,276 confirmed cases with 565 deaths globally were documented by WHO, involving at least 25 countries. The WHO issued an public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) alarm on January 30, 2020. Many stringent quarantine procedures and fever surveillance were underway. The initial mortality rates for patients in the hospital were estimated to be 11%-15%,, but more recent data were 2%-3%. It is very likely that person-to-person transmissions occur via droplets and contact. Nosocomial infections in the healthcare facilities did happen and stress the importance of good infection control.

4. CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

COVID-19 has a mean incubation period of 5.2 days (95% confidence interval, 4.1-7.0). The infection is acute without any carrier status. Symptoms usually begin with nonspecific syndromes, including fever, dry cough, and fatigue. Multiple systems may be involved, including respiratory (cough, short of breath, sore throat, rhinorrhea, hemoptysis, and chest pain), gastrointestinal (diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), musculoskeletal (muscle ache), and neurologic (headache or confusion). More common signs and symptoms are fever (83%-98%), cough (76%-82%), and short of breath (31%-55%). There were about 15% with fever, cough, and short of breath., Conjunctival injection was not reported in the early series and cases with age under 18 were few. After onset of illness, the symptoms are somehow mild and the median time to first hospital admission is 7.0 days (4.0-8.0). But the disease progresses to short of breath (~8 days), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (~9 days), and to mechanical ventilation (~10.5 days) in about 39% patients. Patients with fatal disease develop ARDS and worsened in a short period of time and died of multiple organ failure., The mortality rate in the early series of hospitalized patients was 11%-15%, but the later statistics was 2%-3%.,

The 2019-nCoV virus may enter the host through respiratory tract or mucosal surfaces (such as conjunctiva). Oral-fecal transmission has not been confirmed. The virus has a preferential tropism to human airway epithelial cells and the cellular receptor, like SARS, is ACE2. However, the pathological changes of the disease and its pathogenesis in human is not clearly elucidated. Theoretically lungs are the major involved organ. Will the virus replicate in other part of the body is not clear.

5. DIAGNOSIS

The COVID-19 usually presents as an acute viral respiratory tract infection and many differential diagnoses related to common viral pneumonia should be considered, such as influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus infection, respiratory syncytial virus infection, metapneumovirus infection, and atypical pathogens, such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Clamydophila pneumoniae infections etc., Therefore, it is crucial to trace the travel and exposure history when approaching a suspected patient back from an epidemic area. In addition, commercial respiratory syndromic diagnostic kits that detect multiple etiological agents (such as Filmarray Respiratory Panel) may help timely differential diagnosis.

Laboratory diagnosis for COVID-19 should be performed in a well-equipped laboratory with up to biosafety level 3 facilities for the viral culture. In Taiwan, COVID-19 is a fifth-category notifiable communicable disease and should be reported to Taiwan Centers of Disease Control (CDC) within 24 hours. The definitions of reported COVID-19 include (as of February 7, 2020): (1) Clinical conditions, met any following one (1.1) febrile illness (≥38°C) or acute respiratory infection (1.2) clinical, radiological, or pathological evidence of pneumonia. (2) Laboratory conditions, with any of the following: (2.1) clinical specimen (nasopharyngeal swab, sputum, or lower respiratory tract aspirates, etc.) that were isolated and identified as 2019-nCoV (2.2) Clinical specimen that show positive by RT-PCR. (3) Epidemiologic conditions, with any of the following 14 days before onset of symptoms (3.1) History of travel history from or evidence of contacting patients with fever or respiratory symptoms in the first class epidemic area of COVID-19 (currently Hubei, including Wuhan and Guangdong) (3.2) history of travel from or living in other part of mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macaw) (3.3) history of contact with probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases, including health provider, under the same roof, direct contact of the mucus or body fluid. Once the case fulfills (1) any clinical and epidemiologic condition 3.1 or 3.3 or (2) clinical condition 1.2 and epidemiologic condition 3.2 or (3) any laboratory condition, the patient should be reported to Taiwan CDC within 24 hours. If the first laboratory report is negative but patients' symptoms persist without explainable etiology, a second sample should be examined 24 hours later in case of first negative to rule out initial false-negative result.(Taiwan CDC guideline)

Confirmatory laboratory diagnosis usually rely on a real-time RT-PCR assay to detect viral RNA by targeting a consensus E region of pan beta-CoV or other more specific regions (such as RdRp or N region),, Chest x-ray and computer tomography (CT) usually revealed bilateral pneumonia (75-98%) with multiple mottling and ground-grass opacity., Routine laboratory data in the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic are similar to common viral infection: lymphopenia, prolonged prothrombin time, elevated D-dimer, liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase), total bilirubin, and lactate dehydrogenase, with worsening data in ICU cases. Leukocytosis may occur if complicated with secondary bacterial infection. Considering patients' and laboratory safety, physicians should carefully evaluate the necessity of frequent blood sampling and conduct aspiration to prevent the risk of unexpected exposure.

6. TREATMENT

Currently, there is no validated treatment for COVID-19. The main strategies are symptomatic and supportive care, such as keeping vital signs, maintaining oxygen saturation and blood pressure, and treating complications, such as secondary infections or organs failure.

Because of the potential mortality of COVID-19, many investigational treatments are underway:

1. Remdesivir: The experimental drug is a novel nucleotide analogue prodrug in development by Gilead Sciences, Inc. It is an unapproved antiviral drug being developed for Ebola and SARS. In a case report on the first case of 2019-nCoV in the United States administering remdesivir for compassionate use on day 11 after illness resulted in decreasing viral loads in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples and the patient's clinical condition improved. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of this drug for treatment of patients with 2019-nCoV infection.

2. Convalescent therapies (plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients): This strategy had been used to support passive immunization. Based on the studies from MERS, the therapeutic agents with potential benefits include convalescent plasma, interferon-beta/ribavirin combination therapy, and lopinavir. However, there are no experience on COVID-19 and no randomized controlled clinical trials for this management at present.

3. Antiviral drugs: lopinavir/ritonavir and ribavirin had been tried to treat SARS disease with apparent favorable clinical response.In vitro antiviral activity against SARS-associated coronavirus at 48 hours for lopinavir and ribavirin was demonstrated at concentrations of 4 and 50 µg/mL, respectively. A recent report found uncanny similarity of unique insertions in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and Gag. Will anti-HIV drugs affect the 2019-nCoV treatment outcome? Further randomized controlled trials in patients with COVID-19 are mandatory.

4. Vaccine: There is currently no vaccine available for preventing 2019-nCoV infection. The spike protein may serve as a vaccine candidate, but the effect to human requires further evaluation.

7. PREVENTION

Since there are no standard treatments for COVID-19, it is important to avoid infection or further spreading. For general population, travel to epidemic area of COVID-19 (mainly in China, especially Wuhan, and Hong Kong and Macaw), contact, or eating wild animal is dissuaded. For those who had history of travel from epidemic area in recent 14 days, body temperature monitor and self-surveillance for 14 days should be performed. If compatible symptoms developed, designated transportation is recommended to prevent unprotected exposure. For healthcare workers, personal protective equipment should be put on and taken off properly while caring a probable or confirmed patients. Stringent protection procedures should be conducted for high-risk procedures (such as endoscopy, Ambu bagging, and endotracheal tube intubation). Once exposed to blood or body fluids of the patient unprotected, the healthcare workers should flush thoroughly the exposure site by water or soap. Afterward, body temperature should be monitored for 14 days. The confirmed case should be isolated (prefer a negative pressure isolation room or, alternatively, a single room with good ventilation). Under the circumstances of resolved symptoms for 24 hours and consecutive two negative results, isolation could be released. Corpses should be burned or buried deep.

Treatments effective against coronavirus include steam and heat. The virus is susceptible to many active ingredients (AI), such as sodium hypochlorite (0.1%-0.5%), 70% ethyl alcohol, povidone-iodine (1% iodine), chloroxylenol (0.24%), 50% isopropanol, 0.05% benzalkonium chloride, 1% cresol soap, or hydrogen peroxide (0.5%-7.0%), etc. Just like the WHO recommendations for Ebola virus (RG4) disinfection, the environment with spills of blood or body fluids could be cleaned up with 1:10 dilution of 5.25% household bleach for 10 minutes.

In conclusion, 2019-nCoV infection is a zoonotic disease with low to moderate mortality rate. Currently, there is no standard treatment for the disease and supportive treatment was the only strategy. Although many experimental trials are on the way, the best we can do to prevent a rampant outbreak is stringent infection control operation. Clinicians should consider the possibility of 2019-nCoV virus infection in persons with travel or exposure history with compatible incubation period and presenting symptoms. First-line healthcare providers should be highly aware of appropriate infection prevention measures for suspected patients.

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The outbreak of COVID-19: An overview : Journal of the Chinese Medical Association

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t Nam, and our country (as of 2/6/2020 at least 25 countries). The disease is officially named as Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19, by WHO on February 11, 2020). It is also named as Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens on January 15, 2019 by the Taiwan CDC, the Ministry of Health and is a notifiable communicable disease of the fifth category.

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In the next several days, the Biden administration is expected to announce plans across the economy to reduce America's greenhouse gas emissions dramatically by 2030.

The Biden administration's goal is to speed the process to avoid a climate tipping point that scientists warn is quickly approaching. If global warming continues at its current pace, rising seas and heavy rain will flood cities around the world, wildfires and hurricanes will become even more destructive, and many more plant and animal species will go extinct.

But reducing emissions, even sharply, will not immediately fix the problems up in Earth's atmosphere. It took decades for greenhouse gases to accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat, and it will take centuries for those gases to dissipate once humans decide to stop pumping them into the air.

"When you emit carbon dioxide, the climate stays altered for a long time," says Solomon Hsiang, a climate scientist who is the co-director at the Climate Impact Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. "And so we kind of have to deal with that baggage no matter what."

Everyone alive will still need to adapt to a warming climate. Today's adults will be dealing with climate-driven extreme weather for decades to come. But if countries transform their economies to cut heat-trapping emissions sharply, today's kindergartners could inherit a safer world when they reach middle age.

"It's kind of like you're driving a giant train that's very heavy. You slam on the brakes. The train keeps going for a while," Hsiang explains. "There's some amount of heating that we would continue to experience," even with dramatic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. It will take decades for forests, oceans and other natural systems to soak up all the excess greenhouse gases that have accumulated in the atmosphere.
Why greenhouse gases persist
The major greenhouse gases emitted by cars, trucks, factories, power plants and farms are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The gases make their way up into the upper part of the atmosphere and hang out there, trapping heat and causing global warming.

The good news is that carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide don't live forever in the atmosphere. Eventually, they break down or are absorbed by plants, oceans, soil and rocks on Earth's surface.

But humans have been generating such enormous emissions that new greenhouse gases arrive in the atmosphere a lot more quickly than old emissions break down or are absorbed. That's why gases have been accumulating in the atmosphere extremely quickly, especially in the last 50 years.

Different greenhouse gases take different amounts of time to break down or be absorbed. Nitrous oxide lingers in the atmosphere for about 100 years. Carbon dioxide can persist for hundreds or even thousands of years.

"If we got rid of all emissions tomorrow, carbon dioxide would come down very, very slowly," says James Butler, director of global monitoring at the Earth System Research Laboratory at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It would take thousands of years to come out."

Then there's methane, the shape-shifter of greenhouse gases. Methane only accounts for a small portion of the greenhouse gases emitted each year. But once it's in the atmosphere, methane is extremely good at trapping heat from the sun, which makes it far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.

Luckily, methane breaks down relatively quickly. If humans stopped emitting greenhouse gases, it would only take about 100 years for the excess methane in the atmosphere to dissipate, Butler says.

Here's the problem: When methane breaks down, it can turn into carbon dioxide. Both gases have a carbon at their center: Methane has hydrogen atoms attached, and carbon dioxide has oxygen atoms attached. As methane breaks down, the hydrogen atoms get replaced by oxygen from the air. One greenhouse gas is replaced with another.
Living with heat
The White House plan's goal is to reduce fossil fuel use to slow down the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases and the projected rate of the Earth's warming. Electricity would come from renewable sources such as wind and solar, cars and trucks would run on electricity, and factories would capture their emissions before they get into the atmosphere. Trains and buses would be more efficient and ubiquitous. New buildings would require less energy to heat and cool.

Economists already see signs that the economy is beginning to shift to the next generation of cleaner, cheaper energy. The price of wind and solar energy has plummeted, and energy-efficient vehicles are increasingly popular.

But because greenhouse gases persist for so long in the atmosphere, scientists warn that reducing emissions will not be enough to protect everyone. Many people will also need help adapting to a hotter Earth.

"Imagine you're driving a train and you're heading right for a cliff," Hsiang says. If you hit the brakes too late, some of the cars will go over the edge.

The train is humanity. The cliff represents deadly heat waves, wildfires, floods and droughts. So far, the U.S. has been tapping the brakes. Now, the U.S. is pledging to press down more firmly and try to stop the train before the whole thing goes over the edge.

But the cliff is looming, Hsiang says. "If we don't slow things down quickly enough, there are large regions of the world, many different people, who will be heavily impacted by the changes that continue to unfold over the next century."

Those most at risk include poor people, people who farm, people who work outdoors and people who live in places that are already dangerously hot or prone to flooding. "Those are the people who get sent off the cliff," Hsiang says.

The Biden administration has acknowledged that reducing U.S. emissions isn't a complete response to climate change. The proposed infrastructure bill would include money to help American towns and cities avoid damage and health impacts from storms, fires and heat waves.

And other countries are also looking to the U.S. for help with adaptation. As a newly reinstated signatory to the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. is back on the hook for $2 billion that the Obama administration pledged to the Green Climate Fund.

The fund exists to help pay for climate-related projects in poorer countries that are already suffering the effects of global warming, including adaptation projects such as building sea walls and transitioning to drought-resistant crops.

Earlier this year, White House climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. will "make good" on the Obama-era pledge but hasn't said whether it will increase contributions in the future given that it has emitted more cumulative greenhouse gases than any other country.

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Carbon Emissions Could Plummet. The Atmosphere Will Lag Behind

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subscribe to Short Wave podcast In the next several days, the Biden administration is expected to announce plans across the economy to reduce America's greenhouse gas emissions dramatically by 2030. The Biden administration's goal is to speed the process to avoid a climate tipping point that scientists warn is quickly approaching.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorizations for three COVID-19 vaccines so far. We compare the different available shots, and several still in the approval process for use in the United States.

Which vaccines are approved already?

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been available to Americans since December.

A vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company, was authorized in late February.

AstraZeneca, working in collaboration with Oxford University, is expected to request authorization from the FDA for their vaccine within a few weeks, andNovavax is expected to follow with its application later in April or May.

What technology does each vaccine use?

Manyvaccinesuse weakened or inactivated versions or components of the disease-causing pathogen to stimulate the body's immune response. However, the vaccines developed by Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna take advantage of messenger RNA (mRNA), which instructs cells to produce aprotein on the surface of the virus. Theimmune system recognizes those vaccine-triggeredspike proteins as invaders and creates antibodies to block future attacks of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine takes the more traditional approach. Adenoviruses are common viruses that typically cause colds or flulike symptoms. The J&J team used a modified adenovirus that can enter cells but can't replicate inside them or cause illness. Thevaccine contains this modified virus that delivers a spike protein, activating the immune system.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine also uses an adenovirus, in this case a monkey virus that the human immune system doesn't recognize. It delivers the gene that encodes the spike protein to human cells rather than the protein itself.

Novavax's vaccine works by delivering lab-grown spike proteins along with a compound that attracts immune cells to the site of the injection.

Where is each vaccine developed?

Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax are all US-based companies. The J&J vaccine was developed by researchers at Harvard University and in Leiden, Netherlands. Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, developed its vaccine in collaboration with U.S. government scientists. The AstraZeneca vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford and its spin-off company, Vaccitech. BioNTech, a biotechnology company based in Mainz, Germany, partnered with Pfizer to test and produce its vaccine.

How many shots do I need to get?

All the vaccines except the one from Johnson & Johnson require two shots to train the immune system well enough to fight the coronavirus.

After one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, for example, its effectiveness against illness reached up to 52% after 12 days, and up to 95% a week after the second dose, according to a study. That's why it's important for people who have received only one doseto keep practicing the usual precautions, like wearing a mask and maintaining social distance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests gettingthe second shot as close to the recommended dose schedule as possible, but not earlier.

The J&J vaccine is a one-dose vaccine. However, the company is also testing a two-dose regimen, with the two shots given eight weeks apart.

How much do vaccines cost per dose?

Moderna and Pfizer- BioNTech so far have been selling the majority of their doses to high-income countries, including the U.S., Canada and the European Union. These are also the most expensive vaccines.

AstraZeneca-Oxford has the cheapest of the five vaccines. The company has committed not to profit from it while the pandemic lasts.

There have been reports of different prices being paid by governments in different parts of the world.

How much has the U.S. spent on each?

Overall, the U.S. government has made vaccine deals totaling more than $9 billion with multiple private companies, but the deals vary in size.

The pharmaceutical giant Merck will also receive $105 million from the government to help produce the J&J vaccine.

How many doses of each will the U.S. get?

President Joe Biden said in March that the U.S. will have enough vaccines for every adult in the U.S. by the end of May. The main challenge will now be to distribute the dosesand to convince hesitant people to take them.

Do we have enough vaccine to go around?

The U.S. has purchased over 1 billion doses of vaccine for a population of 330 million.

According to a ONE's Policy team study, the world's richest countries have collectively bought 1 billion more doses than their citizens need. The rest of the world has been able to secure only 2.5 billion doses - not enough to vaccinate their populations.

The excess doses purchased by rich countries alone would be sufficient to vaccinate the entire adult population of Africa. In many developing countries, widespread vaccination coverage might not be achieved before 2023, unless countries like the U.S. share their surplus.

Do temperature and storage requirements differ between vaccines?

The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna require a complicated cold chain to safely distribute them.During each part of the process, the vaccine boxes must be kept at exactly the right temperature. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be used within five days after the transfer to refrigerator. Moderna vaccine can last in the refrigerator for a month and the J&J vaccine can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 3 months.

More: How coronavirus vaccines will be shipped and distributed using 'cold chain' technologies

The Novavax and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines can be stored in normal refrigerators for up to six months.

What about safety and side effects?

Serious side effects, allergic reactions or adverse incidents stemming from the vaccines are rare, though in clinical trials, mild to moderate side effects were common. The most common complaints were pain at the injection site, fatigue and aching muscles and joints. People with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions should inform health professionals before they are vaccinated, and anyone with an allergy to one of the vaccine's ingredients should consult a healthcare provider before getting vaccinated.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending the U.S. pause on using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots in six of 6.8 million individuals who received the vaccine so far.

All six recipients were women between the ages of 18 and 48, with symptoms occurring 6 to 13 days after vaccination, according to the statement. One woman died and one has been hospitalized in critical condition.

The health agencies released a statement on April 13 recommending the pause "out of an abundance of caution," saying blood clots still seem to be "extremely rare." So far, the CDC and FDA are reviewing six reported cases in the U.S.

The type of blood clot reported in individuals who have received the J&J vaccine is called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. and approximately 9 million more has been shipped out to states, according to the CDC.

The University of Oxford previously reported pausing administration of the vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca in a U.K. study to test the shot in children pending review of rare blood-clotting issues seen in adults after receiving the shot.

Do some vaccines work better than others?

Public health experts emphasize that all the vaccines are effective, particularly at preventing serious disease.

Because trials were conducted differently at different times, effectiveness figures cannot be directly compared.

In its large-scale trial, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was shown to prevent 95% of symptomatic COVID-19, just 1 percentage point more than Moderna's. Both vaccines appear to be equally protective across age groups and racial and ethnic groups.

The J&J vaccine was shown to be 72% effective in moderate to severe disease and 85% effective in preventing the most severe disease.

AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 two weeks after the second dose and was 100% effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalization in a U.S.-based clinical trial, according to the company.

In a trial in the U.K., two doses of the Novavax vaccine were shown to be nearly 90% effective against symptomatic COVID-19, though just 50% effective in a smaller South African trial.

What do we still need to know?

It remains unclear how long any of these vaccines will continue to protect people. While the small number of early trial participants have maintained levels of protective antibodies for nearly a year, companies will continue to follow volunteers for two years to see if their immunity begins to wane. Periodic booster shots to extend immunity and/or protect against new variants of the virus might be needed.

And although a growing body of research suggests that vaccines will also protect people from passing on the virus - even if they don't have symptoms - that remains to be confirmed.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorizations for three COVID-19 vaccines so far. We compare the different available shots, and several still in the approval process for use in the United States. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been available to Americans since December.

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One thing we humans fail at is seeing the big picture. We are often blind to the interconnectedness of everything that supports life, a web so complex and interdependent, we are only beginning to understand it. The food chain, from the tiniest little microorganisms to the largest creatures on earth, keep us humans alive.

So, when we talk about the grey whale, the timber wolf, the black rhino, it's not just that we should save these endangered creatures for their own good, but it's also for ours.The current legislation and government bodies that protect wild species from extinction are both being defunded and reorganized. It will be up to ordinary citizens and environmental groups to save these important links on the food chain. Here are someways to accomplish this.

1. Educate your family about endangered species in your area. It's not just about snow leopards in Russia, it's about the ecosystem in your own backyard. Teach your friends and family about wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you. Just awareness of these species is a critical step. From the worms in the garden to the bats that pollinate and control the mosquitos, there are many ways that our daily habits at home affect these creatures.

2. Recycle and buy sustainable products. Much of what threatens local populations has to do with development and more and more of the natural world is plundered to product new goods. Never buy furniture made of wood from rainforests or endangered trees. Recycle your cell phones, because a mineral used in electronic production is mined in gorilla habitat. Don't use palm oil because forests where tigers live are being cut down to plant palm plantations.

3. Grow native plants. It's a no-brainer but local species rely on local plants. You are providing food and shelter for native wildlife and you can reduce your water usage at the same time. Attracting native insects like bees and butterflies can help pollinate your flowers. And conversely, invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat, threatening biodiversity. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction. For more information about native plants in your area, visit http://www.plantsocieties.org

4. Reduce your water consumption. During droughts, people get better about not watering their lawns, but we need to understand that clean water is a global problem for wild animals, so the less humans consume, the better. Never dump chemicals or pharmaceuticals down toilets, storm drains or into streams or lakes.

