Spotlight on Climate: Snow fail, and the state of world climate in 2025

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SPOTLIGHT ON CLIMATE

Spotlight on Climate: Snow fail, and the state of world climate in 2025

STEFAN SOMMER
Jan 16, 2025
Jan 16, 2025

The Earth’s climate is changing faster now. What is happening, and what options do we have? Past scientific projections were too conservative. We have now put over 2,600 gigatons of CO2 into our atmosphere, and global temperatures are rising faster than ever. Even before 2023 we had pushed average global temperatures 1.2˚C above normal. In 2023 we temporarily reached 1.45˚C, and we will soon breach 1.5˚C. Earlier projections suggested that we would reach the 1.5˚C threshold sometime in 2040.

The data are clear, and we see and feel these changes all around us. This winter Flagstaff is experiencing snow drought, and northern Arizona has seen only 3-17% of normal snowfall. This is just part of the three decades of southwest megadrought driven by climate change. It sets us up for more and more fierce wildfires, not just in California, but in Arizona and all western states up through western Canada.

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Dr. Stefan Sommer, Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes at Northern Arizona University and the Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance, .

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EarthTalk: Social housing seen as solving several issues

May 6, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Social housing seen as solving several issues

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Coconino Voices: National MMIP Day brings attention to violence against Indigenous persons in Flagstaff

GRACE BENALLY
May 1, 2025

May 5 is National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP), a reminder of the violence that impacts Indigenous women, girls, and their relatives �� an issue that cont… Read moreCoconino Voices: National MMIP Day brings attention to violence against Indigenous persons in Flagstaff

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EarthTalk: Efforts to restore wild salmon ramp up as numbers decline

Apr 29, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Efforts to restore wild salmon ramp up as numbers decline

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View from Mars Hill: A look at the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower

KEVIN SCHINDLER Special to the Daily Sun
Apr 24, 2025

Perhaps the best known of all comets is Halley, correctly pronounced so that it rhymes with rally, not daily. It is named after the 17th-18th century astronomer Edmond Halley. This familiar “d… Read moreView from Mars Hill: A look at the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower

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EarthTalk: Believe the hype over seaweed farms

Apr 22, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Believe the hype over seaweed farms

Guest column: Trump’s approach has us worried for the future of public lands

MIKE DOMBECK, DALE BOSWORTH, GAIL KIMBELL, TOM TIDWELL, VICKI CHRISTIANSEN, RANDY MOORE
Apr 20, 2025

Collectively, we have over 200 years of experience in public land management and have served as U.S. Forest Service chiefs under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Read moreGuest column: Trump’s approach has us worried for the future of public lands

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Spotlight on Climate: Climate change, wildflowers and pollinators

DAVID INOUYE
Apr 17, 2025

In 1973 several of us, who were graduate students or friends at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, CO, decided to collaborate on a study of wildflowers. We had been stu… Read moreSpotlight on Climate: Climate change, wildflowers and pollinators

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EarthTalk: What’s the connection between microplastics and increased antibiotic resistance?

Apr 15, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: What’s the connection between microplastics and increased antibiotic resistance?

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Arizona Voices: Housing crossroads: Building a future where every family thrives

NICOLE NEWHOUSE
Apr 13, 2025

Every day, Arizona families face impossible choices: parents skipping meals to afford rent, seniors rationing medication, and workers enduring hours-long commutes just to keep a roof overhead.… Read moreArizona Voices: Housing crossroads: Building a future where every family thrives

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Coconino Voices: Utilizing public lands for affordable housing fails to meaningfully address crisis

PATRICE HORSTMAN
Apr 12, 2025

The shortage of affordable housing in the U.S. is a coast-to-coast problem, which has been acutely felt in the West. Exploring measures to boost new affordable construction and increasing the … Read moreCoconino Voices: Utilizing public lands for affordable housing fails to meaningfully address crisis

View from Mars Hill: The Beehive Cluster: A treasure beyond the faint smudge

KEVIN SCHINDLER Special to the Daily Sun
Apr 10, 2025

As the night sky unfolds, a subtle yet captivating smudge of stars emerges high above at sunset. Known as the Beehive Cluster, this celestial marvel holds a wealth of history and scientific in… Read moreView from Mars Hill: The Beehive Cluster: A treasure beyond the faint smudge

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EarthTalk: Urban wildlife continues adapting

Apr 8, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Urban wildlife continues adapting

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EarthTalk: Warmer weather means uptick in ticks

Apr 1, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Warmer weather means uptick in ticks

View from Mars Hill: Moonstruck: An overview of the planets' moons

KEVIN SCHINDLER Special to the Daily Sun
Mar 27, 2025

Back in 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the moon, scientists knew of just 31 other moons in our solar system. Fast forward to today, and the numbers have skyrockete… Read moreView from Mars Hill: Moonstruck: An overview of the planets' moons

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EarthTalk: Researchers see major factors in why wildfires burning more in eastern U.S.

Mar 25, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Researchers see major factors in why wildfires burning more in eastern U.S.

