Seattle's struggle to prosper and keep its soul

Seattle's pioneering initiatives target severe inequality left in the wake of tech-driven growth. They could become a model for other thriving cities.  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/1226/Seattle-s-struggle-to-prosper-and-keep-its-soul?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2812-26-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161226_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor by Chelsea Sheasley

Driverless electric cars could 'cut air pollution to almost zero and make car parks obsolete within 10 years.'

Self-driving electric cars could make car parks obsolete within the next 10 years and reduce air pollution to almost zero in Scotland's cities, an expert has predicted.  http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/driverless-electric-cars-air-pollution-almost-zero-car-parks-obsolete-within-10-years-a7496596.html
Article courtesy of Independent by Lynsey Bews

Electric car sales pass half a million in US.

More than 500,000 electric cars have been sold in the United States, according to a report from an electric vehicle charger operator.
The sale of more than 130,000 plug-in hybrid or battery-powered electric vehicles between November 2015 and November 2016 pushed the total number of electric cars sold in the U.S. to 542,000.  http://www.newsweek.com/electric-car-sales-pass-half-million-us-536331
Article courtesy of Newsweek by Anthony Cuthbertson

5 under-reported climate change stories of 2016

This is the time of year when some people talk about the news stories that didn't receive the attention they merited over the past year.
But with the threat of runaway climate change greater than ever before and a denier elected to the U.S. presidency, it seems appropriate to narrow the field to this area alone in 2016.  http://www.straight.com/news/848471/5-under-reported-climate-change-stories-2016
Article courtesy of The Georgia Straight News by Charlie Smith

d to the U.S. presidency, it seems appropriate to narrow the field to this area alone in 2016.

Will a Tesla rival win the race to offer self-driving cars?

December 18, 2016 —An upstart electric carmaker plans to release by late 2018 a luxury sedan capable of reaching 400 miles on a single charge and driving itself.  http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/1218/Will-a-Tesla-rival-win-the-race-to-offer-self-driving-cars?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2812-19-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161219_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of the CSM by Ben Rosen

The Greater New York City Region Must Plan for "Permanent Flooding

The Greater New York City region has done good work in the years since Superstorm Sandy to consider storm-related flooding, but a new report by the Regional Plan Association found that the more pernicious threat of sea-level rise needs more attention.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-greater-new-york-city-region-must-plan-for-permanent-flooding/
Article courtesy of Scientific American /Climate Wire by Erika Bolstad

Climate Change Will Bring Wetter Storms in U.S., Study Says

Decades of research (and perhaps your own recent experiences on hot, humid days) have suggested that climate change will lead to an increase in big storms that cause flash floods, landslides and other natural disasters. Now, a new study shows that such intense precipitation will most likely increase across the continental United States, but with important regional variations.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/science/global-warming-extreme-storms.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of the New York Times by TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG

The Robot Revolution Will Be the Quietest One

In 2016, self-driving cars made inroads in several countries, many of which rewrote their laws to accommodate the new technology. As a science-fiction writer, it’s my duty to warn the human race that the robot revolution has begun — even if no one has noticed yet.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/opinion/the-robot-revolution-will-be-the-quietest-one.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Liu Cixin

Mapping Three Decades of Global Water Change

Scientists with the European Commission’s Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, working with Google engineers, have used millions of satellite images to illustrate how rivers, lakes and other bodies of water have changed over three decades.  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/09/science/mapping-three-decades-of-global-water-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Derek Watkins and Henry Fountain

Burning less coal isn’t just making air cleaner. It’s making your tuna safer.

Studies of tuna caught in the Gulf of Maine between 2004 and 2012 revealed that levels of methylmercury in their bodies decreased at a rate of 2 percent per year, or nearly 20 percent over a decade.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/29/burning-less-coal-isnt-just-making-air-cleaner-its-making-your-tuna-safer/?utm_term=.a18fd66bc527
Article courtesy of the Washington Post by Darryl Fears

Automakers fund European electric car charging sites to boost demand

Four of the world's top carmakers have agreed to invest in thousands of fast-charging sites across Europe to boost mainstream acceptance of electric cars, the companies said on Tuesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-electric-idUSKBN13O25J
Article courtesy of Reuters by Andreas Cremer and Bernie Woodall - Berlin/Detroit

California regulates cow farts

GALT, Calif. (AP) — California is taking its fight against global warming to the farm.
The nation's leading agricultural state is now targeting greenhouse gases produced by dairy cows and other livestock. Cattle and other farm animals are major sources of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas. Methane is released when they belch, pass gas and make manure.   http://www.fox5ny.com/news/220448846-story
Article courtesy of Fox5 by Terrence Chea /Associated Press

Look no farther than Richland, Wash. for ways to combat climate change

Just across the state in Richland, Wash. at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, researcher Pete McGrail has figured out a way to pump carbon dioxide into basalt bedrock, which then turns the gas into solid stone.   http://mynorthwest.com/473986/look-no-farther-than-richland-wash-for-ways-to-combat-climate-change/
Article courtesy of MyNorthwest by David Ross-Kiro radio host.

Massachusetts Uber, Lyft screenings called toughest in US

BOSTON (AP) — Drivers for ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will undergo what state officials call the most comprehensive background checks in the U.S. under agreements announced Monday by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration.  http://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/11/28/uber-lyft-regs-in-massachusetts-called-toughest-in-us
Article courtesy of boston.com by Bob Salsberg

Hackers attack San Francisco's light-rail system, forcing agency to give free rides to passengers

Some passengers on San Francisco's public railway enjoyed free rides during part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend after hackers infiltrated hundreds of its workers' computers and email accounts.  http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-hacker-sf-20161128-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Jeff Chiu of the Associated Press

The Arctic is a Seriously Weird Place Right Now

The sun set on the North Pole more than a month ago, not to rise again until spring. Usually that serves as a cue for sea ice to spread its frozen tentacles across the Arctic Ocean. But in the depths of the polar night, a strange thing started to happen in mid-October. Sea ice growth slowed to a crawl and even started shrinking for a bit.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-sea-ice-record-low-20903
Article courtesy of Climate Central by Brian Kahn

A Slow Ride Toward the Future of Public Transportation

HELSINKI, Finland — A small electric bus chugged along at a slow but steady seven miles per hour when a white van, entering the street from the side, cut in front of it. The bus slowed, as if its driver had hit the brakes, and got back up to speed after the van moved out of the way.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/science/finland-public-transportation-driverless-bus.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Henry Fountain

US, 35 states to boost electric vehicle charging network.

