Brian Kahn, Author at Gizmodo

The Mayors of New York and London Just Called for Every City to Divest From Fossil Fuels

The argument for divesting from fossil fuel companies is simple. On a moral level, it is reprehensible to invest in companies that are making our planet less habitable. On a pure dollars and cents level, these companies are doomed to extinction by the laws of physics and economics. That does not make a Monday article in…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Why Hurricane Florence Is Rapidly Intensifying and What That Means

It’s the statistical peak of Atlantic hurricane season today, and it appears the message has been received. The tropical Atlantic has spawned three hurricanes, but none is more worrisome than Hurricane Florence. The National Hurricane Center advisory at 11 a.m. listed Florence as a Category 3 storm, with winds of 115 mph. That’s the threshold…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Oh My God Look at the Atlantic Ocean Right Now

Hurricane Florence is the biggest threat in the Atlantic right now, but it’s hardly the only storm. The tropics have gone wild, with three hurricanes spinning at the same time, as you can see for yourself in satellite imagery captured as the sun rose on the Atlantic Monday morning. In addition to rapidly-strengthening Florence (which…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Bizarre Tropical Storm Florence Could Become a Hurricane and Strike the East Coast

It’s been a year of unique weather to say the least. The latest potentially bizarre weather happening to add to the list? Florence, the first major hurricane of the season, could follow a highly unusual route from the center of the Atlantic into the heart of the Eastern Seaboard thanks to a weird atmospheric setup.…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

These Scientists Formed a Fortnite Squad to Teach Players About Climate Change

Amid the 125 million Fortnite players, you’ll find rich and famous folks like Lil Yachty, Drake, and David Price (just not at Fenway). But there’s a new squad in town that’s about more than talking shit and selling albums. Scientists are braving the dangerously popular game to talk about climate change. It’s a seemingly unlikely…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

We Just Sweated Through the Hottest Summer Nights on Record

The three-month span from June to August is always the worst season. It’s a season of armpit sweat; a time of searching for shade or air conditioning. And if it felt like this summer sucked even more than usual, you’re not imagining it. The summer of 2018’s hellacious heat set a new record. U.S. summer nights…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Trump’s Latest National Security Advisor Is a Climate Denying Physicist

Climate change poses one of the biggest national security threats to the U.S. So naturally, the Trump administration just hired a climate denier to come aboard the National Security Council as an advisor. Princeton physics emeritus professor William Happer joined the council this week in news first reported by CNN. He was also on the…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

Thousands of Cities and Counties Are Fighting Trump’s Fuel Efficiency Rollback

The Trump administration’s rollback of clean vehicle regulations last month is going about as well as expected. Which is to say it isn’t going well, and a growing number of people who are pissed are fighting to stop it. Now you can add groups representing more than 3,400 cities and counties to that list. State…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

Hurricane Florence Is the Atlantic’s First Major Hurricane

The Atlantic hurricane season has suddenly found its legs. Following some summer doldrums, a number of factors have come together to fuel a run of tropical weather. That includes Hurricane Florence, which just became the first major hurricane of the season. The storm reached Category 3 status—the threshold for major hurricanes—on Wednesday morning. The storm…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Why the Atlantic Hurricane Season Is Suddenly Heating Up

After two mercifully quiet months, the Atlantic hurricane season has suddenly roared to life. There are currently two storms spinning in the Atlantic basin with a potential third on the horizon. While it’s not like 2017’s record-setting run of storms, the sudden spate of unwelcome activity is the result of similar climate conditions. And those…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

How a Battle to Build the Best Weather Model Impacts Everyone on Earth

Hurricane Sandy was one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. But beyond the catastrophic losses of life and property, the storm also dealt a blow to the American weather modeling community. The American weather model whiffed on the initial forecast, but its European counterpart was dead on. Nearly six years later and the…

Earther Brian Kahn

An Underwater Sculpture in the Maldives Is the Perfect Monument to Climate Change

The Maldives are the lowest lying nation in the world. The highest point is just eight feet above sea level, meaning the country’s culture and fate are intimately tied to the vast ocean surrounding it. To commemorate that relationship and remind visitors of what could be lost to the rising seas, artist Jason deCaires Taylor…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

