Net Zero Literacy

Nearly every state in the USA is now in severe drought.

According to the latest data from the United State’s Drought Monitor, an overwhelming 45 out of 50 U.S. states are currently battling drought conditions. The only exceptions are Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Alaska, and Hawaii.

And Ohio is the sole state completely clear of both official drought and "abnormally dry" designations.

Across the rest of the nation, moderate to exceptional drought levels are escalating, driving up wildfire risks and triggering severe water supply concerns.

The agricultural sector is already feeling the heavy toll of this relentless heat. In the High Plains, approximately 46 percent of the winter wheat crop is reported in poor or very poor condition, with Nebraska reaching a staggering 83 percent, followed closely by Colorado at 63 percent and Kansas at 55 percent. While scattered rainfall has offered minor relief to regions like the Midwest, the West, High Plains, and Southeast remain under severe environmental and economic pressure.

source: Wilkins, J. (2026). All But Five US States Are Currently Experiencing Droughts. Futurism.

Not a record to gloat about.

Atmospheric CO₂ Surpasses 430 PPM for the First Time in Over 3 Million Years

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) has officially exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm), reaching levels not seen on Earth in more than 3 million years. Scientists say the increase, driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions and deforestation, is intensifying global warming, fueling more extreme weather events, and accelerating ocean acidification.

Before the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO₂ remained stable at around 280 ppm for thousands of years. The latest measurements show concentrations have now risen by more than 50%, with the current rate of increase occurring roughly 100 times faster than natural changes following the last Ice Age.

Researchers warn that higher CO₂ levels trap more heat in the atmosphere, increasing the risk of severe heatwaves, droughts, floods, wildfires, and rising sea temperatures while threatening marine ecosystems through ocean acidification.

Source: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Keeling Curve).

SCIENCE WINS: A group of former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees who had been fired by Elon Musk's DOGE have launched a new climate science website documenting global climate change.

The new site, climate.us, is a effectively a copy of climate.gov, the website shuttered by the Trump administration last June.

With the launch of the website, these bold climate scientists and experts—once silenced by Trump and Elon Musk—will now have a place to share insights on hurricanes and other significant weather events happening because of climate change.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1039298318777588&id=100080922876067&mibextid=cr9u03

Finland's Social Democratic Party (SDP) is now supporting the criminalisation of .

In a resolution adopted at its 2026 party congress, Finland’s largest party committed to supporting national, regional and international frameworks to criminalise mass environmental destruction, known as ecocide.

The party’s resolution highlights how large-scale destruction of nature can have profound consequences for human health, livelihoods, natural resources, and future food production.

Get the full story: https://www.stopecocide.earth/bn-2025/finlands-largest-party-backs-ecocide-law

Mikko Pyhälä, Ambassador Emeritus of Finland and member of Stop Ecocide International's Advisory Group, noted that upcoming Finnish parliamentary elections in 2027 could see the SDP provide the Prime Minister for the next national government.

He further added that the party’s position on the international criminalisation of ecocide has put “greater political weight behind Finland's presidency of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties, which runs until the end of 2026”.

Finland’s SDP joins a host of other political parties, legislators and governments worldwide committed to advancing ecocide laws. New domestic legislative proposals are appearing around the world, major regional progress is advancing, and a number of forward-thinking states are backing the proposal to make ecocide an international crime.