The White House said on Thursday it will establish 48 national electric-vehicle (EV) charging networks on nearly 25,000 miles of highways in 35 U.S. states.
The Obama administration said 28 states, utilities and vehicle manufactures, including General Motors Co (GM.N), BMW AG (BMWG.DE) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), and EV charging firms have also agreed to work together to jump-start additional charging stations on the corridors.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-electricvehicles-idUSKBN12Y1L3
Article courtesy of Reuters by David Shepardson

Floating homes: A solution to flooding, crowded cities and unaffordable housing.

 

It’s a timber-clad house with open-plan living, pale floorboards and large windows giving views across Chichester canal. This building designed by London-based Baca Architects has a unique feature – it floats.
The house is intended to be practical, affordable (a two-bed unit will sell for £200,000) and equipped to deal with floods, by rising with the water levels. Ultimately the company wants to unlock redundant waterways by building on “bluespace” sites – manmade docks, canals and marinas – across London.  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/29/floating-homes-architecture-build-water-overcrowding-cities-unaffordable-housing
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Eleanor Ross and Laura Paddison

China's largest freshwater lake turns into prairie

The water level of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, continues to drop to 10.6 meters, and the water area has shrunk to 924 square kilometers, one eighth of that of wet season, turning the lake into a prairie on Nov 3, according to Lake's Xingzi Observation Station data.
Article courtesy of chinadaily.com.cn

Shocking new studies: Silicon Valley’s ‘megacommute’ even worse than L.A

SAN JOSE — Silicon Valley’s economic boom has created a surge of new jobs and slashed unemployment rates — but it also has drastically worsened the region’s commutes and contributed to the housing crisis, according to two new studies released Wednesday.
One takeaway from the studies that stunned experts: The Silicon Valley “megacommute” — defined as a single motorist driving 90 minutes or longer one way to work — is actually worse here in the Bay Area than is the case even in traffic-choked Los Angeles County.  http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/02/job-boom-intensifies-traffic-and-housing-woes/
Article courtesy of The Mercury News by George Avalos

NASA Satellite Imagery Shows Utah's Great Salt Lake Is Drying Up at Alarming Rate

Five years of drought and over-use of water from feeder rivers has seen Utah's Great Salt Lake shrink by almost 40 percent. The changes were dramatically revealed in before-and-after photos taken by the Landsat 8 satellite, recently released by NASA.  http://www.ecowatch.com/great-salt-lake-utah-2077769555.html
Article courtesy of ECOWatch by Dan Zukowski

Massachusetts-Rhode Island- Fall Commuter Rail Schedules Effective 11.21.16

The Fall Commuter Rail schedules will be in effect starting on Monday, November 21st. You'll find more information and updated schedules for all lines at the following link:

http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=6442456990&month=10&year=16

Note: There will be no schedule changes for the Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth, Middleborough/Lakeville and Worcester Lines. For the Worcester Line, the re-print also includes the adjustments made in July to the final arrival time of certain trains (Inbound trains 588, 522 and 526. Outbound trains 517, 519, 521, 593, 523 and 525).

Full service to Wachusett begins November 21st.

Paper copies of the schedules will be available in the Boston-based stations (North Station, South Station, and Back Bay) starting on Monday, November 14th.

Each line now has a legend that indicates service level information in the event of severe weather.  We will operate at various 'colors' in the event of severe weather.

o Purple is standard service
o In the event of Blue we will not operate the trains shaded in blue on the online schedules
o Orange will have a unique schedule for that day that is not currently available online
o Gray means no train service that day

If you have any trip planning questions related to the Fall schedules, please contact Customer Service at 617-222-3200 or on Twitter @MBTA_CR.
We value your feedback and thank you for riding with us.

Sincerely,

The MBTA/Keolis Commuter Rail Team

You are responsible for melting this much Arctic sea ice per year

The next roundtrip flight you take from New York to Europe means you will personally contribute to the melting of 32 square feet of Arctic sea ice by September in a given year, according to a groundbreaking new study published Thursday. http://mashable.com/2016/11/03/arctic-sea-ice-melt-responsibility-study/#Fr.UIiDUiOq0
Article courtesy of Mashable by Andrew Freedman

As Earth Warms, the Diseases That May Lie Within Permafrost Become a Bigger Worry

This past summer anthrax killed a 12-year-old boy in a remote part of Siberia. At least 20 other people, also from the Yamal Peninsula, were diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease after approximately 100 suspected cases were hospitalized. Additionally, more than 2,300 reindeer in the area died from the infection. The likely cause? Thawing permafrost. According to Russian officials, thawed permafrost—a permanently frozen layer of soil—released previously immobile spores of Bacillus anthracis into nearby water and soil and then into the food supply. The outbreak was the region's first in 75 yearshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-earth-warms-the-diseases-that-may-lie-within-permafrost-become-a-bigger-worry/?utm_content=buffer2c180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Article courtesy of Scientific American by Sara Goudarzi 

Inside one naval base's battle with sea-level rise

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — A submarine resembling a slug sits heavily in these waters alongside a concrete pier whose underbelly has gotten 18 inches closer to the ocean over almost 100 years of docking warships.
This pier and 13 others on the waterfront of the world's biggest naval base are slowly being replaced as rising sea levels contribute to the submersion of equipment that provides power and heat to some of the nation's most sophisticated vessels. Destroyers, cruisers, an aircraft carrier and the sub were seen roped to piers here last month.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060044863
Article courtesy of E&E Publishing LLC by Evan Lehmann

Green Roofs Take Root Around the World

This week, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require that certain new buildings be built with a green roof—an eco-friendly design technique that sows plants above a roofline. This latest action builds on a growing trend that has taken root around the world, and which boosters say offers significant benefits for the planet.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/san-francisco-green-roof-law/
Article courtesy of National Geographic by Jackie Snow

Lack of Cheap, Clean Hydrogen Slows Fuel-Cell Cars

Several automakers in the United States now offer fuel-cell-powered cars for sale as hardware costs have plummeted. Toyota Motor Corp. ramped up production of its hydrogen fuel-cell-powered car, the Mirai, from 700 units last year to 2,000 this year, and is aiming to make 3,000 in 2017.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lack-of-cheap-clean-hydrogen-slows-fuel-cell-cars/
Article courtesy of Scientific American /ClimateWire by Umar Irfan

“The hottest hole in the world”: Iceland’s bold idea for renewable energy

The country can easily tap geothermal heat and steam beneath the surface to generate electrical power and heat — all without any carbon dioxide emissions. Much of Iceland’s electricity comes from hydropower, but most of its heating comes from geothermal.

