A new study shows that climate change is making hurricanes intensify as they approach landfall, potentially making them more destructive. The research by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington found that hurricanes worldwide have been becoming more severe at a quickening pace over the past 45 years. Researchers said the increase in strength often occurs just before storms reach land. "We're talking about it happening right at the coastline, where it matters most," lead author Karthik Balaguru said in a statement. The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, and forecasts are calling for a very active season as sea temperatures are abnormally high in many parts of the Atlantic.

For this weekend’s 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, Better Planet took a close look at the carbon footprint of another venerable Kentucky tradition, bourbon. Distilling spirits takes a lot of energy, and producing an average bottle of whiskey can result in 6 pounds of CO2 emissions. Several distilleries are working to cut their climate pollution, including Kentucky’s Bulleit Bourbon. One of its facilities is already carbon neutral, and another plans to replace its gas-burning boiler with an innovative clean technology called a heat battery. Heat batteries convert renewable electricity into industrial heat, and the project at Bulleit’s Shelbyville, Kentucky, distillery will demonstrate how other energy-intensive businesses might decarbonize, all while putting us closer to a climate-friendly cocktail.

In climate news elsewhere, congressional Democrats last Tuesday unveiled documents from major oil producers showing that the companies’ private communications were frequently at odds with their public statements about climate goals. The Washington Post reported that Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Senate Budget Committee conducted a yearslong investigation that the lawmakers say shows how the oil industry misled the public about its role in causing climate change. Industry officials deny that, but they will face similar allegations in court, as several lawsuits seek to hold oil producers responsible for climate damages.

And the AP reported that Florida lawmakers are about to remove climate change considerations from state law regarding energy decisions. A 16-year-old law enacted under then-Governor Charlie Crist, a Republican, made climate change a priority when making energy policy decisions. Florida is extremely vulnerable to climate impacts such as sea level rise and extreme weather. However, a bill now awaiting a signature from Republican Governor Ron DeSantis would strip the term “climate change” from much of the law and instead prioritize energy affordability and availability. Crist, who later switched parties and served in Congress as a Democrat, told the AP it was “disappointing” that Florida would remove climate change criteria from energy policy and called it a “continuing lurch in the wrong direction.”