5. Reduce your personal footprint. Drive less, walk more. Support better public transport, use biodegradable products and eat whole food from your farmers market.

6. Do not buy plastic products. Take your bags to the store, reuse containers and properly dispose of lightweight plastics. Wild animals get tangled in these products, and they end up in the ocean being ingested by small fish and killing off beneficial microorganisms.

7. Pressure your civil servants. It cannot rest on the scientific community alone to defend the natural world, voters and consumers must take a stand. This means singing petitions, writing letters and donating.

8. Volunteer your time to protect the wildlife in your area. Wildlife refuges,parks, and other places are often underfunded and desperate for help.Volunteering at one of these places to protect the animals might mean just educating visitors, or picking up litter.

9. Do not purchase products from companies that are known polluters. Many industries pollute natural water resources and lobby hard so that they don't have to clean up their own messes. You can do your part by not giving these companies your business, and cast your vote with your dollar. Spread the word about bad business practices and when it dings their bottom lines, these companies will take notice.

10. Get in touch with your Fish and Game Department. If you hunt, keep your licenses up to date and stay in touch with your local WFG so that you know which populations of game need culling and which are under threat. Hunting,instituted properly, is a sustainable way of maintaining wild populations like deer and turkey.

11. Black out the Black Market. Sometimes when we travel, we don't realize that the souvenirs we are buying are under threat. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including: tortoise-shell, ivory, and coral.

12. Herbicides and pesticides are hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. These chemicals take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils before disseminating throughout the food chain. Critical predators like hawks, owls and coyotes suffer if they eat poisoned animals, and it can rock whole populations. Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and its unnecessary! For alternatives to pesticides, visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org

There is so much we can be doing to protect these animals and vulnerable species from extinction, but we must make these changes now. Our kids need to see us upgrading our own behavior and taking the issues seriously. For more on helping endangered species, visit: http://www.endangered.org

Related

Animals Sustainability Nature Endangered Species

Susie Almaneih, is an Executive Mom and Technology Marketing Professional

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12 Things We Should All Do To Protect Endangered Species

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12 Things We Should All Do To Protect Endangered Species

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Ms Muthoni, from Oxford, shared the award with Nell Bevan, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson and Yacoub Yasin, who also organised petitions calling for more black history and cultural diversity to be taught in the curriculum.

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Student beats Rashford to petition campaign award

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Ms Muthoni, from Oxford, shared the award with Nell Bevan, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson and Yacoub Yasin, who also organised petitions calling for more black history and cultural diversity to be taught in the curriculum.

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It's been a record year for pet adoptions, but whether the good fortune will continue for "COVID companions" is a question arising as pandemic restrictions begin to ease, say animal protection advocates.

With National Pet Day today, the matter is getting attention from animal welfare officials. They pointed to the soaring adoption rates of a homebound society last year and expressed their concerns now that the world is reopening.

"We might not have many animals now, but when we return to a 'new normal' will we go back to having more? I think so," said Brittany Curran, North Kingstown animal control officer. "It will be a question of whether people have time to care for them."

For instance, Animal Rescue Rhode Island, based in South Kingstown, reported a 29% adoption increase in 2020 compared to the 2019 rate. This meant a total of 611 pets went to new owners, the organization said.

National Pet Day "is a reminder that animals need humans' care and concern - not just one day, but every day," said Anne Schwartz, veterinarian and president of the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association.
Pets of All Kinds
These companions come in all forms. From small lizards, fish and dogs to large python snakes, horses and over-sized rabbits, there is a species for just about everyone.

On Facebook group posts for North Kingstown, Narragansett and South Kingstown - as well as in interviews - The Independent asked others to share what they liked most about their pets.

Tony Scolito and Nikki Munroe own a black and white pitbull named Pete. He wags his tail and gives friendly greetings to all who visit their South Kingstown home.

"My sweet pitbull doesn't talk bad about anyone, anything, and always is so very happy to see me no matter where I went or how long I've been gone," said Scolito. "He gives me kisses and stays by me when I'm sad or ill. His love is true love, unconditional."

Byron Cahoon, president of the South Kingstown Dog Park Association, expressed sentiments on behalf of the many dog lovers he knows who visit the park.

"I think dogs have the qualities we love in people - loyalty, love, affection," said Cahoon, who goes to the park daily with his nearly four-year-old Scottish Terrier, Tillie. "All the things we want in people we get in a dog."

Then there are the more exotic kinds of pets - those that aren't usually found on a leash or running free in a dog park.

For instance, Taylor Croteau of Narragansett has two geckos and one corn stake.

"I chose to have reptiles over other animals because it is something you can keep in an enclosure, and as adults they don't have to be fed every day," she said. "So it isn't as time-consuming as a dog or a cat would be."

"It is also just interesting to get to know a species of animal that you can't just find around every corner," said Croteau. "I love how unique each of my pets are and how I am able to hold each of them."

"They all have different habitat requirements, which gives me three cool enclosures to look at and provide for them," she said. "I got them each as babies, so I also get to watch them grow up and get the full length of their lives."

Xan McCartney of Wakefield wrote, "Guinea pigs make wonderful pets. They're as interactive as cats, and unlike hamsters, they have no interest in escaping. There's a misconception that they're good "starter pets" for kids, but they require more care than one might expect."

Doug Gobeille of West Kingston, said he raises "Giant American Chinchillas primarily for their meat...The more you play with them, the more chill they become with humans. When our does are done with breeding, we either re-home them as pets to others or keep them ourselves because they are like small snuggly dogs."

Abigail Gencarelli posted that frogs and bearded dragons are her favorites.

"They make great, quiet pets and my beardie is much like a puppy. He likes to snuggle and even plays with toys!" she said.

Meanwhile, Kate Laing posted that her son has a snake and a tarantula.

"As a family, we also have three cats and fish," Laing wrote. "I always joke when we go to the pet store that it's feeding time at the reptile house."

Emily Buterbaugh of North Kingstown said she has a rescued Sulcata tortoise that weighs about 35 pounds and may be about 20 years old.

"They are one of the largest species of tortoise, and he will likely live to be close to or even over 100! He likes to bask in the sun and follow us around in the backyard in the summer," she said.

Rosey Serabian added, "We had a snake. My daughter loved it. I hated it. We had hamsters, rabbits and mice. They are cute and can be cuddle buddies."
Increased Adoptions
These kinds of animals, as well as cats, dogs, horses and others, are among the more than 3.2 million pets adopted each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

The pandemic brought increased adoptions during the second half of March 2020, with some estimates showing an adoption rate of 58% at the beginning of the month that zoomed to 85% by the first part of April.

In addition, a small poll of 1,000 dog and cat owners who acquired their pets since last March found that 13% had the new pandemic pet as their only animal, while 66% reported a cat or a dog already living with them.

The survey by Rover.com - an online pet-sitter finder - also found that 53% adopted a dog, while 32% took in a cat and 14% adopted both a dog and a cat.

Of those who gave these animals a home, 26% got them from breeders, while the vast majority (64%) adopted from either a nonprofit or rescue group (40%) or another person (24%).

This would not surprise local animal welfare officials. Most said that in the last 12 months, dogs and cats have been hot commodities no matter where they came from.

"We're pleased to be able to support families not just in our immediate area, but also in the broader community," said Animal Rescue RI Board Chairman Doug Rubinstein. "We can focus on our lifesaving work by finding new families for animals needing homes, while simultaneously helping to keep pets and their families together."

Curran, North Kingstown's animal control officer, offered one big reason for the COVID adoptions.

"People had more time on their hands and they were looking for someone to talk to since they weren't going to work," she said, laughing, but pointing to the seriousness of the need for companionship.
Returning to Work, Activities
As COVID vaccines roll out and more people get them, federal guidance offers that soon more people will be able to get together. That will include returning to work outside the home for some.

As both social gatherings and returns to offices happen, animals accustomed to a year of near-inseparable contact with owners will have adjustments to make, said animal protection advocates.

Veterinarian Schwartz, president of the R.I. Veterinary Medical Association, said now is the time to prepare animals, usually dogs, for that change. It's called "separation anxiety," a condition that can similarly affect humans, too, she said.

The ASPCA defines separation anxiety when owners might see dogs urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape after the owner has left the house where both live.

When treating a dog with separation anxiety, the goal is to resolve the dog's underlying anxiety by teaching the animal to enjoy - or at least tolerate - being left alone, veterinarians said.

Treatment for mild separation anxiety, according to the ASPCA, might involve associating the animal with a chew toy stuffed with food when left alone. It should be enough that at least 20 to 30 minutes are needed to finish eating it.

However, treatment for moderate to severe separation anxiety requires more attention, animal welfare advocates offered.

It's crucial to gradually accustom a dog to being alone by starting with many short separations that do not produce anxiety, said Schwartz. Gradually increase the duration of the separations over many weeks of daily sessions.

Fear must be avoided or the procedure will backfire and the dog will get more frightened, the ASPCA warned.

Because the scope of treatment depends on the pet's reactions, which can be difficult to read and interpret, desensitization and counter-conditioning require the guidance of a trained and experienced professional, the animal welfare advocates advise.

"It has to be," said Schwartz, "a 'slow and steady' approach, working back to what it used to be. You don't want to come home and find the house all chewed up," she said.

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End of pandemic a concern for animal protection advocates

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It's been a record year for pet adoptions, but whether the good fortune will continue for "COVID companions" is a question arising as pandemic restrictions begin to ease, say animal protection advocates. With National Pet Day today, the matter is getting attention from animal welfare officials.

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Climate change can impact air quality and, conversely, air quality can impact climate change.

Climate Change Impacts on Air Quality

Changes in climate can result in impacts to local air quality. Atmospheric warming associated with climate change has the potential to increase ground-level ozone in many regions, which may present challenges for compliance with the ozone standards in the future. The impact of climate change on other air pollutants, such as particulate matter, is less certain, but research is underway to address these uncertainties.

Air Quality Impacts on Climate Change

Emissions of pollutants into the air can result in changes to the climate. These pollutants, including greenhouse gases, are often referred to as climate forcers. Ozone in the atmosphere warms the climate, while different components of PM can have either warming or cooling effects on the climate. For example, black carbon, a particulate pollutant from combustion, contributes to the warming of the Earth, while particulate sulfates cool the earth's atmosphere.

Research on climate change and air quality includes:

Point source emissions of air pollutants and climate forcers

Fugitive and area source emissions of air pollutants and climate forcers

Mobile source emissions of air pollutants and climate forcers

Developing and verifying air pollution emissions inventories, including greenhouse gas emissions.

Modeling chemical transport of air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.

Quantifying the health and economic benefits of reducing air pollution and emissions of climate forcers.

Evaluating how different m ultipollutant/multisector control strategies can affect greenhouse gases and other air pollutant emissions.

The scientific knowledge and tools developed by EPA are enhancing the ability of state and local air quality managers to consider climate change in their decisions to protect air quality and to reduce the impacts of a changing climate.
Related Resources

Air Research

National Climate Assessment - EPA contributes to the U.S. Global Change Research Program's development of the National Climate Assessment, including chapters on the impacts of climate on air quality. The Fourth National Climate Assessment was published in November 2018 and the Fifth National Climate Assessment is under development.

Clean Cookstove Research - The majority of cookstoves used in developing countries emit black carbon, an air pollutant that contributes to warming of the atmosphere.

Related Tools

GLIMPSE Model - GLIMPSE is a decision support modeling tool being developed by EPA that will assist states with energy and environmental planning through the year 2050. Users of GLIMPSE can explore the impacts of energy technologies and policies on the environment.

Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model - CMAQ is EPA's premier modeling system for studying air pollution from local to hemispheric scales.

Publications

Science Inventory is a searchable database of journal articles, reports and presentations primarily by the EPA's Office of Research and Development.

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Air Quality and Climate Change Research | US EPA

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EPA is conducting research to understand the relationships between climate change and air quality by advancing the understanding of temperature changs on ozone and particulate matter concentrations and changes in pollen and allergic disease patterns.

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The Texas House indulged in some monkey business on Monday. And elephant, jaguar, cougar and leopard (snow and otherwise) business.

And yes, lions and tigers and bears. Oh my, you're saying, whatever is going on?

House Bill 3710 is going on and was heard by the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee. It's a touching bill, as in whether people should be allowed to touch wild animals at attractions and facilities.

On one side are animal protection and public safety advocates. On the other side are Texans who own businesses that depend on people paying to interact directly with animals.

What would HB 3710 do?

HB 3710 states, "A person may not allow a member of the public to have direct contact with an animal" listed in the bill, which defines "direct contact" as "allowing a member of the public to be in close proximity to an animal in an area without a permanent physical barrier preventing contact between the person and the barrier."

The delineated animals are those I listed above. Monkeys are included as "nonhuman primate." Bill sponsor Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez, D-El Paso, said the status quo is inhumane to animals and dangerous to humans.
Herman: Save the date, a mysterious park sign says. May 5, 2029. 4 p.m.
"Currently, there are very few restrictions in place to protect the public from dangerous animal encounters," she said. "Big cats have attacked humans. Primates have spread diseases. And elephants have trampled children, all in the process of animal encounters that some facilities offered," she said, adding, "While they may seem fun, these animal interactions are inherently dangerous. Wild animals cannot be trained or beaten into complete submission for human interactions and are still driven by animal instinct."

Businesses that depend on direct contact with wild animals can put young animals on a path to abuse, said Noelle Almrud of the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch animal sanctuary and Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance. She said, "The cub petting industry pulls baby cubs, usually tigers, from their mothers at birth and uses them for social media or cub petting photos and feeding opportunities with the general public."

"When they become too big to handle, then they're discarded and new babies are bred or purchased to replace those," she told the committee. "The cycle is never ending, and the cats are often sold into the public and sent to substandard facilities or simply disappear. We don't know what happens to them. "

What some conservationists say about Texas' elephant bill

Next up was the other side of the argument, via Sevanna Stewart,conservation and community relations coordinator at the Preserve, a Fredericksburg attraction where, she said, "guests get the opportunity to get up close and personal with Asian elephants." This includes helping with an elephant bath as well as several photo opportunities.

Stewart said the experience provides something you can't get from books or documentaries. The Preserve had 16,000 visitors last year.

"I have had the honor of watching people's eyes light up when they get to touch an elephant, feel how warm they are, and the hair. Did you know that elephants actually have hair to help keep them cool, rather than warm, as opposed to most mammals?" she told the committee.

And she spoke of the "young autistic boy whose parents called the next day in tears to tell us that that was the first time in his life that he had actually smiled." There have been, she said, no injury-causing incidents at the facility.

"By opposing HB 3710 you are allowing us to continue to support the Texas tourist economy and are also directly contributing to the conservation of an endangered species," she said.

Katie Alayan, who's on the elephant care team at the Preserve, told lawmakers: "There is no way for us to do what we do now should this bill pass. So I would have to say we would most likely have to close."

Melinda Pharr of Elephants Austin, a nonprofit that promotes elephant conservation, wasn't buying any of this.

"Elephants are intelligent wild animals and have to be controlled by abusive methods, forcing them into submission and creating psychological trauma," she said. "And thus facilities that allow public contact with them are putting their patrons at risk for injury or even death."

Pharr said elephants can be safely displayed in zoos and sanctuaries, "but there's absolutely no safe way or humane way to offer direct public contact with elephants. And by prohibiting this activity, you'll be protecting Texans and helping protect elephants from a lifetime of abuse and neglect."

San Antonio Zoo official voices concern

But Alan Kardon, vice president of animal care at the San Antonio Zoo, opposes the bill and told the committee it "potentially interferes with the operations" of facilities like his.

William Swain of the East Texas Elephant Experience in Cut and Shoot (a town near Conroe) said in his 40 years in business "we have never had an accident involving the public."

"We do not beat the elephants," he said, noting he's had clandestine investigators "try to catch us doing something bad with the elephants, and believe me if I had done something (or) beat an elephant, we'd all seen it by now."

"How are we going to inspire future generations to do things, to preserve species, if we don't allow them to have close contact with the animals?" Swain asked.

Viviana Swain, his daughter-in-law, said last week they heard from the son of a lung cancer patient whose "dream was to be able to touch and pet an elephant. And she was able to come out and do that. And we are able to provide that to make somebody happy for the last days of their life, you know, before they pass away."

"If you will pass this bill, we will no longer be able to provide that. We will not get the opportunity for a child to be able to touch an elephant," she said, adding: "Please oppose this bill. If you do pass this bill, you will put us out of business. We're a small family Texas business and we will not be able to provide and do what we do."

Ordaz Perez closed with this: "This is a public safety issue at the end of the day. ... We're not taking away anyone's ability to own monkeys. We're not taking anyone's ability to own their tigers. We're just saying do not let the public have access to these dangerous encounters."

The bill was left pending for a possible vote at a future committee meeting.

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Herman: Some Texas lawmakers would prefer if you didn't pet the wild animals. Here's why.

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The Texas House indulged in some monkey business on Monday. And elephant, jaguar, cougar and leopard (snow and otherwise) business. And yes, lions and tigers and bears. Oh my, you're saying, whatever is going on? House Bill 3710 is going on and was heard by the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee.

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https://www.globalchange.gov/climate-change

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The ocean makes up 71% of the planet and provides many services to human communities from mitigating weather extremes to generating the oxygen we breathe, from producing the food we eat to storing the excess carbon dioxide we generate. However, the effects of increasing greenhouse gas emissions threaten coastal and marine ecosystems through changes in ocean temperature and melting of ice, which in turn affect ocean currents, weather patterns, and sea level. And, because the carbon sink capacity of the ocean has been exceeded, we are also seeing the ocean's chemistry change because of our carbon emissions. In fact, mankind has increased the acidity of our ocean by 30% over the past two centuries. (This is covered in our Research Page on Ocean Acidification). The ocean and climate change are inextricably linked.

The ocean plays a fundamental role in mitigating climate change by serving as a major heat and carbon sink. The ocean also bears the brunt of climate change, as evidenced by changes in temperature, currents and sea level rise, all of which affect the health of marine species, nearshore and deep ocean ecosystems. As concerns about climate change increase, the interrelationship between the ocean and climate change must be recognized, understood, and incorporated into governmental policies.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by over 35%, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels. Ocean waters, ocean animals, and ocean habitats all help the ocean absorb a significant portion of the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities.

The global ocean is already experiencing the significant impact of climate change and its accompanying effects. They include air and water temperature warming, seasonal shifts in species, coral bleaching, sea level rise, coastal inundation, coastal erosion, harmful algal blooms, hypoxic (or dead) zones, new marine diseases, loss of marine mammals, changes in levels of precipitation, and fishery declines. In addition, we can expect more extreme weather events (droughts, floods, storms), which affect habitats and species alike. To protect our valuable marine ecosystems, we must act.

The overall solution for the ocean and climate change is to significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. The most recent international agreement to address climate change, the Paris Agreement, entered into force in 2016. Meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement will require action at international, national, local, and community levels around the world. Additionally, blue carbon may provide a method for the long-term sequestration and storage of carbon. "Blue Carbon" is the carbon dioxide captured by the world's ocean and coastal ecosystems. This carbon is stored in the form of biomass and sediments from mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows. More information about Blue Carbon can be found here.

Simultaneously, it is important to the health of the ocean-and us-that additional threats are avoided, and that our marine ecosystems are managed thoughtfully. It is also clear that by reducing the immediate stresses from excess human activities, we can increase the resilience of ocean species and ecosystems. In this way, we can invest in ocean health and its "immune system" by eliminating or reducing the myriad of smaller ills from which it suffers. Restoring abundance of ocean species-of mangroves, of seagrass meadows, of corals, of kelp forests, of fisheries, of all ocean life-will help the ocean continue to provide the services on which all life depends.

The Ocean Foundation has been working on oceans and climate change issues since 1990; on Ocean Acidification since 2003; and on related "blue carbon" issues since 2007. The Ocean Foundation hosts the Blue Resilience Initiative that seeks to advance policy that promotes the roles coastal and ocean ecosystems play as natural carbon sinks, i.e. blue carbon and released the first-ever Blue Carbon Offset Calculator in 2012 to provide charitable carbon offsets for individual donors, foundations, corporations, and events through the restoration and conservation of important coastal habitats that sequester and store carbon, including seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and saltmarsh grass estuaries. For more information, please see The Ocean Foundation's Blue Resilience Initiative for information on ongoing projects and to learn how you can offset your carbon footprint using TOF's Blue Carbon Offset Calculator.

The Ocean Foundation staff serve on the advisory board for the Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security, and The Ocean Foundation is a member of the Ocean & Climate Platform. Since 2014, T.O.F. has provided ongoing technical advice on the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters focal area that enabled the GEF Blue Forests Project to provide the first global-scale assessment of the values associated with coastal carbon and ecosystem services. T.O.F. is currently leading a seagrass and mangrove restoration project at the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in close partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

2. The Basics of Climate Change and the Ocean

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has found that since 2014 more than half of the world's ocean surface temperature has consistently surpassed the historic extreme heat threshold. In 2019, 57% of the global ocean surface water recorded extreme heat. Comparatively, during the second industrial revolution, only 2% of surfaces recorded such temperatures. These extreme heat waves created by climate change threaten marine ecosystems and threaten their ability to provide resources for coastal communities.

