Natural disasters—including the recent flooding in Texas in early July—are of pressing concern, given the possibility of increased frequency and damage from climate change. Climate Central, a policy-neutral nonprofit that researches “our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives,” released data on billion-dollar natural disasters in the US from 1980 to 2024.

According to the World Health Organization’s 2022 report, an estimated 970 million people were affected by mental health conditions in 2019, of which 28.9% were depressive disorders. Treatment typically includes therapy and use of an antidepressant, according to the American Psychological Association.

The World Health Organization estimated around 74% of the world population cooks with modern methods, such as electric or gas burner stoves in 2022. However, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) universal access to clean cooking in Africa report, over 2 billion people—with close to half of them in Africa—rely on traditional stoves and open fires.

Researchers from Oregon State University conducted a study on the threat of climate change to wild animal species and biodiversity. The study, published in BioScience, assessed 70,814 species from 35 existing classes and assessed climate threat to wild species.

Data centers—such as those used by Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta—are crucial for data connectivity, storage, and processing. However, these pose concerns given their large real estate footprint and energy consumption.