Before hotels and highways, the niu (Hawaiian for coconut) provided the Hawaiian people with shade, tools, and purpose. Its leaves danced in the wind and its roots were grounded into the earth with strength. However, a relentless menace looms over Hawaii’s serene islands in the form of a voracious beetle, jeopardizing not only the existence of the tree but also the very essence of what it embodies.

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Oryctes rhinoceros, more commonly known as the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), sounds just as terrifying as the damage it causes. Native to Southeast Asia, this beetle is now a major threat to both Hawaii’s landscapes and cultural identity. First found in Samoa in 1909, the beetle made its way to Oahu in 2013. Now, multiple populations have made their homes on Kauai, sparking calls for eradication. 

Without a natural predator, CRB populations remain unchecked, rapidly growing in size. On Oahu, efforts have shifted from eradication to containment, as the beetle has become too widespread to completely erase. 

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is now focused on containing beetle populations on other islands such as Kauai, where populations are still manageable, at least for now. 

Not Only Palms at Risk 

These beetles do not just nibble on trees; rather, they destroy the central growing point, known as the heart of the palm. This focal point is where all new growth begins. When destroyed, the entire tree dies. This is especially concerning for loulu, Hawaii’s only native palm, which is already listed as an endangered species. What’s more, these beetles can fly up to two miles in search of food, making containment or elimination extremely difficult once the species has found a new habitat. Their ability to spread quickly turns small infestations into massive problems.

Last fall, city crews flagged 80 coconut palms for removal on Oahu’s North Shore, between Mokuleia and Haleiwa. While they might have looked healthy on the outside, these trees were completely hollow inside – a dangerous yet invisible threat. Safety concerns have led to rapid removal of infested trees, especially in public spaces like parks. “It’s not what we want to do, it’s what we have to do,” said Urban Forestry Administrator Roxeanne Adams.

Cultural Consequences 

While coconut palms comprise much of Honolulu’s urban tree canopy, according to the Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, the infestation of coconut beetles is not just an environmental issue. 

Coconut palms are symbols of island life and essential to many Hawaiian practices and identities. In Native Hawaiian culture, the coconut tree is known as the “tree of life” – a source of food, shelter, and medicine. The kumu niu (Hawaiian for coconut tree) is something you look up to as a teacher and guide. Once a leader and symbol of wisdom, numerous coconut trees now suffer invisibly.

What’s Being Done? 

On Hawaii Island, the response has been promising. The county awarded the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) a US$250,000 grant to expand surveys, set traps, and educate local communities. Teams have also been working to train dogs to sniff out the beetles. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda summed it up: “We’re doing everything we can together… because if we don’t figure this out, it could jump to other crops like the kalo, as well as the ulu.”

Starting June 2025, Honolulu County is working to treat or remove around 800 coconut palms, with additional efforts to set traps in local parks. Currently, these trees are being treated with an insecticide known as Xytect. Farmers across the island have raised concerns about the insecticide’s harmful effects on bees and marine life, and call for a more natural approach. Further, the use of Xytect requires removing the fruit of the palm trees, halting cultural traditions and creating ecosystem imbalance. 

Daniel Anthony, owner of Mama ʻĀina Farms, explained that his coconut trees are fed solely natural ingredients to protect them from invasive beetles. Anthony and other farmers use eco-friendly methods to treat the palms, aiming to naturally combat the tree as if it has an infection, one that can be treated without harming other species, stripping the tree of its fruit, or introducing chemicals into the environment. 

What Else Is Affected?

CRB does not just affect palms. There is a substantial risk to agriculture, climate resilience, and food and water systems, too.

Local crops like banana, sugarcane and taro, which help protect shorelines, create shade, and support ecosystems, could all be next. Without these crops to defend us, the impacts of climate change will magnify. The Hawaiian economy is also paying a price – both through tourism, which relies on the beauty and cultural significance of coconut palms, and through food production, which will suffer when crops are lost. As the beetle continues to spread, pesticide use will increase, harming public health. 

In 2021, a report estimated that if the CRB continues to spread, it could lead to regional agricultural losses of up to $169 million annually by 2040. 

These combined effects make the beetle not just an agricultural issue, but a growing threat to Hawaii’s overall sustainability, wellbeing, and way of life.

Is Policy Keeping Up? 

The HDOA has expanded its policies in response. In an effort to keep the beetle from traveling between islands, in October 2024 the department approved a permanent rule banning the movement of mulch, green waste, and palm materials (breeding grounds for the beetle) from infested areas such as Oahu to non-infested areas. Residents of all Hawaiian islands are encouraged to inspect soil, mulch, and compost products for evidence of holes by which the CRB could enter. 

However, policies are only effective if enforced-and quickly. According to the Sierra Club of Hawai’i, the new permanent rules have made transportation of beetles between islands much more regulated, but enforcement is still needed. If businesses sell infested plants and materials, it is possible for the beetle to spread unchecked. 

As Senator Awa put it, the beetles are now “about as common as cockroaches” in some communities. Hawaii agriculture officials are experimenting with the potential solution of a nudivirus currently used in New Zealand, which fatally infects CRB by clogging their systems. This testing, however, requires mobile, airtight bio-secure labs, which Hawaii has yet to obtain. Not to mention, it will take at least $3 million more and several years just to begin local testing. 

What You Can Do  

In a state where palm trees define much of the skyline and symbolize local heritage, this is a battle for future generations who risk losing a symbol of identity and a source of income. Without a well-funded and strictly enforced strategy, experts warn that Hawaii may face a future without its iconic palms. Entire ecosystems could unravel, and traditional practices tied to trees like hala, coconut, and taro could disappear.

What happens next depends on the decisions we all make now. The fight against CRB requires collective action and collaboration. Residents can play a critical role by:

• Inspecting mulch and green waste for beetle holes.
• Reporting any beetles seen outside Oʻahu.
• Capturing and freezing specimens in a sealed container and contacting CRB Response.

Every beetle caught could be a tree saved, helping coconuts trees thrive for generations to come.

Featured image: Matthew Kellar via Flickr.

The post How a Beetle Is Threatening Hawaii’s Culture and Climate Resilience appeared first on Earth.Org.

ClimaMeter found that similar meteorological conditions in Texas, specifically in the Hill Country between San Antonio and Austin, are now up to 2 mm/day wetter and 1.5C warmer than they were in the past.

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Torrential rains associated with a deadly flood that claimed over 100 lives across six counties in central Texas on Independence Day were intensified by human-made climate change, a new study has concluded.