The seven ocean climate change indicators, Sea Surface Temperature, Ocean Heat Content, Ocean pH, Dissolved Oxygen Concentration, Arctic Sea Ice Extent, Thickness, and Volume, and the Strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation are key measures for measuring climate change. Understanding historical and current climate change indicators is essential for predicting future trends and protecting our marine systems from climate change effects.
World Meteorological Organization. (2021). 2021 State of Climate Services: Water. World Meteorological Organization. PDF.
The World Meteorological Organization assesses the accessibility and capacities of water-related climate service providers. Achieving the adaptation objectives in developing countries will require significant additional funding and resources to ensure that their communities can adapt to the water-related impacts and challenges of climate change. Based on the findings the report gives six strategic recommendations to improve climate services for water worldwide.
World Meteorological Organization. (2021). United in Science 2021: A Multi-Organizational High-Level Compilation of the Latest Climate Science Information. World Meteorological Organization. PDF.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has found that recent changes in the climate system are unprecedented with emissions continuing to rise exacerbating health hazards and are more likely to lead to extreme weather (see above infographic for key findings). The full report compiles important climate monitoring data related to greenhouse gas emissions, temperature rise, air pollution, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and coastal impacts. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise following the current trend, global mean sea level rise will likely be between 0.6-1.0 meters by 2100, causing catastrophic effects for coastal communities.
National Academy of Sciences. (2020). Climate Change: Evidence and Causes Update 2020. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25733.
The science is clear, humans are changing Earth's climate. The joint U.S. National Academy of Sciences and U.K. Royal Society report argues that long-term climate change will depend on the total amount of CO ₂ - and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) - emitted due to human activity. Higher GHGs will lead to a warmer ocean, sea-level rise, the melting of Arctic ice, and increased frequency of heatwaves.
Yozell, S., Stuart, J., and Rouleau, T. (2020). The Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index. Climate, Ocean Risk, and Resilience Project. Stimson Center, Environmental Security Program. PDF.
The Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) is a tool used to identify financial, political, and ecological risks that climate change poses to coastal cities. This report applies the CORVI methodology to two Caribbean cities: Castries, Saint Lucia and Kingston, Jamaica. Castries has found success in its fishing industry, though it faces a challenge due to its heavy reliance on tourism and lack of effective regulation. Progress is being made on by the city but more needs to be done to improve city planning particularly of floods and flooding effects. Kingston has a diverse economy supporting increased reliance, but rapid urbanization threatened many of CORVI's indicators, Kingston is well placed to address climate change but could be overwhelmed if social issues in conjunction with climate mitigation efforts go unaddressed.
Figueres, C. and Rivett-Carnac, T. (2020, February 25). The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis. Vintage Publishing.
The Future We Choose is a cautionary tale of two futures for the Earth, the first scenario is what would happen if we fail to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and the second scenario considers what the world would look like if the carbon emission goals are met. Figueres and Rivett-Carnac note that for the first time in history we have the capital, the technology, the policies, and the scientific knowledge to understand that we as a society must half our emissions by 2050. Past generations did not have this knowledge and it will be too late for our children, the time to act is now.
Lenton, T., Rockström, J., Gaffney, O., Rahmstorf, S., Richardson, K., Steffen, W. and Schellnhuber, H. (2019, November 27). Climate Tipping Points - Too Risky to Bet Against: April 2020 Update. Nature Magazine. PDF.
Tipping points, or events from which the Earth system cannot recover, are of a higher probability than thought potentially leading to long-term irreversible changes. Ice collapse in the cryosphere and Amundsen Sea in West Antarctic may have already passed their tipping points. Other tipping points - such as deforestation of the Amazon and bleaching events on Australia's Great Barrier Reef - are quickly approaching. More research needs to be done to improve the understanding of these observed changes and the possibility for cascading effects. The time to act is now before the Earth passes a point of no return.
Peterson, J. (2019, November). A New Coast: Strategies for Responding to Devastating Storms and Rising Seas. Island Press.
The effects of stronger storms and rising seas are intangible and will become impossible to ignore. Damage, property loss, and infrastructure failures due to coastal storms and rising seas are unavoidable. However, science has progressed significantly in recent years and more can be done if the United States' government takes prompt and thoughtful adaptation actions. The coast is changing but by increasing capacity, implementing shrewd policies, and financing long-term programs the risks can be managed and disasters may be prevented.
Kulp, S. and Strauss, B. (2019, October 29). New Elevation Data Triple Estimates of Global Vulnerability to Sea-level Rise and Coastal Flooding. Nature Communications 10, 4844. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12808-z
Kulp and Strauss suggest that higher emissions associated with climate change will lead to higher-than-expected sea-level rise. They estimate that one billion people will be affected by annual flooding by 2100, of those, 230 million occupy land within one meter of high tide lines. Most estimates place the average sea-level at 2 meters within the next century, if Kulp and Strauss are correct then hundreds of millions of people will soon be at risk of losing their homes to the sea.
Powell, A. (2019, October 2). Red Flags Rise on Global Warming and the Seas. The Harvard Gazette. PDF.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the Oceans and Cryosphere - published in 2019 - warned about the effects of climate change, however, Harvard professors responded that this report may understate the urgency of the problem. A majority of people now report that they believe in climate change however, studies show people are more concerned about issues more prevalent in their daily lives such as jobs, health care, drug, etc. Though over the last five years climate change has become a bigger priority as people experience higher temperatures, more severe storms, and widespread fires. The good news is there is more public awareness now than ever before and there is a growing "bottom-up" movement for change.

Ocean-based climate action can play a major role in reducing the world's carbon footprint delivering up to 21% of the annual greenhouse gas emission cuts as pledged by the Paris Agreement. Published by the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a group of 14 heads of states and governments at the U.N. Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit this in-depth report highlights the relationship between the ocean and climate. The report presents five areas of opportunities including ocean-based renewable energy; ocean-based transportation; coastal and marine ecosystems; fisheries, aquaculture, and shifting diets; and carbon storage in the seabed.

It is necessary to put a price on carbon in order to reduce carbon emissions to the levels set by the Paris Agreement. Carbon price is a charge applied to entities that produce greenhouse gas emissions to shift the cost of climate change from society to entities responsible for emissions while also providing an incentive to reduce emissions. Additional policies and programs to spur innovation and make local-carbon alternatives more economically attractive are also necessary to achieve long-term results.

The role of Blue Carbon, the idea that coastal vegetated ecosystems contribute disproportionately large amounts of global carbon sequestration, plays a major role in international climate change mitigation and adaptation. Blue Carbon science continues to grow in support and is highly likely to broaden in scope through additional high-quality and scalable observations and experiments and increased multidisciplinary scientists from a variety of nations.

Climate change is a very complex issue that is driving countless shifts across the world; particularly it has caused serious alterations in the structure and function of marine ecosystems. This article analyzes how the underused lens of abundance-size spectrum can provide a new tool for monitoring ecosystem adaptation.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (2019). Understanding Sea Level Rise: An in-depth look at three factors contributing to sea-level rise along the U.S. East Coast and how scientists are studying the phenomenon. Produced in Collaboration with Christopher Piecuch, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Woods Hole (MA): WHOI. DOI 10.1575/1912/24705
Since the 20th-century sea-levels have risen six to eight inches globally, though this rate has not been consistent. The variation in sea-level rise is likely due to postglacial rebound, changes to the Atlantic Ocean circulation, and the melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Scientists are in agreement that global water levels will continue to rise for centuries, but more studies are needed to address knowledge gaps and better predict the extent of future sea-level rise.
Rush, E. (2018). Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. Canada: Milkweed Editions.
Told via a first-person introspective, author Elizabeth Rush discusses the consequences vulnerable communities face from climate change. The journalistic-style narrative weaves together the true stories of communities in Florida, Louisiana, Rhode Island, California, and New York who have experienced the devastating effects of hurricanes, extreme weather, and rising tides due to climate change.
Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Rosenthal, S. and Cutler, M. (2017, July 5). Climate Change in the American Mind: May 2017. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.
A joint study by George Mason University and Yale found 90 percent of Americans are unaware that there is a consensus within the scientific community that human-caused climate change is real. However, the study acknowledged that roughly 70% of Americans believe climate change is happening to some extent. Only 17% of Americans are "very worried" about climate change, 57% are "somewhat worried," and the vast majority see global warming as a distant threat.
Goodell, J. (2017). The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World. New York, New York: Little, Brown, and Company.
Told through personal narrative, author Jeff Goodell considers the rising tides around the world and its future implications. Inspired by Hurricane Sandy in New York, Goodell's research takes him around the world to consider the dramatic action needed to adapt to the rising waters. In the preface, Goodell correctly states that this is not the book for those looking to understand the connection between climate and carbon dioxide, but what the human experience will look like as the sea levels rise.
Laffoley, D., & Baxter, J. M. (2016, September). Explaining Ocean Warming: Causes, Scale, Effects, and Consequences. Full Report. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature presents a detailed fact-based report on the state of the ocean. The report finds that sea surface temperature, ocean heat continent, sea-level rise, melting of glaciers and ice sheets, CO2 emissions and atmospheric concentrations are increasing at an accelerating rate with significant consequences for humanity and the marine species and ecosystems of the ocean. The report recommends recognition of the severity of the issue, concerted joint policy action for comprehensive ocean protection, updated risk assessments, addressing gaps in science and capability needs, acting quickly, and achieving substantial cuts in greenhouse gases. The issue of a warming ocean is a complex issue that will have wide-ranging effects, some may be beneficial, but the vast majority of effects will be negative in ways that are not yet fully understood.

Marine species are responding to the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in expected ways. Some responses include poleward and deeper distributional shifts, declines in calcification, increased abundance of warm-water species, and loss of entire ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs). The variability of marine life response to shifts in calcification, demography, abundance, distribution, phenology is likely to lead to ecosystem reshuffling and changes in function that necessitate further study.
Albert, S., Leon, J., Grinham, A., Church, J., Gibbes, B., and C. Woodroffe. (2016, May 6). Interactions Between Sea-level Rise and Wave Exposure on Reef Island Dynamics in the Solomon Islands. Environmental Research Letters Vol. 11 No. 05 .
Five islands (one to five hectares in size) in the Solomon Islands have been lost due to sea-level rise and coastal erosion. This was the first scientific evidence of the effects of climate change on coastlines and people. It is believed that wave energy played a determining role in the island's erosion. At this time another nine reef islands are severely eroded and likely to disappear in the coming years.

In order to adapt to anthropogenic climate change, the ocean has had to profoundly alter its physics, chemistry, ecology, and services. The current emissions projections would rapidly and significantly alter ecosystems that humans heavily depend upon. The management options to address the changing ocean due to climate change narrows as the ocean continues to warm and acidify. The article successfully synthesizes recent and future changes to the ocean and its ecosystems, as well as to the goods and services those ecosystems provide to humans.

Providing an overview of policy, this brief outlines the intertwined nature of the ocean and climate change, calling for immediate CO2 emission reductions. The article explains the significance of these climate-related changes in the ocean and argues for ambitious emissions reductions at the international level, as increases in carbon dioxide will only become harder to tackle.

The ocean provides crucial services to the earth and to humans that are of global significance, all of which come with an increasing price caused by human activities and increased carbon emissions. The author emphasizes that the need for humans to consider the impacts of climate change on the ocean when considering adaptation to and mitigation of anthropogenic climate change, especially by intergovernmental organizations.

The deep ocean, despite its critical ecosystem services, is often overlooked in the realm of climate change and mitigation. At depths of 200 meters and below, the ocean absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide and needs specific attention and increased research to protect its integrity and value.

Humans are changing the amount of nitrogen available to fish in the ocean by increasing the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere. Findings show it will take centuries for the ocean to balance the nitrogen cycle. This raises concerns about the current rate of CO2 entering our atmosphere and it shows how the ocean may be changing chemically in ways we wouldn't expect.
The article above provides a brief introduction into the relationship between ocean acidification and climate change, for more detailed information please see The Ocean Foundation's resource pages on Ocean Acidification.
Fagan, B. (2013) The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Suture of Rising Sea Levels. Bloomsbury Press, New York.
Since the last Ice Age sea levels have risen 122 meters and will continue to rise. Fagan takes readers around the world from prehistoric Doggerland in what is now the North Sea, to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, colonial Portugal, China, and modern-day United States, Bangladesh, and Japan. Hunter-gatherer societies were more mobile and could fairly easily move settlements to higher ground, yet they faced growing disruption as populations became more condensed. Today millions of people around the world are likely to face relocation in the next fifty years as sea levels continue to rise.

In marine ecosystems, climate change is associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen content, and ocean acidification. There are also strong linkages between climate and species distributions, phenology, and demography. These could eventually affect the overall ecosystem functioning and services upon which the world depends.
Vallis, G. K. (2012). Climate and the Ocean. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
There is a strong interconnected relationship between the climate and the ocean demonstrated through plain language and diagrams of scientific concepts including systems of wind and currents within the ocean. Created as an illustrated primer, Climate and the Ocean serves as an introduction into the ocean role as a moderator of the Earth's climate system. The book allows readers to make their own judgments, but with the knowledge to understand generally the science behind the climate.
Spalding, M. J. (2011, May). Before the Sun Sets: Changing Ocean Chemistry, Global marine Resources, and the Limits of Our Legal Tools to Address Harm. International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, 13(2). PDF.
Carbon dioxide is being absorbed by the ocean and affecting the pH of the water in a process called ocean acidification. International laws and domestic laws in the United States, at the time of writing, have the potential to incorporate ocean acidification polices, including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the U.N. Convention on the Laws of the Sea, the London Convention and Protocol, and the U.S. Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act. The cost of inaction will by far exceed the economic cost of acting, and present-day actions are needed.
Spalding, M. J. (2011). Perverse Sea Change: Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Ocean is Facing Chemical and Physical Changes. Cultural Heritage and Arts Review, 2(1). PDF.
Underwater cultural heritage sites are being threatened by ocean acidification and climate change. Climate change is increasingly altering the ocean's chemistry, rising sea levels, warming ocean temperatures, shifting currents and increasing weather volatility; all of which affect the preservation of submerged historical sites. Irreparable harm is likely, however, restoring coastal ecosystems, reducing land-based pollution, reducing CO2 emissions, reducing marine stressors, increasing historic site monitoring and developing legal strategies can reduce the devastation of underwater cultural heritage sites.

Rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions are driving the ocean toward conditions that haven't been seen for millions of years and is causing catastrophic effects. So far, anthropogenic climate change has caused decreased ocean productivity, altered food web dynamics, reduced abundance of habitat-forming species, shifting species distribution, and greater incidences of disease.

There is a careful balance between local consequences and global benefits, particularly when considering the detrimental effects of wind and wave energy projects. There is a need for the application of conflict resolution practices to be applied to coastal and marine projects that are potentially damaging to the local environment but are necessary to reduce reliance on fossil fuel. Climate change must be addressed and some of the solutions will take place in marine and coastal ecosystems, to mitigate conflict conversations must involve policymakers, local entities, civil society, and at the international level to ensure the best available actions will be taken.

The ocean provides many benefits in terms of resources, climate moderation, and aesthetic beauty. However, greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are projected to alter coastal and marine ecosystems and exacerbate traditional marine problems (over-fishing and habitat destruction). Yet, there is opportunity for change through philanthropic support to integrate the ocean and climate to enhance the resilience of the ecosystems most at risk from climate change.

The ocean is a vital component of the climate system. It is important in the global exchanges and redistribution of heat, water, gases, particles, and momentum. The freshwater budget of the ocean is decreasing and is a key factor for the degree and longevity of climate change.

Carbon dioxide uptake by ocean waters can be strongly influenced by changes in regional precipitation and evaporation patterns brought on by climate variability. Since 1990, there has been a significant decrease in the strength of the CO2 sink, which is due to the increase of partial pressure of ocean surface CO2 caused by evaporation and the accompanying concentration of solutes in the water.
Revelle, R., & Suess, H. (1957). Carbon Dioxide Exchange Between Atmosphere and Ocean and the Question of an Increase in Atmospheric CO2 during the Past Decades. La Jolla, California: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California.
The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, the rates and mechanisms of CO2 exchange between the sea and the air, and the fluctuations in marine organic carbon have been studied since shortly after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Industrial fuel combustion since the start of the Industrial Revolution, more than 150 years ago, has caused an increase of the average ocean temperature, a decrease in the carbon content of soils, and a change in the amount of organic matter in the ocean. This document served as a key milestone in the study of climate change and has greatly influenced scientific studies in the half-century since its publication.

3. Coastal and Ocean Species Migration due to the Effects of Climate Change
Hu, S., Sprintall, J., Guan, C., McPhaden, M., Wang, F., Hu, D., Cai, W. (2020, February 5). Deep-reaching Acceleration of Global Mean Ocean Circulation over the Past Two Decades. Science Advances. EAAX7727. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/6/eaax7727
The ocean has started to move faster over the last 30 years. The increased kinetic energy of ocean currents is due to increased surface wind spurred by warmer temperatures, particularly around the tropics. The trend is far larger than any natural variability suggesting increased current speeds will continue in the long term.

Every year, blacktip sharks migrate north in the summer seeking cooler waters. In the past, the sharks would spend their summers off the coast of the Carolinas, but due to the warming waters of the ocean, they must travel further north to Long Island to find cool enough waters. At the time of publication, whether the sharks are migrating farther north on their own or following their prey farther north is unknown.

Blue crabs are thriving in the warming waters of the Chesapeake Bay. With the current trends of warming waters, soon blue crabs will no longer need to burrow in the winter to survive, which will cause the population to soar. The population boom may lure some predators to new waters.

Vital fish species such as salmon and mackerel are migrating to new territories necessitating increased international cooperation to ensure abundance. The article reflects on the conflict that can arise when species cross national boundaries from the perspective of a combination of law, policy, economics, oceanography, and ecology.

The Marine Climate Change Impacts Database (MCID) and the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change explores the marine ecosystem changes driven by climate change. Generally, climate change species responses are consistent with expectations, including poleward and deeper distributional shifts, advances in phenology, declines in calcification, and increases in abundance of warm water species. Areas and species that do not have documented climate change related impacts, do not mean they are not affected, but rather that there are still gaps in the research.

Marine life throughout all parts of the food chain is shifting towards the poles to stay cool as things heat up and these changes can have significant economic consequences. Species shifting in space and time are not all happening at the same pace, therefore disrupting the food web and the delicate patterns of life. Now more than ever is it important to prevent overfishing and continue to support long-term monitoring programs.

Over the last decade, there have been widespread systemic shifts in phenology, demography, and distribution of species in marine ecosystems. This study synthesized all available studies of marine ecological observations with expectations under climate change; they found 1,735 marine biological responses which either local or global climate change was the source.

4. Hypoxia (Dead Zones)
Hypoxia is low or depleted levels of oxygen in water. It is often associated with the overgrowth of algae that leads to oxygen depletion when the algae die, sink to the bottom, and decompose. Hypoxia is also exacerbated by high levels of nutrients, warmer water, and other ecosystem disruption due to climate change.
The animated video explains how hypoxia or dead zones are created in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Agricultural nutrient and fertilizer run-off is a major contributor of dead zones, and regenerative farming practices must be introduced to protect our waterways and threatened marine ecosystems. Although it is not mentioned in the video, warming waters created by climate change are also increasing the frequency and intensity of dead zones.
Bates, N., and Johnson, R. (2020) Acceleration of Ocean Warming, Salinification, Deoxygenation and Acidification in the Surface Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00030-5
Ocean chemical and physical conditions are changing. Data points collected in the Sargasso Sea during the 2010s provide critical information for ocean-atmosphere models and model-data decade-to-decade assessments of the global carbon cycle. Bates and Johnson found that temperatures and salinity in the Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean varied over the last forty years due to seasonal changes and changes in alkalinity. The highest levels of CO ₂ and ocean acidification occurred during the weakest atmospheric CO ₂ growth.

A dead zone is the common term for hypoxia and refers to a reduced level of oxygen in the water leading to biological deserts. These zones are naturally occurring, but are enlarged and enhanced by human activity through warmer water temperatures caused by climate change. Excess nutrients that run-off the land and into waterways is the primary cause of the increase of dead zones.

Nutrient pollution fuels the growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. HABs sometimes can create toxins that are consumed by small fish and work their way up the food chain and become detrimental to marine life. Even when they do not create toxins, they block sunlight, clog fish gills, and create dead zones. Dead zones are areas in water with little or no oxygen that are formed when algal blooms consume oxygen as they die causing marine life to leave the affected area.

Coastal regions are not the only places where dead zone-like conditions are increasing due to climate change. Urban streams and rivers draining water from highly trafficked areas are common locations for hypoxic dead zones, leaving a bleak picture for freshwater organisms that call urban waterways home. Intense storms create pools of nutrient-laden run-off that remain hypoxic until the next storm flushes out the pools.

Largely due to human activities that have increased the overall global temperature and the amount of nutrients that are discharged into coastal waters, the oxygen content of the overall ocean is and has been declining for at least the last fifty years. The declining level of oxygen in the ocean has both biological and ecological consequences on both regional and global scales.

Oxygen is declining in the ocean and humans are the major cause. This occurs when more oxygen is consumed than replenished where warming and nutrient increases cause high levels of microbial consumption of oxygen. Deoxygenation can be worsened by dense aquaculture, leading to reduced growth, behavioral changes, increased diseases, particularly for finfish and crustaceans. Deoxygenation is predicted to become exacerbated in coming years, but steps can be taken to combat this threat including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as black carbon and nutrient discharges.

Historically, sea floors have taken millennia to recover from past eras of low oxygen, also known as dead zones. Due to human activity and rising temperatures dead zones currently constitute 10% and rising of the world's ocean surface area. Agrochemical use and other human activities lead to rising levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water feeding the dead zones.

5. The Effects of Warming Waters

Fish are the predominant source of human exposure to methylmercury, which can lead to long-term neurocognitive deficits in children that persist into adulthood. Since the 1970s there has been an estimated 56% increase in tissue methylmercury in Atlantic bluefin tuna due to increases in seawater temperatures.

The ocean has warmed considerably over the past century. Marine heatwaves, periods of regional extreme warming, have particularly affected critical foundation species such as corals and seagrasses. As anthropogenic climate change intensifies, the marine warming and heatwaves have the capability to restructure ecosystems and disrupt the provision of ecological goods and services.

In response to prolonged marine heatwaves, increased poleward dispersal of species and extreme changes in sea surface temperature may be seen in the future. The severe marine heatwaves have caused mass mortalities, harmful algal blooms, declines in kelp beds, and substantial changes in the geographic distribution of species.

It is important to understand which species and ecosystems will be most affected by warming due to climate change in order to ensure effective management. Higher sensitivity rates to warming and faster rates of colonization in marine ecosystems suggest that extirpations will be more frequent and species turnover faster in the ocean.