Facebook Aims to Run All Its Data Centers on Renewable Energy By 2020

Facebook’s efforts to clean up content on its site? Not going well. Its efforts to clean up the energy that powers its massive data operations? Going markedly better. The social media giant announced on Tuesday that it plans on going 100 percent renewable by 2020 while also reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 75 percent. Facebook…

Energy Brian Kahn

Here’s How the Pros Fight Wildfires

If the summer of 2018 has proven one thing, it’s that fighting large wildfires is serious business. But how exactly do we do it? Contrary to what some politicians might think, it takes a lot more than rivers of water. There are currently more than 20,700 people combatting active fires in the U.S. according to…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

A New Visualization Turns Global Warming Into Pop Art

If you forgot global warming was happening, worry not. A striking new visualization is here to remind you. Antti Lipponen, a research scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, has released a visual that I’m calling global warming bubbles (Earther managing editor Maddie Stone called it a climate switchboard, which is also a fair categorization). It…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

American Wildfire Forces Canadian National Park to Shut Down

Canada and the U.S. share a lot of things, chief among them a border. To commemorate said border, there’s a peace park that ceremonially joins Glacier National Park in the U.S. and Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. But our peaceful relations have been riled up by the hellacious wildfire season. On Thursday, the Boundary…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Earth Is Throwing a Rave in NASA’s Latest Wild Visualization

If there is a lesson of 2018, it is that we live in hell. This is canon. But leave it to NASA to make hell look pretty spectacular and maybe even a place I want to live. We’ve seen record wildfires, powerful hurricanes, and massive dust plumes rip across our fair planet this summer. And…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Hurricane Lane Looks Terrifying From Space

There’s a high definition camera on the International Space Station that frequently captures some of the most astounding sites on Earth. The latest entry into the oeuvre is Hurricane Lane. The space station passed over Lane multiple times on Wednesday when the storm was in peak form as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Why Hurricane Lane Poses a Major Threat to Hawaii

Hurricane Lane continues to bear down on Hawaii, posing a catastrophic threat to residents and tourists alike. The storm could bring hurricane force winds to the Aloha State for the first time in 26 years, along with pounding surf and torrential rain. Hawaii has only seen three hurricanes reach its shores in the historical record.…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

The Trump Administration Is Suppressing Science at an Alarming Rate

Tuesday’s announcement that the Trump administration would replace an Obama era rule regulating coal-fired power plants with a weaker one garnered a ton of coverage. Rightfully so, given that an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed the rule could kill up to 1,400 more Americans annually—an estimate that drew on public health studies…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Brian Kahn

The Mayors of New York and London Just Called for Every City to Divest From Fossil Fuels

Why Hurricane Florence Is Rapidly Intensifying and What That Means

Oh My God Look at the Atlantic Ocean Right Now

Bizarre Tropical Storm Florence Could Become a Hurricane and Strike the East Coast

These Scientists Formed a Fortnite Squad to Teach Players About Climate Change

We Just Sweated Through the Hottest Summer Nights on Record

Trump’s Latest National Security Advisor Is a Climate Denying Physicist

Thousands of Cities and Counties Are Fighting Trump’s Fuel Efficiency Rollback

Hurricane Florence Is the Atlantic’s First Major Hurricane

Why the Atlantic Hurricane Season Is Suddenly Heating Up

How a Battle to Build the Best Weather Model Impacts Everyone on Earth

An Underwater Sculpture in the Maldives Is the Perfect Monument to Climate Change

Facebook Aims to Run All Its Data Centers on Renewable Energy By 2020

Here’s How the Pros Fight Wildfires

A New Visualization Turns Global Warming Into Pop Art

American Wildfire Forces Canadian National Park to Shut Down

Earth Is Throwing a Rave in NASA’s Latest Wild Visualization

Hurricane Lane Looks Terrifying From Space

Why Hurricane Lane Poses a Major Threat to Hawaii

The Trump Administration Is Suppressing Science at an Alarming Rate

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