1. Meteorologist Paul Douglas writes that The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) yearly State of the Global Climate report finds that 2024 likely saw, for the first time, a global average temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the preindustrial era (1850-1900). 2024 was the warmest year since 1850, and each of the last 10 years have been the 10 warmest on record. WMO estimates are based on six different datasets, including from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to the nonprofit Climate Central, Minneapolis, Duluth, and Mankato are among the fastest warming Minnesota cities, with average single-digit winter temperatures in Duluth during the 1970s increasing to 24.75 degrees this past year. Over the past 25 years, low ice conditions on Lake Superior have become normal, causing what scientists call solastalgia, a sense of loss and even grief as a familiar landscape becomes less recognizable. Advocate for the changes that need to be made to combat the climate change that threatens life on Earth.

2. At least 112 North American bird species have lost more than half their populations in the past 50 years, according to lead scientists with the nonprofit Ducks Unlimited, Cornell University, American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and the American Ornithological Society. Loss of dabbling and diving ducks is down about 30% from 2017, with all waterfowl numbers decreasing by 20% since 2014. There are some 20,000 bird species in North America, 1/3 of which are rated as high concern for conservation due to climate change and human encroachment into their habitats. Passed way back in 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one of the nation's oldest environmental laws, helped to stop the slaughter of birds for sport or use of their feathers in fashion, and in recent years has been used to hold oil companies accountable after environmental disasters (Exxon Valdez, Deepwater Horizon oil spills). The law has subjected companies to penalties for accidentally killing birds through activities such as oil and gas drilling, wind energy production, mining or construction, but recent changes in the federal Interior Department (view it online) has suspended that and other protections. Speak up for the well-being of our fellow creatures with whom we share our Earth.

3. A new study published in Science shows a staggering loss in soil moisture, a result of climate change, prolonged droughts, and pervasive draining of land-based waters that eventually flow into the oceans. Research from the team of scientists worldwide, together with satellite observations from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, found that from 1979 to 2016 the rate of dumping water into the oceans from terrestrial land storage was greater than the melting of Greenland, with the biggest drops in soil moisture occurring in large regions in East and Central Asia, Central Africa, and North and South America. The melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and water leaving the continents, together with prolonged droughts and climate change that prevent soil moisture from bouncing back, have long-term impacts on water availability affecting agriculture, ecosystems and human societies. Use your voice to support efforts to practice smarter and sustainable water resource management.

4. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 is one of the most important and effective conservation laws in history, preventing the extinction of roughly 291 species and saving 99 percent of species listed for protection. The ESA is currently helping protect more than 2,000 species of plants and animals that are threatened or endangered, including the estimated 26,000 polar bears alive in the wild today, divided into 19 subpopulations in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States. Yet fossil fuel exploration and extraction in the Arctic threaten the habitat of both polar bears and Indigenous communities in the region, according to a 2024 study published in Biological Conservation that also warns that the climate crisis - from melting ice to rising tides to wildfires - is widespread and growing in intensity. Turning away from fossil fuels, increasing the use of renewable energy, and expanding science-based climate solutions will be a necessary part of our work to preserve and protect our public lands, air, water, wildlife, and communities, as well as ensure a liveable future for all of us.