Due to changing ocean temperatures, species are beginning to change their geographic distribution towards the poles. Projections were made for 686 marine species that are likely to be affected by changing ocean temperatures. Future geographic shift projections were generally poleward and followed coastlines and helped identify which species are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Ocean warming is rapidly becoming one of the greatest threats of our generation as such the IUCN recommends increased recognition of impact severity, global policy action, comprehensive protection and management, updated risk assessments, closing gaps in research and capability needs, and acting quickly to make substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef experienced a record-breaking marine heatwave. The study hopes to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of examining the risks of ecosystem collapse to predict how future-warming events might affect coral reef communities. They define different stages, identify the major driver, and establish quantitative collapse thresholds.
Gramling, C. (2015, November 13). How Warming Oceans Unleashed an Ice Stream. Science, 350(6262), 728. Retrieved from: DOI: 10.1126/science.350.6262.728
A Greenland glacier is shedding kilometers of ice into the sea each year as warm ocean waters undermine it. What is going on under the ice raises the most concern, as warm ocean waters have eroded the glacier far enough to detach it from the sill. This will cause the glacier to retreat even faster and creates huge alarm about the potential sea-level rise.

Coral bleaching, coral disease, and coral mortality events are increasing due to high water temperatures attributed to climate change. Looking at the unusually high levels of contagious coral disease in southeastern Florida throughout 2014, the article links the high level of coral mortality to thermally stressed coral colonies.

Within the ecosystem of the US Northeast Continental Shelf there are different thermal habitats, and the increasing water temperatures are impacting the quantity of these habitats. The amounts of warmer, surface habitats have increased whereas the cooler water habitats have decreased. This has the potential to significantly lower quantities of Atlantic Cod as their food zooplankton is affected by the shifts in temperature.

6. Marine Biodiversity Loss due to Climate Change
Brito-Morales, I., Schoeman, D., Molinos, J., Burrows, M., Klein, C., Arafeh-Dalmau, N., Kaschner, K., Garilao, C., Kesner-Reyes, K., and Richardson, A. (2020, March 20). Climate Velocity Reveals Increasing Exposure of Deep-ocean Biodiversity to Future Warming. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0773-5
Researchers have found that contemporary climate velocities - warming waters - are faster in the deep ocean than at the surface. The study now predicts that between 2050 and 2100 warming will occur faster at all levels of the water column, except the surface. As a result of the warming, biodiversity will be threatened at all levels, in particular at depths between 200 and 1,000 meters. To reduce the rate of warming limits should be placed on exploitation of deep-ocean resources by fishing fleets and by mining, hydrocarbon and other extractive activities. Additionally, progress can be made by expanding networks of large MPA's in the deep ocean.
Riskas, K. (2020, June 18). Farmed Shellfish Is Not Immune to Climate Change. Coastal Science and Societies Hakai Magazine. PDF.
Billions of people worldwide get their protein from the marine environment, yet wild fisheries are being stretched thin. Aquaculture is increasingly filling the gap and managed production may improve water quality and reduce excess nutrients which cause harmful algal blooms. However, as water becomes more acidic and as warming water alters plankton growth, aquaculture and mollusk production are threatened. Riskas predicts mollusk aquaculture will begin a decline in production 2060, with some countries affected much earlier, particularly developing and least developed nations.

Climate change is causing ecosystems to rapidly change states, which renders a lot of conservation strategies based on historical patterns ineffective. With deep-water temperatures warming at rates twice as high as surface water rates, species like Calanus finmarchicus, a critical food supply for North Atlantic right whales, have changed their migration patterns. North Atlantic right whales are following their prey out of their historical migration route, changing the pattern, and thus putting them at risk to ship strikes or gear entanglements in areas conservation strategies do not protect them.

Between half a million and one million species are threatened with extinction globally. In the ocean, unsustainable fishing practices, coastal land and sea use changes, and climate change are driving biodiversity loss. The ocean requires further protections and more Marine Protected Area coverage.
Abreu, A., Bowler, C., Claudet, J., Zinger, L., Paoli, L., Salazar, G., and Sunagawa, S. (2019). Scientists Warning on the Interactions Between Ocean Plankton and Climate Change. Foundation Tara Ocean.
Two studies that use different data both indicate that the impact of climate change on the distribution and quantities of planktonic species will be greater in polar regions. This is likely because higher ocean temperatures (around the equator) lead to increased diversity of planktonic species that may be more likely to survive changing water temperatures, though both planktonic communities could adapt. Thus, climate change acts as an additional stress factor for species. When combined with other changes in habitats, the food web, and species distribution the added stress of climate change could cause major shifts in ecosystem properties. To address this growing problem there needs to be improved science/policy interfaces where research questions are designed by scientists and policy-makers together.

Climate change affects marine ecosystems in relation to primary production, ocean temperature, species distributions, and abundance at local and global scales. These changes significantly alter marine ecosystem structure and function. This study analyzes the responses of marine animal biomass in response to these climate change stressors.

Male blacktip sharks historically have migrated south during the coldest months of the year to mate with females off the coast of Florida. These sharks are vital to Florida's coastal ecosystem: By eating weak and sick fish, they help balance the pressure on coral reefs and seagrasses. Recently, the male sharks have stayed farther north as the northern waters become warmer. Without southward migration, the males will not mate or protect Florida's coastal ecosystem.

Long-term fish and plankton monitoring data has provided the most compelling evidence for climate-driven changes in species assemblages. The chapter concludes that conserving marine biodiversity may provide the best buffer against rapid climate change.

Humans have profoundly affected marine wildlife and the function and structure of the ocean. Marine defaunation, or human-caused animal loss in the ocean, emerged only hundreds of years ago. Climate change threatens to accelerate marine defaunation over the next century. One of the main drivers of marine wildlife loss is habitat degradation due to climate change, which is avoidable with proactive intervention and restoration.

Both the warming of the ocean and the loss of dissolved oxygen will drastically alter marine ecosystems. In this century, the metabolic index of the upper ocean is predicted to reduce by 20% globally and 50% in northern high-latitude regions. This forces poleward and vertical contraction of metabolically viable habitats and species ranges. The metabolic theory of ecology indicates that body size and temperature influence organisms' metabolic rates, which may explain shifts in animal biodiversity when the temperature changes by providing more favorable conditions to certain organisms.

The distribution of parasites and pathogens will be directly and indirectly affected by global warming, which may cascade through food webs with consequences for entire ecosystems. Transmission rates of parasites and pathogens are directly correlated to temperature, the increasing temperature is increasing transmission rates. Some evidence also suggests that virulence is directly correlated as well.

The invertebrate fauna in a California rocky intertidal community has shifted northward when comparing two study periods, one from 1931-1933 and the other from 1993-1994. This shift northward is consistent with predictions of change associated with climate warming. When comparing the temperatures from the two study periods, the mean summer maximum temperatures during the period 1983-1993 were 2.2˚C warmer than the mean summer maximum temperatures from 1921-1931.

7. The Effects of Climate Change on Coral Reefs
Figueiredo, J., Thomas, C. J., Deleersnijder, E., Lambrechts, J., Baird, A. H., Connolly, S. R., & Hanert, E. (2022). Global Warming Decreases Connectivity Among Coral Populations. Nature Climate Change, 12(1), 83-87
Global temperature increases are killing corals and decreasing population connectivity. Coral connectivity is how individual corals and their genes are exchanged among geographically separated sub-populations, which can greatly affect the ability of corals to recover after disturbances (such as those caused by climate change) is highly dependent on the connectivity of the reef. To make protections more effective spaces between protected areas should be reduced to esure reef connectivity.
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN). (2021, October). The Sixth Status of Corals of the World: 2020 Report. GCRMN. PDF.
The ocean's coral reef coverage has declined by 14% since 2009 mainly because of climate change. This decline is a cause for major concern as corals do not have enough time to recover in-between mass bleaching events.
Principe, S. C., Acosta, A. L., Andrade, J. E., & Lotufo, T. (2021). Predicted Shifts in the Distributions of Atlantic Reef-Building Corals in the Face of Climate Change. Frontiers in Marine Science, 912.
Certain coral species play a special role as reef builders, and changes in their distribution due to climate change comes with cascading ecosystem effects. This study covers current and future projections of three Atlantic reef builder species that are essential to overall ecosystem health. The coral reefs within the Atlantic ocean require urgent conservation actions and better governance to ensure their survival and revival through climate change.

Coral reefs and algae are essential to ocean ecosystems and they are in competition with one another due to limited resources. Due to warming water and acidification as a result of climate change, this competition is being altered. To offset the combined effects of ocean warming and acidification, tests were conducted, but even enhanced photosynthesis was not enough to offset the effects and both corals and algae have reduced survivorship, calcification, and photosynthetic ability.

Reef-building corals are being devastated by climate change. To combat this, marine protected areas were established, and the protection of herbivorous fish followed. The others posit that these strategies have had little effect on the overall coral resilience because their main stressor is the rising ocean temperature. To save reef-building corals, efforts need to go past the local level. Anthropogenic climate change needs to be tackled head-on as it is the root cause of global coral decline.

Climate change boosts the energy of cyclones that cause coral destruction. While cyclone frequency is not likely to increase, cyclone intensity will as a result of climate warming. The increase in cyclone intensity will accelerate coral reef destruction and slow post-cyclone recovery due to the cyclone's obliteration of biodiversity.

Reefs are degrading rapidly in response to a series of anthropogenic drivers. Because of this, returning reefs to their past configuration is not an option. To combat reef degradation, this article calls for radical changes in science and management to steer reefs through this era while maintaining their biological function.

Studies have begun to predict the elimination of most warm-water coral reefs by 2040-2050 (although cold-water corals are at lower risk). They assert that unless rapid advances are made in emission reduction, communities that depend on coral reefs to survive are likely to face poverty, social disruption, and regional insecurity.

Recent recurrent mass coral bleaching events have varied significantly in severity. Using surveys of Australian reefs and sea surface temperatures, the article explains that water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effects on bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local conditions provide little protection against extreme temperatures.

A coral reefs' ability to adapt to climate change will be crucial to projecting a reef's fate. This article dives into the transgenerational plasticity among corals and the role of epigenetics and coral-associated microbes in the process.

Considering the rapid degradation of coral reefs due to climate change and ocean acidification, this article suggests realistic goals for regional and local-scale management programs that could improve sustainability measures.

Evidence suggests coral reefs may have some capacity to respond to warming, but it's unclear if these adaptations can match the increasingly rapid pace of climate change. However, the effects of climate change are being compounded by a variety of other anthropogenic disturbances making it harder for corals to respond.

The current character of temperature warming, which precludes acclimation, has resulted in increased bleaching and death of coral organisms. These effects were most extreme in the wake of the 2016 El Nino year.

Coral bleaching due to climate change is one of the major threats facing coral reefs. This article considers long-term reef responses to major climate-induced coral bleaching of Indo-Pacific corals and identifies reef characteristics that favor rebound. The authors aim to use their findings to inform future best management practices.

Coral reefs support huge marine life systems as well as providing critical ecosystem services for millions of people. However, known threats such as overfishing and pollution are being compounded by climate change, notably warming and ocean acidification to increase the damage to coral reefs. This article provides a succinct overview of the effects of climate change on coral reefs.

Coral reefs provide goods and services worth at least US$30 billion per year and support at least 500 million people worldwide. Due to climate change, reefs are under serious threat if actions to curb carbon emissions globally are not taken immediately. This statement was released in parallel with the Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015.

8. The Effects of Climate Change on the Arctic and Antarctic

Between 1970 and 2014 the intensity of the global water cycle increased by up to 7.4%, which the previous modeling suggested estimates of a 2-4% increase. Warm freshwater is pulled toward the poles changing our ocean temperature, freshwater content, and salinity. The increasing intensity changes to the global water cycle are likely to make dry areas dryer and wet areas wetter.

The 2021 Arctic Report Card (ARC2021) and the attached video illustrates that rapid and pronounced warming continues to create cascading disruptions for the Arctic marine life. Arctic-wide trends include tundra greening, increasing Arctic rivers discharge, loss of sea ice volume, ocean noise, beaver range expansion, and glacier permafrost hazards.
Strycker, N., Wethington, M., Borowicz, A., Forrest, S., Witharana, C., Hart, T., and H. Lynch. (2020). A Global Population Assessment of the Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica). Science Report Vol. 10, Article 19474. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76479-3
Chinstrap penguins are uniquely adapted to their Antarctic environment; however, researchers are reporting population reductions in 45% of penguin colonies since the 1980s. Researchers found a further 23 populations of chinstrap penguins gone during an expedition in January of 2020. While exact assessments are not available at this time, the presence of abandoned nesting places suggests the decline is widespread. It is believed that warming waters reduce sea ice and the phytoplankton that krill depend on for food the primary food of chinstrap penguins. It is suggested that ocean acidification may affect the penguin's ability to reproduce.
Smith, B., Fricker, H., Gardner, A., Medley, B., Nilsson, J., Paolo, F., Holschuh, N., Adusumilli, S., Brunt, K., Csatho, B., Harbeck, K., Markus, T., Neumann, T., Siegfried M., and Zwally, H. (2020, April). Pervasive Ice Sheet Mass Loss Reflects Competing Ocean and Atmosphere Processes. Science Magazine. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz5845
NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, which was launched in 2018, is now providing revolutionary data on glacial melt. The researchers found that between 2003 and 2009 enough ice melted to raise sea-levels by 14 millimeters from Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Rohling, E., Hibbert, F., Grant, K., Galaasen, E., Irval, N., Kleiven, H., Marino, G., Ninnemann, U., Roberts, A., Rosenthal, Y., Schulz, H., Williams, F., and Yu, J. (2019). Asynchronous Antarctic and Greenland Ice-volume Contributions to the Last Interglacial Sea-ice Highstand. Nature Communications 10:5040 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12874-3
The last time sea-levels rose above their present level was during the last interglacial period, roughly 130,000-118,000 years ago. Researchers have found that an initial sea-level highstand (above 0m) at ~129.5 to ~124.5 ka and intra-last interglacial sea-level rises with event-mean rates of rise of 2.8, 2.3, and 0.6m c−1. Future sea-level rise may become driven by increasingly rapid mass-loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. There is an increased likelihood for extreme sea-level rise in the future based on historic data from the last interglacial period.

Illustrated fact sheet highlighting the challenges of Arctic research, the relatively short time frame that studies of species have been undertaken, and positing the effects of sea ice loss and other effects of climate change.

This summary article provides an excellent overview of the effects of climate change on the Antarctic and its effect on marine species there. The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas on Earth, with only some areas of the Arctic Circle experiencing faster-rising temperatures. This rapid warming affects every level of the food web in Antarctic waters.

The article discusses the "Atlantification" and "Pacification" of the Arctic Ocean as warming waters allowing new species to migrate northward and disrupting the ecosystem functions and lifecycles that have evolved over time within the Arctic Ocean.

Global climate is critically sensitive to physical and biogeochemical dynamics in the subpolar Southern Ocean, because it is there that deep, carbon-rich layers of the world ocean outcrop and exchange carbon with the atmosphere. Thus, how carbon uptake works there specifically must be well understood as a means of understanding past and future climate change. Based on their research, the authors believe that the conventional framework for the subpolar Southern Ocean carbon cycle fundamentally misrepresents the drivers of regional carbon uptake. Observations in the Weddell Gyre show that the rate of carbon uptake is set by interplay between the Gyre's horizontal circulation and the remineralization at mid-depths of organic carbon sourced from biological production in the central gyre.

With this study, conducted using data from year-round mooring buoys in the Bering Strait, the author established that northward flow of water through the straight had increased dramatically over 15 years, and that the change was not due to local wind or other individual weather events, but due to warming waters. The transport increase results from stronger northward flows (not fewer southward flow events), yielding a 150% increase in kinetic energy, presumably with impacts on bottom suspension, mixing, and erosion. It was also noted that the temperature of the northward-flowing water was warmer than 0 degrees C on more days by 2015 than at the beginning of the data set.
Stone, D. P. (2015). The Changing Arctic Environment. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Since the industrial revolution, the Arctic environment is undergoing unprecedented change due to human activity. The seemingly pristine arctic environment is also showing high levels of toxic chemicals and increased warming which have started to have serious consequences on the climate in other parts of the world. Told through an Arctic Messenger, author David Stone examines scientific monitoring and influential groups have led to international legal actions to lessen the harm to the arctic environment.
Wohlforth, C. (2004). The Whale and the Supercomputer: On The Northern Front of Climate Change. New York: North Point Press.
The Whale and the Supercomputer weaves the personal stories of the scientists researching climate with the experiences of the Inupiat of northern Alaska. The book equally describes the whaling practices and traditional knowledge of the Inupiaq as much as data-driven measures of snow, glacial melt, albedo -that is, light reflected by a planet- and biological changes observable in animals and insects. The description of the two cultures allows non-scientists to relate to the earliest examples of climate change affecting the environment.

9. Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Tyka, M., Arsdale, C., and Platt, J. (2022, January 3). CO2 Capture by Pumping Surface Acidity to the Deep Ocean. Energy & Environmental Science. DOI: 10.1039/d1ee01532j
There is a potential for new technologies - such as alkalinity pumping - to contribute to the portfolio of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies, although they are likely to be more expensive than on-shore methods due to the challenges of marine engineering. Significantly more research is necessary to assess the feasibility and the risks associated with ocean alkalinity alterations and other removal techniques. Simulations and small-scale tests have limitations and cannot fully predict how CDR methods will affect the ocean ecosystem when put to the scale of mitigating current CO2 emissions.

The ocean is an important part of the natural carbon sequestration process, diffusing excess carbon from the air into the water and eventually sinking it to the ocean floor. Some carbon dioxide bonds with weathered rocks or shells locking it into a new form, and marine algae uptakes other carbon bonds, integrating it into the natural biological cycle. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions intend to mimic or enhance these natural carbon storage cycles. This article highlights risks and variables that will affect the success of the CDR projects.

Ocean fertilization is a politically charged form of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) that used to be viewed as reckless. Now, researchers are planning to pour 100 tons of iron across 1000 square kilometers of the Arabian Sea. An important question being posed is how much of the absorbed carbon actually makes it to the deep ocean rather than being consumed by other organisms and re-emitted into the environment. Skeptics of the fertilization method note that recent surveys of 13 past fertilization experiments found only one that increased deep ocean carbon levels. Although potential consequences worry some, others believe that gauging the potential risks is another reason to move forward with the research.

This report recommends the United States undertake a $125 million research program dedicated to testing understanding challenges for ocean-based CO2 removal approaches, including economic and social obstacles. Six ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) approaches were assessed in the report including nutrient fertilization, artificial upwelling and downwelling, seaweed cultivation, ecosystem recovery, ocean alkalinity enhancement, and electrochemical processes. There are still conflicting opinions on CDR approaches within the scientific community, but this report marks a notable step in the conversation for the bold recommendations laid out by ocean scientists.

Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) projects could be more advantageous than land-based projects, because of space availability, the possibility for co-locational projects, and co-beneficial projects (including mitigating ocean acidification, food production, and biofuel production). However, CDR projects face challenges including poorly studied potential environmental impacts, uncertain regulations and jurisdictions, the difficulty of operations, and varying rates of success. More small-scale research is necessary to define and verify carbon dioxide removal potential, catalog potential environmental and societal externalities, and account for governance, funding, and cessation issues.
Batres, M., Wang, F. M., Buck, H., Kapila, R., Kosar, U., Licker, R., ... & Suarez, V. (2021, July). Environmental and Climate Justice and Technological Carbon Removal. The Electricity Journal, 34(7), 107002.
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods should be implemented with justice and equity in mind, and the local communities where projects may be located should be at the core of decision-making. Communities often lack the resources and knowledge to participate and invest in CDR efforts. Environmental justice should remain at the forefront of project progression to avoid adverse effects on already overburdened communities.

Tom Green hopes to sink trillion tonnes of CO2 to the bottom of the ocean by dropping volcanic rock sand into the ocean. Green claims that if the sand is deposited on 2% of the world's coastlines it would capture 100% of our current global annual carbon emissions. The size of CDR projects necessary to tackle our current emission levels makes all projects difficult to scale. Alternatively, rewilding coastlines with mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses both restore ecosystems and hold CO2 without facing the major risks of technological CDR interventions.
Gertner, J. (2021, June 24). Has the Carbontech Revolution Begun? The New York Times.
Direct carbon capture (DCC) technology exists, but it remains expensive. The CarbonTech industry is now beginning to resell the captured carbon to businesses that can use it in their products and in turn shrink their emission footprint. Carbon-neutral or carbon-negative products could fall under a larger category of carbon utilization products that make carbon capture profitable while appealing to the market. Although climate change will not be fixed with CO2 yoga mats and sneakers, it is just another small step in the right direction.

One proposed Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique is to introduce electrically charged mesor hydroxide (alkaline material) into the ocean to trigger a chemical reaction that would result in carbonate limestone rocks. The rock could be used for construction, but the rocks would likely end up in the ocean. The limestone output could upset local marine ecosystems, smothering plant life and significantly altering seafloor habitats. However, researchers point out that the output water will be slightly more alkaline which has the potential to mitigate the effects of ocean acidification in the treatment area. Additionally, hydrogen gas would be a byproduct that could be sold to help offset installment costs. Further research is necessary to demonstrate the technology is viable on a large scale and economically viable.

