Hot Planet Update: Marine Heatwaves Tripling in Length, Climate Change Threatens Rice and Blood Supplies, Trump Halts Offshore Wind, AI Emissions, & More
A roundup of what happened, why it matters, and key context for climate change news during the week of April 12-18.
Welcome to “Hot Planet Update,” a series on Reality Studies that recaps the biggest news in climate from the last week. Using a “smart brevity” format, Last Week in Climate recaps are designed to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and provide key context.
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1. Marine Heatwaves Last Three Times Longer Due to Warming
👉 Hotter oceans are turning short bursts of extreme sea temperatures into prolonged marine heatwaves, new research shows.
The length of ocean heatwaves has tripled in recent decades as a result of human-driven climate change. These events—when sea temperatures spike well above normal—not only happen more often now, but last far longer than they did in the mid-20th century.
Prolonged marine heat puts marine life in peril. Scientists report that warmer seas are “supercharging” storms and destroying critical ecosystems like kelp forests and coral reefs. Half of all marine heatwaves since 2000 would have been impossible without global warming. Warmer oceans also absorb less CO₂, worsening the cycle.
Why it matters: Ocean heatwaves are like “wildfires” underwater, killing swathes of sea life. They also can make coastal storms and downpours more destructive by loading the air with moisture. The study underscores that cutting fossil fuel burning is the only way to cool the seas and protect both ocean ecosystems and coastal communities.
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2. Climate Change Threatens to Poison Rice, Staple for Billions
👉 Research finds that global warming could raise arsenic levels in rice, a food half the world’s people rely on.
A new study warns that higher temperatures and CO₂ levels will cause rice plants to absorb more arsenic, a toxic heavy metal. Rice is grown in water-flooded paddies, conditions that make it easy for arsenic in water and soil to infiltrate the grain.
Arsenic is a carcinogen, and chronic exposure (even at low levels common in rice) is linked to cancers and developmental problems. Scientists found that as climate change intensifies (think hotter weather and elevated carbon dioxide), inorganic arsenic in rice grains could increase significantly. That poses a dire threat in regions where rice is a dietary cornerstone.
Why it matters: Half the world’s population depends on rice as a daily staple, from Asia to Africa to Latin America. Climate-driven arsenic increases could become a silent food security crisis, undermining nutrition and public health. The findings add urgency to climate adaptation in agriculture—from developing arsenic-resistant rice strains to improving water management—to keep this critical crop safe to eat.
3. Trump Administration Halts Offshore Wind Project
👉 A major offshore wind farm is abruptly frozen as the U.S. government reverses green energy approvals.
Federal officials ordered a stop to construction on Empire Wind 1—large offshore wind project planned off New York—as part of the administration’s crackdown on renewable energy initiatives. The developer has been left considering legal action while the shutdown threatens timelines.
New York State needs projects like this to meet its climate targets and clean power needs. The halt not only imperils billions in investment and thousands of jobs but could also deter other renewable projects. Industry advocates warn that suddenly yanking support for approved wind farms creates uncertainty that could scare off clean energy developers nationwide.
Why it matters: This is one of the most tangible moves yet of the new administration’s pro-fossil fuel tilt—effectively prioritizing coal and gas by blocking a flagship wind development. It marks a sharp U-turn in U.S. climate policy: from accelerating renewables to actively impeding them. The conflict foreshadows bigger battles between federal authorities and states (like New York) that are pressing ahead on green energy.
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4. AI Chip Boom Triggers Soaring Emissions, Greenpeace Warns
👉 The artificial intelligence revolution has a dirty secret: making AI chips guzzles huge amounts of power, mostly from fossil fuels.
New data show that electricity use for manufacturing AI chips jumped over 350% in just one year (2023–2024). This quadrupling of power consumption comes from energy-hungry chip factories in East Asia (Taiwan, South Korea, Japan), which currently rely heavily on coal and gas electricity.
If left unchecked, the AI hardware explosion could become a major emissions source. Greenpeace East Asia projects energy use for AI chip production could increase 170-fold over the next five years if trends continue, potentially rivaling the CO₂ output of some mid-sized countries. The group found that AI chipmakers are even being used to justify new fossil power plants in the region.
Why it matters: AI is often touted as a tool to help fight climate change—but its own supply chain isn’t green. The report urges chipmakers and governments to power AI with renewables and efficiency, so that training the next ChatGPT doesn’t bust climate goals.
5. UK Tests a Carbon-Sucking Device in the Sea
👉 A first-of-its-kind pilot project called SeaCURE is pulling CO₂ from ocean water to combat climate change.
Launched on England’s south coast, SeaCURE is a small UK government-funded pilot that removes carbon dioxide from seawater. The concept: since oceans naturally absorb a quarter of our CO₂ emissions, helping them pull out even more could be a novel form of carbon capture. The SeaCURE unit uses renewable energy to strip CO₂ from water, then returns the water to the sea to draw down more atmospheric CO₂.
Big ambitions: If scaled up, this approach could potentially remove billions of tons of CO₂ per year—in theory. Early results show it currently removes about 100 tons annually (roughly the emissions of 100 transatlantic flights). The UK has 15 such carbon removal trials underway as it explores tech to reach net-zero.
Why it matters: With global decarbonization lagging, carbon removal technologies will be an important intervention among many others. Ocean-based CO₂ capture is especially enticing because it piggybacks on the sea’s natural carbon sink ability and could be more efficient than pulling CO₂ from air. But scientists are watching for ecosystem impacts on marine life and whether the approach can be cost-effective at scale. SeaCURE’s experiment will provide crucial data on this cutting-edge climate solution.
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