Urban humans

As the world sees the biggest wave of urban growth in history – with almost 70% of its population expected to be living in urban areas by 2050, up from 56% today – the task of making cities greener and safer is becoming more urgent.  https://packages.trust.org/urban-humans/index.html#Urban-humans-oDMBpzerY6
Article courtesy of The Daily Climate from Place by Zoe Tabary and Claudio Accheri

B

Appalachia is transitioning from coal. Here’s what it could learn from Germany.

Germany's transition away from coal is about more than reimagining a place. Significant environmental restoration throughout Ruhr was necessary to bolster economic efforts, and for those efforts to be meaningful, miners and their communities couldn't be left behind.
https://www.dailyclimate.org/appalachia-sustainable-transition-from-coal-2640987386.html
Article courtesy of The Daily Climate by Katherine Webb-Hehn

Using Old Cellphones to Listen for Illegal Loggers

Pakan Rabaa, Indonesia-This village in West Sumatra had a problem with illegal loggers.    So, residents asked a local environmental group for camera traps or some other equipment that might help. In July, they got more than they expected: A treetop surveillance system that uses recycled cellphones and artificial intelligence software to listen for rogue loggers and catch them in the act.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/climate/indonesia-logging-deforestation.html  Article courtesy of The New York Times by Mike Ives

Shrimp and Chemicals: What You Need to Know

Whether farmed or wild caught, the cheaper the shrimp, the more likely it is to have been treated with chemicals, particularly sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bisulfite.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/dining/shrimp-additives.html
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Melissa Clark

Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas

When leaders from Exxon Mobil and BP gathered last month with other fossil-fuel executives to declare they were serious about climate change, they cited progress in curbing an energy-wasting practice called flaring — the intentional burning of natural gas as companies drill faster than pipelines can move the energy away.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/climate/natural-gas-flaring-exxon-bp.html
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Hiroko Tabuchi

BIG CITIES GO GREEN TO FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

In 2018, New York became the first US city to require buildings to publicly display letter grades indicating their energy efficiency.
New York is also making efforts to increase the greenery dotting the city’s skyline through recent legislation that provides larger tax breaks to owners who install green roofs in locations where they can offer the most social and environmental value. These actions are part of a slew of urban initiatives to advance and strengthen environmental protections.
https://www.futurity.org/cities-climate-change-2176322/
Article courtesy of Futurity post by Jade McClain NYU

Radical warming in Siberia leaves millions on unstable ground

ON THE ZYRYANKA RIVER, Russia — Andrey Danilov eased his motorboat onto the gravel riverbank, where the bones of a woolly mammoth lay scattered on the beach. A putrid odor filled the air — the stench of ancient plants and animals decomposing after millennia entombed in a frozen purgatory.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/climate-environment/climate-change-siberia/
Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Anton Troianovski and Chris Mooney
Photo and video by Michael Robinson Chavez

Peter Dykstra: Are you ready for some good news?

After years of promise and halting progress, wind and solar energy have simply, undeniably, irrefutably arrived.  https://www.dailyclimate.org/peter-dykstra-are-you-ready-for-some-good-news-2640364591.html
Article courtesy of The Daily Climate  by Peter Dykstra

MAN VS. MOSQUITO: AT THE FRONT LINES OF A PUBLIC HEALTH WAR

Mosquito-borne illnesses are on the rise, and climate change will worsen the threat. Little-known local agencies are the main line of defense.  https://publicintegrity.org/environment/man-vs-mosquito-public-health-war/
Article courtesy of The Center for Public Integrity by Jie Jenny Zou

Money is the oxygen on which the fire of global warming burns

What if the banking, asset-management, and insurance industries decided to move away from fossil fuels? https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/money-is-the-oxygen-on-which-the-fire-of-global-warming-burns
Article courtesy of The New Yorker by Bill McKibben

Why the Planet Needs You to Repair Your Broken Stuff

Overproduction and planned obsolescence are the new normal. But fixing your broken things is a way to resist—and build community.https://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/death/repair-broken-things-climate-change-capitalism-20190917
Article courtesy of YES! by Sarah Lazarovic

Climate change: Could ‘climigration’ help reverse Vermont’s population trends?

