In Hawaii, climate change is eating away at paradise

+ Ancient Greece's rebellious women US Edition - Today's top story: More than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change – they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court [View in browser]( US Edition | 23 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Using brain patterns to measure pain]( - [The carbon footprint of generative AI]( - [The long fight against U.S. antisemitism]( Lead story Close your eyes for a second and picture Hawaii in your mind. What do you see? Warm beaches, perhaps, with tropical flowers with a light ocean breeze? Climate change is far from most visitors’ minds – but it’s something Honolulu officials worry about as storms and rising seas erode the land beneath homes, steal beaches and flood low-lying streets. Honolulu, with billions of dollars in property value at risk, is among more than two dozen U.S. cities, counties and states now suing to hold the oil industry responsible for the rising costs of adapting to climate change. And it recently chalked up a crucial victory. Law professors Patrick Parenteau and John Dernbach explain how[a move by the U.S. Supreme Court]( is boosting Honolulu’s chances of victory and the odds of success for several of the other plaintiffs. [[Political analysis without shouting, in our weekly roundup](] Stacy Morford Environment + Climate Editor Street flooding has become more common in parts of Honolulu. Eugene Tanner / AFP via Getty Images [More than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change – they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court]( Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law & Graduate School; John Dernbach, Widener University Honolulu, Baltimore, Charleston, S.C. and several other cities harmed by rising seas and extreme weather are suing the oil industry. At stake is who pays for the staggering costs of climate change. Science + Technology - [Is generative AI bad for the environment? A computer scientist explains the carbon footprint of ChatGPT and its cousins]( Kate Saenko, Boston University Generative AI, those astonishingly powerful language- and image-generating tools taking the world by storm, come at a price: a big carbon footprint. But not all AIs are equally dirty. - [Chronic pain can be objectively measured using brain signals – new research]( Prasad Shirvalkar, University of California, San Francisco Pain has long been subjectively measured, leading to frustrations for patients and doctors alike. Identifying neural biomarkers of pain could improve diagnosis and lead to better treatments of chronic pain conditions. Ethics + Religion - [What Greek mythology teaches us about women’s resistance and rebellion]( Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Tufts University Female characters in Greek mythology lived under strict patriarchal rules, but they spoke truth to power and resisted injustice. Economy + Business - [Why America has a debt ceiling: 5 questions answered]( Steven Pressman, The New School As negotiations between the White House and Republicans stall, economists and markets are worried Congress won’t act in time, which could trigger a financial crisis. Environment + Energy - [Coca-Cola’s biggest challenge in greening its operations is its own global marketing strategy]( Bart Elmore, The Ohio State University Coca-Cola has made ambitions climate and sustainability pledges, but marketing its products worldwide will always be a top priority. Politics + Society - [Salman Rushdie renews fight against the right-wing wave of US book ban proposals: 3 essential reads]( Howard Manly, The Conversation The constitutionality of the recent wave of proposed book bans is unclear, as the US Supreme Court has given states wide latitude to regulate what is read in public schools and libraries. - [White House plan to combat antisemitism needs to take on centuries of hatred, discrimination and even lynching in America]( Pamela S. Nadell, American University Incidents of antisemitism in the US have risen to historic levels, and the White House has vowed to fight them. Education - [New approach to teaching computer science could broaden the subject’s appeal]( Lauren Margulieux, Georgia State University Integrated computing enables teachers to incorporate basic programming skills into K-12 students’ regular math, science and language arts classes. From our international editions - [Women’s secret war: the inside story of how the US military sent female soldiers on covert combat missions to Afghanistan]( - [At a G7 summit high on ambition, nuclear disarmament takes a backseat to Zelensky’s diplomatic appeals]( - [Khartoum: the creation and the destruction of a modern African city]( Today's graphic [A graphic showing responses to questions from a nationwide survey of 860 farm and ranch families conducted from January to March 2023 that highlighted the child care struggles U.S. farm families face.]( From the story, [Lack of affordable child care is hurting young farm families’ ability to grow their businesses – the US farm bill may finally offer some help]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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