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technology, like climate change, is embedded with risks and inequities, and this article includes actionable recommendations for the future to address these inequities. Currently, the emerging knowledge and investments in CDR technology are concentrated in the global north. If this pattern continues, it will only exacerbate the global environmental injustices and accessibility gap when it comes to climate change and climate solutions.
Meyer, A., & Spalding, M. J. (2021, March). A Critical Analysis of the Ocean Effects of Carbon Dioxide Removal via Direct Air and Ocean Capture - Is it a Safe and Sustainable Solution?. The Ocean Foundation.
Emerging Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies could play a supporting role in larger solutions in the transition away from burning fossil fuels to a cleaner, equitable, sustainable energy grid. Among these technologies are direct air capture (DAC) and direct ocean capture (DOC), which both use machinery to extract CO2 from the atmosphere or ocean and transport it to underground storage facilities or utilize the captured carbon to recover oil from commercially depleted sources. Currently, carbon capture technology is very expensive and poses risks to ocean biodiversity, ocean and coastal ecosystems, and coastal communities including Indigenous peoples. Other nature-based solutions including: mangrove restoration, regenerative agriculture, and reforestation remain beneficial for biodiversity, society, and long-term carbon storage without many of the risks that accompany technological DAC/DOC. While risks and feasibility of carbon removal technologies are rightfully explored moving forward, it is important to "first, do no harm" to ensure adverse effects are not inflicted on our precious land and ocean ecosystems.
Center for International Environmental Law. (2021, March 18). Ocean Ecosystems & Geoengineering: An introductory Note.
Nature-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) techniques in the marine context include protecting and restoring coastal mangroves, seagrass beds, and kelp forests. Even though they pose fewer risks than technological approaches, there is still harm that can be inflicted on marine ecosystems. Technological CDR marine-based approaches seek to modify the ocean chemistry to uptake more CO2, including the most widely discussed examples of ocean fertilization and ocean alkalinization. The focus must be on preventing human-caused carbon emissions, rather than unproven adaptive techniques to lessen the world's emissions.

Of the many types of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), the four primary ocean-based methods are: marine bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, restoring and increasing coastal vegetation, enhancing open-ocean productivity, enhancing weathering and alkalinization. This report analyzes the four types and argues for increased priority for CDR research and development. The techniques still come with many uncertainties, but they have the potential to be highly effective in the pathway to limit climate warming.
Buck, H., Aines, R., et al. (2021). Concepts: Carbon Dioxide Removal Primer. Retrieved From: https://cdrprimer.org/read/concepts
The author's define Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) as any activity that removes CO2 from the atmosphere and durably stores it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reserves, or in products. CDR is different from geoengineering, as, unlike geoengineering, CDR techniques remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but geoengineering simply focuses on reducing climate change symptoms. Many other important terms are included in this text, and it serves as a helpful supplement to the larger conversation.

Nature-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions are a co-beneficial approach to address the climate crisis, which includes carbon stocks and flows. Flow-based carbon accounting incentivizes natural solutions while highlighting the risks of burning fossil fuels.

Public acceptability of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) techniques over the past 15 has remained low for climate engineering initiatives when compared to nature-based solutions. Perceptions research mainly has focused on the global perspective for climate-engineering approaches or a local perspective for blue carbon approaches. Perceptions vary greatly according to location, education, income, etc. Both technological and nature-based approaches are likely to contribute to the utilized CDR solutions portfolio, so it is important to consider the perspectives of groups that will be directly affected.

This four-minute animated video describes the natural ocean carbon cycles and introduces common Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) techniques. It must be noted that this video does not mention the environmental and societal risks of technological CDR methods, nor does it cover alternative nature-based solutions.

The rise of marine geoengineering technologies is likely to place new demands on our international law systems to govern the risks and opportunities. Some existing policies on marine activities could apply to geoengineering, however, the rules were created and negotiated for purposes other than geoengineering. The London Protocol, 2013 amendment on ocean dumping is the most relevant farmwork to marine geoengineering. More international agreements are necessary to fill the gap in marine geoengineering governance.

It is important to reduce climate-related impacts on marine ecosystems without compromising ecosystem protection in the solution method. As such the authors of this study analyzed 13 ocean-based measures to reduce ocean warming, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise, including Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods of fertilization, alkalinization, land-ocean hybrid methods, and reef restoration. Moving forward, the deployment of various methods at a smaller scale would reduce risks and uncertainties associated with large-scale deployment.
National Research Council. (2015). Climate intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration. National Academies Press.
The deployment of any Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technique accompanies many uncertainties: effectiveness, cost, governance, externalities, co-benefits, safety, equity, etc. The book, Climate Intervention, addresses uncertainties, important considerations, and recommendations for moving forward. This source includes a good primary analysis of the main emerging CDR technologies. CDR techniques may never scale up to remove a substantial amount of CO2, but they still play an important part in the journey to net-zero, and attention must be paid.
The London Protocol. (2013, October 18). Amendment to Regulate the Placement of Matter for Ocean Fertilization and other Marine Geoengineering Activities. Annex 4.
The 2013 amendment to the London Protocol prohibits the dumping of wastes or other material into the sea to control and restrict ocean fertilization and other geoengineering techniques. This amendment is the first international amendment addressing any geoengineering techniques which will affect the types of carbon dioxide removal projects that can be introduced and tested in the environment.

10. Climate Change and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ)
Phillips, T. and King, F. (2021). Top 5 Resources For Community Engagement From A Deij Perspective. The Chesapeake Bay Program's Diversity Workgroup. PDF.
The Chesapeake Bay Program's Diversity Workgroup has put together a resource guide for integrating DEIJ into community engagement projects. The fact sheet includes links to information on environmental justice, implicit bias, and racial equity, as well as definitions for groups. It is important that DEIJ be integrated into a project from the initial developing phase in order for meaningful involvement of all people and communities involved.
Gardiner, B. (2020, July 16). Ocean Justice: Where Social Equity and the Climate Fight Intersect. Interview with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Yale Environment 360.
Ocean justice is at the intersection of ocean conservation and social justice, and the problems that communities will face from climate change are not going away. Solving the climate crisis is not just an engineering problem but a social norm problem that leaves many out of the conversation. The full interview is highly recommended and is available at the following link: https://e360.yale.edu/features/ocean-justice-where-social-equity-and-the-climate-fight-intersect.
Rush, E. (2018). Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. Canada: Milkweed Editions.
Told via a first-person introspective, author Elizabeth Rush discusses the consequences vulnerable communities face from climate change. The journalistic-style narrative weaves together the true stories of communities in Florida, Louisiana, Rhode Island, California, and New York who have experienced the devastating effects of hurricanes, extreme weather, and rising tides due to climate change.

11. Policy and Government Publications

The Paris Agreement came into force on 4 November 2016. Its intent was to unite nations in an ambitious effort to limit climate change and adapt to its effects. The central goal is to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and limit further temperature increase to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). These have been codified by each party with specific Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that require each party to regularly report on their emissions and implementation efforts. To date, 196 Parties have ratified the agreement, though it should be noted the United States was an original signatory but has given notice that it will withdraw from the agreement.
Please note this document is the only source not in chronological order. As the most comprehensive international commitment affecting climate change policy, this source is included out of chronological order. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group II. (2022). Climate Change 2022 Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability: Summary for Policymakers. IPCC. PDF.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is a high-level summary for policy makers of Working Group II's contributions to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. The assessment integrates knowledge more strongly than earlier assessments, and it addresses climate change impacts, risks, and adaptation that are concurrently unfolding. The authors have issued a 'dire warning' about the current and future state of our environment.
United Nations Environment Programme. (2021). Emissions Gap Report 2021. United Nations. PDF.
The United Nations Environment Programme 2021 report shows that national climate pledges currently in place put the world on track to hit a global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees celsius by the end of the century. To keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees celsius, following the goal of the Paris Agreement, the world needs to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half in the next eight years. In the short term, the reduction of methane emissions from fossil fuel, waste, and agriculture has the potential to reduce warming. Clearly defined carbon markets could also help the world meet emission goals.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2021, November). Glasgow Climate Pact. United Nations. PDF.
The Glasgow Climate Pact calls for increased climate action above the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to keep the goal of only a 1.5C temperature rise. This pact was signed by nearly 200 countries and is the first climate agreement to explicitly plan to reduce coal usage, and it sets clear rules for a global climate market.
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice. (2021). Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to Consider How to Strengthen Adaptation and Mitigation Action. The United Nations. PDF.
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) is the first summary report of what will now be the annual ocean and climate change dialogue. The report is a requirement of COP 25 for reporting purposes. This dialogue was then welcomed by the 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact, and it highlights the importance of Governments strengthening their understanding of and action on the ocean and climate change.

The United Nations has declared that 2021-2030 to be the Ocean Decade. Throughout the decade the United Nations is working beyond the capacities of a single nation to collectively align research, investments, and initiatives around global priorities. Over 2,500 stakeholders contributed to the development of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development plan which sets scientific priorities that will jumpstart ocean science based solutions for sustainable development. Updates on the Ocean Decade initiatives can be found here.
The Law of the Sea and Climate Change. (2020). In E. Johansen, S. Busch, & I. Jakobsen (Eds.), The Law of the Sea and Climate Change: Solutions and Constraints (pp. I-Ii). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
There is a strong link between solutions to climate change and the influences of international climate law and the law of the sea. Although they are largely developed through separate legal entities, addressing climate change with marine legislation can lead to achieving co-beneficial objectives.
United Nations Environment Program (2020, June 9) Gender, Climate & Security: Sustaining Inclusive Peace on the Frontlines of Climate Change. United Nations. https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/gender-climate-security-sustaining-inclusive-peace-frontlines-climate-change
Climate change is exacerbating conditions that threaten peace and security. Gender norms and power structures place a critical role in how people may be affected by and respond to the growing crisis. The United Nations report recommends integrating complementary policy agendas, scale-up integrated programming, increase targeted financing, and expand the evidence base of the gender dimensions of climate-related security risks.
United Nations Water. (2020, March 21). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020: Water and Climate Change. United Nations Water. https://www.unwater.org/publications/world-water-development-report-2020/
Climate change will affect the availability, quality, and quantity of water for basic human needs threatening food security, human health, urban and rural settlements, energy production, and increasing the frequency and magnitude of extreme events such as heatwaves and storm surge events. Water-related extremes exacerbated by climate change increase risks to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. Opportunities to address the growing climate and water crisis include systematic adaptation and mitigation planning into water investments, which will make investments and associated activities more appealing to climate financiers. The changing climate will affect more than just marine life, but nearly all human activities.
Blunden, J., and Arndt, D. (2020). State of the Climate in 2019. American Meteorological Society. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.https://journals.ametsoc.org/bams/article-pdf/101/8/S1/4988910/2020bamsstateoftheclimate.pdf
NOAA reported that 2019 was the hottest year on record since records began in the mid-1800s. 2019 also saw record levels of greenhouse gases, rising sea levels, and increased temperatures recorded in every region of the world. This year was the first time that NOAA's report included marine heatwaves showing the growing prevalence of marine heatwaves. The report supplements the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
Ocean and Climate. (2019, December) Policy Recommendations: A healthy ocean, a protected climate. The Ocean and Climate Platform. https://ocean-climate.org/?page_id=8354&lang=en
Based on the commitments made during the 2014 COP21 and the 2015 Paris Agreement, this report lays out the steps for a healthy ocean and protected climate. Countries should begin with mitigation, then adaptation, and finally embrace sustainable finance. Recommended actions include: to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C; end subsidies to fossil fuel production; develop marine renewable energies; accelerate adaptation measures; boost efforts to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by 2020; adopt a legally binding agreement for fair conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas; pursue a target of 30% of the ocean protected by 2030; strengthen international transdisciplinary research on ocean-climate themes by including a socio-ecological dimension.
World Health Organization. (2019, April 18). Health, Environment and Climate Change WHO Global Strategy on Health, Environment and Climate Change: The Transformation Needed to Improve Lives and Well-being Sustainably through Healthy Environments. World Health Organization, Seventy-Second World Health Assembly A72/15, Provisional agenda item 11.6.
Known avoidable environmental risks cause about one-quarter of all deaths and disease worldwide, a steady 13 million deaths each year. Climate change is increasingly responsible, but the threat to human health by climate change can be mitigated. Actions must be taken focusing on upstream determinants of health, determinants of climate change, and the environment in an integrated approach that is adjusted to local circumstances and supported by adequate governance mechanisms.
United Nations Development Programme. (2019). UNDP's Climate Promise: Safeguarding Agenda 2030 Through Bold Climate Action. United Nations Development Programme. PDF.
In order to achieve the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Development Programme will support 100 countries in an inclusive and transparent engagement process to their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The service offering includes support for building of political will and societal ownership at national and sub-national levels; review of and updates to existing targets, policies, and measures; incorporating new sectors and or greenhouse gas standards; assess costs and investment opportunities; monitor progress and strengthen transparency.
Pörtner, H.O., Roberts, D.C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E., ..., & Weyer, N. (2019). Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. PDF.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report authored by more than 100 scientists from over 36 countries on the enduring changes in the ocean and cryosphere-the frozen parts of the planet. The key finds are that major changes in high mountain areas will affect downstream communities, glaciers and ice sheets are melting contributing to increasing rates of sea-level rise predicted to reach 30-60 cm (11.8 - 23.6 inches) by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply curbed and 60-110cm (23.6 - 43.3 inches) if greenhouse gas emissions continue their current rise. There will be more frequent extreme sea-level events, changes in the ocean's ecosystems through ocean warming and acidification and Arctic sea ice is declining every month along with thawing permafrost. The report finds that strongly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting and restoring ecosystems and careful resource management makes it possible to preserve the ocean and cryosphere, but action must be taken.

The U.S. Department of Defense considers the national security risks associated with a changing climate and subsequent events such as recurrent flooding, drought, desertification, wildfires, and thawing permafrost's effects on national security. The report finds that climate resilience must be incorporated in planning and decision-making processes and cannot act as a separate program. The report finds that there are significant security vulnerabilities from climate-related events on operations and missions.
Wuebbles, D.J., Fahey, D.W., Hibbard, K.A., Dokken, D.J., Stewart, B.C., & Maycock, T.K. (2017). Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I. Washington, D.C., USA: U.S. Global Change Research Program.
As part of the National Climate Assessment ordered by the U.S. Congress to be conducted every four years is designed to be an authoritative assessment of the science of climate change with a focus on the United States. Some key findings include the following: the last century is the warmest in the history of civilization; human activity -particularly the emission of greenhouse gases- is the dominant cause of the observed warming; the global average sea level has risen by 7 inches in the last century; tidal flooding is increasing and sea levels are expected to continue to rise; heatwaves will be more frequent, as will forest fires; and the magnitude of change will depend heavily on global levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Goal 14 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) highlights the need for the conservation of the ocean and sustainable use of marine resources. The most ardent support for ocean management comes from the small island developing states and least developed countries that are adversely affected by ocean negligence. Programs that address Goal 14 also serve to meet seven other UN SDG goals including poverty, food security, energy, economic growth, infrastructure, reduction of inequality, cities and human settlements, sustainable consumption and production, climate change, biodiversity, and means of implementation and partnerships.

Goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) highlights the need to address the increasing effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Since the Paris Agreement, many countries have taken positive steps for climate finance through nationally determined contributions, there remains significant need for action on mitigation and adaptation, particularly for least developed countries and small island nations.

The Department of Defense sees climate change as a present security threat with observable effects in shocks and stressors to vulnerable nations and communities, including the United States. The risks themselves vary, but all share a common assessment of climate change's significance.

Human influence on the climate system is clear and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Effective adaption and mitigation possibilities are available in every major sector, but responses will depend on policies and measures across the international, national, and local levels. The 2014 report has become a definitive study about climate change.

The ocean is essential to the Earth's climate and has absorbed 93% of the energy produced from the enhanced greenhouse effect and approximately 30% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Global average sea surface temperatures have increased from 1950-2009. The ocean chemistry is changing due to an uptake of CO2 decreasing the overall ocean pH. These, along with many other effects of anthropogenic climate change, have a plethora of detrimental repercussions on the ocean, marine life, the environment, and humans.
Please note this is related to the Synthesis Report detailed above, but is specific to the Ocean. Griffis, R., & Howard, J. (Eds.). (2013). Oceans and Marine Resources in a Changing Climate; A Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Washington, D.C., USA: Island Press.
Warner, R., & Schofield, C. (Eds.). (2012). Climate Change and the Oceans: Gauging the Legal and Policy Currents in the Asia Pacific and Beyond. Northampton, Massachusetts: Edwards Elgar Publishing, Inc.
As a companion to the National Climate Assessment 2013 report, this document looks at the technical considerations and findings specific to the ocean and marine environment. The report argues that climate-driven physical and chemical changes are causing significant harm, will adversely affect the ocean's features, thus the Earth's ecosystem. There remain many opportunities to adapt and address these problems including increased international partnership, sequestration opportunities, and improved marine policy and management. This report provides one of the most thorough investigates the consequence of climate change and its effects on the ocean supported by in-depth research.
United Nations. (1997, December 11). The Kyoto Protocol. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol
This collection of essays looks at the nexus of governance and climate change within the Asia-Pacific region. The book begins by discussing the physical effects of climate change including effects on biodiversity and the policy implications. The moves into discussions of maritime jurisdiction in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic followed by a discussion of country and maritime boundaries, followed by a security analysis. The final chapters discuss the implications of greenhouse gases and opportunities for mitigation. Climate change presents an opportunity for global cooperation, signals a need for monitoring and regulating marine geo-engineering activities in response to climate change mitigation efforts, and develop a coherent international, regional, and national policy response that recognize the ocean's role in climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol is an international commitment to set internationally binding targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction. This agreement was ratified in 1997 and entered into force in 2005. The Doha Amendment was adopted in December, 2012 to extend the protocol to December 31st, 2020 and revise the list of greenhouse gases (GHG) that must be reported by each party.

12. Proposed Solutions
Carlson, D. (2020, October 14) Within 20 Years, Rising Sea Levels Will Hit Nearly Every Coastal County - and their Bonds. Sustainable Investing.
We must think of the ocean as a source for solutions rather than another part of the environment we need to save. The ocean is currently what is keeping the climate stable enough to support humanity, and it is an integral part of the fight against climate change. Natural climate solutions are available by working with our water systems, while we simultaneously reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Johnson, A. (2020, June 8). To Save the Climate Look to the Ocean. Scientific American. PDF.
Increased credit risks from more frequent and severe flooding could hurt municipalities, an issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. States with large coastal populations and economies face multi-decade credit risks due to the weaker economy and the high costs of sea-level rise. The U.S. states most at risk are Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia.
Ceres (2020, June 1) Addressing Climate as a Systematic Risk: A Call to Action. Ceres. https://www.ceres.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Financial%20Regulator%20Executive%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf
The ocean is in dire straits due to human activity, but there are opportunities in renewable offshore energy, the sequestration of carbon, algae biofuel, and regenerative ocean farming. The ocean is a threat to the millions living on the coast via flooding, a victim of human activity, and an opportunity to save the planet, all at the same time. A Blue New Deal is needed in addition to the proposed Green New Deal to address the climate crisis and turn the ocean from a threat into a solution.
Gattuso, J., Magnan, A., Gallo, N., Herr, D., Rochette, J., Vallejo, L., and Williamson, P. (2019, November) Opportunities for Increasing Ocean Action in Climate Strategies Policy Brief. IDDRI Sustainable Development & International Relations.
Climate change is a systematic risk due to its potential to destabilize capital markets which may lead to serious negative consequences for the economy. Ceres provides over 50 recommendations for key financial regulations for action on climate change. These include: acknowledging that climate change poses risks to the financial market stability, require financial institutions to conduct climate stress tests, require banks to assess and disclose climate risks, such as carbon emissions from their lending and investment activities, integrate climate risk into community reinvestment processes, particularly in low-income communities, and join efforts to foster coordinated efforts on climate risks.
Gramling, C. (2019, October 6). In a Climate Crisis, is Geoengineering Worth the Risks? Science News. PDF.
Published ahead of the 2019 Blue COP (also known as COP25), this report argues that advancing knowledge and ocean-based solutions can maintain or increase ocean services despite climate change. As more projects that address climate change are revealed and countries work toward their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries should prioritize the scale-up of climate action and prioritize decisive and low regret projects.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Northrop, E., and Lubehenco, J. (2019, September 27). The Ocean is Key to Achieving Climate and Societal Goals: Ocean-based Approached can help close Mitigation Gaps. Insights Policy Forum, Science Magazine. 265(6460), DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz4390.
To combat climate change people have suggested large-scale geoengineering projects to reduce ocean warming and sequester carbon. Suggested projects include: building large mirrors in space, adding aerosols to the stratosphere, and ocean seeding (adding iron as fertilizer to the ocean to spur phytoplankton growth). Others suggest that these geoengineering projects could lead to dead zones and threaten marine life. The general consensus is that more research is needed due to the considerable uncertainty on the long-term effects of geoengineers.
Cooley, S., BelloyB., Bodansky, D., Mansell, A., Merkl, A., Purvis, N., Ruffo, S., Taraska, G., Zivian, A. and Leonard, G. (2019, May 23). Overlooked ocean strategies to address climate change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101968.
While climate change adversely affects the ocean, the ocean also serves as a source of solutions: renewable energy; shipping and transport; protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems; fisheries, aquaculture, and shifting diets; and carbon storage in the seabed. These solutions have all been previously proposed, yet very few countries have included even one of these in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. Only eight NDC include quantifiable measurements for carbon sequestration, two mention ocean-based renewable energy, and only one mentioned sustainable shipping. There remains an opportunity to direct time-bound targets and policies for ocean-based mitigation to ensure the goals of emission reduction are met.
Helvarg, D. (2019). Diving into an Ocean Climate Action Plan. Alert Diver Online.
Many countries have committed to limits on greenhouse gases via the Paris Agreement. In order to be successful parties to the Paris Agreement must: protect the ocean and accelerate climate ambition, focus on CO ₂ reductions, understand and protect ocean ecosystem-based carbon dioxide storage, and pursue sustainable ocean-based adaptation strategies.

Divers have a unique view into the degrading ocean environment caused by climate change. As such, Helvarg argues that divers should unite to support an Ocean Climate Action Plan. The action plan will highlight the need for reformation of the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program, major coastal infrastructure investment with a focus on natural barriers and living shorelines, new guidelines for offshore renewable energy, a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), assistance for greening ports and fishing communities, increased aquaculture investment, and a revised National Disaster Recovery Framework.

13. Looking for More? (Additional Resources)

This research page is designed to be a curated list of resources of the most influential publications on the ocean and climate. For additional information on specific topics we recommend the following journals, databases, and collections:

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As concerns about climate change increase, the interrelationship between the ocean and climate change must be recognized, understood, and incorporated into governmental policies.

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The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the tip of the iceberg-most cases are never reported. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse are not compiled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just how common they are. However, we can use the information that is available to try to understand and prevent cases of abuse.

Who abuses animals?

