The latest: President Biden on Monday night declared a major disaster in Tennessee and issued an emergency declaration in Illinois, along with orders for federal assistance to support recovery efforts in the states, one day after declaring a major disaster in Kentucky.
This week is bringing several fresh signals of a warming planet and the deepening perils that come alongside higher temperatures.
1. This year is a lock (at least 99% chance) to rank among the 10 hottest in temperature records that date back to 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
The Amazon Climate Pledge Fund announced investments in two new companies on Tuesday, both as Series A funding rounds made alongside other investors.
Driving the news: The larger Series A round totals just under $20 million for Brooklyn-based Amogy, a company that aims to decarbonize transportation, starting with marine shipping.
A groundbreaking report finds that businesses in the U.S. could lose more than 3.1 million days of operation next year due to increasing flood risks from human-caused global warming. This total may grow to 4 million days by 2051, the report predicts, warning of ripple effects throughout local economies.
The big picture: Previous reports had looked at residential and critical infrastructure exposure. This is the first detailed report examining commercial real estate's increasing vulnerability.
The International Energy Agency said that rising COVID cases are likely to "temporarily slow, but not upend" the global oil demand recovery.
Driving the news: The agency's closely watched monthly analysis this morning slightly cut demand growth estimates for this year and 2022, but overall said:
Newly released satellite images illustrate the extent of destruction wrecked by deadly tornados that tore through Kentucky and other states on Friday.
Driving the news: The confirmed death toll in Kentucky has climbed to 74 and is expected to increase. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the disaster.
Russia on Monday blocked a UN Security Council draft resolution that moved to define climate change as a threat to international peace, AP reports.
Why it matters: The proposal, co-sponsored by Ireland and Niger, would have called for factoring information on climate-related security implications into plans "regarding conflicts, peacekeeping efforts and political decisions," per AP.
Mayfield Consumer Products says they have accounted for all 110 workers who were inside its candle factory during the deadly tornado over the weekend, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.
Driving the news: 102 workers survived the catastrophe, which crushed the entire factory into rubble, and eight people have been confirmed dead. The tornados has killed at least 74 across the state as of Monday.
Scientists have detected new cracks in the key ice shelf that buttresses Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, indicating that the ice shelf could break apart within the next five years.
Why it matters: The destruction of the ice shelf could accelerate the movement of inland ice into the sea, eventually causing sea levels to rise by several feet and endangering coastal communities worldwide, per the Washington Post.
The big picture: The tornadoes and storms that ripped through western Kentucky and five other states Friday night into Saturday left a trail of destruction and grieving communities. As those areas sort through the devastation and begin to clean up and rebuild, here's a list of ways you can help.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the fatal collapse of an Amazon warehouse that killed at least six workers over the weekend when a tornado struck an Illinois facility, the agency said Monday.
Why it matters: The deaths come as Amazon is in high gear to fill holiday orders and amid ongoing pressure on the company to improve working conditions.
President Biden will travel to Kentucky on Wednesday to survey the state's tornado damage, the White House announced on Monday.
Driving the news: Tornados and storms ripped through western Kentucky and five other states Friday into Saturday, killing more than 60 people and leaving a trail of destruction.
Thousands of protesters across Serbia blocked roadways and bridges for the third consecutive weekend over the government's environmental policies, including a proposal for a new lithium mine that activists say would wreak havoc on the country's already extremely polluted environment.
Why it matters: These are some of the largest anti-government protests President Aleksandar Vučić's government has seen in years, and come ahead of April's general election.
Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson doesn't "want to be doing wealthy people's cars," he told "Axios on HBO" in an interview that aired Sunday.
Why it matters: Americans are warming up to the idea of electric cars, but the purchase price is still too high for many people, who also worry about how far their car will go before the battery needs recharging.
The deadly tornado rampage across a six-state region Friday night into Saturday bears the hallmarks of climate change-related trends that scientists have been studying more closely in recent years.
Why it matters: Climate change is altering the environment in which tornadoes form in ways that raise the odds of sparking dangerous severe weather outbreaks across the South and Mid-South, particularly during the fall and winter when the jet stream dives toward the region.
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