August, 2024

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Oil and Influence: Analyzing the Fossil Fuel Industry’s 2023 Lobbying

Enviromental Defense

Have you ever wondered why progress on climate change is so slow despite widespread public support for climate action? How often does the fossil fuel industry try to influence the government’s climate policy decisions? Maybe you’ve even been curious about if Big Oil has lobbied the Member of Parliament representing your community. If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, then I have great news for you!

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Care for Endangered Seabirds Continues Amid a 51-Year Legacy of Optimism

Union of Concerned Scientists

Steve Kress’s smile lit up the dusk as research assistants at least 50 years younger than him regaled him with tales of their vigilance to save tern chicks on Stratton Island, Maine. For an hour, all talk centered around a mortal enemy of tern chicks: the black-crowned night heron. The latter is a beautiful, stocky wetland bird with glowing red eyes and two delicate white plumes shooting out the back of its head.

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Assessing the First Decade of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Legal Planet

A decade ago, California stood out–and not in a good way–as the only Western state without comprehensive state laws monitoring and regulating groundwater pumping and use. But in 2014, following years of severe and protracted California drought, and both agricultural and urban water users compensating for depleted surface water flows by pumping groundwater in unprecedented amounts, a fragile political consensus emerged among California legislators, water districts and environmentalist

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String Theorists Accidentally Find a New Formula for Pi

Scientific American

Two physicists have come across infinitely many novel equations for pi while trying to develop a unifying theory of the fundamental forces

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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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Plastic vaporising process could recycle bags and bottles indefinitely

New Scientist

A new process uses cheap catalysts to break down polyethylene and polypropylene into their building blocks, enabling common plastic objects to be turned into new products

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Surging Methane Emissions Could Be a Sign of a Major Climate Shift

Inside Climate News

New studies suggest global warming boosts natural methane releases, which could undermine efforts to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas from fossil fuels and agriculture. By Bob Berwyn A 2021 pledge by more than 100 nations to cut methane emissions from anthropogenic sources 30 percent by 2030 might not slow global warming as much as projected, as new research shows that feedbacks in the climate system are boosting methane emissions from natural sources, especially tropical wetlands.

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What happens at meetings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Dearest blog readers, I’m attending my first meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and it is so. dang. fascinating. For twenty-ish years, I’ve relied on the IPCC’s reports countless times, and in countless ways. But seeing the IPCC’s consensus-based decision-making process in action is giving me a new perspective on the incredible amount of work that goes into producing each of the organization’s reports.

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New Report: Charging and Financing Electric Trucks

Legal Planet

California has groundbreaking goals to require automakers to sell , and large fleets to purchase , zero-emission trucks and buses in increasing percentages, starting this year. But these goals will only be achievable if the state has sufficient charging infrastructure to fuel the vehicles, along with available financing to help truck owners purchase or lease them.

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Brain Scientists Finally Discover the Glue that Makes Memories Stick for a Lifetime

Scientific American

A long-running research endeavor reveals key chemical players that cement memories in place—and still more have yet to be discovered

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Marmosets seem to call each other by name

New Scientist

Marmosets are the first non-human primates shown to use personalised signifiers to refer to each other – the discovery could help us better understand how language evolved

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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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The Aspen Institute Is Calling for a Systemic Approach to Climate Education at the University Level

Inside Climate News

Arizona State and UC San Diego will begin requiring climate courses this academic year. Columbia, Harvard and Stanford are going even further, creating schools devoted to climate change. By Caroline Marshall Reinhart In 2019, Laura Schifter’s phone buzzed with a message: “ Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage From Climate Change. ” As she lifted her eyes from her phone back to her three children playing in her basement, she knew she had to fight for them.

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New Report Released by Environmental Defence Highlights Big Oil’s Relentless Lobbying

Enviromental Defense

Big Oil’s Relentless Lobbying Efforts are Obstructing Climate Progress on Parliament Hill A new report by Environmental Defence analyzes the 1,255 lobby meetings the fossil fuel industry held with the government in 2023 Montréal/Tiohtià:ke | Traditional, unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation, a gathering place for many First Nations, including the Anishinaabeg – A new report released today by Environmental Defence, Big Oil’s Big Year: A Summary of Big Oil’s 2023 Federal Lobbying, fi

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When Bad Ballot Designs Confuse Voters, Democracy Suffers. Science has Solutions.

Union of Concerned Scientists

A healthy democracy requires that every citizen has an equal opportunity to effectively participate, including voting in elections. This means that, at minimum, every eligible voter has an equal opportunity to cast a ballot, that their ballot is successfully counted, and that each ballot carries equal weight in elections. But bad ballot design substantially limits the equality of our democratic system.

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PJM’s Capacity Auction: The Real Story

NRDC

Fossil fuel un-reliability and PJM’s failure to speedily connect new clean resources to the grid are to blame for the 2025/26 auction price spike.