Cruelty and neglect cross all social and economic boundaries and media reports suggest that animal abuse is common in both rural and urban areas.

Intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people.

Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Serious animal neglect (such as hoarding) is often an indicator of people in need of social or mental health services.

Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60.

Most common victims

The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Undercover investigations have revealed that animal abuse abounds in the factory farm industry. But because of the weak protections afforded to livestock under state cruelty laws, only the most shocking cases are reported, and few are ever prosecuted.

Organized cruelty

Dogfighting, cockfighting and other forms of organized animal cruelty go hand in hand with other crimes, and continues in many areas of the United States due to public corruption.

The HSUS documented uniformed police officers at a cockfighting pit in Kentucky.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prosecuted multiple cases where drug cartels were running narcotics through cockfighting and dogfighting operations.

Dozens of homicides have occurred at cockfights and dogfights.

A California man was killed in a disagreement about a $10 cockfight bet.

The HSUS's investigative team combats complacent public officials and has worked with the FBI on public corruption cases in Tennessee and Virginia. In both instances, law enforcement officers were indicted and convicted.

Correlation with domestic violence

Data on domestic violence and child abuse cases reveal that a staggering number of animals are targeted by those who abuse their children or spouses.

There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute (an average of around 10 million a year).

In one survey, 71 % of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.

In one study of families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 % of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children.

To put a stop to this pattern of violence, the Humane Society Legislative Fund supported the Pets and Women's Safety (PAWS) Act, introduced to Congress in 2015 as H.R. 1258 and S.B. 1559 and enacted as part of the farm bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in 2018. Once fully enacted, the PAWS Act helps victims of domestic abuse find the means to escape their abusers while keeping their companion animals safe-many victims remain in abusive households for fear of their pets' safety.

State legislative trends

The HSUS has long led the push for stronger animal cruelty laws and provides training for law officials to detect and prosecute these crimes. With South Dakota joining the fight in March of 2014, animal cruelty laws now include felony provisions in all 50 states.

First vs. subsequent offense

Given that a fraction of animal cruelty acts are reported or successfully prosecuted, we are committed to supporting felony convictions in cases of severe cruelty.

49 states have laws to provide felony penalties for animal torture on the first offense.

Only Iowa doesn't have such a law.

Animal cruelty laws typically cover intentional and egregious animal neglect and abuse.

Changes in federal tracking

On January 1, 2016, the FBI added cruelty to animals as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, a nationwide crime reporting system commonly used in homicide investigations. While only about a third of U.S. communities currently participate in the system, the data generated will help create a clearer picture of animal abuse and guide strategies for intervention and enforcement. Data collection covers four categories: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (such as dogfighting and cockfighting) and animal sexual abuse.

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Facts, statistics and trends of animal abuse, animal cruelty and abused animals in the U.S.

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First Encounters With Race and Racism: Teaching Ideas for Classroom Conversations (Published 2017)

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Using firsthand accounts from teenagers to guide classroom discussions around race and racism.

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https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/10-reasons-why-is-education-important/

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1) Mathematics is vital. A new book by American journalist Amanda Ripley looks at highly reputed education systems in the world. Her findings on what makes these schools successful may be a surprise to many. In an article in the Globe and Mail, they condense the lessons learned form Ripley's research into seven key points. We would like to give Intelligent Management's take on those points. 2) Teachers should be highly prized.
There is no doubt that a strong grounding in mathematics unlocks many doors for students. At the most basic level, without it they will struggle to decipher much of the increasing nonsense that is fed daily to the masses. Beyond this, a lack of mathematical ability will preclude many future choices, even to able students.
3) Classroom technology is a waste of money
Young people are the greatest resource any nation possesses and we need to invest in them. They are the future of industry, science, the arts, and how all this is governed democratically. The quality of our and their future is entirely in their hands. Consequently, quality education is the only way to ensure a quality future. While many good teachers may consider teaching a vocation, that is no reason for society to take advantage of their good will. In order to attract and keep talented teachers, good salaries, career paths and prestige are essential.
4) School should be about school
This is excellent news. More investment can be made in human resources (and less manipulation will be possible from technology giants.)
5) Extra help is widely available
Some disagreement at Intelligent Management here. Our roots are firmly European. Just as in the highly successful system in Finland, extra curricular activities are not part of the Italian system but very much part of the UK system. However, when it comes to measuring the ability of students to sit on a chair and study hard, in our experience the Italians win over the Brits.
6) Critical thinking is emphasized.
This goes in the direction of personalized education and makes complete sense. Everyone has different learning patterns, and a minimum of allowance has to be made for this. Kudos to Finland where they seem to be able to offer this at no extra cost within the school itself.
7) No system is perfect
Essays preferred to multiple choice? Coming from Europe, this is an obvious choice. Moreover, in Italy they study philosophy at high school level, exposing students to sophisticated reasoning at an early age. At Intelligent Management, we base much of our work on critical thinking in organizations through a precise set of Thinking Process Tools. Thinking can always be improved. This is a lifetime learning activity.
Further reading Educating for complexity: How do we transform schools into centres of innovation? Do the right think: Critical Thinking is a Prerequisite to To Acting Ethically and Profitably Innovation and Education: The School of Evolution
Fair enough. But that is no excuse for short-changing our students. We have the science and the know-how to be able to continuously improve any education system. What is essential is the political willingness to make it happen. Our reality has never been as complex as it is today. Education is key if people are to be able to grow and contribute within that complexity. If we want to promote a fair society where we really tap into and develop the human potential our nations possess, then all of us, parents or not, should think long and hard about the kind of schools we want, and make sure we elect the people who can make those schools happen.

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Education Is A Serious Business - Intelligent Management

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1) Mathematics is vital. A new book by American journalist Amanda Ripley looks at highly reputed education systems in the world. Her findings on what makes these schools successful may be a surprise to many. In an article in the Globe and Mail, they condense the lessons learned form Ripley's research into seven key points.

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Americans are only beginning to understand the damage from keeping so many students out of the classroom for the past year. It's the greatest outrage of the pandemic, and maybe the most destructive. A new report by the nonprofit Great Public Schools Now quantifies the harm so far to children in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

L.A. schools will finally begin opening this week after more than a year of distance learning, though educational offerings will still be far from normal. Despite overwhelming evidence that it is safe for children to attend class in-person, the teachers union has long resisted a return to the classroom and issued over-the-top demands. Throughout the fall 2020 semester, the report notes, elementary-school students in L.A. received fewer than two hours a day of synchronous instruction on average-less than half as much as in the Long Beach and San Diego school districts.

The L.A. district considers students engaged merely for logging on to the online teaching platform. Yet even by this low standard, the Great Public Schools Now report finds that "over 13,000 middle and high school students were consistently disengaged in fall 2020," and "an additional 56,000 did not actively participate on a daily basis." In January and February, some 22,800 students missed three or more days of class a week.

During the 2020-2021 school year, 37% of Los Angeles kindergartners exhibited basic literacy skills, compared to 57% a year before. A fall 2020 assessment showed that only one in three middle- and high-school students displayed grade-level reading and math skills.

The learning losses are especially acute among poor and minority students. The report raises alarms about "a surge in the percentage of students receiving Ds and Fs in fall 2020, with students of color and students from low-income houses experiencing the highest number of failing grades."

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Opinion | Education Tragedy in Los Angeles

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Americans are only beginning to understand the damage from keeping so many students out of the classroom for the past year. It's the greatest outrage of the pandemic, and maybe the most destructive. A new report by the nonprofit Great Public Schools Now quantifies the harm so far to children in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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https://www.epa.gov/climate-change

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Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the minimal standards of care set by the United States Animal Welfare.

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From unprecedented wildfires across the US to the extraordinary heat of Siberia, the impacts of climate change were felt in every corner of the world in 2020. We have come to a "moment of truth", United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his State of the Planet speech in December. "Covid and climate have brought us to a threshold."

BBC Future brings you our round-up of where we are on climate change at the start of 2021, according to five crucial measures of climate health.
1. CO2 levels
The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2020, hitting 417 parts per million in May. The last time CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million was around four million years ago, during the Pliocene era, when global temperatures were 2-4C warmer and sea levels were 10-25 metres (33-82 feet) higher than they are now.

"We are seeing record levels every year," says Ralph Keeling, head of the CO2 programme at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which has been tracking CO2 concentrations from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii since 1958. "We saw record levels again this year despite Covid."
Read more on the solutions:
The effect of lockdowns on concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere was so small that it registers as a "blip", hardly distinguishable from the year-to-year fluctuations of the carbon cycle, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and has had a negligible impact on the overall curve of rising CO2 levels.

"We have put 100ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere in the last 60 years," says Martin Siegert, co-director of the Grantham Institute for climate change and the environment at Imperial College London. That is 100 times faster than previous natural increases, such as those that occurred towards the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago.

"If we keep tracking the worst-case scenario, by the end of this century levels of CO2 will be 800ppm. We haven't had that for 55 million years. There was no ice on the planet then and it was 12C warmer," says Siegert.

3. Arctic ice
Nowhere is that increase in heat more keenly felt than in the Arctic. In June 2020, the temperature reached 38 C in eastern Siberia, the hottest ever recorded within the Arctic Circle. The heatwave accelerated the melting of sea ice in the East Siberian and Laptev seas and delayed the usual Arctic freeze by almost two months.

"You definitely saw the impact of those warm temperatures," says Julienne Stroeve, a polar scientist from University College London. On the Eurasian side of the Arctic Circle, the ice did not freeze until the end of October, which is unusually late. The summer of 2020 saw sea ice area at its second lowest on record, and sea ice extent (a larger measure, which includes ocean areas where at least 15% ice appears) also at its second lowest.

As well as being a symptom of climate change, the loss of ice is also a driver of it. Bright white sea ice plays an important role in reflecting heat from the Sun back out into space, a bit like a reflective jacket. But the Arctic is heating twice as quickly as the rest of the world - and as less ice makes it through the warm summer months, we lose its reflective protection. In its place, large areas of open dark water absorb more heat, fueling global warming further.

Multi-year ice is also thicker and more reflective than the thin, dark seasonal ice that is increasingly taking its place. Between 1979-2018, the proportion of Arctic sea ice that is at least five years old declined from 30% to 2%, according to the IPCC.

"White ice reflects a lot of energy from the Sun and helps slow the rate of global warming," says Michael Meredith, a polar researcher at the British Antarctic Survey. "We are accelerating global warming by reducing the amount of Arctic sea ice."

The loss of ice is believed to be disrupting weather patterns around the world already. According to the Grantham Institute, it is possible - though not conclusively shown - that 2018 Arctic conditions provoked the "Beast from the East" winter storm in Europe in 2018 by altering the jet stream, a current of air high in the atmosphere.

"Temperature difference between the equator and poles drives a lot of our large-scale weather systems, including the jet stream," says Stroeve. And because the Arctic is warming faster than lower latitudes, there is a weakening of the jet stream.

"Everything is interconnected. If one part of the climate system changes, the rest of the system will respond," says Stroeve.

4. Permafrost
Across the northern hemisphere, permafrost - the ground that remains frozen year-round for two or more years - is warming rapidly. When air temperatures reached 38C (100F) in Siberia in the summer of 2020, land temperatures in several parts of the Arctic Circle hit a record 45C (113F), accelerating the thawing of permafrost in the region. Both continuous permafrost (long, uninterrupted stretches of permafrost) and discontinuous (a more fragmented kind) are in decline.

Permafrost contains a huge amount of greenhouse gases, including CO2 and methane, which are released into the atmosphere as it thaws. Soils in the permafrost region, which spans around 23 million square kilometres (8.9 million square miles) across Siberia, Greenland, Canada and the Arctic, hold twice as much carbon as the atmosphere does - almost 1,600 billion tonnes. Much of that carbon is stored in the form of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming impact 84 times higher than CO2.

"Permafrost is doing us a big favour by keeping that carbon locked away from the atmosphere," says Meredith.

Thawing permafrost also damages existing infrastructure and destroys the livelihoods of the indigenous communities who rely on the frozen ground to move around and hunt. It is thought to have contributed to the collapse of a huge fuel tank in the Russian Arctic in May, which leaked 20,000 tonnes of diesel into a river.

5. Forests
Since 1990 the world has lost 178 million hectares of forest (690,000 square miles) - an area the size of Libya. Over the past three decades, the rate of deforestation has slowed but experts say it isn't fast enough, given the vital role forests play in curbing global warming. In 2015-20 the annual deforestation rate was 10 million hectares (39,000 square miles, or about the size of Iceland), compared to 12 million hectares (46,000 square miles) in the previous five years.

"Globally forest areas continue to decline," says Bonnie Waring, senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute, noting that there are big regional differences. "We are losing a lot of tropical forests in South America and Africa [and] regaining temperate forests through tree planting or natural regeneration in Europe and Asia."

Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia are the countries losing forest cover most rapidly. In 2020, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest surged to a 12-year high.

An estimated 45% of all carbon on land is stored in trees and forest soil. "Soils globally contain more carbon than all plants and atmosphere put together," says Waring. When forests are cut down or burned, the soil is disturbed and carbon dioxide is released.
Read more on the solutions:
The World Economic Forum launched a campaign this year to plant one trillion trees to absorb carbon. While planting trees might help cancel out the last 10 years of CO2 emissions, it cannot solve the climate crisis on its own, according to Waring.

"Protecting existing forests is even more important than planting new ones. Every time an ecosystem is disturbed, you see carbon lost," she says.

Allowing forests to regrow naturally and rewilding huge areas of land, a process known as natural regeneration, is the most cost-effective and productive way to capture CO2 and boost overall biodiversity, according to Waring.

As well as showing how much the climate has changed already, these five climate indicators also point the way to the solutions that can curb global warming to safer levels by the end of the century.

As Guterres noted in his December State of the Planet speech, "Let's be clear: Human activities are at the root of our descent towards chaos. But that means human action can help solve it."

--
With data research by Miriam Quick.
--
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called "The Essential List". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

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After the turbulent year of 2020, BBC Future takes stock on the state of the climate at the beginning of 2021.

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JEFFERSONVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) - A Jeffersonville couple is facing animal cruelty charges and possible jail time for how they treated more than two hundred cats and dogs in their care. Caring for Treasured Strays (C.A.T.S) was shut down by Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputies on Wednesday after they investigated complaints of abuse.

Renee Ann Zaharie, 60, and William Brian Zaharie, 65, were cited with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable with a fine up to $500 or up to a year in jail.

Sheriff's deputies executed a warrant where they discovered 102 dogs and over 150 cats suffering from illnesses as disease and living in deplorable conditions.

An Independent Veterinarian and an NGO Guardians of Rescue assisted with the rescue and helped transport animals to shelters or emergency hospitals.

"All these animals have breathing issues. As each one are getting better today by the rescues and taken to the vets, you know we're discovering things like severe coccidia, giardia, severe breathing issues. Lung scarring...," said James Houchins with Guardians of Rescue.

Guardians of Rescue are looking for donations to help foot the bill for the ten small dogs who had to be hospitalized.

"You know one trip, we made $2,500 when that vet bill rang in. There were several of those that are actually still in the vet right now that are receiving fluids, receiving blood, receiving transfusions due to the amount of blood they lost, because you know the stitches weren't properly put in," said Houchins.

Renee Zaharie told LEX 18 the house that many of the animals were found in was never a permanent living situation for those animals. It was temporary while they transitioned to the much bigger space.

"We love our animals and take care of them, but definitely with COVID-19 it's been a little bit of a challenge to get people to volunteer and come out and help," said Zaharie.

She added ice storms and flooding also pushed back their timeline for the bigger space.

"Some animals are brought to us in pretty poor conditions," said Zaharie.

For Houchins, who witnessed the conditions and helped get all two hundred plus of the animals out, that answer isn't acceptable.

"It is so easy to get overwhelmed, but there's a time when you either, A. have to ask for help, or stop taking in animals. You know at this was a case where I mean she was definitely overwhelmed, you know, there was this many animals for two people to care for," Houchins said.

For other volunteers who showed up on Friday to help clean, her answer was enough.

"Her and her husband are wonderful people and you don't meet good people like this anymore and these people that want to point fingers and throw stones get your butts and get out here and do something," said Jo Grace.

Renee says by God's grace she hopes to reopen someday and is hoping for the best.

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Animal protection organization shut down after complaints of abuse

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JEFFERSONVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) - A Jeffersonville couple is facing animal cruelty charges and possible jail time for how they treated more than two hundred cats and dogs in their care. Caring for Treasured Strays (C.A.T.S) was shut down by Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputies on Wednesday after they investigated complaints of abuse.

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https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/content/why-we-need-act-now#:~:text=Increases%20in%20pests%20and%20diseases,the%20risks%20to%20food%20security.

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Scientific classification: Cicindela nevadica lincolniana

Location: U.S.

But its population has drastically declined as the area around the marshes and its tributaries have urbanized. Today, it numbers around 400 individuals, and that represents a population rebound. This has largely happened through water diversion projects and turning parts of their habitat into protected lands.

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24 Amazing Animals That Are Almost Extinct

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Scientific classification: Cicindela nevadica lincolniana Location: U.S. But its population has drastically declined as the area around the marshes and its tributaries have urbanized. Today, it numbers around 400 individuals, and that represents a population rebound. This has largely happened through water diversion projects and turning parts of their habitat into protected lands.

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Thousands of animal abuse cases are reported every day. However, animal abuse statistics reveal that most animal and pet abuse cases are never brought to light.

Take a look at some of the most shocking statistics and facts about animal abuse. They'll help you fight animal cruelty and raise awareness.

Top 10 Alarming Animal Abuse Statistics and Facts

Animal abuse articles, such as this one, will help you discover more about animal abuse, why people abuse animals, and how to end this awful torture.

General Animal Abuse Facts and Statistics

There are various types of animal cruelty: organized cruelty (like dogfighting and cockfighting), neglect, and intentional cruelty, and many more.

Let's see some actual numbers on animal abuse.

1. Statistics of animal abuse reveal that every 60 seconds, one animal suffers abuse.

(Sentient Media)

Even though today's society is modern and advanced, people turn a blind eye to animal and pet abuse. In some cases, they condone it.

The abuse comes in many forms. Sadly, the effect it leaves on animals is always the same: fear, pain, and desperation.

2. Close to 65% of all abused animals are dogs based on stats about animal abuse.

Animal cruelty facts report that dogs are the most common victims of this cruelty. Moreover, this doesn't refer to dogs in general but specific breeds.

3. There are two types of animal abuse: passive and active cruelty.

(Animal Abuse)

Facts about animal cruelty reveal that passive cruelty mainly includes animal neglect cases.

These cases include improper shelter, dehydration, starvation, and so on.

On the other hand, active cruelty involves intentionally harming the animal.

This includes beating, whipping, and branding of animals, often resulting in their death.

4. Approximately 71% of people who are reported for domestic violence also abuse their pets according to animal abuse and domestic violence statistics.

Animal cruelty facts and stats show a clear correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Victims of domestic violence have reported that their abuser has also maltreated their pet in the great majority of cases.

5. Around 88% of the families under investigation for child abuse are also reported for animal cruelty.

(National Sheriff's Association)

The percentage of animal abuse is much higher in families with child abuse.

Unfortunately, abuse leads to more abuse, so statistics show that 26% of the people who abuse animals were abused in their childhood.

Children who witness domestic violence are three times more likely to abuse animals.

6. Children who are sexually abused are 5 times more likely to abuse animals as per statistics for animal abuse.

(National Sheriff's Association)

In addition to this, children 10 years and older who abuse animals intentionally are two to three times more likely to have been abused.

Animal abuse is also characteristic of the development of violent adult offenders. Up to two in three adults who are violent offenders have an animal abuse history.

Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics in the US

The US is particularly cruel to animals. Each year, millions of poor, innocent souls die from abuse, experiments, and cruelty.

7. It's estimated that the lifetime prevalence of animal abuse in US adults is 1.8% according to domestic animal abuse statistics.

Research has shown that men are the most likely to abuse animals.

African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, people with low income and education levels, and adults who live in the west US regions are more likely to be reported for abusing animals.

8. Statistics on animal cruelty reveal that very year, more than 10 million animals die from abuse in the US alone.

(Letters to the Next President)

However, as the animal abuse statistics for 2021 reveal, only 1,920 animal abuse cases are presented by the media every year.

Unfortunately, animal abuse still isn't recognized as a severe issue in the United States, remaining an unpopular topic.

9. Every year, more than 6.5 million animals enter animal shelters according to animal abuse statistics in the United States.

Half of them are cats, and the other half are dogs. However, most of those that don't get adopted, around 1.5 million, are euthanized.

They also have an array of great products, and each purchase goes to feeding animals in shelters.

10. The latest animal abuse stats reveal that each year, the US kills over 3 million mink for fur.

Stats on animal abuse show that one hundred million animals suffer each year because of the fur trade. They're bred and raised on inhumane fur farms.

Their only purpose: to become a fashion accessory.

11. Over the last decade, there've been 483 drug-positive Greyhounds in Florida alone.

Greyhound racing is illegal in over 40 states. But that's not stopping people from organizing illegal races.

To ensure a race win, breeders drug the dogs with cocaine, lidocaine, novocaine, industrial solvent DMSO, opiates oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

Racing Greyhounds are also confined in dog track cages that measure 36 inches by 36 inches by 42 inches.

They endure horrific injuries, pain, and wounds. Unfortunately, thousands of them die each year.

Sadly, it's safe to assume that the number of Greyhound deaths is underreported.

12. Animal abuse statistics in America reveal that more than 100,000 horses are killed and processed for human consumption.

Fortunately, many slaughterhouses have been shut down over the years. Still, murdering horses for consumption continues happening.

The USDA even documented that 92.3% of the killed horses are in good health and could live a productive life if they weren't killed.

13. On average, 250,000 animals every year are victims of animal hoarding.

(Animal Legal Defense Fund)

The most outrageous form of animal abuse is animal hoarding. Hoarders usually have hundreds of cats and dogs.

These creatures are malnourished, have serious medical issues, dental and eye illnesses, and psychological distress.

14. Statistics on animal abuse reveal that there are over 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.

Every year, these mills breed more than 2 million dogs for profit.

The problem with puppy mills is that they often exist in horrible conditions.

