Sat.Aug 06, 2022 - Fri.Aug 12, 2022

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‘A Tsunami of Human Waste’: Half of South Africa’s Sewage Treatment Works Are Failing, Says Report

Circle of Blue

A critically failing sewage works in Springbok in the Northern Cape is one of 334 in the country which obtained a Green Drop score of 30% or less. The cause of the failure was not investigated but is typical of broader municipal service failures. Photo © Steve Kretzmann / CCIJ. By Steve Kretzmann, CCIJ — July 9, 2022. Data visualizations by Yuxi Wang.

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Report: Recycling Rate Can Be Boosted with Minimal Investment and Existing Infrastructure

Environment + Energy Leader

The Association of Plastic Recyclers found that US plastic recyclers could increase the recycling rate with minimal additional investment and using existing processing infrastructure in the US. The post Report: Recycling Rate Can Be Boosted with Minimal Investment and Existing Infrastructure appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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River Cleanups Move to the Next Level Using Grasses and Oysters

Yale E360

In the Delaware River and other waterways and estuaries across the United States, scientists and conservationists are restoring aquatic vegetation and beds of mussels and oysters to fight pollution and create a strong foundation for healthy ecosystems. Read more on E360 ?.

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Ask a Scientist: ‘Danger Season’ Summers Disproportionately Harm Disadvantaged Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

Climate scientists at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) have dubbed the six-month stretch from May through October the “ Danger Season.” It’s an apt description of what has been happening worldwide during increasingly extended summers: sweltering heat, wildfires and chronic drought in some places, and supercharged hurricanes and devastating floods in others.

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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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Two Generations and $70 Million Later, Muskegon Lake Is Restored

Circle of Blue

Cleared of pollution and debris, Muskegon again sees lake as a virtue. Pictured on the left prior to restoration in 2018, the Lower Muskegon River site reconnected 53 acres of natural floodplain wetlands to the Muskegon River, a tributary of Muskegon Lake. The restoration was completed in 2021, pictured on the right, after the removal of a historic farm dike and restoration of the wetland area.

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Virginia Ritz-Carlton Achieves 100% Food Waste Circularity

Environment + Energy Leader

The Ritz Carlton in Arlington, VA has closed the loop on food waste. The hotel, along with BioGreen360 and Garick, announced the successful 12-month collaboration that has resulted in the development of a 100% circular food waste solution for the hotel. The post Virginia Ritz-Carlton Achieves 100% Food Waste Circularity appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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A Great Day for Climate Policy

Legal Planet

We all have something to celebrate today. Here’s a 3-minute video explainer. Download as PDF. The post A Great Day for Climate Policy appeared first on Legal Planet.

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Speaking of Water: Climatologist Curtis Riganti Discusses the US Drought Monitor

Circle of Blue

of Water. Curtis Riganti, climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center, speaks with Delaney Nelson, Circle of Blue reporting intern, about the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map. Transcript. Eileen Wray-McCann: Welcome to Speaking of Water, from Circle of Blue, where we discussions of vital water topics that often flow beneath the headlines.

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Quintis Increases Sustainable Sandalwood Supply

Environment + Energy Leader

Quintis Sandalwood is establishing new sandalwood plantations on previously harvested land and is set to increase Australia’s long-term endangered Indian sandalwood supply. The post Quintis Increases Sustainable Sandalwood Supply appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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A Summer of Arctic Melting Hits Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago

Yale E360

Elevated temperatures in the Arctic, which caused massive melting of the Greenland ice sheet during a three-day period in July, also have touched off rapid glacial melting in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago. Read more on E360 ?.

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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 Inflation Reduction Act and the Sequencing of Climate Policy

Legal Planet

The Inflation Reduction Act would be, if enacted, the biggest piece of climate legislation that the U.S. Congress has ever passed. As such, it’s gotten a fair amount of coverage attempting to put it into context for the broader scope of climate policy in the U.S. and globally – in particular, this article in Slate and this article in the New York Times both talk about how the IRA embraces the approach of using subsidies and industrial policy to advance climate goals, and the implications of tha

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Dry: A Weekly Western Drought Digest — August 9, 2022

Circle of Blue

© J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue. By Delaney Nelson, Circle of Blue – August 9, 2022. The American West is experiencing its most severe drought in 1,200 years. The consequences are far-reaching and long lasting. Forests become tinder boxes. Hydropower is weakened. Human health and wildlife is threatened. . Each week, Circle of Blue breaks down the biggest stories, the latest data, and the most promising solutions to the United States’ most urgent water crisis.

