September, 2024

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A New Energy Project at UCLA Law

Legal Planet

You don’t have to look beyond the front pages of newspapers , or beyond rooftops in your neighborhood to know that we are in the midst of a clean energy revolution, with renewable energy technologies dramatically decreasing in price and increasing in availability. These technologies promise to reduce energy cost burdens for households, as well as reduce climate- and health-harming pollution.

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How Agroforestry Could Help Revitalize America’s Corn Belt

Yale E360

By practicing agroforestry — growing trees alongside crops and livestock, for example — farmers can improve soils, produce nutrient-rich foods, and build resilience to climate change. Now, a movement is emerging to bring this approach to the depleted lands of the Corn Belt.

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Phantastic Job!

Real Climate

A truly impressive paper was published this week with a new reconstruction of global temperatures over the last ~500 million years. There is something tremendously satisfying about seeing a project start, and then many years later see the results actually emerge and done better than you could have imagined. Especially one as challenging as accurately tracking half a billion years of Earth’s climate.

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Delivery Vans are Going Electric: Where and Why

Union of Concerned Scientists

Let’s start this one with some good news: the transition toward clean freight is picking up speed. Over the past few years, we’ve started to see more and more zero-emission commercial trucks, delivery vans, and buses hit the road. The much-needed evolution of our on-road freight system to one that’s cleaner and more equitable is gaining momentum – and not a moment too soon.

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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 Your Brain Detects Patterns without Conscious Thought

Scientific American

Neurons in certain brain areas integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events happening in real time

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CBD shows promise as pesticide for mosquitoes

New Scientist

Mosquito larvae die after consuming hemp leaves because they react strongly to the cannabidiol in the foliage.

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More Trending

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Fortress Conservation: Can a Congo Tribe Return to Its Forest?

Yale E360

An African Union ruling finds that parts of a Congo national park should be returned to the Batwa people, who were evicted decades ago. Advocates say the ruling must be implemented and that the Batwa will need support to protect the park’s rare gorillas and other wildlife.

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Victory on the Shores of Lake Scugog: Port Perry Residents Block MZO, Protecting Sensitive Wetlands

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Rebecca Kolarich, Water Program Manager, Environmental Defence Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – We’re thrilled that Scugog council voted against (4-2) an ill-conceived MZO that would have fast-tracked development on a significant wetland. This was a win for Lake Scugog and the engaged local community that rallied to block Avenu Properties’ MZO request.

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Hottest Summer on Record May Be Ending, but Fight to Protect Workers from Heat Is Far from Over

Union of Concerned Scientists

Over the last three months, which have been declared the world’s hottest summer on record, outdoor workers across the US have endured dangerously hot conditions on the job. They’ve cut grass in 112°F heat in California’s Coachella Valley, handled baggage on the hot tarmac of airports across the country, harvested fruit , delivered packages , and performed countless other functions that go largely unnoticed by our society.

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Obesity-Drug Pioneers Win Prestigious Lasker Award for Medical Science

Scientific American

Three scientists are honored for developing a class of blockbuster weight-loss drugs. Is a Nobel prize on the way?

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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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Bacteria can work as a team to spot prime numbers and vowels

New Scientist

Bacteria that have been genetically engineered to work like computers can solve a range of problems, using a very simple type of artificial intelligence

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Earth system tipping events now seem inevitable – what does this mean for climate governance?

Legal Planet

A tipping point is a system threshold beyond which change becomes self-perpetuating until a qualitatively different stable state is reached. For example a rainforest turns into a grassland, or an ice sheet melts completely. Such shifts are non-linear, and practically irreversible. Fears that growing human impacts might push aspects of the global climate past such ‘tipping points’ are not new.

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Slowly but Surely, U.S. School Buses Are Starting to Electrify

Yale E360

With support from a $5 billion EPA program, school districts across the country are starting to switch from polluting diesel to electric buses. Advocates point to the health benefits for children and communities but say more needs to be done to promote this transition.

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New Report: Highway 413 Would Have Devastating Impact on Critical GTA Watersheds

Enviromental Defense

Report finds that Highway 413 would contaminate streams and rivers within the Humber River, Etobicoke Creek, and the Credit River watersheds and destroy large areas of forest, meadow, river and wetland habitat. Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A new report released today, Concrete Consequences: How Highway 413 would put GTA watersheds at risk , highlights alarming findings about the proposed Highway 413, s

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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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Newsom Can Continue His Climate Leadership by Signing These Three Bills 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Throughout his two terms, Governor Gavin Newsom has driven California to the top of the world in clean transportation policies that will improve air quality and fight the climate crisis. Under Newsom, California passed policies to get the state to 100% zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales , transition large truck fleets from dirty diesel to zero emissions, and fund billions of dollars in incentives and infrastructure for clean transportation.

