Sat.Feb 11, 2023 - Fri.Feb 17, 2023

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Flush with Cash, State Lawmakers Consider Water Risks

Circle of Blue

Water is poised for prominence this year in state law and policy. Lawmakers in Phoenix and in other state capitals see water as a priority this year. Photo © J. Carl Ganter/Circle of Blue By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – February 13, 2023 The fiscal scare that arose in the early days of the pandemic has ebbed. Instead of budgetary catastrophe, state balance sheets show evidence of a “strong fiscal position,” says Kathryn White of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

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From Lab to Market: Bio-Based Products Are Gaining Momentum

Yale E360

Propelled by government investment and shareholder demand, manufacturers are pushing to get bio-based products into the marketplace. These new materials — made from plants, fungi, and microbes — aim to replace those that contain toxins and are difficult to recycle or reuse.

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When it Comes to the Cumulative Impacts of Pollution, the Science is In

Union of Concerned Scientists

There is a growing body of science to support the need to address the harms from exposures to multiple pollutants from multiple sources that accumulate over time, especially in environmental justice communities. Some of these scientific studies also can inform how cumulative impacts to pollution could be addressed. Here’s what you need to know: People are exposed to multiple chemicals Exposure science is the study of how, and to what extent, humans come into contact with environmental factors, i

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Eastern Pacific Coral Reefs Adapting to Warmer Waters, Study Finds

Yale E360

Some corals in the eastern Pacific are adapting to a warmer world by hosting more heat-tolerant algae, according to new research that offers hope for the world's embattled reefs.

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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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Ongoing Battle to Keep Toxic Chemicals at Bay

Circle of Blue

Ongoing Battle to Keep Toxic Chemicals at Bay Outdated federal water laws and chemicals that were approved for industry without assessing for risk leave Ann Arbor and other communities struggling to ward off water contaminants before they foul drinking supplies. SUMMARY: A growing array of contaminants threaten Michigan’s rivers, lakes and drinking water systems, and many of them are still unregulated Experts blame a federal system that’s too quick to approve new chemicals, and too slow to stop

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Australia Constructed 5,000 Megawatts of Wind and Solar Farms in 2022

Environment + Energy Leader

In 2022, the Australian renewable energy industry broke through a major milestone, commencing construction on over 5,000 megawatts of wind and solar farms. This is on top of another strong year for small scale rooftop solar of slightly under 3,000 megawatts. The post Australia Constructed 5,000 Megawatts of Wind and Solar Farms in 2022 appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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In Scramble for Clean Energy, Europe Is Turning to North Africa

Yale E360

In its quest for green energy, Europe is looking to North Africa, where vast solar and wind farms are proliferating and plans call for submarine cables that will carry electricity as far as Britain. But this rush for clean power is raising serious environmental concerns.

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Two Cheers For CEQA

Legal Planet

Rip Out The Sidewalk, Not The Tree Even the best and conscientious developers gnash their teeth at CEQA, California’s environmental review law, and one can see why: it can allow NIMBYs to block useful housing and supercharge exclusion. But there’s a reason why the law was passed and why it has persisted, and we saw it three days ago : Trees of Los Angeles can let out a deep breath of fresh oxygen after a recent court ruling halted the City of L.A.’s plan to chop down as many as 13,00

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New Jersey Commits to 100% Clean Energy by 2035

Environment + Energy Leader

The transition to clean energy is also expected to bring economic benefits to the state. According to a 2021 report by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the clean energy industry is projected to create 27,000 new jobs and add $4.8 billion to the state's economy by 2030. The post New Jersey Commits to 100% Clean Energy by 2035 appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Could 2023 Be the Year of Sustainable Nutrition Security?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Our food systems are set up to produce cheap calories to the detriment of the environment and our communities. Over the past several years, we have experienced increasing frequency and intensity of climate change impacts including hurricanes, floods, and droughts. Our water is contaminated , and our soil is depleted. Farmworkers are facing health risks and food insecurity.

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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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Governments Spent Record $1 Trillion Subsidizing Fossil Fuels Last Year

Yale E360

Seeking to offset rising energy costs, governments spent more than $1 trillion on subsidies for the consumption of fossil fuels last year, an all-time high.

