Sat.Jun 19, 2021 - Fri.Jun 25, 2021

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Amid Troubles for Fossil Fuels, Has the Era of ‘Peak Oil’ Arrived?

Yale E360

For years, analysts have predicted that rising world oil consumption would peak and start declining in the coming decades. But with a recent string of setbacks for big oil companies and the rapid advance of electric vehicles, some now say that “peak oil” is already here. Read more on E360 ?.

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Drought, The Everything Disaster

Circle of Blue

When water stops flowing, painful days are at hand. Lake Shasta was low enough on March 8, 2021 that a boat ramp at Bridge Bay did not reach the water. Today, the largest reservoir in California is just 40 percent full. Photo © Brett Walton/Circle of Blue. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – June 24, 2021. It develops in stages, a story that builds upon itself.

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Facing Up to Reality

Legal Planet

The western U.S. is staring climate change in the face. Most of the West is experiencing “severe” or “exceptional” drought. We could be heading into the worst drought period in centuries. Major dam reservoirs are down to record low levels. The region is also in the grips of a record-breaking heatwave. We can expect another bad wildfire season , maybe not as bad as last year but still bad.

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Election Protection: Congress may have failed to act For the People, but they can still prevent election subversion

Union of Concerned Scientists

The fact that the outcome of yesterday’s vote was expected made it no less tragic, when along purely partisan lines, the US Senate failed to consider much needed voting rights protections in the For the People Act (FTPA). Criticisms of the bill ranged from thoughtful to conspiratorial. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) had at least read the bill, […].

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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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Yellowstone and Warming: An Iconic Park Faces Startling Changes

Yale E360

A new report details global warming’s impact on Yellowstone Park, changes that have begun to fundamentally alter its famed ecosystem and threaten everything from its forests to Old Faithful geyser. Such troubling shifts are occurring in national parks across the U.S. West. Read more on E360 ?.

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What’s Up With Water – June 21, 2021

Circle of Blue

Transcript. Welcome to “What’s Up With Water,” your need-to-know news of the world’s water from Circle of Blue. I’m Eileen Wray-McCann. In the Middle East and North Africa, leaders of Arab countries have taken steps on a controversial dam project in the Nile basin. Al Jazeera reports that the Arab League has called on the UN Security Council to intervene in a long-running regional dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam.

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DOJ’s Forensic Science Guidance is Putting the Innocent At-Risk

Union of Concerned Scientists

During January, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released an unsigned statement entitled “United States Department of Justice Statement on the PCAST Report: Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods.” The statement criticizes a scientific report on the state of forensic science published by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and […].

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EVs Cost 40 Percent Less to Maintain Than Conventional Cars, Energy Department Report Says

Yale E360

Maintenance costs for a light-duty, battery-powered car are around 40 percent less per mile than for a gas-powered car, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Read more on E360 ?.

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HotSpots H2O: Longstanding Drought in Iran Begets Farmer Protests, Power Outages, and Widespread Water Rationing

Circle of Blue

Shahdad Desert, Iran. Photo © Mostafa Farzan. Christian Thorsberg, Circle of Blue. Lack of water is one of Iran’s biggest environmental and social risks. On the outskirts of Tehran, and in the country’s rural expanses, the signs of such stress are abundantly visible: brittle plains, cracked ground, sinkholes, sandy plateaus. . A decades-long drought in one of the warming world’s most arid regions, heightened by what many consider to be governmental mismanagement, has set the stage for a severe,

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Katherine Johnson memoir: Her incredible life as a NASA mathematician

New Scientist

The Hollywood movie Hidden Figures made a star of Katherine Johnson, the pioneering NASA mathematician whose talents played a key part in putting the first US astronaut into orbit.

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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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As Dangerous Heat Becomes Norm in Pacific Northwest, Will Oregon Pass Needed Climate Bills?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Four groups will be hit especially hard by the historic heat wave.

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Florida Keys Faces Tough Choices for Coping With Rising Seas

Yale E360

Long famed for its spectacular fishing, sprawling coral reefs and literary residents such as Ernest Hemingway, the Florida Keys is now acknowledging a previously unthinkable reality: it faces being overwhelmed by the rising seas and not every home can be saved. Read more on E360 ?.

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The Stream, June 23, 2021: Jordan Cancels Canal Plans With Israel and Palestinian Authority

Circle of Blue

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. Jordan cancels plans with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to build a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. An oil refinery on the U.S. Virgin Islands closes its doors after contaminating the local water supply. A new report finds no lasting effects from fluoride contamination in a Utah city’s water supply. Environmentalists begin cataloguing wildlife in an attempt to preserve wetlands outside of Romania’s capital.

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Maybe the Aliens Really Are Here

Scientific American

But if so, it’s probably in the form of robotic probes; something both UFO enthusiasts and SETI scientists should be able to agree on. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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 Takes Big Step Towards Clean Electricity, But Not Without Stumbling

Union of Concerned Scientists

Today, the Commission voted to approve a decision requiring the purchase of a massive amount of new clean energy resources in order to bolster grid reliability.

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New Paper Argues for Managed Retreat from Flood-Prone Areas

Yale E360

A new paper argues that adapting to climate change over the long term will require managed retreat from areas that are prone to floods or other hazards. While managed retreat has long been viewed as a solution of last resort, authors say that it can be an economically efficient means of coping with climate change. Read more on E360 ?.

