April, 2025

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Why the Climate Accountability Act Matters to Me—and Wisconsin 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last month, I was invited to speak at a press conference alongside Wisconsinites from across the state for the launch of the Climate Accountability Act. At just sixty words, its a simple but powerful bill with the potential to make our communities healthier, advance racial equity, and drive our state’s economy forward: In the 2025-26 legislative session, the legislature shall pass legislation creating a viable plan to reduce carbon emissions in this state by 52 percent by 2030 and creating

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Field Notes from India: Climate Adaptation from the Ground Up

Legal Planet

Climate educators from SEWA explaining solar power for salt gathering (L) and skylights that cool the interior of a house (R). Photos by Jim Salzman I spent last week in New Delhi, participating in the conference, India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future. Academics, civil society, and government officials were divided into groups focusing on science, health, labor, and the built environment.

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Alaska Communities Struggle for Baseline Water Data Amid Climate Uncertainty

Circle of Blue

This story was originally published by the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. Homes and a fisher on the Kenai River. Photo: Christian Thorsberg Seldovia, Alaska a quintessential sleepy fishing town on the southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula starts to wake up around late May. By then, the first salmon are running. Water taxis come and go. Fishing charters fill.

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A Grim Signal: Atmospheric CO2 Soared in 2024

Inside Climate News

Scientists are worried because they cant fully explain the big jump, but they think it might mean that carbon absorption by forests, fields and wetlands is slowing downa major problem for the world. By Bob Berwyn The latest anomaly in the climate system that cant be fully explained by researchers is a record annual jump in the global mean concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere measured in 2024.

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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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Ford Government Backtracks on Promise to Require EA for Proposed Dresden Dump

Enviromental Defense

Statement by Rebecca Kolarich, Water program manager Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Its shameful that the Ford government is backpedaling on its promise to protect the Sydenham River and surrounding communities from York1’s proposed Dresden Dump. If passed, Bill 5 would remove environmental assessment requirements from the site and cause devastating impacts to the Sydenham River’s most s

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In the Midwest, Herbicide Drift Quietly Undermines Tree Health

Yale E360

Researchers are starting to pay closer attention to the widespread damage wrought by agricultural herbicides. Drifting sprays may not kill trees, shrubs, and other nontarget plants outright, but experts believe they are making them vulnerable to insects, fungi, and disease.

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Wildfire Liability in California: A Primer 

Legal Planet

The fires in L.A. have put litigation over wildfires on the front page and spotlighted Californias unique approach. But such litigation isnt new. In 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy because of billions of dollars of potential liability from fires the previous summer. The firm was faced with 750 lawsuits, ultimately entering a $13.5 billion settlement.

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Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis at Our Ocean 2025

Ocean Conservancy

The Sea and the Butterfly by Kim Kirim No one told him about the waters depth. The white butterfly did not know how to fear the sea. Thinking it to be a field of blue radish leaves, he floated down. Young wings ended up pickled in the waves, Then he returned, tired like a princess. No flower blossomed on the sea of Marchs moon.

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‘Deep Change Theory’ Could Pull Us Out of a Global Climate and Pollution Crisis, Scientists Say

Inside Climate News

A new U.N. report maps a path toward a more sustainable future and challenges society to question basic assumptions and values about the environment, consumption and waste. By Bob Berwyn A team of international researchers published a new U.N. report Wednesday that adds to the rising scientific call for transformative societal and economic changes to staunch critical environmental threats like global warming, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.

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Proposed Massive Carbon Capture Hub Puts Alberta’s Water and Farmland At Risk

Enviromental Defense

This blog is co-written by Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate at Environmental Defence Canada, and James Hannay, Policy Assistant at the National Farmers Union. There has been a lot of talk about a massive carbon capture and storage hub being proposed by the Pathways Alliance in Northern Alberta. It would be one of the largest projects of its type in the world.

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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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In the Amazon, River Dwellers Fight to Restore a Way of Life

Yale E360

Indigenous communities that rely on the natural flow of the Xingu River have long fought the Belo Monte dam in northern Brazil. With the dam now up for relicensing, they are urging the government to consider their own flow-release plan, which aims to restore the rivers health.