The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday, as exceptional downpours in Texas Hill Country increased the water level of the Guadalupe River by 26 feet (8 meters) within 45 minutes, bursting its banks and destroying everything in its path. Over 10 inches (254 mm) of rain fell across the region in just a few hours.

The study was conducted by ClimaMeter, a rapid framework for understanding extreme weather events in a changing climate funded by the European Union and the French National Centre for Scientific Research. By comparing past (1950-1986) and present (1987-2023) weather patterns in the region, researchers concluded that natural variability alone cannot explain the catastrophic floods and pointed at climate change as one of the main drivers of the event.

Specifically, they found that temperatures have increased up to 1.5C southern to the flood-affected area, while present-day conditions are up to 2 mm/day – or up to 7% – wetter in parts of central Texas and especially along the corridor from San Antonio to Austin. These changes, the study said, have created an environment more favorable to sudden, high-impact rainfall events.

Researchers also acknowledged that factors not taken into account for this study, such as land use change, urban sprawl, and warning system failutres, may have amplified the floods.

“The devastating floods in Texas reflect the growing impact of a warmer, more humid atmosphere fueled by climate change,” said Mireia Ginesta from the University of Oxford. “To protect communities now, it is essential to maintain strong support for weather forecasting and scientific research, ensuring accurate forecasts and effective early warnings that can save lives.”

The findings align with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s conclusions that climate change is intensifying the water cycle, leading to more intense rainfall and associated flooding.

A warmer atmosphere, heated by fossil fuel emissions, can hold more moisture, resulting in heavier downpours. For every 1C that Earth’s atmospheric temperature rises, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere can increase by about 7%.

As climate scientist Andrew Dessler put it: “The role of climate change is like steroids for the weather – it injects an extra dose of intensity into existing weather patterns.”

Featured image: World Central Kitchen/Flickr.

More on the topic: Scrutiny Over Trump Cuts to Emergency Response and Weather Forecasting Agencies Mounts as Texas Flood Death Toll Climbs to 78

The post Heavy Rain in Texas Floods Intensified By Human-Driven Climate Change: Study appeared first on Earth.Org.

While there was “no evidence” that cuts to weather agencies affected weather warnings ahead of the floods, a well-known US meteorologist said these cuts “will eventually bite us with unneeded loss of life.”

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At least 78 people have died and dozens remain missing after catastrophic floods wrecked havoc in Texas on Independence Day.

28 of the victims were children, Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country – the epicenter of the flooding – confirmed on Sunday.

The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday, as torrential rain across central Texas increased the water level of the Guadalupe River by 26 feet (8 meters) within 45 minutes, bursting its banks and destroying everything in its path.

As search-and-rescue operations – some of the largest efforts in recent Texas history – continue, questions have surfaced regarding local authorities’ preparedness and the effectiveness of the warning systems in place.

Some Texas elected officials have blamed the National Weather Service (NWS) for issuing inadequate forecasts and warnings ahead of the storm. But meteorologists and former Weather Service officials have defended the forecasts, saying they were as good and accurate as they could be given the storm’s abrupt escalation, the New York Times reported.

Rapidly intensifying rainfall events like this one are inherently difficult to predict, and forecasters often cannot pinpoint exactly where and when high-intensity and heavily localized rainfall will occur, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain explained. Flash floods, as the name suggests, are also very hard to predict due to their rapid and often sudden onset.

Criticism over the Trump administration’s recent cuts to emergency response and weather forecasting agencies have also mounted over the weekend. Experts have repeatedly warned that these cuts have diminished forecasters’ abilities to predict disasters and provide accurate advance warning. 

Meteorologist John Morales said on Saturday there was no evidence that cuts to weather agencies affected weather warnings ahead of the floods, though he added that these cuts “will eventually bite us with unneeded loss of life.” On Sunday, however, Morales pointed out at current vacancies at local NWS offices in key roles such as Meteorologist in Charge and Warning Coordination Meteorologist.

Some experts have warned that these staff shortages, which have doubled since Donald Trump took office in January, might have complicated forecasters’ ability to coordinate responses with local emergency management officials, the New York Times reported.

Trump was quick to reject the claims, while the White House said in a statement to media outlets that claims that NWS cuts were related to the tragedy were “shameful and disgusting.”

Climate Link

There is consensus among climate experts that events like this are becoming stronger and more frequent in a rapidly warming world.

A warmer atmosphere, heated by fossil fuel emissions, can hold more moisture, resulting in heavier downpours. For every 1C that Earth’s atmospheric temperature rises, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere can increase by about 7%.

According to Climate Central, the low-level moisture fueling the weather system over Texas came from a warmer-than-average Gulf of Mexico. Sea temperatures here are currently 1-2F above average for this time of year owing to climate change.

“This kind of record-shattering rain (caused by slow-moving torrential thunderstorms) event is *precisely* that which is increasing the fastest in a warming climate,” said Swain. “So it’s not a question of whether climate change played a role–it’s only a question of how much.”

Temperatures have been abnormally high across the US in recent weeks, while much of Europe endured a deadly heatwave that shattered records in Portugal and Spain.

The post Scrutiny Over Trump Cuts to Emergency Response and Weather Forecasting Agencies Mounts as Texas Flood Death Toll Climbs to 78 appeared first on Earth.Org.

In its long-awaited advisory opinion, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) also affirmed states’ legal obligation to protect environmental defenders and ensure access to justice.

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States and corporations have binding obligations under international law to address the climate crisis as a human rights emergency, Latin America’s top court on human rights ruled on Thursday.

Asked to clarify how states’ existing legal obligations apply in the urgent context of the climate emergency and its intersection with human rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) laid out a series of legal standards, including the recognition of a right to a healthy climate as a human right as well as the obligations of states and businesses to prevent irreversible environmental harm and guarantee the protection and restoration of ecosystems.

“Causing massive and irreversible environmental harm…alters the conditions for a healthy life on Earth to such an extent that it creates consequences of existential proportions. Therefore, it demands universal and effective legal responses,” said IACtHR President Nancy Hernández López.

The 234-page advisory opinion sets out the court’s perspective on the climate emergency and human rights, recognizing that states have legal obligations under international law to protect current and future generations from the impacts of climate change, to take “urgent and effective” action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to adapt, to cooperate, and to guard against climate disinformation and greenwashing.

