Pope Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing earlier today, appearing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of delighted crowds in what marks his highest-profile appearance since being discharged from the hospital after falling ill with double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff has not led the main Holy Week and Easter services but has made brief appearances, including spending 30 minutes at a prison in Rome on Thursday and a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
Sunday spotlight
Tuesday marks 55 years since millions of Americans from coast to coast came together to celebrate the first Earth Day. Over the subsequent decades, Earth Day has spread around the globe as more and more countries call for environmental regulations to protect the planet’s air, water, forests and wildlife from industrial pollution and greenhouse gases that are harming our climate.
But as other industrialized nations make strides to reduce emissions, the US appears to be shifting into reverse. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed actions to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, an international treaty in which nearly 200 countries agreed to work together to limit global warming.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have been slashing federal workers and eviscerating weather and climate research programs — all at a time when the stakes couldn’t be higher for the planet and humanity’s ability to adapt to the changing climate and the increasing cost of climate-related disasters.
1️⃣ Rising temperatures: The Earth just recorded its 10 hottest years over the last decade. And last year was confirmed to be the hottest since records began 175 years ago, beating the previous record set in 2023. While scientists say that doesn’t mean that we’ve permanently crossed global limits set under the Paris Agreement, we are getting close.
2️⃣ Not a pretty picture: A striking new visualization made by a climate scientist shows the increase in daily global temperatures between 1940 and the end of 2024 compared to the period before humans began burning huge amounts of planet-heating fossil fuels. As the data spirals outwards, it becomes redder and redder as global temperatures ramp up.
3️⃣ Stronger hurricanes: Record-breaking ocean temperatures fueled by planet-warming pollution have turbocharged dozens of Atlantic hurricanes in recent years, making them more potent and dangerous. And this year’s upcoming hurricane season, which spans from June through November, is shaping up to be another busy one.
4️⃣ Predictions of extreme weather events may get worse: Coordinated twice-daily weather balloon launches make up the backbone of weather forecasts across the globe. But due to staffing shortages brought on by the Trump administration, the National Weather Service has cut weather balloon launches at eight sites across the US. Here’s what that could mean for critical weather reports, particularly during severe weather events, like tornadoes, ice storms and hurricanes.
5️⃣ Hope springs eternal: Despite the increasing din of climate-related alarm bells, there are reasons to be hopeful. CNN’s chief Climate correspondent Bill Weir has spent years looking at our warming planet and searching for the most promising solutions and most resilient communities. This is what he found.
Top headlines
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