But now Iceland’s going even further — or deeper, as it were. This fall, the country is drilling an unprecedented 3-mile hole in the southwest region of Reykjanes, hoping to reach even hotter magma far beneath the surface and generate even more power.  http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/10/24/13386400/iceland-deep-drilling-geothermal

Article courtesy of VOX by Brad Plumer

This new technology could save the troubled nuclear power industry

Small nuclear reactors, funded by investors like Bill Gates, are emerging in the US as cheaper, safer alternatives to traditional nuclear power plant designs. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/16/safer-small-nuclear-reactors-power-plant-technology
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Debbie Carlson

US companies brace for climate-friendly alternatives in cooling systems.

U.S. chemical companies including Honeywell and Chemours Co are ramping up efforts to produce alternative coolants used in air-conditioners and refrigerators, following a global pact to reduce planet-warming greenhouse house gas emissions.  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-companies-climatechange-idUSKBN12H040
Article courtesy of Reuters by Malathi Nayak

'Space tourism' may be possible as soon as 2020, say companies

Bigelow Aerospace and Axiom Space plan to attach their space modules to the International Space Station as part of a new NASA partnership. They hope this will pave the way for commercial ventures into space. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1014/Space-tourism-may-be-possible-as-soon-as-2020-say-companies?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2810-14-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161014_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor by Ellen Powell

What an ancient comet collision teaches us about global warming

A comet impact 56 million years ago on Earth contributed to global warming, say scientists after studying tiny glass spheres, or microtektites, found in ancient sediment from a period of massive climate change.  http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1014/What-an-ancient-comet-collision-teaches-us-about-global-warming?cmpid=ema:nws:Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2810-14-2016%29&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20161014_Newsletter:%20Daily&utm_term=Daily
Article courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor by Christina Beck

What Causes Global Warming?

Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide accummulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space.
http://environment.about.com/od/faqglobalwarming/f/globalwarming.htm?utm_term=Global%20Warming%20Causes&utm_content=p1-main-1-title&utm_medium=sem-rel&utm_source=msn_s&utm_campaign=adid-82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse_ocode-28799&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=exact&q=Global%20Warming%20Causes&o=28799&qsrc=6&l=&askid=82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse
Article courtesy of About News by Larry West

Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming

Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Global climate change is certainly one of the top environmental issues today.  http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm?utm_term=global%20warming%20solutions&utm_content=p1-main-2-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=msn_s&utm_campaign=adid-82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse_ocode-28799&ad=semD&an=msn_s&am=exact&q=global%20warming%20solutions&o=28799&qsrc=999&l=sem&askid=82cde265-9dc7-4935-b074-0eb82273ce38-0-ab_mse
Article courtesy of About News by Larry West

Ethanol in U.S. Gas Tanks is Backfiring for Climate Change

A team of researchers has concluded that for every three gallons of corn ethanol that’s being burned under America’s flagship renewable fuel rules, Americans will avoid burning just one gallon of gasoline made from crude.Their findings add to evidence that the mandated use of biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was approved by Congress and is overseen by the EPA, is making the problem of global warming worse — while doing little to ease fuel imports.
  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/ethanol-backfiring-for-climate-change-20760
Article courtesy of Climate Central by John Upton

Reykjavík: the geothermal city that aims to go carbon neutral

Reykjavík used to be marketed as a place of “pure energy”, run on geothermal power – and now Iceland’s capital is trying to become the world’s first carbon neutral city. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/03/reykjavik-geothermal-city-carbon-neutral-climate
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Senay Boztas

Four ways technology will change how we commute in the future

By 2019, residents of Columbus could see autonomous shuttles cruising the Easton commercial district, motion-sensitive LED streetlights that also provide free Wi-Fi internet to the residential neighborhood of Linden, and 175 smart traffic signals that aim to ease traffic jams and speed first-responders’ paths through the city. Residents will also be able to use one app to plan and pay for trips that require multiple types of public transportation.  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/17/urban-transportation-uber-lyft-smart-cities-san-Francisco
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Matthew Wheeland

Daimler unit to pay $28.5 million to settle U.S. Clean Air Act claims

Detroit Diesel Corp, a unit of automaker Daimler AG, will spend $14.5 million to reduce pollutants and pay a $14 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act, the Justice Department said on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-daimler-pollution-idUSKCN1261RF
Article courtesy of Reuters by David Shepardson

Hurricane Matthew: With Miami behind it, Hurricane Matthew pushes up Florida coast.

As it plowed up the coast, Hurricane Matthew largely spared South Florida on Thursday and into Friday morning but cut a razor-thin path that still threatened to make history: the first major hurricane on record to strike Central Florida’s east coast.  http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article106500877.htmlArticle courtesy of The Miami Herald By David Ovalle, Jenny Staletovich and Nicholas Nehamas

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article106500877.html#storylink=cpy

Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta?

That paradox was much on my mind during a recent visit back to Vietnam’s fabulously fertile Mekong Delta, a soggy plain the size of Switzerland. Here the livelihood of 20 percent of Vietnam’s 92 million people is gravely threatened by climate change and by a manmade catastrophe, the seemingly unstoppable damming of the upper reaches of the Mekong River.   https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/will-climate-change-sink-the-mekong-delta/
Article courtesy of Mongabay by David Brown

NASA Warnings About Climate Change Hit Home: Kennedy Space Center Threatened By Rising Sea Levels

Climate change is perhaps one of the most dangerous threats to the future of American space flight, as it turns out. Alongside some of the more banal concerns that face NASA on a regular basis (like budgetary allowances) and those events that are a bit less common (rockets blowing up, for instance) is the steadily rising nearby sea and the increased likelihood of intense storms brought on by global warming.  http://www.ibtimes.com/
Article courtesy of International Business Times by Clark Mindock

Global Warming Trend Warms the U.S. West, Leaves East Shivering

A pattern of warm and dry winters in the West, paired with frigid conditions in the East, has become more frequent since 1980, a trend that reflects the influence of global warming on the atmosphere in the Northern Hemisphere. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27092016/global-warming-trend-warms-only-us-west-leaves-east-shivering
Article courtesy of Inside Climate New by Bob Berwyn

Greenland's receding icecap to expose top-secret US nuclear project

A top-secret US military project from the cold war and the toxic waste it conceals, thought to have been buried forever beneath the Greenland icecap, are likely to be uncovered by rising temperatures within decades, scientists have said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/27/receding-icecap-top-secret-us-nuclear-project-greenland-camp-century-project-iceworm
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Jon Henley

Germany has the world's first hydrogen-powered passenger train.

