October, 2024

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What’s Causing the Recent Spike in Global Temperatures?

Yale E360

Since early 2023, the world has seen a steep rise in temperatures that scientists are struggling to explain. E360 contributor Elizabeth Kolbert talked with Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s top climate scientist, about possible causes of the warming and why experts cannot account for the heat.

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Why the World Needs a New UN Study on the Effects of Nuclear War

Union of Concerned Scientists

Coming up for a vote in early November is a resolution advanced by the Ireland and New Zealand delegations to the United Nations (UN) to commission a critical new scientific study on the effects of nuclear war. The study, which would be the first under UN auspices in more than 30 years, would be run by an independent scientific panel of 21 members and would examine the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war on local, regional, and planetary scales.

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The Yankees Have Already Beat the Dodgers at One Thing

Legal Planet

The Dodgers and the Yankees in the World Series. That’s the zenith of baseball rivalries and I’m rooting for the home team. Which is why I hate to say it, but the Yankees have already beat the boys in blue at one thing: their climate commitment. As of this season, the Yankees dropped their most visible Big Oil sponsor from the stadium scoreboard—a billboard for Hess Oil.

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Earth is now gaining less heat than it has for several years

New Scientist

The recent surge in warming led to fears that climate change may be accelerating beyond model projections, but a fall in how much heat Earth is gaining makes this less likely

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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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Impact Groups Address Insufficient Draft Environmental Impact Report for Dangerous Wood Pellet Project

NRDC

Today, Golden State Natural Resources released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on its industrial-scale wood pellet project proposal. The project would include two industrial-scale wood pellet plants, one in the central Sierras and another in Northern California, as well.

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New Report Shows How Human-Caused Warming Intensified the 10 Deadliest Climate Disasters Since 2004

Inside Climate News

A decade of attribution research shows that “burning fossil fuels causes climate change and climate change causes death and destruction.” By Bob Berwyn The 10 deadliest weather disasters since 2004, including three tropical cyclones, four heatwaves, two floods and a drought, killed at least 570,000 people, and a new study shows how all of them were intensified by global warming, “caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal and deforestation.

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Project 2025’s Assault on EPA, Human Health and the Environment Must Never Be Put into Action

Union of Concerned Scientists

For more on other harmful aspects of Project 2025, see this blog. The Heritage Foundation’s blueprint—Project 2025—to dramatically alter the US Environmental Protection Agency should concern you. It does me. This summer my family vacationed in Vancouver, BC, Canada where we had the good fortune of going on a whale watching trip and seeing majestic orcas.

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No More ‘House of Horrors’ Thanks to These New Laws

Legal Planet

Halloween is the one time when we welcome ghouls, ghosts, and goblins coming to our homes (and, if your neighborhood is anything like mine, a variety of tiny superheroes). This season, however, the Legislature is dealing with a different kind house of horrors: dangerous chemicals in everyday products that affect millions of Californians’ health. From cancer-causing food dyes to lung-damaging fiberglass in our furniture, California’s State Legislature and the Governor have enacted legislation thi

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Amateur sleuth finds largest known prime number with 41 million digits

New Scientist

The largest prime number is now 16 million digits longer than the previous record found in 2018, thanks to an amateur hunter and his large collection of high-power graphics cards

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Priorities for Success at the Biodiversity COP

NRDC

The world has a strategic plan to reverse global biodiversity loss. We must follow through by working with each other to address the critical issues and build a new relationship with nature.

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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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Climate Change Made Hurricane Milton Stronger, With Heavier Rain, Scientists Conclude

Inside Climate News

A rapid analysis of rainfall trends and Gulf of Mexico temperatures shows many similarities to Hurricane Helene less than two weeks earlier. By Sean Sublette A preliminary analysis from the team of scientists at World Weather Attribution indicates the rainfall from Hurricane Milton across Florida was 20 percent to 30 percent heavier and rainfall intensity was about twice as likely as it would have been in the climate of the late 19th century.

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On Navajo Lands, Ancient Ways Are Restoring the Parched Earth

Yale E360

Farming once thrived in the Black Mesa region, before overgrazing and climate change wreaked havoc with the land. Today, the Navajo are restoring their watersheds — and boosting their food sovereignty — with earthen berms and small dams made of woven brush, sticks, and rocks.

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Hurricanes Helene and Milton Further Proof We’re Not Ready for Fossil Fuel-Caused Climate Change  

Union of Concerned Scientists

In August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its updated forecast for the 2024 hurricane season. It was to be above normal in every regard: more named storms and stronger hurricanes than usual. One of the main reasons for this forecast? Significantly warmer than usual surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, which come largely as a result of human-caused climate change.

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Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Breakthroughs in Machine Learning

Scientific American

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics was given to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for development of techniques that laid the foundation for revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence

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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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Quantum batteries could discharge more power than they store

New Scientist

Simulations suggest that when a quantum battery shares a quantum state with the device it is powering, the device can gain more charge than was stored in the battery to begin with

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New Analysis Indicates Truck Makers are Manufacturing a False Crisis

NRDC

Despite public promises to embrace zero-emission trucks, some manufacturers are quietly sabotaging the shift to cleaner vehicles, putting public health at risk.

