February, 2024

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Rain Comes to the Arctic, With a Cascade of Troubling Changes

Yale E360

Rain used to be rare in the Arctic, but as the region warms, so-called “rain-on-snow events” are becoming more common. The rains accelerate ice loss, trigger flooding, landslides, and avalanches, and create problems for wildlife and the Indigenous people who depend on them.

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New study suggests the Atlantic overturning circulation AMOC “is on tipping course”

Real Climate

A new paper was published in Science Advances today. Its title says what it is about: “Physics-based early warning signal shows that AMOC is on tipping course.” The study follows one by Danish colleagues which made headlines last July, likewise looking for early warning signals for approaching an AMOC tipping point (we discussed it here ), but using rather different data and methods.

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Investing in Public Transit Is Investing in Public Health

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last week, I interviewed a patient who was hospitalized for severe and persistent asthma attacks. Ms. S had been perfectly healthy until her respiratory symptoms commenced one year ago. She described her struggle to breathe on her worst days as feeling as though “an elephant was sitting on her chest.” I asked about smoking history and exposure to any potential indoor irritants (i.e. dust, mold), all of which she denied.

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Covid-19 vaccines seem to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes

New Scientist

Many covid-19 vaccines occasionally cause side effects such as blood clots or heart inflammation, but, overall, they appear to be beneficial in preventing heart and circulatory conditions

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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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Flimsy Antiabortion Studies Cited in Case to Ban Mifepristone Are Retracted

Scientific American

Outside experts found that two studies cited in a federal case on medication abortion had serious design problems and that their authors had undisclosed conflicts of interest

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Extreme Climate Impacts From Collapse of a Key Atlantic Ocean Current Could be Worse Than Expected, a New Study Warns

Inside Climate News

Disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current could freeze Europe, scorch the tropics and increase sea level rise in the North Atlantic. The tipping point may be closer than predicted in the IPCC’s latest assessment. By Bob Berwyn A new study affirms that a critical system of Atlantic Ocean currents that shunt warm and cold water between the poles is “on course” to a tipping point.

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More Trending

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One of the World’s Rarest Whales

Ocean Conservancy

Each year we discover new species on land and at sea. In 2023, more than 5,000 new deep-sea species were discovered in a large area between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific. Defying all biological norms, recently discovered Antarctic strawberry-feather star species can have more than 20 arms. Jumping size brackets, in 2019 a new species called Sato’s beaked whales was identified in the North Pacific , and in 2021, the 40-foot-long Rice’s whale was formally recognized in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Environmental and Labour Groups Join Forces to Demand the Federal Government Expedite Sustainable Jobs Bill

Enviromental Defense

BLUE GREEN CANADA, CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES, CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS, CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK CANADA, THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANS, DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION, ECOJUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, ÉQUITERRE, IRON + EARTH, PEMBINA INSTITUTE, 350.org In a letter sent earlier today, twelve major climate and labour organizations called on Prime Minister Trudeau, Natural Resources Minister Wilkinson, and all parties’ House Leaders to expedite the passage of Bill C-50, the Sustainable Jobs Act,

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First gene-edited meat will come from disease-proof CRISPR pigs

New Scientist

Pigs that have been given genetically engineered immunity to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, a major and costly disease, could be on the market within two years

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Could Neanderthals Make Art?

Scientific American

Scientists are finding ever-earlier examples of artistic expression in the archaeological record that reshape what we know about the abilities of Neanderthals and other archaic humans

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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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New Research from Antarctica Affirms The Threat of the ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ But Funding to Keep Studying it Is Running Out

Inside Climate News

In a worst case scenario, rising global temperatures and marine heatwaves could melt enough of the Thwaites Glacier and other Antarctic ice to raise sea levels 10 feet by the early 2100s. By Bob Berwyn When he saw the 75-mile wide ice front of the remote Thwaites Glacier looming out of the Amundsen Sea for the first time in 2019, ice researcher James Kirkham felt a sense of foreboding.

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As Use of AI Soars, So Does the Energy and Water It Requires

Yale E360

Generative artificial intelligence uses massive amounts of energy for computation and data storage and billions of gallons of water to cool the equipment at data centers. Now, legislators and regulators — in the U.S. and the EU — are starting to demand accountability.

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Restoring Landscapes: Cairngorms Connect – a wild landscape in the making

The Applied Ecologist

In this new series, we hope to promote knowledge exchange in restoration and invite restoration practitioners to share their stories: successes, failures, implementation of learnings from other places and anything in between! To kick off the series, Sydney Henderson and Dr Pip Gullett share their story from Cairngorms Connect.

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Citizen Complaint Leads DEP To Breakout Of Mariner East Pipeline Drilling Mud That Contaminated The Lake At Marsh Creek State Park, Chester County; Sunoco Pipeline Starts Cleanup

PA Environment Daily

In response to a citizen complaint on February 15, DEP inspected a tributary that feeds the lake at Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County on February 16 and found a clay-like material contaminating the stream and a portion of the nearby wetlands. DEP’s inspection report said the area is the same location where a sinkhole developed and an “inadvertent return” of drilling mud used in the construction of the Energy Transfer/Sunoco Mariner East Pipeline occurred in August 2020.

