June, 2024

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Sea Level Rise is Already Threatening Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

In an era when massive heat domes blanket large swaths of continents for days, wildfires burn through areas the size of small countries, and hurricanes regularly push the limits of what we once thought possible, sea level rise can seem like extreme weather’s low-key cousin. But with estimates suggesting that sea level rise will affect more than one billion people around the world in the next 25 years, this is one member of the dysfunctional climate change family that shouldn’t be ignored.

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Record amount of water from 2022 Tonga eruption is still in atmosphere

New Scientist

Millions of tonnes of water vapour have been lingering in the atmosphere since the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted in 2022– possibly contributing to global warming

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Passage of Bill 185 Undermines the Integrity of all Future Development Approvals Outside Existing Built up Areas

Enviromental Defense

“Third party” appeals limited to polluters, airports, and aggregate pits Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Bill 185 effectively ends meaningful, independent oversight of development approvals outside existing built up areas.

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Voyager 1 Is Back! NASA Spacecraft Safely Resumes All Science Observations

Scientific American

NASA’s venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft has resumed normal science operations with all four functioning instruments for the first time in more than six months

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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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Billions of Gallons of Freshwater Are Dumped at Florida’s Coasts. Environmentalists Want That Water in the Everglades

Inside Climate News

Environmental groups want to use engineered wetlands to help replenish the river of grass and address toxic algae. The state’s politically powerful sugar growers say those wetlands are for their own polluted water. By Amy Green Scattered between the vast sugar cane and vegetable fields of Florida’s heartland and the fragile marshes of the Everglades are a series of wetlands, resembling nature but hardly natural, that together represent the largest experiment of its kind in the world.

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Announcing Ocean Conservancy’s 2024 Photo Contest Winners

Ocean Conservancy

I’m honored to announce the winners of Ocean Conservancy’s 2024 Photo Contest. This year we received hundreds of beautiful, inspiring and heartbreaking photo submissions. And I’m so grateful for every photographer who sent in their images and the record-breaking number of voters like you who helped pick our category winners. This year, we decided to let the Ocean Conservancy team get in on the fun, too.

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Atoms at temperatures beyond absolute zero may be a new form of matter

New Scientist

Physicists have coaxed a cloud of atoms into having a temperature beyond absolute zero and placed them in a geometric structure that could produce an unknown form of matter

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STATEMENT: Pathways Alliance Scrubbing its Web and Social Media Presence in Response to Bill C-59

Enviromental Defense

Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager Montréal/Tiohtià:ke | Traditional, unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation, a gathering place for many First Nations, including the Anishinaabeg – Late last night, the Pathways Alliance scrubbed its website and social media in response to the passage of Bill C-59. This bill includes measures that help the Competition Bureau crack down on greenwashing by requiring companies to back up their environmental claims with solid

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Sabin Center Files Amicus Brief Supporting New York City’s Motion to Appeal in Local Law 97 Case

Law Columbia

On June 20 th , 2024, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief in support of the City of New York’s Motion for Leave to Appeal to the New York State Court of Appeals in Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc., et al. v. City of New York. Glen Oaks – a 2022 lawsuit brought by a group of cooperative apartment owners – sought to invalidate Local Law 97 of 2019 , New York City’s building performance standard aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the City’s largest buildings.

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Out of Site, Out of Mind? New Study Finds Missing Apex Predators Are Too Often Neglected in Ecological Research

Inside Climate News

Using gray wolves in the American West as a case study, new research shows scientists often fail to recognize the “shifting ecological baseline” regarding apex predators in their work. By Bing Lin Change the world slowly enough, and even scientists can turn into something like the proverbial frogs in a saucepan, unaware that they are gradually starting to boil.

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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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The Mysterious World of Pyrosomes

Ocean Conservancy

“Sea pickles,” “sea worms,” “fire bodies”— these are just a few of the wacky nicknames for one of our ocean’s most mysterious creatures: pyrosomes. Pyrosomes (Family Pyrosomatidae) may look like bizarre jellyfish at first glance, but these quirky critters are uniquely beautiful and play an important role in our ocean’s ecosystems and food web. Name The name “pyrosome” comes from the Greek words for fire (pyro) and body (soma).

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Congress Could Save $100B and Make Us Safer by Cancelling Sentinel

Union of Concerned Scientists

Next month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin must justify to Congress a 37% cost overrun in the Pentagon’s project to replace every nuclear missile in the land-based leg of the nuclear triad. He should make us all safer – and save the US public upwards of $100 billion – by cancelling the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. What cost overrun?

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Is the world's biggest fusion experiment dead after new delay to 2035?

New Scientist

ITER, a €20 billion nuclear fusion reactor under construction in France, will now not switch on until 2035 - a delay of 10 years. With smaller commercial fusion efforts on the rise, is it worth continuing with this gargantuan project?

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STATEMENT: Big Oil’s testimony on emissions reduction misses the big picture 

Enviromental Defense

Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Energy Transition Program Manager Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – At today’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI), Members of Parliament grilled the fossil fuel industry about their climate pollution. The oil and gas CEOs tried to deflect responsibility for their massive greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), but the writing is on the wall for these Climate Villains: you can’t ma

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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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Finding Light in Dark Places: Specific Obligations for Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Mitigation

Law Columbia

Can the new advisory opinion interpreting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) move us beyond the lethargy of unmet climate change policy needs ? The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (the Tribunal, ITLOS) established the gravity of this question by stating that “climate change represents an existential threat and raises human rights concerns” (para. 66).

