Cruise ships: A dirty kind of luxury

Environmental organizations have criticized the luxury cruise liner industry for years for the amount of air pollution it spews out. The results of a new survey on cruise ship pollution don't exactly inspire confidence.   https://www.dw.com/en/cruise-ships-a-dirty-kind-of-luxury/g-45190968
Article courtesy of DW media Center

'Apocalyptic threat': dire climate report raises fears for California's future

City heatwaves could lead to two to three times as many deaths by 2050, the report says. By 2100, without a reduction in emissions, the state could see a 77% increase in the average area burned by wildfires. The report also warns of erosion of up to 67% of its famous coastline, up to an 8.8F (4.9C) rise in average maximum temperatures, and billions of dollars in damages. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/27/california-climate-change-report-wildfires-jerry-brown
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Carla Green

Thousands of Staten Island homes could vanish into the rising ocean tide

By the end of the century, hundreds of thousands of New York homes will be at risk from tidal flooding, according to a recent study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists. 

The study anticipates that as sea levels rise and tides inch higher, high-tide floods are becoming more frequent and reaching farther inland  https://www.silive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/08/ed08f10c39929/thousands-of-island-homes-coul.html#incart_2box

Article courtesy of Silive.com by Sydney Kashiwagi

Colorado aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions with fuel efficiency push

Colorado air quality officials on Thursday launched a push ordered by Gov. John Hickenlooper to ensure ever-more-efficient gas-powered vehicles — calculated to cut heat-trapping greenhouse pollution by 2 million tons a year of carbon dioxide.

Then the state air commissioners went a step further and committed to consider requirements on the auto industry aimed at accelerating a shift toward zero-emission electric vehicles.  https://www.denverpost.com/2018/08/16/colorado-push-for-less-pollution-from-gas-powered-vehicles

Article courtesy of The Denver Post by Bruce Finley

Mineral created in lab that can remove CO2 pollution from atmosphere

Scientists have found a way to produce a mineral, known as magnesite, in a lab that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, offering a potential strategy for tackling climate change.  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mineral-removes-co2-magnesite-carbon-dioxide-pollution-climate-change-global-warming-a8491746.html
Article courtesy of The Independent by Jos Gabbetiss

Nitrogen pollution is a problem as big as climate change. Science might have a fix.

Some think nitrogen pollution may be the greatest danger we face. The Stockholm Resilience Center, an organization that examines the largest threats to natural life-support systems, considers our overuse of nitrogen a more extreme risk to life on Earth than climate change.

But a new paper, published in the journal Nature this week, uncovered a way that we could keep millions of tons of nitrogen fertilizer from evaporating into  the atmosphere and running into the oceans.  https://grist.org/article/nitrogen-pollution-is-a-problem-as-big-as-climate-change-science-might-have-a-fix/

Article courtesy of Grist by Nathanael Johnson

22h Fusion start-ups think they can revolutionize energy in the coming decades

A group of start-up companies hopes to capitalize on the potential of nuclear fusion to turn abundant fuels into carbon-neutral energy.  https://cen.acs.org/energy/nuclear-power/Fusion-start-ups-hope-revolutionize/96/i32
Article courtesy of C & EN by Katherine Bourzac

German winegrowers harvesting early due to heatwave

LOERZWEILER, Germany (Reuters) - While many German farmers fret about the sweltering heat which has damaged their crop, wine growers are harvesting early thanks to the hot and dry weather. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-weather-germany/german-winegrowers-harvesting-early-due-to-heatwave-idUSKBN1KR1SX
Article courtesy of Reuters by Reuters Staff