News Feeds

By: Green Knowledge Foundation

Every morning in Nigeria’s Benin City, before traffic builds up and markets awaken, faint plumes of smoke rise from heaps of waste scattered across open spaces. In Jos, plastic bags cling to drainage channels after heavy rains. On the outskirts of Abuja, government-approved dumpsites quietly ferment under the sun. In Lagos, Africa’s most populous city, towering landfills on the city’s fringes swell daily as trucks unload tons of mixed waste, while clogged canals and lagoons trap floating debris beneath the humid coastal air.

What appears to be ordinary waste is, in reality, an invisible climate threat: Methane.

Across Nigeria’s rapidly growing cities, unmanaged organic waste is releasing one of the most potent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The Multi-Solving Action to Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRN) Project was conceived in response to this urgent environmental challenge.

When organic waste, food scraps, green waste, and agricultural residues decompose in oxygen-deprived conditions, such as open dumpsites, they produce methane (CH₄). Methane is not just another greenhouse gas. It is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, responsible for nearly half of the global warming already experienced, and the second-most-important anthropogenic greenhouse gas after Carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Municipal solid waste landfills globally account for approximately 11% of anthropogenic methane emissions. For every tonne of waste sent to landfill, an estimated 50–100 kg of methane may be released; equivalent to roughly 1,610 kg of Carbon dioxide (CO₂) per tonne due to methane’s high global warming potential.

Nigeria generates over 32 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, yet only about 20–30% is formally collected. More than 90% of waste in many developing regions ends up in open dumpsites, waterways, unused land, or is openly burned. 

Nigeria’s waste composition is particularly significant: approximately 50–60% of municipal solid waste is organic. This means that a large proportion of waste entering dumpsites is actively generating methane. In 2021, methane accounted for 44.6% of Nigeria’s total greenhouse gas emissions, making it one of the country’s most critical climate pollutants.

With Nigeria’s population estimated at over 223 million and projected to rise significantly by 2050, urban centres such as Benin City, Jos, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are expanding rapidly. Urbanisation, rising consumption patterns, and limited infrastructure have widened the gap between waste generation and effective management.

Globally, about 2.01 billion metric tonnes of municipal solid waste are produced annually, and this is expected to increase by 70% by 2050. Sub-Saharan Africa alone is projected to reach 269 million tonnes of waste per year by 2030. Nigeria mirrors this trajectory.

Nigeria is already experiencing the effects of climate change, including increased flooding and stormwater runoff, coastal erosion and sea-level rise, rising temperatures and heat waves, agricultural productivity losses, food insecurity and water scarcity, and increased disease outbreaks. Open dumpsites worsen these impacts. During heavy rainfall, flooding dislodges waste, spreading pollutants into homes, schools, and water bodies. Methane buildup within dumpsites also presents explosion hazards.

Rather than treating waste as a burden, the MAMRN project reimagines it as a resource. Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) are being established to divert organic waste from dumpsites, process it into compost, sort recyclables such as plastics, glass, paper, and e-waste, integrate and strengthen the role of waste pickers, and reduce methane emissions at the source. Each facility is initially designed to manage approximately 260 tons of waste annually.

By converting organic waste into compost, the project improves soil health, reduces dependence on petroleum-based fertilisers, supports climate-smart agriculture, and minimises methane emissions from decomposition. Farmers are trained through the My Zero Waste Farm Project, with at least 20 farmers per state serving as trainers to expand adoption across communities. Organic waste is also processed through Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming to produce high-protein animal feed, organic fertiliser, and new livelihood opportunities. This model strengthens local food systems while reducing methane emissions from landfills.

Methane reduction through improved waste management delivers multiple benefits, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced flooding and pollution, improved public health outcomes, job creation for waste pickers and farmers, strengthened urban food systems, and contributions to SDGs 1, 2, 6, 7, and 13. The project aligns with Nigeria’s long-term low-emission development strategy, aiming to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050 and to transition to a circular economy.

Methane may be invisible, but its impacts are not. The rising temperatures, flooded streets, polluted waterways, and strained agricultural systems across Nigeria tell a visible story of climate vulnerability. The MAMRN Project represents a shift from open dumping to resource recovery, from unmanaged emissions to data-driven reductions, and from environmental degradation to circular-economy solutions.

By diverting organic waste, empowering communities, integrating informal waste workers, and influencing policy, Nigeria takes a practical step toward reducing methane emissions and building climate resilience. The future of Nigerian cities depends not only on how much waste is produced, but on how wisely it is managed. 

The path forward requires action from everyone.  Policymakers can strengthen regulatory frameworks that recognise waste pickers as formal climate workers and prioritise waste-sector investments in national climate plans. Development partners and funders can direct climate finance toward community-led Material Recovery Facilities and methane monitoring infrastructure. 

Businesses can adopt circular procurement practices, reducing organic waste across supply chains and supporting compost markets. Farmers can integrate compost and Black Soldier Fly products into their practices, improving soil health while cutting dependence on chemical fertilisers. And as a reader, you can start where you are: composting at home, supporting local waste initiatives, or simply sharing this blog post to grow awareness. 

In that transformation lies the power to slow global warming, protect communities, and build a cleaner, more sustainable future.

This article is the second in a series on the Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRN) Project, implemented in collaboration with CfEW Jos, SraDev Lagos, Pave Lagos, CODAF Epe Lagos, and SEDI Benin City.

The post Nigeria’s 32 Million Tonnes of Annual Waste Is Doing Something Far Worse Than Polluting Streets first appeared on GAIA.

Washington, D.C. | May 18, 2026— Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rollback, removing 4 PFAS from their 2024 national, legally enforceable, and scientifically supported Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) drinking water standards while also proposing a two year delay, until 2031, for drinking water systems to comply with the enforceable limits.

The four PFAS slated for removal from the drinking water regulations include “GenX,” the forever chemical that replaced PFOA, which is widely used and has contaminated the drinking water source of 500,000 people in North Carolina and the Ohio River; PFHxS and PFNA, which are found in the blood of more than 95 percent of people living in the U.S., and PFBS which is a replacement for PFOS and still actively being produced and used in the U.S. These four PFAS have been linked to adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune system, developmental and reproductive harm, and hormone disruption. 

In response to the announcement of today’s standard, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement: 

“PFAS chemicals are associated with many expensive, harmful chronic diseases and there are a myriad of PFAS in drinking water besides PFOA and PFOS, including the 4 PFAS whose standards EPA is proposing to repeal. There are thousands of additional PFAS that could be contaminating our drinking water that EPA does not currently monitor for. The EPA cannot be confident that simply monitoring and treating for only PFOA and PFOS will be sufficient as this is not supported by the evidence. With the Administration simultaneously proposing a 52% cut in EPA’s budget and the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds receiving an 87% cut, these actions will result in a huge step backwards and will not make America healthy again. Nurses will continue to fight for health protective science-based regulations.”

Most people are exposed to mixtures of PFAS and there is sufficient evidence that certain PFAS are associated with negative health outcomes including decreased antibody responses and dyslipidemia in both adults and children as well as decreased infant and fetal growth and increased risk of kidney cancer in adults. There will be a 60-day public comment period, and EPA will hold a public hearing on July 7, 2026. 

###

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) is the leading global nursing organization focused on the intersection of human and planetary health.  ANHE champions nurses as critical to promoting and protecting human health from environmental harm associated with degradation and disruption of Earth’s natural systems, especially for populations that are disproportionately exposed and overburdened. ANHE leads in engaging, educating, and mobilizing nurses in support of environmental health equity and justice.

http://enviRN.org

The post Nurses Oppose EPA’s Proposal to Rollback and Delay PFAS Drinking Water Protections appeared first on ANHE.

A new company YumLit is working to bring joy to family mealtimes through interactive light-up plates. As a social venture, they plan to share proceeds with nonprofit organizations committed to tackling food and nutrition insecurity in their communities and around the world.

The inspiration for the company came to Janet Lawson and her husband Seth Coan during a family dinner. After finishing his meal, their three-year-old son expressed excitement when he discovered the cartoon lion on his plate.

“It was a fun reward,” Lawson tells Food Tank. She and Coan wondered if they could inspire that same joy in other children by making plates come to life in some way.

This question led to the development of colorful, screen-free dishes that light up when a child reveals the design underneath. Lawson and Coan hope that the plates encourage children to build healthy eating habits while reducing stress at mealtimes.

“We created YumLit to make meals feel more fun and encouraging for kids,” Lawson says.

The launch of YumLit is a pivot for the couple, who recently moved to Washington State after living in Morocco. Lawson worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she focused on building more resilient food and agriculture systems. Coan, an environmental engineer, was focused on climate solutions and sustainability.

Funding cuts and the dismantling of USAID led to job losses and big transitions for the family. But even as she moves into the world of entrepreneurship, Lawson says that she is still driven by the same goals she’s always had: ending food and nutrition insecurity and advancing climate resilience.

“I was very interested in how…we could have some type of social impact,” Lawson says.

YumLit created the YumLit Luminaries Program, which allows organizations to convert the sale of a plate into a donation for their community. When anyone purchases a plate through a luminary’s unique link, 10 percent of proceeds will go to a nonprofit focusing on food access, hunger relief, or nutrition support. They are also planning to donate US$1 from every plate sold to nonprofit partners working to tackle childhood hunger.