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FIRO to Avoid Water FOMO: How to Save Every Drop with Smart Reservoir Operations in California

Union of Concerned Scientists

Happy Water Week ! Have you ever seen the Sierra Nevada of California from the San Joaquin Valley in the early spring on a clear day? When the Sierra has snow and the air quality allows us to see it from here, that view is second to none. Every year at this time when I look at the Sierra from the Valley, I know if I see little snow, it means its a dry year.

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Touched by the Keeling Curve

Legal Planet

Graphic: Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego Teaching the climate change unit last week in my International Environmental Law and Policy class, I found myself so moved that I started crying at the board. My poor students thought I was in distress.I was simply telling the story of the Keeling Curve.Thats a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration devised by Charles Keeling and taken from the Mauna Loa Observatory on Hawaii every day starting in 1958.

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New Report: Role Of Community-Based Watershed Organizations In Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Mine Drainage Treatment In Pennsylvania - Barriers & Recommendations

PA Environment Daily

The PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers and its partners just released a final report on the historic role community-based watershed organizations have played in abandoned mine reclamation and mine drainage treatment in Pennsylvania. The report highlights the challenges they face, and the conditions and support necessary to ensure meaningful, practical, sustained watershed organization engagement in the acceleration of AMD remediation in Pennsylvania and its long-term benefits for water qu

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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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What determines the rarity of large carnivores in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia?

The Applied Ecologist

Asfaw et al. investigate the presence of large carnivores in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia and share their experience. Populations of large carnivores have been declining in Ethiopia for many years due to a range of factors including reduced prey populations, pressure from neighbouring human settlements, habitat fragmentation and loss, and low political interest in conservation.

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Upcoming Greenbelt Plan Review Needs Clear Guardrails

Enviromental Defense

Recent findings from Ontarios Integrity Commissioner are a timely reminder of why we need to place clear guardrails in this years legally mandated review of the Greenbelt Plan. Without strict terms of reference that forbid removal of current Greenbelt land or weakening of its current protections, Ontarians have reason to worry the review process will be little more than a new way to enable the same kinds of land-swaps that were the subject of the scathing Auditor Generals report and which remain

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Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?

Yale E360

As interest in nuclear power rises, startups are pursuing plans to recycle spent fuel and reuse its untapped energy to power reactors. Advocates tout new recycling methods as a breakthrough, but many experts warn it will extract plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons.

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California’s Push to Close the EV Battery Loop

Union of Concerned Scientists

Electric vehicle (EV) sales are increasing , and these vehicles are important to reduce fossil fuel use and air pollution. Increasing sales means more EVs eventually reaching their end of useful life. When an EV retires, the battery can be recycled and the materials recovered to make new batteries. These recovered materials replace what would otherwise be mined, which lessens the environmental and social impact of production.

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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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What Should You Do For Earth Day? Get On The Phones

Legal Planet

Politics matters. A lot. This assertion might strike as the epitome of obviousness, but when it comes to Earth Day, there is a tendency to get away from the hard work of blocking and tackling and more toward thinking about Our Relationship With The Earth on a conceptual level. At this point, I’m sick of concepts. No Administration has ever threatened the planet more than this one; together with a Supreme Court that often seems devoting to destroying environmental law, that puts defenders o

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Little Juniata River Association Organized 150 Volunteers To Clean Up 20 Miles Of River Banks In Blair, Huntingdon Counties

PA Environment Daily

The Little Juniata River Association held its 20th Annual River Bank Clean Up on April 12 that attracted 150 volunteers to clean up 20 miles of river banks from Barrie, Huntingdon County to Altoona, Blair County. Volunteers collected between 4-6 tons of litter along the roads and areas near the river- everything from TVs, plastic, chairs, tires, and food packaging.

