Today: September 20, 2024
Today: September 20, 2024

Environment

Environment

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance

An eastern box turtle crossing a rural Pennsylvania road. Julian Avery, CC BY-ND For anyone who enjoys nature, summer is a fascinating time to be outside. Animals are on the move: Turtles are nesting, baby birds are testing their wings, snakes are foraging and young mammals are emerging. In central Pennsylvania, where I live, last year’s hatchling painted turtles have overwintered in their nests and emerged looking like tiny helpless snacks for raccoons and ravens. I’ve already rescued a baby killdeer – a shorebird that nests in parking lots – that ran off the road and got stuck in a

June 30, 2023
By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance
Environment

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you're planning fireworks on July 4

A wildfire in 2017 destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Santa Rosa, Calif., a city of over 180,000 people. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter. Those statistics reflect how the number of people directly exposed

July 03, 2023
Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you're planning fireworks on July 4
Environment

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – who is at risk might surprise you

Smoke rises from a brush fire near Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles in 2007 Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter. Those statistics reflect how the number of people directly exposed to wildfires more than doubled from 2000 to 2019,

July 03, 2023
Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – who is at risk might surprise you
Environment

America's disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off power for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have already been sweltering through heat waves this summer, and forecasters warn of hot months ahead. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of people risk losing access to utility service altogether because they can’t pay their bills. Energy utility providers shut off electricity to at least 3 million customers in 2022 who had missed a bill payment. Over 30% of these

July 05, 2023
America's disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off power for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

America's power disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have already been sweltering through heat waves this summer, and forecasters warn of hot months ahead. July 3 and 4, 2023, were two of the hottest days, and possibly the hottest, on satellite record globally. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of Americans risk losing access to utility service altogether because they can’t pay their bills. Energy utility providers shut off

July 05, 2023
America's power disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have been sweltering through heat waves in recent weeks, and U.S. forecasters warn of a hot summer ahead. Globally, 2023 saw the warmest June on record, according to the European Union’s climate change service. That heat continued into July, with some of the hottest global daily temperatures on satellite record, and possibly the hottest. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of

July 05, 2023
America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years

A well in Afanasyeva village, Mykolaiv region, damaged by flooding after the Kakhovka Dam breach. Anatolii Stepanov /AFP via Getty Images When an explosion breached the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine on June 6, 2023, much analysis focused on near-term impacts, including the flooding of the city of Kherson, threats to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and consequences for Ukrainian military forces’ expected spring offensive against Russian troops. But the most severe long-term effects will fall on Southeast Ukraine’s farmers. Villages there were flooded. Roads, train tracks and irrigation canals were washed away. Crops in fields and orchards in the Kherson

July 07, 2023
Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years
Environment

How small wealthy suburbs contribute to regional housing problems

The line between Atherton, Calif., (right) and its neighbor is obvious in property sizes. Google Earth The odd headlines about little towns in the San Francisco Bay Area just keep coming. First Woodside, a tiny suburb where several Silicon Valley CEOs have lived, tried to declare itself a mountain lion habitat to evade a new California law that enabled owners of single-family homes to subdivide their lots to create additional housing. Then wealthy Atherton, with a population of 7,000 and a median home sale price of US$7.5 million, tried to update its state-mandated housing plan. Until very recently, 100% of

July 10, 2023
How small wealthy suburbs contribute to regional housing problems
Environment

Sawfish, guitarfish and more: Meet the rhino rays, some of the world's most oddly shaped and highly endangered fishes

An Atlantic guitarfish swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory/Flickr, CC BY “Shark!” When you hear this word, especially at the beach, it can conjure up images of bloodthirsty monsters. This summer – particularly on July 14, which is Shark Awareness Day – my colleagues and I are eager to help the public learn more about these misunderstood, ecologically important and highly threatened animals and their close relatives – rays and chimaeras. As a marine biologist focused on conserving sharks, I want people to know that an estimated one-third of them are at risk of extinction. Second,

July 11, 2023
Sawfish, guitarfish and more: Meet the rhino rays, some of the world's most oddly shaped and highly endangered fishes
Environment

How climate change intensifies the water cycle, fueling extreme rainfall and flooding – the Northeast deluge was just the latest

People were trapped in stores as floodwater swept through Highland Falls, N.Y., on July 9, 2023. AP Photo/John Minchillo A powerful storm system that hit the U.S. Northeast on July 9 and 10, 2023, dumped close to 10 inches of rain on New York’s Lower Hudson Valley in less than a day and sent mountain rivers spilling over their banks and into towns across Vermont, causing widespread flash flooding. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said he hadn’t seen rainfall like it since Hurricane Irene devastated the region in 2011. Extreme water disasters like this have disrupted lives in countries around the