“We know that a lot of organizations are experiencing the fallout not just from USAID grants, but other federal funding that has been reduced, and they are really struggling as well,” Lawson tells Food Tank.

The reception to the plates has been positive, says Lawson, with pediatric nutritionists and feeding specialists excited by the idea.

YumLit just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help the company scale and she expects plates will be in supporters’ hands toward the end of this year.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of YumLit

The post YumLit Combines Playful Mealtimes With a Mission to End Food Insecurity appeared first on Food Tank.

On 30th April, The Guardian published an article ‘Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis finds’ based on a deep dive by Leana Hosea, of Watershed Investigations. It spotlights work by BFFP members, Basel Action Network and Jan Dell of The Last Beach Cleanup.

The headline is stark: Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, shipping over 810,000 tonnes abroad, with the UK close behind at more than 675,000 tonnes. Much of this waste continues to flow to countries like Türkiye, Malaysia and Indonesia, where repeated investigations, like those conducted by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), link imports to environmental harm, illegal dumping and burning and wider social impacts.

This is exactly why sustained, evidence-based advocacy matters. It is encouraging to see the foundations laid by years of campaigning beginning to translate into policy shifts, particularly with tighter controls in Europe.

But the story doesn’t end with an export ban to non-OECD countries slated for  November 2026.

As export restrictions evolve, there is a very real risk of displacement rather than reduction. The EIA is already watching this closely in Türkiye, the UK and across eastern European countries, where capacity constraints and enforcement gaps could once again concentrate harm. The reality in Türkiye, despite its claim to be a "zero waste" champion and government-led greenwashing, is that many regions are overwhelmed by huge amounts of waste that far exceed recycling capacity, with shocking imagery and harm, and citizens bearing the brunt of this pollution.

https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhatsApp-Video-2026-05-19-at-12.45.07-PM.mp4

At the same time, it is genuinely encouraging to see the proactive energy emerging from European enforcement authorities as they work collaboratively across borders to address illegal waste trade and strengthen oversight. That momentum will be critical in the transition away from exports.

Because ultimately, this is not just a waste management issue. It is a systemic failure in how we produce, use and externalise the costs of plastic. And it is one we can no longer afford to export.

Yet every time such a media story appears on the international plastic waste trade, a familiar pattern follows. A highly presentable, data-heavy, modelling-oriented academic voice appears and says, in essence: “Actually, this is not quite correct, because our calculations show something else.” Then comes the usual lecture: we need “accurate information”, we need to be “consistent”, we need to “look at the data properly”.

Of course, accuracy matters. Data matters. Consistency matters.

But there is a serious problem when this type of intervention systematically ignores the most important part of the story: the environmental harm, the human cost, the occupational deaths, the illegal practices, the invisible pollution, and the fact that plastic waste trade is not merely a technical trade-flow issue.

We saw this pattern again after The Guardian article. Our views were included in that article, specifically on the environmental pollution dimension. And that is exactly where we think the discussion must remain focused. Because this is not simply a matter of whether one database, model, or trade-flow estimate is more elegant than another.

The data landscape itself is already deeply problematic: Comtrade, Eurostat and WTO-related datasets do not always capture the full picture. 

In fact, in a recent presentation by officials from the Turkish Ministry of Trade, we saw figures indicating that Türkiye imported around 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste from the EU in 2024. You cannot find these figures anywhere else, they are very unlikely to be fabricated. So when there are such major discrepancies between different datasets, it is not intellectually serious to dismiss investigative journalism by simply saying: “Your data are incomplete; our model is better.”

That is not scientific rigour. That is selective framing. And selective framing becomes especially problematic when it repeatedly comes from people who are very comfortable defending industry collaboration, while directing most of their criticism toward civil society, investigative journalists, and environmental advocates.

The plastic waste trade is not just an economic transaction. It is a pollution issue, a human rights issue and also a colonial issue.

Imported plastic waste washes up on beaches, thick as snowdrifts. Yet unlike snow, they break down into harmful microplastics and leach toxic chemicals into the water and soil. Image credits: Vedat Örüç.

Therefore, any commentary on this issue that reduces the debate to a technical dispute over datasets, while ignoring the environmental and human consequences, should be treated with caution. Science is not a decorative shield for political convenience. And “data” should not be used as a smoke screen to obscure pollution, injustice, and accountability. The real question is not only how many tonnes were traded. The real question is: who pays the environmental and human price for this trade?

These thoughts were originally shared as posts on LinkedIn.

Authors:

Amy Youngman (International Environmental Attorney, Environmental Investigation Agency)

Sedat Gündoğdu (Professor at Cukurova University | Head of Microplastic Research Group | Marine Pollution Researcher | Researcher at Istanbul Policy Center/Sabancı University)

Headline News:

• “Worst-Case Global Warming Projection Cut By 1°C” • The fall in the cost of solar and wind energy puts a high-fossil-fuel future increasingly out of reach, and climate policies are helping drive emissions down. Some top climate scientists reduced the upper limit of their worst-case global warming scenario to 3.5°C above pre-industrial levels, down from 4.5°C. [Euronews]

Nuuk Greenland (Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen, Unsplash)

• “Wind Leads Ireland Electricity Mix In April” • Wind was the largest contributor to Ireland’s electricity mix in April, making up 38% of total generation. EirGrid said renewables generated 48% of electricity during the month, including 6% from grid-scale solar, for the third consecutive month where renewables met around half of electricity demand. [reNews]
• “UPDATED: NextEra, Dominion To Form $420 Billion Power Giant” • NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy are set to merge, the two companies announced today. The move will create the world’s largest regulated electric utility, and one of the world’s largest energy infrastructure companies. The transaction creates a mammoth utility. [reNews]
• “NTPC adds 5,488 MW Renewable Energy Capacity In FY26” • NTPC Group has added 5,488 MW of renewable energy capacity in FY26, including solar, wind, and pumped storage projects, strengthening its clean energy portfolio. Beyond conventional generation, NTPC has also diversified into such emerging energy businesses as storage. [pv magazine India]
• “Electricity Generation From Solar Could Exceed Coal In ERCOT For The First Time In 2026” • In its most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook, the US EIA forecast that annual electric power generation from utility-scale solar plants will surpass that from coal plants for the first time in 2026 within the electricity grid that covers most of Texas. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Conceptualizing Security in a Time of Deep Civilizational Crisis Date and time * Date: June 4th, 2026 * Time: 1pm GMT * Registration Link: Here * Speakers: Manuel Rozental (Colombia), Dipa Sinha (India) and (TBC) * Moderation: Introduction This is the first of a series of webinars that will open the series with a conceptual discussion on security in a time of deep civilizational crisis. It will examine how security has traditionally been framed through the international order, the n…

Packing a lunch should be quick and fun. Simple meals keep the body strong and the mind clear. Eating well at work or school helps keep energy levels steady all day long. Small portions of fresh food make a big difference for health. Using a wooden or plastic Japanese bento box makes every meal look beautiful. In this article, we look at easy ways to pack food in a bento box.

Pick a base:

Start with a grain to stay full. White or brown rice works well because it stays soft. You can also use small noodles or a piece of flatbread. This part of the meal gives you the fuel to keep going until dinner. Keep the portion small to leave room for other colorful items.

Add clean protein:

Protein helps muscles stay healthy. Boiled eggs are a great choice because they are easy to peel and pack. Slices of grilled chicken or pieces of firm tofu also work perfectly. Try to keep the pieces small so they fit easily inside the small compartments.

Fill with color:

Vegetables make the meal look bright and happy. Steamed broccoli, sliced carrots, or snap peas add a nice crunch. Green leaves or red peppers create a beautiful look that makes you want to eat. Fresh vegetables provide vitamins that keep the immune system strong.

Include a fruit:

A little bit of natural sugar is good for a quick afternoon boost. Slices of apple, a few grapes, or orange wedges fit well in small gaps. Fruit acts as a healthy dessert that keeps you away from candy. It adds a refreshing taste after eating savory items. Choose fruits that do not get mushy easily during the day.

Keep it tight:

Pack the food closely so nothing moves around. Use small dividers or silicone cups to keep flavors separate. When there are no gaps, the meal stays looking neat until lunchtime. A tight pack also means you get a good variety of different nutrients in one sitting. It is a simple way to make a small amount of food feel like plenty.

Keep it cool:

Safety is important when carrying food. A small ice pack kept near the container keeps everything fresh and crisp. Cold air prevents food from spoiling while you work or study. This ensures every bite tastes exactly as it should. Taking care of your meal means your body gets the best quality food every single day.

For decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, worked across many of the world’s most food-insecure and climate-besieged regions, funding thousands of humanitarian, healthcare, food, and disaster relief programs. That all changed last year when, days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, his administration issued a stop-work order that suspended nearly all of USAID’s overseas programs. Then, last July, the administration informally dissolved the agency — leading to the largest withdrawal of American international development aid in more than 60 years. 

A new study published May 14 in the journal Science suggests the sudden USAID shutdown could have been linked to an uptick in violent conflict across much of Africa, with some of the most politically fragile regions seeing the largest spikes. Outside experts, however, caution that the findings are preliminary and may not capture the bigger picture. 

