Mon.Jan 30, 2023

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Three Predictions for Climate Litigation in 2023

Union of Concerned Scientists

2023 is forecast to be an eventful year for climate litigation: legal actions aiming to hold polluters accountable for their role in climate change, ensure that international treaties and agreements are followed, and protect human rights that are being negatively impacted by climate change. I’ve been working in this space for a short three years, but in that time, I’ve witnessed incredible change and development.

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Federal Water Tap, January 30: Valuing Nature: White House Publishes Natural Capital Accounting Strategy

Circle of Blue

The Rundown The White House publishes a strategy for incorporating natural assets into economic accounts. A climate scientist is appointed to a White House intelligence advisory board. EPA watchdog says the agency should better track municipal efforts to control sewer overflows. Federal officials will hold a public session this week to gather input on the first National Nature Assessment.

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T-Mobile Joins Climate Pledge, Makes Commitment to Achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2040

Environment + Energy Leader

T-Mobile joined The Climate Pledge, a cross-sector network of businesses and organizations working together to address the difficulties of reducing global carbon emissions for a sustainable future, to support this new objective. The post T-Mobile Joins Climate Pledge, Makes Commitment to Achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2040 appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Minnesota: Will This Be the Year for a 100-Percent Carbon-Free Electricity Policy?

Union of Concerned Scientists

On January 26, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 7 —the 100% Clean Energy Bill. Now it’s on to the state Senate, where the question is: Will this be the year Minnesota sets a path toward 100-percent carbon-free electricity? The House has twice before passed a 100-percent standard, only to be stalled by the Senate. Now, with climate and clean energy majorities in both chambers, Minnesota is poised to join other leading states in updating its clean energy policies equitably

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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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How Scottsdale Saved More Than 38 Million Gallons of Water in 2022

Environment + Energy Leader

The City of Scottsdale reduced its water use by 6% in comparison with the average amount used over the past five years. The post How Scottsdale Saved More Than 38 Million Gallons of Water in 2022 appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Oil Companies Plan to Take the Road Already Traveled

Union of Concerned Scientists

January is here and oil and gas companies are revving their engines, preparing to boast about record-busting revenues from the year when the invasion of Ukraine fattened oil investor pockets. They’re also hoping to circumnavigate efforts to hold them accountable for their contribution to climate change. Here are some obstacles ahead on the road to corporate accountability based on the signs we see.

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Six Ways Science Can Boost Climate Accountability in 2023

Union of Concerned Scientists

Never has holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for driving the climate crisis been more urgent. And never in my seven years at the Union of Concerned Scientists have the prospects for accountability been brighter. Major oil and gas corporations recognize that their social license is crumbling, and they are desperately trying to piece it back together.

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In Brazil, Forests Returned to Indigenous Hands See Recovery, Study Finds

Yale E360

Granted formal rights to their ancestral lands in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Indigenous people have stemmed forest loss and improved tree cover, a new study finds.

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How Much Rain is L.A. Capturing?

Legal Planet

A very full Ballona Creek after a rain event earlier this month. At least nine atmospheric rivers blasted California between December 20th and January 15th, causing flooding and extensive damage, while also delivering much needed precipitation to our parched state. The Los Angeles County Public Works Department announced recently that more than 33 billion gallons of stormwater have been captured in the early months of the winter storm season, which will be enough to supply 816,000 people with en

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How Sustainable Is Lab-Grown Meat?

Earth 911

Lab-grown meat is a type of cellular agriculture that grows proteins from a culture, cell. The post How Sustainable Is Lab-Grown Meat? appeared first on Earth911.

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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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Apply For West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund Funding Opportunities

PA Environment Daily

The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund is now accepting applications for financial assistance from businesses and nonprofits to continue building its diversified portfolio of sustainable energy and energy efficiency investments in the West Penn Power service territory. WPPSEF has two primary project financing offerings: conventional financing and ACT 129 Energy Micro Loans.

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Songbird species work together to mob predator owls, but only strike when the time is right

Frontiers

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Northern pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma. Image credit: W Douglas Robinson Scientists show show that songbirds don’t just flee from their predator, the northern pygmy owl: they sometimes actively seek them out to aggressively mob them. But the likelihood of mobbing wasn’t constant: it was highest during late summer and autumn when the owls mostly prey on young birds instead of mammals, and at low altitudes, where the owls are most common.

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Protecting Clean Water Together: Where Does Your Water Come From?

PA Environment Daily

By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association , Monroe County If you said “from my well,” you’re half right. Private wells don’t tap into an underground river or rock-lined reservoir that is yours and yours alone. Most wells in the Brodhead watershed are drilled down to below the water table, where layers of rock, soil, sand, and sediments are saturated with water.

2023 105
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Taneum Watershed Trails: A Restoration Story

Washington Nature

Key headwaters of the Yakima River Basin can be found in the Taneum Watershed, making it important to water quantity and quality throughout the basin. Additionally, the Taneum provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife. The watershed also offers excellent recreation opportunities. People from Washington State and beyond travel to the Taneum to enjoy time with their friends and family on the trail—an exceptionally popular activity in this area is motorcycle riding.

