Thu.Aug 12, 2021

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On South African Shores, Women Carry on a Harvest Once Denied

Yale E360

In apartheid South Africa, the Sokhulu practice of gathering mussels was outlawed. “Ulwandle Lushile: Meeting the Tides,” the second-place winner in the 2021 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest, shows how Sokhulu women persevered and are again harvesting mussels sustainably. Read more on E360 ?.

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A deep dive into the IPCC’s updated carbon budget numbers

Real Climate

Guest post by Joeri Rogelj (Twitter: @joerirogelj). Since temperature targets became international climate goals, we have been trying to understand and quantify the implications for our global emissions. Carbon budgets play an important role in this translation. Carbon budgets tell us how much CO 2 we can emit while keeping warming below specific limits.

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Methane Madness: 5 Reasons Why Natural Gas Doesn’t Belong in a Clean Electricity Payment Program

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Senate just released a federal budget resolution that includes a measure that could subsidize the production of natural gas. Here are 5 reasons why we shouldn't do that.

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Deciphering the ‘SPM AR6 WG1’ code

Real Climate

I followed with great interest the launch of the sixth assessment report Working Group 1 (The Physical Science Basis) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on August 9th. The main report is quite impressive (see earlier posts here , here , here , and here ) but the press conference didn’t come across as being focused and well-prepared.

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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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I Toured “the Best Damn Plant in the Fleet.” Two Years Later It Exploded.

Union of Concerned Scientists

Two years ago, I went on a tour of the Russell City Energy Center. Two months ago, the power plant exploded.

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In the New UN Climate Report, a Better Understanding of Solar Geoengineering

Yale E360

The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change offers not only a clearer view of the causes and consequences of global warming, but also a better understanding of some extreme and untested solutions to the climate crisis, including solar geoengineering — the process of modifying clouds or spraying tiny reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to block a portion of the sun's light, thereby cooling the planet, Reuters reported.

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The Stream, August 12, 2021: Major Rivers in India Are Rising To Dangerous Levels

Circle of Blue

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. Water levels on India’s Ganga and Yamuna rivers are rising by the hour amid torrential rainfall, striking fears of flooding among residents. Ohio officials say fracking fluids did not contaminate drinking water in Washington County. Fires caused by three oil wells, which spilled more than 4,000 gallons of oil and wastewater, are contained in North Dakota.

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NASA Probe Finds Higher Chance of Asteroid Bennu Striking Earth

Scientific American

Using data from the OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists calculated slightly increased (but still low) odds the space rock will collide with our planet in the 2100s. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Sicily hits 48.8°C, the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe

New Scientist

The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was reported on 11 August. The town of Syracuse on the Italian island of Sicily reached 48.8°C, 0.

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Astronomers Find an Unexpected Bumper Crop of Black Holes

Scientific American

In trying to explain the spectacular star trails of the star cluster Palomar 5, astronomers stumbled on a very large trove of black holes. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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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Balloon-borne telescope will ‘weigh’ the universe, remembering John Enderby

Physics World

If you built a very expensive telescope, would you hitch it to a balloon and fly it 40 km above the surface of the Earth? That is what Mohamed Shaaban at the University of Toronto and an international team will do next year when they launch their SuperBIT telescope on NASA’s superpressure balloon. Shabaan explains why the team is putting their telescope on a balloon and how the instrument will be used it to study gravitational lensing, which could improve our understanding of how much dark matt

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Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 12, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: APHIS, The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 12, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Variable-stiffness catheter could increase the safety of robotic eye surgery

Physics World

A surgical catheter that can change its rigidity as needed during operations has been developed by researchers from Switzerland and Spain. The tool – the core of which is built from a tailored phase-change alloy – could improve the safety of minimally-invasive ophthalmic surgeries. One procedure that could benefit from such a tool is epiretinal membrane peeling, a delicate surgery that only highly skilled surgeons can perform.

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Nomura To Identify Sustainability Bonds Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) Technology

Environmental Leader

Nomura, a global financial services group, has begun research to determine sustainability bonds — based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — using natural language processing (NLP) technology in collaboration with Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. (Sony CSL). The move is significant because it signals a step change in.

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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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Paleoclimate Data Raise Alarm on Historic Nature of Climate Emergency

Scientific American

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report uses data from our planet’s distant past to better understand current warming. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Cold Storage Tech Company Nostromo Raises $13.6M

Environmental Leader

A pioneering cold storage technology based on modular ice cells — and ready for air conditioning/cooling use by commercial and industrial buildings — is available from Nostromo; the company has raised $13.6 million for its clean energy storage system and will begin trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The post Cold Storage Tech Company Nostromo Raises $13.6M appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Water transforms into gold-coloured metallic solution

Physics World

A metallic water solution has been observed in the laboratory for the first time thanks to a new method that bypasses the need for extremely high pressures. By reacting water with an alkali metal in a way that avoids the usual explosive outcome, an international team of researchers showed that they could produce a gold-coloured conducting layer on the surface of the resulting solution – a rare example of a modern scientific result visible to the naked eye.