When it comes to rail innovations, it’s usually the fastest, longest and most expensive new connections or rolling stock that grab people’s attention. Next year, however, Germany will buck that trend with something that’s both ground-breaking and singularly modest. German rail’s most innovative project for 2017 won’t go especially fast, and you’ve probably never heard of the cities it will link. It will still revolutionize rail travel, quite possibly across the world, with one dramatic change. In December 2017, Germany will launch the first ever passenger rail service powered by hydrogen. https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=356744216134226621#editor/src=header
Article courtesy of The Atlantic City Lab by Fergus O'Sullivan

America's first wave-produced power goes online in Hawaii.

By some estimates, the ocean's endless motion packs enough power to meet a quarter of America's energy needs and dramatically reduce the nation's reliance on oil, gas and coal. But wave energy technology lags well behind wind and solar power, with important technical hurdles still to be overcome.  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/wave-produced-electricity-us-online-hawaii-42187915
Article courtesy of The Associates Press by Cathy Bussewitz

Two chemicals together may knock out zika-carrying mosquitoes.

Aerial spraying of the insecticide naled, followed by a product that targets mosquitoes when they are in the larval stage, may be responsible for a sharp drop in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in a part of Miami where local transmission of the Zika virus was first found, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/two-chemicals-together-may-knock-out-zika-carrying-mosquitoes/?WT.mc_id=SA_TW_HLTH_NEWS
Article courtesy of Scientific American by Helen Branswell

375 top scientists warn of 'real, serious, immediate' climate threat

Yesterday, 375 of the world’s top scientists, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, published an open letter regarding climate change. In the letter, the scientists report that the evidence is clear: humans are causing climate change. We are now observing climate change and its affect across the globe. The seas are rising, the oceans are warming, the lower atmosphere is warming, the land is warming, ice is melting, rainfall patterns are changing and the ocean is becoming more acidic.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/21/375-top-scientists-warn-of-real-serious-immediate-climate-threat
Article courtesy of The Guardian by John Abraham

Greenland's huge annual ice loss is even worse than thought

The melting Greenland ice sheet is already a major contributor to rising sea level and if it was eventually lost entirely, the oceans would rise by six metres around the world, flooding many of the world’s largest cities. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/21/greenlands-huge-annual-ice-loss-is-even-worse-than-thought
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Damian Carrington

Tackling food waste as a way to save the climate, too.

Recycling the staggering amount of food that's wasted into livestock feed is increasingly being seen as a tool in the U.S. effort against climate change. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29082016/food-waste-global-problem-solutions-climate-change-recycling-landfills-greenhouse-gas-methane-global-warming
Article courtesy of Inside Climate News by Georgina Gustin

Soaring ocean temperature is 'greatest hidden challenge of our generation.'

The oceans have already sucked up an enormous amount of heat due to escalating greenhouse gas emissions, affecting marine species from microbes to whales, according to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report involving the work of 80 scientists from a dozen countries.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/05/soaring-ocean-temperature-is-greatest-hidden-challenge-of-our-generation
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Oliver Milman

Seals help show how melting ice shelves in East Antarctica affect deep ocean

Bottom water is formed when seas around Antarctica freeze over in winter causing salt to leach out of the sea ice. This process forms dense surface water that eventually sinks to form cold dense water that sits in the abyssal zone 4,000 metres to 6,000 metres below the surface.


In the long term, changes to bottom water would not only affect the circulation of water around the globe but have an impact on sea life that relies on the dense water to provide nutrients and gasses such as oxygen.  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-24/seals-reveal-how-antarctica's-ice-shelves-affect-deep-ocean/7773362
Article courtesy of ABC Science By Genelle Weule

Chefs get creative about restaurant food waste.

The numbers are big. $218 billion of food is wasted every year in the United States—1.3 percent of national GDP, or $1,500 a year for a family of four. In a country with 48 million food-insecure people, this represents 1,250 calories per person, every day.
For restaurants and chefs, reducing food waste is becoming business as usual. Not only does it help the bottom line – a potential savings of $1.6 billion a year in an industry with tight margins—it saves resources all along the food supply chain. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2016/aug/chef-food-waste
Article courtesy of Environment Health New by Kara West

Scotland just produced enough wind energy to power it for an entire day.

For the first time on record, wind turbines have generated more electricity than was used in the whole of Scotland on a single day.
An analysis by conservation group WWF Scotland found unseasonably stormy weather saw turbines create about 106 per cent of the total amount of electricity used by every home and business in the country on 7 August.  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/scotland-wind-energy-renewable-power-electricity-wwf-scotland-a7183006.html
Article courtesy of The Independent by Ian Johnston

Dairy groups blast methane reductions: ‘Cows expel gas so they don’t explode’

California’s attempt to curb emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is facing vocal opposition from a dairy industry that fears government meddling in the flatulence of its cows.
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has set a goal of slashing methane emissions by 40% by 2030, from 2013 levels, and has targeted the belching and farting – known as “enteric fermentation” – of California’s 5.5 million beef and dairy cows, as well as the manure they create.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/10/cow-methane-reduction-california-dairy-industry
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Oliver Milman

Michigan scientists see urgency for negative emissions.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When Sarang Supekar describes how he thinks global warming will have to be stabilized, he talks in terms of sucking a lot of carbon dioxide out of the air and in a very short timeframe.
Supekar, a systems engineer at the University of Michigan, is part of a team developing a computer model that estimates how countries can stay within their carbon budgets, limiting their greenhouse gases so that the earth does not warm beyond the 2°C (3.6°F) threshold.  http://www.climatecentral.org/news/scientists-see-urgency-for-negative-emissions-20588
Article courtesy of Climate Central by Bobby Macgill

This SoCal beach town could be driving a renewables revolution

DEL MAR, Calif. —The city has pledged to switch to 100 percent renewable power by 2035, a goal approved by the City Council as part of a climate action plan (CAP). Del Mar is the second regionally to adopt a CAP with that ambitious renewables goal. San Diego did it late last year (ClimateWire, April 8).  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060041291
Article courtesy of E & E Publishing by Anne C Mulkern

In California Clean Air Fight, Environmental Justice Takes a Leading Role

Now that agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, is at the center of a political power struggle. A new industry-friendly Republican majority has worked to roll back the district's innovative policies that led to cleaner air. That prompted concern among clean-air advocates and the poor and minority communities disproportionately affected by the region's dirty air that the board would continue to erode pollution controls. So they are fighting back.  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04082016/los-angeles-california-clean-air-pollution-quality-fight-environmental-justice-oil-refineries
Article courtesy of Inside Climate News

Mysterious, ice-buried Cold War military base may be unearthed by climate change.