The puppies are not kept safe from cold, heat, or bad weather, and they spend their lives in wire cages stacked on top of each other.

15. A little over 100 thousand dogs are tested upon in US laboratories a year.

Animal abuse statistics show that some universities go so far as to take dogs from shelters to use them in their experiments.

They are most often used in toxicology studies. These studies typically involve harmful pesticides, chemicals, and pharmaceutical medications.

16. Every year, US labs abuse more than 19,000 cats.

In addition to this, thousands of cats are sold to schools for dissections and various projects.

Animal Cruelty Statistics Worldwide

The rest of the world isn't less cruel to animals. Here are even more horrific figures and facts.

17. Between 5,000 and 6,000 tigers in China currently live in captivity because of the traditional medicine industry.

(World Animal Protection)

The majority of Asian medicine doesn't require wild animal products. Still, some subindustries create a horrible demand for big cat farming.

Lions and tigers are farmed and poached for their body parts and bones, which are used for making traditional remedies.

These animals are kept in tiny enclosures. And, animal abuse statistics from 2019 show that this hurts not only their bodies but their psyches, as well.

18. The UK's RSPCA gets a call about animal abuse every 30 seconds.

(Lad Bible, NCBI)

The RSPCA 's cruelty hotline operates 24/7. According to animal cruelty facts from the UK, it gets more than a million animal abuse reports in one year.

Unfortunately, they're able to solve just a little over 100,000 animal abuse cases in a year.

Moreover, animal cruelty statistics for Australia show a little brighter statistics. Aussies report 55,000-60,000 animal abuse cases a year.

19. One-third of parrot species are in danger of being extinct because of the exotic bird trade.

Millions of birds are illegally smuggled, traded, or sold on the black market to collectors or for illegal fighting.

The global trade of birds has had a significant negative impact, especially on parrots.

Due to the loss of their habitat, many parrot species are on the verge of extinction, according to animal abuse statistics from 2020.

20. Every year, more than 115 million animals in the world are used for laboratory experiments.

Most countries don't collect or publish data about animal testing and research. So, it's estimated that this number is much higher.

The US alone harms 15.6 million animals during experiments.

Moreover, lab animals like mice, rats, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates aren't even included in official statements.

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The European Union abuses more than 23.5 million animals. The UK, France, and Germany are the top countries using these creatures.

21. Denmark slaughtered 15-17 million animals for mink fur that tested positive for Covid-19.

Before this, China was the biggest mink fur producer. However, authorities in Denmark justified their actions saying they were afraid new strains of the virus would get to humans.

They were concerned vaccines wouldn't be effective against the new strain.

So, they simply slaughtered the animals and used their fur.

Animal Cruelty Cases on Animal Farms

Many people don't even think about what farm animals go through so we can enjoy their eggs, milk, cheese, and meat.

The sad reality is that farm animals are tortured to produce as much food as possible.

22. About 97% of all tortured and killed animals are farm animals.

These animals aren't seen as living beings-they're mass-produced for the product they become: eggs, milk, meat, and leather.

These animals are drugged and confined only to produce more milk and eggs, breed more offspring, and die.

Factory farming is a business, and farmers need to cut all costs to maximize their profit.

23. One statistic on animal abuse reports that over 9 billion chickens are killed every year.

US slaughterhouses breed and kill 10 times more birds than any other animal.

Additionally, 300 million chickens are used for their eggs.

Moreover, no birds-chickens, hens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc.-are protected by federal animal protection laws.

24. An estimated 95% of pigs get raised in factory farms that don't allow them to live naturally.

(World Animal Protection)

These cages are the size of an average refrigerator and are so small they can't even turn.

Factory farming is the most significant source of animal cruelty in the world.

25. Around 50% of all consumed fish are raised in artificial environments.

More often than not, fish are bred artificially instead of being caught in the wilderness.

People believe that fish can't feel pain, but it's been proven that along with pain, they also feel fear and suffering.

Further animal abuse statistics show that fish farming, or aquaculture, is one of the fastest-growing food production industries.

26. Dairy cows must give 10 times more milk than they would in nature.

Milking machines often cut the cows or cause them other injuries. Some even give them electric shocks, resulting in their death.

Usually, cows in nature live 20-25 years, but they're killed after 3-5 years and used for meat on farms.

Wild Animal Abuse Statistics

People are more familiar with wild animal abuse. However, the statistics paint an even sadder picture than most people imagine.

27. The majority of the sloths used for entertainment and tourism die within 6 months of their capture.

(World Animal Protection)

Unfortunately, sloths are the most commonly abused wild animals due to people seeking out "cute" photo opportunities.

When captured, they're constantly surrounded by people and are therefore placed under high stress levels.

28. As many as 35,000 elephants are poached every year, according to animal cruelty statistics.

(National Geographic)

The elephant poaching crisis is currently at its peak. What's even scarier, some elephant populations may very soon become extinct as a direct result.

At this moment, more elephants are being killed for ivory than are being born.

29. Animal abuse statistics worldwide reveal that over 100 million sharks are killed every year illegally, primarily to make shark's fin soup.

(Animal Matters)

Furthermore, over 85% of the world's fisheries have reached their maximum or surpassed it.

Additionally, animal abuse facts and information show that more than 650,000 marine mammals are seriously injured or killed every year because they get accidentally caught in fishing gear.

30. Approximately 75% of pet lizards, snakes, turtles, and tortoises die within the first year of becoming someone's pet.

(World Animal Protection)

Wild animals that are kept as pets suffer because nothing can replace their natural habitat.

Whether they're obtained legally or not, keeping wild animals as pets supports cruelty toward animals.

Statistics About Animal Abuse in the Entertainment Industries

Zoos, aquariums, and circuses may seem like a fun family activity. Sadly, what happens when the show is over will horrify you.

31. Lions and tigers have 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in nature.

(Freedom for Animals)

It's a fact that animals in zoos suffer immensely only because a zoo can't provide as much space as they'd have in their natural habitat.

In fact, lions spend 48% of their time pacing in their enclosure, which signifies a behavioral problem.

32. Around 75% of zoos and aquariums break the basic mistreatment rules.

In the case of animal abuse in zoos, statistics reveal that most of the world's zoos and aquariums offer visitors some interaction with animals.

33. Circus animals spend 96% of their lives in cages.

(Sentient Media)

Animal rights statistics reveal that most of these animals spend almost their whole lives in cages, transported from one city to another.

These animals are forced into submission, whipped, chained, and denied socialization with their own species.

Animal abuse in circuses is a significant problem as these animals are exploited continuously and left in terrible conditions.

34. Over the last 20 years, 35 documented dangerous incidents involved circus elephants.

(DoSomething)

These animals spend 11 months traveling in small cages, often eating, sleeping, and urinating in the same place.

Trainers usually use electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful methods to force the animals to perform.

This results in elephants bolting from circuses.

Some of the circus animal abuse statistics show that elephants have run through streets and attacked people. They've also crashed into buildings and injured or killed handlers in these accidents.

35. Since 1990, 126 big cats have died in US circuses because of their confinement.

Additionally, more than 255 people have been injured, and 26 have died in accidents with big cats from circuses.

Circus training sessions aren't monitored by the government. Still, undercover footage has shown that big cats are often hit with sticks and dragged by chains around their necks.

FAQ

What is animal abuse?

Scientific animal cruelty articles reveal that animal abuse and cruelty don't just include physical harm, but psychological, as well.

Torturing and beating animals, confining or transporting them in the wrong way is considered animal abuse.

Moreover, killing them in inhumane ways and not giving them proper food and hydration or medication are also considered forms of animal abuse.

Why do people abuse animals?

There can be numerous reasons for animal cruelty. Most of the people who abuse animals feel like they're under other people's control. They feel they have no power or that they're unnoticed.

Many want to shock or threaten other creatures as a way to demonstrate their power. Others just project what has been done to them.

What are the best ways to stop animal abuse?

There are some methods that everyone should practice.

The best way how to stop animal abuse is by being a responsible pet owner, first and foremost. Only you can fulfill your pets' needs and show kindness to other pets and give shelter to animals in need.

If you witness animal cruelty, you should immediately report it.

Furthermore, you should educate people around you about animal cruelty. Animal Cruelty Prevention Month (April) is a great time to start spreading your knowledge.

Children should also be taught from an early age how to respect and care for animals.

How many animals are abused each year?

It's challenging to make a precise estimation. We know that every year 10 million animals die from abuse. We also know that 100 million animals are used for lab experiments.

However, not all abuse cases are reported, so we can safely say that more than 100 million animals suffer abuse every year.

Where does animal abuse happen the most?

Animals in Asia are by far the most abused ones. Asia doesn't have many laws that protect animals from cruelty and exploitation.

This makes it easy for people to capture and cage bears for their bile, or slaughter cats and dogs for their meat.

Animal cruelty is also common in zoos, safari parks, and circuses in China and Vietnam.

Wild animals are usually kept in small cages and chains. This causes great psychological damage. Some wild captive animals even self-harm because of frustration.

What are examples of animal cruelty?

As we already mentioned, there is passive (neglect) and active (abuse) cruelty.

Neglect includes failing to provide animals with basic things, such as food, water, shelter, and vet care.

Neglect is a passive type of cruelty because it's typically caused by pet owners' ignorance.

On the other hand, abuse or active (intentional) cruelty is much more horrible. It includes the intentional causing of physical pain or injury. Maiming, torturing, and killing animals are just a few examples.

Is killing animals a crime?

You should know that anti-cruelty laws exist in all 50 states.

However, they may differ from state to state, so you should check your state's law for precise details.

Generally, killing animals is a crime. And we're not talking about euthanasia.

Anyone who intentionally and maliciously kills an animal could face jail time in their state or county jail. Or, they may be required to pay a fine of up to $20,000.

There's also the possibility of a combination - imprisonment and a fine.

What state has the toughest animal cruelty laws?

The best states included: Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, Maine, and Rhode Island.

The worst states were: Wyoming, Kentucky, New Mexico, Iowa, and Mississippi.

Illinois' laws state that animal fighting is a RICO offense while animal fighting provisions are a felony.

Moreover, the maximum penalty for aggravated cruelty is five years imprisonment and a $25,000 fine.

Which state has the highest animal cruelty rate?

With more than 113 reported animal cruelty cases per 100,000 people, Delaware takes this unfortunate win. The state recently passed a law that should protect dogs from life-threatening weather.

The law is supposed to prevent dogs from being tied outside for more than nine hours in extremely cold or hot weather.

Can you go to jail for killing a dog?

Yes, you can. As we mentioned, the laws differ from state to state, so the imprisonment duration can vary. However, killing animals unjustifiably will get you in jail. And (again, depending on the state) you'll probably have to pay a hefty fine.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, as these animal abuse statistics have shown, animal cruelty is a genuine issue that takes millions of victims every year.

People should be aware of some animals' daily struggles and give their best to help them. We hope that these statistics and facts will raise awareness of animal cruelty and help stop it.

Sources

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35 Disturbing Animal Abuse Statistics (2023 UPDATE) | Petpedia

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Sadly, as animal abuse statistics for 2023 show, animal cruelty is a real issue that takes millions of victims every year. Read on to discover more.

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https://news.yahoo.com/breonna-taylor-mother-blasts-black-155635973.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAuF160Meb4Czrb43llrsG-7ajWay4Xs7Q_TSNGHgO8iNWMKS_Jv3bqbq_PeM3DjLpbgCKXMdOxcQ1Y5CGbC5XBigCPVu0kq8DBFVtGUs29yVdXmroE-lK6XHiM6SC-ukuXs8Xxku46_n1DE9uETldPCEZTv0Kh_FDa-PiV23_fn

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The gray wolf lost Endangered Species Act protections last year, prompting a recent hunt that killed at least 216 wolves - far exceeding a quota set by state wildlife officials.

The Trump administration announced last year that the gray wolf would no longer be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Last week, hunters in Wisconsin killed more than 200 wolves. Credit... Dan Rozak/Alamy

Hunters in Wisconsin killed more than 200 wolves last week, far exceeding the state's limit as they scrambled to take advantage of Trump-era wildlife rules that they worry may be tightened by the Biden administration.

At least 216 wolves were killed in less than 60 hours, exceeding the state quota of 119 and prompting Wisconsin to end what was meant to be a one-week hunt four days early, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Environmentalists, who fought unsuccessfully in state court to stop the hunt, said the killings had occurred during breeding season, when gray wolves are especially vulnerable. They said the large number of wolves killed in such a short time underscored the need for President Biden to put the gray wolf back on the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

"These animals were killed using packs of dogs, snares and leg-hold traps," Kitty Block, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said on Tuesday. "It was a race to kill these animals in the most cruel ways."

The hunt, reported by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, follows the gray wolf's January removal from the Endangered Species Act. In October, the Trump administration announced that the species, which had been all but exterminated in the lower 48 states by the mid-20th century, had rebounded enough that it no longer needed federal shielding.

The removal of the wolf from the list was one of many rollbacks of environmental regulations under the Trump administration, which last summer announced new rules that would make it easier to remove a species from the endangered list and weaken protections for threatened species.

The resurgence of wolves in certain parts of the country has been called a success story for conservationists. But as their numbers grew, ranchers have had to contend with wolves' appetite for cattle and sheep. Conservationists counter that wolves keep deer, elk and other species in check and therefore help prevent more vegetation loss.

The last time wolves were hunted in Wisconsin was 2014, after President Barack Obama said the wolf could be removed from federal protection.

A federal judge later rejected the Obama administration's efforts to keep the wolf off the list.

Wisconsin is the only state in the country that requires a yearly wolf-hunting season if the animal is not protected under the Endangered Species Act, according to Nicholas Arrivo, a lawyer for the Humane Society.

The Trump administration's decision meant the state would have to hold one hunting season a year, which under Wisconsin law starts in early November and ends on Feb. 28.

Wisconsin wildlife officials had scheduled the start of the hunting season for this November, citing the need for time to develop a "science-based" harvest quota and work closely with the public and Native American tribes to create a plan.

But Hunter Nation, a hunters group led by Luke Hilgemann of Wisconsin, accused state officials of "intentionally delaying the wolf harvest to give radical anti-hunting groups time to block the delisting and stop a hunt altogether."

The group filed a lawsuit on Feb. 2 in which it argued that under state law, the hunt should be scheduled immediately since the wolf was taken off the list on Jan. 4.

The lawsuit noted a letter from Republican state lawmakers dated Jan. 15 in which they called for a wolf hunt season that month.

In their lawsuit, hunters pointed to President Biden's executive order to tackle climate change, which included a review of all existing regulations and policies enacted by federal agencies under the Trump administration.

"There is a substantial possibility that Wisconsinites' time to hunt wolves is limited," according to the lawsuit.

On Feb. 12, a Jefferson County circuit court judge ruled in favor of the hunters, ordering the state to start the season that month.

Before the hunt, state officials estimated there were about 1,200 gray wolves in the state.

Mr. Arrivo said it was possible that many of the wolves killed last week were pregnant or might have been mothers with new pups that were still dependent on them and might now die of starvation.

"I think the actual death toll is considerably higher because of the rippling effects through the wolf family structure," Mr. Arrivo said.

Hunter Nation said the large number of wolves hunted in such a short period of time showed that the population had "significantly increased."

The group said that in 2014, it took two months for hunters to kill about 100 wolves.

"This season it took just three days!" the organization said in a statement, describing the hunt as a success. "Clearly, the population of gray wolves has significantly increased during that time and the D.N.R. must take a serious look at their population models and counting methods."

Richard M. Esenberg, a lawyer for Hunter Nation, said it was misleading for animal rights activists to claim that hunters had killed double the number of wolves allowed by the state.

The state had set a quota of 200 wolves, with 119 for hunters who applied for permits with the department and 81 set aside to the Ojibwe Tribes under their treaty rights.

"The notion that there was this wide divergence between the outcome of the hunt and the number of the wolves that could be hunted simply doesn't bear up to analysis," Mr. Esenberg said.

But the tribes consider wolves to be sacred and made a deliberate decision not to hunt them, said Dylan Jennings, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which represents the tribes.

The tribes saw their allocation as a way to conserve a large number of the wolves - not to give hunters more animals to kill, he said.

The losses are "appalling," Mr. Jennings said. "There are a lot of people upset about it."

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Wisconsin Hunters Kill Over 200 Wolves in Less Than 3 Days

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The gray wolf lost Endangered Species Act protections last year, prompting a recent hunt that killed at least 216 wolves - far exceeding a quota set by state wildlife officials. Hunters in Wisconsin killed more than 200 wolves last week, far exceeding the state's limit as they scrambled to take advantage of Trump-era wildlife rules that they worry may be tightened by the Biden administration.

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Opinion | Ben Carson: Moving our focus from equality to equity won’t defeat racism. It’s another kind of racism.

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Proponents of equity see no problem with treating groups of people differently based solely on race, as long as it serves their agenda.

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http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/myths/31000-scientists-say-no-convincing-evidence

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https://www.pbs.org/articles/2020/06/racism-in-america/

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Environmentalists first predicted impending climate disaster in the 1970s, but they didn't call it global warming. Back then, it was "Global Cooling" that would end life on earth as we knew it. The smog of industrial pollutants was blocking out sunlight so severely, we were warned, that our planet would enter a new ice age unless we acted quickly. Magazine covers featured pictures of snowball earth.

In the eighties, we cleaned up our air, the threatened the ice age did not occur, and thousands of people with time on their hands and seeking purpose in life had discovered that they could make a career out of disaster prophecy. Thus, it was time for a new catastrophe: "Global Warming" Well, maybe not so new. Same villain: us and our machines. Same victim: our delicate planet earth. Same threat: the end of life as we know it. Only the predicted temperature had changed.

Global warming appealed to the press's appetite for calamity and became an instant hit. The headlines wrote themselves: The poles will melt! The oceans will rise! Lakes and rivers will dry up! Farmlands will become deserts! Millions will starve to death! This was big. Government would have to join the fight.

In the nineties, environmentalists switched their emphasis to "Climate Change" This was a marketing move. Global warming could credibly be blamed for warming, but climate change could be blamed for anything. If hurricanes increase one year, that's evidence of climate change. If they decrease the next year, well, that's climate change too. Droughts are caused by climate change, but so are exceptional rains. Warmer winters prove climate change, but so do colder winters. (Claiming that frigid temperatures are caused by global warming would sound ridiculous.) "Climate Change" was disaster gold. It couldn't be disproved.

Which is exactly why it's not science. It's pseudo-science, according to the great philosopher of science, Karl Popper, who pointed out that for any theory to be considered scientific, it must be falsifiable. There must be something within the theory itself that can be disproved.

This may be technically true, but what was far more important was that "Climate Change" had already been proven -- by three decades of data, by the computer models of climate experts, and by the overwhelming consensus of scientists.

But those "proofs" aren't science either. Looking backward, climate change the phenomenon has been a constant feature of our planet. Real climate science tells us that temperatures have been much colder and much hotter in the past. (Canada once had a tropical climate.). For the past ten thousand years, we've been living in an interglacial period. These pleasant periods have tended to last for ten to fifteen thousand years, so real climate science predicts that we can enjoy about five thousand more years of temperate weather until the next ice age hits.

The theory of "Climate Change" is entirely different. To claim that it has been proven is to entirely misunderstand how science works. No scientific theory is ever proven. Theories that appear to accurately describe how nature works -- like Darwin's theory of evolution or Einstein's relativity -- are assigned the provisional status of not yet disproven, with the understanding that the discovery of a single contrary fact could throw a wrench into the works.

Strictly speaking, "Climate Change" theory isn't really a scientific theory at all. It doesn't take into relevant account factors which arguably have a far stronger effect upon climate than CO2, like the sun, ocean currents, and the greatest greenhouse gas of them all, water vapor.

What "Climate Change" is, is a bunch of doomsday predictions. Now, predictions are the critical part of the scientific method. They are what enable a theory to be proven or disproven. If they prove false, they're also the best way to refute a theory.

Climate change alarmists have made lots of predictions. Perhaps too many, because not one of their predictions whose expiration date has passed has proven correct. Here's a sampling, courtesy of Anthony Watts at wattsupwiththat.com:

1988, Dr. James Hansen. Asked by author Rob Reiss how the greenhouse effect was likely to affect the neighborhood below Hansen's office in NYC in the next 20 years, Hansen replied: "The West Side Highway [which runs along the Hudson River] will be under water. And there will be tape across the windows across the street because of high winds. And the same birds won't be there. The trees in the median strip will change...There will be more police cars...[since] you know what happens to crime when the heat goes up."

Sept 19, 1989, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "New York will probably be like Florida 15 years from now."

1990, Michael Oppenheimer, The Environmental Defense Fund: "By 1996, the Platte River of Nebraska would be dry, while a continent-wide black blizzard of prairie topsoil will stop traffic on interstates, strip paint from houses and shut down computers... The Mexican police will round up illegal American migrants surging into Mexico seeking work as field hands."

October 15, 1990, Carl Sagan: "The planet could face an ecological and agricultural catastrophe by the next decade if global warming trends continue."

To suggest that the scientific validity of "Climate Change" is debatable is to speak charitably. But there's never been a debate, not for want of trying. Many skeptics have called for debates. In particular, Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, a hereditary peer, journalist, political advisor, inventor, and a skeptic well-versed in the details of climate science, has repeatedly challenged Al Gore to debate. That Al Gore has never replied to these requests is difficult to reconcile with his comments on the CBS "Early Show" (May 31, 2006):

"...the debate among the scientists is over. There is no more debate. We face a planetary emergency. There is no more scientific debate among serious people who've looked at the science... Well, I guess in some quarters, there's still a debate over whether the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona, or whether the Earth is flat instead of round."

These are not the words of a person who understands science. They are the tactics of a person who realizes he doesn't have a scientific leg to stand on.

There must be another nonscientific reason for the "Climate Change" agenda. That reason may involve the billions of dollars that proponents have demanded for solving this "problem."

"Climate Change" is a scam.

Environmentalists first predicted impending climate disaster in the 1970s, but they didn't call it global warming. Back then, it was "Global Cooling" that would end life on earth as we knew it. The smog of industrial pollutants was blocking out sunlight so severely, we were warned, that our planet would enter a new ice age unless we acted quickly. Magazine covers featured pictures of snowball earth.