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City of Reno to Use Advanced Technology to Meet Carbon Reduction Goals

Environment + Energy Leader

The City of Reno and Washoe County has expanded their partnership with nZero to reach the area’s climate goals. The post City of Reno to Use Advanced Technology to Meet Carbon Reduction Goals appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Massachusetts Passes Climate Bill Focused on Clean Energy and Offshore Wind

Law and Environment

Governor Baker signed the climate bill ( H.5060 ), titled An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law on Thursday August 11, 2022. The act combines and modifies provisions from the House’s proposed offshore wind bill (H.4524) and the Senate’s proposed omnibus climate bill (S.2819). The legislation covers a wide range of policy changes focused on electrifying vehicles and transit, reducing fossil fuel connections in new construction, and revamping policy related to solar, offshore win

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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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Lack of Data May Be Hiding True Extent of Biodiversity Loss

Yale E360

The number of species facing extinction may be much higher than previously thought, according to a new study. Read more on E360 ?.

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FRESH, August 9, 2022: Unmonitored Ag May Account for Majority of Lake Erie Manure Pollution

Circle of Blue

August 9, 2022. Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing , straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday. — Laura Gersony, Fresh Editor. This Week’s Watersheds. A study finds the culprit behind manure pollution in Lake Erie.

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Heavy Industries Help Drive Steady Carbon Capture Market Growth

Environment + Energy Leader

A new report says carbon capture and storage will keep growing, especially with a focus on heavy industries and government regulations. The post Heavy Industries Help Drive Steady Carbon Capture Market Growth appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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NEPA Is Still Going to Pose an Obstacle to Leasing Public Lands for Fossil Fuel Extraction

Law and Environment

Earlier this month, Chief Judge Brian Morris made clear that NEPA remains a powerful weapon against the leasing of public lands for fossil fuel extraction. It’s déjà vu all over again for the projects at issue. In 2018, Judge Morris ruled that two resource management plans (RMPs) prepared by the Bureau of Land Management concerning potential expansions of coal mines in Wyoming and Montana violated NEPA for a variety of reasons, including the failure: (1) to consider alternatives the would in

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Once Feared Extinct, a Rare Hummingbird Is Rediscovered In Colombia

Yale E360

A rare hummingbird, not seen since 2010, has been rediscovered in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. Read more on E360 ?.

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Louisiana Legacy Lawsuit Survives Motion to Dismiss

Energy & the Law

Withrow v. Chevron is another Louisiana legacy lawsuit, this one claiming that defendants Chevron and Vernon E. Faulconer, Inc., and their predecessors, improperly disposed of toxic and hazardous oilfield wastes in unlined earthen pits causing leaks, spills and other surface and subsurface damages and contaminating the soil and groundwater. Defendants’ filed a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss the whole shebang for failure to state a claim.

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Juliet Launches Boxed Wines with Sustainable Packaging

Environment + Energy Leader

Juliet is launching a new brand of sustainable boxed wines made in a facility that is certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and sold in packages crafted with recycled materials. The post Juliet Launches Boxed Wines with Sustainable Packaging appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Massachusetts Clean Energy Bill Turbocharges the Adoption of Zero Emission Vehicles and Clean Transportation

Law and Environment

Based on numerous sources, Governor Baker has now signed an Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. This bill includes a number of key advancements for increased adoption of zero emission vehicles and clean transportation throughout the Commonwealth. The law: Outlaws the sale of internal combustion vehicles by any dealership after January 1, 2035 by making it an unfair or deceptive act or practice under Chapter 93A; Increases the ZEV rebate from $2,500 to $3,500-$5,000 for passenger and li

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Making Climate Policy Work

Legal Planet

I have a new post up at JOTWELL reviewing a recent book from Danny Cullenward at the climate think-tank Carbon Plan, and Professor David Victor of UC San Diego. Their book, Making Climate Policy Work , is a terrific overview of the political and administrative weaknesses of carbon pricing as a tool for climate policy. Please check out my review at JOTWELL , and if you are intrigued, get the book!