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Scientists Will Engineer the Ocean to Absorb More Carbon Dioxide

Scientific American

A research consortium plans to revive geoengineering trials of the controversial iron fertilization technique to pull carbon dioxide from the air, despite public backlash

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The brain has its own microbiome. Here's what it means for your health

New Scientist

Neuroscientists have been surprised to discover that the human brain is teeming with microbes, and we are beginning to suspect they could play a role in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's

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The Dirty Truth Behind a Feel-Good Energy Story

Legal Planet

Did you see the story about a new ‘NFL first’? The San Francisco 49ers announced that it was the first NFL franchise to buy sustainable aviation fuel or SAF —enough to fly from San Francisco to LA for their Sunday game against the LA Rams. The story generated headlines , the way any “first” tends to. The 49ers called it “ a meaningful part of our commitment to more sustainable practices” and praised United for its SAF program, which both companies said can reduce greenhouse gas emissions “by up

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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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Why Taiwan and Its Tech Industry Are Facing an Energy Crisis

Yale E360

As the world’s largest producer of advanced computer chips, Taiwan is struggling to meet demand for electricity. Highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, soon to shutter its last nuclear plant, and slow to build out renewables, the island is heading toward an energy crunch.

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New Study Suggests Major Climate Reports May Be Underestimating Drought Risks

Inside Climate News

North America and Southern Africa, in particular, may endure longer dry spells than water managers expect, but research shows rising emissions magnifying both wet and dry extremes. By Bob Berwyn Droughts in the coming decades could be longer than projected by current climate models, a new study published Wednesday in Nature warns.

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Climate Plans for Aging US Must Focus on Higher Risks to Older Adults

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s hard to keep up with the latest stories on extreme heat. 2023 was the world’s hottest year—a record that is likely to be broken by 2024. And just last month, NASA recorded the hottest day on record ever on July 22 , the latest in a 13-month stretch of consecutive record-setting weather. These events are part of an upward march in extreme heat in the US that has turned summer into a veritable danger season.

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A New Quantum Cheshire Cat Thought Experiment Is Out of the Box

Scientific American

The spin of a particle seems to detach and move without a body—a strange experimental observation that’s stirring up debate

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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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Geoengineering is now essential to saving the Arctic's ice

New Scientist

If we want to preserve the dwindling ice in the Arctic, cutting our emissions is no longer enough – we also need to use geoengineering to refreeze this precious ecosystem

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Rightwing Authoritarianism vs the Environment

Legal Planet

Project 2025 favors authoritarian presidential rule. It also wants to destroy environmental regulation, especially climate law. That’s not a coincidence. The combination of authoritarianism, extreme conservative ideology, and anti-environmentalism is common globally, not just in U.S. politics. There’s no logical connection between a belief in authoritarian government, upholding traditional hierarchies, and views about protecting the environment or the reality of climate change.

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Pollen Can Seed Clouds, Fuel Rainfall, Study Finds

Yale E360

A surge of pollen in spring can affect the formation of clouds and rainfall, according to a new study. The authors say that, as the planet warms, pollen counts are expected to grow, potentially giving rise to more springtime rainfall.

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The Deteriorating Environment Is a Public Concern, but Americans Misunderstand Their Contribution to the Problem

Inside Climate News

A global survey suggests 88 percent of people are worried about the state of nature, but such polling says nothing about where those issues sit among competing concerns, like immigration and the economy. By Katie Surma Most people are “very” or “extremely” concerned about the state of the natural world, a new global public opinion survey shows.

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How Do You Talk to Children about Climate Change? One Book Has a Few Ideas

Union of Concerned Scientists

Science communication is strengthened when we use creative approaches. Art is such a powerful tool for this, especially when communicating to kids. Last year, I met Dave Schneider, a climate scientist who studies ice sheets and climate systems, work very similar to my own. He recently published a children’s book titled Goodnight Fossil Fuels! that’s specifically about climate change and fossil fuel accountability.

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Kids Are Headed Back to School. Are They Breathing Clean Air?

Scientific American

Clean indoor air protects against diseases such as COVID and flu, but we’re not doing enough to ensure it

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Axolotls seem to pause their biological clocks and stop ageing

New Scientist

In most vertebrates, a pattern of chemical marks on the genome is a reliable indicator of age, but in axolotls this clock seems to stop after the first four years of life

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New Law Reaffirms Local Authority to Ban Oil Drilling

Legal Planet

This morning, Governor Newsom signed a trio of bills— AB 3233 (Addis), AB 1866 (Hart), and AB 2716 (Bryan)—that will protect communities in Los Angeles and across the state from the harms of oil and gas production, the impacts of which are disproportionately experienced in low-income communities of color across the state. He signed the package on a Los Angeles soccer field that overlooks oil wells, joined by community organizers who have led the charge for years.

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Eye on the Fertile Crescent: Life Along the Mideast’s Fabled Rivers

Yale E360

A series of dams and years of conflict have transformed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations. Kurdish photographer Murat Yazar focused his lens on these rivers of his homeland and on the people who live alongside them.

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Associate Editor Mentoring: 2025 applications now open!

The Applied Ecologist

Are you looking to learn more about the peer review process through hands-on experience? Are you less than five years post-PhD and live in/are from the Global South? Why not consider applying for Journal of Applied Ecology’s 2025 mentoring scheme! What is the mentoring scheme? Since 2015, Journal of Applied Ecology has welcomed a small group of mentees with minimum editorial experience each year.

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