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This Climate Debate is a lot of Hot Air

Legal Planet

A weather balloon. DALL-E. We’ve been hearing a lot lately about geoengineering – the various scientific theories and governance ideas that could eventually lead to technological interventions to help cool the planet. A weather balloon stunt in Mexico by a small startup called Make Sunsets generated a lot of hot headlines, even though that solar geoengineering “experiment” was so tiny that it couldn’t possibly have yielded any physical effects.

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Spotlight on 2022’s Project of the Year Winner: Chemours Gem City Market Community Food Co-Op

Environment + Energy Leader

Chemours, Emerson, and Hussmann integrated their individual areas of expertise to support the elimination of a food desert in downtown Dayton, Ohio, in ways that are sustainable for its operation and the planet The post Spotlight on 2022’s Project of the Year Winner: Chemours Gem City Market Community Food Co-Op appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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New York City May Soon Set the Pace for Municipal Vehicle Electrification

Union of Concerned Scientists

California is rarely outshined as the leader when it comes to transportation electrification. However, the New York City Council is considering a bill that would codify a path toward a 100 percent zero-emission municipal fleet. This proposal would require the city’s entire on-road fleet, including heavy-duty trucks and specialty vehicles, to transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by mid-2035.

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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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California Reservoirs Refilled by Winter Deluges, Satellite Images Show

Yale E360

In the wake of a series of destructive storms in late December and early January, California's long-ailing mountain reservoirs have risen, satellite images from NASA show.

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Another NEPA Obstacle To Coal Mining

Law and Environment

Last week, Judge Donald Malloy vacated the Environmental Assessment for the Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 in central Montana. Judge Malloy had already vacated the EA once; when the 9 th Circuit affirmed Judge Malloy’s decision that the EA violated NEPA, it remanded the case for new findings as to whether vacatur would be appropriate. The default rule is that when agency action has been struck down, vacatur follows.

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Costco Is Cutting Its CO2 Footprint By Greening Its Energy Supply and Using Energy Efficiency

Environment + Energy Leader

Sustainability is part of Costco's mission, setting goals to reduce its CO2 level internally and in its supply chain. To that end, it focuses on energy efficiency, energy supply, refrigeration, alternative fuel, and electrification. The post Costco Is Cutting Its CO2 Footprint By Greening Its Energy Supply and Using Energy Efficiency appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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One Year After Russia Invaded Ukraine: What’s Changed for Arms Control?

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s been one year since Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine, the first being in 2014 when they quickly seized control of Crimea. Those initial days and weeks after the 2022 invasion were filled with worry and anxiety about the increased risk of nuclear war. For many people, it was the first time they had ever thought about nuclear weapons as presenting a real threat.

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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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An Asset is an “Asset” Whether or Not BOEM Consents

Energy & the Law

Co-author Travis Nadalini The negotiators and scriveners of the purchase and sale agreement in Matter of PetroQuest Energy, Incorporated would have been well served to have considered all the potential ramifications, however remote, flowing from the definitions in their agreement. (Potential reply: “Who woulda thunk THAT would happen?”) The Fifth Circuit, applying Louisiana law, held that in a federal offshore Gulf of Mexico lease trade, if a purchaser assumes liabilities for “Assets” under a pu

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Humans don’t hibernate, but we still need more winter sleep

Frontiers

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Society and technology impose sleep and wake schedules on people, especially in urban environments with lots of light pollution. Although seasonality in animal sleep is well known, for the past 25 years we’ve assumed humans are different. But a study of patients being monitored for sleep-related difficulties shows underestimated variation in sleep architecture over the course of a year.