In the eighties, we cleaned up our air, the threatened the ice age did not occur, and thousands of people with time on their hands and seeking purpose in life had discovered that they could make a career out of disaster prophecy. Thus, it was time for a new catastrophe: "Global Warming" Well, maybe not so new. Same villain: us and our machines. Same victim: our delicate planet earth. Same threat: the end of life as we know it. Only the predicted temperature had changed.

Global warming appealed to the press's appetite for calamity and became an instant hit. The headlines wrote themselves: The poles will melt! The oceans will rise! Lakes and rivers will dry up! Farmlands will become deserts! Millions will starve to death! This was big. Government would have to join the fight.

In the nineties, environmentalists switched their emphasis to "Climate Change" This was a marketing move. Global warming could credibly be blamed for warming, but climate change could be blamed for anything. If hurricanes increase one year, that's evidence of climate change. If they decrease the next year, well, that's climate change too. Droughts are caused by climate change, but so are exceptional rains. Warmer winters prove climate change, but so do colder winters. (Claiming that frigid temperatures are caused by global warming would sound ridiculous.) "Climate Change" was disaster gold. It couldn't be disproved.

Which is exactly why it's not science. It's pseudo-science, according to the great philosopher of science, Karl Popper, who pointed out that for any theory to be considered scientific, it must be falsifiable. There must be something within the theory itself that can be disproved.

This may be technically true, but what was far more important was that "Climate Change" had already been proven -- by three decades of data, by the computer models of climate experts, and by the overwhelming consensus of scientists.

But those "proofs" aren't science either. Looking backward, climate change the phenomenon has been a constant feature of our planet. Real climate science tells us that temperatures have been much colder and much hotter in the past. (Canada once had a tropical climate.). For the past ten thousand years, we've been living in an interglacial period. These pleasant periods have tended to last for ten to fifteen thousand years, so real climate science predicts that we can enjoy about five thousand more years of temperate weather until the next ice age hits.

The theory of "Climate Change" is entirely different. To claim that it has been proven is to entirely misunderstand how science works. No scientific theory is ever proven. Theories that appear to accurately describe how nature works -- like Darwin's theory of evolution or Einstein's relativity -- are assigned the provisional status of not yet disproven, with the understanding that the discovery of a single contrary fact could throw a wrench into the works.

Strictly speaking, "Climate Change" theory isn't really a scientific theory at all. It doesn't take into relevant account factors which arguably have a far stronger effect upon climate than CO2, like the sun, ocean currents, and the greatest greenhouse gas of them all, water vapor.

What "Climate Change" is, is a bunch of doomsday predictions. Now, predictions are the critical part of the scientific method. They are what enable a theory to be proven or disproven. If they prove false, they're also the best way to refute a theory.

Climate change alarmists have made lots of predictions. Perhaps too many, because not one of their predictions whose expiration date has passed has proven correct. Here's a sampling, courtesy of Anthony Watts at wattsupwiththat.com:

1988, Dr. James Hansen. Asked by author Rob Reiss how the greenhouse effect was likely to affect the neighborhood below Hansen's office in NYC in the next 20 years, Hansen replied: "The West Side Highway [which runs along the Hudson River] will be under water. And there will be tape across the windows across the street because of high winds. And the same birds won't be there. The trees in the median strip will change...There will be more police cars...[since] you know what happens to crime when the heat goes up."

Sept 19, 1989, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "New York will probably be like Florida 15 years from now."

1990, Michael Oppenheimer, The Environmental Defense Fund: "By 1996, the Platte River of Nebraska would be dry, while a continent-wide black blizzard of prairie topsoil will stop traffic on interstates, strip paint from houses and shut down computers... The Mexican police will round up illegal American migrants surging into Mexico seeking work as field hands."

October 15, 1990, Carl Sagan: "The planet could face an ecological and agricultural catastrophe by the next decade if global warming trends continue."

To suggest that the scientific validity of "Climate Change" is debatable is to speak charitably. But there's never been a debate, not for want of trying. Many skeptics have called for debates. In particular, Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, a hereditary peer, journalist, political advisor, inventor, and a skeptic well-versed in the details of climate science, has repeatedly challenged Al Gore to debate. That Al Gore has never replied to these requests is difficult to reconcile with his comments on the CBS "Early Show" (May 31, 2006):

"...the debate among the scientists is over. There is no more debate. We face a planetary emergency. There is no more scientific debate among serious people who've looked at the science... Well, I guess in some quarters, there's still a debate over whether the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona, or whether the Earth is flat instead of round."

These are not the words of a person who understands science. They are the tactics of a person who realizes he doesn't have a scientific leg to stand on.

There must be another nonscientific reason for the "Climate Change" agenda. That reason may involve the billions of dollars that proponents have demanded for solving this "problem."

"Climate Change" is a scam.

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Environmentalists first predicted impending climate disaster in the 1970s, but they didn't call it global warming. Back then, it was "Global Cooling" that would end life on earth as we knew it. The smog of industrial pollutants was blocking out sunlight so severely, we were warned, that our planet would enter a new ice age unless we acted quickly.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/21/conservatives-hope-to-turn-animal-welfare-sentiment-into-votes

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NEW YORK, August 11, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews) - Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, has identified the Black Lives Matter movement as a threat "to the health and safety of black Americans today."

"One of the greatest threats to the health and safety of black Americans today is not the police. It is Black Lives Matter. The facts are incontrovertible," Donohue said in a statement released Monday.

He referred to a recent Gallup poll, according to which 81 percent of black Americans want the same or more police presence in their area, not less.

Donohue focused his criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement on the most vocal organization claiming to represent the interest of black Americans, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Global Network Foundation.

"On the website of Black Lives Matter there is a petition calling for 'a national defunding of police.' While others are also calling to defund the police, Black Lives Matter is front and center," Donohue said.

He pointed out that one of BLM Global Network Foundation's three co-founders in a recent interview has called for getting rid of not only police, but also the prison system - a goal echoed by the organization's Chicago chapter.

"We say #DefundThePolice and #DefundDepOfCorrections because they work in tandem," Black Lives Matter Chicago wrote on Twitter. "The rise of mass incarceration occurred alongside the rise of militarized and mass policing. They must be abolished as a system. #DefundTheCarceralSystem."

We say #DefundThePolice and #DefundDepOfCorrections because they work in tandem. The rise of mass incarceration occurred alongside the rise of militarized and mass policing. They must be abolished as a system. #DefundTheCarceralSystem pic.twitter.com/fGlUqqItGB
- BLMChicago (@BLMChi) June 13, 2020

Donohue emphasized he wasn't simply blaming misguided black people for advancing these objectives. "One reason why we have gotten to this absurd stage is because of the white 'allies' of Black Lives Matter," he explained.

"To be specific, legions of young affluent white men and women have been intellectually seduced by their ideologically corrupt professors," Donohue continued. "They sincerely believe that the cops are the enemy and the prisons are evil. They need a reality check."
PETITION: Support priest who was suspended for calling out the Black Lives Matter organization! Sign the petition here.
Donohue spelled out the disastrous consequences for regular Americans, if police and the prison system were abolished.

"Black Lives Matter officials will be unaffected, as will their white allies; they live in comfortable neighborhoods," the Catholic League's president admitted. However, "[i]t will be innocent black men, women and children who will pay the price for their insanity. It doesn't get any more perverse than this. Indeed, the Klan could not improve on their agenda."

While Donohue did not comment on BLM Global Network Foundation's anti-family agenda, most Catholic critics have focused on two points in the organization's mission statement.

Outspoken Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas on Twitter linked to the movement's website and commented, "Please educate yourself on this!"

He pointed out that Black Lives Matter's statement of belief mentions two points "that are contrary to FAITH...#1 opposing the nuclear family (where is dad?) and #2 opposing God's plan for sex as a union of male & female."

"This agenda is DANGEROUS!" Strickland concluded.

Please educate yourself on this! Toward the end of this statement 2 points are made that are contrary to FAITH...#1 opposing the nuclear family (where is dad?) and #2 opposing God's plan for sex as a union of male & female. This agenda is DANGEROUS! https://t.co/pkR4p034vg
- Bishop J. Strickland (@Bishopoftyler) July 4, 2020

Black Lives Matter, according to its own website, wants to "disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages' that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable."

The term "villages" likely refers to Hillary Clinton's book It Takes a Village, the title of which was based on the African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child." Clinton argued for society's shared responsibility for successful childrearing. Catholic senator Rick Santorum eventually wrote a rebuttal titled It Takes a Family.

In addition to wanting to "disrupt" the traditional family, Black Lives Matter fosters "a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise)."

The website's section on "What We Believe" mentions transgenderism in several other places. "We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead," the movement stresses. "We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence."

The term "cisgender" is intended to denote a person who considers himself a member of his own true biological sex.

The Black Lives Matter movement claims that liberation movements for black people "in this country have created room, space, and leadership mostly for Black heterosexual, cisgender men - leaving women, queer and transgender people, and others either out of the movement or in the background to move the work forward with little or no recognition."

Alicia Garza, one of the founders, openly admits to being a homosexual. She claims that her "leadership and work challenge the misconception that only cisgender Black men encounter police and state violence." Accordingly, in order to "truly understand how devastating and widespread this type of violence is in Black America, we must view this epidemic through a lens of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity."

For a while, the umbrella group that provides tax-exempt financial status to the Black Lives Matter organization, one of the group's "projects," had a convicted terrorist on its board. BLM Global Network Foundation has since changed its provider for fiscal sponsorship. It is now part of Tides Center, which in turn is part of Tides Nexus, "a collection of related left-of-center grantmaking, fiscal sponsorship, and advocacy nonprofits headquartered in San Francisco, California," according to Influence Watch.

Donors to the Tides Center include "the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and George Soros's Open Society Foundations," Influence Watch found. Tides Nexus, the parent organization, spent more than $517 million on left-wing causes in 2018.

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Catholic civil rights group: Black Lives Matter endangers blacks

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NEW YORK, August 11, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews) - Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, has identified the Black Lives Matter movement as a threat "to the health and safety of black Americans today." "One of the greatest threats to the health and safety of black Americans today is not the police.

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The Problem With U.S. Wildlife Protection Efforts

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U.S. conservation efforts are vast but not geared to protecting rich biodiversity, a new study finds.

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May 27, 2015 ( NationalReview.com) -- I hope these people didn't think the question through.

Gallup reports that a worrying 32% of respondents believe animals should have "the same rights as people."

Good grief. That would mean no ownership of animals. After all, people have the right not to be owned.

It would also mean no eating meat, animal experimentation to achieve medical and scientific advances, or perhaps even the ownership of pet s-unless one had to obtain a guardianship for dogs, cats, fish, and birds as they often do for a dependent human.

Sixty-two percent agreed animals deserve "some protection from harm and exploitation." Of course they do. That's the difference between animal rights-an ideology believing in human/animal equality-and animal welfare, which posits a human obligation to treat animals humanely.

I am an animal welfarist. Animal rights is anti-human.
Reprinted with permission from the National Review Online.

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Gallup: 32% believe animals deserve the 'same rights' as humans

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May 27, 2015 ( NationalReview.com) -- I hope these people didn't think the question through. Gallup reports that a worrying 32% of respondents believe animals should have "the same rights as people." Good grief. That would mean no ownership of animals. After all, people have the right not to be owned.

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One of the great mysteries of human language is the existence of consonants. With the partial exception of our simian cousins-macaques in particular-and the psittacine species (parrots, cockatoos, etc.)-there are no consonants in the cries and voicings of the animal kingdom. Parrots are whose use of frequency modulations and bursts of phonemic approximates are not a precursor of elaborate reasoning or ethereal abstractions-though performing on his YouTube site can be quite impressive as a pop song crooner and does a pretty fair of Mick Jagger. , for their part, lack the neural architecture to reliably generate obstruents .

When we mimic the sounds of, say, a cat or a dog or cow, we add the consonants-"meow," "woof," "moo"-which the animal cannot articulate. (The growl sound of a threatening dog, which is often represented as a string of Rs, is not consonantal, as some assume, but uvular, formed in the back of the throat.) Many such sounds are or gutturals, subsumed for simplicity's sake under the heading of "vowel."

The same applies to the inanimate sounds of nature-rain, wind, thunder-which we render as vowels and reproduce with consonantal additions-"boom" for thunder, "whoosh" for wind, and so on. The sounds of human work, artifacts, appliances, and inventions, that is, neutral sounds, are also consonant-free. As with all natural sounds, we hear them as "excitements" of a damped resonator or as sonorants, glides, hums, rumbles, squeaks, and so on, but we interpret them as vague or inchoate vowels, often though not always voiced with initial or terminal consonants.

Some consonants-liquids, nasals, w, j-share nuclear properties with vowels since the vocal tract is not entirely obstructed in their production, but the tracheal strictures are sufficient to provide the break-stops, plosives, fricatives, dentals, velars, alveolars-in the tonal continuum to yield morphological and phonological units of sense-making.

Clearly, the laryngeal, glottal and palatal structures that allow for consonants pertain exclusively to humans, permitting the vocalization and reproduction of complex symbols. Without consonants, the expression of logical, deductive, metaphysical and speculative thought would not likely be possible. Aside from the opposable thumb and the intricacies of neural wiring, it was the physical ability to pronounce consonants that may have been a major driver of human intelligence. Vowels, on the other hand, are the commonplace staple of the natural, animal and neutral realms. Animal communication consists in calls-primitive semiotics-as, for example, the vervet monkey 's variety of cries to warn of different predators or threats in the environment. But the consonant is missing. As linguist James Harbeck points out in The Week , "humans tend to process animal sounds into the kinds of sounds would make. And we like the crisper onset and the clearer break of the "k" sounds."

In the larger framework, it is language itself that absolutely distinguishes man from animal, a phenomenon which the theory of evolution cannot explain. Darwin was aware of and troubled by the inability of natural selection to resolve the dilemma. In The Descent of Man , published 12 years after The Origin of Species , Darwin tried to account for the development of human speech as an imitation of birdsong, a "musical protolanguage," a desperate and unconvincing attempt to rescue an incomplete theory. In Ever Since Darwin , Stephen Jay Gould broke with evolutionary orthodoxy by pointing out the fictive nature of Darwin's linguistic speculations. I suspect that if the animal kingdom had been awarded the consonant, the evolutionary pageant might have been very different.

Interestingly, among the most luminous of our achievements, the Ten Commandments were given to us in a language that is written without vowels, be it ancient Hebrew or, as some scholars believe, Aramaic-both languages containing 22 letters, all consonants. In the Beginning was the Consonant. Before its creation, human thought was formless and void.

The capacity to break the flow of aspirate, sonorant or undifferentiated sound or fracture the stream of unverbalized thought is critical to the articulation of semantic precision and formal assemblies of meaning. It is how, to borrow an image from quantum, we turn an indefinable wave of precognitive awareness into the discrete particle of a clear idea. True, syllables are a confluence of vowel and consonant, but the point remains that there are no syllables in the non-human world though there are plenty of vowels or, rather, vowel-like sonics. The consonant is the human addition, rendering phonetic segments meaningful.

Of course, not all languages are alphabetical. An ideographical and tonal language like Chinese, for example, which resists Romanization, uses pictograms to represent ideas and objects, but Chinese characters can be transcribed, read and spelled as sounds, sharply revealing their consonantal properties.

There is a legend that King Solomon could speak to and understand the animal and natural creation. In 1 Kings , we learn that King Solomon could speak knowledgeably "trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes." However, according to Jewish tradition (the Haggadah ; the midrash Yalkut ), Solomon could actually converse with and understand animals and the elements of nature-no doubt telepathically, a mode of discourse which may have dispensed with both vowels and consonants. The language of spirit escapes our categories.

Nonetheless, I sometimes think that the consonant is a compensatory gift from the Divine Lexicographer, since we have not been blessed with Solomon's endowment. More realistically, the consonant is an evolutionary structure distinguishing man from beast. One might postulate that notational languages-music, mathematics, equationese-are consonantal derivatives. The consonant is a unique formation whose mysterious power and effect enable us to transcend mere intuitive apperception and form coherent systems of reproducible meaning. In its absence, I could not even think what I am writing now, however whimsically.

Our two cats Stanislav and Nandor are quite expressive beings, each in his own peculiar way. Stan produces arpeggios on the keyboard and Nan is an avid percussionist, yet, like Tico, they do not parse the world and develop concepts about it. My dog Boychik, whom Darwin might have admired and whom I remember with love, was a canine genius, but he never understood Plato or barked in syllogisms. It's all in the consonant.

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One of the great mysteries of human language is the existence of consonants. With the partial exception of our simian cousins-macaques in particular-and the psittacine species (parrots, cockatoos, etc.)-there are no consonants in the cries and voicings of the animal kingdom.

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Human migration around the globe caused the extinction of many large animals

"Humans Used to Be Good for the Planet, And We Can Be Again" according to an article in Vice this morning. It's a short article, but most of the points are wrong.

"humans have been altering the planet for at least 12,000 years... and much of that impact was good"

No, actually, everywhere humans migrated saw the extinction of megafauna: giant elephants, bears, antelope, armadillos and sloths to name a few. The dense early population growth of Mesopotamia, around the Mediterranean and in central China's Loess Plateau are all correlated with severe degradation of vegetation and with desertification.

"setting fires, hunting, agriculture, and plant and animal domestication-created diverse landscapes that were home to many species"

No, actually, nature created diverse landscapes with many species. Humans domesticated a few animals and selectively bred them, but on a species level, we've always been overwhelmingly destructive.

"centuries of fire suppression since Europeans colonized the United States... has this paved the way for megafires"

No, actually, the mega fires are primarily caused by the human driven climate crisis. But even the initial wildfire sparks are 85% caused by humans. The Trumpian idea that Smoky the Bear caused forest fires by preventing and fighting them is . Forests take centuries to grow and have adapted to natural fires. But ever since the arrival of man, forests have been logged and have burned at unsustainable and unnatural rates, which are now accelerating as we change the climate that once allowed forests to grow.

"areas with high biodiversity today are correlated with areas with long histories of Indigenous stewardship"

That correlation does not mean causality. Every city on earth once was home to indigenous people without the technology to destroy ecosystems as rapidly as we can today. That remote, biodiverse areas still have a few indigenous people doesn't prove that the indigenous people Before Europeans colonized the US, native societies in the Americas repeatedly created the biodiversity. collapsed their ecosystems: the Anasazi, Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, to name a few from the four corners.

Frankly, the thesis that our climate crisis can be fixed by "empowering indigenous stewardship" is unfair and racist. Those indigenous communities were historically forced to leave more valuable land for less, and just because they didn't kill as many species on their land as quickly as colonizers did on theirs, doesn't mean that it's now the indigenous peoples' job to save global biodiversity.

Sure, we should support indigenous communities that protect their environment, but that's not enough. We need to support all communities that protect their environment. We need to stop using propane and gas powered engines in all communities, including native reservations. The climate crisis is global, so why should the rich people who have been making money off of destroying ecosystems for centuries be allowed to pass on the cost and responsibility for saving the planet to the poor indigenous communities that they once displaced? Why should more land be taken from the victims-even for preservation-, while the descendants of the colonists continue to build more parking lots, pollute the planet with micro plastics and produce enough carbon to acidify the oceans?

The original research behind the article has some good suggestions for increasing biodiversity in developed areas and for improving cooperation internationally, but the above article reveals a common, warped view of reality. To address the climate crisis, we need to be honest. Humans have generally been bad for the planet, have been getting increasingly worse, and now we're causing mass extinctions by making much of the planet uninhabitable. We need to stop telling ourselves that a few other people are going to solve the problem, whether it's some new technological discovery or one tribe in the Amazon. So far, technology has made things worse, and the indigenous tribes are losing.

A few people, not limited by race, have been fighting for biodiversity since Alexander von Humboldt set sail in 1799. But now, humans need to change, deeply and immediately. We need to elect leaders that will not just restore and protect tribal lands, but leaders who will end the climate crisis by changing human behavior in all communities around the world, from what's left of the Amazon rainforest to Amazon.com, among both natives and nativists, your neighborhood and mine.

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"Humans Used to Be Good for the Planet", really?

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"Humans Used to Be Good for the Planet, And We Can Be Again" according to an article in Vice this morning. It's a short article, but most of the points are wrong. "humans have been altering the planet for at least 12,000 years... and much of that impact...

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The ASPCA's Legal Advocacy & Investigations department provides investigative and legal assistance to law enforcement and prosecutors pursuing animal cruelty and animal fighting cases nationwide, with dedicated legal support for the New York City Police Department and District Attorney's Offices handling these cases in New York City.

The department's experts in the issues of animal cruelty and animal fighting support and consult at all stages of criminal investigations and prosecutions, including identifying potential cruelty situations, providing evidence collection and analysis, and serving as expert witnesses at hearings and trials in state and federal courts. Our team, including former prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, provides a range of legal support, such as guidance on relevant animal cruelty laws and procedures as well as assisting with hearings, trial and legal documents.

The department also connects law enforcement and prosecutors to other resources integral to the success of animal cruelty cases, including experts in forensics and animal behavior. In addition to case work, the team regularly provides training to animal control agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, veterinarians and other animal welfare professionals.

The department's civil litigation team litigates suits in state and federal courts and participates as amicus curiae ("friend of the court") in cases with the potential to significantly improve legal protections for animals. As the ASPCA's Legislative Counsel, the department also provides legal analysis and drafting expertise on local, state and federal bills and regulations in order to further ensure protections for animals under the law.

Through its Puppy Mill Initiative, the department provides subject matter expertise on issues impacting commercially bred dogs and works to decrease the demand for cruelly bred dogs through public education and campaigns.

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The ASPCA's Legal Advocacy & Investigations department provides investigative and legal assistance to law enforcement and prosecutors pursuing animal cruelty and animal fighting cases nationwide, with dedicated legal support for the New York City Police Department and District Attorney's Offices handling these cases in New York City.

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Greenpeace USA - We fight for a greener, more peaceful world.

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For centuries, people have assumed that our vast ocean was limitless and immune to human impacts. It’s only recently that scientists have come to understand the devastating effects we’ve already had on our seas.