A record warm March melted an already depleted snowpack across the western United States creating concerns for April, a month critical for water management. The following Cornell University experts are tracking impacts to the environment and communities.

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Cornell experts discuss the Trump administration's plans to withdraw from dozens of international groups, many focused on climate issues.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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A heat dome will develop near the West Coast, smashing records and sending temperatures into the triple digits through next week. Intense conditions are expected to eat into low snowpack levels, deepening drought concerns.

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Wendong Zhang, assistant professor of applied economics and policy, and Allen, Carlson, associate professor of government, provide insight on U.S.-China relations after Trump's call for assistance falls on deaf ears.

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Associate professors Magnus Fiskesjö, anthropology, and Allen Carlson, government, on China’s expected passage of a new law shifting policy away from regional ethnic autonomy.  

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Wellness influencer Casey Means advanced toward confirmation as U.S. surgeon general after a hearing before senators on Wednesday. She faced grilling on her stance on vaccines, past business entanglements and previous criticism of pesticides.

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Allen Carlson, associate professor of government and an expert on Chinese foreign policy, says the episode illustrates how governments courting Beijing, amid frustration with Washington’s volatility, can find engagement with China difficult to manage.

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Rebecca Slayton, director of the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, says the initiative is more political theater than actual peacebuilding.

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Lindsay Anderson is a professor in environmental engineering and interim director for the Cornell Energy Systems Institute. She comments on the EPA decision to change the language on some of its web pages, removing the fact that human activity is causing climate change.

Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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Fran Kozen and Larissa Shepherd, experts in fiber science and apparel design, say snow washing appeals because wool is prone to shrinkage and rugs and blankets can be difficult to launder, but note there are caveats to consider.