Rachel Ramirez: SEAL Award Winner 2021

A selection of this year’s best environmental journalism

The ice shelf holding back the ‘Doomsday glacier’ could shatter within the next five years, scientists warn

“The glacier, which equals the size of Florida or Great Britain, already accounts for about 4% of annual global sea level rise, loses roughly 50 billion tons of ice each year, and is becoming highly vulnerable to the climate crisis. The fall of the ice shelf could bring the impending collapse of Antarctica’s critical glacier. If the Thwaites collapsed, the event could raise sea levels by several feet, researchers say, putting coastal communities as well as low-lying island nations further at risk.”
Source: CNN (Approx. 5 minutes)

The West’s historic drought in 3 maps

“In California, this summer’s drought was the most extreme in the state’s entire 126-year record, with July 2021 as the driest month ever since data gathering began in 1895. Across the region, the magnitude of the drought hovered at or above 90% since June, with several states entirely in drought.”
Source: CNN (Approx. 12 minutes)

These World Heritage Forests have gone from removing carbon from the atmosphere to emitting it

“UNESCO researchers said two main factors are causing forests to flip from sinks to sources: climate change-fueled extreme weather events including wildfires, storm and drought; and human land-use pressures such as illegal logging, wood harvesting and agricultural practices such as livestock grazing.”
Source: CNN (Approx. 7 minutes)

5 alternative energy sources to speed our transition away from fossil fuels

“Ending the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels is critical to curbing the climate crisis, but Vijay Modi, a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University, said there are still hurdles to overcome before we can fully transition to renewables: energy storage, public acceptance of transmission lines and adoption of electric vehicles and alternative home heating.
Source: CNN (Approx. 7 minutes)

Dragonflies are losing their wing color because of climate change, study shows

“A darker wing coloration is a crucial mating trait for male dragonflies, enticing female mates. But just as dark roads absorb the sun’s heat, dark wing pigments increase the dragonflies’ body temperatures by up to 2 degrees Celsius, damaging their wing tissue, overheating them and reducing their defense abilities — all of which pose deadly ramifications for the insects.”
Source: CNN (Approx. 4 minutes)

Read the SEAL Awards 2021 Environmental Journalism Award Announcement