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These are the UK supermarket items with the worst environmental impact

New Scientist

Meat, fish and cheese top the list of food products with the biggest environmental impact, in new research that points the way to widespread eco labels

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Bluesign Helps Suppliers Find Approved Chemical Products through New Search Functions

Environment + Energy Leader

New, specified search functions will help chemical suppliers and the textile industry find approved chemical products by defining “sustainable attributes” for bluesign approved chemicals. . The post Bluesign Helps Suppliers Find Approved Chemical Products through New Search Functions appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Inflation Reduction Act Aims to Propel EV and Clean Fuel Vehicle Adoption

Law and Environment

The Inflation Reduction Act looks to accelerate the adoption of clean vehicles by reforming the related tax credits in a number of key ways. Specifically, the bill does the following. Eliminates the 200,000 clean vehicles sold quota per manufacturer. Previously, Tesla, GM, and Toyota were all over the 200,000 vehicle threshold and thus ineligible for the tax credit.

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Can Wolves and Beavers Help Save the West From Global Warming?

Inside Climate News

A regional rewilding network would help capture carbon, boost water supplies and protect against flooding and drought. By Bob Berwyn Restoring and protecting beaver and wolf populations and reducing cattle grazing across large tracts of the western United States could be a big part of meeting President Joe Biden’s goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the country’s lands, lakes and rivers by 2030, a new study suggests.

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Badger social structure maintained despite selective culling

The Applied Ecologist

In their new study, Allen et al. present a case study in Northern Ireland (NI) showing how selective culling can be less disruptive to badger social structures than indiscriminate culling. This method could be an effective and more socially acceptable means of controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in wildlife.

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Maersk’s Mission to Decarbonize the Maritime Industry Remains a Challenge??

Environment + Energy Leader

In 2018, Maersk set its sights on becoming carbon neutral by 2040. To that end, it has ordered 13 new ocean-going ships using only carbon-neutral fuels. The post Maersk’s Mission to Decarbonize the Maritime Industry Remains a Challenge?? appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Traces of 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill still detectable in 2020

Frontiers

By K.E.D. Coan, science writer. Image: Breck P. Kent/Shutterstock.com. Small amounts of highly weathered oil residues from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster were still present in the surroundings ten years later, shows a new report. Crude oil is a complex mixture with many components that undergo chemical reactions in the environment. These transformed chemicals, as well as longer persisting oil products, can impact local ecosystems and a better understanding of the fates of these molecules ca

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Meet the World’s Largest Land Crab

Cool Green Science

The coconut crab can lift 60 pounds and crack coconuts. It’s also facing a perilous future. The post Meet the World’s Largest Land Crab appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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Vegetarian women have 33 per cent higher risk of breaking a hip

New Scientist

A large study tracking women in the UK finds that vegetarians have a higher risk of breaking a hip compared with women who eat any amount of meat

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Fish & Boat Commission Receives Grants For Habitat Projects At Raystown, Somerset Lakes

PA Environment Daily

On August 5, the Fish and Boat Commission announced two lake habitat enhancement projects have been awarded funding through the National Fish Habitat Partnership -- -- Raystown Lake, Huntingdon County - $75,000 ; Raystown Lake Shoreline Habitat Barge Project -- Somerset Lake, Somerset County - $40,000 ; Somerset Lake Fish Habitat Improvement At Raystown Lake , the NFHP grant will fund $75,000 of a $611,629 project that will stabilize actively eroding shorelines.

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Iberdrola Plans Large Green Hydrogen Plant at English Port

Environmental Leader

The energy company will invest more than $174 million in the facility that will help fuel vehicles and machinery at the port. The post Iberdrola Plans Large Green Hydrogen Plant at English Port appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.