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Will the Lightning Bug Show Go On?

Inside Climate News

Climate change poses a more serious threat to firefly populations than previously thought, researchers have found. By Kiley Bense Every year in late June, Peggy Butler and her husband, Ken, welcome visitors to rural northwestern Pennsylvania for the chance to glimpse the rare and beguiling Photinus carolinus. This firefly species flashes synchronously, creating dazzling spectacles of light.

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Four Animals That Live in the Dunes

Ocean Conservancy

Many beachgoers are familiar with the rolling, sandy landscape created by coastal dunes. But do you know about all the animals that inhabit the dunes? Let’s review some facts about dunes and dive into some of their most famous residents. Never miss an update Enter your email and never miss an update Sorry, but we failed to add you to the list. Please try again or contact 1.888.780.6763 Enter Your Email.loading Thanks for signing up for Ocean Conservancy emails.

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CA Climate Bond Must Invest in Resilient Food & Farming Infrastructure

NRDC

In the coming days, the Senate and Assembly must work together to craft a climate bond that includes substantial investments in food and farming infrastructure.

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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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Forests may grow more slowly than expected as CO2 levels rise

New Scientist

Rising CO2 levels will spur the growth of forests, which store carbon, but an experiment suggests this effect could be restricted by the availability of phosphorus in the soil

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Statement: Federal Government Provides Massive Subsidy to LNG

Enviromental Defense

Statement by Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Yesterday crown corporation Export Development Canada confirmed it will provide $500 million for Cedar LNG. This move contradicts the federal government’s commitment to the Canadian public about ending the use of public money to fund fossil fuels.

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Book review: Cultivated Meat to Secure Our Future

A Greener Life

By Jeremy Williams It’s a tricky time to be writing about food sustainability. The issue seems to be strangely divisive at the moment. On one side are those who see our future needs being met through small-scale organic farming. On the other are those who see no way to produce enough for all the world’s population that way, and are open to more technological solutions.

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0524--cumulative

Scientific American

The advent of “cumulative culture”—teaching others and passing down that knowledge—may have reached an inflection point around the time Neandertals and modern humans split from a common ancestor

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Florida’s Daunting 2024 Hurricane Forecast

Ocean Conservancy

We are officially within the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season here in the United States, and just a couple weeks ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its forecast for this year’s season. The outlook will blow you away. NOAA , which houses the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center, predicts there is an 85% chance the 2024 season will be “ above normal ,” thanks to near- record-high ocean temperatures and the onset of La Niña.

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When Customers and Investors Demand Corporate Sustainability

NRDC

Through shareholder resolutions, letters, and activism, consumers and shareholders can push companies to clean up supply chains—and their reputations.

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Sweetener xylitol linked to higher risk of heart attacks and strokes

New Scientist

People who had higher levels of xylitol in their blood were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next three years, with lab experiments suggesting the sweetener promotes blood clotting

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Swift Parrots and the Heartbreak of Rare Species

Cool Green Science

Is it wrong for wildlife watchers to seek out a species because we fear its extinction? The post Swift Parrots and the Heartbreak of Rare Species appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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House Hearing: Penn State Center For Dirt & Gravel Road Studies Says Road Spreading Oil & Gas Wastewater Is Not An Effective Dust Suppressant, Does Not Meet Environmental Testing Standards

PA Environment Daily

On June 10, Eric Chase, Assistant Teaching Professor and Assistant Director of the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies said road spreading oil and gas wastewater is “not effective at suppressing dust and pose potential environmental harm and due to high levels of chloride and radium would not pass the testing requirements to be eligible for Program funds.

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Converting Offices to Apartments Gives Empty Buildings a New Lease on Life

Scientific American

Employees are working remotely, and office buildings are standing empty, inspiring some cities to work through the challenges of converting these structures into new apartments

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Indigenous science has a lot to contribute to ecology

The Applied Ecologist

Martin Nuñez is a Senior Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology. He is also a Professor at Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina, as well as a researcher at CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council), Argentina. Martin’s research interests include biological invasions, conservation, mycorrhizal ecology and forestry. In this blog post, he shares his experience at the 2024 Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference.

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Despite Temper Tantrum, Youngkin Cannot Reverse Va's Climate Progress

NRDC

Youngkin's Latest, Senseless Attack on a Keystone Climate Law, Clean Cars, Like His Attack on RGGI, Is Divorced from the Facts and the Law, and Will Not Stand

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Cloud geoengineering could push heatwaves from US to Europe

New Scientist

Climate models suggest that a possible scheme to cool the western US by making clouds brighter could work under current conditions, but may have severe unintended consequences in a future scenario

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The Problems with Liquefied Natural Gas

Ocean Conservancy

With more than 90% of global trade moving by ocean transport, maritime shipping is a major driver of the world economy. However, shipping has a serious pollution problem that threatens our climate, communities and the marine environment. If we are to avert climate catastrophe, the shipping sector must immediately begin to eliminate the 1 billion-plus metric tons of greenhouse gases it emits every year.

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Allegheny County Conservation District Celebrates Completion Of Rain Gardens To Manage Stormwater, Enhance Biodiversity In Findlay Township

PA Environment Daily

The Allegheny County Conservation District , Findlay Township and Montour Run Watershed Association celebrated the completion of the Findlay Township Activity Center Rain Gardens at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25, 2024. This project represents a step forward in managing stormwater, enhancing biodiversity and promoting environmental stewardship.