Farming and agricultural markets are easily disrupted by conflict, and when conflict occurs food security worsens because it can limit communities’ access to food. At the same time, deepening food insecurity in fragile political states contributes to social unrest. Climate impacts then layer onto this fragility. Extreme weather is second only to conflict in having the greatest effect on global hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition, according to a U.N. report. That’s in part because it increasingly causes people to migrate as they flee places destroyed by rising seas and cataclysmic storms, which, in turn, can fuel conflict. 

“It is undeniable that USAID programming around food aid, including emergency food kitchens, therapeutic foods, and health and water programming on which basic food and nutritional security is built, provided a critical lifeline to millions of women, children, and families in severe nutritional deficits,” said Zia Mehrabi, a food security and climate change researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Who in their right mind would retract healthcare and food so abruptly, in so many places, when the direct result is people suffering and dying?”

In analyzing the impact of funding cuts on conflict across 870 subnational African regions that had been receiving different levels of USAID services, the Science paper’s authors found that in the roughly 10 months that followed the administration’s immediate withdrawal of aid, areas that had previously received more USAID support may have experienced more or different types of conflict. Using two global datasets that track funding disbursements and violent conflict, the study suggests that, in areas with high historical USAID funding, there was a 12.3 percent increase in conflict overall and a 7.3 percent surge in armed battles; protests and riots in these areas rose by 6.8 percent and battle-related fatalities by 9.3 percent after the shutdown. 

According to Austin Wright, a University of Chicago researcher who studies the political economy of conflict, and a co-author of the paper, the effects have been swift and destabilizing. “There is nothing that we’re aware of in recorded human history of the magnitude of that shutdown, in terms of ending a country’s commitment at a global scale,” said Wright. 

Read Next The world is getting too hot to feed itself Ayurella Horn-Muller

Established in 1961, USAID was created to encourage economic and social development in emerging nations while countering the Cold War influence of the Soviet Union. Building resilience in foreign political systems has, in recent decades, been “one of the main goals of the work of USAID,” said Chelsea Marcho, a senior director for research and policy at the Food Security Leadership Council and former USAID official under former President Joe Biden, who was not involved in the Science paper. The study showing that violence may have been less severe in places where USAID had helped build stronger institutions, she said, only underscores the value of those aid investments. One example is the largely discontinued work to develop more resilient food systems across sub-Saharan African nations facing higher rates of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. 

But what many tend to forget, said Marcho, is that USAID also funded the bulk of pivotal data collection efforts across much of the world’s most food-insecure and climate-vulnerable regions. The dissolution of the agency has prompted widespread disruptions in everything from localized weather monitoring to one of the primary global famine early-warning systems. Although some of these systems have since been restored, the gaps in monitoring coupled with the decreased capacity across aid organizations means it is all the more difficult to understand what is happening on the ground. 

Indeed, the end of USAID has buckled our ability to measure the very outcomes of the end of USAID. “The visibility that we have around food security is potentially in decline at the same time that the risks to the system are increasing,” said Marcho. “How do we actually get the data we need?”

Mehrabi finds the new paper creates “more questions than answers.” He argues the mechanisms of measurement are unclear, the analysis period is too short, and the authors don’t adequately disentangle USAID’s specific effects from Trump’s simultaneous cuts to other U.S. international funding sources, such as the State Department. “The results are clearly early and tentative,” he said. “I think it is a leap to say this is all attributable to USAID.” 

Wright, for his part, acknowledged the study has limitations, including a short post-shock observation window of just 10 months, a disbursement baseline drawn from the first Trump administration rather than the period immediately before the cuts, and a geographic scope confined to Africa — leaving much open to future research. He says the team ran extensive robustness checks addressing these concerns, detailed in the paper’s appendix. 

After running his own reanalysis of their data, Mehrabi, however, remains unconvinced. What’s more, he warns against the possible takeaway that the presence of American developmental intervention equates to stability. The U.S., he argues, could more effectively help deter widespread conflict and hunger in nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, through more equitable benefit-sharing of natural resource extraction from critical mineral supply chains. This would “far outweigh any benefits from foreign aid,” proposed Mehrabi. 

Nevertheless, with an annual budget of tens of billions and an institutional history spanning 64 years, USAID’s developmental footprint throughout the African continent was no small thing. “One cannot simply create USAID all over again, or give it a mandate and give it funding and assume that we have waved a wand and we can reverse the damage done,” said Wright.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Trump gutted USAID. Hunger and violence followed. on May 19, 2026.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, record-breaking storms and flooding are impacting Māori land, health, and culture. And, according to a new national climate report, colonization has intensified those risks. 

The 2026 National Climate Change Risk Assessment is composed of four reports, including a companion document focused on Māori communities. That report argues that climate change is likely to deepen existing inequities shaped by colonization, exclusion from decision-making, and chronic underinvestment. 

To mitigate the impacts of climate change, the assessment points to Māori-led adaptation as uniquely effective. It calls for policy grounded in Māori customs and knowledge, Indigenous data sovereignty, and stronger Māori authority in climate decision-making.

“For more than 150 years Māori have been pushed to the margins, literally, by an aggressive colonization process,” said Paora Tapsell, who is Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāti Raukawa, and the director of the Kāika Institute of Climate Resilience at Lincoln University. 

The assessment, released earlier this month, adds to a growing body of national reports that highlight the harmful impacts of colonial policies on Indigenous peoples and the environment. In 2023, the United States’ Fifth National Climate Assessment found that land theft and colonization had exacerbated climate change’s impact. The year before, Australia’s State of the Environment report was prepared with an Indigenous lead author for the first time; it found that Indigenous peoples were more likely to be impacted by extreme weather events like fires. It too called for incorporating Indigenous knowledge into climate policies. Despite these findings, Indigenous leaders around the world say national governments are still not listening to them.

Aotearoa New Zealand recently experienced one of its most active severe weather seasons on record, with multiple declared states of emergency across the nation’s two islands. It also found that the country’s Indigenous peoples are essential in responding to such disasters. “The report accurately acknowledges that many kāinga [Māori settlements], despite their relative impoverishment, are still willing first responders on the front line of increasingly severe climate events,” Shaun Awatere, who is Ngāti Porou and lead author of the companion report, said.

The assessment’s seven interconnected risk areas span environmental, cultural, and economic domains. It says the loss of protected endemic species is not only a biodiversity issue but also affects food gathering places, the Māori lunar calendar, traditional customs, and intergenerational knowledge systems. According to the report, some species could face near-irreversible decline in parts of the country under high-emissions scenarios by 2090.

Read Next Indigenous peoples bear the brunt of climate change — and get almost none of the money to fight it Anita Hofschneider

Across Māori lands, climate-driven extreme weather events have had a destructive impact on infrastructure. But the report outlines how flooding, erosion, storms, and wildfires also present cultural risks by threatening tribal meeting places, burial sites, and communal homes. It warns that repeated damage and displacement could lead to long-term cultural fragmentation and disconnection from ancestral land.

Climate impacts may also be felt economically. Māori-owned forestry, farming, aquaculture, and horticulture enterprises face rising pressure from climate hazards, costs, and underinvestment in adaptation. Without structural reform and targeted support, the assessment says that economic vulnerability will increase. 

Awatere said the findings confirm what tribes have been saying for years. “Climate events do not arrive one at a time,” he said. “A storm floods a road, damages a marae [tribal meeting place], erodes whenua [land], disrupts access to mahinga kai [food gathering places], and overwhelms health and welfare systems that were already stretched, all at once. Each of those harms compounds the next.”

The assessment also said climate-driven displacement and ecological degradation could disrupt the transmission of language, customary practices, lineage relationships, and Indigenous knowledge systems between generations.

Awatere highlighted ongoing structural exclusion of Māori from climate planning and adaptation systems, despite the government’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, which is the country’s founding document. The report describes legal exclusion and governance failure as a major risk multiplier, compounding climate impacts across all domains.

Awatere said the central question is whether adaptation plans will reflect that evidence, or whether Māori communities will continue to carry a disproportionate risk of harm.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Māori climate risk worsened by colonization, report finds on May 19, 2026.

While addiction in the UK remains stigmatised as an individual failing, recognising its structural underpinnings opens up routes towards a liberatory and collective framing of sobriety, writes William Rayfet Hunter

The post On the radical politics of sobriety appeared first on Red Pepper.

May 14, 2026:

See CBS TV coverage of

Greenaction Blasting Navy’s latest radioactive scandal at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund Site

Click here to watch

EV sales accelerate, petrol cars stall Channel News brendan 19th May 2026 Teaser Media

How to root a begonia leaf indoors: a complete guide from one leaf to a thriving plant

Last spring I bumped a shelf while vacuuming — classic move — and watched a gorgeous, spiral-patterned Rex begonia leaf snap clean off the stem. I stood there holding the leaf like it was evidence at a crime scene. Then a thought hit me: what if I could root a begonia leaf indoors and grow a whole new plant from this accident? Spoiler: I could. And I did. That single broken leaf became four baby begonias now sitting in tiny terra-cotta pots on my kitchen windowsill.

You can do exactly the same thing this weekend. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know three tested methods to propagate a begonia from a leaf, which begonia types cooperate best, what supplies to grab, and how to troubleshoot every common failure — rot, mold, mystery die-off, all of it.

Which begonias root from leaves (and which don’t)

Begonia leaf propagation works beautifully — but only with the right species. Not every begonia plays along, and knowing the difference saves you weeks of staring at a rotting leaf.