July 11, 2023
How climate change intensifies the water cycle, fueling extreme rainfall and flooding – the Northeast deluge was just the latest
Environment

Removing dams from the Klamath River is a step toward justice for Native Americans in Northern California

Water spills over the Copco 1 Dam on the Klamath River near Hornbrook, Calif. AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus The Klamath River runs over 250 miles (400 kilometers) from southern Oregon to the Pacific Ocean in Northern California. It flows through the steep, rugged Klamath Mountains, past slopes of redwood, fir, tanoak and madrone, and along pebbled beaches where willows shade the river’s edge. Closer to its mouth at Requa, the trees rising above the river are often blanketed in fog. The Klamath is central to the worldviews, history and identity of several Native nations. From headwaters in Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin-Paiute

July 12, 2023
Removing dams from the Klamath River is a step toward justice for Native Americans in Northern California
Environment

Climate change is increasing stress on thousands of aging dams across the US

Flood damage in Edenville, Mich., after a dam failed on May 19, 2020. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Heavy rainfall in the Northeast on June 9-11, 2023, generated widespread flooding, particularly in New York’s Hudson Valley and in Vermont. One major concern was the Wrightsville Dam, built in 1935 on the Winooski River north of Vermont’s capital city, Montpelier. The reservoir behind the dam rose to within 1 foot of the dam’s maximum storage capacity, prompting warnings that water could overtop the dam and worsen already-dangerous conditions downstream, or damage the dam. Hiba Baroud, associate professor and associate chair in the department

July 13, 2023
Climate change is increasing stress on thousands of aging dams across the US
Environment

'Zombie fires' in the Arctic: Canada's extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future

Thick smoke rises from a peat bog fire in June 2023. Bernd Wüstneck/picture alliance via Getty Images The blanket of wildfire smoke that spread across large parts of the U.S. and Canada in 2023 was a wake-up call, showing what climate change could feel like in the near future for millions of people. Apocalyptic orange skies and air pollution levels that force people indoors only tell part of the story, though. As global temperatures rise, fires are also spreading farther north and into the Arctic. These fires aren’t just burning in trees and grasses. New research on the exceptional Arctic

July 18, 2023
'Zombie fires' in the Arctic: Canada's extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future
Environment

Using green banks to solve America’s affordable housing crisis – and climate change at the same time

Retrofitting apartment buildings for energy efficiency and solar power can boost affordable housing and climate protection. AP Photo/Steven Senne Green banks are starting to draw attention in the U.S., particularly since the federal government announced its first grant competitions under a national green bank program to bring clean technology and more affordable energy to low-income communities. But installing more solar and wind electricity generation isn’t the only way green banks can help. Massachusetts is launching an innovative new green bank that could become a model as states try to manage two crises at once: lack of affordable housing and climate

July 18, 2023
Using green banks to solve America’s affordable housing crisis – and climate change at the same time
Environment

Solving water challenges is complex – learn how law, health, climate and Indigenous rights all intersect in developing solutions

Americans have come to expect abundant clean water, but there are many stressors on water quality and availability. Jessica/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the U.S., most consumers take clean and available fresh water for granted, and water usually becomes front-page news only when there’s a crisis. And the past year has seen its share of water-related crises, whether it’s the effects of a prolonged drought in the U.S. Southwest or floods that covered more than one third of Pakistan last year. But seeing water problems as only environmental disasters does not capture the deeply interconnected nature of water in our society.

July 19, 2023
Solving water challenges is complex – learn how law, health, climate and Indigenous rights all intersect in developing solutions
Environment

Just in time for back-to-school shopping: How retailers can alter customer behavior to encourage more sustainable returns

Retail returns have become big business for UPS. AP Photo/Toby Talbot Back-to-school sales are underway, and people across the country will be shopping online to fill up backpacks, lockers and closets – and they’ll be taking advantage of free returns. Making it easy for customers to return items at no cost started as a retail strategy to entice more people to shop online. But it’s getting expensive, for both retailers and the planet. In 2022, retail returns added up to more than US$800 billion in lost sales. The transportation, labor, and logistics involved raised retailers’ costs even higher. Product returns

July 19, 2023
Just in time for back-to-school shopping: How retailers can alter customer behavior to encourage more sustainable returns
Environment

As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?

