Andrew Freedman
@afreedma
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Senior climate reporter @axios | Prior: @washingtonpost | Tips: [email protected], [email protected] | https://t.co/DcbdX4P4C5 | DM 4 Signal#
Washington, DC
Joined July 2008
I am still on here, but starting to post more over at 🧵(@afreedmanclimate) & Bsky (same username as here). Thx!.
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I didn't think the satellite images of the West Coast fires could get more jaw-dropping and alarming. I was wrong. The smoke has been wrapped at least 1,000 miles west into a cyclone, and also is wafting far southeast, over Ariz.
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"In essence, Exxon didn’t just know, they knew precisely" how much the Earth would warm in the 20th and 21st centuries, decades ago. Interesting new study out today:
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This is a really chilling moment from a science standpoint, with Trump having just pushed an unproven #covid treatment and Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, getting muzzled on live TV. Was clear Trump didn’t want to be contradicted.
"I answered this 15 times. You don't have to answer." -- Trump prevents Dr Fauci from answering a question about hydroxychloroquine
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It's hard to describe the sadness I feel over the Nat Geo layoffs, and the coming loss of the magazine at news stands. It was the magazine that helped convinced me to become a journalist, nurtured my interest in weather and climate. 1/.
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Having a President threaten to withhold FEMA recovery funds from the deadliest wildfire in Calif. history, along with other major blazes there, is astonishing.
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Record-breaking heat wave continues in Texas, potentially into July. This isn't a dry heat, either, truly brutal conditions with heat indices >125°F at times.
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Biden admin announces plan to dramatically boost offshore wind energy developing, to 30 Gigawatts by 2030. That's well above even the most bullish projections by independent analysts.
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Incredible heat wave in Siberia, with reports of temperatures exceeding 38°C (100.4°F), breaking monthly and in at least one case, an all-time heat record, per @extremetemps
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This is a potentially dangerous move for @NOAA -- disavowing its own accurate Hurricane Dorian forecast in favor of the White House's position. People may not trust NWS' forecasts as much in the future.
BREAKING: NOAA has sided with President Trump, rather than its own scientists:
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*Personal news*: After a thrilling and natural disaster-filled run working on weather/climate at @washingtonpost, I'm headed (back) to @axios to cover the most important story of our time: climate change. Thanks to all my amazing colleagues at the Post, this is a special place 1/.
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“Inside the White House, Trump’s advisers struggled to get him to take the virus seriously”
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Satellite images like this help drive home the horrific scope and severity of the fires burning in the West, turning day into dusk in many parts of Wash., Ore. and Calif. Biggest concerns Tue. are in Oregon and Calif due to gusty, dry offshore winds.
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Ok, for the last time - How a wildfire starts -- arson, lightning, etc. -- does NOT negate the role that climate change plays in making fire weather conditions more extreme. The #ParkFire grows to more than 160,000 acres in ~2 days? Not just arson, people.
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Texas' scorching heat wave is not going away anytime soon. In fact, it's set to grow in size, and intensify further. In addition to being uncomfortable, it's an acute public health risk.
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Should've seen this coming given what's happened with climate science -- the politicization of epidemiology modeling is hindering our pandemic response, by @thewanreport @AaronBlake
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Why you shouldn't panic (at least not yet) about those spiking climate charts that have spread far and wide recently, seeming to show the pace of warming is speeding up significantly. cc @hausfath @MichaelEMann @Weather_West
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Antarctica has a gaping gap in its sea ice cover, about the size of Argentina or 4x state of Texas. The especially troubling part is scientists aren't sure why this is, but it could be a signal of "a change of state." via @JacKnutson.
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It feels like a much bigger loss than just another media layoffs story. But it is that too. For Nat Geo staff writers, I hope you know that you were appreciated and admired. And that your adventures aren't over. 3/3.
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One of the more powerful climate pieces I’ve read recently:
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Extraordinary/record warmth in the high Arctic while brutal cold descends on Europe (yes, the 2 are connected).
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And the sun rises on a frozen, snow-covered Texas straight out of "The Day After Tomorrow."
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It's rare to have excessive heat warnings, the highest alert category for a heat wave, in effect for about 60 million people in the U.S. That's the reality right now: Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, OKC, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Sacramento.
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In Scott Atlas, Trump has found a Covid-19 "misinformation vector" who is pushing herd immunity. "With a pop. of 328 million in the United States, it may require 2.13 million deaths to reach a 65% threshold of herd immunity" (assumes 1% fatality rate)."
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This graph helps explain why heat extremes are becoming so much more common/severe in a warming world.
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In personal news. I'm headed to @washingtonpost to help expand @capitalweather, editing and covering weather/extreme weather/climate stories. I'm psyched to work with so many talented folks there, and grateful for the past year+ at Axios.
.@afreedma joins Capital Weather Gang as deputy weather editor.
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Today in climate news: We're losing tropical forests AND boreal forests at an alarming rate, and a historic mass extinction event is potentially on tap for marine life. Also it was 117.5°F in Pakistan, and 115°F in India today. I'm a climate reporter, how are you?.