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Why Hurricane Helene Could Finally Change the Conversation Around Climate Change

Inside Climate News

The massive personal and economic toll of unexpected inland flooding may represent a turning point. Interview by Steve Curwood, Living on Earth From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine , an interview by host Steve Curwood with Abrahm Lustgarten, author of “On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America.

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As Storm Disinformation Swirls, Meteorologists Are Facing Threats

Yale E360

Predicting large and dangerous storms has always been challenging. It’s gotten tougher, says meteorologist James Marshall Shepherd, as a growing fringe has started to harass, verbally abuse, and threaten scientists and forecasters who link ferocious weather with climate change.

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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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Intimidation Tactics Exposed in Oregon Climate Case vs. Fossil Fuel Industry 

Union of Concerned Scientists

In 2021, a record-breaking heat dome enveloped Oregon , tragically claiming the lives of 72 people. In response, Multnomah County, which includes Portland, filed a lawsuit for over $51 billion against major fossil fuel entities–one of the largest claims for a climate case to date. The case names ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute, McKinsey & Co., and others, including the recently added NW Natural , a gas utility, alleging that their contributions to climate change—and their disinf

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Are There Mountain Lions in New Jersey?

Cool Green Science

Sightings of mountain lions abound in the eastern United States. What’s the real story? The post Are There Mountain Lions in New Jersey? appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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6G phone networks could be 9000 times faster than 5G

New Scientist

Next-generation phone networks could dramatically outperform current ones thanks to a new technique for transmitting multiple streams of data over a wide range of frequencies

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The Bering Sea Snow Crab Collapse: A Climate-Driven Crisis

Ocean Conservancy

October is National Seafood Month, a time to celebrate the incredible diversity of ocean life and the hardworking communities that rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods, recreation and other benefits. At Ocean Conservancy, we are dedicated to protecting these marine ecosystems and supporting the sustainable fisheries that rely on them. However, this year, we must also recognize the severe challenges facing one of Alaska’s most iconic and most valuable fisheries: Bering Sea snow crab.

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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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Restoring Landscapes: a community effort to restore the Solent’s seagrass

The Applied Ecologist

In the ‘Restoring Landscapes’ blog series, we are promoting knowledge exchange from restoration projects around the world. As part of Solent Seascape Project, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Project Seagrass are partnering to restore a combined total of seven hectares of seagrass beds.

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Researchers Parse the Future of Plankton in an Ever-Warmer World

Yale E360

Plankton form the base of the world’s food chain, but warmer and more acidic oceans are affecting their numbers and variety. Some species, on which fish rely, are in decline; others, which soak up carbon, are on the rise, while others are shifting their range and bloom times.

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Ask a Scientist: How Close Are We to a Clean Energy Transition?

Union of Concerned Scientists

After the hottest summer on record, the world continues to witness extreme weather fueled by the burning of fossil fuels. In the United States alone, we’re in the midst of a record-setting hurricane season, with back-to-back destructive hurricanes, Helene and Milton, causing immense destruction in Florida and neighboring states. Both hurricanes were exacerbated by warmer ocean surface temperatures, and are examples of “what hurricanes will look more like in the future,” according to Dr.

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How Climate Change Intensified Helene and the Appalachian Floods

Inside Climate News

Rain just before the storm set the stage for a catastrophe. By Sean Sublette Helene is the fourth Gulf Coast hurricane to make landfall this year. Only five other years had that many since comprehensive hurricane records began in 1851.

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Mathematicians have found a new way to identify prime numbers

New Scientist

The first breakthrough in finding prime numbers for over 25 years has mathematicians celebrating, with hopes that the techniques behind the new proof could further advance other areas of maths

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Chemistry Nobel

Scientific American

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how to predict the shape of proteins, crucial to understanding their function, and for creating entirely novel proteins that can clean the environment, block viruses, and more

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Easy Ways Oil and Gas Companies Can Reduce Pollution

Enviromental Defense

Canada’s oil and gas industry, responsible for the largest chunk of Canada’s polluting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, continues to drive climate change while trying to weaken or stop the actions we need to address the climate crisis. The fossil fuel industry repeatedly claims that reducing its pollution to fight climate change is just too costly or difficult, but is that really the case?

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Why We Need a Strong Global Agreement on Plastics Pollution

Yale E360

Twenty years ago, scientist Richard Thompson sounded the alarm on microplastics pollution. Now, as understanding of the problem has grown, he says it is critical that international negotiators produce an effective plastics treaty when they meet next month in South Korea.

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EPA Needs to Listen to the Public. Will New Public Participation Guidance Help?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued updated final guidelines for how the agency plans to “ meaningfully engage ” the public in health and environmental protection. While this may sound abstract, it could have significant implications for how the agency engages people like you and me in decision-making processes. This is a matter of justice, but it’s also a practical necessity: after all, we can’t create effective solutions to problems unless the people actually affect

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Ohio River Valley Institute: Pennsylvania Voters Overwhelmingly Support Stricter Regulations On Fracking, New Poll Finds

PA Environment Daily

On October 7, the Ohio River Valley Institute released the results of a new poll which found 90% of Pennsylvania voters support stricter regulations on the fracking industry, according to the poll conducted by Upswing Research for the Ohio River Valley Institute. Pennsylvania voters broadly favor the clean energy industry and express concerns about air and water pollution.