May, 2024

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Statement in Response to Another Failed Carbon Capture Project 

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today Capital Power announced that they would not be pursuing carbon capture at the Genesee Generating Station, east of Edmonton Alberta, given the high costs and complexity of implementing the technology. The project was first proposed in 2021, and has already received government subsidies.

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New Maps Show Where Tyson Foods Is Polluting Water

Union of Concerned Scientists

Tyson Foods, the largest meat and poultry producer in the United States, churns out billions of animal products each year. In addition to countless ribeye steaks and chicken nuggets, Tyson also produces contaminated wastewater—over 18.5 billion gallons in 2022 alone. This toxic stew includes animal parts and byproducts like blood and feces, pathogens like E. coli and Enterococcus , and nitrogen and phosphorus that can deplete oxygen in bodies of water.

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California Seeks to Protect Homes from Excessive Indoor Heat

Legal Planet

Hotter, deadlier, and more frequent heat waves have become one of the most surefire signs of a changing climate in our day-to-day lives. California recognized the need for action on this issue in 2022 by bringing to life AB 209 , one section of which centers around creating better indoor heat safety in homes. That should include mobile home communities, which are too often left out of this discussion.

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New journal: Nature 2023?

Real Climate

There were a number of media reports today related to Yuan et al. (2024) , for instance, New Scientist , The Guardian etc. However, this is really just the beginning of what is likely to be a bit of a cottage industry in the next few months relating to possible causes/influences on the extreme temperatures seen in 2023. So to help people keep track, we’ll maintain a list here to focus discussions.

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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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Time may be an illusion created by quantum entanglement

New Scientist

The true nature of time has eluded physicists for centuries, but a new theoretical model suggests it may only exist due to entanglement between quantum objects

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Depression, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Are Linked with Ancient Viral DNA in Our Genome

Scientific American

Retroviruses, some of which predate the human species, are tied to a genetic susceptibility to major psychiatric disorders

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More Trending

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Driving on Electricity Is Now Much Cleaner than Using a Gasoline Car

Union of Concerned Scientists

Replacing gasoline with electricity greatly reduces the carbon emissions from driving. Based on where electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold, driving the average EV in the US produces global warming emissions equal to a hypothetical 94 mile per gallon gasoline car, or less than a third of the emissions of the average new gasoline car. Transportation is the largest sector for emissions , and passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs are the majority of transportation emissions, so there is no way to slow

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Temporary Takings and the Adaptation Dilemma

Legal Planet

Is it unconstitutional for the government to build a levee that reduces the risk of urban flooding but diverts the water to nearby farmlands? The answer could be yes, unless the government pays for flood easements on the rural lands. But if the government doesn’t build the levee, it faces no liability from the urban landowners. That’s the adaptation dilemma: preparing for climate disaster is legally disfavored.

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In Two New Studies, Scientists See Signs of Fundamental Climate Shifts in Antarctica

Inside Climate News

A steep decline of Antarctic sea ice may mark a long-term transformation in the Southern Ocean, and seawater intrusions beneath the Thwaites Glacier could explain its melting outpacing projections. By Bob Berwyn Antarctica’s vast ice fields and the floating sea ice surrounding the continent are Earth’s biggest heat shields, bouncing solar radiation away from the planet, but two studies released today show how global warming is encroaching even on the sunlight reflector in the coldest region on t

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Small fern species has a genome 50 times larger than that of humans

New Scientist

A small fern found only on a few Pacific islands has more than 100 metres of DNA in every single cell, more than any other organism that we know of

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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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At Least Two Countries Have Lost All Their Glaciers

Scientific American

Two countries—Slovenia and Venezuela—have lost all of their glaciers.

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The Ontario Government’s Anti-Density Bill 185 is so Extreme and Corrupt that even Density Opponents are Concerned

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s latest attempt to kneecap efforts to build more homes in neighbourhoods – and supercharge suburban sprawl – is so extreme that even some long-time opponents of density are joining the opposition.

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From Whale Oil to Wind Power: the Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Is an Ocean of Hypocrisy

Union of Concerned Scientists

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago, I began to feel the most important thing I could do was learn how to replace fossil fuel with renewable energy. I had seen from an early age how oil dependency distorted and aggravated conflicts around the world, especially in the Middle East. For 30 years I have been an advocate for offshore wind development off New England’s coast and for the creation of institutions to support a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

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How the ICC is Using International Criminal Law to Prosecute Suspects of Eco Crimes

Legal Planet

There are many different ways that our global society has attempted to address environmental damage and climate change. We fund climate technology startups. We elect representatives that keep the climate in mind. We start nonprofits dedicated to reestablishing our collective sustainable relationships with earth systems. And we litigate in civil and federal courts at the national level when environmental rights have been violated.

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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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Call for Applications: ESA Editorial Fellows

ESA

by Richard Wallace, Director of Publishing The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is delighted to announce the call for applications for its inaugural Editorial Fellows Program (EFP). The EFP is part of ESA’s ongoing efforts to provide professional development opportunities to early career ecologists and environmental scientists, especially those from historically excluded or underrepresented groups.