Rex and rhizomatous types: the gold standard

Rex begonia is a rhizomatous houseplant famous for bold, swirled foliage. Rex begonia propagates easily from a single leaf because the thick veins carry abundant meristematic tissue — basically, built-in starter cells. Other rhizomatous varieties like Begonia masoniana (Iron Cross) and B. bowerae (Eyelash begonia) respond just as well. These are your best candidates.

Cane-stemmed begonias (angel wings): skip the leaf

You’re probably wondering: does this really work with an angel wing? Honestly, not great. Cane-stemmed begonias store their growth energy in thick stems, not leaves. A leaf-only cutting from an angel wing rarely produces roots strong enough to build a plant. Stem cuttings with a node work far better for cane types.

Fibrous-rooted and tuberous types: limited success

Fibrous begonias (like wax begonias) propagate more reliably from stem cuttings or seed. Tuberous begonias prefer division of their tubers. Neither type is a good pick for the leaf methods below.

Supplies you actually need

Begonia leaf cuttings demand surprisingly little gear. Here’s the short list:

• A sharp razor blade or X-Acto knife — scissors crush the vein tissue instead of slicing cleanly, and crushed tissue invites rot.
• Rooting medium — pure perlite, moist sphagnum moss, or a 50/50 peat-perlite mix all work. I prefer sphagnum moss for vein-slitting because the leaf pins down flat against the soft surface.
• A shallow tray or clear plastic container with a lid — a repurposed bakery clamshell container is perfect. A gallon zip-lock bag works too.
• Rooting hormone (optional) — in my experience, rooting hormone shaves maybe a week off the timeline for wedge cuts. Worth using, not mandatory.
• A spray bottle, bright indirect light, and (optionally) a seedling heat mat.

Three ways to root a begonia leaf indoors

Begonia leaf propagation indoors comes down to three core techniques. Each method suits different goals and comfort levels. Here’s a side-by-side comparison before we dig in:

Method Best for Difficulty Plants per leaf Rooting time Vein-slitting (whole leaf) Rex, rhizomatous Easy 5–10+ 4–8 weeks Wedge cuts Rex, large-leaved Moderate 3–6 4–6 weeks Water rooting (petiole) Petiole cuttings Easiest 1 3–6 weeks Grab your razor blade: the vein-slitting technique

Begonia leaf vein-slitting is the method the American Begonia Society has championed since at least the 1930s, and it’s still the most satisfying way to get a crowd of babies from one leaf.

1. Select a healthy, mature Rex begonia leaf with firm texture — not a young pale leaf or an old droopy one.
2. Flip the leaf vein-side up on a clean surface.
3. Use a razor blade to make a clean cut across each major vein where the vein branches, about ½ inch long. Aim for 6–10 cuts total.
4. Lay the leaf vein-side down on a tray of pre-moistened sphagnum moss or perlite.
5. Pin the leaf flat against the medium using hairpins, toothpicks, or small pebbles — every slit needs to touch the damp surface.
6. Cover the tray with a clear lid or slip the whole tray into a plastic bag to hold humidity.
7. Place the tray in bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sun — the sealed container traps heat and can cook the leaf.

Each cut vein becomes a potential root site. Over four to eight weeks, tiny white root nubs emerge at the slits, and miniature plantlets push up shortly after. Roots. Tiny, white, beautiful roots. That moment never gets old.

The wedge method gives you more plants per leaf

Begonia leaf wedge cutting is my go-to when I want multiple plants and don’t mind a slightly more hands-on process.

1. Cut a healthy Rex begonia leaf into triangular wedges — each wedge must include a piece of a main vein running to the pointed end.
2. Let the wedges air-dry for about 15 minutes so the cut edges form a thin callus.
3. Insert each wedge pointed-end-down into moist perlite or peat-perlite mix, burying about ⅓ of the wedge.
4. Cover the container and set the container in bright indirect light.

A single large Rex leaf yields three to six wedges. Each wedge typically produces one plantlet, though some generous wedges sprout two. Rex begonia leaf wedges usually root in four to six weeks.

Rooting a begonia leaf in water — does it actually work?

Begonia leaf cuttings can root in water, especially whole-petiole cuttings. Here’s the honest truth, though: water-rooted begonias often develop weaker, more brittle roots than soil-rooted ones. The transition to potting mix can stress a water-grown cutting.

That said, water rooting is dead simple and satisfying to watch:

1. Trim the petiole (leaf stem) to about 1–2 inches.
2. Place the petiole in a small jar of room-temperature water — just deep enough to submerge the stem, not the leaf blade.
3. Change the water every five to seven days to keep bacteria at bay.
4. Move the cutting to soil once roots reach about an inch long.

A begonia petiole cutting in water produces roots in roughly three to six weeks. What surprised me was how fast my B. bowerae rooted in a shot glass on the kitchen counter — barely three weeks.

The waiting game — aftercare that makes or breaks it

A begonia leaf cutting needs consistent conditions during the rooting phase. Neglect here is the number-one reason propagation fails.

Humidity: Keep the tray covered. Vent the lid every two to three days for about ten minutes to let fresh air circulate and discourage mold.

Light: Bright, indirect light drives photosynthesis in the mother leaf, which fuels root growth. Direct sun on a covered tray raises the temperature inside and scorches the leaf tissue fast.

Temperature: The sweet spot sits between 65 °F and 75 °F (18–24 °C). A seedling heat mat beneath the tray can shave a week or two off rooting time — especially helpful in cooler rooms.

Moisture — the “squeeze test”: Grab a small pinch of the rooting medium and squeeze. A few drops of water should barely appear. Soaking wet medium suffocates new roots. Bone-dry medium kills them.

When to transplant: Wait until each baby plantlet shows at least two to three tiny leaves and a visible root cluster. Depending on the method, the full timeline from cutting to transplant-ready plantlet runs about eight to twelve weeks.

Why begonia leaf cuttings fail (and how to fix each problem)

Begonia leaf cuttings sometimes go sideways. Here are the four failures I see most often — and the fixes that actually work.

Why did my begonia leaf cutting turn to mush?

Rot happens when the medium stays too wet and airflow is too low. The leaf tissue breaks down into translucent slime. Fix: use a chunkier medium like pure perlite, vent the lid more frequently, and trim away any mushy sections with a clean blade before they spread.

The leaf dried up and turned brown

Low humidity is the usual culprit. Sometimes the leaf was already old or damaged before cutting. Fix: choose a leaf that feels thick and waxy — you want that satisfying, almost rubbery texture under your fingers. Increase humidity by misting the inside of the lid before closing.

No roots after eight weeks

Cold temperatures and dim light slow rooting dramatically. A begonia cutting sitting in a 60 °F room with north-facing light may simply stall. Add a heat mat. Move the tray closer to an east- or west-facing window. And double-check that you’re using a variety that actually roots from leaves — a cane-stemmed begonia leaf almost never cooperates.

Fuzzy mold on the soil surface

Mold loves warm, humid, still environments — exactly what your propagation tray provides. A light dusting of ground cinnamon on the medium surface acts as a gentle natural antifungal. Better airflow during venting sessions helps too. A small amount of surface mold rarely kills the cutting, so don’t panic.

From leaf to showpiece — potting up your new begonias

Baby begonia plantlets need a gentle transition. Once each plantlet has two to three leaves and a root cluster about an inch long, carefully separate the plantlet from the mother leaf. Use a well-draining, peat-based potting mix — I like two parts peat, one part perlite, one part vermiculite.

Pot each plantlet into a 2-inch container. Keep the soil lightly moist for the first two weeks and maintain higher humidity (a loose plastic bag over the pot works). After two weeks, remove the cover and let the young begonia acclimate to normal room humidity. Start feeding with a diluted balanced fertilizer (half-strength, every two weeks) once the plantlet shows active new growth.

I think this potting-up stage is the most nerve-wracking part of the whole process. The babies look so fragile. They’re tougher than they seem.

Your next move

A few months from now, you could have a whole shelf of begonias — every single one traced back to a leaf you sliced on your kitchen counter. There’s something genuinely magical about starting new begonia plants from a leaf and watching an entire collection grow from almost nothing. The Victorian plant collectors who popularized begonias in parlor windows understood this thrill, and honestly, indoor begonia propagation hasn’t changed much since their era. Good light, a damp medium, patience, a sharp blade.

So — which leaf are you starting with?

FAQ — begonia leaf propagation questions answered Can I root a begonia leaf in just water without soil?

Yes. A begonia petiole cutting roots in water within three to six weeks. Water-rooted cuttings tend to develop more fragile roots, so transplant to soil early — once the roots reach about an inch — for the strongest long-term growth. See the water rooting section above for the full technique.

How long does a begonia leaf take to root indoors?

A begonia leaf cutting takes three to eight weeks to produce visible roots, depending on the method, the room temperature, and the variety. Wedge cuttings and water-rooted petioles tend to root fastest. Vein-slit whole leaves take longer because each slit point roots independently.

Do I need rooting hormone for begonia leaf cuttings?

Rooting hormone is optional. A light dusting of powdered rooting hormone on wedge-cut edges can speed rooting by roughly a week. Vein-slit leaves and water-rooted petioles generally root fine without the hormone. I use rooting hormone on wedge cuts and skip the hormone for everything else.

