April, 2024

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Do Insects Have an Inner Life? Animal Consciousness Needs a Rethink

Scientific American

A declaration signed by dozens of scientists says there is ‘a realistic possibility’ for elements of consciousness in reptiles, insects and molluscs

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Four Reasons You Should Care about California Snow

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last week, I visited Yosemite National Park and walked along a gorgeous trail surrounded by snow-blanketed sequoia trees. Beyond the horizon of pine trees to the south lies the Sierra National Forest, and beyond the rocky horizon to the north lies the Stanislaus National Forest. Further beyond these national forests lies the rest of the expansive Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, spanning 400 miles.

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A new kind of experiment at the LHC could unravel quantum reality

New Scientist

The Large Hadron Collider is testing entanglement in a whole new energy range, probing the meaning of quantum theory – and the possibility that an even stranger reality lies beneath

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Premier Doug Ford’s Claim that Highway 413 Construction will Begin in 2025 is Wishful Thinking in View of Today’s Updates to Federal Impact Assessment

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – In November 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford claimed that sprawl construction would be in progress on the Greenbelt by the end of 2023. Developers tried to evict tenants to make way for construction and survey trucks were on the ground in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve.

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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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Nixon Advisers’ Climate Research Plan: Another Lost Chance on the Road to Crisis

Inside Climate News

A 1971 plan for a global carbon dioxide monitoring network never came to fruition. The proposal is detailed in a document newly unearthed by the National Security Archive. By Marianne Lavelle In 1971, President Richard Nixon’s science advisers proposed a multimillion dollar climate change research project with benefits they said were too “immense” to be quantified, since they involved “ensuring man’s survival,” according to a White House document newly obtained by the nonprofit National Security

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Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know

NRDC

After officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Here’s how the lead contamination crisis unfolded—and what we can learn from it.

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The Transformation of European Climate Change Litigation: Introduction to the Blog Symposium

Law Columbia

In a transformative moment for European and global climate litigation, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled today that the state has a positive duty to adopt, and effectively implement in practice, regulations and measures capable of mitigating the existing and potentially irreversible future effects of climate change. In Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v.

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Nuclear fusion experiment overcomes two key operating hurdles

New Scientist

Two important barriers to a stable, powerful fusion reaction have been leapt by an experiment in a small tokamak reactor, but we don’t yet know if the technique will work in larger devices

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Highway 413 is Still Going Nowhere

Enviromental Defense

You’ve probably seen Highway 413 in the news quite a bit lately. Last month, instead of standing up for Ontario’s environment, the federal government made a deal with Premier Ford. Together, they filed documents to cancel the federal government’s current environmental assessment. So, what does this mean? Is Ontario getting ready to bulldoze their way through farmland, wetlands and the Greenbelt?

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Earth Day Book Review 2024

Cool Green Science

Our selections this year show how the nature writing genre continues to evolve and surprise. The post Earth Day Book Review 2024 appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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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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Hidden Fossil Fuels: Plastic Production Drives Climate Change

NRDC

Study shows that plastic production could be nearly one third of the global carbon budget and emits four times more greenhouse gases than the airline industry.

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A Random Influx of DNA from a Virus Helped Vertebrates Become So Stunningly Successful

Scientific American

Insertion of genetic material from a virus into the genome of a vertebrate ancestor enabled the lightning-quick electrical impulses that give animals with backbones their smarts

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Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles

Law Columbia

Achieving the United States’ ambitious emissions reduction goals depends in large part on the rapid adoption of wind and solar energy and the electrification of consumer vehicles. However, misinformation and coordinated disinformation about renewable energy is widespread and threatens to undermine public support for the transition. In a new report , the Sabin Center identifies and examines 33 of the most pervasive false claims about solar energy, wind energy, and electric vehicles, with the aim

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Can these awesome rocks become central Asia’s first UNESCO Geopark?

New Scientist

Long feted by fossil hunters and geologists, if UNESCO recognises the extraordinary rock formation at Madygen in Kyrgyzstan, it will soon be a player on the world stage

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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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Experts at Environmental Defence React to Canada’s Federal Budget

Enviromental Defense

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat. Keith Brooks, Programs Director: “This budget is intended to be geared towards younger generations, but it fails to deal with a major source of anxiety for young people by offering little to address climate change. Young people will bear the brunt of the impacts of the climate crisis.

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Meet the World’s Largest Freshwater Crayfish

Cool Green Science

National Geographic Society & TNC extern Zoe Clark shares her experience studying the 13-pound Tasmanian giant crayfish. The post Meet the World’s Largest Freshwater Crayfish appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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Southeast at a Crossroads: Bad Gas Bet or Clean Energy Boon?

NRDC

The Southeast is facing a spike in electric load growth projections. Utilities are proposing a massive gas buildout to meet it—we can do better.

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Climate Action Is a Legal Obligation, European Court Rules

Scientific American

The European Court of Human Rights found that climate change is a human rights issue, providing a blueprint for Europeans to force their governments to tackle rising temperatures

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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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Land sparing outperforms land sharing for Amazonian bird communities regardless of surrounding landscape context

The Applied Ecologist

Benjamin Birch discusses the role of wildlife-friendly habitat in the wider surrounding landscape in promoting farmland diversity. Alongside colleagues, Birch modelled strategies of land sparing and land sharing under different levels of production. Background The conversion of natural habitats to agriculture is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity globally.

