Wed.Aug 21, 2024

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These Are the Critical Issues to Track with the New “Tech-Neutral” Clean Electricity Tax Credits

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included a major—forthcoming—refresh for one of the biggest policy drivers of the nation’s clean energy transition to date: tax credits subsidizing the deployment of clean electricity resources. These incentives aren’t just historically important. Across multiple analyses, they’ve been repeatedly identified as one of, if not the, single most impactful incentives coming out of the IRA for delivering future emissions reductions , too, by supporting the deployment

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Assessing the First Decade of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Legal Planet

A decade ago, California stood out–and not in a good way–as the only Western state without comprehensive state laws monitoring and regulating groundwater pumping and use. But in 2014, following years of severe and protracted California drought, and both agricultural and urban water users compensating for depleted surface water flows by pumping groundwater in unprecedented amounts, a fragile political consensus emerged among California legislators, water districts and environmentalist

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UCS Expert Testifies on the New Clean Electricity Tax Credits

Union of Concerned Scientists

Earlier this month, the US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service hosted a public hearing on their recent proposed rules governing implementation of the Section 45Y Clean Electricity Production Credit and the Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Credit. My testimony is copied below. It covered a subset of issues from the full set of technical comments UCS submitted to the record earlier in August and focused on: Support for clear eligibility of solar- and wind-powered re

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Intestinal parasites may reduce covid-19 vaccine effectiveness

New Scientist

Around 25 per cent of the world’s population has intestinal parasite infections – these could hinder the effectiveness of covid-19 vaccines, according to research in mice

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Hands off the Humber River!

Enviromental Defense

The Greater Toronto Area is hot and noisy and busy in the summer, but people in Vaughan and the west-end of Toronto can retreat to the forested banks of the Humber River for peace and quiet. In such a densely populated area, the Humber is an unlikely ribbon of natural beauty. And, against all odds, salmon still travel up the Humber each fall to spawn.

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This antimatter version of an atomic nucleus is the heaviest yet

New Scientist

Smashing gold nuclei together at high speeds billions of times has resulted in 16 particles of antihyperhydrogen-4, a very exotic and heavy form of antimatter

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More Trending

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We now know that life began on Earth much earlier than we thought

New Scientist

A big rethink of our planet’s early years adds to growing fossil, chemical and DNA evidence that Earth was only a few hundred million years old when life began

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Center For Watershed Protection: Introducing The PA MS4 Stormwater Collaboration Toolkit - Unlocking Water Quality Success

PA Environment Daily

Achieving water quality goals in Pennsylvania’s waters is now more streamlined with the launch of the PA MS4 Collaboration Toolkit , a resource created by the national nonprofit Center for Watershed Protection to empower Pennsylvania municipalities to work together and tackle water quality challenges more efficiently and cost-effectively. As federal and state agencies intensify efforts to improve water quality, local municipalities are under pressure to meet increasingly stringent requirements.

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Long covid causes very different symptoms in children versus teenagers

New Scientist

In children aged 6 to 11, long covid seems to often present as sleep problems or abdominal issues, while adolescents report fatigue and pain

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West Nile Virus Proliferates where Climate Change Brings Warm, Wet Weather

Scientific American

Houston’s warm, wet spring, driven in part by climate change, was a boon for mosquitoes and West Nile virus

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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Astronomers might finally have explanation for mysterious Wow! signal

New Scientist

A radio signal detected in 1977, sometimes claimed as evidence for aliens, may have been caused by a laser-like beam of microwave radiation

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How Are These Mineral Deposits Producing Oxygen from the Ocean Floor?

Scientific American

Polymetallic blobs are producing “dark oxygen” from the depths of the ocean—and no one knows exactly how.