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The American Association for the Advancement of Science is not a fan of the Supreme Court ruling today. The travel ban plus other policies are preventing talented researchers from coming to the US to study and teach, they say.
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Breaking - both Arctic AND Antarctic sea ice hit record lows in November. More details shortly.
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Why the Pacific NW heat wave is making climate scientists uneasy: it shows how social system tipping points are already being crossed as the climate warms. We didn’t build Seattle, Portland, British Columbia for temperatures of 112-116F.
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It set the standard for me not only as a journalist, but also as the son of a doctor — any doctor's waiting room needed that magazine or I judged it to be subpar. And for long flights, I'd always buy it, sometimes to just stare at the photos. 2/.
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Excited to announce that I’ve accepted a position as science editor at @Axios! Thanks @mashable for the great run. DM me if you're interested in joining the great Mash science team, to work with the brilliant @mirikramer & @SkepticalRanger.
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In the past day, NYC had its heaviest 1-hr rainfall total in city history (1.94 inches), and Tennessee may have seen its heaviest 24-hour rainfall (17 inches), which led to deadly flooding. These events are in line w/ climate change-related trends in extreme precip events.
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The scale and intensity of the expanding U.S. heat wave is astonishing for early-mid-June, with all of Okla, Ark., MO. & MS in heat warnings/advisories, most of TX, Ill., most of Neb. and more. Dozens more records to fall. 1/3
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White House appoints former NOAA head and prominent marine scientist & ecologist to lead climate/environment efforts within the Office of Science and Technology Policy, marking another key climate science hire.
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JUST IN: Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels hit record monthly high in May 2020 (417.1 ppm), despite coronavirus-related emissions drop. "Climate change is not on pause in any way, shape or form."
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[THREAD] For this WaPo story, I spent many weeks reporting on the evolving relationship between government weather forecasting and the burgeoning private sector. Here’s what I found: We’re on the precipice of a paradigm shift. 1/
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I've been paying closer attention to the #Heatwave2022 in Europe, but the US is suffering too. The Plains are scorchingly hot. The entire state of Oklahoma is under an excessive heat warning for Tue, with highs of 16°F above average, around 110-112°F. Yikes.
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Just to note the FBI director serves a set 10-year term. Comey had that job no matter who won. Trump doesn’t seem to realize that.
Unbelievably, James Comey states that Polls, where Crooked Hillary was leading, were a factor in the handling (stupidly) of the Clinton Email probe. In other words, he was making decisions based on the fact that he thought she was going to win, and he wanted a job. Slimeball!.
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With climate change, "We're running the experiment on us. WE'RE INSIDE THE BEAKER," @AndrewDessler told me re: the new #IPCC climate report.
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Methane is a more significant global warming, health menace than previously thought, comprehensive new report finds. Though it can be tackled through little/low/no cost strategies, the report warns against expanding oil/gas.
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83 dead from Japan heat wave, where temp hit all-time high of 106F. Greek fires kill 80 amid that country's hottest year so far. Ferguson Fire forces closure of Yosemite National Park. Siberia, Sweden, Norway heat/fires. Extremes are getting more extreme/likely.
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Best quote of Houston weather covg. so far comes from @capitalweather - "Welcome to the future of weather."
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SCOOP w/@mikeallen & @Ben_Geman John Kerry to leave Biden administration and help the campaign. Sees reelecting Biden as the “single biggest” climate difference that can be made this year.
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BOOM -- D.C. just broke its hottest temperature ever recorded during the month of October, at 97 degrees. Congrats, I guess?
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"This is profoundly disturbing:" What one climate scientist said about a new study out today, identifying the fingerprint of human-caused global warming in daily weather patterns,
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Great Barrier Reef may perish by 2030s as ocean temperatures skyrocket, study finds
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For the first time on record, the entire stretch of the Great Barrier Reef has bleached due to a marine heat wave. (Yes, we can pay attention to more than 1 crisis at once.)
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The lab study is just that: A lab study. A recent NAS report found there are many uncertainties on seasonality, and it would be foolish/dangerous to think the summer weather will squelch this virus by itself, without continued measures like social distancing & testing. 6/.
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BUT this won't be the case in areas where there is uncontrolled community spread, i.e. you still need more testing, social distancing etc. in those areas to get it under control even in summer. There's no quick fix, not even a hot, humid DC summer. 4/.
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Never seen storm structure like this over land. The low-lying, water-laden features in southeast Louisiana is helping Ida maintain or even increase its organization. Crazy.
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A lot of social science research needs to go into figuring out how/why people were so caught unaware of the flood risk in NYC area last night, when it was forecast 2 days in advance.
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Masterful heat wave / climate change discussion from @WeatherProf. Read this if you want to understand why meteorologists and climate scientists are so unnerved by what's going on in the Pacific Northwest, and why this will be a more frequent occurrence.
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[THREAD] The White House today promoted a new lab study on the coronavirus' susceptibility to ultraviolet light, as well as heat and humidity as a reason to think this outbreak will wane as the weather gets warmer. 1/.