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Coconino Voices: Grand Canyon monument embodies how Antiquities Act should be used

JERONIMO VASQUEZ
Mar 22, 2025

When Congress endowed presidents with the power to create national monuments, they set in motion one of the most momentous efforts to ensure stunning landscape, cultural resources, and sacred … Read moreCoconino Voices: Grand Canyon monument embodies how Antiquities Act should be used

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Spotlight on Climate: Breaking the gridlock in northern Arizona's solar energy economy

ERIN MAHAN
Mar 20, 2025

Driving north on Highway 89, I saw afternoon sunlight glinting off an array of ground-mounted solar panels. They glistened atop our new March snow, confidently tilted to the south, collecting … Read moreSpotlight on Climate: Breaking the gridlock in northern Arizona's solar energy economy

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Community Health Matters: Taking care of your health on World Health Day

NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE
Mar 20, 2025

Every year on April 7, we celebrate World Health Day, a global observance of health as a human right, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). Whether you’re a health care professiona… Read moreCommunity Health Matters: Taking care of your health on World Health Day

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EarthTalk: Activists working to conserve prairie dogs

Mar 18, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Activists working to conserve prairie dogs

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Coconino Voices: Diary of a federal worker facing cuts

ANONYMOUS
Mar 15, 2025

I just celebrated another year as a federal employee and was prepared to dedicate the rest of my career to civil service. I always knew I wanted to work to protect natural resources, and the s… Read moreCoconino Voices: Diary of a federal worker facing cuts

View from Mars Hill: March 13: A date of astronomical wonders and a total lunar eclipse

KEVIN SCHINDLER Special to the Daily Sun
Mar 13, 2025

What do Uranus, Pluto, and an awe-inspiring celestial event have in common? They all converge on the iconic date of March 13. Read moreView from Mars Hill: March 13: A date of astronomical wonders and a total lunar eclipse

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EarthTalk: Can the Great Salk Lake be saved?

Mar 11, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Can the Great Salk Lake be saved?

Arizona Voices: The public is losing their national forests

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FOREST SERVICE RETIREES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mar 9, 2025

The character of America has been shaped by the richness of our forests and grasslands. Stewardship of this incredible legacy of public lands remains a fundamental measure of our nation’s succ… Read moreArizona Voices: The public is losing their national forests

Arizona Voices: Protecting northern Arizona's future: How clean energy investments are strengthening communities

MELANIE BEIKMAN and ADRIAN KELLER
Mar 9, 2025

Northern Arizona is at the frontlines of extreme weather events, facing rising temperatures, worsening wildfires, and flash flooding. But amid these growing threats, the region is also quietly… Read moreArizona Voices: Protecting northern Arizona's future: How clean energy investments are strengthening communities

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Arizona Voices: Stop backdoor politics to nix government transparency

ARIZONA DAILY SUN
Mar 5, 2025

After direct efforts to move public notices out of newspapers and toward government online sites died earlier this year in the Arizona Legislature, supporters of the change are now trying to e… Read moreArizona Voices: Stop backdoor politics to nix government transparency

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EarthTalk: How are green corridors in cities helping to mitigate climate change?

Mar 4, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: How are green corridors in cities helping to mitigate climate change?

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Coconino Voices: Supporting HB 2201 means protecting northern Arizona from wildfires

JOHN CONLEY
Mar 2, 2025

As residents of our region’s picturesque, abundant forestlands, we know all too well about the potential devastation that wildfires might bring to our communities. The threat of wildfires is a… Read moreCoconino Voices: Supporting HB 2201 means protecting northern Arizona from wildfires

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Arizona Voices: Wildfires are a serious threat to our communities; active forest management is critical

DEVON SUAREZ
Mar 1, 2025

The forest has always been an essential part of my life. I remember spending time there as a young boy, enjoying it and learning about forestry from my father and grandfather. 365bet��籭, the fores… Read moreArizona Voices: Wildfires are a serious threat to our communities; active forest management is critical

View from Mars Hill: Planets on parade, with rare alignment

KEVIN SCHINDLER Special to the Daily Sun
Feb 27, 2025

In her 2017 contemporary romance novel All the Lies We Tell �� which I confess I have not read completely, or even partially beyond the following quote �� author Megan Hart muses, “If nine plane… Read moreView from Mars Hill: Planets on parade, with rare alignment

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EarthTalk: Dismantling of USAID would hurt climate efforts

Feb 25, 2025

This week's EarthTalk article from Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss. Read moreEarthTalk: Dismantling of USAID would hurt climate efforts

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Coconino Voices: Protection of Grand Canyon monument is vital

PATRICE HORSTMAN and LENA FOWLER
Feb 23, 2025

As Coconino County Supervisors and appointed members to the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument Advisory Committee, we honor the creation of t… Read moreCoconino Voices: Protection of Grand Canyon monument is vital

Coconino Voices: House Bill 2778 would bolster northern Arizona

STEVE PERU
Feb 22, 2025

As vice chair of First Things First, Arizona’s only dedicated funding source for early childhood programs and services, I have seen the firsthand impact of the research that says that the earl… Read moreCoconino Voices: House Bill 2778 would bolster northern Arizona

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