National

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

Five years after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is reeling from Hurricane Fiona, which unleashed heavy rains, winds and mudslides on the island and left most households without electricity or access to running water.

The big picture: Black and Latino communities in the U.S. have long been burdened by the disproportionate impacts of climate change. Fiona is no exception.

Driving the news: Puerto Rico still hasn’t fully recovered from 2017's Hurricane Maria, which resulted in thousands of deaths and the longest power outage in U.S. history, an Associated Press investigation found.

Now, the island is grappling with what Gov. Pedro Pierluisi calls Fiona’s "catastrophic" damage to its vulnerable infrastructure. Depending on the federal response, the next steps could mitigate existing racial and socioeconomic disparities — or exacerbate them. 

The backstory: Federal disaster relief has long fallen short in measures of equity. Research demonstrates that unequal recovery efforts following extreme disaster events have contributed to lasting racial and social divides.

For starters, communities of color are less likely to receive disaster relief aid, especially when compared to white, affluent households, and the communities they live in, according to FEMA's 2020 National Advisory Council report. 

And a 2018 study published in a journal for the American Sociological Association found that race-based wealth inequality increases with the cost of damages from natural hazards.

The study found that the way FEMA funding was being administered to counties experiencing hazards led to white residents increasing wealth, while Black, Latino and Asian populations lost it. 

Plus, it's most likely to be wealthy white residents — not residents of color — who relocate to less hazard-prone areas after a hurricane, according to a 2016 study examining the impacts of hurricanes on population change in the Gulf Coast between 1970 and 2005.

Hurricanes leave lasting scars by disrupting public health and health care delivery, according to Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, a public health scientist and associate professor at George Washington University. 

Hospitals shut down, and patients’ care is halted by power outages — a key issue in Puerto Rico following Maria.

There are also dire shortages of medical supplies like saline solution, as well as damage to infrastructure like water and sewage systems — all of which deepens pre-existing health care inequities.

These compound with existing threats, like air pollution, which communities of color are most exposed to due to historic discriminatory practices like redlining and exclusionary housing policies.

Between the lines: Having led on-the-ground research on the aftermath of Maria and its predecessor Irma, and being Puerto Rican himself, Rodríguez-Díaz sees the heavily criticized Trump administration’s response — and the ensuing health care crisis — as a product of systemic racism and the island’s colonization. 

He compares Maria with a nearly simultaneous disaster response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas, which a Politico investigation revealed led to a "faster, and initially, greater" response effort, despite the significantly larger demand and scale of damage in Puerto Rico. 

“How are we going to... [provide] the resources to communities that are living in disaster-prone areas to have options, to live elsewhere without displacement?” Rodríguez-Díaz asked in an interview with Axios. 

Flashback: In 2015, 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, 90% of New Orleans residents had returned — but only 37% of residents from the Lower 9th Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood, had come back, the liberal Center for American Progress noted in a report. 

Following the storm, Black survivors of Katrina more frequently reported problems with finances, physical and mental health than white survivors, according to the Journal of Black Studies.   

What they’re saying: “People of color and people from low-wealth households don't get the ability to recover, especially if they're in spaces that are constantly faced with disasters,” Cassandra Davis of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tells Axios.

Davis is currently working with FEMA — through funding from the Department of Homeland Security — on a project examining inequitable distribution of disaster aid. “As we think about recovery, short and long term, they're more likely to be left behind.” 

What we’re watching: By continuing to acknowledge social injustice and focusing on who is being left out of relief — which FEMA addressed in a report earlier this year — pressing gaps in disaster recovery can be filled, according to Davis.

As a first step, Davis hopes that begins with the U.S. emergency response to Fiona. 

The unequal toll of climate disasters

Hurricane Fiona is a reminder that unequal recovery efforts contribute to lasting racial and social divides.

Photo illustration of various people, abstract shapes, plywood texture, and torn paper that resembles a wave.

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photos: Hector Retamal/AFP, Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP via Getty Images

Climate change

Ferocious Hurricane Fiona now a Category 4 storm

The hurricane strengthened as it moved away from the Turks and Caicos Islands toward Bermuda.

A satellite image of Hurricane Fiona over the Turks and Caicos islands.

hurricanes

Extreme weather

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

The historic heat waves that roasted the U.S. and Europe over the summer may have subsided. But a record marine heat wave is gripping large expanses of the North Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans.

The big picture: It has implications for marine species and extreme weather events, including hurricanes, as climate change exacerbates the problem. NOAA scientists warn it shows no signs of immediately abating.

The endangered Hawksbill turtle in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast. 

The endangered Hawksbill turtle in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Florida coast. Photo: Mark Conlin/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images

Driving the news: "Climate change is making every marine heatwave warmer than the last," research scientist Dillon Amaya, who studies marine heat waves at NOAA's Physical Sciences Laboratory, tells Axios.