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Inspired by Chronic Illness, She Made Award-Winning Art about the Brain

Scientific American

Scientific American presents the winner and honorable mentions of the 11th annual Art of Neuroscience contest. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Humpback whales in Alaska thrive in absence of cruise ships

Inhabitant

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed humpback whales in Alaska to enjoy some peace, according to a new study. Researchers say that reduction in noise caused by cruise ships is to thank for the positive changes being witnessed in whales' social lives.

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California Court Finds State Law Claims Not Preempted by FIFRA in Glyphosate Ruling

National Law Center

A California State Court of Appeal issued a ruling on August 9, 2021, upholding a jury verdict awarding millions of dollars. The post California Court Finds State Law Claims Not Preempted by FIFRA in Glyphosate Ruling appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past

Scientific American

Mathematicians want to think their field is a meritocracy, but bias, harassment and exclusion persist. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Sicily hits record high temperature amid heatwave

Inhabitant

In the latest extreme weather news, Europe has set a new record high temperature. Sicily hit 48.8 degrees Celsius this week, or 119.85 Fahrenheit, according to a reading at a Syracuse, Sicily monitoring station.

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50 Organizations Call for Inclusion of a Transmission Tax Credit in Budget Reconciliation Package

Environmental Leader

In an announcement from the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), 50 diverse stakeholders wrote to the House Ways and Means Committee today requesting the inclusion of an investment tax credit (ITC) for regionally significant transmission. The post 50 Organizations Call for Inclusion of a Transmission Tax Credit in Budget Reconciliation Package appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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The IPCC Understated the Need to Cut Emissions From Methane and Other Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, Climate Experts Say

Inside Climate News

A landmark report on the science of climate change underplays the quick benefit of reducing methane emissions, but the Biden Administration says they’re on it, anyway. By Phil McKenna The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change missed a key opportunity to underscore the urgent need for rapid reductions in emissions of methane and other short-lived climate pollutants in the roll out of a seminal report on the science of climate change on Monday, climate experts say.

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IPCC climate report: Profound changes are underway in Earth’s oceans and ice – a lead author explains what the warnings mean

Environmental News Bits

by Robert Kopp (Rutgers University) Humans are unequivocally warming the planet, and that’s triggering rapid changes in the atmosphere, oceans and polar regions, and increasing extreme weather around the world, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns in a new report.

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Can we save a migratory vulture population with captive-raised birds?

The Applied Ecologist

A new study by Steffen Oppel and colleagues shows that supporting a declining population of a migratory vulture with captive-reared young birds every year could delay extinction, and thus afford conservationists more time to reduce lethal threats along a migratory flyway spanning three continents. Since biblical times people have entertained the concept that animals could be saved from extinction in a man-made sanctuary.

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Paleoclimate Data Raises Alarm on Historic Nature of Climate Emergency

Scientific American

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report uses data from our planet’s distant past to better understand current warming. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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12 Weird and Wild Historical Illustrations of Fish

Ocean Conservancy

Historical illustrations give us a glimpse into the scientific research of the past—and they can be very cool to look at! We can view thousands of historical illustrations of marine life thanks to the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). The BHL is the largest open-access digital library for biodiversity archives. They work with libraries around the world to offer millions of books dating back to the 15 th century for free.

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Handheld railgun as powerful as an air rifle to go on sale in the US

New Scientist

An electromagnetic rifle, a device that uses electromagnetic coils to push a steel projectile down its barrel, is now being offered for pre-order in the US

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Ambri Gets $144M Funding For Long Duration Battery Technology

Environmental Leader

Ambri Inc., maker of daily cycling long-duration battery systems, has secured $144 million from Reliance New Energy Solar, Bill Gates, who is the company’s largest shareholder, and others. Founded in 2010, based on MIT lab work and backed by seed money from Gates, Ambri has developed and commercialized proprietary liquid-metal. Read more ». The post Ambri Gets $144M Funding For Long Duration Battery Technology appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Most cancers of the oesophagus are caused by escaped stomach cells

New Scientist

Most tumours of the oesophagus start as escaped stomach cells that turned cancerous, and a novel screening method of swallowing a sponge on a string could identify more cases

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New non-COVID research projects plunge by a third since the start of the pandemic

Physics World

The COVID-19 pandemic may be having subtle but long-lasting impacts on scientific activities – especially on women researchers and those with young children. That is according to a new US analysis, which suggests that the number of non-COVID research projects being initiated may have fallen by almost a third since the start of the pandemic. Researchers’ working hours are, however, now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

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Howler monkeys navigate using adaptable mental maps, just like humans

New Scientist

Black howler monkeys move through their environment using mental maps that the primates modify and adapt as the landscape changes – a skill previously seen only in humans

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Are 'Green Banks' Really Better for the Environment?

Scientific American

Consumers can indeed lower their financial carbon footprint once they know how to navigate the hype. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.