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Stunning image reveals the intricate structure of supersonic plasma

New Scientist

A simulation-generated image reveals how charge distributions and gas densities vary in the plasma that floats across our universe

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The 2024 Hurricane Season Could Be a Dangerous One

Scientific American

The National Hurricane Center’s hurricane season outlook for the Atlantic Ocean forecasts 17 to 25 named storms in 2024 because of an expected combination of warm ocean temperatures and a La Niña climate pattern

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Ontario’s Bill 185 & New Provincial Planning Statement Pose a Serious Threat to Farmland, Wetlands, Habitats and Housing Options

Enviromental Defense

If people in Ontario don’t speak up, the government might push through two new laws that could see a lot of the province’s farmland, forests, wetlands and habitats marked for destructive suburban sprawl development. While this might seem like solely an environmental issue, it’s not. That’s because the biggest threat to our environment here in Ontario is also the biggest threat to fixing the housing shortage: sprawl development.

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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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Get Ready: 85% Chance of Above-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season that May Break Records

Union of Concerned Scientists

Source: [link] The May 23 outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) forecasts 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 of which could become hurricanes. NOAA [link] Four to seven major hurricanes are forecast. This is a concerning outlook, and it can be explained as follows. The recipe for the 2024 hurricane outlook Ingredients : Record warm sea surface temperature ( SST ) for most of the Atlantic (currently 1-2 degrees Celsius above average, which is more like temperat

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Did the COVID Response Poison the Well for Climate Action?

Legal Planet

One meme that seems to be popping up is that the “evils” of the COVID response reveal some dark reality behind climate policy. There’s obviously some kinship: public health responses to COVID and climate policy are both efforts to head off serious global risks — one that, in the case of COVID, has killed over a million Americans. But this doesn’t explain the conspiratorial overtones.

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Increasingly Frequent Ocean Heat Waves Trigger Mass Die-Offs of Sealife, and Grief in Marine Scientists

Inside Climate News

Heat waves recently extended across nearly 30 percent of the world’s oceans, an expanse equivalent to the surface area of North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. By Bob Berwyn Over the past several years, the temperature of the Earth’s oceans have been spiking high enough to trigger numerous die-offs of marine species , killing millions of corals, fish, mammals, birds and plants.

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Asian hornets have overwintered in the UK for the first time

New Scientist

Queen Asian hornets found in East Sussex this year are a genetic match to a 2023 nest, suggesting the invasive species is becoming established in the UK

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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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The Great Solar Storm of 2024 May Have Made the Strongest Auroras in Centuries

Scientific American

Northern and southern lights produced by a recent bout of severe space weather may rival the most intense auroras of the past 500 years

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10 Things I Hate About You (House Majority Farm Bill)

NRDC

From undermining historic climate funding to compromising food security and weakening species protections, NRDC’s analysis lays out the worst of the worst that this Farm Bill has to offer.

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International Court Backs Need to Protect Oceans and Island Nations from Climate Impacts

Union of Concerned Scientists

In a historic development, a recent opinion by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) recognizes global warming emissions as a marine pollutant. While nonbinding, the unanimous advisory opinion offers important support for small island nations facing climate impacts and raises the bar for other nations to reduce their global warming emissions to protect the world’s oceans.

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Financing and Investment Strategies for an Equitable Clean Mobility Transition

Legal Planet

The transition to 100 percent zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2035 will require massive investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout California and in other states that have adopted the same phaseout targets. A variety of structural barriers to charging access make California’s priority populations particularly reliant on public charging infrastructure to meet their ZEV needs.

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Toronto’s Legalization of Six-Storey Apartment Buildings in Residential Neighbourhoods is the Model for Fixing Ontario’s Housing Shortage

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Yesterday, Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto City Council approved a large-scale Official Plan amendment and rezoning of major streets within the city’s residential neighborhoods that will permit apartment buildings of up to six storeys and sixty units on more than 30,000 lots that have –until now– been re

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Our writers pick their favourite science fiction books of all time

New Scientist

We asked New Scientist staff to pick their favourite science fiction books. Here are the results, ranging from 19th-century classics to modern day offerings, and from Octavia E. Butler to Iain M.

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Could Putting Neosporin in Your Nose Fend Off COVID?

Scientific American

People may someday have a surprisingly familiar tool to prevent viral infections: one of the antibiotics found in a common ointment

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One Year Later: Responding to the Supreme Court’s Attack on Clean Water

NRDC

This weekend marks one year since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, the worst judicial rollback of environmental protections ever.

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The House Has 13 Working Days to Save RECA. Here’s What’s Happened in 2024 So Far.

Union of Concerned Scientists

The clock is ticking for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides health screenings and compensation for people sickened by radiation from U.S. nuclear weapons production. RECA is set to expire on June 7; this would mean not only an end to life-saving health screenings and compensation, but also to the hopes of thousands of downwinders and uranium industry workers who have been unfairly excluded from the program for decades.

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Western States Should Opt In to Regionalized Electricity Markets

Legal Planet

Chris Hunkeler, Wikimedia Commons In the West, the benefits of electricity market regionalization appear more attractive than ever. “Regionalization” refers to efforts to expand coordination between Western states to buy and sell wholesale electricity through centralized federal power markets. Increased coordination, made possible through regional transmission organizations (RTOs – independent non-profit organizations that operate the grid and oversee the operation of centralized energy ma