"Climate change increases the mean temperature of the ocean (i.e., global warming)," Amaya says. "Marine heatwaves ride that upward trend and are becoming warmer as a result."

By the numbers: "The North Atlantic is currently something like four degrees Celsius warmer than normal, or at least parts of it are. And you end up seeing similar numbers for the North Pacific as well, it's for about four degrees Celsius warmer than normal," Amaya says.

State of play: Heat wave conditions in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic have lasted for some three months. "For these parts of the world, these temperatures are unprecedented," Amaya says.

Vincent Saba, a fishery biologist at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, notes it's "warmed faster in the U.S. Northeast shelf than any other region across the country in the last 15 years."

Fish biomass was still relatively stable, but scientists had observed changes in marine species in the Northwest Atlantic,  Saba said in a phone interview last week.

In the Pacific Ocean, there's a La Niña climate event for the third year in a row. This can lead to warmer than normal conditions in the Northeast Pacific, Amaya said.

Of note: Warming isn't the only impact of climate change.

"We're also talking about an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the water, which makes the waters more acidic," Saba says. 

"That can impact shelf species like lobster, highly valuable sea scallops. We're still unclear on what those impacts are."

Threat level: "With climate change some marine species will fair better than others," Saba says.

Research suggests warmer water species are staying in the U.S. Northeast for longer, while North Atlantic right whales are foraging in different waters as they follow their plankton prey, which have moved locations — raising concerns about ship collisions and entanglement with fishing gear. 

It's unclear whether this is due to climate change or warming waters, per Saba.

"We've seen major changes in species distributions," he says. "Warmer water species moving north, and a lot of colder water species moving further north out of the system has kind of been the general trend."

Research that Saba and his colleagues have conducted found warmer waters were leading to almost all female sea turtles hatching — though projections indicate the biggest long-term threats will be in hatchling mortality as nests and beaches warm up and erosion from sea level rise destroys nests.

Zoom in: Bette Zirkelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys, said along with the hatchlings issue, she's seen an increased prevalence of fibropapillomatosis (FP), a tumor-causing disease that primarily affects green sea turtles.

In the past 12 months, 70% of about 47 turtles admitted to the hospital with FP were diagnosed with internal tumours and had to be euthanized as there's currently no treatment for internal turmors, Zirkelbach said in a phone interview Tuesday.

"Warmer waters cause these tumours to grow," she said.

Meanwhile, 20 Kemp's ridley sea turtles were flown to the hospital from New England last year after the critically endangered animals stayed too long in Cape Cod Bay instead of moving out with the Gulf Stream.

"The cold weather hits and they get trapped," Zirkelbach said.

What to watch: The marine heat wave isn't just a threat to animals. Models project it may exacerbate the deadly Hurricane Fiona if the storm continues to to track northward and enters the Northwest Atlantic later this week.

If this occurs, it would help Fiona maintain its tropical nature and intensity for longer than if the marine heatwave were not there, Amaya notes. However, "the strong winds and associated upper ocean mixing may help to cool off parts of the ocean that are really warm right now."

The bottom line: To break up the marine heat wave, "the atmospheric wind patterns need to revert back to normal and the ocean would then need time (typically several months) to cool back down without being poked again," Amaya says.

Climate change drives record North Atlantic marine heat wave

"Almost every marine heatwave is warmer than the last because of ... climate change," NOAA scientist says.

 Sea surface temperature anomalies on Sept. 20, in degrees Celsius.

A heat map of sea surface temperature anomalies on Tuesday. Photo: Weatherbell.com

Heat waves

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

Time is launching a sustainability division called "CO2 by Time" that will offer companies tools that go beyond just offsetting their carbon emissions.

Why it matters: While the division does take a small servicing fee from clients, executives say the venture isn't meant to drive revenue.

Rather, the purpose of the division is to bring authority to Time's editorial coverage around climate and to live up to its mission of driving global change.

"In addition to covering climate leaders, as we do, in our journalism, we want to be a leader ourselves and this is an opportunity for us to take action within our own company," said Time editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal.

Details: CO2 by Time is launching curated climate action portfolios that will allow companies to offset their own carbon emissions and fund additional climate-friendly activities.

It's an independent division within Time that doesn't sit within the company's newsroom or business department.

The business is funded by Time initially but eventually plans to be self-sustaining through service fees. Executives declined to disclose the service fee percentage. So far, a dozen people have been hired by Time to work within the division.

CO2 by Time essentially aims to become a "surrogate sustainability team" for companies, said Simon Mulcahy, Time's president of sustainability, who is leading the new division as CEO. "Because the climate market is full of so many junk quality projects, they're just risking throwing money away," he said.