Can I propagate an angel wing begonia from a leaf?

Angel wing begonia belongs to the cane-stemmed group. A leaf-only cutting from an angel wing rarely produces strong roots. Gardeners get far better results taking a stem cutting with at least one node and rooting the stem cutting in water or moist perlite.

What time of year is best to propagate begonia leaves indoors?

Spring and early summer offer the longest daylight and warmest ambient temperatures, so begonia leaf cuttings root fastest during those months. Indoor propagation works year-round, though. A grow light and a heat mat compensate for shorter winter days and cooler rooms.

“`html

Pricking out salvia seedlings: a hands-on guide to stronger, healthier transplants

The first time I pricked out salvia seedlings, I lost half the tray. Not to clumsiness — to hesitation. I waited too long, the roots wove together like tiny white threads in a braid, and every seedling I pulled dragged three neighbors with it. By morning, most of them had damped off in a soggy clump. That failure taught me more than any seed packet ever could. And now, a few hundred trays later, I want to walk you through the exact timing, tools, technique, and aftercare so your young salvias survive — and thrive — every single time.

The two-leaf rule — knowing when salvia seedlings are ready

Young salvias announce their readiness with a clear visual signal: the first pair of true leaves. Those rounded, smooth first leaves you see after germination? Those are cotyledons — essentially battery packs that fueled the initial push through the soil. Cotyledons look pale, fleshy, and generic. True leaves look entirely different. Salvia true leaves emerge slightly textured, oval, and sometimes faintly aromatic when you brush a fingertip across the surface. On Salvia splendens, the first true leaves carry a subtle sheen. On Salvia nemorosa, the true leaves feel rougher, almost like fine sandpaper.

You want to see two true leaves fully unfurled before you reach for the widger. For most annual bedding salvias, that moment arrives roughly three to four weeks after germination. Perennial types often take a week longer. Here’s where I see beginners stall: they wait for four or six true leaves “just to be safe.” Don’t. Waiting past four true leaves lets roots tangle into a dense mat, and the salvia seedlings stretch toward light and grow leggy. I’ve found that the two-to-four-leaf window is the sweet spot — big enough to handle, small enough that roots separate cleanly.

Tools and soil mix — set up before you start

Salvia seedlings don’t give you much working time once you lift them from the tray, so gather everything first. Lay it all out on your bench. Honestly, this prep phase is where the real efficiency lives.

• Cell trays or 3-inch pots hold individual seedlings and encourage strong root systems. A 72-count insert fits inside a standard 1020 flat and works perfectly for most salvias until the plants reach 3–4 inches tall.
• A dibber is a pencil-sized pointed stick. A dibber creates a planting hole 1–1.5 inches deep in seconds and keeps the root channel narrow enough to cradle fragile roots.
• A widger is a thin, flat-bladed tool about 4 inches long. A widger slides under the root mass without severing fine feeder roots. A plastic fork or an old butter knife works in a pinch.
• Pre-moistened potting mix provides the landing pad. I mix roughly 50% peat-free compost, 30% perlite, and 20% vermiculite. Alternatively, a ready-made seedling mix like Espoma Organic Seed Starter does the job — just add extra perlite for drainage.
• A spray bottle or a watering can with a fine rose delivers gentle moisture without blasting tiny transplants out of their new holes.
• Labels and a waterproof marker keep varieties straight, because trust me, all salvia seedlings look alike at this stage.

Salvias despise soggy roots more than almost any bedding annual I grow. That perlite in the mix isn’t optional — the perlite guarantees air pockets survive around the roots even after watering. My favorite trick: squeeze a fistful of the moistened mix. The mix should clump briefly and then crumble when you poke the clump. Too wet means trouble.

Step by step — pricking out salvia seedlings without breaking a sweat Water the tray an hour before you begin

Dry roots snap. Wet roots slide free. You water the seed tray about an hour before transplanting to let moisture soften the growing medium around every root system. I either bottom-soak the tray in a shallow basin for 20 minutes or mist the surface evenly until the top half-inch looks uniformly damp. The goal is moist, not dripping. Salvia seedlings sitting in waterlogged mix bruise more easily because their stems swell and turn glassy.

Loosen, lift, and hold by the leaf — never the stem

This is the moment that scares most beginners, and honestly, it scared me too. The stem of a young salvia feels like a wet thread between your fingers. One accidental squeeze and the vascular tissue collapses — game over for that seedling.

Slide the widger under the root mass at about a 45-degree angle, roughly half an inch away from the stem base. Lever upward gently. The seedling rises with a small plug of mix clinging to the roots. Now — and this part is critical — you grip the seedling by one cotyledon leaf, not the stem. Pinch the leaf lightly between your thumb and index finger. A torn cotyledon barely slows the plant down. A crushed stem kills the salvia seedling within hours. I crushed dozens before I trained my fingers to hover instead of pinch. Take it slow.

Drop into the hole and firm gently

Use the dibber to poke a hole in the center of the cell or pot. Make the hole deep enough so the roots hang straight down without bending or J-hooking at the bottom — usually about 1 to 1.5 inches deep for a three-week-old salvia. Lower the seedling in. Here’s a detail most guides skip: you bury the stem up to just below the cotyledons. That buried stem section develops adventitious roots over time, and the salvia transplant grows stockier as a result.

Press the mix around the base with two fingertips. Firm, not tight. You want soil-to-root contact, not a compacted brick. The mix should hold the seedling upright when you release your fingers.

Water in and move to shade

You water each seedling lightly right after transplanting. I use a fine-rose watering can and pour until water just begins to trickle from the drainage holes. Some growers prefer bottom-watering at this stage, which works well too — set the tray in a shallow basin of room-temperature water for 10 minutes, then remove the tray and let the excess drain.

Direct sun during the first 48 hours stresses salvia transplants badly. The roots haven’t anchored yet, and the leaves lose moisture faster than the roots can replace the moisture. Place the tray under bright indirect light, or raise your grow lights an extra 4–6 inches above the canopy. After two days, you move the salvia seedlings back to their normal light position.

The first 7 days — aftercare that makes or breaks your salvias

Freshly pricked-out salvia seedlings enter a fragile window. The roots need to explore new mix, the stem needs to stabilize, and the leaves need to resume photosynthesis — all at once. None of the top-ranking competitor pages I reviewed in 2026 dedicate a full section to this critical week, which is a shame, because aftercare determines whether your salvias take off or stall.

Keep ambient temperature between 65°F and 72°F. Salvia seedlings tolerate cooler nights down to about 58°F, and a slight nighttime temperature drop actually encourages compact growth. Place a humidity dome over the tray for the first two days, then remove the dome to let airflow circulate. Stagnant humid air invites fungal problems faster than almost anything else in my experience.

Check moisture daily. You water when the top half-inch of mix feels dry to the touch — not before. Overwatering freshly pricked-out salvias is the single most common killer, because soggy roots can’t access oxygen and the fungal pathogen Pythium thrives in saturated conditions. After one full week, you feed the salvia seedlings with half-strength balanced liquid fertilizer (something like 10-10-10 diluted to 50%). That first feeding replaces nutrients the roots have already started pulling from the fresh mix.

Trouble signs and quick fixes

Salvia seedlings communicate stress visually, and catching the signs early saves the whole tray.

Wilting after transplant. The transplanted seedlings droop for 24–48 hours. This reaction is normal. You mist the foliage lightly twice a day and keep the tray out of full sun. The salvia transplants usually perk up by day three.

Yellowing lower leaves. The oldest leaves turn pale yellow within the first week. Transplant shock or overwatering causes the yellowing in most cases. You reduce watering frequency, confirm the drainage holes are open, and wait. New green growth at the center of the plant signals recovery.

Leggy growth after pricking out. The salvia seedlings stretch upward with thin, elongated internodes. Low light intensity drives the stretching. You lower your grow lights to 3–4 inches above the canopy and drop nighttime temperature to 58–60°F. The combination slows vertical growth and encourages thicker stems.

Damping off. A dark, water-soaked ring appears at the stem base, and the seedling collapses. You remove affected salvia seedlings immediately, improve airflow around the tray, and cut back watering. Damping off spreads fast, so act the moment you notice the first casualty.

One small step for a seedling

Pricking out is a five-minute task that changes the trajectory of every plant on your bench. Once you master the lift-by-the-leaf technique and resist the urge to drown the transplants afterward, the whole seed-starting process feels less like a gamble and more like a craft. And that’s the shift I love most about this stage — the move from passive waiting to active shaping.

I still remember the first tray I pricked out successfully: 36 Salvia splendens ‘Sizzler Red,’ each one standing upright in its own cell, roots dangling straight. A week later, every single plant had pushed new growth. That row of tiny green rosettes on my shelf felt like a small victory. It still does, every spring. Try the technique this season, and let me know in the comments how your young salvias turn out — or ask a question, because chances are I’ve made the mistake you’re worried about.

Frequently asked questions Can I prick out salvia seedlings directly into the garden?

Only after your last frost date passes in your USDA zone. Salvia seedlings need nighttime temperatures above 50°F to survive outdoors. Most US gardeners prick out into cell trays indoors and harden the transplants off over 7–10 days before planting outside.

Do different salvia species need different pricking-out timing?

