Fish fall from the sky in Texarkana. 

Despite torrential rain and snowstorms that raise California’s snowpack to 150 percent of average, the state adopts tough new drought regulations that ban hosing down drives and sidewalks, washing cars without a shut-off nozzle on the hose, and watering lawns and gardens too soon after a rain. 

Global carbon emissions, which dropped by 2.4 billion tonnes in 2020, rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels in 2021.  

US carbon emissions rose by 7 percent in 2021. 

A late-December heat wave in Alaska brings temperatures as much as 45°F above normal.

Oregon’s most southerly glacier, Lathrop, has disappeared.

France bans plastic wrapping for some fruits and vegetables. It will also require car ads to urge consumers to bike or walk instead.  

The EPA announces strong new auto-emission standards designed to increase the number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the road. By 2026, automakers’ fleets will be required to average 55 mpg.  

Tesla recalls nearly half a million of its electric cars because of safety issues.

California requires homes and businesses to separate organic waste from other trash for composting. 

Famed evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson dies at age 92.

A mongoose is captured on Kauai, a Hawaiian island where the invasive predator has not previously been found. Mongoose prey upon the eggs of ground-nesting native birds and sea turtles.  

Avian flu kills thousands of migratory cranes in Israel. 

A two-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park goes into effect.  

As China’s birth rate declines, the government limits vasectomies. 

Life expectancy in China now exceeds that of the United States.