Thu.May 13, 2021

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As the Climate Warms, Could the U.S. Face Another Dust Bowl?

Yale E360

Improved agricultural practices and widespread irrigation may stave off another agricultural calamity in the Great Plains. But scientists are now warning that two inescapable realities — rising temperatures and worsening drought — could still spawn a modern-day Dust Bowl. Read more on E360 ?.

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Clean Cars Minnesota: A win for public health, innovation, and the environment

Union of Concerned Scientists

On Friday, a Minnesota administrative law judge ruled the state can proceed with finalizing new clean car standards that will give Minnesotans more control over air quality improvements and progress toward the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, as well as increase vehicle model choices for Minnesota car buyers and save drivers money at the pump.

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Soaring Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Shrinking the Stratosphere, Study Shows

Yale E360

The rapid growth of CO2 emissions in recent decades is heating and expanding the lower atmosphere, leading to its intrusion into the stratosphere, according to a new study. Read more on E360 ?.

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Why “Infrastructure” Includes the Ground Beneath Our Feet

Union of Concerned Scientists

We’ve heard a lot of opinions about what is, and isn’t, infrastructure. Now I’ll add my hot take: Soil is infrastructure.

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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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Making Corporate Commitments Credible

Legal Planet

Companies across many different economic sectors have announced ambitious goals like being climate neutral by 2050. Commitments on ESG – Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance — are a growing corporate emphasis. Talk is cheap, however. How can we know they’re serious? How can we even be sure that the information they release about their environmental performance is true?

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CES 101: How a National Clean Energy Standard Can Advance Climate Action

Union of Concerned Scientists

Embedded in the Biden Administration’s new American Jobs Plan is a powerful, proven tool for cleaning up the power sector—and the economy as a whole—driving job creation in energy, and dramatically improving public health. Here’s what a clean energy standard is, and how it could help us make serious progress on climate change, and much more.

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How to celebrate 17-year cicadas – eat one!

Academy of Natural Sciences

The 17-year cicadas, Magicicada spp. , are nearly here! They have risen to the surface of the soil and it is only a matter of days before they complete their final molt, expand their wings, and take to the sky. The tree canopies will fill with the other-worldly chorus of their mating calls, which sounds different from our annual cicadas. After mating, the females will lay eggs in the tree twigs, the eggs will hatch, and the tiny hatchlings will fall to the ground and burrow down to the depths wh

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Do roads pose a significant barrier to bee movement?

The Applied Ecologist

Did the bee cross the road? If not, why not – and what does this mean for the flowers on the other side? In their latest research, Fitch & Vaidya investigate the influence of roads on pollinator movement and pollination by examining patterns of pigment transfer between focal plants of two species.

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Observing the weather on brown dwarfs, powerful laser puts matter under extreme conditions

Physics World

This Sunday, 16 May, is the UNESCO International Day of Light so this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast focuses on the humble photon and some of the amazing science and technology that it makes possible. Our first guest is the astronomer Megan Tannock of Canada’s University of Western Ontario, who talks about brown dwarfs – objects that are too small to be stars, but are larger than planets.

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USFWS Updates Eagle Fatality Model for Wind Facilities

Endangered Species Law

On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) published its updated collision risk model (“CRM”) for bald and golden eagles at wind energy facilities. The CRM is a complex Bayesian model the USFWS has endorsed to predict eagle fatalities at wind energy facilities seeking eagle incidental take authorization under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (“BGEPA”).

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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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‘Crystal critters’ self-eject from salty solution

Physics World

Globules of crystallizing minerals can spontaneously eject themselves from a salt solution as they evaporate. This unexpected phenomenon, which was observed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), might be harnessed to prevent damage to pipes and other structures in prolonged contact with seawater. According to study leader Kripa Varanasi , the effect might even allow untreated salty water to be used in certain industrial cooling systems.

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Gulf coast oil workers are building America’s offshore wind industry

A Greener Life

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm, 3 miles off of Block Island, Rhode Island. Photo credit: Scott Eisen / Getty Images. By Sara Sneath. More than a decade after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Gulf Coast oil workers are transitioning into offshore wind. “The biggest misconception about transitioning from offshore drilling to offshore wind is the idea that oil platforms can be reused to hold wind turbines,” Louisiana state Representative Joseph Orgeron said in a recent phone interview.

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Using breath to detect lung cancer

Physics World

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. This reflexive action that is indispensable to life may also be a way to detect cancer – each breath we exhale contains thousands of molecules that provide information about our health. Detecting lung cancer. Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide last year. And because symptoms often don’t appear until the disease is advanced, detecting lung cancer early is critical.

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Is Highway 413 dead, or just on snooze?

Enviromental Defense

Great news: On May 3rd, the federal government announced they were stepping in to perform a thorough environmental assessment of the proposed Highway 413 west of Toronto. Why is it great news? Ontario’s dangerous plan to weaken their own environmental assessment process and race to construction means that federal intervention is necessary. Highway 413 would destroy critical farmland, 400 acres of Greenbelt, wetlands, forests, and endangered species.

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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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Elekta Unity: when biological targeting meets adaptive radiotherapy

Physics World

The Elekta Unity MR-Linac is among a new generation of MR-guided radiotherapy (MR/RT) systems transforming patient care and treatment outcomes in the radiation oncology clinic. Think online image guidance and adaptive radiotherapy tailored to the unique requirements of each patient – adjusting radiation delivery “on the fly” to address the daily variation in the tumour and surrounding healthy tissue while allowing adaptation of the plan for tumours that respond rapidly to treatment (as well as t

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I May Agree With This EPA On Most Issues, But I Still Don’t Like Guidance

Law and Environment

One of the results of the November election that makes me happiest is that I can now go back to being part of the loyal opposition. In other words, I know that the Administration and I share a common mission and common goals. We also often share common approaches to achieving those goals, but not always. And now, in the spirit of friendly cooperation, I know that I can sometimes disagree with the Biden administration on implementation of those goals without undermining my confidence that we a

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A Victory for Important Arctic Safeguards

Ocean Conservancy

Good news! The 2016 Arctic Drilling Rule—an important federal regulation designed to protect the Arctic Ocean from the potentially catastrophic impacts of exploratory oil drilling—is no longer under threat. Let’s keep the momentum going: urge the Department of the Interior to lead the way toward a renewable energy future. Last year, the Trump administration proposed regulatory changes that would have stripped away vital safety and environmental protection standards , substantially weakening the