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EPA’s $27 Billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to Prioritize Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities

Environment + Energy Leader

A minimum of $15 billion from the $27 billion fund will be allocated towards aiding underprivileged and low-income communities, and there will be two award competitions. The post EPA’s $27 Billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to Prioritize Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Three Steps for Equitable Climate Action in Massachusetts

Union of Concerned Scientists

En español NOTE: This piece was originally published on CommonWealth Magazine. January 2023 marked the beginning of a new year. For Massachusetts, it also marked the beginning of a new administration with the historic inauguration of Gov. Maura Healey, as well as a new legislative session with new (and incumbent) legislators. Both Healey as a candidate, and the legislature during the last legislative session , have made commitments to build on the state’s climate goals to ensure a healthy, more

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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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Waiting Too Long to Sue For a Working Interest is a Loser

Energy & the Law

Delay in filing suit too often spells doom for the plaintiff, as we learn in Zadeck Succession et al v. Treme et al. Treme (as in the family collectively) claimed their father, Vandiver, was conveyed a 5% working interest in mineral leases in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, as compensation for his work in re-completing the Harrison Brown #1 well in 1993. There was no written document, but accounting records of the various operators credited him with a working interest in the well and he received payme

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FROM FARM TO PLATE?

Cleannovate

Besides feeding us, farming is also profitable. Stories of successful agripreneurs are many in our day.

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ESG in the Wine Industry: Navigating Challenges for Sustainable Growth

Environment + Energy Leader

The significance of ESG performance will remain crucial in safeguarding diversity, reducing waste, cultivating nutritious wines, ensuring traceability, promoting transparency, and fostering job opportunities. The post ESG in the Wine Industry: Navigating Challenges for Sustainable Growth appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Injusticia ambiental en Puerto Rico debido a los elevados riesgos cancerígenos y mutagénicos del óxido de etileno

Union of Concerned Scientists

El óxido de etileno amenaza la salud de las comunidades marginadas tanto en Estados Unidos como en Puerto Rico. La exposición al óxido de etileno es un claro ejemplo de racismo ambiental, el cual debe ser atendido para poder lograr la justicia ambiental en las comunidades expuestas. Con esto en mente, mis colegas de la Unión de Científicos Conscientes redactaron un informe científico titulado Amenaza invisible, impacto desigual , en el cual evaluaron los riesgos a la salud debido a más de 100 es

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Brain changes in fighter pilots may cast light on astronauts during space travel

Frontiers

By Conn Hastings, science writer One cannot explore the profound mysteries of space without being changed by it. This is the message underlying a new study in Frontiers in Physiology. The study examined the brains of F16 fighter pilots, which have a lot in common with those of astronauts in terms of adapting to altered gravity levels and rapidly processing conflicting sensory information.

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Scientists Examine Dangerous Global Warming ‘Accelerators’

Inside Climate News

A new study categorizes climate feedback loops and the possibility they could push the climate past planetary tipping points. By Bob Berwyn Recent climate projections may be underestimating the pace of global warming in an atmosphere damaged by greenhouse gas emissions, because the interaction of powerful climate feedback loops that can accelerate warming are not well-represented in key climate models, an international team of scientists concluded in a study published today in the journal One Ea

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From ESG to EHS, the Essentials for Establishing Designing and Executing Audit Programs

Environment + Energy Leader

Companies are responding by establishing ESG programs with specific goals and targets. To ensure the success of these programs, ESG audits play a vital role in the cycle of continual improvement. The post From ESG to EHS, the Essentials for Establishing Designing and Executing Audit Programs appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Tres pasos para avanzar la acción climática en Massachusetts

Union of Concerned Scientists

En inglés Este escrito fue publicado originalmente en el CommonWealth Magazine. El mes de enero del 2023 marcó el comienzo de un nuevo año. Para el estado de Massachusetts, también marcó el inicio de una nueva administración con la histórica posesión de la Gobernadora Maura Healey, así como una nueva sesión legislativa con nuevos legisladores (y algunos ya preexistentes).

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User-friendly AI: Article Collections on Artificial Intelligence

Frontiers

Are you curious about AI? Have you tried ChatGPT? Worried about what OpenAI means for our future? Find the answers to your biggest research questions on artificial intelligence with our top article collections about this promising area of computer science. With collective views of over 2.2 million, researchers explored topics spanning from brain-inspired machine learning and the legal implications of AI to leading people through digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications for

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Long COVID Now Looks like a Neurological Disease, Helping Doctors to Focus Treatments

Scientific American

The causes of long COVID, which disables millions, may come together in the brain and nervous system

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