Key developments
UK heatwave pushes toward May records
Parts of the UK are officially in a heatwave after Santon Downham in Suffolk recorded above 27C for three straight days; other locations meeting the Met Office threshold include Heathrow, Kew Gardens, Northolt, Benson, Brooms Barn, High Beach and Writtle. The Met Office says south-east England could reach 31C, with 33C to 34C possible on Monday, and meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said this could be the hottest bank holiday day and hottest day in May on record. The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat-health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England, London and south-east England, warning of higher death risk and pressure on health and care services; the Met Office said a 32.8C May record is about three times more likely in the current climate than in preindustrial conditions.
Why it matters
It is an immediate, climate-amplified extreme-heat event with direct health and infrastructure implications.
Sources & driving stories
THE GUARDIAN · Hayden Vernon
The Guardian coverageGray whale mortality surges off Washington
Inside Climate News reports that 22 gray whale carcasses have been found this spring along Washington's coast, with many showing injuries consistent with boat strikes. NOAA counts put the eastern North Pacific gray whale population at about 13,000, down from roughly 27,000 in 2016, and calf births are said to have fallen by 95%. Researchers link the decline to climate change in the rapidly warming Arctic, including earlier sea-ice retreat that reduces the algae supporting the bottom of the food chain and leaves whales less nourished on their feeding grounds.
Why it matters
The scale of the die-off suggests a serious climate-linked ecosystem collapse in one of the North Pacific's iconic whale populations.
Sources & driving stories
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS · Blaine Harden
Inside Climate News coverageEPA blocks Hawaii plant retirements
The EPA kept parts of Hawaii's 2024 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan but rejected the main long-term strategy that would have shut at least two Hawaiian Electric oil-fired generating units at Kanoelehua-Hill and Kahului by 2028. According to Grist, the agency said the closures lacked consent, could threaten grid reliability and might amount to an unconstitutional taking without just compensation. Hawaiian Electric says the retirements remain planned only after additional biofuel generation, solar and battery storage come online, while environmental groups argue the rejection will leave dirtier air over Hawaiʻi Volcanoes and Haleakalā national parks.
Why it matters
It is a direct federal setback for moving Hawaii away from oil-fired power and improving park air quality.
Sources & driving stories
GRIST · Twilight Greenaway
Grist coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
California advances offshore wind terminal
The Port of Long Beach is still moving ahead with a $4.7 billion floating offshore wind hub despite federal efforts to slow the sector.
WORTH NOTING
Climate change is lengthening days
A new reconstruction says polar ice melt is now slowing Earth's rotation at an unprecedented rate over the last 3.6 million years.
WORTH NOTING
Manitoba keeps utility solar sidelined
Manitoba Hydro's new plan leaves utility-scale solar off the shortlist even as the province faces a possible capacity shortfall by 2030.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Can Hawaii still retire oil units on schedule?
The EPA's ruling leaves the state's clean-power transition dependent on whether enough biofuel, solar and storage arrives in time.
OPEN QUESTION
Will the gray whale collapse reverse?
The population and calf-birth declines look structural unless Arctic feeding conditions improve enough to restore prey quality.