Key developments
UN warns El Niño may return soon
Reporting from The Guardian, Earth.org, and Reuters via AOL said the World Meteorological Organization now sees an 80% chance of El Niño forming before September and a 90% chance before November. The WMO said tropical Pacific surface temperatures were approaching El Niño thresholds in late April and mid-May, with unusually warm subsurface water helping drive the shift. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it an urgent climate warning and said the next El Niño could intensify heat, drought, and heavy rain on a warming planet.
Why it matters
A new El Niño would quickly raise weather, food, and disaster risks across multiple regions.
Sources & driving stories
Florida sued over Everglades detention emissions
Amy Green reported in Inside Climate News that the Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit on May 27 against the Florida Division of Emergency Management over the Alligator Alcatraz detention site. The complaint says the facility was built without Clean Air Act permits and is operating more than 200 diesel generators and 100 diesel lighting towers, releasing carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter. Plaintiffs want the generators and towers shut down until permitting is secured and say pollution could affect Everglades National Park and nearby Miccosukee communities.
Why it matters
The case could force air-permit review or shutdown of a large diesel-powered facility in a sensitive ecosystem.
Sources & driving stories
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS · Amy Green
Inside Climate News coverageRhode Island budget keeps 2033 clean-power goal
The Boston Globe reported that Rhode Island House Finance Committee budget writers rejected Governor Daniel McKee's push to extend the state's renewable electricity deadline from 2033 to 2050. The proposal keeps the 100% renewable electricity standard in place, expands the clean-energy definition to include large hydropower and nuclear, and rejects a cap on energy-efficiency funding. The budget fight is still unresolved and will move through further negotiations.
Why it matters
It preserves an aggressive state decarbonization target and sets up a major budget fight over energy policy.
Sources & driving stories
BOSTON GLOBE
Boston Globe coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Trina Solar posts 907W tandem module
The company says its new perovskite-silicon module reached 29.2% efficiency, a fresh solar technology benchmark.
WORTH NOTING
Norway study quantifies renewable habitat loss
A new model suggests faster renewable buildout could raise habitat loss by up to 28% by 2050, with wind and grid lines causing the most impact.
WORTH NOTING
Ethiopia passes 100,000 EVs
DW reported fast electric-vehicle adoption after the country's gasoline and diesel car import ban, with most charging still centered in Addis Ababa.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
How strong will the next El Niño be?
WMO models still diverge, and the difference between moderate and strong conditions will determine how severe the heat, drought, and flood impacts become.
OPEN QUESTION
Will Rhode Island's 2033 target survive budget talks?
The House proposal is not final, so negotiations will decide whether the state keeps its existing renewable deadline or shifts course.