Presenting the opinion in San Jose, Costa Rica, López addressed the right to a healthy environment, saying for the first time that it includes the right to a stable climate – both for individuals and the coexistence of species. The court first explicitly recognized a legal right to a healthy environment in an advisory opinion it issued in 2017.

In this regard, the court affirmed states’ legal obligations to regulate emissions from both public and private organizations, singling out exploration, extraction, transportation and processing of fossil fuels, cement manufacturing and the agro-industry. It said they should consider requesting compensation from businesses not complying with environmental regulations and introduce laws to hold transnational corporations accountable fir the emissions of their subsidiaries.

Notably, a section of the opinion addressed environmental defenders, affirming states’ binding obligations not only to protect those who defend land, climate, and human rights but also to investigate those acts, punish those responsible, and ensure access to justice.

At least 2,106 environmental defenders – many of them being Indigenous people – have been killed between 2012 and 2023, according to Global Witness. Weak legal protections, high levels of corruption, and intense conflicts over land and resource exploitation make Latin America one of the most dangerous to operate in for environmental defenders.

“Without environmental defenders, there is no climate justice,” said Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Senior Attorney Luisa Gómez Betancur, adding that the court’s opinion made it clear that protecting them “is not optional.”

López said climate change carries “extraordinary risks” disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable segments of society and concluded by stressing that there is no space for delayed climate action.

Wide-Reaching Opinion

The opinion came two years after Colombia and Chile submitted a joint request to the court. It saw unprecedented levels of participation, with over 260 written inputs and 160 oral presentations by states, civil society, Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples, and others on the frontline of the climate emergency during last year’s hearings in Barbados and Brazil.

While holding jurisdiction over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, the court on Thursday affirmed that the ruling, which takes into account a wide range of national, regional and international laws and principles, must guide the climate responses of all American states. This includes those who have failed to ratify the IACtHR – the US and Canada.

While not per se legally binding, the advisory opinion, as a review of binding international law, carries substantial legal weight and is poised to shape future climate policy and litigation.

“The Court has broken new ground and set a powerful precedent in affirming the human right to a healthy climate, the right to remedy and reparation of climate harm, and the absolute legal prohibition on conduct that causes irreversible damage to the environment and the climate on which all life depends,” said CIEL Climate & Energy Program Director Nikki Reisch, calling the opinion a “legal milestone” and a “blueprint for climate action and climate accountability.”

Second of Four

Thursday marked the second time an international court has issued an advisory opinion on climate change, after the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued its opinion last May. The UN court on maritime law reaffirmed that states must “take all necessary measures to prevent, reduce and control marine pollution from anthropogenic [greenhouse gas] emissions.”

More on the topic: The ITLOS Advisory Opinion Is a Stringent Call for Due-Diligence for Climate Impacts on Oceans

The International Court of Justice, the world’s top court, is also expected to issue an opinion in the coming months on the obligations of states under international law to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment. And in May, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was asked to weigh in on climate-related legal obligations of African states.

The post Countries Have Legal Duty to Protect Human Right to a Stable Climate, Top Court Rules appeared first on Earth.Org.

The COP30 Local Leaders Forum will be held in Rio de Janeiro from November 3-5, aiming to link the global agenda of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its COPs with local realities.

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Local leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro for three days ahead of this November’s COP30 summit in Belém, focusing on how cities, states, and regions can accelerate progress on global climate goals, the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies have announced.

Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, and COP30 CEO Ana Toni unveiled the initiative at London Climate Action Week on Tuesday. Bloomberg, a businessman who served as mayor of New York City for more than a decade, also chairs the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

The COP30 Local Leaders Forum – a meeting of city mayors, provincial governors, and other local leaders from cities, states and provinces around the world – will be held in Rio de Janeiro from November 3-5. It aims to link the global agenda of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its COPs with local realities. These include urban issues such as housing, mobility, sanitation, urban development, disaster risk reduction, and green infrastructure. 

The event will bring together several global conferences under one roof, including the C40 World Mayors Summit, the Global States and Regions Summit, the Local Leaders Awards Ceremony, the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP) High Level Political Dialogue, and the America Is All In Exchange.

“To hit the targets under the Paris climate agreement, nations must do more, faster — and cities and states are leading the way. By teaming up with Brasil to bring together forward-thinking mayors and governors, we’re putting local action at the heart of international efforts — and laying the groundwork for more progress at COP30,” Bloomberg said in a statement. 

Worldwide, cities already account for 75% of global energy consumption and its resulting emissions, a figure set to increase as urbanization accelerates. At the same time, cities will be impacted by climate change: by 2050, ten urban areas in the Global South can expect up to 8 million migrants if emissions do not fall, while over 800 million people, living in 570 cities, will be vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal flooding. In Brazil, which will host the upcoming meeting, 87% of the population already lives in urban areas.

Christine Loh, an Asia climate leader who convened the 2010 C40 Cities summit, emphasized that global cooperation is needed to ensure local needs are met. “There is a realization that decarbonizing cities, where the bulk of our populations live, is where urgent action is needed. [But] Asian cities are very different from North American and European cities – on the whole, Asian cities have much higher population densities, and the richer cities are also much more vertical with high-rises. These conditions require different solutions – hence Asian cities need to share their experiences with each other,” she told Earth.Org in an emailed response.

Along with the meetings and high level exchange sessions, a series of innovation events will also take place at the November event. Following the forum, a delegation of local leaders will travel to Belém to connect the events in Rio to COP30 by formally representing a unified subnational climate agenda at COP30.

The summit, scheduled for November 10-21, will bring together world leaders to review ongoing efforts to address climate change.

Featured image: Carlos Ortega/Flickr.

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Follow Earth.Org’s COP30 updates.

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday announced the administration’s intention to rescind a quarter-century old rule prohibiting road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on large areas of the National Forest System.

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The Trump administration plans to rescind a Clinton-era rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday.

Speaking at the Western Governors Association annual meeting, Rollins announced a rollback of what she described as the “overly restrictive” Roadless Rule. Introduced by the Clinton administration in 2001, the policy prohibits road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System.

It follows a March executive order and a memo issued by Rollins in April, which laid the groundwork for a major increase in industrial logging across federal forests.

More on the topic: Trump’s Push to Expand Logging Is A Major Threat to US Forests and Wildlife

Green groups have immediately hit back.

“The roadless rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forest lands from clearcutting for more than a generation,” said Drew Caputo, Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife and Oceans at Earthjustice.