Annual bedding types like Salvia splendens grow fast — you prick them out at two true leaves, usually around three weeks after germination. Perennial species like Salvia nemorosa develop more slowly and tolerate an extra week in the seed tray. Salvia patens produces larger seedlings; move Salvia patens when the first true leaf reaches about half an inch wide.

What if the roots break during pricking out?

Salvia seedlings recover well from minor root damage. You keep the broken-root seedling slightly more humid for three to four days by misting or replacing the dome. Avoid fertilizing until new root growth appears, which usually takes about a week.

Should I pinch salvia seedlings after pricking out?

Wait until the young salvia carries four to six pairs of true leaves before pinching the growing tip. Pinching too early slows establishment right when the transplant needs all its energy directed toward root growth.

How many salvia seedlings fit in a standard 1020 tray after pricking out?

A standard 1020 tray holds 32 to 72 cells depending on the insert you choose. For most salvias, 2-inch cells in a 72-count insert work well until the plant reaches 3–4 inches tall. At that height, you pot on into 3-inch containers to give the root system room to expand.

“`

Why do celosia inflorescences blacken and drop off — and what you can actually do about it

You step outside with your morning coffee, glance at the bed of ‘Dragon’s Breath’ that looked absolutely electric two days ago — and your stomach drops. A dark, soggy patch is spreading across the top of the tallest cockscomb. The flower head next to it has already collapsed, almost black, sagging like a wet paper bag. By afternoon, pieces start falling to the mulch. What happened?

I’ve been there. More than once.

Blackening celosia inflorescences signal something more specific — and usually more urgent — than the gradual fading every bloom goes through at end of season. This article walks through every cause of celosia flowers turning black and dropping off, gives you a fast diagnostic method you can use while standing in your garden, and lays out fixes that actually work. No fluff, no generic “water properly” advice. Let’s get into the real reasons.

Celosia at a glance — what makes this flower tick

Celosia belongs to the Amaranthaceae family and grows as a warm-season annual across most of the United States. Celosia thrives year-round only in USDA zones 10–12; everywhere else, gardeners treat celosia as a single-season plant. The species needs full sun — six hours minimum — and well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH.

Three main flower forms exist: crested (the classic cockscomb), plumed (feathery spikes like ‘Century Mix’), and wheat-type or spicata (slender tapers like ‘Flamingo Feather’). All three trace their ancestry to tropical West Africa.

That tropical origin matters here. Celosia evolved for heat, bright light, and sharp drainage. Every condition that deviates from that profile pushes celosia flower tissue toward stress — and stressed tissue blackens faster than healthy tissue when a pathogen, frost, or waterlogging event hits. Keep that mental model as you read the causes below.

Every reason celosia inflorescences blacken and fall off Botrytis and other fungal invaders

Botrytis cinerea is a gray-mold fungus. Botrytis thrives in humidity above 80%, spreads through airborne spores, and colonizes damaged tissue within 24 hours. On celosia, botrytis starts as small water-soaked spots on the inflorescence — spots that darken to brown, then black, within a day or two. Flip the flower head over and look for a fuzzy gray spore layer on the underside. That gray fuzz is the confirmation.

I lost an entire row of crested cockscomb to botrytis one August in zone 7a. The whole bed looked scorched overnight — but the giveaway was the gray felt coating every flower head by the second morning.

Leaf spot fungi and Fusarium oxysporum (a soil-borne wilt pathogen) can also blacken celosia flowers, though Fusarium usually kills the stem first. Fusarium wilt causes one-sided wilting and internal stem browning before the blooms collapse. Leaf spot stays on foliage until severe, then jumps to flower tissue in wet weather.

Overwatering and waterlogged soil

Celosia roots need oxygen. Waterlogged soil suffocates root cells within 48 hours, and stressed roots cannot supply the flower head with nutrients or water — paradoxically, the bloom dehydrates from above while drowning from below. Meanwhile, standing moisture on the inflorescence itself creates a perfect landing pad for fungal spores.

Here’s a quick test: push your finger two inches into the soil near the plant’s base. Soil should feel damp, not muddy. Mud means you are overwatering celosia or your drainage is failing. By the way, if celosia stems feel mushy at the base, skip ahead to the fungal section — that’s your answer.

Frost and cold snaps — the overnight disaster

Celosia has zero frost tolerance. A brief dip below 35 °F blackens celosia flower tissue overnight. Frost damage looks different from fungal damage: frost produces uniform blackening across every exposed surface, while fungal infection starts as a patchy spot and spreads outward. Frost-damaged celosia petals also feel limp and translucent, not fuzzy or slimy.

Honestly, this one surprised me the first time — a single October night at 34 °F turned a gorgeous ‘Prestige Scarlet’ bed into something that looked diseased. It wasn’t disease. It was cold, and the damage was irreversible.

The seed-setting stage nobody warns you about

Celosia blooms naturally darken, dry, and drop when the plant finishes its reproductive cycle. The flower head shifts color from the center outward, turns papery and brittle, and eventually releases tiny black seeds. This process is normal biology, not pathology.

The diagnostic difference: natural senescence produces dry, crumbly, lightweight flower heads. Pathological blackening produces mushy, heavy, often foul-smelling tissue. Squeeze the flower head gently. Dry and papery? The plant is simply done. Wet and squishy? Something else is wrong.

Sunlight starvation and heat stress

Celosia planted in partial shade grows leggy, and celosia flower heads in low light fade to pale tones, then brown, then blacken at the edges as cells die. The opposite extreme — sustained temperatures above 95 °F combined with drought — scorches celosia petal tips, producing crispy dark margins that can be mistaken for disease.

My personal rule of thumb: celosia wants hot, not scorching. Six to eight hours of direct morning-to-midday sun with light afternoon shade works best in zones 8–9 where summer heat gets brutal.

Pest damage that opens the door to blackening

Aphids, spider mites, and caterpillars wound celosia flower tissue. Wounded tissue invites fungal spores. The sequence is predictable: pests feed → micro-wounds form → Botrytis or leaf-spot fungi enter → blackening follows within days. Check the undersides of flower heads for aphid colonies or fine webbing. Sticky honeydew residue on the bloom surface is another telltale sign of active pest feeding.

How to diagnose your specific problem

Celosia blackening has at least five distinct causes, and each one leaves a slightly different fingerprint. Grab the affected flower head (wear gloves if you suspect fungus) and use this quick-reference table:

Visual clue Most likely cause First action Fuzzy gray coating on black tissue Botrytis gray mold Remove and bag infected flower heads immediately Uniform black across all exposed surfaces Frost or cold snap Check overnight low temps; cover remaining plants Mushy base, wilting stem, then black bloom Root rot / overwatering Stop watering; improve drainage Dry, papery, crumbly black flower head Natural seed-setting senescence Harvest seeds or deadhead — plant is finishing its cycle Sticky residue, tiny insects, patchy dark spots Pest damage + secondary fungal infection Blast pests with water; apply neem oil Crispy dark edges, dry soil, extreme heat Heat scorch / drought stress Water deeply at the base; add 2 inches of mulch

The “squeeze test” summarizes the whole diagnostic approach: mushy means fungal or rot, dry-crumbly means aging or frost, sticky means pests.

Saving your celosia — practical fixes that actually work Cut away the damage — how and where to prune

Celosia responds well to sanitation pruning. Sterilize your shears with rubbing alcohol, cut at least one inch below the blackened area into green, firm stem tissue, and drop every removed piece into a plastic bag — not onto the ground. Do not compost blackened celosia material. Fungal spores survive composting temperatures in most home compost bins.

Fix the water situation

Water celosia at the base, never overhead. Drip irrigation or a soaker hose keeps moisture off flower heads entirely. For container-grown celosia, ensure every pot has drainage holes and use a mix containing at least 30 % perlite. Raised beds solve most in-ground drainage problems in clay-heavy soils.

Fight fungal disease with targeted treatment

Apply copper-based fungicide — Bonide Copper Fungicide is widely available at US garden centers — at the first sign of botrytis spots. Spray early in the morning so foliage dries quickly. Daconil (chlorothalonil) works as a preventive when weather forecasts predict several humid, cool nights in a row. Neem oil handles light fungal pressure and also deters soft-bodied pests, giving you a two-for-one benefit. Reapply every 7–10 days during active infection.

Protect celosia from frost (or know when to let go)

Cover celosia plants with frost cloth when overnight temperatures drop below 40 °F. Anchor the cloth at the base so trapped warmth stays around the plant. But here’s the honest truth: celosia is an annual. Once a hard freeze arrives — sustained temps below 28 °F — the plant’s life cycle ends. Harvest healthy blooms before the first frost and hang celosia flower heads upside down in a dry room. Dried celosia holds color for months.

Boost airflow and spacing

Space celosia plants 10–12 inches apart at transplant time. Remove lower leaves once the plant reaches 8 inches tall — removing lower celosia foliage improves air circulation around the base where humidity concentrates. In my experience, this single habit prevents more fungal problems than any spray.

Prevention checklist for next season

1. Choose a planting site with full sun and fast-draining soil.
2. Space celosia transplants 10–12 inches apart in every direction.
3. Water celosia at the base using drip irrigation or a soaker hose.
4. Apply balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) monthly — excess nitrogen promotes soft growth vulnerable to fungus.
5. Scout celosia plants weekly for aphids, spider mites, and caterpillars.
6. Deadhead fading celosia blooms before they become entry points for disease.
7. Monitor weather forecasts and cover celosia before any night below 40 °F.

