The Great Mussel Die-off
Western freshwater mussel populations are dying. According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of invertebrate species, freshwater mussels are under threat from…
Air Conditioning saves lives
Over the past few years, natural disasters caused by man-made climate change have wreaked havoc across the globe. Oregon has been included in the chaos with droughts, massive wildfires and…
Portland summers are getting hotter
“Extreme heat,” “record-setting high temperatures,” “high heat risk”—these are not words one would expect to hear describing a Portland summer. However, this year they are apt descriptors of the kind…
Portland youth strike at City Hall for climate action
On Friday, May 20 at 11 a.m., students from Portland State and local high schools, along with other concerned community members, gathered at City Hall to protest the lack of…
The Western US is drying up
As a human being on this Earth, you might be concerned about the health of our planet. How much more time do we have until large cities become deserts and…
Complacency, apathy and the failure to act
You see it on the news with increasing consistency—the highest recorded global temperatures on record for June, followed the next month by the highest recorded global temperatures ever recorded for…
Now is time for climate action
The United Kingdom hosted the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31–Nov. 12. According to the COP26 report, the UN has…
Is the Biden Administration doing enough to combat climate change?
“It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” said President Joe Biden at a speech in Pittsburgh this past March. “It’s a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything…
Portland’s heatwave is a consequence of climate change
Over the past week, Portland, Oregon has seen summer like never before. Both the unprecedented heat and a sudden urge to spend time inside are strange for a city that’s…
The science behind climate change and our weather extremes
Portland made national headlines this weekend over the rare heat wave weather event, causing temperatures to rise above 110°F, with night temperatures remaining as high as 90°F. Cooling shelters have…