“The Trump administration now wants to throw these forest protections overboard so the timber industry can make huge money from unrestrained logging. These are lands that belong to all Americans, not the timber industry,” Caputo added, threatening leagl action against the Trump administration if the rollback goes ahead.

More than 1.6 million public comments were submitted in support of the rule’s implementation – more comments than any other rule in the nation’s history.

“Once again, the Trump administration is ignoring the voices of millions of Americans to pursue a corporate giveaway for his billionaire buddies,” said Alex Craven, Forest Campaign Manager at grassroots environmental organization Sierra Club.

The groups warned that timber and mining activities would pollute air and drinking water and strip away essential habitats for wildlife such as California condors, grizzly bears and wolves of the Yellowstone area, native salmon and trout in the Pacific Northwest, migratory songbirds of the Appalachian hardwoods.

Deforestation is also directly linked to higher emissions. When forests are cleared, the carbon stored in trees is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, the largest contributor to global warming.

Rollins justified the move as necessary to allow for better fire management in places such as Utah, Montana, and Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, where large areas of forest are protected under the Roadless Rule. This is despite research finding that most fires originate in close proximity to roads and settlements.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, a US-based non-profit, decades of logging, fire suppression and livestock grazing have dried out forests across the country, increasing the risk of large, high-intensity fire.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons.

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The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to repeal all “greenhouse gas” emissions standards for the power sector under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act and amend the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, moves that some legal experts have described as “illegal” and a threat to the health of millions of Americans.

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Earlier this month, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put forward a proposal to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for the power sector, dealing another blow to climate action. 

The new rules target pollution control standards for coal and gas power plants established by the EPA under the Clean Air Act in 2015 as well as Biden-era regulations to phase out emissions from electricity-producing fossil fuel plants.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin earlier this month said that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants “do not contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution,” when in reality, they are a major contributor and a huge threat to human health. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a by-product of burning fossil fuels, is the principal anthropogenic greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

“This is the scientific equivalent to saying that smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer,” climate scientist Zeke Hausfather said in response to Zeldin’s claim. 

The health benefits associated with reducing long-term exposure to air pollution are significant, as exposure to toxic pollutants has been found to cause certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer and even lead to premature death. Approximately 7 million people die each year from air pollution globally. 

Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright anticipated the administration’s move when they publicly attacked the EPA’s Endangerment Finding earlier this year, threatening to end it.

“The 2009 Endangerment finding has had an enormously negative impact on the lives of the American people for more than 15 years. It’s past time the United States ensures the basis for issuing environmental regulations follows the science and betters human lives,” said Wright.  

Issued in 2009, the finding revealed that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can endanger both public health and the environment for current and future generations. The proposed rules effectively dismiss these findings, enabling weaker power plant regulations by overturning the original restriction. 

Mercury

The new proposal also targets the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which former president Joe Biden toughened last year. The new rule would cut emissions limits for toxic substances like nickel, arsenic, and lead by two-thirds and reduce regulation on mercury emissions by 70%.

44% of all manmade mercury emissions come from burning coal for electricity. Power plants that burn coal to create electricity are the largest source of mercury emissions in the US, though activities involving the burning of electronic waste such as phones and batteries, as well as steel production, also generate mercury emissions. 

Overexposure to mercury is linked to health issues such as speech impairment, hearing, walking or muscle weakness, insomnia, and changes in nerve responses, possibly even leading to memory loss. Exposure to methylmercury, a highly toxic form of mercury that is formed by bacteria in water and soil, can adversely affect unborn infants’ growing brains and nervous systems, children exposed to methylmercury while they are in the womb can have impacts on their cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, fine motor skills, and visual spatial skills.

‘Legally Baseless’

The Trump administration described the new rules as necessary to restore American energy dominance by removing undue burdens on coal-fired plants, and as a way to accomplish the EPA’s “core mission” of protecting human health and the environment. But critics warn that these rollbacks will have serious repercussions on the health of millions of Americans.

“It would lead to the biggest pollution increases in decades and is a blatant give-away to polluters,” more than 200 health experts wrote in the letter published after the EPA’s announcement. They added that any attempt to reverse the endangerment finding would be “legally baseless”, and would harm communities already suffering from the impacts of climate changes, like extreme heat.  

According to the Sierra Club, a grassroots environmental organization, rolling back the EPA’s standards limiting emissions from gas- and coal-fired power plants would release seven times as much CO2 as they currently put into the atmosphere. “This repeal means more climate disasters, more heart attacks, more asthma attacks, more birth defects, more premature deaths,” said Patrick Drupp, the Sierra Club Climate Policy Director. 

Howard Frumkin, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, warned that the rollbacks will have “major, direct consequences” for the health and well-being of Americans, adding that “Americans will die needlessly.”

“They would lead to more illnesses, which in turn would mean more days missing school and work, more visits to doctors and hospitalizations, and increased medical costs,” said Vickie Patton, General Counsel of Environmental Defense Fund.

You might also like: California Sues Trump Over Blocking Its Clean-Air Rules For Cars, Trucks

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Bats feed on the rice borer moth, a pest that poses a significant threat to rice crops worldwide. In Spain, Madagascar, and Mexico, they have proven vital for the protection of rice crops.

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According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization, global rice production increased steadily from 200 million tonnes (mt) in the early 1960s to 700mt in half a century, driven largely by population growth. This rise in production heightened the need for more effective and economical methods of insect pest control – such as using bats – instead of relying solely on insecticides. Insectivorous bats can consume some 80-100% of their body weight in insects each night, making them valuable allies in agriculture.

In 1990, in the Ebro Delta Natural Park on Buda Island, northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, pesticides were generally spread from aircrafts. Farmers, aware of the need for an alternative solution, installed bat boxes across rice plantations in a bid to fight the rice borer moth, a serious pest of rice. They were soon occupied by thousands of bats across several hectares of rice fields and, in a short time, pest levels declined significantly. 

Building on this natural pest control approach, a study published in 2015 provided scientific validation and evidence supporting the role of bats as effective, eco-friendly pest controllers. In the years to come, more studies followed. In 2024, researchers studied how the presence and absence of bats affected rice pests. They concluded that on plantations where barriers were set up to prevent bats from accessing them, pest presence was twice as high.

Nowadays, however, pheromones are mostly used to control these pests, and if they are not enough, pesticides are also applied. Pheromones are substances that disrupt mating by confusing male insects, masking the scent trails of females, or creating false trails into the field. 

