Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 7h

Residents of Benson, AZ—pop. 5500—opposed the building of Aluminum Dynamics, Inc.'s recycling plant in their town, due to the environmental impacts. With local nonprofit NDDCC's help—and a key City Council "no" vote—the project was halted. A win for the little guy.
dailyyonder.com/arizona-rura...

Arizona Rural Grassroots Organizers Take on Industrial Developers, Aided by Urban Allies | The Daily Yonder

On the evening of August 21, 2025, Chris Giokaris hopped on the interstate heading southeast from his hometown of Tucson, Arizona. His destination was

dailyyonder.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 11h

Scientists warn that over ¾ of Earth's health and support systems, Planetary Boundaries, are threatened. Ocean acidification—marked by low pH—has reached extreme levels due to excess CO₂, impacting food security. Biodiversity loss looms as species struggle to survive.
abcnews.go.com/amp/Internat...

Fish swim over a reef impacted by coral bleaching.

🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 16h

The Administration is considering rescinding another $12bn in green programs. $500mn awarded to GM to convert its Lansing, MI assembly plant to EV production will likely be clawed back. $32mn awarded for an OH Stellantis plug-in supplier is also on the chopping block.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

An exterior shot of Stellantis' Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, IL

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 18h

Louisville, KY saw 4.22 in of rain on 10/7, making it the 3rd-wettest October day in the city's history. A flash-flood warning was issued for Louisville and several surrounding counties. There were also 5 major road closures.
www.wdrb.com/news/several...

Several inches of rain soak Louisville, cause water rescues across city

A Flash Flood Warning was issued for Louisville and several surrounding counties Tuesday morning as several inches of rain fell across the area.

www.wdrb.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 1d

Climate chaos could slash nearly 25% of global income by 2100, at current levels. Higher temperatures and climate variability will undermine activities across industries, namely agriculture and manufacturing. Yet, cutting CO₂ emissions could save $71tn by 2050.
www.zmescience.com/science/news...

Climate Change Could Slash Global GDP By 24% By 2100

A new study says climate change could wipe out nearly a quarter of global income.

www.zmescience.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 1d

US states and Canadian provinces have adopted Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) programs to hold companies that use plastic packaging accountable. CA, CO, ME, MD, MN, OR and WA adopted EPR. Corps pay according to sales volume and funds go to recycling efforts.
www.newsweek.com/promising-ne...

The promising new laws that can help cut plastic pollution

Seven states have adopted Extended Producer Responsibility laws to make companies pay for their plastic. One industry leader says it's time for federal action.

www.newsweek.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 1d

Now, residents will know if they're breathing benzene and other contaminants. The EPA planned to delay fenceline monitoring—which requires steel corps to monitor air quality around coke (coal) plants—till 2027. On 10/3, the EPA said it was withdrawing the delay.
insideclimatenews.org/news/0710202...

EPA Drops Planned Delay in Compliance With Fenceline Monitoring at Coke Plants - Inside Climate News

Residents will no longer have to wait two years to find out whether they are breathing benzene and other contaminants.

insideclimatenews.org

🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 1d

The youth-led, climate-focused Sunrise Movement is combating authoritarianism. They led walkouts at DC universities in Sept against nat'l guard deployments for anti-immigration efforts. They're also pushing schools to resist controls on curricula and dissent.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Youth-led US climate activists widen focus to fight authoritarianism

Sunrise Movement, which led calls for a Green New Deal, will organize against Trump’s attacks on universities

www.theguardian.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 1d

How many times must we say it? It's time to start listening—and doing something—to stem the tide.

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 2d

VT, NY, WA, NJ and ME have greener energy policies and less climate-related morbidity. AZ, NV and NM see extreme heat and worse air quality. WV, WY, and ND have the highest greenhouse emissions per capita. But all states must raise climate-resilience efforts.
www.healthcare-brew.com/stories/2025...

Commonwealth Fund ranks which states are best, worst for health and climate change preparation

Regions prone to extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, and severe winter weather scored the worst.

www.healthcare-brew.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 2d

Retirement is now being jeopardized by climate chaos. Early retirement withdrawals have increased 300% since 2020 with a raft of disasters and insurance failing to fill the gaps. Over 50% of Americans need fed or insurance funds amid catastrophe. #onthebrink
inthesetimes.com/article/clim...

Climate Change Puts A Generation’s Retirement On The Line

Early retirement withdrawals for hardship have tripled since 2020, as disasters strike and insurance fails–leaving workers on their own in old age.

inthesetimes.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 2d

Climate change is wreaking havoc on Australia's roads. Intense rainfall and flooding are now leading causes of road closures, isolating communities. In '24 bushfires closed the Eyre Highway followed by floods soon after. Communities have been severed for months.
theconversation.com/intense-rain...

Intense rain, landslides and potholes everywhere: how climate change is trashing Australia’s roads

If you’ve noticed Australia’s roads are worse for wear, you’re not alone. Extreme weather and climate change are already taking their toll.

theconversation.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 2d

Small island nations participated in a climate-action survey. Flooding, polluted water and extreme heat are nearly daily occurrences. Belief in human-driven climate reached 100% (Marshall Islands, Turks & Caicos). Combatting climate change must be a shared effort.
www.earth.com/news/on-the-...

