Sat.Aug 20, 2022 - Fri.Aug 26, 2022

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Rare and Severe Weather Events Are Now More Common Thanks to Climate Change

Union of Concerned Scientists

This summer, also known as danger season , already has seen record heat waves, drought, and floods. It continues a trend of recent summers that saw record flooding, major hurricanes, and severe wildfires unlike what many of us can remember from our lifetimes. When these types of events happen, they are often couched in terms of an event once-every-x-number-of-years.

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“Fighting for Inches” in the Southeast’s Struggle With Salt

Circle of Blue

Can coastal agriculture withstand rising seas, migrating marshlands, and frequent storms? Saltwater intrusion on a corn field in Hyde County, NC. Lighter green areas are fallow/abandoned sections of the fields with salt concentrations too high to plant. Photo © Dr. Matthew Ricker / NCSU. By Hannah Richter, Circle of Blue – August 22, 2022. Saltwater intrusion threatens coastal agriculture on the Delmarva Peninsula and in the Carolinas.

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Canadian Farmers Push Back Against Fertilizer Emissions Target

Environment + Energy Leader

The country wants to reduce the agriculture emissions by 30% through 2030. The post Canadian Farmers Push Back Against Fertilizer Emissions Target appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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In Indonesian Mining Region, the EV Boom Takes a Heavy Toll

Yale E360

The green electric vehicle revolution has a decidedly dirty side, and the Winner of the 2022 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — “From Dreams to Dust” — vividly tells the story of the high cost of nickel mining through the life of an Indonesian mine worker. Read more on E360 ?.

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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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Can the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Avoid a Major Disaster?

Union of Concerned Scientists

As the possibility of an all-out military conflict engulfing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine becomes even more likely, the situation there is growing increasingly dire. It has been reported that on August 25, the plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electrical power from the grid, which is essential for its safe operation, forcing it to rely on on-site backup power.

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Living in a ‘Critical State’: The Price of a South African Town’s Dirty Water

Circle of Blue

In Winberg, residents have to boil their water or risk falling ill. . Residents of a new informal settlement outside Winburg gather to fill containers with water from a pipe supplied by the municipality. Sana Ntho, 54, said the water either has to be boiled or disinfected before drinking. With no electricity available, and firewood a scarce commodity, she adds a spoon of bleach to every 20-liter bucket of water.

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Now You’re in Law School. What Should You Take?

Legal Planet

On Monday, I explained why this is an especially urgent time for new law students to be thinking about the climate crisis and how they can contribute as lawyers. The next question is how to prepare for that work. . Here’s what I would say to a student in that position: The first thing to realize is that you can make a contribution without being an “environmental lawyer” in the conventional sense.

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Four Months into Danger Season, Here’s the Tally of Extreme Heat, Floods, Fire Weather Events

Union of Concerned Scientists

Danger season in the United States is the time of year between roughly May and October when a number of climate-related hazards, including heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes, tend to occur—at times simultaneously or back-to-back. Climate change is making many of these events more frequent, intense, and/or longer-lasting, and as a result, more and more communities are at risk of being harmed.

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What’s Up With Water — August 23, 2022

Circle of Blue

This week’s episode of What’s Up With Water covers a potential catastrophic winter storm in California and new research that revealed what may be causing high case numbers of pediatric cancer in Pennsylvania. Plus, Circle of Blue breaks down the latest water cuts in the Colorado River basin. Transcript. Welcome to “What’s Up With Water” – your need-to-know news of the world’s water from Circle of Blue.

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Saint-Gobain Increases Recycled Content of Wallboard Products

Environment + Energy Leader

Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, will install recycling technology at its Florida gypsum plant, increasing the recycled content in its wallboard products. The post Saint-Gobain Increases Recycled Content of Wallboard Products appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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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 California Offshore Wind

Legal Planet

Various measures in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law on August 16, 2022, create new momentum for offshore wind in California. However, as with all things in life, it’s never that simple. In this case, the IRA ties offshore wind (OSW) leases to offshore oil and gas auctions and prevents OSW leases from being issued until millions of acres in offshore oil and gas leases have been offered through at least one sale.

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California Needs a Petroleum Phaseout Plan

Union of Concerned Scientists

The California Air Resources Board is close to finalizing an updated scoping plan that will guide the implementation of policies aimed at meeting its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2045. Reaching carbon neutrality as quickly as possible is essential to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and doing so requires a transformation of how we produce and use energy, how we get around, and much more.

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Fires Consuming Nearly Twice as Much Forest as They Did 20 Years Ago

Yale E360

Wildfires are destroying nearly twice as much tree cover globally as they did in 2001, burning through an additional 7.4 million acres of forest annually, an area roughly the size of Belgium, a new analysis shows. Read more on E360 ?.

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Meet the 100: Christopher Wei, VP of Engineering, Verdani Partners

Environment + Energy Leader

The Environment+Energy Leader 100 is an annual list that recognizes environment and energy management “doers.” Here, Christopher Wei discusses trends and how to prepare for them, challenges and how to solve them, and his hands-down most impactful book he's read. The post Meet the 100: Christopher Wei, VP of Engineering, Verdani Partners appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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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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EPA Proposes to List PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Law and Environment

EPA announced today that it is proposing to list PFOA and PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA. EPA appears to be sanguine about how the listing will play out in the real world. EPA is focused on holding responsible those who have manufactured and released significant amounts of PFOA and PFOS into the environment. EPA will use enforcement discretion and other approaches to ensure fairness for minor parties who may have been inadvertently impacted by the contamination.

