A new study finds that cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown warmed the planet a bit in 2020, especially in places such as the eastern United States, Russia and China. Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021 study found the pandemic lockdown reduced soot and sulfate air pollution, but those particles also reflect the sun's heat and help cool areas briefly. (AP Photo)Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown, a new study found. His calculations come from comparing 2020 weather to computer models that simulated a 2020 without the pollution reductions from pandemic lockdowns. “Clean air warms the planet a tiny bit, but it kills a lot fewer people with air pollution,” Gettelman said.

Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company, have pledged $750 million to the California Institute of Technology to fund climate research. The commitment is the largest ever for research into environmental sustainability and the second-largest gift to a US academic institution, Caltech announced. The Wonderful Company has brands such as Fiji water, Pom Wonderful and Teleflora under its umbrella. A new 75,000-square-foot building will be constructed at Caltech and named the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center. It will be the hub for energy and sustainability research on campus and have state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching labs.