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Huge Oort Cloud object has been spotted entering the solar system

Physics World

Astronomers sifting through data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) have spotted a large Oort Cloud object approaching the outer regions of the solar system. The discovery has caused ripples of excitement within the planetary science community because of the object’s unusually large size – initial estimates suggest it may be as big as 130–160 km across, substantially bigger than some of the largest comets.

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New Climate Research From a Year-Long Arctic Expedition Raises an Ozone Alarm in the High North

Inside Climate News

Warming of the surface of the Arctic is matched by a colder polar vortex high in the atmosphere, which is speeding the breakdown of the Earth’s shield against ultraviolet rays. By Bob Berwyn After sampling the atmosphere above the Arctic for more than a year during the MOSAiC research voyage , climate scientists say the ozone layer, Earth’s protection against intense ultraviolet radiation, is at risk, despite the progress made in protecting atmospheric ozone by the 1987 Montreal Protocol , the g

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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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Congress Must Advance Bold Power Sector Targets

Union of Concerned Scientists

To limit the severity of climate impacts to come, we need ambitious climate goals—and we need ambitious climate actions to match. Right now, we’re long on vision but short on action, leaving us sickeningly clear-eyed about the costs and consequences of our steady stumbling failure to bridge the two. One place this divergence couldn’t be […].

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A Possible Link between 'Oumuamua and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Scientific American

If some UAP turn out to be extraterrestrial technology, they could be dropping sensors for a subsequent craft to tune into. What if ‘Oumuamua is such a craft? -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Indirect 3D printing creates intricate bioscaffolds for bone and tissue regrowth

Physics World

Researchers in fields such as tissue engineering and biomedical device development are increasingly harnessing the countless applications that 3D printing of bioscaffolds has unlocked. However, most common 3D printing techniques use highly specific materials that require careful chemical tuning to be rendered functional for practical use. For instance, light-based techniques such as stereolithography or digital processing can create fantastic structures, but require specialized light-activated m

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Why Does the Ocean Matter to You?

Ocean Conservancy

It’s somewhat indescribable—our love of the ocean. Since time immemorial, humans have been enamored by our ocean in one way or another. And it can be hard, if not impossible, to put into meaningful words the feeling of strolling the shore, digging your toes in the sand, breathing in that salty air and just … listening to the waves crash. This is why one of my absolute favorite parts of managing Ocean Conservancy’s Annual Photo Contest is not just seeing the incredible images that are submitted b

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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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A dog’s life: James A Serpell and his investigation into the origin story of mankind’s best friend

Frontiers

By Colm Gorey, Frontiers science writer/Prof James Serpell, University of Pennsylvania. Prof James A Serpell, University of Pennsylvania. Image: University of Pennsylvania. Two distinctly different stories have been created to explain how fearsome, wild wolves were first domesticated by humans, according to Prof James A Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania.

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The Delusion of Infinite Economic Growth

Scientific American

Even “sustainable” technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines face unbreachable physical limits and exact grave environmental costs. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Caution needed when testing Einstein’s general relativity using gravitational waves

Physics World

Physicists should be wary of data from gravitational-wave observatories that appear to contradict Einstein’s general theory of relativity. That is the message from researchers in the UK, who have analysed how errors accumulate when combining the results from multiple black-hole mergers. They say that current gravitational-wave catalogues contain nearly enough events to potentially generate errors large enough to be confused with signals for alternative theories of gravity.

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Ag & Food Law Daily Update: June 24, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. JUDICIAL: Includes. The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: June 24, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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US Electric Vehicle Sales up 329% in May 2021

Environmental Leader

The principle of mutually beneficial cooperation and partnership between technologies is alive and well as electric vehicle (EV) sales and corresponding EV charge infrastructure spur each other on. The post US Electric Vehicle Sales up 329% in May 2021 appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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The Delusion of Infinite Economic Growth

Scientific American

Even “sustainable” technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines face unbreachable physical limits and exact grave environmental costs. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Electrons ‘surf’ on Alfvén waves in plasma-chamber experiments

Physics World

For the first time, experiments have clearly shown how powerful Alfvén waves in the Earth’s magnetosphere transfer their energy to electrons that then cause intense episodes of the Northern and Southern Lights. The work was done in the US by James Schroeder at Wheaton College in Illinois and colleagues at the University of Iowa, University of California, Los Angeles and the Space Science Institute.

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GPS cyberattack falsely placed UK warship near Russian naval base

New Scientist

An international vessel-tracking system appears to show UK destroyer HMS Defender travel to within a few kilometres of a Russian naval base even though a web cam feed shows it was docked at Odessa, Ukraine

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How Sustainability Is Catalyzing Innovation Part 1 of 2: The Urgent Need

Environmental Leader

This two-part series highlights the urgent needs driving innovation in sustainability in part one, and leaders leading – examples of companies innovating for sustainability – in part two. If necessity is the mother of invention, we would expect sustainability to spawn a new era of innovation. While many organizations across. Read more ».

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What We Can Learn from Studying UFOs

Scientific American

If they’re really aliens—and they’re benevolent—studying them could potentially transform the prospects for human knowledge and progress. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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