On the frontlines: Island nations demand global climate action

Small island nations call for urgent global climate action in a new study highlighting their deep concern and belief in human-caused change.

www.earth.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 3d

The fleet of Orange EV—a maker of all-electric, heavy-duty tractors—notched its ten-millionth hr of operation. Of its 1600 trucks, multiple units are nearing a decade of daily use. They have eliminated 200000 tons of CO₂ and saved $100mn in fuel and maintenance costs.
electrek.co/2025/10/04/w...

What messy middle? Orange EV has logged over 10 MILLION all-electric hours!

This week, Orange EV deployed fleet logged its ten millionth hour of operation, saving fleets $100 million in fuel and maintenance costs!

electrek.co

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 3d

The EPA proposed rolling back a '23 decision to reduce hydrofluorocarbons in cooling and refrigeration systems. It would allow HFCs till 2032, but manufacturers resisted, as they have already invested in greener technology. HFCs can be over 100000x worse than CO₂.
www.eenews.net/articles/epa...

EPA released a climate rollback hours before the shutdown

The agency is working to extend by six years a deadline to phase out hydrofluorocarbons.

www.eenews.net

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 3d

Despite efforts to silence them, climate scientists are forging ahead with their research—and publishing it. The AGU and the AMS are soliciting studies for the "Climate Collection" to support inquiry already underway. Former NOAA scientists launched climate.us
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Climate scientists raise a middle finger to Trump's censorship efforts

Hundreds are collaborating to make sure accurate data is available to the public.

www.motherjones.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 3d

I agree, and it'll also take government support. Rather than trying to stifle or sequester climate research and information, sectors should be working concertedly on solutions. In the meantime, we can all do our small part, daily, which adds up to a lot.

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 3d

Heat pumps can save you thousands yearly. They apply a small amount of energy to capture heat (from the air) and transport it. Heat pumps are so efficient that they're now part of appliances like water heaters, dryers and combos (dual heaters and ACs). #greengain
www.thecooldown.com/green-home/h...

Here's how ultra-efficient heat pumps compare to traditional HVAC systems — you could save $1,000 by upgrading

Heat pumps are a smart, energy-efficient solution for heating and cooling your home.

www.thecooldown.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 4d

Companies are being forced to adjust to climate change. As corps involve climate response in their strategies, they are now sourcing from less-impacted regions, considering costs of extreme heat on productivity, and even recalibrating climate exposure in their portfolios.
time.com/7323198/comp...

When Will Companies Grasp the Cost of Climate Change?

Resilience is on the minds of many executives. But often companies are "flying blind" when it comes to the true cost of climate risks.

time.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 4d

Climate chaos drove 36% of the destruction wrought by Typhoon Ragasa—2025's biggest storm. For instance, its winds were boosted 7% and its rainfall increased 12% by climate change equal to intensifying from a weak to a strong cat-3. Ragasa killed 29 people.
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/clim...

Climate change behind 36% of damage inflicted by Typhoon Ragasa in China » Yale Climate Connections

In the Atlantic, we're watching a tropical wave that emerged from the coast of Africa on October 3 that might develop in about a week as it approaches the Lesser Antilles Islands.

yaleclimateconnections.org

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 4d

It should. It just reinforced how dangerous refineries—and fossil fuels, as a whole—are. Hopefully, it'll hasten the transition for the entire country.

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 4d

The 10/1 Chevron oil-refinery fire may boost gas prices, particularly in CA. The refinery is CA’s 2nd largest, supplies about ⅕ of all vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in SoCal. The spike was projected to be as high as 95¢/gal but it is now likely to be lower.
laist.com/news/climate...

What the El Segundo Chevron refinery explosion means for air quality and gas prices

There’s still a lot to be determined as the refinery, which supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's vehicle fuels, works to restore production and as data is collected.

laist.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 5d

The Administration plans to disburse the 1st tranche of bailouts to farmers (the amount hasn't been set) within weeks, likely from a USDA account. But, there's only $4bn left. Treasury is looking to tariff receipts to fill the gap. The #shutdown doesn't help either.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Trump making plans to send billions in cash bailouts to farmers with taxpayer money

The president has also said he wants to use direct tariff revenue for the payments, but that could trigger a major fight in Congress.

www.politico.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 5d

After disastrous July floods— made even more destructive by burn scars following the '24 wildfires—Ruidoso, NM adapted. Alerts blare at initial drizzle and treatment plants have been restored. Floods didn't even happen here. Now, climate chaos puts everyone on notice.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/01/u...

In a new era of climate disaster, a tiny, resilient mountain village in New Mexico is teaching the world how to adapt | CNN

Each downpour brings a renewed threat to disaster-weary Ruidoso, New Mexico, which has been under 13 flash flood emergencies since June 2024. Rather than risk the destruction of their wildfire-scarred...

www.cnn.com

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🌱♻️Seminal Wellness💚 @seminalwellness.com · 5d

The Climate Action Tracker announced in late Sept it downgraded the US to "critically insufficient." Slashing of $22bn in renewables projects—leading to the loss of 16500 jobs—and pledging $600mn for expansion of coal plants factored into the decision. #greenslip
www.thecooldown.com/green-busine...

United States downgraded to 'critically insufficient' in major international rating: 'The US is being left behind'

Climate Action Tracker — an initiative that tracks progress in the fight against rising global temperatures — has downgraded the U.S. from “insufficient” to “critically insufficient” based on a new re...

www.thecooldown.com

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