Fri.Aug 20, 2021

article thumbnail

The Stream, August 20, 2021: Taliban Takeover Threatens Afghanistan Water Security, Scholars Say

Circle of Blue

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. The Taliban do not have the expertise to manage Afghanistan’s already troubled water systems, researchers say. The fashion industry in Africa is tainting rivers with discharges of polluted wastewater, a report finds. Indigenous women block the dumping of a poison into a Canadian watershed to kill an non-native fish. Bees in North Dakota struggle in hot, dry weather, with implications for California.

2021 246
article thumbnail

Montreal Protocol Averted an Additional 2.5 Degrees C of Warming, Study Says

Yale E360

The Montreal Protocol, which phased out the use of ozone-depleting chemicals, not only saved the ozone layer, but also staved off an additional 2.5 degrees C (4.5 degrees F) of warming by the end of this century, according to a new study. Read more on E360 ?.

Ozone 184
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Too Hot to Work: New Map Tools and 433 Congressional District Fact Sheets Show What’s at Stake for Outdoor Workers

Union of Concerned Scientists

New UCS maps show where outdoor workers are most at risk from killer heat.

article thumbnail

A personal mission: one scientist’s search for a theory of everything

Physics World

Jesper Grimstrup is a Danish theoretical physicist who received his PhD in 2002. His life’s mission is to find a theory of everything. In Shell Beach: the Search for the Final Theory , Grimstrup explains how he had a brilliant idea on a trip to China two months after his PhD defence, and how he has since tried to convince other physicists of it. He calls his approach “ Quantum Holonomy Theory ”.

2002 145
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

New USDA Nutrition Research Leads to Historic Increase in SNAP Benefits

Union of Concerned Scientists

Eating healthy gets easier with historic increase in SNAP benefits.

227
227
article thumbnail

Cosmic rays threaten Martian agriculture, rattlesnakes play a clever trick on your spatial perception

Physics World

If humans ever do colonize Mars, producing food will be a difficult task. Besides the obvious challenges of providing water and nutrients for plants to grow, Martian farmers will also have to content with damage by cosmic rays – according to researchers in the Netherlands. Although Earth is also constantly bombarded by cosmic rays, ground-level radiation on Mars is about 17 times higher.

Radiation 131

More Trending

article thumbnail

Surface Water Vulnerable to Widespread Pollution From Fracking, a New Study Finds

Inside Climate News

The research suggests that the impacts of the fracking boom may have outrun the science documenting its effects. By Bob Berwyn Fossil fuels don’t just damage the planet by emitting climate-warming greenhouse gases when they are burned. Extracting coal, oil and gas has a huge impact on the surface of the earth, including strip mines the size of cities and offshore oil spills that pollute country-sized swaths of ocean.

article thumbnail

MasSpec Pen detects cancer tissue in real time during surgery

Physics World

Scientists in the US have conducted the first clinical tests of a new diagnostic device called MasSpec Pen. The “pen” is able to detect differences between healthy and cancerous tissue in a matter of seconds, to help surgeons decide which sections must be removed during pancreatic cancer surgery. The researchers, from The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor College of Medicine, describe their research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2017 122
article thumbnail

New UCS Climate Analysis Too Hot to Work Shows Mounting Risks to Outdoor Workers from Heat Extremes

Union of Concerned Scientists

Outdoor workers face impossible choices in a climate-scorched world.

article thumbnail

Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 20, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. There are. The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 20, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

Law 122
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Climate change is already disrupting US forests and coasts – here’s what we’re seeing at 5 long-term research sites

Environmental News Bits

by Michael Paul Nelson (Oregon State University) and Peter Mark Groffman (CUNY Graduate Center) Record-breaking heat waves and drought have left West Coast rivers lethally hot for salmon, literally cooked millions of mussels and clams in their shells and left forests primed to burn.

article thumbnail

Covid-19 news: UK approves first-of-its-kind antibody treatment

New Scientist

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

117
117
article thumbnail

How well did the EU respond to the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic? Experts now give their verdict

Frontiers

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer. Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com. During the first wave of the pandemic, the European Union’s COVID-19 response highlighted ongoing limitations of the agencies put in place to prepare for such health crises, shows a recent study. According to a panel of health experts, national interests conflicted with coordinated Europe-wide health regulations.