In 1959, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the subterranean city under the guise of conducting polar research—and scientists there did drill the first ice core ever used to study climate. But deep inside the frozen tunnels, the corps also explored the feasibility of Project Iceworm, a plan to store and launch hundreds of ballistic missiles from inside the ice  http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/mysterious-ice-buried-cold-war-military-base-may-be-unearthed-climate-change
Article courtesy of Science magazine by Julia Rosen

Environmental records shattered as climate change 'plays out before us'

The “state of the climate” report, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) with input from hundreds of scientists from 62 countries, confirmed there was a “toppling of several symbolic mileposts” in heat, sea level rise and extreme weather in 2015.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/02/environment-climate-change-records-broken-international-report
Article courtesy of the Guardian by Oliver Milman

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: How car charging is going the way of Airbnb

With his all-electric Nissan Leaf fast losing battery power and no places to plug in along the highway from Fresno, Calif., to San Francisco, Thompson turned to his iPhone. He pulled up an application called PlugShare that maps charging stations for electric vehicle drivers. A resident in nearby Madera had advertised his home charging station, so Thomson called in a panic. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060041063
Article courtesy of  E&E Publishing by Camille von Kaenel

Massachusetts' Ambitious Clean Energy Bill Jolts Offshore Wind Prospects

The bill, approved in the final hours of the legislative session Sunday night, would require local utilities to get 1,600 megawatts of their combined electricity from wind farms far offshore—roughly equivalent to three average-sized coal-fired power plants. The law requires the utilities to line up contracts for that energy by 2027. They also would have to arrange for even more clean energy from other sources, including hydropower, by 2022. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, is expected to sign it.  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02082016/massachusetts-ambitious-clean-energy-bill-jolts-offshore-wind-prospects
Article courtesy of by Zahra Hirji

From now on, every government agency will have to consider climate change

In the past several weeks alone, the Obama administration has made multiple new moves to fight climate change. The administration announced new steps to help fill U.S. roadways with electric vehicles. It ruled that greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft endanger human health and welfare. And on the international stage, it moved the world closer to a deal to phase out super-polluting HFCs, chemicals in refrigerants and other industrial substances that warm the climate.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/08/02/from-now-on-every-government-agency-will-have-to-consider-climate-change/?utm_term=.9d1dddbeca45
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Chris Mooney

Federal, state leaders pitch for California water tunnels

FRESNO, Calif. — Representatives of California Gov. Jerry Brown and the Obama administration began making their pitch for approval Tuesday to build a pair of massive water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  http://www.therepublic.com/2016/07/26/ca-california-giant-tunnels/
Article courtesy of The Republic by Scott Smith

Rising seas threaten to swamp U.S. military bases by 2050

Military bases along the East and Gulf Coast are at risk of losing large chunks of land as rising sea levels from man-made climate change swamp installations from New Hampshire to Florida.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/07/27/sea-level-rise-military-bases/87576456/
Article courtesy of USA Today by Doyle Rice

Rotterdam offers burial at sea for greenhouse gases

A scheme to collect millions of tons of greenhouse gases and bury them under the North Sea off the coast of Rotterdam is Europe's best hope of showing it can make carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology work. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-carboncapture-idUSKCN0ZZ1K4
Article courtesy of Reuters by Barbara Lewis and Robert-Jan Bartenek

New York City hopes a 10-foot wall can save it from rising seas

In an effort to stave off another Sandy, the city is prepared to wall off one of its wealthiest areas, Lower Manhattan, from massive storms and rising seas. Rolling Stone’s Jeff Goodell writes that New York will break ground later this year on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, a 10-foot-high reinforced wall that will run two miles along the East River.  http://grist.org/living/new-york-city-hopes-a-10-foot-wall-can-save-it-from-rising-seas/
Article courtesy of Grist by Katie Herzog

The Newest Way to Clean the Atmosphere? Make Bleach

Scientists from Cornell University developed a technique that sucks up CO2 from exhaust streams and generates useful electricity as a byproduct. The device they’ve built is a kind of electrochemical cell. Think of it as a building block of batteries: It knocks electrons out of aluminum, channels them away, and leaves behind a form of oxygen called a superoxide. In air that is made up of 80 percent CO2 and 20 percent regular oxygen (as opposed to the atmosphere, which is about 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen), the superoxide grabs the CO2 and forms a type of bleach used by pharmaceutical and textile industries, as well as in antifreeze and plastics.   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-20/the-newest-way-to-clean-the-atmosphere-make-bleach
Article courtesy of Bloomberg by Eric Roston

Some earthquakes on San Andreas fault are triggered by gravitational tug of sun and moon

The gravitational tug between the sun and moon is not just a dance of high and low tides: It can also trigger a special kind of earthquake on the San Andreas fault.  http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-la-me-earthquakes-tides-san-andreas-20160718-snap-story.html
Article Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Rosanna Xia

Metrolink unveils new locomotives that could help improve the region's air

The Metrolink commuter railroad on Monday unveiled the first of 40 clean-air locomotives that will replace its aging fleet of diesel engines in an effort to reduce harmful exhaust emissions across the region.  http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-metrolink-engines-20160718-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Dan Weikel

Thumb Suckers and Nail Biters May Develop Fewer Allergies

Babies have been seen sucking on their fingers in utero weeks before birth. But the sight of an older child with his fingers constantly in his mouth, sucking her thumb, biting his nails, can drive parents crazy, bringing up fears about everything from social stigma to germs.

A new study suggests that those habits in children ages 5 to 11 may indeed increase exposure to microbes, but that that may not be all bad.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/do-dirty-habits-help-the-immune-system/?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=2&version=internal&contentCollection=well.blogs.nytimes.com&contentId=http%3A%2F%2Fwell.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F07%2F11%2Fdo-dirty-habits-help-the-immune-system%2F&eventName=Watching-article-click

Article courtesy of the New York Times by Perri Klass MD

Lessons From the Tesla Crash

A recent fatal crash in Florida involving a Tesla Model S is an example of how a new technology designed to make cars safer could, in some cases, make them more dangerous. These risks, however, could be minimized with better testing and regulations.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/opinion/lessons-from-the-tesla-crash.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0
Article courtesy of The New York Times by the Editorial Board

Climate Change Claims a Lake, and an Identity

LLAPALLAPANI, Bolivia — The water receded and the fish died. They surfaced by the tens of thousands, belly-up, and the stench drifted in the air for weeks.