But the EPA has ranked Vermont fourth in a nation-wide assessment of how resilient states are to more extreme weather events brought on by climate change. And authors of the 2014 state climate assessment wrote that Vermont might be a “receiving state” for residents of Northeast cities dealing with sea level rise.  https://vtdigger.org/2019/09/17/climate-change-will-vermonts-population-increase-from-climigration/
Article courtesy of VTDIGGER by Elizabeth Gribkoff

This new HP laptop is the first computer to use ocean-bound plastic

Inside a new notebook computer from HP, one component uses a new material: a blend of ABS, a standard type of plastic in computers, and PET recycled from plastic bottles that could have otherwise ended up in the ocean.  https://www.fastcompany.com/90405131/this-new-hp-latpop-is-the-first-computer-to-use-ocean-bound-plastic
Article courtesy of Fast Company by Adele Peters

Food, Glorious - and Sustainable

A recent survey of 6 European countries at the turn of the year surveyed their opinions on sustainable food. 64% declared that they believed sustainable products tasted better, which shows that good taste still exists.

Knorr (the soup people), part of the giant Unilever, commissioned the survey of 12,000 respondents. The country least likely to believe in the taste difference was the UK. Intriguingly, the British did buy the most sustainable food, despite their lack of taste as far as it is concerned

Read more at http://www.earthtimes.org/going-green/food-sustainable-WED/2943/#EfjpS3S33jjsCeyR.99
Article courtesy of Earth Times by JW Dowey

This gadget scans your trash to tell you if it’s recyclable

One of the challenges in the broken recycling system is basic confusion: It often isn’t obvious what a particular package is made from or whether it should go in a recycling bin or the trash. Items that could be recycled end up in the landfill, and recycling companies have to expend a lot of time and effort removing unrecyclable items from their facilities.  fastcompany.com/90397801/this-gadget-scans-your-trash-to-tell-you-if-its-recyclable
Article courtesy of Fast Company by Adele Peters

What’s Driving Dorian: Category 4 Hurricane Science

As Dorian spins up, it draws in warm air and sea-surface moisture from all points of the compass. This warm, moist air races toward the center and rises in the spiral arms, fueling thunderstorms, and then in the inner bands, near the eye, it soars skyward as if up a chimney.
https://onezero.medium.com/dorian-could-hit-florida-as-a-major-hurricane-3e1ecc999ad3
Article courtesy of One Zero by Robert Roy Britt

Rising seas threaten Egypt's fabled port city of Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AP) — Egypt’s coastal city of Alexandria, which has survived invasions, fires and earthquakes since it was founded by Alexander the Great more than 2,000 years ago, now faces a new menace in the form of climate change.  https://www.apnews.com/e4fec321109941798cdbefae310695aa
Article Courtesy of The Associated Press by Samy Magday

Earth’s future in being written in fast-melting Greenland

New York University air and ocean scientist David Holland, who is tracking what's happening in Greenland from both above and below, calls it "the end of the planet." He is referring to geography more than the future. Yet in many ways this place is where the planet's warmer and watery future is being written.https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2019/08/20/earths-future-being/
Article courtesy of The Salt Lake City Tribune by Seth Borenstein/Associated Press

It’s coming: Pittsburgh’s bike plan readies for a 2020 debut

“One of the goals of the bike plan is that biking really supports the daily life of Pittsburgh,” she said. “It is going to help us build out more bike infrastructure so that people that currently don’t feel comfortable riding a bike with motor vehicles will feel more comfortable in new facilities.” https://www.wesa.fm/post/it-s-coming-pittsburgh-s-bike-plan-readies-2020-debut#stream/0
Article courtesy of 90.5 WESA by Sarah Kovash

With Ecosia, You Can Help Plant Trees by Just Surfing the Internet

Like other search engines, Ecosia makes money through advertising—every time someone clicks on one of the ads located next to search results, Ecosia makes a few cents. Only instead of using its profits to line shareholder pockets, the Berlin-based start-up invests 80 percent of its profits in tree planting. On average, it takes 45 searches to plant a tree. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ecosia-you-can-help-plant-trees-just-surfing-internet
Article courtesy of  Sierra magazine by Chloe Zilliac

Bottled Water vs. Tap: Which is Best?