A final thought

I’ve grown celosia for over fifteen years, and I still lose a plant now and then. The difference between my early seasons and now is that I understand why — and I catch problems three days earlier. Celosia is tough, generous, and forgiving when you give it warmth, sunshine, and dry flower heads. One bad week doesn’t have to ruin a whole season.

If you’re staring at a blackened cockscomb right now, take a breath, run through the diagnostic table, and start with the simplest fix. Most celosia plants bounce back faster than you’d expect. I’d love to hear what’s happening in your garden — drop a comment below with your cultivar, your zone, and what the flower heads look like. Let’s figure it out together.

FAQ — celosia blackening and bloom drop Can celosia recover once the flower heads have turned completely black?

Celosia cannot revive a fully blackened flower head — dead tissue stays dead. However, celosia plants often push new side shoots and secondary blooms after you remove the damaged inflorescence, provided the stem and roots remain healthy.

Is it safe to compost blackened celosia flowers?

Blackened celosia flowers may carry Botrytis spores or other fungal pathogens. Most backyard compost piles do not reach temperatures high enough to kill these spores. Bag and discard blackened celosia material with household waste instead.

Do all celosia types (crested, plumed, spicata) blacken equally?

Crested (cockscomb) celosia blackens most noticeably because crested flower heads trap moisture in their dense folds. Plumed and spicata types dry faster and resist botrytis somewhat better, though no celosia type is immune.

Could black celosia flowers indicate a soil nutrient problem?

Nutrient deficiencies rarely cause flower blackening directly. Severe phosphorus deficiency darkens celosia foliage to a purplish hue, but true black flower tissue almost always points to fungal infection, frost, or overwatering rather than a nutrient issue.

How do I tell celosia flower blackening from normal drying for seed saving?

Celosia flowers drying for seed saving turn brown, then tan, and feel papery and light. Pathological blackening produces dark, mushy, often foul-smelling tissue that feels heavy with moisture. The squeeze test — papery versus squishy — gives you the answer in seconds.

“`html

How to keep your ageratum mother plant alive over winter (and why it’s worth the effort)

Last September, my phone buzzed with that dreaded first frost advisory, and I stood in the garden staring at a ‘Blue Horizon’ ageratum that had been blooming its heart out since June. Pulling the whole plant and tossing the remains on the compost pile felt criminal. So I didn’t. I dug the ageratum up, potted the root ball, and carried the entire sticky-stemmed, slightly pungent thing into my kitchen. That decision to keep my ageratum mother plant over winter changed the way I garden every fall — and five seasons later, I still maintain descendants of that original plant.

Here’s what most seed packets won’t tell you: ageratum is not a true annual. Ageratum houstonianum — commonly called floss flower — is a tender perennial native to Mexico and Central America. The plant thrives year-round in USDA zones 10–11 but dies at the first hard frost everywhere else. Because American gardeners overwhelmingly treat the floss flower as disposable, almost no mainstream guide explains how to overwinter a specific mother plant indoors. This article fills that gap with every step I’ve learned, tested, and occasionally botched.

Why bother overwintering ageratum?

Ageratum earns the label “tender perennial” because the plant’s roots, stems, and crown survive indefinitely in frost-free conditions. “Tender” simply means the plant lacks cold hardiness — not that the plant lacks longevity. That distinction matters, because the moment you understand ageratum can live for years, throwing one away in October starts to feel wasteful.

I genuinely believe overwintering makes sense for four practical reasons. First, gardeners preserve a specific variety or flower color they love. Tall cutting types like ‘Blue Horizon’ or ‘Red Flint’ aren’t always easy to source as transplants each spring, and seed availability fluctuates. Second, an overwintered mother plant gives you a six-to-eight-week head start on spring blooms compared to starting from seed. Third — and this surprised me the most — a single mother plant produces dozens of stem cuttings in late winter, multiplying your stock for free. Fourth, keeping a living plant simply beats adding another carcass to the compost bin.

The right time to bring ageratum indoors

Ageratum suffers visible damage once nighttime temperatures dip below 40–45 °F. Gardeners don’t need to panic at the first cool evening, but they do need to act before a genuine frost. Timing depends on where you live.

Gardeners in zones 5–6 typically move their ageratum indoors by late September. Zone 7–8 gardeners usually have until mid-October. Zone 9 gardeners may only need protection during rare cold snaps — a frost cloth over the pot can be enough. And yes, I learned this the hard way: one year I waited until the forecast said 33 °F, rushed outside at 10 p.m. with a headlamp, and dug the plant in near-darkness. The ageratum survived. My back did not enjoy the experience. Check your USDA hardiness zone, watch the ten-day forecast starting in mid-September, and plan your move during daylight hours.

Step-by-step — preparing the mother plant for winter Dig, pot, and inspect

Gardeners growing ageratum in a garden bed should dig a wide circle around the root ball — roughly six inches from the main stem — to avoid slicing through feeder roots. Shake off excess garden soil gently. A healthy ageratum mother plant from the garden fits comfortably in a pot one to two inches wider than the root ball. I prefer a six-to-eight-inch terracotta pot because the clay breathes and reduces the risk of soggy roots.

Fill the pot with a well-draining mix: equal parts quality potting soil and perlite works well. Skip heavy garden soil entirely — the ageratum’s roots need airflow. Now comes the tricky part. Inspect every leaf surface, stem junction, and the soil surface for hitchhikers. Whiteflies and spider mites adore ageratum outdoors, and those populations explode in the warm, still air of a house. Flip leaves over. Look closely. One overlooked whitefly colony can infest your entire houseplant collection by December.

The quarantine period

One detail most guides skip: the ageratum needs isolation before joining your indoor plants. Place the freshly potted mother plant in a bright room away from other houseplants for seven to ten days. During quarantine, spray the entire plant — tops and undersides of leaves — with a dilute insecticidal soap solution or neem oil. Repeat the spray after five days. This two-round treatment catches pests that survived the first application as eggs or nymphs. I’ve watched a friend skip quarantine and spend all winter battling whiteflies on her fiddle-leaf fig. Not worth the risk.

Pruning before the move

Cut the ageratum back by one-third to one-half of its height using clean, sharp scissors. Remove all spent flower clusters, yellowing leaves, and any leggy or crossing stems. The mother plant looks rough after a hard prune — honestly, the first time I tried this, the result looked so pitiful by mid-October that I nearly composted the whole pot. Glad I didn’t. That aggressive haircut forces the ageratum to redirect energy toward roots and compact new growth, which is exactly what the plant needs for winter survival indoors.

Indoor care through the cold months Light requirements

Ageratum needs at least six hours of bright light each day indoors. A south-facing window handles this in most US homes from October through February. West-facing windows work as a second choice. Gardeners in northern states — Minnesota, Michigan, upstate New York — face brutally short winter days, and a windowsill alone may not provide enough light. A basic LED shop light positioned six inches above the ageratum for 12–14 hours a day solves the problem affordably. The mother plant responds to supplemental light within a week: new leaves emerge greener and stems stay compact instead of stretching toward a distant window.

Watering and humidity

Water the ageratum when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. The mother plant hates waterlogged roots — root rot kills more overwintering ageratum than cold ever does. But bone-dry soil stresses the plant too, causing leaf edges to crisp and lower leaves to drop. Find the middle ground. Indoor heating systems slash humidity to 20–30 %, and ageratum prefers 50 % or higher. Group the pot with other plants on a pebble tray filled with water to raise local humidity. Let’s be real: misting does almost nothing measurable for humidity. The water evaporates in minutes. A pebble tray or a small room humidifier delivers consistent results.

Temperature and feeding

Ageratum tolerates cool rooms down to about 50 °F at night but stops active growth below that threshold. Keep the room above 55 °F for the healthiest winter foliage. Avoid placing the pot near drafty doors, single-pane windows, or heating vents that blast dry air directly onto the leaves.

Feeding deserves a light touch. The ageratum rests during the shortest days of the year, so heavy fertilizer pushes weak, leggy growth. Apply a half-strength liquid fertilizer once a month from November through January, or skip feeding entirely until late February when increasing daylight triggers new growth. In my experience, under-feeding during winter causes zero problems; over-feeding causes pale, floppy stems that invite disease.

Common winter problems (and fixes)

• Leggy, pale growth signals insufficient light — move the ageratum closer to the window or add a grow light.
• Sudden leaf drop indicates overwatering or cold drafts — check soil moisture and relocate the pot away from exterior doors.
• Whiteflies appear as tiny white specks on leaf undersides — spray insecticidal soap every five days for three consecutive rounds.
• Crispy leaf edges suggest low humidity — place the pot on a pebble tray and group the ageratum with other plants.

Taking cuttings from your winter mother plant

Ageratum cuttings root easily, and late January through February is the ideal window. Days lengthen noticeably by then, and the mother plant begins pushing fresh growth — perfect cutting material. Propagating ageratum from a mother plant produces genetic clones, so every cutting preserves the exact flower color, height, and branching habit of the parent. Seed-grown ageratum can vary. Clones don’t.

