The Prosperity Council is shifting from listening to giving advice, and two very different viewpoints are now in the spotlight. One side says Oregon’s economy is already solid, so we should keep raising wages and protecting public services. The other argues that the state is entering a new era where
The Pacific Ocean is quietly undergoing a major shift that could reshape weather patterns across America. Deep beneath the surface, a growing mass of unusually warm water is making its way eastward, pushed by shifting winds. When it reaches the central Pacific later this year, it could trigger one o
A recent cruise ship disaster shows how diseases can travel in surprising ways. Three people died and others got sick from hantavirus during a trip from Argentina to the Cape Verde islands. The outbreak started on a ship sailing through one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Antarctica isn’t
Scientists have found that not all climate changes affect violence the same way. Two well-known patterns—the Pacific warming called El Niño and the Indian Ocean temperature flip called the Indian Ocean Dipole—can quietly push societies toward fighting, even when people don’t immediately notice the d
Coffee used to get a bad rap. Doctors once warned pregnant women to avoid it and linked it to scary diseases like cancer. But those old warnings mostly came from studies that mixed up coffee with smoking—people often lit up while sipping their brew, making it hard to tell what was really causing har
For years, a scary climate change prediction called RCP 8. 5 shaped headlines, school lessons, and even government policies. It painted a picture of extreme warming, dying coastlines, and global collapse—all by the end of the century. But now, the scientists who created these worst-case scenarios ha
Scientists predict that a powerful El Nino may form mid‑year, possibly the most intense on record. This warming pulse in the equatorial Pacific can shift heat across the planet, making summers hotter and storms more severe. The World Meteorological Organization says the signal for an El Nino is
Scientists studied 15 long‑term forest sites around the world, from tropical jungles to Arctic woodlands. They measured how many different tree species were present and how much organic carbon was stored in the soil, a key factor that helps slow climate change. The overall trend showed that forests
Alaska is getting ready for a new kind of weather warning. Normally, people think of wild winds or heavy snow when they hear weather alerts. But now, forecasters will also issue heat advisories for Anchorage and parts of southern Alaska as temperatures climb higher than usual. The change is partly
A big shift is happening in the Pacific Ocean right now, and it could shake up weather patterns worldwide. After months of cooler-than-normal waters, the ocean is heating up fast. Scientists are watching closely because this warming phase—called El Niño—often brings extreme weather to different part
