🌸 It looks like we are close to peak cherry blossom season in Washington, DC. 🌸 The puffy pink and white blooms are our version of fall foliage and the average peak day is occurring about six days sooner (March 30) than it was a century ago. And last year, peak bloom was on March 23rd. With warm, sunny weather in our forecast this week and weekend, we could have one of the earliest seasons ever.
This week’s must read: A Republican Climate Caucus? Yes, It Exists and Is Growing (Wall Street Journal)
“Part of our success is that we don’t judge people on where they’re at on this issue,” says Utah Rep. John Curtis, the founder and chair of the caucus, in the article. “It doesn’t matter to me if they struggle with climate. It doesn’t matter to me if they don’t like the science. All that matters to me is that they’ll come and listen…. I have found that the more they come, the more they talk about this, the more comfortable they get with it.”
More:
“Despite the low marks in the eyes of many environmentalists, the caucus represents an evolution for many Republicans on climate change. The group—one of a growing number of conservative organizations weighing in on climate issues—says it believes that the climate is changing and that the global industrial era is contributing to it.”
I know, I know… there’s a paywall. Email me and I will share the full text.
The EcoRight Speaks, Season 8, Episode 3: NBC National Climate Reporter and Meteorologist, Chase Cain
As media outlets report the latest news about the breaking of monthly global heat records, it feels timely to roll out this week’s guest, who knows a thing or two about weather and weather patterns. Chase Cain is a national climate reporter and meteorologist for NBC and we found that combination of meteorology and journalism quite interesting.
How did journalism and meteorology converge into his current career in climate reporting? Tune in to find out!
Coming up next week: Great Florida Shellfish Company founder and operator Tom McCrudden talks about climate change and water quality impacts on the shellfish industry.Â
Join Climate Solutions Intensive for 2-day course!
Climate Interactive is offering a two-day Climate Solutions Intensive course in Menlo Park, California on May 17-18, to explore climate solutions and impacts, illuminate systems structures driving climate trends, and equip you to use climate simulations for risk analysis and strategy. Through this course, you will emerge with a path forward that untangles the policy confusion, jargon, and competing claims of technological priorities surrounding climate action using En-ROADS—a widely-used global simulator Climate Interactive co-developed with the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative.
The Climate Solutions Intensive will be led by Andrew Jones, an expert in global climate strategy, the leader of the team that developed En-ROADS, and the Executive Director of Climate Interactive. He’s also a past EcoRight Speaks guest and was the star of our November 2023 webinar.
More about the course: Under his guidance, students of the course will be grounded in the best available science of climate solutions and explore climate and equity challenges from the simulator that has informed hundreds of thousands in business, government, and civil society.
Happy Ten Year Anniversary to Clear Path!
Our friends at ClearPath just marked 10 years of advocating for clean energy policy and we applaud their accomplishments. Here’s to the next decade of progress!
That’s it for me! Enjoy your weekend!