Snip three-to-four-inch stem tips from non-flowering shoots, cutting just below a leaf node. Strip the lower leaves, leaving two or three leaves at the top. Dip the cut end in powdered rooting hormone — a light tap to coat, not a heavy dunk. Insert each cutting about one inch deep into a small pot of moist perlite or a 50/50 peat-perlite blend. Cover the pot loosely with a clear plastic bag to hold humidity, and set the cuttings in bright indirect light at 65–70 °F. Ageratum cuttings typically root in two to three weeks. A gentle tug that meets resistance confirms new roots. I’d argue this propagation step alone justifies overwintering — one mother plant can yield fifteen to twenty rooted cuttings, enough to fill a border or share with every neighbor on the block.

Transitioning back outdoors in spring

Ageratum rebounds fast once nighttime temperatures stay above 50 °F, but the mother plant and rooted cuttings need a hardening-off period first. Start by placing the pots outdoors in full shade for one hour on day one. Increase sun exposure and outdoor time gradually over seven to ten days. Transplant the ageratum into garden beds or larger containers after your region’s last frost date passes. The mother plant — now a seasoned survivor — typically blooms weeks before any seed-started ageratum in the neighborhood.

Frankly, there’s a quiet thrill in watching a plant you carried through a Minnesota February explode into blue blossoms by late May while everyone else’s six-packs from the garden center are still adjusting to outdoor life.

Frequently asked questions Can ageratum survive winter outdoors in any US zone?

Ageratum survives outdoors year-round only in USDA zones 10–11 — parts of southern Florida, coastal Southern California, and Hawaii. Frost kills the above-ground growth everywhere else, so gardeners in zones 9 and below need to bring the plant indoors or treat the ageratum as an annual.

Will my overwintered ageratum look the same next year?

A mother plant that receives proper light and regular pruning produces the same flower color and growth habit the following season. Ageratum maintained clonally — through cuttings or direct overwintering — stays true to the parent, unlike seed-grown plants that sometimes show variation.

How long can I keep the same ageratum mother plant alive?

Gardeners report maintaining ageratum mother plants for three to five years with annual overwintering. The plant becomes woodier at the base over time. Taking fresh cuttings each February ensures vigorous replacement stock that blooms as heavily as a young plant.

Is it easier to just start ageratum from seed every spring?

Seed starting works, but ageratum seeds need six to eight weeks of indoor growing before transplant, and germination can be uneven. An overwintered mother plant or rooted cuttings bloom weeks earlier and guarantee the exact variety the gardener wants — no surprises, no waiting.

So — what variety are you overwintering this fall? Whether your ageratum is a compact lavender mound or a tall, wild ‘Blue Horizon’ swaying at the back of the border, that plant deserves a winter indoors and another summer in the sun. Carry the pot inside, give the ageratum decent light and restrained water, and by March you’ll have a mother plant ready to produce an army of cuttings. Spring always comes. Your ageratum will be ready for the occasion.

“`

The Yellow Vest, or gilets jaunes, are grassroots worker movement that have defied politics as usual in France and the rest of the world. In our latest, Scott talks with…

May 18, 2026 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUWA Statement on Senate Vote Confirming Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – 5.18.26  Anti-public lands politician will oversee nation’s largest land management agency 

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Washington, DC – Today, by a vote of 46 – 43 the U.S. Senate confirmed anti-public lands politician and former US Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM) as the next director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); the vote was part of an en bloc (multiple) nomination vote. Below is a statement from SUWA DC Director Travis Hammill and additional information.  

“Today’s vote is disappointing. Anyone who cares about the future of public lands, national monuments, or the redrock knows that Steve Pearce has fundamentally disqualifying views – such as opposing the very existence of public lands – and should not hold the position of Director of the Bureau of Land Management,” said Travis Hammill, DC Director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “While the Trump Administration continues its deeply unpopular efforts to undermine public lands protections, SUWA’s work continues to protect Utah’s redrock country for current and future generations.” 

Additional information: 

• SUWA’s 3.4.26 Statement on Senate Committee Vote re: Steve Pearce’s Nomination to Lead the BLM 

• SUWA’s Advocacy Action to members 

• SUWA’s 11.5.25 Statement on Steve Pearce’s Nomination to Lead the BLM 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a federal agency, is part of the Department of the Interior, a Cabinet-level department headed by Secretary Doug Burgum. In Utah, the BLM manages 22.8 million acres of public land, ranging from “spectacular red-rock canyons and roaring rivers to high mountain peaks and expansive salt flats,” including Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (designated in 1996 and the first monument managed by the BLM) and Bears Ears National Monument (designated in 2017 and jointly managed with the US Forest Service).  

The BLM manages several congressionally-designated wilderness areas in Utah, including remarkable places such as Muddy Creek (Emery County), Canaan Mountain (Washington County), and the Cedar Mountains (Tooele County). BLM-Utah also manages more than 80 Wilderness Study Areas and other significant public landscapes including Nine Mile Canyon, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, and the Desolation Canyon and Labyrinth Canyon stretches of the Green River (designated Wild and Scenic Rivers). SUWA’s signature bill, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, would designate more than 8 million acres of BLM land in Utah as wilderness.  

### 
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org. 

 

 

The post SUWA Statement on Senate Vote Confirming Steve Pearce as Director of the BLM – 5.18.26  appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

What’s wrong with Washington’s energy codes? I’m so glad you asked! Deepa Sivarajan Mon, 05/18/2026 - 2:08 pm

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Rafael Méndez Tejeda

El Niño is (probably) coming back later this year.

And this time, it’s unfolding against a backdrop of unusually warm oceans and an even warmer climate system than the last time we experienced this natural climate pattern.

Here is what you need to know about it.

What is El Niño?

The term El Niño is part of a broader phenomenon called El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. It’s a recurring climate pattern involving changes in sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern tropical Pacific.

Copernicus, a European climate data service, reported that in March 2026, the average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific reached 20.97°C – the second-highest value ever recorded for March, which suggests a likely transition toward El Niño conditions.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is one of the planet’s most important natural mechanisms through which the ocean and atmosphere exchange energy and reorganize the global climate from year to year.

The phenomenon has three phases: the warm phase is El Niño, the cool phase is La Niña, and between the two lies a neutral or transitional phase, when neither dominates clearly. The changes occur in the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean, within 700 miles of the equator.

The consensus among climate models – including those from NOAA – indicates with high probability the onset and subsequent intensification of El Niño starting in fall 2026, with some models suggesting it could be an unusually intense event.

We can anticipate more heat waves with a strengthening El Niño, along with more extreme events ranging from heavy rainfall to drought. El Niño tends to intensify the subtropical jet stream, favoring wetter conditions and greater storm activity across the southern United States and northern Mexico, while the northern United States and Canada experience a relatively warmer and drier pattern, affecting snow cover and water availability. At the same time, the effects of El Niño usually reduce the frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.

The return of El Niño is not synonymous with climate change

El Niño is a natural phenomenon of the ocean-atmosphere system. But when it coincides with a planet already warmed by human activity, its effects can be amplified. The World Meteorological Organization warned that during the last El Niño period (2023–2024), the combination of El Niño and climate change hit Latin America and the Caribbean with greater force, worsening droughts, heat waves, wildfires, extreme rainfall, and other impacts with significant human and economic costs.

El Niño affects more than the Pacific region

Although El Niño originates in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, its effects extend to other regions of the planet through processes known as climate teleconnections – atmospheric links that allow massive cloud formations to develop as a result of the enormous evaporation generated by the warming of ocean waters.

El Niño disrupts what is known as the Walker Cell or Walker Circulation, a tropical atmospheric circulation system that transports heat, moisture, and energy on a large scale. These disturbances propagate through the atmosphere in the form of planetary waves, modifying global pressure and wind patterns. As a result, El Niño’s influence reaches the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, where significant changes in regional climate occur.

Among these effects are a tendency toward drier conditions in certain periods due to descending air and a redistribution of heat that contributes to higher temperatures and more intense heat waves. In short, even though El Niño occurs far from where most Yale Climate Connections readers live, its impact is clearly felt because Earth’s climate system is interconnected, and atmospheric disturbances can travel vast distances.

During El Niño, increased variability in wind direction and speed – which inhibits hurricane formation – can act as a buffer against hurricane activity. However, hurricane formation in the Atlantic depends on multiple factors, including conditions in the Atlantic itself – such as sea surface temperatures, atmospheric moisture, and the Azores High, a large semipermanent center of high atmospheric pressure that sits over the North Atlantic near the Azores islands. And when it comes to hurricanes, we should never let our guard down completely.

How El Niño affects hurricane formation in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. (Image credit: NOAA / Climate.gov)

In general terms, precipitation tends to be greater during La Niña or neutral years than during El Niño years. This does not mean the disappearance of all rainfall. But it does suggest a greater probability of rainfall deficits, water stress, and, in some cases, the development of drought conditions – which could worsen the drought already affecting Southern and Western U.S. states.

El Niño is not here yet

According to the most recent diagnostic discussion from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, current conditions are ENSO-neutral. That same assessment indicates that neutral conditions are likely through May, April, June, and July 2026, potentially extending through September, at which point a transition to the warm phase of ENSO could begin. All forecasting centers emphasize that significant uncertainty remains regarding its ultimate intensity.

El Niño does not arrive on a fixed schedule

Both NOAA and other scientific bodies agree that it appears irregularly, generally every two to seven years, though the average tends to fall closer to every three to four years. Episodes typically last between nine and 18 months, and in some cases, somewhat longer due to the effects of global warming.