August, 2024

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Oil and Influence: Analyzing the Fossil Fuel Industry’s 2023 Lobbying

Enviromental Defense

Have you ever wondered why progress on climate change is so slow despite widespread public support for climate action? How often does the fossil fuel industry try to influence the government’s climate policy decisions? Maybe you’ve even been curious about if Big Oil has lobbied the Member of Parliament representing your community. If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, then I have great news for you!

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Care for Endangered Seabirds Continues Amid a 51-Year Legacy of Optimism

Union of Concerned Scientists

Steve Kress’s smile lit up the dusk as research assistants at least 50 years younger than him regaled him with tales of their vigilance to save tern chicks on Stratton Island, Maine. For an hour, all talk centered around a mortal enemy of tern chicks: the black-crowned night heron. The latter is a beautiful, stocky wetland bird with glowing red eyes and two delicate white plumes shooting out the back of its head.

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Surging Methane Emissions Could Be a Sign of a Major Climate Shift

Inside Climate News

New studies suggest global warming boosts natural methane releases, which could undermine efforts to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas from fossil fuels and agriculture. By Bob Berwyn A 2021 pledge by more than 100 nations to cut methane emissions from anthropogenic sources 30 percent by 2030 might not slow global warming as much as projected, as new research shows that feedbacks in the climate system are boosting methane emissions from natural sources, especially tropical wetlands.

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World's largest sailing cargo ship makes first transatlantic voyage

New Scientist

The largest sailing cargo ship in existence is on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrating a carbon footprint 10 times smaller than that of a container ship

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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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How the Search for Aliens Is Redefining Life in the Golden Age of Astrobiology

Scientific American

The search for extraterrestrial life has profound physical, mental and spiritual implications, says Nathalie Cabrol in The Secret Life of the Universe —and it belongs to everyone

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Measuring the Impact of Trash Traps

Ocean Conservancy

This blog was written by Hannah De Frond. Hannah works with Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto Trash Team to coordinate the International Trash Trap Network with the goal to expand the use of trash-trapping technologies to increase cleanup efforts and to document their collective impact. Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell® app makes it quick and easy to record data as part of the International Coastal Cleanup® or any beach cleanup.

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Seven Years after Hurricane María, in Puerto Rico You Can’t Even Count on Keeping the Lights On   

Union of Concerned Scientists

On August 13, Tropical Storm Ernesto rapidly intensified just before hitting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The intensification and trajectory merited a hurricane warning for the Virgin Islands as well as the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. Despite not making landfall in either archipelago, Ernesto brought with it winds of up to 50 miles per hour (80.5 kilometers per hour) and up to 10 inches (25.5 cm) of rain to Puerto Rico.

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The Aspen Institute Is Calling for a Systemic Approach to Climate Education at the University Level

Inside Climate News

Arizona State and UC San Diego will begin requiring climate courses this academic year. Columbia, Harvard and Stanford are going even further, creating schools devoted to climate change. By Caroline Marshall Reinhart In 2019, Laura Schifter’s phone buzzed with a message: “ Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage From Climate Change. ” As she lifted her eyes from her phone back to her three children playing in her basement, she knew she had to fight for them.

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Most climate policies do little to prevent climate change

New Scientist

An analysis of 1500 climate policies in 41 countries has found that a slim minority have led to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, with most policies being too specifically targeted to make a substantial difference

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Mathematicians Reinvent the Wheel in Higher Dimensions to Solve Decades-Old Geometry Problem

Scientific American

A new mathematical technique shows how to build small objects in any dimension that roll like a wheel, expanding our understanding of higher dimensional space

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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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This Skunk Does Handstands. Yes, Handstands.

Cool Green Science

The island spotted skunk is difficult to observe. But a monitoring program on California’s Channel Islands offers a glimpse at this creature’s amazing habits. The post This Skunk Does Handstands. Yes, Handstands. appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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Premier Ford’s Greenspace Carve Outs: Coming soon to a Conservation Area near you

Enviromental Defense

This is a guest blog by Susan Watson, a Guelph activist and founding member of “Get Involved Guelph.” Public outrage against the Greenbelt carve outs stopped those plans in their tracks last year and sparked investigations by the Integrity Commissioner, the Auditor General of Ontario and a criminal investigation by the RCMP. You might think the Ontario government would have heard the message loud and clear: Ontarians will not tolerate protected lands being offered up to Ford’s developer friends.

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Megamouth Sharks are Megacool

Ocean Conservancy

Despite being mega big , the megamouth shark has stayed relatively hidden in the sea for ages—having only been discovered in 1976. These sharks were found off the coast of Hawaii when one was accidentally caught after getting entangled in deep naval equipment. This elusive shark has been sighted only about 69 times in the wild, so very little information is known about these gentle giants.

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EPA Thought Industry-Funded Scientists Could Support Its Conclusion that a Long-Regulated Pesticide Is Not a Cancer Risk

Inside Climate News

The consultants, who worked for Dow, the pesticide’s manufacturer, help corporate interests defend their products against environmental and health regulations. By Liza Gross On a Southern California spring morning in 1973, a tanker truck driver jackknifed his rig and dumped the agricultural fumigant he was transporting onto a city street. A Los Angeles Fire Department emergency response team spent four hours cleaning up the chemical, 1,3-dichloropropene, or 1,3-D, a fumigant sold as Telone that

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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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Part of the Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why

New Scientist

After over a year of record-high global sea temperatures, the equatorial Atlantic is cooling off more quickly than ever recorded, which could impact weather around the world

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String Theorists Accidentally Find a New Formula for Pi

Scientific American

Two physicists have come across infinitely many novel equations for pi while trying to develop a unifying theory of the fundamental forces

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Breathing in Harm: The Toll of Freight Pollution in California

NRDC

Diesel trucks, making up just 6 percent of vehicles in California, are responsible for a disproportionate amount of harmful emissions, severely impacting communities near freight routes like those in the Inland Empire.