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Quantum trick lets you cool objects down using nothing at all

New Scientist

Physicists have demonstrated a bizarre cooling effect by setting up a detector to record the absence of photons in a laser experiment

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Ecological Footprint Definition: What You Need to Know

Earthava

The post Ecological Footprint Definition: What You Need to Know appeared first on Earthava. Understanding Ecological Footprint The ecological footprint measures human impact on the planet. It shows how much nature we use and helps us see if we’re living within Earth’s limits. History and Development William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel created the concept of ecological footprint in the 1990s at the University of British Columbia.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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AI models can't learn as they go along like humans do

New Scientist

After their initial training phase, AI algorithms can’t update and learn from new data, meaning tech companies have to keep training new models from scratch

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Northcentral PA Conservancy, Partners Complete Project To Stabilize Tioga River Bank In Blossburg, Tioga County

PA Environment Daily

On August 21, multiple organizations announced they came together with Blossburg Borough for a project to stabilize approximately 300 feet of riverbank along the Tioga River in Blossburg’s Island Park in Tioga County. If you look at the riverbank in the Park you can see the riverbank has been eroding for some time. The roots of the trees at the edge of the Tioga River are exposed and the trees are getting closer and closer to being undermined.

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An unusual documentary follows a simulated attempted coup in the US

New Scientist

Watching US politicians and former generals as they react to a simulated attempted coup after a disputed US election in the documentary War Game is fascinating – but it leaves many questions unanswered, finds Bethan Ackerley

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The Wow! Signal SETI Mystery Might at Last Be Solved

Scientific American

A new explanation for the Wow! signal suggests it was a chance detection of a furious flare crashing into a hydrogen cloud.

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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Looking for morbid romance? There's a study for that

New Scientist

A curious Feedback delves further into the invention of the Morbid Curiosity Scale and discovers how it might help with certain "short-term mating goals"

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Solving Inflammatory Bowel Disease’s Mysteries May Lead to New Therapies

Scientific American

Understanding genetics, immunology and the microbiomes of people with inflammatory bowel disease could aid in finding the right treatments for the condition

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The science behind tempering chocolate

New Scientist

A reluctant Catherine de Lange tries tempering for the first time and discovers how to make gloriously glossy chocolate to decorate a cake with

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High-Dimensional Sudoku Puzzle Proves Mathematicians Wrong on Long-standing Geometry Problem

Scientific American

Mathematicians reveal that tiling your multidimensional bathroom will lead to never-ending disorder

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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Why NASA is sending a probe to Europa – and what it’s looking for

New Scientist

Past observations have indicated that the icy moon of Jupiter has a vast subsurface ocean.

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EPA Authors Describe Categorization Approach to PFAS to Identify Potential Candidates for Testing and Human Health Assessments

Nanotech

On August 18, 2024, Computational Toxicology published an article entitled “Development of chemical categories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the proof-of-concept approach to the identification of potential candidates for tiered toxicological testing and human health assessment.” Co-authored by members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Center for Computational Toxicology & Exposure (CCTE) and Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), th

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The 1.5°C target is dead, but climate action needn't be

New Scientist

For the first time, climate scientists have explicitly said it will be impossible to limit peak warming to 1.5°C.

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Wealthier Members of Congress Have Family Links to Slavery

Scientific American

U.S.

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David Attenborough's latest explores the lives of an orangutan family

New Scientist

The veteran presenter adds authority to Secret Lives of Orangutans, a film about a family of endangered orangutans in Sumatra.

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Overlooked risk of microplastics from municipal solid waste–storage site

Environmental News Bits

Hu, Y., Guo, S., Shen, D., Shentu, J., Lu, L., Qi, S., Zhu, M., & Long, Y. (2024). Overlooked risk of microplastics from municipal solid waste–storage site. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 18(10), 125. [link] Abstract Municipal solid waste (MSW) storage sites are potential and overlooked contributors to microplastic (MP) pollution.

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How shrinking populations could help to save our planet

New Scientist

Our ability to exert conscious control over our family sizes is unique – and can be transformational, says Christopher Wills

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The U.S. Has Its First Plan for Plastic Pollution. This Is What’s in It

Scientific American

The U.S.

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Why we need to save the Chandra space telescope

New Scientist

After 25 years in orbit, the Chandra X-ray Observatory is under threat.

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Ingredients in peril due to climate change

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at Food Dive. As global temperatures shift and weather events devastate agricultural land, some ingredients and crops are in jeopardy. One expert shares advice.