It will also include tools for companies to analyze their climate commitments.

Between the lines: CO2 by Time is launching its own climate portfolio called "Planet Portfolio." 

"Our model is roughly a blend of 40% removal, 30% reduction, 20% protection of critical natural ecosystems and 10% innovation," said Shyla Raghav, head of portfolios & partnerships at CO2.com.

Other portfolios curated in conjunction with climate experts will also be available through the CO2 by Time platform.

By the numbers: The average brand is expecting to put in $10,000 to $100,000, Mulcahy said. "This is what most companies are spending at the minimum on offsets."

For now, CO2 by Time will focus on enterprise clients, but Mulcahy said it aims to launch a consumer platform later.

The division's first client is TPXimpact, a UK-based digital services company. Mulcahy hopes "thousands" of companies will launch their climate action plans through CO2 by Time within the next year.

Time itself is also a customer of CO2 by Time. It aims to reach net zero emissions by 2026.

The big picture: The new division is the latest expansion since Time was acquired by Marc and Lynne Benioff in 2018.

Last month Time bought Brandcast, a company that licenses software for easy-to-build marketing websites. It's also launched a lucrative TV and film licensing business and a web3 platform that includes a profitable NFT community.

Time launches platform to help companies tackle climate change

Illustration of the earth on a large pile of money

Time (magazine)

Media

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 3 storm on Tuesday morning — packing 115 mph winds as it neared the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Threat level: The deadly storm that's the first major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season was continuing to unleash heavy rainfall and "life-threatening" flash flooding on Puerto Rico and parts of the Dominican Republic, per a National Hurricane Center 2am update.

The hurricane has been linked to at least two deaths in Puerto Rico and another one in the nearby Dominican Republic.

The big picture: Fiona caused a total power outage when it struck Puerto Rico as a Category 1 storm over the weekend. Nearly 1.3 million residents were still without electricity in the U.S. territory on Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us.

After it made landfall in the Dominican Republic on Monday, the strengthening storm knocked out power to more than 700,000 customers, Reuters notes.

The White House said Monday the federal government has deployed 300 personnel to Puerto Rico to assist with response and recovery, and this would "increase substantially" in the coming days once the damage has been assessed.

Of note: Puerto Rico's power grid was already fragile after being severely damaged during Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Go deeper: Three massive storms slam U.S. and Japan, each with climate change ties

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Deadly Hurricane Fiona strengthens into Category 3 storm

The deadly storm is packing 115 mp winds as it approaches the Turks and Caicos Islands.

A NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Fiona

A NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Fiona as it strengthened into a Category 3 storm early on Tuesday. Photo: NOAA

Hurricane Fiona is forecast to become the season's first major hurricane in the Atlantic, as it continues to unleash heavy rains on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The latest: Fiona, which strengthened into a Category 2 storm Monday,  has killed at least two people — one in Puerto Rico and another in the Dominican Republic, while at least one death has been linked to the widespread power outages Fiona caused in Puerto Rico, AP reports. The 70-year-old man died trying to refill his generator, officials said.

Threat level: Fiona was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph some 80 miles southeast of Grand Turk Island late Monday, as it dumped heavy rains across Puerto Rico and parts of the Dominican Republic — where "life-threatening" flash flooding was likely, per the National Hurricane Center. 

Mudslides and landslides were still a risk for Puerto Rico, the NHC said in an 11pm ET forecast update.

What we're watching: Though Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have taken the worst hits so far, Fiona was expected to also pose a threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as Bermuda. 

The hurricane was expected to develop into a Category 3 storm near the Turks and Caicos by Tuesday morning. 

Data: National Hurricane Center; Map: Jared Whalen/Axios

What they're saying: The White House said Monday the federal government has deployed 300 personnel to Puerto Rico to assist with response and recovery.

President Biden spoke with Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi about the federal government's support and the "number of support personnel will increase substantially" in the coming days once damage assessments have been conducted, according to a White House statement.

The big picture: Fiona left over 1.4 million people in Puerto Rico without power on Sunday as it caused an island-wide outage five years after Hurricane Maria struck. Pierluisi said Monday it may be days before power's restored.

Rapidly rising waterways have led rivers to crest at record heights. 

After pummeling Puerto Rico, the hurricane slammed into the Dominican Republic on Monday, triggering mudslides that damaged highways and forced resorts to close.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Hurricane Fiona to be season's first major hurricane in Atlantic

Fiona is strengthening as it continues to unleash heavy rainfall on Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Carribbean.

Photo of a street flooded with water as strong winds blow palm tree leaves backwards

View of a park in Samana, Dominican Republic, on Monday. Photo: Erika Santelices/AFP via Getty Images