The birds that had fed on the fish had little choice but to abandon Lake Poopó, once Bolivia’s second-largest but now just a dry, salty expanse. Many of the Uru-Murato people, who had lived off its waters for generations, left as well, joining a new global march of refugees fleeing not war or persecution, but climate change.  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/07/world/americas/bolivia-climate-change-lake-poopo.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0

This article courtesy of The New York Times by Nicolas Casey

Another Tesla crashes and Autopilot is blamed again

DETROIT — A Southfield, Mich., art gallery owner told police his 2016 Tesla Model X was in Autopilot mode when it crashed and rolled over on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week.
The crash came just one day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a report on a fatal crash in May involving a Tesla that was also in self-driving mode.  http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/cars/2016/07/05/owner-survives-tesla-crash/86729076/
Article courtesy of azcentral.com by Greg Gardner/Detroit Free Press

Scientists Devise New Way to Find an Elusive Element: Helium

You may not know much about helium, except that it fills birthday balloons and blimps and can make even the most stentorian voice sound a bit like Donald Duck.

But helium is an important gas for science and medicine. Among other things, in liquid form (a few degrees above absolute zero) it is used to keep superconducting electromagnets cold in equipment like M.R.I. machines and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which uses 265,000 pounds of it to help keep particles in line as they zip around.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/29/science/helium-superconductivity-tanzania.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Article courtesy of the New York Times by Henry Fountain

Years later, Arizona forest thinning 'just not happening'

An ambitious plan to clear away fire hazards and restore ecological health to Arizona's massive pine forest has so far failed to meet expectations set by the U.S. Forest Service.
Six years into a 20-year plan to thin overgrown ponderosa pines from northern and eastern Arizona, the Four Forest Restoration Initiative has treated just over 80,000 of the 1 million acres targeted for work.  http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2016/06/20/years-later-arizona-forest-thinning-just-not-happening/85706310/
Article courtesy of The Republic/AZcentral.com by Brandon Loomis

Essential California: Will L.A. tax its way out of congestion?

Transit tax
Los Angeles transit officials voted 11-2 Thursday to place a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot. The proposal could generate $860 million a year for street repairs, highway improvements and new rail lines. The tax, which requires a two-thirds vote for approval, would not have a sunset date. Supervisor Don Knabe was one of the dissenting votes. Angeles Times  http://www.latimes.com/newsletters/la-me-essential-california-20160624-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of the LAtimes.com by Alice Walton and Shelby Grand

Why the MBTA wants bus passengers to go cash-free

The MBTA thinks it can shave 10 percent off the length of commuters’ bus trips within a couple of years — if passengers no longer pay with cash on board.  http://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/06/27/why-the-mbta-wants-bus-passengers-to-go-cash-free
Article courtesy of Boston.com by Adam Vaccaro

Should Your Driverless Car Hit a Pedestrian to Save Your Life?

People say that one day, perhaps in the not-so-distant future, they’d like to be passengers in self-driving cars that are mindful machines doing their best for the common good. Merge politely. Watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Keep a safe space.

A new research study, however, indicates that what people really want to ride in is an autonomous vehicle that puts its passengers first. If its machine brain has to choose between slamming into a wall or running someone over, well, sorry, pedestrian.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/24/technology/should-your-driverless-car-hit-a-pedestrian-to-save-your-life.html?_r=0

Story courtesy of The New York Times by John Markoff

An Unwelcome Tourist Arrives in New Jersey: Clinging Jellyfish

So Dr. Bologna, a biologist and ecologist at Montclair State University, brought the animal back to his lab. There scientists extracted, analyzed and sequenced its DNA, and determined that it was indeed the clinging jellyfish, spotted in New Jersey for the first time.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/18/science/an-unwelcome-tourist-arrives-in-new-jersey-clinging-jellyfish.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of The New York Times by TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG

As Wind Power Lifts Wyoming’s Fortunes, Coal Miners Are Left in the Dust

“Coal is hurting, but wind power is our bright spot on the horizon,” said Cindy Wallace, the director of the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation. “Eventually, we could be the wind capital of Wyoming, the U.S., the world.”

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In Wyoming, the country’s biggest coal-producing state, the energy landscape is transforming along with the nation’s, but in a state of 584,000 people, that change is happening at hyperspeed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/us/as-wind-power-lifts-wyomings-fortunes-coal-miners-are-left-in-the-dust.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Article courtesy of The NY Times by Coral Davenport

Wildfires, Once Confined to a Season, now Burn Earlier and Longer

Fires, once largely confined to a single season, have become a continual threat in some places, burning earlier and later in the year, in the United States and abroad. They have ignited in the West during the winter and well into the fall, have arrived earlier than ever in Canada and have burned without interruption in Australia for almost 12 months. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/science/wildfires-season-global-warming.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Matt Richtel and Fernanda Santos

Key Players in Climate Change

Diplomats from at least 167 countries are gathering in New York to sign the climate accord reached in December in Paris. Whether they make good on their pledges to slow dangerous greenhouse gas emissions will depend in large part on the actions in the years ahead by the world’s largest polluters. A status report on the key players follows.  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/21/science/paris-agreement-carbon-dioxide-global-warming.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of The New York Times

http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-3-may-june/green-life/roughing-it-urban-jungle

John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
But for the metropolitan adventurers among us…are rooftops close enough?
Brooklyn sculpture artist Thomas Stevenson has pioneered a new kind of “rugged” adventure in the concrete jungle of New York. Titled Bivouac NY, his project invites urban explorers to sign up for one of his fifteen hour-long, post-work rooftop camping trips.  http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2015-3-may-june/green-life/roughing-it-urban-jungle
Article courtesy of Sierraclub.org by Stephanie Steinbrecher

After decades of altrusim and hard work, a trail will run through the Santa Monica Mountains

For more than 50 years, Southern Californians have dreamed of following an uninterrupted trail among the sycamore canyons and sandstone peaks of the Santa Monica Mountains.
http://www.latimes.com/la-me-backbone-trail-20160525-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Thomas Curwen

Skyscraper at Trade Center Rises From the Inside Out

If you think Santiago Calatrava’s transportation hub and shopping mall looks like a bird (or a stegosaurus), you might find 3 World Trade Center next door reminding you of an upside-down Popsicle, with the stick at the top.