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Field Diaries: A PhD Student’s Journey into Waterfowl Research

The Applied Ecologist

In our ‘Field Diaries’ series, The Applied Ecologist is sharing stories from a range of different fieldwork experiences. In this post, Cassidy Waldrep shares her story working with waterfowl across the Atlantic Flyway. In the waterfowl world, many biologists grow up with a love for ducks and geese, some having hunted since they could walk.

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New polling confirms people in Canada support action on plastics, forever chemicals

Enviromental Defense

86 per cent support the Government of Canada stepping in to stop plastic pollution both at home and around the world with international allies Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat A survey commissioned by Environmental Defence and conducted by Abacus Research between April 14 and 16, 2025 reconfirms that people across Canada overwhelmingly support action from the federal government to tackle plastic pollution an

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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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Global Economy More Vulnerable to Warming Than Previously Thought

Yale E360

A new study finds warming could inflict far more damage to the global economy than previously assumed.

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7 Things to Know About Burning Hydrogen in Gas Plants: An H2 FAQ 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Gas-fired power plants are the largest source of heat-trapping carbon pollution from the US power sector. They also bring with them a host of other problems for people and communities. A flurry of new gas power plant proposals threatens to exacerbate these problems. Some gas plant developers and their backers are talk ing up the prospect of burning hydrogen in the plants as a way to address carbon pollution and keep the plants from becoming irrelevant as we make the necessary transition to a low

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The California ESA and habitat protection

Legal Planet

Following up on my prior post about the proposed changes to the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations that protect against habitat modification, what might California do to protect the species within its border? California currently has 140 federally listed animal species, and 182 federally listed plant species, 19% of the 1684 species listed under the ESA in the United States.

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Release: New bill introduced in the US House and Senate proposes bipartisan solution to the farmland access crisis

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Laura Zaks, Associate Director of Communications and Development Tel: 347.563.6408 Email: press@sustainableagriculture.net Release: New bill introduced in the US House and Senate proposes bipartisan solution to the farmland access crisis Washington, DC, April 1, 2025 Today, the bipartisan New Producer Economic Security Act was introduced in the U.S.

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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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DCED Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owner Advisory Group Meets April 24 To Discuss Disposal Options For Wastewater; Updates On Well Plugging, New Methane Reduction Program

PA Environment Daily

The DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on April 24 to discuss conventional oil and gas well wastewater disposal options as well as hear updates on DEPs well plugging and new methane reduction programs. At the last meeting of the Council in December, Kurt Klapkowski, DEP Deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas Management, said Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley directed DEP executive staff to form an internal work group to develop a strong scientifically-based posi

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Proposal to Expand “Strong Mayor” Powers for 169 Towns Raises Serious Concerns

Enviromental Defense

Ontarios government is proposing a new law that would give Mayors in 169 small towns and villages Strong Mayor powers. This law could lead to widespread corruption, continued housing shortages, and the destruction of the provinces remaining farmland. The laws proposed amendments to Municipal Act regulations, which would take effect May 1, would wipe out many of the checks and balances that have helped to insulate small towns in Ontario from many forms of corruption.

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To Help Growers and the Grid, Build Solar on Farmland, Research Says

Yale E360

Two new studies suggest that devoting a small fraction of U.S. farmland to solar power would be a boon both for the energy system and for farmers themselves.

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New Study Projects Climate-Driven Flooding for Thousands of New Jersey Homes

Inside Climate News

Sea-level rise threatens coastal communities even if global emissions drop. By Jon Hurdle Some 62,000 people and 56,000 homes on and near the New Jersey Shore will see at least one annual flood because of sea-level rise by 2050, even if the world makes sweeping cuts to carbon emissions now, according to a new online tool released Wednesday by Climate Central, a New Jersey-based research and advocacy nonprofit.

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Hunting Methane Using Satellites

Legal Planet

A stream of data about methanea potent greenhouse gasis now constantly being beamed down from space. New methane satellites provide a powerful data capability for governments who want to demonstrate leadership in climate policy. To equip policymakers with necessary information on satellite methane data, UC Berkeley Laws Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE), the UCLA Law Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment are releasing a guide for policymakers, Hunting Methane Usi