2004 105
article thumbnail

Tesla is building an AI humanoid robot called Optimus, says Elon Musk

New Scientist

Tesla will branch out from building electric, self-driving cars to produce humanoid robots designed to “eliminate dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks”, says the company's founder Elon Musk

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Years Before COVID-19, Zombies Helped Prepare One Hospital System for the Real Pandemic

Scientific American

An educational experiment used escape rooms and the undead to set the stage for a terrible situation that would become all too real. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

98
article thumbnail

2021's extraordinary wildfires have released a record amount of CO2

New Scientist

Huge blazes from the north-east of Russia to North America have made global carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires this year the highest in nearly two decades of modern satellite records

article thumbnail

Rethinking Carbon's "Additionality" Requirement

JANZEN AG

To generate a carbon credit, a producer must demonstrate a metric ton of C02 (or its equivalent in greenhouse gases (GHG)) was sequestered in soil because of the farmers’ efforts. Seems simple enough, but there is usually another requirement called “additionality” that makes this more challenging for many farmers already implementing conservation practices.

article thumbnail

Astronomers have just found more than half a million new asteroids

New Scientist

A pair of astronomers have sifted through old data to find more than half a million new asteroids, which may reveal how planets moved in the early solar system

104
104
article thumbnail

A Flexible Fabric Could Harden into a Temporary House or Bridge

Scientific American

Ancient chain mail served as an inspiration for a highly unusual material that might one day lead to such applications. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

101
101
article thumbnail

mySUN combines human energy and solar for a renewable solution

Inhabitant

Solving the climate crisis requires smart energy solutions that will reduce the need for fossil fuels and create sustainable options. This is exactly what WZMH Architects is focused on.

article thumbnail

Ozone Hole Would Have Killed Plants and Raised Global Temperatures

Scientific American

Without the Montreal Protocol, more solar radiation would have destroyed plants, lessening the CO2 they absorb. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

Ozone 101
article thumbnail

Apple's child abuse detection software may be vulnerable to attack

New Scientist

Apple's soon-to-be-launched algorithm to detect images of child sexual abuse on iPhones and iPads may incorrectly flag people as being in possession of illegal images, warn researchers

98
article thumbnail

The Science Inside Your Ice Cream

Scientific American

A new video series from Scientific American and Spektrum der Wissenschaft gives you a serving of science. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

99
article thumbnail

Library offers food for thought, and for butterflies

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story from the Oak Park Public Library. At the request of the local environmental club, Earth Action Team, the Oak Park Village Board passed a proclamation Feb. 8 declaring 2021 the “year of the butterfly” to inspire the community to create healthy habitats for monarchs.

2021 94
article thumbnail

Tropical Storm Henri Could Bring Dangerous Storm Surge

Scientific American

The moon, wind direction, atmospheric pressure and seafloor shape all help determine how high a surge will be. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

article thumbnail

Ithaca raises $100m to decarbonize buildings

Inhabitant

The city of Ithaca in New York is paving the way for others with its ambitious project of converting thousands of privately owned commercial and residential buildings into carbon-free and sustainable structures.

88
article thumbnail

What the Acrid Smoke from Wildfires Can Teach Us

Scientific American

Among other things, it can make those who experience it understand that climate change is visceral and palpable. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

article thumbnail

Baserange goes the extra mile for eco-friendly clothing production

Inhabitant

The key to any successful business is the partnerships made along the way. For Baserange, its goal to manage a transparent, ethical and environmentally-friendly garment company is supported by a network of similarly-minded factories.

86
article thumbnail

Today, measuring company carbon emissions is about doing your best

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at GreenBiz. Measurement feels like it should be an exact science, with imputative results and no guesswork. But in the world of carbon emissions, we just aren’t there yet.

article thumbnail

Explore the Saltbox Passive House's sweet sustainable design

Inhabitant

The Saltbox Passive House is located in Bromont, Quebec, and is a residence for a family of four. The 3100-square-foot home sits in a meadow at the edge of a 2.5-acre wooded plot.

79
article thumbnail

Oil producers used Facebook to counter President Biden’s clean energy message, a study shows.

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story from the New York Times. Soon after Joseph R. Biden Jr., then a presidential candidate, released his $2 trillion climate plan last year that promised to escalate the use of clean energy in the United States, the world’s major oil and gas dialed up their presence on Facebook. Overnight on Facebook’s U.S.

article thumbnail

Should You Get a Booster Shot? Here's What We Know

Scientific American

Experts weigh in on common questions about whether and when additional doses of coronavirus vaccines may be needed. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

81
article thumbnail

Virtual clothing: A waste of money or a way to save the planet in style?

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story from PC Magazine. Spending real money on digital fashion may seem wasteful, but luxury and budget clothing brands alike are leaning into the trend, which has the opportunity to make fashion more inclusive and environmentally friendly.

Waste 81
article thumbnail

New Developments in China’s Drug Change Management Regulations

Arnold Porter

The Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) recently released the Acceptance Review Guideline on Biological Products Changes (for Trial Implementation). It is the latest development in China’s regulations of drug change management since the promulgation of the newly amended Drug Administration Law in 2019 and more than 20 regulations and technical guidelines.