The Importance of Preserving Bats

“The presence of bats in agricultural lands significantly contributes to the protection of the yield of rice fields, minimizing the harvest losses due to insect pests,” explained Adrià López-Baucells, a researcher from the BiBio Research Group at the Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers in Spain. “The economic value of this natural pest control is estimated at savings of €56 [US$65] per hectare in rice fields,” the researcher explained, making bats a sustainable, economical, and environmentally safe method to fight insect pests in agriculture.

In the 2015 study mentioned above, researchers and park technicians also evaluated the types of boxes most suitable for bat survival. In the past, during episodes of extreme heat, some bats died from the excessive temperatures inside conventional boxes. An innovative model of box was therefore developed by Xavier Porres, a technician and project collaborator from the Natural Park in Ebro Delta, made from a mix of rice husk, plant fibres, and other organic materials from rice production. These lightweight, waterproof, and light-colored boxes were designed to prevent overheating and were installed throughout the park. By using agricultural waste from the rice farms to create shelters for bats – which then helps control pests in the fields – this approach completes a sustainable cycle of reuse and natural pest management, ultimately boosting crop productivity. 

Bat Projects Around the World

Following these findings, the Catalan public administration in Spain began funding collaborative projects and initiatives between the BiBio Research Group and the BETA Technological Centre. These projects use bats to improve biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. For example, in Catalonia, vineyards make up about half of the land used for organic farming, where synthetic chemicals aren’t allowed – so farmers rely only on prevention and natural methods to manage pests. 

As part of these initiatives, researchers aim to study the bats’ diet, threats, migration, and behaviour. Smart and autonomous bat boxes have also been recently designed and equipped with infrared cameras, environmental sensors, and solar panels. These boxes take one photo per day and send it to a mobile phone, allowing for the constant monitoring of bat presence, detection of breeding, and continuous tracking.

The knowledge gained from the 2015 study was then applied to different contexts. In 2025, researchers from the same group identified a similar pattern with bats controlling multiple insect pests in Madagascar. 

Madagascar is renowned for its rich biodiversity and high levels of endemism, but it currently faces significant threats from land conversion for agriculture due to the exponential population growth in the last half century. To plant crops such as rice, people are forced to clear land by deforesting large areas, resulting in significant forest and habitat loss. They use a practice known as “slash and burn”, which involves burning, clearing the remains, and planting the new crop. The forced transformation of landscapes on this African island has disrupted ecosystems, causing bats to relocate and increasingly coexist with humans. 

Urgent conservation efforts, including community-led cave protection and sustainable land-use planning, are needed. Raising awareness among farmers about the value of bats can promote sustainable practices and strengthen food security. 

Soon after, another study in Mexico drew a similar conclusion. In Morelos, researchers studied how well insect-eating bats help protect rice crops from pests. They found that bats reduced crop damage by 58%. Although the total rice harvest didn’t increase much, the reduced damage was worth about €3-7 (US$3.6-8) per hectare each year. This is the first time the economic value of bats for rice farming has been measured in the Americas, highlighting the importance of protecting bats as part of sustainable agriculture.

Bats as Bioindicators

Bats are very small mammals. Their wings make them appear larger, but sometimes weigh less than 5 grams. Despite their small size, they have remarkable longevity: many species live between 10 and 20 years in the wild, and some can reach 30 to 40 years. They also have a low reproductive rate: most species produce only one offspring per year. This combination of longevity and low birth rate means that damaged colonies can take decades to recover. 

Bats are disappearing due to habitat loss transformed for intensive agriculture, pesticides, climate change, disease, and human disturbance. These factors reduce their food, shelter, and survival rates. As bioindicators, their decline signals worsening ecosystem health.

In Catalonia, for example, 30 species have been identified, with one already classified as extinct. Some are associated with riparian forests, and their presence indicates good environmental health. Others, which are forest dwellers, only breed in well-preserved woods, making them clear indicators of environmental quality.

Bats support sustainable agriculture by naturally reducing pests, which lessens pesticide use and helps protect food security and the environment. Preserving their habitats boosts rural productivity and biodiversity. Studies in the Ebro Delta, Madagascar and Mexico confirm their valuable role in farming systems, especially amid global challenges like climate change and ecosystem stress.

Featured image: Oriol Massana and Adrià López Baucells.

The post Around the World, Bats Are Protecting Rice Crops Against Pests appeared first on Earth.Org.

Found across the North American and Asian coasts of the Pacific Ocean, the sea otter is one of the smallest, and perhaps the most endearing, marine mammals in the world.

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As with most members of the Mustelidae family, the sea otter has incredibly dense fur, made up of approximately one million hairs per square inch of skin. Although useful for insulation in absence of blubber, the sea otter’s characteristic coat made it the target of the maritime fur trade in the 18th century, forcing the species to the brink of extinction.

The subsequent implementation of international protective legislation in 1911 resulted in a significant recovery of sea otter populations across the species’ endemic range, reducing instances of hunting and persecution. However, pollution, oil spills, climate change and predation continue to pose a substantial threat to the vitality of sea otters, with the species therefore retaining an endangered status.

1. Appearance

The sea otter is the largest member of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers and ferrets. Newborn sea otter pups measure in at a mere 25 centimetres and weigh just 1.4 to 2.3 kilograms. Northern sea otters tend to grow slightly larger than their southern counterparts, with northern males reaching a height of 152 centimetres and a weight of 45 kilograms, while southern males grow to around 120 centimetres in length and weigh 32 kilograms. Slight sexual dimorphism is observed within the species, as females are moderately smaller.

Sea otters typically sport a dark brown undercoat, with lighter brown guard hairs, and have webbed feet to aid with swimming. Their nostrils and ears are able to close when submerged underwater. With 850,000 to 1 million hairs per square inch of skin, the sea otter has the densest fur of any mammal. Comprised of two layers, an undercoat and long guard hairs, this water-repellent coat traps air to aid with buoyancy and insulation in absence of blubber. Sea otters maintain an exceptionally clean coat, often washing themselves after feeding to help retain its waterproof, insulating properties. 

2. Diet 

Since sea otters reside in coastal, shallow waters, their diet consists primarily of marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, clams, muscles, abalone, crustaceans, snails, squid, and octopuses. Within newly reoccupied habitats in central California, sea urchins, abalones and rock crabs constitute the principal prey of local sea otter populations, whereas those found in soft-sediment habitats tend to consume clams and crabs. Sea otters found within the Aleutian archipelago of Alaska, however, regularly consume bottom dwelling fish, which constitute up to 50% of their diet during certain seasons.