Although Flint, MI, has become the poster city for America’s issue with contaminated water, it is only one of many communities experiencing threats to its water supply. Perhaps because they don’t completely trust their tap water, Americans are buying bottled water now more than ever. According to the Beverage Marketing Corp., Americans now drink more bottled water than carbonated drinks, as bottled water became the largest beverage category by volume in 2016.   https://www.greenamerica.org/drinking-water-risk/bottled-water-vs-tap-which-best
Article courtesy of Green America by Sytonia Reid

Food, Glorious - and Sustainable

Unilever has exerted itself massively to source 60% of agricultural raw materials sustainably, which is not so hot. Knorr itself can claim a much higher level of sustainable vegetables and herbs in its sauces, soups and seasonings (92%.)
Read more at http://www.earthtimes.org/going-green/food-sustainable-WED/2943/#gmw6wSaGBOqHZVmV.99
Article courtesy of Earth Times  by JW Rowey 

New fashionable outdoor-wear from recycled plastic

Asanox use organic cotton alongside their recycled plastic. The ecodown padding in their lightweight jacket contains the PET while the shell is also a 100% recycled Japanese fabric. A 100% cotton military fabric called ventileis the waterproof shell for their sports jacket, previously known as a densely-woven heavy cotton lifesaver for pilots.
Read more at http://www.earthtimes.org/going-green/new-fashionable-recycled-plastic/3025/#zMzwM2VyQL6mGZvr.99
Article courtesy of Earth Times by JW Dowey

When a Mega-Tsunami Drowned Mars, This Spot May Have Been Ground Zero

A new study, published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, suggests that a 75-mile-wide impact scar in the Martian northern lowlands is to the red planet what the Chicxulub crater is to Earth: the mark of a meteor that generated a mega-tsunami when the planet was relatively young. If accurate, the finding adds evidence to the hypothesis that Mars once had an ocean, and would have implications for our search for life there.   
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Robin George Andrews

Greenland is melting in a heatwave

Greenland is home to the world’s second-largest ice sheet. And when it melts significantly — as it is expected to do this year — there are knock-on effects for sea levels and weather across the globe.

Greenland’s ice sheet usually melts during the summer. This year, it started melting earlier, in May, and this week’s heatwave is expected to accelerate the melt.  https://wqad.com/2019/07/31/greenland-is-melting-in-a-heatwave-thats-everyones-problem/

Article courtesy of CNN by WQAD Digital Team

Ford teases all-electric F-150 pickup truck by pulling a million-pound train

In 2017, Ford announced that it would sell an all-electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck. It plans to start selling a hybrid version in 2020.  https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/23/20706515/ford-electric-f150-pickup-truck-pull-million-pound-train
Article courtesy of The Verge by Andrew Hawkins

Permafrost thaw sparks fear of 'gold rush' for mammoth ivory

Melting permafrost from global heating has made it easier for locals to retrieve the remains of woolly mammoths, which have been extinct for thousands of years, and sell them on to China, where the ivory is fashioned into jewellery, trinkets, knives, and other decorations. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/14/permafrost-thaw-sparks-fear-of-mammoth-ivory-gold-rush-in-russia#img-1
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Andrew Roth in Moscow

What to do with oil boom’s wastewater?

“Generally, you’ll find produced water is blacker and has a lot of hydrocarbons in it, so we should not drink it,” said the New Mexico State University educator, who has studied the issue of wastewater treatment for years.

Just what to do with produced water — a byproduct of oil and gas production that may consist of salt, oil, grease, naturally radioactive materials and other toxins — is an increasingly vexing question for both environmentalists and the oil and gas industry.https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/what-to-do-with-oil-boom-s-wastewater/article_ebea88d6-ba9d-5e3d-a3eb-0734377fa161.html

Article courtesy of Santa Fe New Mexico News by Robert Nott

From Gambling to Solar, U.S. Tribes Bet on New Revenue Stream

Dozens of new solar and wind projects are sprouting up on tribal lands across the U.S. as American Indians seek new ways to boost their economies beyond casinos and untaxed cigarettes.https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/from-gambling-to-solar-u-s-tribes-bet-on-new-revenue-stream?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=ehsdesk&utm_campaign=35F96AD8-A5B6-11E9-88A4-9DB74F017A06
Article courtesy of Bloomberg News by Gerald Porter Jr.

This house was built using 600,000 recycled plastic bottles

This week, the team from JD Composites unveiled its first home in Meteghan River on Nova Scotia's southwest shore. It has walls made with 15-centimetre thick plastic slabs. More than 600,000 recycled plastic bottles were shredded, melted and formed into custom moulds for the walls.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/plastic-bottle-home-nova-scotia-1.5188749

Article courtesy of CBS News by Brett Ruskin

Seattle Will Open Clean-Air Shelters As Relief From Wildfire Smoke

At times over the past two summers, Seattle experienced some of the worst air quality in the world. With wildfires breaking out in British Columbia, Oregon, and California, the city was hit by smoke from nearly every direction. It caused increased air pollution for 24 days, and on a few occasions, the air was so bad it was considered “unhealthy for all.”