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What is cloud seeding and did it cause the floods in Dubai?

New Scientist

Cloud seeding almost certainly did not play a significant role in the flooding on the Arabian peninsula this week – but the heavy rains may have been exacerbated by climate change

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Statement: House Motion Demanding Action on Toxic “Forever Chemicals” Applauded by Environmentalists, Firefighters, and Northern Indigenous Health Experts

Enviromental Defense

MP Laurel Collins’s motion seeks to get PFAS out of firefighter gear and other consumer products Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Today, environmentalists, firefighters, and northern Indigenous health experts are supporting the House Private Member’s motion for fast-tracked and comprehensive federal action on toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.

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A Highway in Indiana Could One Day Charge Your EV While You’re Driving It

Inside Climate News

Construction of the pilot project on U.S. Highway 52 began this month. State officials hope it can help quell range anxiety and electrify long-haul trucks. By Kristoffer Tigue Blake Dollier spoke excitedly as he watched the construction crews pulverize concrete along a quarter-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 52 where it passes through West Lafayette, Indiana.

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EPA Announces Awards for a National Clean Energy Finance Network

NRDC

The GGRF will direct long-overdue funding to projects that reduce pollution, lower energy costs for families across the United States, and create good-quality jobs – all while catalyzing an unprecedented wave of private sector investment.

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A Golden Age of Renewables Is Beginning, and California Is Leading the Way

Scientific American

California has hit record-breaking milestones in renewable electricity generation, showing that wind, water and solar are ready to cover our electricity needs

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DEP Invites Comments On A Proposed Declaration Of An Exceptional Air Pollution Event Due To 2023 Wildfire Smoke Impacts

PA Environment Daily

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 27 PA Bulletin inviting public comments on a proposed declaration of an Exceptional Air Quality Event due to 2023 wildfires from Canada and New Jersey causing elevated levels of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds impacting ozone pollution in Pennsylvania. A successful Exceptional Event declaration approved by EPA will mean DEP can essentially exclude the bad air days caused by wildfires from their analysis of wh

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Some scientists say insects are conscious – it doesn't settle anything

New Scientist

A group of around 40 scientists signed a declaration calling for formal acknowledgement of consciousness in a range of animals, including insects and fish – but the evidence is still lacking

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Historic and Unprecedented: The ECtHR Upholds Positive Human Rights Obligations to Mitigate Climate Change

Law Columbia

The three much-awaited judgments issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on April 9, 2024 are truly historic and unprecedented. In Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland , the Grand Chamber established that climate change is “one of the most pressing issues of our times” and poses a threat to human rights. With this ruling, the Court confirmed that States have a positive obligation to adopt measures to mitigate climate change under Article 8 of the ECHR, the right

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NOAA Declares a Global Coral Bleaching Event in 2023

Inside Climate News

Scientists warn that the die off hit previously unaffected areas and more resilient species. Reef declines are leaving coastal communities increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. By Bob Berwyn From shallow-water reefs in the Red Sea to graceful gorgonian species in the Caribbean and the rugged branching corals that form the structure of the Great Barrier Reef, the past year brought bleaching, decline and death to coral reefs around the world.

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Brazil's Attorney General Urges Investigation of Environmental Progress Founder Michael Shellenberger

Environmental Progress

Statement by Environmental Progress Founder and President Michael Shellenberger: “Brazil's Attorney General has just accused me of having committed a "probable" crime because I published the "Twitter Files - Brazil." It's a monstrous lie. President Lula is persecuting me because I exposed the government's illegal censorship. The Lula Government is spreading disinformation and ridiculous conspiracy theories that are easy to debunk, as I do in the video below.

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COVID Vaccination during Pregnancy Protects Newborn Babies

Scientific American

Studies show that vaccination against COVID during pregnancy provides a powerful safeguard for vulnerable infants too young to receive the vaccine on their own

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PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 20 to 26 - 2 Venting Shale Gas Wells; 16 More Conventional Abandoned Well Violations, 1 Shale Gas Well Abandonment

PA Environment Daily

From April 20 to 26, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 810 inspection entries and caught up posting earlier inspection reports. So far this year-- as of April 19 -- DEP reported-- -- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 85 conventional, 4 unconventional -- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 2,983 conventional and 340 unconventional -- Enforcements 2024: 183 conventional and 45 unconventional -- Inspections Last Week: 353 conventional and 235 unconventional -- Year To Date -

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Ancient marine reptile found on UK beach may be the largest ever

New Scientist

The jawbone of an ichthyosaur uncovered in south-west England has been identified as a new species, and researchers estimate that the whole animal was 20 to 25 metres long

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The energy transition is already happening, and it’s being led by our Indigenous communities

Enviromental Defense

This blog was written by Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Earth Solar My name is Melina Laboucan-Massimo. I am from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Little Buffalo, Alberta. In 2011, my community experienced what was the second-largest oil spill in the province’s history – 4.5 million litres of crude oil (28,000 barrels) contaminated hectares of an aquifer, beaver ponds, muskeg and dense forest.