Despite its relatively small stature, a sea otter’s prey size ranges from small snails, clams and limpets, to kelp crabs and giant pacific octopuses. When foraging for abalone, urchins and clams, sea otters tend to select larger prey over smaller options, with Californian populations often disregarding Pismo clams smaller than 7 centimeters in diameter. Sea otters have been found to consume upwards of 100 different species of prey and have an incredibly high metabolism, with a daily food intake of 25-40% of their body weight in order to keep them warm. 

Whilst foraging for food underwater, these marine mammals use loose skin under their armpits to act as a pocket for food storage. Clams, which burrow in soft sediment, are excavated through digging. Males tend to forage at a maximum depth of 82 metres, whereas females only descend to 54 metres. Typically feeding in the morning and afternoon, sea otters float on their backs at the surface of the water to eat. They are amongst the few animals that have been observed using tools to access food sources; for prey such as clams and abalone, sea otters are often seen using a rock to strike and break open hard shells.

3. Habitat & Behaviour

Sea otters are a costal species and therefore use a range of near shore marine environments, foraging primarily in waters less than 30 metres in depth and within a kilometre of the shoreline. Predominantly associated with rocky, intertidal habitats that support kelp beds, sea otters utilise kelp as anchorage to avoid floating away with ocean currents when resting, indicating the importance of kelp canopy as a habitat component. Some have even observed that dense kelp canopy can help otters with predator avoidance, evading shark bites with greater ease. Nevertheless, the species has also been known to spend time in areas with soft-sediment, devoid of kelp, where the substrate consists of mud, silt or sand rather than rocks.

Habitats that offer protection from ocean winds and swells, such as barrier reefs, kelp forests, rocky coastlines, inlets, bays and estuaries, are of critical importance to sea otters as well. Although this marine mammal tends to remain within a small home range and displays high site fidelity, some sea otters, predominantly males, do carry out migrations and long distance movements at certain times of the year.

Sea otters are almost exclusively aquatic, though in some regions they may come ashore to rest or sleep. Known for their characteristic floating, sea otters are incredibly buoyant due to the air trapped within their dense coats, allowing them to sleep, feed, play, and even nurture their young while floating on their backs. These mammals are highly social and are only weakly territorial, with instances of aggression or fighting deemed rare. Males and females float in separate groups of between 10 and 100 individuals, known as “rafts”, often holding hands to prevent separation. 

Sea otters are the only species of otter to give birth whilst in the water, with females typically delivering a litter of one. The coats of newborn pups trap sufficient air to prevent them from diving or becoming submerged underwater, with mothers often wrapping their young offspring in kelp when leaving to hunt and forage. Infants are taught to swim and search for food at four weeks old, and remain dependant until the age of six to eight months.

4. Ecological Importance

Despite their small stature, sea otters are regarded as a keystone species, meaning that they have a profound effect on marine ecosystems and play a crucial role in maintaining the vitality of their habitats.

As mentioned, sea otters rely heavily on kelp forests to provide anchorage when floating in rafts and for foraging. A large proportion of their prey sources reside within kelp forests, such as urchins, crabs, and barnacles. If left unchecked, sea urchin populations can grow rapidly and overgraze on kelp, consuming it faster than it can be replenished and eventually destroying the forest habitat. This creates “urchin barrens”, where nothing but sea urchins are able to grow due to their abundance. Kelp forests, found within coastal ecosystems, sequester significant amounts of atmospheric carbon and prevent it from entering the atmosphere. These marine forests are capable of storing 20 times more carbon per acre than those found on land, with research suggesting that seaweed forests sequester tens of millions of metric tons of carbon yearly within the deep ocean globally. The degradation or loss of kelp forests could thus have grave effects on the levels of atmospheric carbon, highlighting the importance of the trophic function that sea otters serve.

In addition to kelp forests, sea otters tend to hunt for prey, such as crabs, within seagrass meadows and eelgrass beds. Seagrass also sequesters atmospheric carbon, with the flowering plant able to capture carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. By controlling the abundance of crabs within these habitats, crabs are prevented from overpopulating and consuming too much of their prey, which include snails and slugs. Rather than feeding on seagrass, these mollusks graze on algae and other epiphytes that grow on seagrass, performing a “cleaning” service. By removing surface algae, grazing mollusks allow the seagrass to absorb sunlight and grow with greater efficiency, enhancing its ability to act as a carbon sink. 

In addition to serving as blue carbon ecosystems, kelp forests and seagrass meadows are the preferred habitat of a range of marine species that rely on them for shelter and sustenance, including sea otters. These marine mammals are therefore regarded as an indicator species for coastal ecosystems, as the health, vitality and population dynamics of sea otters are indicative of the health of cohabiting species and the ecosystems they share.

5. Threats

Once widespread across the North Pacific Rim, from the coasts of Japan through to Russia and Alaska, down to California and Mexico, sea otters were estimated to have a global population of 150,000 to 300,000 at the start of the 18th century.

Once Russian explorers reached Alaska in 1741, sea otters became the target of an extensive commercial harvest that lasted 150 years until the species was left at the brink of extinction. By 1911, once the International Fur Seal Treaty was implemented, it is hypothesised that a mere 2,000 sea otters remained across 13 remnant colonies. The consequence of this near extirpation was noted in the 1970s by James Estes, a marine ecologist who observed a dramatic loss of kelp forests in absence of sea otters when diving in Alaska. Although the maritime fur trade no longer poses a threat to sea otters, these marine mammals are still vulnerable to pollution and oil spills, disease, entanglement, climate change, and predation.

At present, oil spills are regarded as the most significant anthropogenic threat to sea otters. With no blubber to provide insulation, sea otters rely heavily on their dense coats to keep them warm. When exposed to oil, however, their fur loses its insulating properties and renders sea otters extremely vulnerable to hypothermia and other health complications. Oil accidentally ingested while grooming can further cause illness and gastrointestinal disorders, disrupting the sea otter’s ability to absorb nutrients and often leading to malnutrition and death. Inhalation of oil has also shown to cause lung damage in the species.