https://www.citylab.com/environment/2019/06/seattle-air-quality-smoke-wildfires-shelters-where-find-safe/592519/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAtlanticCities+%28CityLab%29&utm_content=FeedBurner

   Article courtesy of City Lab by Hallie Golden

A quick shift to electric vehicles could drive the Green New Deal forward

The transition could keep the U.S. competitive with countries like China but also radically improve the country’s own transportation sector—currently the most polluting of the economy—while creating jobs and improving equity. https://www.fastcompany.com/90364228/a-quick-shift-to-electric-vehicles-could-drive-the-green-new-deal-forward

Article courtesy of Fast Company by Adele Peters

Fashion startups are already proving a Green New Deal could work

Fashion and manufacturing contributes to about a tenth of the world’s greenhouse gases. But startups are showing their more established counterparts how to build carbon-neutral businesses.https://www.fastcompany.com/90363258/how-the-green-new-deal-could-reshape-the-fashion-industry

Article courtesy of Fast Company by Elizabeth Segran

In lobbying battle for electric vehicle tax credit, it’s car makers vs. the oil and gas industry

GM, like a fleet of other car manufacturers, is seeking the extension of a tax break that has for a decade helped sustain the sale of cars that need little to no gasoline to run.

This has triggered an intense lobbying battle with oil and natural gas companies, which supply the fuel that runs the internal-combustion engines that dominate American roadways. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/25/lobbying-battle-electric-vehicle-tax-credit-its-car-makers-vs-oil-gas-industry/?utm_term=.e6152e62dda9

Article courtesy of The Washington Post by Dino Grandoni and Steven Mufson

Uber’s new mass transit feature now available in Boston

Uber today announced the roll out of a new transit feature that will integrate all public transit information in the Greater Boston area directly into its app.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/17/ubers-new-mass-transit-feature-now-available-in-boston/
Article courtesy of The Herald by Alexi Iafrato

Big earthquakes might make sea level rise worse. Here's how.

But a new study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, reveals that the quakes also sparked a slow-burning danger for the more than 55,000 residents of American Samoa: sea level rise that is five times as fast as the global average.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/06/big-earthquakes-might-make-sea-level-rise-worse/
Article courtesy of National Geographic  BY MAYA WEI-HAAS

Midnight Sun Could Keep Predatory Fish Out of the Arctic

As the world gets hotter and the oceans warm, many marine species are shifting their ranges to higher latitudes. This has some researchers worried that new fish populations in polar waters might wreak havoc on food webs. But there’s one thing that could stop some of these polar migrators: light.
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/midnight-sun-could-keep-predatory-fish-out-of-the-arctic/
Article courtesy of Hakai Magazine by K.N. Smith

Feel guilty about leaving work early? Do it for the planet.

Time off isn’t so much a luxury, new research argues, as an urgent necessity.Working long hours on the job is bad for your health, raising your risk of stroke, heart attack, and depression. And to top it off, it’s also bad for the planet. According to a paperfrom Autonomy, a future-focused think tank in the U.K, the number of hours spent working every week needs to be slashed in the absence of larger efforts to decarbonize our economies. Businesses are still mostly powered by fossil fuels.https://www.salon.com/2019/05/25/feel-guilty-about-leaving-work-early-do-it-for-the-planet_partner/

Article courtesy of Salon by Kate Yoder

Riesling wine, holding out between pesticides and climate change

Climate change, new pests and diseases are threatening Riesling wine. Warmer temperatures are forcing winemakers to increase the use of plant protection methods, namely pesticides. https://www.dw.com/en/riesling-wine-holding-out-between-pesticides-and-climate-change/a-48748575
Article courtesy of DW.com

New energy efficient buildings aren't enough, experts say — we have to retrofit the old ones, too

The Canada Green Building Conference is taking place in Vancouver this week, and a major portion of the program will be pushing the need to retrofit older buildings to reduce their carbon footprint. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/green-buildings-retrofits-1.5150658
Article courtesy of CBC News- British Columbia by Maryse Zeidler

Greenland's biggest glacier suddenly slows down and thickens, baffling scientists.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/greenland-ice-sheet-jakobshavn-isbrae-glacier-slows-thickens-climate-change-esa-a8913791.html

Article courtesy of Independent by Harry Cockburn

SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE WORKING TO TURN AGRICULTURAL WASTE INTO FOOD, PACKAGING AND MORE

By upcycling biomass, innovators aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the economic viability of farming. https://ensia.com/features/agricultural-waste/
Article courtesy of ENSIA by Andrew Wight