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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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AIs get better at maths if you tell them to pretend to be in Star Trek

New Scientist

Chatbots vary their answers depending on the exact wording used to prompt them, and now it seems that asking an AI to answer as if it were a Star Trek captain boosts its mathematical ability

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Embattled Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins $1 Million in Defamation Lawsuit

Scientific American

Michael Mann secured a win in his legal battle against conservative bloggers who said the climatologist “molested and tortured data” and compared him to a convicted child abuser

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Indigenous and Environmental Groups Denounce Government Inaction on First Anniversary of Imperial Oil Tailings Disaster

Enviromental Defense

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE, KEEPERS OF THE WATER Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – A year ago, news broke that Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine had been leaking toxic industrial wastewater for over nine months while keeping local Indigenous communities in the dark. The public only learned about the leak after a subsequent spill at the same facility, which released 5.3 million litres of industrial waste into the environment.

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What Will It Take to Save Our Cities from a Scorching Future?

Yale E360

The U.N. named Eleni Myrivili its first-ever global chief heat officer based on her record as a city official in Athens. In an e360 interview, she talks about why extreme heat is a health crisis and what cities must do to protect the most vulnerable from rising temperatures.

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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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Bed or breakfast? Roe deer balance food and safety according to crop phenology

The Applied Ecologist

Noa Rigoudy and co-authors talk us through their latest work, highlighting how behavioural adjustment may buffer the consequences of the reduction in natural habitats that accompanies intensification of agricultural production. This has implications for understanding how agricultural practices shape the food-safety trade-off of wildlife living in these highly modified landscapes.

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100+ New Species Discovered in the Deep Sea

Ocean Conservancy

If you need proof that there is still plenty to discover in our ocean, look no further than the recent deep-sea expedition in South America. In January 2024, a group of scientists boarded Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) to explore underwater mountain ranges off of Chile’s coast. The team, led by Dr. Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte, wanted to understand the biodiversity of these little-explored seamounts.

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ADHD may have evolved to help foragers know when to cut their losses

New Scientist

Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as impulsivity, may have helped foragers in hunter-gatherer communities quickly move on to new areas when food sources were low

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Space Lasers Will Seek a New Kind of Gravitational Waves

Scientific American

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will open a new era in astronomy that brings scientists to the brink of studying gravitational waves from the beginning of time

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Couples therapy – let’s fix our relationship with the financial sector

Enviromental Defense

Roses are red, violets are blue. I love climate-aligned financial regulations, and you should too. You have a relationship with your bank and pension, but the way they are managing your money might not be in the best interest of you or the climate. Maybe it’s started to grind your gears. This Valentine’s Day, we ask: how can we fix the broken relationship between financial institutions and climate action, so you can feel good about your bank again?

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How a Solar Revolution in Farming Is Depleting World’s Groundwater

Yale E360

Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up aquifers around the globe.

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‘Nobody Really Knows What You’re Supposed to Do’: Leaking, Abandoned Wells Wreak Havoc in West Texas 

Inside Climate News

A recent well blow-out in West Texas highlights the challenges of finding and plugging thousands of wells across the state. By Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News and Carlos Nogueras, Texas Tribune IMPERIAL, Texas—Mounds of dirt towered over Bill Wight, who stared helplessly at the piles that had once been pasture for his cattle.

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Microplastics in Protein Products Concerns All Consumers

Ocean Conservancy

This blog was written by Hannah De Frond, Ocean Conservancy Consultant and International Trash Trap Network Coordinator and Madeleine Milne, Ocean Conservancy Consultant and University of Toronto Graduate Student. Factors like price, packaging and health value often influence what products people choose when walking down the aisle of a grocery store.

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Nuclear fusion reaction releases almost twice the energy put in

New Scientist

The US National Ignition Facility has achieved even higher energy yields since breaking even for the first time in 2022, but a practical fusion reactor is still a long way off

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If the Atlantic Ocean Loses Circulation, What Happens Next?

Scientific American

Researchers found that if melting glaciers shut down the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation pattern, the global climate could see major changes within just 100 years

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Welcoming our 2024 Associate Editor Mentees!

The Applied Ecologist

Journal of Applied Ecology offers a two-year mentoring opportunity for early career researchers to gain experience of the Associate Editor role. Each mentee works with one of our five Senior Editors, who act as a mentor, as well as receives on-going support from the Editorial Office.

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World Wetlands Day: A Call to Action for U.S. Wetlands Preservation

NRDC

Today marks World Wetlands Day, a day to celebrate wetlands' vital role in our lives. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Sackett v. EPA , wetlands are now at risk.

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Chemours and DuPont Knew About Risks But Kept Making Toxic PFAS Chemicals, UN Human Rights Advisors Conclude

Inside Climate News

A UN human rights panel calls on the UN Environment Assembly to take on “forever chemicals” at a meeting in Nairobi, citing a North Carolina PFAS plant as an example of environmental negligence. By James Bruggers In advance of a United Nations meeting next week where pollution is on the agenda, a U.N. human rights team has called out a PFAS manufacturing plant in North Carolina as a poster child for irresponsible behavior.

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Four New Octopus Species Discovered off Costa Rica

Ocean Conservancy

Did you know that more than 80% of our ocean is still unexplored? Scientists have made massive progress in marine exploration in the past century, yet there is still so much more we have to learn about our ocean. An ink-credible incidental discovery made in 2023 is a prime example of this. Want to learn more about ocean animals? Sign up to receive our emails.

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Dishabituation: How to trick your brain to find more joy in life

New Scientist

Learning a psychological trick to overcome your brain's tendency to stop noticing things could help you love your old clothes, notice the effects of climate change and fix gender biases, says neuroscientist Tali Sharot