In 1989, the tanker vessel Exxon Valdez spilled approximately 42 million litres of crude oil into the ocean in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Within seven months of the event, nearly 1,000 deceased otters were recovered in the spill area, however it is estimated that the total number of sea otter mortalities resulting from the spill ranged from 2,650 and 3,905. Research conducted in the years since the disaster suggests that the Exxon Valdez oil spill had continuous and enduring consequences on sea otter populations, with an increase in mortality rates seen in otters that were four to five years old, or older, at the time of the spill. The study further found that until at least 1996, otters born after the event were also affected negatively. This suggested that, although the direct impact of acute oil exposure accounted for the majority of long-term spill effects, sea otters were also affected indirectly through maternal influences or exposure to lingering oil residue. 

Other marine pollutants, such as run-off from the land, also have detrimental effects on sea otter populations, their habitats, and their prey sources. Run-off occurs when rainwater washes over urban or agricultural areas and collects pollutants as it traverses through waterways. These pollutants include: toxic chemicals used in agriculture, such as pesticides and fertilisers; heavy metals, such as mercury, lead and cadmium; tire dust; nutrients; sewage; and pathogens, such as bacteria and parasites. In addition to having direct, harmful effects on the health of sea otters, these pollutants can accumulate in the tissue of their prey sources, such as bivalves, resulting in the intoxication, infection, and eventual death of sea otters.

In 1996, researchers noted an increase in sea otter mortalities from infectious diseases, such as peritonitis, protozoal encephalitis, and toxoplasmosis, primarily in breeding adults. Caused by a parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis is a disease that has plagued sea otter populations for decades as a significant cause of fatalities as well as a contributing factor to the stagnant recovery rates of sea otter populations in California. Felines have been identified as the definitive hosts of toxoplasmosis, shedding Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in their faeces, which is then washed into waterways and eventually reaches the ocean. These oocysts are either ingested directly by sea otters or contaminate the marine invertebrates they regularly consume.

Being a coastal species, sea otters often fall victim to destructive fishing methods that are prone to high bycatch rates and overfishing. Between the mid-1970s and early 1980s, a considerable number of sea otters were caught and drowned in gill nets and trammel nets within California. In 2003, research suggested that sea otter fatalities increased in the summer as commercial fin fisheries became more active in coastal regions. 

As sea otter reintroduction initiatives and range expansions continue to prove successful in California, with the once remnant population of 50 Californian sea otters having risen to approximately 3,000 individuals in 2018, concerns over potential conflicts with shellfish fisheries have also garnered increasing attention.

The reintroduction of sea otters to ecosystems that have been without the species for decades has naturally resulted in the reestablishment of historic feeding interactions. For commercial fisheries that have come to rely on these habitats in the interim, the reemergence of sea otters serves as a source of competition for common prey.

In Southern California, fishermen attributed decreases in abalone populations to the range expansion of sea otters, resulting in the proposal of a species management plan in 1968 to avoid overlap with the lucrative abalone trade. Upon the enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, and once sea otters were given a status of “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1977, the proposed management plan was rendered invalid as environmental conservation took precedence. Nevertheless, the potential perception that conservation measures negatively impact economic interests could result in decreased public support for the preservation of sea otters.

As ongoing studies continue to shed light on the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, some potential, unquantified stressors to sea otter populations include ocean conditions becoming increasingly warm, acidic, and deoxygenated.

Warming oceans have shown to support the pervasiveness and range expansion of dinoflagellate phytoplankton, harmful algal blooms, and cyanobacterial blooms, which produce toxins such as saxitoxins, brevetoxins, ciguatoxins, domoic acid, and okadaic acid.

Although it is unclear whether the direct effects of toxin exposure on sea otters are acute or chronic, studies have shown that these neurotoxins accumulate in shellfish and induce shellfish poisoning in mammals that consume the contaminated bivalves. This leads to detrimental neurological, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular symptoms.

Research has further indicated that as oceans become increasingly acidic due to excessive carbon dioxide absorption, saxitoxins will increase in toxicity as a result of biochemical changes associated with this lower oceanic pH level. Domoic acid exposure has been identified as a primary cause of death in southern sea otters, and has also been linked to the prevalence of cardiomyopathy in sea otter populations.

Northern sea otters in Alaska appear able to identify and avoid consuming clams that have accumulated low levels of saxitoxin in their tissue, however this decline in available prey sources will likely have a significant impact on sea otters in the future. This is especially true of populations relying on soft-sediment habitats, such as in the Kodiak archipelago of Alaska, where over 50% of a sea otter’s diet consists of butter clams. Bivalves that form their shells from calcium carbonate, such as clams, oysters and muscles, have also been decreasing in numbers due to ocean acidification. The increased acidity of seawater reduces the availability of carbonate ions, making it extremely difficult for bivalves to build and maintain their shells, and even causing some bivalve shells to dissolve.

A continuous, long-term study on the health, body condition, and causes of death of southern sea otters has suggested that the most common primary cause of death amongst the subspecies is shark bite mortality. Primary predators of sea otters include orcas, great white sharks, bald eagles, coyotes, and brown bears, with orcas having been linked to significant sea otter population declines in 1998 across the Western Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. With the preferred prey species of these macropredators, which include Northern fur seals, harbour seals, and sea lions, declining in numbers, the less preferred choice of sea otters become a primary target despite their lack of blubber.

6. Conservation Efforts 

With the enactment of the International Fur Seal Treaty of 1911 came an almost immediate end to the drastic population declines that sea otters had suffered for decades prior, marking the start of a long journey towards the species’ recovery. The subspecies Enhydra lutris nereis, known as the Southern or Californian sea otter, is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), while E. lutris lutris and E. lutris kenyoni are listed under Appendix II.

In the US, sea otters are awarded legislative protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and were added to the Endangered Species Act in 1977, whilst in Canada they are managed under the Species at Risk Act. As such, it is illegal to purchase, sell or possess any part the endangered species or items made from its body parts.

Such conservation initiatives allowed sea otter populations to gradually increase in numbers, reaching a global estimate of 30,000 individuals by the mid-20th Century. Nevertheless, this figure represented a mere 10% of the species’ historic population estimate and sea otters remained absent from over 3000 kilometres of their former coastal range. Research indicated that the reluctance of sea otters to disperse from their home territory and traverse deep channels would render natural range expansions unlikely, therefore biologists initiated relocation initiatives in the mid-1960s. Healthy otters from the Aleutian Islands were transported to Southeast Alaska, British Colombia, Washington, Oregon and California. These reintroduction efforts were deemed extremely successful, with recorded population increase rates of 20% in some regions.