EPA can’t deny its own warnings on climate change (Editorial)

Now the EPA is cautioning local governments to prepare for climate-induced crises. A report last week comes despite despite references by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler that global warming won’t hit hard for another 50 to 75 years.
https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2019/04/epa-cant-deny-its-own-warnings-on-climate-change-editorial.html
Article is an editorial courtesy of MassLive

A Mystery Frequency Disrupted Car Fobs in an Ohio City, and Now Residents Know Why

It sounded like something from an episode of “The X-Files”: Starting a few weeks ago, in a suburban neighborhood a few miles from a NASA research center in Ohio, garage door openers and car key fobs mysteriously stopped working. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/us/key-fobs-north-olmsted-ohio.html

Article courtesy of The New York Times by Heather Murphy

Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace

WASHINGTON — Humans are transforming Earth’s natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival, a sweeping new United Nations assessment has concluded.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/climate/biodiversity-extinction-united-nations.html
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Brad Plumer

Could you live a low carbon life? Meet the people who already are

Across the country, environmentalists of all ages – from seven to 75 – are taking action now to lead low-carbon lives.  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/04/carbon-cutting-zero-emissions-eco-warriors-damaged-world
Article courtesy of The Guardian by Donna Ferguson

Alaska's thaw threatens prehistoric sites once frozen in time

The first artifact -- a wooden mask -- was discovered in 2007 by a child who stumbled upon it while playing on the beach near his home in Quinhagak, a village in western Alaska that sits by the Bering Sea.  https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2019/05/06/alaskas-thaw-threatens-prehistoric-sites-once-frozen-in-time
Article courtesy of Gulf Today

Biodiversity crisis is about to put humanity at risk, UN scientists to warn

‘We are in trouble if we don’t act,’ say experts, with up to 1m species at risk of annihilation   

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/03/climate-crisis-is-about-to-put-humanity-at-risk-un-scientists-warn

This article courtesy of The Guardian by Jonathan Watts

Peter Dykstra: The 800-lb (cheap, plastic) gorilla in our oceans

An estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic now swirl in our waterways:

• abandoned, miles-long driftnets that ensnare fish and seabirds;
• drink bottles and soccer balls washed down storm sewers into rivers and lakes (see this news clip of runoff plastic in Lake Jackson, downstream from a half-million or so metro Atlanta homes);
• single-use bags, straws, cups and cigarette filters by the billions;
• long-lasting microbeads of plastic built into soaps and detergents;
• and partly decomposed plastic bits that cloud the water and clog the bellies of fish, birds and marine mammals – a veritable "smog of the sea.https://www.dailyclimate.org/the-800-lb-cheap-plastic-gorilla-in-our-oceans-2633297139.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2"   Article courtesy of The Daily Climate by Douglas Fischer

Pipeline firm gets $3.3-million fine for worst California oil spill in 25 years

A pipeline company was fined nearly $3.35 million Thursday for causing the worst California coastal spill in 25 years.

A judge issued a fine and penalties against Plains All American Pipeline for a 2015 spill that sent 140,000 gallons of crude oil gushing onto Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. The spill from a corroded pipeline blackened popular beaches for miles, killed wildlife, and hurt tourism and fishing.  https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pipeline-spill-refugio-beach-fine-20190425-story.html

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by The Associated Press

World’s second largest emperor penguin colony ‘disappeared overnight’ with thousands of chicks wiped out

The world’s second largest emperor penguin colony is believed to have been effectively wiped out overnight, with thousands of chicks drowning after an ice shelf in Antarctica collapsed.  https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/emperor-penguins-deaths-sea-ice-collapse-climate-change-antarctic-a8885641.html
Article courtesy of The Independent by Harry Cockburn

Solar Energy Capacity in U.S. Cities Has Doubled in the Last 6 Years

Solar power capacity has more than doubled in 45 of America’s 57 largest cities over the past six years, according to a recent report by the non-profit Environment America Research & Policy Center. And one-third of U.S. cities as much as quadrupled their photovoltaic capacity, including New York City, Seattle, and Dallas.  https://e360.yale.edu/digest/solar-energy-capacity-in-u-s-cities-has-doubled-in-the-last-6-years
Article courtesy of YaleEnvironment 360 By E360 Digest

How China’s ‘Unicorns’ Shook a Bicycle Town

WANGQINGTUO, China — This farm grows bikes, by the looks of it. Hundreds of blue and mint-green bicycles stand in rows on this field in Wangqingtuo, the small community that calls itself “bicycle town.” Only the occasional caretaker and a pen of bleating goats watch over them as they rust.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/business/china-bike-sharing-unicorns.html
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Alexandra Stevenson and Cao Li

OCEAN WAVES ARE GETTING BIGGER AND CLIMATE CHANGE APPEARS TO BE TO BLAME

Extreme ocean winds and waves have become more common over the past three decades, according to scientists who warn climate change could be causing the trend.