Its surprising profile — which is only temporary — results from a construction technique rarely used in New York office towers. The concrete core of the 69-story skyscraper is rising ahead of the steel columns and beams around its perimeter, sometimes 20 or more floors ahead.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/nyregion/skyscraper-at-trade-center-rises-from-the-inside-out.html?&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsection%2Fnyregion%3Faction%3Dclick%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26region%3DTopBar%26module%3DHPMiniNav%26contentCollection%3DN.Y.%26WT.nav%3Dpage&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=N.Y.%20%2F%20Region&pgtype=imageslideshow&module=RelatedArticleList&region=CaptionArea&version=SlideCard-1

Article courtesy of The New York Times by Bryan Thomas

Train service suspended — again — at Metro’s Bethesda stop on Red Line

Another power outage is causing trains to “temporarily bypass” the Bethesda stop on the Red Line. It is the second time this morning that there’s been a power problem there. Bus service is being provided.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/05/25/trains-not-stopping-at-metros-bethesda-stop-on-red-line/
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Dana Hedgpeth

Maryland to ask companies for $100 million tech solution to ease I-270 gridlock

Highway agencies trying to ease traffic jams usually come up with their method of choice — widen a road, expand an intersection, re-time traffic signals — and then ask companies for their best price. But Maryland’s highway agency is about to try a new approach, one that state officials believe is a first in the country.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/05/25/maryland-to-ask-companies-for-100-million-tech-solution-to-ease-i-270-gridlock/
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Katherine Shaver

Portland schools tried to change how they teach climate change — and ignited a firestorm

This winter, a small group of advocates, teachers, parents and students began meeting each week at a church in Portland, Ore., to figure out how their schools could do a better job of preparing the next generation to fight climate change.
Together, they wrote a resolution that, with some changes, was unanimously adopted by the Portland Public School Board on May 17. The district, the board resolved, “will abandon the use of any adopted text material that is found to express doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities.”  http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-na-portland-schools-climate-change-20160524-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of Los Angeles  Times by Joy Resmovits

Rhode Island wants the X Games back

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island wants to bring the X Games back to the state where the extreme sports competition started.
Tourism officials confirmed Friday they’ve submitted a bid to Connecticut-based sports network ESPN to host the summer games in 2017 and 2018. A decision is expected in July.  http://www.boston.com/news/sports-news/2016/05/20/rhode-island-pitches-x-games-return-roots
Article courtesy of boston.com from AP by Dylan van Dyke Brown

Why making some (or many) Boston streets car-free might not be so crazy

Some streets in Boston could become occasional car-free zones in the near future, according to a tweet sent from the City of Boston’s official handle. On Wednesday, during a live Twitter chat with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a question from @ConciergeBoston asked about the possibility of closing certain Boston streets during summer months. http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2016/05/19/why-making-some-many-boston-streets-car-free-might-not-crazy/SnGg7mqqUgG2vyAf7nh0YP/story.html
Article courtesy of boston.com by Sanjay Salomon

You can finally ride the Expo Line from L.A. to Santa Monica. Here's why the trip takes 50 minutes.

When the long-awaited Expo Line extension opens Friday at noon, passengers will ride from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in 50 minutes.
That's an improvement over the ugly rush-hour commutes many days on the 10 Freeway. But it's roughly as long as the trip took on the old Pacific Electric Red Cars, which operated a similar route six decades ago.   http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-expo-line-speed-snap-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Laura J. Nelson

An Old Idea,Revived: Starve Cancer to Death

In the early 20th century, the German biochemist Otto Warburg believed that tumors could be treated by disrupting their source of energy. His idea was dismissed for decades — until now.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/magazine/warburg-effect-an-old-idea-revived-starve-cancer-to-death.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Sam Apple

Want to Buy a Self-Driving Car? Big-Rig Trucks May Come First

SAN FRANCISCO — Imagine you are driving on a highway late at night when a big-rig truck closes in behind you. You relax because it is keeping a safe distance and seems to be obeying the speed limit. Now imagine that truck is driving itself. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/technology/want-to-buy-a-self-driving-car-trucks-may-come-first.html?mabReward=A4&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine&_r=0
Article courtesy of The New York Times by John Markoff

Dr. Catlin Powers, Eco-Engineer

I went into the Himalayas as an undergraduate to study climate change. Local people asked why my team was in the region, so I struggled to find the words "climate change" in Tibetan. Finally, I came up with "we are studying smoke in the sky." Everyone burst out laughing: "What a ridiculous thing to do. The sky is blue, but there's all this smoke in our homes." They brought me inside, and the air was thick and yellow, just searing to breathe. The air-quality monitors attached to my jacket indicated that the air was 10 times worse than what I'd recently measured in Beijing.
http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-3-may-june/faces-clean-energy/dr-catlin-powers-eco-engineer?suppress=true&utm_source=greenlife&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
Article courtesy of Sierraclub.com by Erik Hoffner

Rare 2,000-Year-Old Coin Found by Hiker in Israel

A gold coin dating from the Roman Empire has been found at an archaeological site near the sea of Galilee.  http://www.nbcnews.com/video/rare-2-000-year-old-coin-found-by-hiker-in-israel-644794947868
Video courtesy of NBC News

Did climate change cause these ancient civilizations to collapse?

“Droughts didn't always impact societies in the past,” says archaeologist Kyle Bocinsky, one of the authors of the study. “There were plenty of times in which the Pueblo people did just fine in the face of pretty dramatic climate downturns. But we also found that a combination of social organization, inequality and climate change did prompt revolutions in Pueblo society, and not just once, but four times in the Pueblo past between 8500 and 1400.”  http://www.globalpost.com/article/6764863/2016/04/24/did-climate-change-cause-these-ancient-civilizations-collapse
Article courtesy of the Global Post by Elizabeth Stockman and Alexa Lim

Baltimore Student Leader Receives Goldman Environmental Prize

On Monday, Watford will receive the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her successful grassroots effort to stall the construction of what would have been the nation’s largest trash incinerator in the Curtis Bay neighborhood of southern Baltimore.

In 2012, the then-17-year-old Watson first learned that the developer Energy Answers had secured legal approval to build a solid-waste-to-energy power plant—PR speak for a trash incinerator—one mile from her high school. “When the incinerator was proposed, it was proposed as the solution to both the energy crisis and the waste crisis,” Watford told Sierra in a recent interview. “It sounded like a wonderful solution, but it's not—it was a false alternative.”  http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-2-march-april/green-life/baltimore-student-leader-receives-goldman-environmental-prize

Article courtesy of Sierraclub.org by Catherine Schuknecht

MassDOT announced the first activation of the Commonwealth’s Real-Time Traffic Information System (Go-Time) set to expand statewide by the end of the year.