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Man, that Trump infrastructure order repealing Obama's stringent flood control standards looks even dumber now
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[THREAD] Wildfires in the U.S. and Siberia are burning unusually intensely for this time of year, and emitting as much CO2 as some countries' annual emissions. They're both a product of and accelerator of climate change. [1/].
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President Trump bizarrely suggested (not just once, either) that heat and UV light should be used to treat #covid19, or at least this should be looked into. Trump also said he felt vindicated about his February comments that the virus would disappear with warm weather. 5/.
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Another hard day, as my friend Kim Wall's murderer was sentence to life in prison, but he still has a life to live. Pls remember Kim by her amazing work, including her last published piece -- on climate change, forced migration and the meaning of home.
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*Professional announcement* -- I'm now a senior climate reporter for Axios. Continuing to cowrite Generate, cover the ties between extreme weather and climate change, along with the energy transition. Thx to my colleagues for so much support this past year!.
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Just, wow. These 11 Photos of Iceland’s #Bardabunga volcano erupting are mesmerizing. http://t.co/uUneOX0aoG
http://t.co/1KNjuODU3p.
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115-degree temperatures. 2.5 million acres burned. Stinging, stifling smoke. Burned koalas. This is spring in Australia, and yes, climate change likely has something to do with this (though the specifics are nuanced as always).
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Best take on the Feinstein encounter with the @sunrisemvmt activists comes from @billmckibben, who points out the real opponent here is physics, which doesn’t compromise.
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North America is currently enduring the most unusually cold airmass of anywhere on Earth. Most other places are milder than avg. and 2017 is about to become Earth's 2nd or 3rd warmest year since 1880 (depending which agency you cite).
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August 2016 shattered global record for warmest such month, acc. to NASA
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In unprecedented joint statement, Pope Francis joins with two other leaders of the Christian faith to call for action on climate change.
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This Moscow record is astonishing. This winter had an anomaly of 11.3 F above the 1981-2010 average, with temperatures averaging above 32 F for the first time in about 200 years of record-keeping. More records detailed here:
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Even Bill Bryan, the DHS official overseeing the science and technology portfolio there, cautioned that it would be "irresponsible" to say that the summer heat and sun will get rid of the coronavirus. Instead, he framed it as one "tool in the toolbox." 7/.
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Pope Francis “intends to join” world leaders at Glasgow climate summit in Nov., Kerry says after Vatican mtg. @ClimateEnvoy heard on video telling staff that @Pontifex will be there on the first day, will have “profound impact.” More:
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"A major American city may not have safe drinking water within weeks due to the saltwater intrusion, and there are few options to mitigate the trouble it'll cause. "
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Breaking: Agencies and independent scientists declare July to be world's hottest month on record, warn of more severe impacts to come.
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Here's the full, must watch speech from @GretaThunberg at the start of the #ClimateActionSummit
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The flooding catastrophe in Pakistan sounds abstract in these stats, but its scope is only expanding and increasingly reminiscent of 2010.
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Nearly 200 million Americans are under heat advisories/warnings as stifling heat domes set up across Pacific NW, Central states and East Coast. Temp to hit 100 deg F in both Portland, Ore. and DC Thursday. Heat index may hit 110 deg F in NYC.
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NASA photo reveals a startling 300-foot-wide rift in Antarctic Ice Shelf
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The deadly bushfires in Australia have clear, observed and modeled ties to climate change, among other factors. This explains the science on these links, as well as the role played by a cycle known as the Indian Ocean Dipole
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I'm gasping as I look at the satellite images of Cyclone Fani, which is very close to Cat. 5 intensity as it bears down on India, where a massive evacuation operation is underway. Time is running out.
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Deadly U.S. heat wave set to expand rather than dissipating, with hundreds more records in jeopardy.
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With a new Executive Order, the White House is launching a sweeping effort aimed at accounting for and disclosing financial risks from climate change. The new effort is likely to lead to mandatory reporting rules, officials hinted.
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“Nobody would have ever thought this could happen,” President Donald Trump said while touring the Camp Fire devastation Saturday. “That’s not true. The Camp Fire was inevitable.” Wise words from Paradise, Calif.’s local paper.
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EPA declares burning wood to be a carbon neutral energy source, something scientists have been warning against for the past few years.
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Currently, ~140 million Americans are under heat warnings & advisories as a long duration, intense heat wave scorches the West and sultry conditions engulf the South. Details on the "potentially lethal" California heat wave especially:
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Cracks in Greenland's ice sheet are effectively producing the world's largest waterfalls, sending melt water plunging more than 3,200 feet deep. Scientists worry they're speeding up the transport of ice into the sea, and raising sea levels.
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Predictable tweet from him. Response: Weather is not climate. Weather is not climate. Weather is not climate, .And the Paris Agreement NEVER required the US to pay trillions for anything. Voluntary emissions reduction commitments we were on track to meeting. 1/
In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!.
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This is the best astronaut photo of Irma I've yet seen. Really great perspective on the size.
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