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Backyard Bioblitz: How to Be A Citizen Scientist in Your Backyard

Cool Green Science

A bioblitz is a nature scavenger hunt, for science. Here are our tips to DIY a bioblitz from your very own backyard. The post Backyard Bioblitz: How to Be A Citizen Scientist in Your Backyard appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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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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All About Arrow Crabs

Ocean Conservancy

Along a bustling coral reef lit by sunlight, one can find an array of amazing creatures from surgeonfish to green sea turtles. After dark, these reefs are just as vibrant and a little spooky as some of our nocturnal underwater friends come out to roam the sea. These night shift species, while wonderful and majestic, can seem straight out of outer space or a horror movie–one such creature of the night, the arrow crab.

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Tropical Glaciers in the Andes Are the Smallest They’ve Been in 11,700 Years

Inside Climate News

Four different glaciers along the Andes range no longer have hospitable conditions. By Alexa Robles-Gil Along a valley of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, Emilio Mateo set out on a 10-mile hike up to the Queshque Glacier. Following the tracks of llamas and cattle, Mateo, a researcher at the Aspen Global Change Institute, and his research assistant were on their way to collect glacier samples.

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How climate change has pushed our oceans to the brink of catastrophe

New Scientist

For decades, the oceans have absorbed much of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gases. The latest observations suggest they are reaching their limits, so how worried should we be?

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Brain Scientists Finally Discover the Glue that Makes Memories Stick for a Lifetime

Scientific American

A long-running research endeavor reveals key chemical players that cement memories in place—and still more have yet to be discovered

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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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Wide-scale rangeland condition monitoring: Measurement of increased vegetation cover following stock removal and conservation management

The Applied Ecologist

Angus Retallack explains how, using remote sensing data over a 22-year observation period, vegetation recovery after the removal of livestock and the introduction of conservation-focused management can be assessed. Arid and semi-arid rangelands cover close to 50% of the Earth’s land surface and are relied upon by a diverse range of stakeholders including Indigenous people, pastoralists and environmental conservationists.

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PJM’s Capacity Auction: The Real Story

NRDC

Fossil fuel un-reliability and PJM’s failure to speedily connect new clean resources to the grid are to blame for the 2025/26 auction price spike.

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So Your CPRG Application Didn’t Get Funded

Law Columbia

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the 25 successful applicants for a shared $4.3 billion in implementation funding under the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program. The grants will enable investments in solar projects , building energy-efficiency upgrades , the buildout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure , and the promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices , among many other projects.

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Debby Drenched the Southeast. Climate Change Is Making Storms Like This Even Wetter

Inside Climate News

Warming temperatures and increased water vapor are powering more intense downpours, like those associated with Debby. By Amy Green, Lisa Sorg Tropical Storm Debby, a plodding, waterlogged system that has already saturated four southeastern states, bears many characteristics of a warming planet, climate scientists say. It’s reminiscent of other catastrophic tropical cyclones that have battered the United States over the past eight years.

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Plastic vaporising process could recycle bags and bottles indefinitely

New Scientist

A new process uses cheap catalysts to break down polyethylene and polypropylene into their building blocks, enabling common plastic objects to be turned into new products

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People Are Overdosing on Semaglutide Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy

Scientific American

Dosing errors in the medication semaglutide, prescribed as Wegovy and Ozempic, can cause severe or prolonged gastrointestinal issues that require medical attention

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Meet the Associate Editor: Ardiantiono

The Applied Ecologist

Next in Journal of Applied Ecology’s series of Meet the Editors, get to know Ardiantiono – one of the mentees on our 2024 Associate Editor Mentoring Scheme. What are you currently working on and why is it important? My research focuses on integrating ecological and sociological information to improve wildlife conservation management. Most of my work takes place in Southeast Asian tropics, particularly Indonesia.

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Polar Bears and Penguins Aren’t Wearing Our Clothes But They Might Be Eating Them

Earth 911

I went to the Antarctic to understand and prevent microfiber pollution. At one point, I. The post Polar Bears and Penguins Aren’t Wearing Our Clothes But They Might Be Eating Them appeared first on Earth911.

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What’s the deal with the Canada Public Transit Fund?

Enviromental Defense

If you’ve been following public transit news in Canada, you may have heard that there is a new federal funding program for public transit that doesn’t actually fund better service for public transit. So what does this program fund and how could it be improved to meet the needs of cities and public transit riders across Canada today? In case you missed it: On July 17th, 2024, the federal government announced the details of a public transit funding program called the Canada Public Transit Fu

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New Federal Report Details More of 2023’s Extreme Climate Conditions

Inside Climate News

Some indicators, including “super-marine heatwaves,” may suggest a major shift in the global climate system. By Bob Berwyn Last year was already one for the climate record books, but a new report from the American Meteorological Society is adding to that already substantial list.

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