A team of experts at the University of Melborne looked at around 4 billion observations of wind speed and wave height captured by 31 satellites between 1985 and 2018.  https://www.newsweek.com/ocean-waves-are-getting-bigger-and-climate-change-appears-be-blame-1405672

Article courtesy of Kashmira Gander

Americans Are Among the Most Stressed People in the World, Poll Finds

Americans are among the most stressed people in the world, according to a new survey. And that’s just the start of it.

Last year, Americans reported feeling stress, anger and worry at the highest levels in a decade, according to the survey, part of an annual Gallup poll of more than 150,000 people around the world, released on Thursday.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/us/americans-stressful.html

Article courtesy of The New York Times by Niraj Chokshi

'Air bear' flight to Russian Arctic returns polar bear who drifted 400 miles south on ice

An “air bear” helicopter flight has returned a polar bear to the Russian Arctic after he drifted more than 400 miles south on an ice floe. Fishermen ran into the two-year-old male bear last week near Tilichiki, an isolated village in the Kamchatka region on Russia's Pacific coast. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/23/air-bear-flight-russian-arctic-returns-polar-bear-drifted-400/

Article courtesy of The Telegraph News by Alex Luhn-Moscow

Winter Is Coming — But Not For NYC’s Rats

By some measures, New York is the second most rat-infested city in the United States, and the problem has gotten worse in recent years. Data show that in 2010, just over 10,500 rat complaints were made to the city’s 311 complaint line, but seven years later, complaints had nearly doubled, hitting more than 19,000 at the end of 2017. But it took a while for officials to investigate the role of rising temperatures in the population boom.  https://nexusmedianews.com/winter-is-coming-but-not-for-nycs-rats-e5484767f613
Article courtesy of Nexus Media by Molly Taft

Greenland Is Falling Apart

Since 1972, the giant island’s ice sheet has lost 11 quadrillion pounds of water.  https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/how-much-ice-has-greenland-lost-climate-change/587431/
This article coutesy of The Atlantic by Robinson Meyer

Air pollution: smog, soot is worst in California

California's reign as the U.S. state with the worst air pollution continues, with Los Angeles again the nation's smoggiest metro area, according to a new report released Wednesday.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/24/air-pollution-smog-soot-worst-california/3551734002/
Article courtesy of USA Today by Doyle Rice

Flood survivors are identifying the root causes of repeated flooding

Sea-level rise is inundating coastal cities, where “sunny-day flooding” is now a thing. Rising seas contribute to high-tide flooding, which has grown by a factor of five to 10 since the 1960s in many U.S. coastal communities — and that trend that is expected to accelerate in the future.   https://ensia.com/features/flood-survivors-victims-organize-for-change/
Article coutesy of Ensia by Lauri Mazur Editor of the Island Press Urban Resilience Project

NHL to purchase carbon offsets to counter playoff air travel

The National Hockey League said on Monday it would purchase carbon credits to offset airline emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases during the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the first round of the playoffs, which has the highest number of teams traveling and is currently underway, the NHL will offset more than 465 metric tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to taking 99 cars off the road for one year.  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-icehockey-nhl-offsets/nhl-to-purchase-carbon-offsets-to-counter-playoff-air-travel-idUSKCN1RY1JB
Article courtesy of Reuters by Rory Carroll

Remember Harvey? Houston remains unprepared for the next big flood

In 1914, upon completion of the Houston Ship Channel, city leaders organized a massive carnival on the scale of Mardis Gras, which involved hundreds of revelers riding decorated floats down Buffalo Bayou.  https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Remember-Harvey-Houston-remains-unprepared-for-13710325.php?cmpid=opn
Article courtesy of Houston Chronicle by The Editorial Board

Electric vehicles are the road to the future

The Coalition's scare campaign against electric vehicles (EVs) is hypocritical and Luddite but the bright side is it might, at long last, start a meaningful debate about the role the transport sector can play in cutting carbon emissions.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/electric-vehicles-are-the-road-to-the-future-20190410-p51cte.html
Article courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald

While Congress does nothing, New York City passed its own climate legislation

New York City passed groundbreaking climate legislation, including the largest mandated pollution reduction in any city in the world, just ahead of Earth Day. “Future generations will look back at this moment and they will think of this as one of the most important bills,” Bill Lipton, the director of the Working Families Party, told the crowd at City Hall. “We are starting to turn a corner.”  https://massivesci.com/articles/green-new-deal-new-york-climate-mobilization-act-align/
Article courtesy of Massive Science by Greta Moran

Startup Nikola Bets Hydrogen Will Finally Break Through With Big Rigs

Hydrogen has been a promising but elusive vehicle fuel for half a century, powering a range of fuel cell cars and SUVs but never quite solving cost and efficiency snags and lack of fuel stations that make it less attractive than batteries for zero-emission vehicles. The problem isn’t the technology, argues the founder of Arizona startup Nikola Motor, but that big trucks are a much better choice for hydrogen.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2019/04/14/can-a-15-billion-bet-on-fuel-cell-big-rigs-be-a-game-changer-for-hydrogen/#3901d6b1fe4c
Article courtesy of Forbes by Alan Ohnsman

Arctic is warmest it's been in 10,000 years, study suggests

Researchers studied permafrost samples in the Yukon near the Dempster Highway and determined that temperatures in the Arctic today are almost 2 C warmer than at any time in the past 10,000 years.

The temperatures recorded today are even higher than the previous highs believed to have occurred during the early Holocene period, about 9,900 and 6,400 years ago, when Earth's axis was tilted more strongly toward the sun, the report states.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/arctic-warmest-in-10000-years-1.5094392?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar

Article courtesy of CBC News Written by Alex Brockman, Interview by Qavavao Peter

Fracking in Arizona Could Lead to the Next Helium Boom

The high desert of northern Arizona was once a tropical forest, home to large animals with sharp teeth—crocodilians, small dinosaurs, and reptiles. Freshwater sharks swam in the streams. Trees fell, animals died off, and the whole mess fossilized in layers of primordial muck. Millions of years later, the desert heaved up petrified logs, sharks teeth, and bones. We know this area today as Petrified Forest National Park—a place where tourists can hike and take in sweeping views of the Painted Desert. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/fracking-arizona-could-lead-next-helium-boom-petrified-forest-national-park
Article courtesy of Sierra by Ron Duncan

How Hydrogen is Transforming These Tiny Scottish Islands

Scotland’s Orkney islands produce more clean energy than their inhabitants can use. Their next step? Hydrogen. Here’s why that matters – and what the rest of the world could learn.  http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190327-the-tiny-islands-leading-the-way-in-hydrogen-power
Article courtesy of BBC-Future by Diego Arguedas Ortiz

Stopping Human-Caused Air Pollution Would Prevent 5.6 Million Air Pollution Deaths Per Year: New Study

If humans stopped emitting air pollution, an astonishing 5.6 million premature deaths per year due to global outdoor air pollution could be prevented, according to research published Monday. About 65% of these deaths are due to burning of fossil fuels, with the remainder due to such activities as biomass burning and agriculture. Eliminating human-caused air pollution would also significantly reduce drought in monsoon regions, but it would allow more sunlight to reach the surface, increasing Earth’s surface temperature by at least 0.36°C (0.65°F). Overall, the effects would be hugely beneficial.  https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Stopping-Human-Caused-Air-Pollution-Would-Prevent-56-Million-Air-Pollution-Deaths-Year-New
Article courtesy of Weather Underground by Dr. Jeff Masters

The Giant Rodents Eating Louisiana’s Coast

In 2010, AN explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig made an oil-soaked pelican the prevailing symbol of the precarious relationship between industry and the environment on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. But long before the rig pumped 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico — and still today — the people of southern Louisiana have had           another such symbol: Large, invasive, semi-aquatic rodents called nutria, which have been chewing up the marshes for decades.  https://undark.org/article/the-giant-rodents-eating-louisianas-coast/

Article courtesy of UNDARK truth, beauty, science by Nick Chrastil

Polar Warning: Even Antarctica’s Coldest Region Is Starting to Melt

East Antarctica is the coldest spot on earth, long thought to be untouched by warming. But now the glaciers and ice shelves in this frigid region are showing signs of melting, a development that portends dramatic rises in sea levels this century and beyond.  https://e360.yale.edu/features/polar-warning-even-antarctica-coldest-region-is-starting-to-melt
Article courtesy of YaleEnvironment360 by Nicola Jones

https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/whats-life-after-climate-change-one-city-offers-plenty-clues

The Russian Arctic is increasingly hot. The vast area that covers an overwhelming part of the country is undergoing unprecedented warming. At record speed.