Outdoor workers face higher risks on hot, humid days. AP Photo/Swoan Parker Extreme heat has been breaking records across Europe, Asia and North America, with millions of people sweltering in heat and humidity well above “normal” for days on end. Death Valley hit 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) on July 16, 2023 – not quite the world’s hottest day on record, but close. Phoenix broke a record heat streak with 19 straight days with temperatures above 110 F (43.3 C), accompanied by a long string of nights that never got below 90 F (32.2 C), leaving little opportunity for

July 19, 2023
As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?
Environment

When Greenland was green: Ancient soil from beneath a mile of ice offers warnings for the future

Water and sediment pour off the melting margin of the Greenland ice sheet. Jason Edwards/Photodisc via Getty Images About 400,000 years ago, large parts of Greenland were ice-free. Scrubby tundra basked in the Sun’s rays on the island’s northwest highlands. Evidence suggests that a forest of spruce trees, buzzing with insects, covered the southern part of Greenland. Global sea level was much higher then, between 20 and 40 feet above today’s levels. Around the world, land that today is home to hundreds of millions of people was under water. Scientists have known for awhile that the Greenland ice sheet had

July 20, 2023
When Greenland was green: Ancient soil from beneath a mile of ice offers warnings for the future
Environment

Rip currents are dangerous for swimmers but also ecologically important – here's how scientists are working to understand these 'rivers of the sea'

The gap between breaking waves in North Carolina indicates a rip current flowing away from shore. National Weather Service If you’ve ever waded into the ocean for a swim and suddenly realized that the shore is getting farther away, not closer, you may have encountered a rip current. Common at beaches worldwide, these powerful currents flow from the shore toward the sea at speeds up to several feet per second. It’s important to know what rip currents are and how to look for them, because they are a leading cause of drownings in the surf zone near shore. According to

July 21, 2023
Rip currents are dangerous for swimmers but also ecologically important – here's how scientists are working to understand these 'rivers of the sea'
Environment

Global shipping has a new climate strategy – it's vague, obscure and almost noncommittal, but it may be pointing the industry in the right direction

International shipping accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Richard Ross/The Image Book via Getty Images The world’s largest shipping companies are starting to update their fleets for a greener future. Maersk received the world’s first dual-fuel methanol container ship in July 2023, and dozens more container ships that can run on alternative fuels are currently on order. The industry – responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than Canada and Ireland combined – has reasons to act and to have some confidence in its multimillion-dollar investments. On July 7, the 175 member countries of

July 24, 2023
Global shipping has a new climate strategy – it's vague, obscure and almost noncommittal, but it may be pointing the industry in the right direction
Environment

Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste

A worker sorts cardboard at a recycling center in Newark, N.J. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images You’ve just finished a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe. Now you’re facing a trash bin, a recycling bin and a compost bin. What’s the most planet-friendly thing to do with your cup? Many of us would opt for the recycling bin – but that’s often the wrong choice. In order to hold liquids, most paper coffee cups are made with a thin plastic lining, which makes separating these materials and recycling them difficult. In fact, the most sustainable option isn’t

July 24, 2023
Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste
Environment

In search of the world's largest freshwater fish – the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth's rivers

Alligator gar can grow to gargantuan sizes. Zeb Hogan Rivers have been the lifeblood of human civilization throughout history, and yet we know surprisingly little about what lives in many of them – including the giant creatures that prowl their depths. While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish is the whale shark, the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish species long remained a mystery. Until 2022, that is, when fishers in Cambodia caught a giant freshwater stingray in the remote reaches of the Mekong River. Weighing an astounding

July 25, 2023
In search of the world's largest freshwater fish – the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth's rivers
Environment

Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults – an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk

Without home cooling, Phoenix’s weeks with temperatures over 110 F in July 2023 became dangerous. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching from coast to coast in the Southern U.S. Phoenix hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or higher every day for three weeks in July. Other major cities, from Las Vegas to Miami, experienced relentless high temperatures, which residents described as “hell on earth.” While the evening news runs footage of miserable sunbathers on Miami Beach and joggers in Austin, Texas, dousing themselves with water, these images conceal

July 25, 2023
Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults – an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk
Environment

4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters

2023’s weather has been extreme in many ways. AP Photo/Michael Probst Between the record-breaking global heat and extreme downpours, it’s hard to ignore that something unusual is going on with the weather in 2023. People have been quick to blame climate change – and they’re right, to a point: Human-caused global warming does play the biggest role. A recent study determined that the weekslong heat wave in Texas and Mexico that started in June 2023 would have been virtually impossible without it. However, the extremes this year are sharper than anthropogenic global warming alone would be expected to cause. Human

July 27, 2023
4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters
Environment

July was Earth's hottest month on record: 4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters

2023’s weather has been extreme in many ways. AP Photo/Michael Probst Between the record-breaking global heat and extreme downpours, it’s hard to ignore that something unusual is going on with the weather in 2023. People have been quick to blame climate change – and they’re right, to a point: Human-caused global warming does play the biggest role. A recent study determined that the weekslong heat wave in Texas and Mexico that started in June 2023 would have been virtually impossible without it. However, the extremes this year are sharper than anthropogenic global warming alone would be expected to cause. July

July 27, 2023
July was Earth's hottest month on record: 4 factors driving 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters

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