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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 the Search for Aliens Is Redefining Life in the Golden Age of Astrobiology

Scientific American

The search for extraterrestrial life has profound physical, mental and spiritual implications, says Nathalie Cabrol in The Secret Life of the Universe —and it belongs to everyone

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World's largest sailing cargo ship makes first transatlantic voyage

New Scientist

The largest sailing cargo ship in existence is on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrating a carbon footprint 10 times smaller than that of a container ship

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EPA Thought Industry-Funded Scientists Could Support Its Conclusion that a Long-Regulated Pesticide Is Not a Cancer Risk

Inside Climate News

The consultants, who worked for Dow, the pesticide’s manufacturer, help corporate interests defend their products against environmental and health regulations. By Liza Gross On a Southern California spring morning in 1973, a tanker truck driver jackknifed his rig and dumped the agricultural fumigant he was transporting onto a city street. A Los Angeles Fire Department emergency response team spent four hours cleaning up the chemical, 1,3-dichloropropene, or 1,3-D, a fumigant sold as Telone that

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The Fight Is Not Over: Ford’s Decision to Abandon Deposit Return Expansion in Ontario Defies Common Sense

Enviromental Defense

We were so close to getting a program Ontarians and the environment deserve: an expanded deposit-return program for all beverage containers, including water, pop and juice. Then, out of the blue, Doug Ford pulled the plug, just after Canada Day weekend, leaving beverage companies dumbfounded and big grocery retailers delighted. Send a message to Premier Ford today to tell him to reverse course and implement deposit return for all beverage containers in Ontario Deposit return is the program wher

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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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The Price of the Sentinel Nuclear Weapons Program Keeps Going Up—But the True Costs Are Even Higher 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Early this year, the Air Force notified Congress that the proposed Sentinel program—which would replace every single US nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and update related infrastructure—would be at least 37% more expensive than the previous estimate in September 2020. After another round of review, the program’s estimated costs have further ballooned to $140.9 billion, an 81% increase from the 2020 estimate.

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The Global Plastics Treaty: It’s Time to Clean Up Our Mess

NRDC

Negotiations are underway to finally slow this endless stream of plastic waste into our environment, food, and bodies.

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Wealthier Members of Congress Have Family Links to Slavery

Scientific American

U.S.

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How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health

New Scientist

Surrounding ourselves with greenery can do wonders for our physical and mental wellbeing.

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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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Tropical Glaciers in the Andes Are the Smallest They’ve Been in 11,700 Years

Inside Climate News

Four different glaciers along the Andes range no longer have hospitable conditions. By Alexa Robles-Gil Along a valley of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, Emilio Mateo set out on a 10-mile hike up to the Queshque Glacier. Following the tracks of llamas and cattle, Mateo, a researcher at the Aspen Global Change Institute, and his research assistant were on their way to collect glacier samples.

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New Endangered Species Habitat Mapping Could Kill Proposed Highway 413

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager, on new federal Recovery Strategy Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – New federal protections for an endangered fish may pose an insurmountable obstacle to the Ontario government’s plans to build a massive new highway north of the GTA that will inevitably result in significant forest and wetland losses to greenfield sprawl.

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Our New Research Says the Solid Earth Can Help Protect the Antarctic Ice Sheet—Only if We Cut Emissions Now

Union of Concerned Scientists

This post was co-authored with Natalya Gomez , Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Geodynamics of Ice sheet – Sea level interactions at McGill University. The Antarctic Ice Sheet faces an uncertain future under climate change. As the Earth’s air and oceans warm, the ice sheet is starting to melt at an ever-faster rate. As it melts it contributes to sea level rise, causing harm to coastal and island communities around the world.

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Backyard Bioblitz: How to Be A Citizen Scientist in Your Backyard

Cool Green Science

A bioblitz is a nature scavenger hunt, for science. Here are our tips to DIY a bioblitz from your very own backyard. The post Backyard Bioblitz: How to Be A Citizen Scientist in Your Backyard appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Many Older People Maintain and Even Gain Cognitive Skills

Scientific American

Contrary to stereotypes of the doddering elderly, research shows that half of people older than age 70 stay mentally sharp

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Most climate policies do little to prevent climate change

New Scientist

An analysis of 1500 climate policies in 41 countries has found that a slim minority have led to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, with most policies being too specifically targeted to make a substantial difference

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New Federal Report Details More of 2023’s Extreme Climate Conditions

Inside Climate News

Some indicators, including “super-marine heatwaves,” may suggest a major shift in the global climate system. By Bob Berwyn Last year was already one for the climate record books, but a new report from the American Meteorological Society is adding to that already substantial list.

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Statement on Upcoming Ontario Electricity Procurement that Includes Polluting Gas Power

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today’s announcement by Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is a significant and shocking reversal on electricity planning in Ontario. By opening the LT2 procurement to natural gas, Minister Lecce is walking back the terms of the original procurement, which focused on 2000 MW of electricity generation from wind

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Electric School Buses: The Best Choice for Our Kids and Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

The iconic yellow school bus is a familiar sight on our streets no matter where you live in the US, transporting millions of kids safely to and from school every day. While the color of school buses is still the same old yellow that it was when I was going to elementary school, there’s been a lot of changes going on under the hood recently. It turns out school buses are at the leading edge of the transition to electric heavy-duty vehicles.