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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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Ninth Circuit Holds Agency’s Decision Not to Modify a Recovery Plan is Not a Final Agency Action

Endangered Species Law

Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling holding that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) decision not to modify a recovery plan for the grizzly bear ( ursus arctos horrbilis ) was not a final agency action subject to review under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). In 1975, the Service listed the grizzly bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

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Master Watershed Steward Program Statewide Accomplishments In 2022

PA Environment Daily

By Holly Smith, Master Watershed Steward Coordinator, Adams, Cumberland & Franklin Counties Since its inception in Lehigh County in 2013, the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward (MWS) Program has expanded to 31 counties in Pennsylvania. This remarkable growth is a testament to niches being filled across the state. Watershed associations are reaching out for volunteer support to fill their boards and execute projects.

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Rising Physical Pain Is Linked to More 'Deaths of Despair'

Scientific American

What’s happening in the body, as well as the mind, can be tied to increases in drug overdoses, suicides, and more

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EUON Publishes Nanopinion on Study of the EU Market for Nanomaterials

Nanotech

On January 17, 2023, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “ EU 2025: Enjoying the Benefits of Nanotechnology and NMS ” by Dr. Anastasios Papadiamantis and Dr. Antreas Afantitis, both of NovaMechanics Ltd. The authors report the findings of a study commissioned by EUON on the EU market for nanomaterials, including substances, uses, volumes, and key operators.

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China Invests $546 Billion in Clean Energy, Far Surpassing the U.S.

Scientific American

China accounted for nearly half of the world's low-carbon spending in 2022, which could challenge U.S.

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Penn State Extension: Climate Risk And Private Water Wells

PA Environment Daily

By Beth Yount, Master Watershed Steward Coordinator In Philadelphia As we experience changing climate conditions and weather patterns across Pennsylvania, private well owners need to formulate a plan for ensuring that their water supply remains safe, healthy, and resilient. Temperature and precipitation have become less predictable and more extreme worldwide over the past several decades.

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Rising Physical Pain Is Linked to More 'Deaths of Despair'

Scientific American

What’s happening in the body, as well as the mind, can be tied to increases in drug overdoses, suicides, and more

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Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular Economy

Earth 911

What do the response to climate change and the Y2K computer bug — which required. The post Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular Economy appeared first on Earth911.

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A Famed Dolphin-Human Fishing Team Up Is in Danger of Disappearing

Scientific American

A call for help sounds to ensure survival of a 140-year-old fishing partnership pairing cetaceans and humans

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Forests bioengineered to capture more carbon will be planted in the US

New Scientist

A US startup will soon begin planting genetically engineered trees in Georgia and Pennsylvania that may be able to capture more carbon than regular trees

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New Apps Aim to Douse the Social Media Dumpster Fire

Scientific American

Social media makes us miserable, but can “positive apps,” such as Gas and BeReal, make a difference?

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Dolphins that help humans catch fish are more likely to survive

New Scientist

Dolphins off coast of southern Brazil drive mullet towards the nets of local fishers and in return get some extra fish themselves

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Nature At Risk: Are We Driving Out the Northern Leopard Frog?

PA Environment Daily

By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association , Monroe County With their big eyes, rainbow colors, and fascinating lives, frogs are one of the first wild creatures kids learn to love. And what’s not to like? They come in all sizes — from one in Papua New Guinea about as big as a housefly, to the Goliath frog whose body is one-foot long (not counting the legs); most are harmless to humans.

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Microplastics can be recycled to make electrodes for lithium batteries

New Scientist

The polyethylene microplastic pollution commonly found in wastewater can be extracted to create electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

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Urban Foxes Battle Over Territory

PBS Nature

The post Urban Foxes Battle Over Territory appeared first on Nature.

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Change the way you bake to be more sustainable

Inhabitant

What do we do in the winter? Bake. Bake for the new year, for Valentine’s Day, because we are cold, because we have been stuck in the house for two months due to poor weather.

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Net-zero aviation needs up to $1 trillion in carbon offsets by 2050

New Scientist

Growing demand for air travel is counteracting the aviation industry push to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

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50 years ago

Environment, Law, and History

Daniel Farber goes back to the history of American environmental law again in his recent Legal Planet post, "50 Years Ago: Environmental Law in 1973" Farber writes: Like today, 1973 was a time of political turmoil. The bitterly divisive Vietnam War was winding to an end, and much of the news that year was dominated by the Watergate scandal that ultimately brought down President Nixon.

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The UK had a record wind power year in 2022

A Greener Life

A wind farm in South Wales, UK. Photo credit: Reuters / Matthew Childs. By Anders Lorenzen Data from its national grid operator, the National Grid , have concluded that 2022 was a record year for wind power in the UK. The data shows that the output of UK wind farms onshore and offshore continues to increase; in 2022 they produced a record 26.8% of the country’s electricity, though gas-powered power plants are the most significant source of energy.

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Inflation Reduction Act: EPA Invites Stakeholder Input on Grant/Technical Assistance Programs for Lower-Embodied Carbon Construction Materials, Standards

E2 Law Blog

On Jan. 26, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) solicited public input to inform two new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs creating standards and labeling for construction materials that have “substantially lower levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions.” Section 60112 of the IRA appropriates $250 million for grants and technical assistance to manufacturers, States, Indian Tribes, and nonprofits for activities related to “measuring, reporting, and steadily reducing the quanti