A new climate report from the Russian meteorological institute Roshydromet states that the polar parts of the country have become almost 2,3 degrees warmer over the past 30 years.  https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2019/03/warmest-ever-winter-northern-sea-route

Article courtesy of The Barents Observer by Atle Staalesen

What’s life like after climate change? One city offers plenty of clues

This is what adapting to climate change looks like. Last year, Cape Town nearly became the first big city on earth to run dry. Daily water rations dropped to 50 litres per person per day, with the spectre of 25 litres if supplies ran out on “Day Zero”.
https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/whats-life-after-climate-change-one-city-offers-plenty-clues
Article courtesy of Todayonline by Simon Kuper

An iceberg twice the size of New York City is about to split from Antarctica

Two rifts on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica are close to creating an iceberg over 560 square miles in size. Scientists say the calving event could happen any day now.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/28/climate/antarctica-brunt-iceberg.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&mtrref=www.dailyclimate.org&gwh=7C2E660F6E6796AD3BCBD1E1EEE8CB8A&gwt=pay
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Jugal K. Patel

HOT TOPIC: Insect protein.

Experts agree that relying on animal meat as our primary protein source in the future is unsustainable. Could the use of insect protein in human food and animal feed realistically decrease our dependence on meat? And could eating insects actually save insects from extinction?
https://soundcloud.com/isgps-the-forum/episode-90
Article courtesy of ISGP's The Forum

As Arctic neared 2019 winter max, Bering Sea was virtually ice-free

• One thing that stood out this winter was the extraordinarily low amounts of ice in the Bering Sea at the start of March, surpassing record lows seen in 2018 for the same dates. Seasonal ice in the Bering Sea is already known to be volatile, but it’s getting worse under climate change.
• A new study also found something remarkable on the opposite side of the Arctic: in recent years, according to the research, Greenland has been receiving more rain, including in winter.  https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/as-arctic-neared-2019-winter-max-bering-sea-was-virtually-ice-free/

Article courtesy of Mongabay by Gloria Dickie

Flooded U.S. Air Force base underscores climate risk to security

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flooding at a U.S. Air Force base in Nebraska that damaged buildings and forced the removal of a plane integral to the nation's nuclear attack response highlight the risks climate change poses to national security, experts said on Monday.  https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Flooded+U.S.+Air+Force+base+underscores+climate+risk+to+security%3A+experts/15270632.html
Article courtesy of StreetInsider.com by Timothy Gardner

Iraq: where water used to flow

The Mesopotamian marshlands in southern Iraq were once the largest wetland ecosystem in Western Eurasia. But after years of drought and political turmoil, they're in danger of disappearing. https://www.dw.com/en/iraq-where-water-used-to-flow/g-47768267
Article courtesy of DW.com

As pollution gets worse, air-filtering face masks get fashionable

What is the average person supposed to do when the air around them is no longer safe to breathe? “It’s just impractical to tell people: ‘Don’t go outside. Don’t breathe,’” says Morgan Gorris, a PhD candidate at UC Irvine who researches valley fever and dust storms.

Enter the face mask, an accessory ripe for the market in these dystopian times. People who live in desert areas have long known to cover their mouths and protect their lungs from dust. But in the past few years, a handful of companies have started making air filtration masks engineered specifically for both fashion and function.  https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/19/18262556/face-mask-air-filter-pollution-vogmask-airpop
Article courtesy of VOX by Sarah Lawrence

Forget cars. We need electric airplanes.

If we’re going to limit climate change this century, we need to electrify everything. That includes air travel, a large and rapidly growing source of some of the most potent greenhouse gas emissions. Yes, high-speed rail could displace some flights, but for longer journeys, travelers will clearly still have to take to the skies. https://www.vox.com/2019/3/1/18241489/electric-batteries-aircraft-climate-change
Article courtesy of VOX by Umair Irfan

Australia records hottest summer: report

Australia's record-breaking summer ravaged the nation with temperatures so high fruit was cooked on trees while bushfires and floods caused havoc.  https://www.9news.com.au/2019/03/07/03/33/australia-s-record-setting-extreme-summer 
Article courtesy of nine.com.au by AAP

Oceans Losing Oxygen

Warmer water holds less oxygen than cool water does, so as the globe and the oceans heat up, they’re losing oxygen. The problem is heightened by pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus, which contribute to oxygen-starved “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. https://loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=19-P13-00010&segmentID=3 
Article courtesy of Living on Earth