In Southeast Alaska, the initial population of 400 to 450 introduced sea otters has grown to approximately 25,000. A further 8,000 now inhabit the coast of British Colombia, having begun as a population of just 89 released individuals. This recovery is widely seen as an incredible achievement in marine conservation, as a species on the brink of extinction with fewer than 2,000 individuals now consists of a population of approximately 125,000 sea otters. 

Unfortunately, relocation efforts were not as successful in Southern California and Oregon. Of the small groups of sea otters transported from Alaska to the Oregon coast, none appeared to stay as scientists theorised the mammals had attempted to swim back to their home range and died. On San Nicholas Island in Southern California, a population of 125 introduced sea otters was reduced to just 12, however the remnant sea otters survived and have now grown to have a population of 150.

At present, Southern sea otters occupy a mere 13% of their historical range, remaining absent from the Oregon Coast, and consist of a population of approximately 3,000 individuals. Although this is a significant recovery, given that a single remnant colony of 50 sea otters remained in central California in 1911, the reintroduction of sea otters to Northern California and Oregon is regarded as necessary to strengthen genetic diversity and support the sustainability of sea otters by connecting southern and northern subspecies.

Research has indicated that there is sufficient suitable habitat to support reintroduction efforts, as the region represents the most extensive remaining gap in the once continuous historic range of the species. Now equipped with data collected from numerous successful reintroduction initiatives, scientists and conservationists can more accurately and efficiently determine areas along the Californian coast that would most benefit from the presence of sea otters, and where threats to reintroduced populations are minimal.

Despite the numerous benefits that sea otters bring to coastal marine ecosystems, reintroduction and range expansion initiatives have faced conflict with shellfish fisheries that ascribe decreases in the availability of shellfish to the reemergence of sea otters. In California, abalone and Dungeness crab fisheries have expressed concern about the potential competition they face with expanding sea otter populations. A report funded by the fishing industry in Alaska attributed a $28 million US dollar loss between 2005 and 2011 to sea otters. Yet, some have pointed to evidence of a historic coexistence between humans and sea otters, in the form of indigenous and archeological knowledge, as proof that conservation initiatives can account for the interests of all parties involved. 

At present, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act allow coastal Native tribes to hunt sea otters, as long as they are used for sustenance or traditional handicrafts. This practice is monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through their Marking, Tagging and Reporting system, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act further requires the implementation of species recovery plans to ensure populations remain at viable levels. Some have noted the potential of this arrangement to serve as a form of population control for the species, as Native tribes have harvested up to 1,500 sea otters in some years and such a system has proven to support marine biodiversity over millennia of human-animal coexistence.

This holistic approach to conservation is evident in the ethos of organisations such as the Elakha Alliance, which aims to use scientific and socio-economic policy assessments that reflect the interest of Native tribes, governments, environmental groups and fishery representatives to determine the most effective strategies for the restoration and protection of sea otter populations in Oregon. If such initiatives prove successful in Oregon, they can be adapted and applied to other states and countries in order to minimise conflict between humans and sea otters, to better protect the species against the threats they still face, and to support the full recovery of sea otter populations throughout their entire endemic range.

How to Help

• Celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week. Taking place between 21-27 September, Sea Otter Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to inform those around you of the ecological importance of sea otters, the threats they face, and the small steps that people can take to help protect the species. 
• Opt for eco-friendly household cleaners. When buying household cleaning products at the market, opt for non-toxic and biodegradable cleaners that are better for the environment and marine ecosystems.
• Clean up pet waste properly. Felines carry the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, that causes toxoplasmosis in sea otters. When disposing of cat faeces, avoid contaminating waterways that will end up in the ocean. Avoid purchasing “flushable” kitty litter. 

Featured image: Lee Jaffe/Flickr.

The post Sea Otter: Endangered Species Spotlight appeared first on Earth.Org.

“The federal government’s actions are not only unlawful; they’re irrational and wildly partisan,” California’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Thursday.

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California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration over a Congress-backed resolution blocking the state’s mandates to phase out gas-powered cars. 

President Donald Trump signed a resolution blocking California’s first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Shortly after, Bonta announced the lawsuit at a press conference, describing the move as “reckless, politically motivated, and illegal attacks on California.”

Ten other states that are enforcing California’s emissions rules, including Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York, joined the lawsuit.

Previous administrations granted California waivers to set to set its own, more stringent vehicle standards in the 1967 Clean Air Act to curb air pollution in the state, which is home to five of the country’s 10 most polluted cities.

Under California’s 2022 mandate, which builds on builds on decades of tightening emissions standards for cars sold in the state, 35% of new 2026 model cars sold in the state must be zero-emissions, increasing to 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.

Trump’s resolution also blocked California’s 2020 Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which established zero-emission vehicle standards for medium and heavy-duty vehicles, and a 2020 state regulation reducing smog-forming nitrogen oxides emitted by trucks and buses. It came after the Republican-led Congress approved the resolution last month.

In a statement, Governor Gavin Newson accused Trump of being “wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.”

“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues – and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” the statement read.

California is currently involved in 25 lawsuits challenging Trump administration actions, including blocking billions in federal funding for electric vehicle chargers and halting the approval of wind energy infrastructure.

‘Fundamentally Irreconcilable’

In April, US President Donald Trump instructed the Department of Justice to “stop the enforcement” of what his administration says are “unconstitutional” or “otherwise unenforceable” state climate laws.

The executive order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to “prioritize the identification” and “take all appropriate action to stop the enforcement” of state laws “purporting to address ‘climate change’ or involving ‘environmental, social, and governance’ initiatives, ‘environmental justice,’ carbon or ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.”

The order identified California, New York, and Vermont as targets, alongside a wide array of state regulations that the administration aims to invalidate, spanning from cap-and-trade programs to licensing regulations. Trump says these laws are “fundamentally irreconcilable with my Administration’s objective to unleash American energy” and they “should not stand.”

One of the rules under attack is California’s climate superfund legislation, which the state adopted in February. Modelled on climate superfund laws passed by New York and Vermont last year, California’s Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act seeks to hold fossil fuel companies financially responsible for damage caused by the burning of three planet-warming fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas.

It requires companies generating more than 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2024 to pay into the newly created state fund, with fees going into a Polluters Pay Climate Fund to finance climate disaster recovery and resiliency projects.

More on the topic: A Closer Look at the ‘Climate Superfund’ Laws Trump Is Threatening to End

Featured image: Aji Styawan/Climate Visuals.

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