Sat.Oct 26, 2024 - Fri.Nov 01, 2024

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A Framework for Equitable Climate Infrastructure Investments

Legal Planet

Achieving climate goals requires significant investments in clean energy, transportation, and other climate technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act have resulted in historic levels of public investment to transform existing energy and transportation systems and lay the foundation for emerging climate technologies.

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COP29 Must Increase Climate Finance and Stand Up to the Fossil Fuel Industry 

Union of Concerned Scientists

After spending a week in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, I’m now gearing up to attend the 29 th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11-22. I am grateful to have met and learned from people who experience on a daily basis the devastation wrought by fossil fuel production and fossil fuel-driven climate change—and who are now campaigning for a fossil-free Niger Delta.

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What Ontario stands to lose in Premier Ford’s push for more cars everywhere

Enviromental Defense

What do the proposed Highway 413, the Bradford By-Pass, the 401 Mega-Tunnel, ripping up and banning bike lanes, extending the “temporary” gas tax rebate for the fourth time or canceling license plate renewal fees have in common? The answer of course is cars. Do more highways and less bike lanes actually reduce gridlock? The simple answer is no, more highways don’t make traffic better.

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How to Grow a Forest: It Takes More than Just Planting Trees

Yale E360

In an e360 interview, microbial ecologist Jake M. Robinson, of Australia’s Flinders University, takes a critical look at tree planting campaigns and discusses scientists’ varied approaches to both “planting” and “growing” forests to restore their ecological functions.

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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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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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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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How to Make Your Halloween More Eco-Friendly

Ocean Conservancy

Cue the music, “This is Halloween, this is Halloween.” That’s right, when Tim Burton’s famed The Nightmare Before Christmas comes on, you know America’s favorite candy holiday—Halloween—is here. What’s the spookiest part of Halloween? For some, it’s the chilling movies, while for others, it’s the ghostly costumes. However, for our ocean and the planet, the real fright comes from plastic waste.

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Greening Concrete: A Major Emitter Inches Toward Carbon Neutrality

Yale E360

Concrete is the most ubiquitous manmade building material on the planet, but making it generates massive amounts of CO2 pollution. Companies are experimenting with ways to green the process, from slashing the use of limestone to capturing the carbon generated when it’s burned.

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Halloween Ideas for a Warming Planet

Legal Planet

Children will be roaming the streets tonight dressed as Superheroes, Princesses, and Evil Villains. But really, these invented figures can’t hold a candle to the real ones in our world. Continuing a longstanding tradition — three years in a row! — here are some possibilities for this year: The Villains Cruela de Coal. This is an easy make-over of the Disney costume.

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DEP Invites Comments On New Air Pollution Permit For Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County; Plant Suffered Major Explosion, Fire In 2022

PA Environment Daily

The Department of Environmental Protection invites comments on a new State Only Minor Air Quality Operating Permit for the continued operation of the ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC [Energy Transfer] Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant in Salem Township, Washington County. ( PA Bulletin, page 7239 ) The facility has previously been permitted under a GP-5 and GP-1 Air Quality General Permits.

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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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New Reports Ahead of COP29 Show The World Is Spinning Its Wheels on Climate Action

Inside Climate News

The currently projected warming of about 3 degrees Celsius is “too hot to handle,” says Ko Barrett, a NOAA climate advisor and deputy secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization. By Bob Berwyn A trio of reports released ahead of next month’s COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan all show that the existing national policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement will heat the planet by close to 3 degrees Celsius by 2100, as warming has accelerated

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China Appears On Track to See Its Emissions Fall This Year

Yale E360

China is likely to see its emissions fall this year, despite rising power demand, as it continues to build out renewable power at unparalleled speed, a new analysis finds.

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UPCYCLING: WHY ARE WE STILL PRODUCING PLASTIC?

Cleannovate

Plastics generate interest because they are easy to make but very difficult to degrade leading to a plastic solid waste catastrophe. Most plastics are a by-product of petroleum refining, which make their presence a guarantee as long as we use fossil fuels. Some might say that we can recycle plastics into other products like building blocks, diesel etc However, is this form of recycling- also called chemical recycling- really sustainable?

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Environmental Groups File Notice Of Intent To Sue The Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County For Air Pollution Violations: Similar Action In 2023 Resulted In $10 Million Settlement

PA Environment Daily

On October 23, 2024, the Clean Air Council and the Environment Integrity Project filed a notice of intent to sue the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County for emitting particulate matter (PM 2.5) and nitrogen oxides in violation of the federal Clean Air Act, the state Air Pollution Control Act and the plant's permit. "As of the date of this letter, neither EPA nor DEP have commenced a civil action in federal or state court, nor has DEP initiated litigation before the Pennsylvania Environmen

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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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When Danger Season Collides with the Affordable Housing Shortage

Union of Concerned Scientists

The housing affordability crisis in the United States is particularly hard for renters. Nearly half of American renters —and over 56% of Black renter households—spend more than 30% of their income in rent. And throughout the country, our longstanding housing shortage and affordability crisis are coming into closer and closer contact with the climate crisis.

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Satellite Imagery Shows Breadth of Flooding in Spain

Yale E360

Record rainfall flooded parts of Spain this week, killing more than 150 people in the nation's deadliest natural disaster in decades. New satellite imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency shows the extent of flooding around the coastal region of Valencia.

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How Johns Hopkins Scientists and Neighborhood Groups Model Climate Change in Baltimore

Inside Climate News

Two years into a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, researchers aim to create one of the world’s most climate resilient cities. By Aman Azhar It was a no brainer, Ben Zaitchik thought, standing outside in hiking shorts and a t-shirt. What else to wear on a day when the temperature was set to soar above 90 degrees? The air felt stuffy on this muggy afternoon in late August.