Three new Real-Time Traffic displays were launched in the area of Rt. 140 in Taunton. These displays include travel times from Rt. 140 to Interstate 195, Rt. 140 to Interstate 195, and Rt. 140 to Rt. 6. The signs will provide drivers with information about how long their commute will be and will assist drivers in making informed travel decisions.  http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/massdot-highway/massdot-launches-go-time-real-time-traffic-information/
Article courtesy of MassDot by Klark Jessen

MBTA: Worcester-Boston Nonstop Service Begins May 23

For the first time ever, the MBTA will offer nonstop service between Worcester and Boston in less than an hour. The HeartToHub will operate twice daily—morning and evening—every weekday starting May 23, 2016.  http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/mbta-worcester-boston-nonstop-service-begins-may-23-2/
Article courtesy of MassDOT by Klark Jessen

Solar plane takes off from California for Arizona

In this April 23, 2016 file photo, Solar Impulse 2 flies over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco at the end of its journey from Hawaii, part of its attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The next leg of the solar-powered around-the-world flight is scheduled to start from Mountain View, Calif., Monday, May 2, 2016, at 5 a.m. PDT, bound for Phoenix.  http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/science/article/Solar-plane-prepares-to-leave-California-for-7387227.php
Article courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle

Another study says warming may be worse than experts think

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most computer simulations of climate change are underestimating by at least one degree how warm the world will get this century, a new study suggests.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Another-study-says-warming-may-be-worse-than-7234552.php
Article courtesy of San Francisco News -Associated Press by Seth Borenstein

Stethoscope pill developed by MIT and Mass General researchers picks up invention award

A swallowable, pill-sized stethoscope developed by researchers at MIT and Mass General to monitor your body’s vital signs, has won one of Popular Science’s 2016 Invention Awards.  http://www.boston.com/news/science/2016/04/30/stethoscope-pill-developed-by-mit-and-mass-general-researchers-picks-up-invention-award
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Dialynn Dwyer

Boston’s free sunscreen program is expanding nationally

The program that brought free sunscreen to Boston last year is back. But this year, 11 other states will get in on the sun protection action.
Starting in May, the Melanoma Foundation of New England will issue free sunscreen dispensers to 54 locations across 12 states, for a total of 190 dispensers. Massachusetts alone will get 29.
http://www.boston.com/news/health/2016/04/30/bostons-free-sunscreen-program-expanding-nationally
Article courtesy of the Boston Globe by Dialynn Dwyer

A New Dark Age Looms

Boulder, Colo. — IMAGINE a future in which humanity’s accumulated wisdom about Earth — our vast experience with weather trends, fish spawning and migration patterns, plant pollination and much more — turns increasingly obsolete. As each decade passes, knowledge of Earth’s past becomes progressively less effective as a guide to the future. Civilization enters a dark age in its practical understanding of our planet.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/19/opinion/a-new-dark-age-looms.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=0
Article courtesy of The New York Times by William B. Gail

Study finds living near greenery may help you live longer

Having nature’s greenery outside your door might help you live longer, according to a new study.
The researchers used satellite imagery to tack the season vegetation where 108,630 women lived from 2000 to 2008, while monitoring questionnaires and information from the women about their health and lifestyle, The New York Times reports. They found the mortality rate for women living in the highest one-fifth for greeness was 12 percent lower than the women living in lowest one-fifth for greeness. Their rates for death from respiratory illness and cancer were also lower.http://www.boston.com/news/health/2016/04/15/study-finds-living-near-greenery-may-help-live-longer
Article courtesy of boston.com by Dialynn Dwyer

U.S. Issues New Rules on Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a final set of regulations on offshore oil and gas drilling that are aimed at preventing the kind of equipment failures that caused the disastrous 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/us/politics/us-issuesnew-rules-on-offshore-oil-and-gas-drilling.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Coral Davenport

Eradicating Invasive Species One Sushi Roll at a Time

MIAMI BEACH — Plenty of chefs have burns on their forearms, but Bun Lai’s battle scars did not come from hot oven racks. His were a result of an inadvertent brush with fire coral while scuba diving for ingredients off the Florida coast.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/dining/invasive-species-bun-lai-prey-restaurant.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Florence Fabricant

Uber and Lyft have devastated L.A.'s taxi industry, city records show

The rise of Uber and Lyft has dealt a swift, brutal blow to the Los Angeles taxi industry.
Since the ride-hailing services began operating in Southern California three years ago, the number of L.A. taxi trips arranged in advance has fallen by 42%, according to city records, and the total number of trips has plummeted by nearly 30%.  http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uber-lyft-taxis-la-20160413-story.html
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Laura J. Nelson

The National Park Service is Turning 100 And You’re Invited

Big birthdays can be tough to plan, from deciding how to have fun and satisfy competing friend groups, to crafting party invitations that tactfully say, 'No, I am not too old for presents.' But the National Park Service, which will celebrate its centennial on August 25, knows there’s only one way to ensure a flawless birthday bash: don’t leave anyone out. Which is why, starting on April 16, the bureau is partnering with the National Park Foundation to host National Parks Week, when every national park will be open to the public, free of charge. The celebration, which will continue through April 24, is America's largest celebration of national heritage.  http://sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-2-march-april/green-life/national-park-service-turning-100-and-you-re-invited?suppress=true&utm_source=greenlife&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
Article courtesy of Sierraclub.org by Dakin Hewlett

First 2 hydrogen refueling stations to open in Massachusetts next year

Vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology have been struggling to make inroads in the New England market. But a recent development by a French energy company promises to open the door to more hydrogen vehicles hitting the road. http://archive.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2016/04/08/first-hydrogen-refueling-stations-open-massachusetts-next-year/2vBJsaQnEFeipxkF3gMskM/story.html
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Sanjay Salomon

Los Angeles poised to adopt environmental protections for polluted communities

In a groundbreaking attempt to bring environmental justice to polluted neighborhoods, the Los Angeles City Council is poised to adopt new land-use restrictions to ease health risks in communities where a heavy concentration of industry operates close to homes, schools and day-care centers.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exide-testing-20160412-story.html
Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Tony Barbosa

Car-Pooling Helps Uber Go the Extra Mile

Unlike a standard Uber ride, in which a single rider starts a one-time trip, UberPool works like a party line for cars. Travis Kalanick, Uber’s co-founder and chief executive, describes it as the future of his company — and thus the future of transportation in America.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/technology/car-pooling-helps-uber-go-the-extra-mile.html?ref=international
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Farhad Manjoo

Changes could add hundreds of millions of dollars to first 29 miles of bullet train

The California rail authority is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in potential change orders and other prospective cost increases on the first 29 miles of the bullet train system, state and private contractor documents show.   http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-change-orders-20160328-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Ralph Vartabedian

What it means for Apple if feds have found a way to crack shooter's iPhone

In its monthlong fight with the Department of Justice over digital privacy, Apple has insisted it would under no circumstances force its engineers to undermine the company's security measures.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-vulnerability-20160322-story.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by David Pierson

An island of rattlesnakes may soon be a reality in Mass., and some residents aren’t happy

In January, Tom French, the Massachusetts Assistant Director of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife proposed a plan to establish a Timber Rattlesnake colony on Zion Island in the Quabbin Reservoir. While the state plans to move forward with the plan, Massachusetts residents have had mixed reactions. http://www.boston.com/news/animals/2016/03/21/520039
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Perry Eaton