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PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators Now Accepting Nominations For Annual PAEE Awards, Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Awards

PA Environment Daily

On October 29, the PA Association of Environmental Educators announced it is accepting nominations for the annual PAEE Awards and the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Awards programs. The deadline for nominations is December 13. Do you know someone who is making an impact in the field of environmental education in Pennsylvania? Maybe it's a dedicated educator, a passionate student, or an organization leading the charge for a better environment.

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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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Joint Statement: Public transit in Canada’s largest cities requires sustainable, long term funding, starting with acceleration of the “Canada Public Transit Fund”

Enviromental Defense

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, TRANSLINK MAYORS’ COUNCIL OF METRO VANCOUVER, CITY OF TORONTO, CITY OF OTTAWA, CITY OF EDMONTON, CITY OF CALGARY, CITY OF BRAMPTON, SOCIÉTÉ DE TRANSPORT DE MONTRÉAL. Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today, mayors and transit board chairs representing urban regions across Canada met in Ottawa alongside transit and community advocates to call on the federal government to work with local and provincial governments to a

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Filming Transylvania’s Elusive Wildlife

PBS Nature

Learn about the personal passion and stories that went into the creation of "Dracula’s Hidden Kingdom," as Irish director John Murray sets out to reveal the natural wonders of Transylvania. To reveal Transylvania's creatures' intimate lives, the production company teamed up with filmmakers from Romania and set about filming and setting camera traps across the region.

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Watching Over a Fragile Desert From the Skies

Inside Climate News

A group of scientists looking for new ways to conduct studies that don’t harm the deserts of South America turned to motorized paragliding. By Humberto Basilio In 2009, South American deserts stretching from Peru’s parched coast to the wilds of Patagonia became a playground for the global off-road racing elite. Each year since, thousands of riders on motorcycles, buggies and jeeps have torn through the dunes, leaving vast, untamed landscapes crisscrossed with the scars of rough tires.

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DEP Discovers Wastewater Release At Bear Lake Properties Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Warren County During Routine Inspection

PA Environment Daily

During a routine inspection on October 25, 2024, the Department of Environmental Protection discovered an oil and gas wastewater release from the Bear Lake Properties LLC Bittinger #4 conventional injection well site in Columbus Township, Warren County. The wastewater release traveled approximately 1,770 feet from the Bittinger 4 well, down drainage swales, across an ATV trail and into unnamed tributaries to Brokenstraw Creek, according to DEP’s inspection report.

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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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CAFOs: Harming People Now, Later, and Forever

Vermont Law

CAFOs: Harming People Now, Later, and Forever by Aika Mitchell As early as 1997, the National Bar Association had understood CAFOs to be an environmental justice issue. CAFOs directly endanger members of the local community—the majority of whom are poorer or belong to racial minorities—by polluting the air and spreading disease. Furthermore, CAFOs continue to emit significant amounts of methane, which in turn increases the incidence of climate disasters.

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Spearfishing-fish behavioural interactions as predator-prey systems to envision better management

The Applied Ecologist

Author Valerio Sbragaglia and his colleagues guide us through a recent study which advances the understanding of spearfisher-fish behavioural interaction by integrating ecological indicators (i.e., flight and post flight behaviour of fish) with spearfishers’ likelihood to catch a fish. Through modelling and simulating scenarios, their study sheds light on management implications in exploited fish populations.

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World's largest tree is also among the oldest living organisms

New Scientist

DNA analysis suggests Pando, a quaking aspen in Utah with thousands of stems connected by their roots, is between 16,000 and 81,000 years old

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Bradford Era: 7-Part Series Details Concerns Residents Of Cyclone, McKean County Have With Catalyst Energy Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well

PA Environment Daily

On January 11, 2024, the Department of Environmental Protection approved a permit for the Catalyst Energy, Inc. oil and gas wastewater injection well in Keating Township, McKean County over the objections of the residents of the community of nearby Cyclone. Residents said both DEP and the US Enviromental Protection Agency ignored the history of significant conventional oil and gas well drilling in the area, pointing to more than 100 wells around the proposed injection well site they felt would n

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One in Three Tree Species Is at Risk of Extinction

Scientific American

A review of 47,282 tree species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that more than one third are at risk of extinction

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A Regional Approach Creates Fairer Competition

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

Editor’s Note: This blog post is the third in a series taking a deeper look at how federal market opportunities support the success of efficient regional food systems. Part one details USDA’s recent supply chain infrastructure investments and how they have equipped regional processors and distributors. Part two describes the essential role that community partners and people play in connecting producers to markets.

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We've seen particles that are massless only when moving one direction

New Scientist

Inside a hunk of a material called a semimetal, scientists have uncovered signatures of bizarre particles that sometimes move like they have no mass, but at other times move just like a very massive particle

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Dirty Work: Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Adding 130,000 New Trees During Fall Planting Season In Pennsylvania

PA Environment Daily

On October 31, the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership said it is at it again, doing the dirty work of adding 130,000 new trees for Pennsylvania during the fall planting season. “We were able to distribute the trees across 30 different locations throughout Pennsylvania, to over 100 of our partners,” said Marley McKind, Manager of the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).

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A Bird Flu Vaccine Might Come Too Late to Save Us from H5N1

Scientific American

If the influenza virus infecting cattle workers starts a pandemic, help in the form of a vaccine is months away

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COP16 Dispatch: Week 1 Climate change and biodiversity at COP16

ESA

By Astrid Caldas Target 8 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) is to “Minimize the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and build resilience.” It is no surprise the topic is being mentioned in various spaces where it is not the focus – there cannot be conservation of biodiversity without climate change mitigation.