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FRESH, August 23, 2022: Lake Erie Wind Project Can Proceed, Ohio Court Rules

Circle of Blue

August 23, 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. Ohio ’ s Supreme Court allows a Lake Erie wind project to proceed.

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U.S. to More Than Triple Climate Spending, Analysis Shows

Yale E360

The U.S. government is set to spend nearly $80 billion annually on climate technology and clean energy, more than triple the amount spent yearly during the Obama administration, under three new laws, a new analysis finds.? Read more on E360 ?.

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PepsiCo Achieves its First Circular Water System in Mexico Production Facility 

Environment + Energy Leader

To make a meaningful dent in its ambitious water conservation goals, PepsiCo recovers and reuses the water in its facilities. Additionally, it is sourcing, purifying, and reusing water used by other food companies where it collects water. The post PepsiCo Achieves its First Circular Water System in Mexico Production Facility appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Massachusetts to Require Disclosure of Energy Usage from Large Buildings

Law and Environment

Lost amid the more high profile items in Massachusetts’ recently enacted Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind is a requirement that the Department of Energy Resources establish a program requiring large buildings across the Commonwealth to report energy usage on an annual basis. The requirement goes into effect on July 1, 2024, but DOER has an additional year (until July 1, 2025) to draft implementing regulations and establish the parameters of the reporting program.

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Federal Water Tap, August 22: Reclamation Report Sets Deeper Colorado River Cuts

Circle of Blue

The Rundown. Colorado River reservoirs are projected to continue their decline. The Department of Energy publishes a PFAS “roadmap” to outline its response. The EPA proposes rules changes to improve safety at facilities that handle hazardous chemicals. A Supreme Court-appointed special master will hold a conference with Texas and New Mexico representatives in a lawsuit over the Rio Grande.

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Climate Change May Have Doubled the Number of Houston Homes Flooded by Hurricane Harvey

Yale E360

If not for climate change, 2017's Hurricane Harvey might have flooded half as many homes in the Houston area, a new study finds. Read more on E360 ?.

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Bridgestone Updating Tennessee Plant to Improve Operational, Tire Efficiency

Environment + Energy Leader

The $550 million investment will add technologies to the facility and the tires it produces that will help the company advance sustainability goals. The post Bridgestone Updating Tennessee Plant to Improve Operational, Tire Efficiency appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Can’t Add Solar Panels to Your Roof? Join a Community Solar Farm

Earth 911

Although solar energy has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, many people aren’t in the. The post Can’t Add Solar Panels to Your Roof? Join a Community Solar Farm appeared first on Earth911.

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Cities & the Inflation Reduction Act

Law Columbia

By Amy Turner. On August 16, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (or “IRA”), widely hailed as the most ambitious piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. The bill is sprawling, covering climate and energy topics as diverse as electric vehicles, building decarbonization, clean energy manufacturing and supply chains, agriculture, and greening the electricity system, all through a range of tax incentives and direct grants.

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Rewetting dried wetlands could stop 100 billion tons of CO2 emissions

New Scientist

Half the planet’s wetlands are dried out or degraded, and rewetting them could limit more greenhouse gas emissions this century than restoring global forests

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Study: Organic Dairy Farming Can Store Carbon and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Environment + Energy Leader

A new study in the August issue of the “Journal of Cleaner Production” reveals that it is possible for farms to sequester carbon and reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions. The post Study: Organic Dairy Farming Can Store Carbon and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Research stories: Boxing for conservation

The Applied Ecologist

Authors Brian Burke and Darren O’Connell discuss the conservation of roseate terns at Europe’s largest colony on Rockabill Island in Dublin, Ireland, with their latest research highlighting the important role artificial nestboxes have played in the species’ population growth and recovery. The role of a tern warden on Rockabill Island has been described on more than one occasion as a dream job.

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Traveling Chinook Lands and Waters

Washington Nature

By Owen L. Oliver, Freelance Writer (Quinault / Isleta Pueblo) The Nature Conservancy’s Ellsworth Creek Preserve in southwest Washington state is situated on the traditional and current territories of the Chinook People — specifically the Willapa, which is one of the five bands that make up the Chinook Indian Nation. The 8,000-acre preserve hosts stands of old-growth Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western red cedar and Douglas fir that are continuing to grow, and many have witnessed the changes

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Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy? Three engineers run the numbers

Environmental News Bits

by Aisling Pigott, University of Colorado Boulder; Jennifer Scheib, University of Colorado Boulder, and Kyri Baker, University of Colorado Boulder Hot summer days can mean high electricity bills. People want to stay comfortable without wasting energy and money. Maybe your household has fought over the best strategy for cooling your space. Which is more efficient: … Continue reading Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy?

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DS Smith Tests Alternative Fibers to Use in Sustainable Packaging

Environment + Energy Leader

As part of its $140 million investment in research and development announced last year, DS Smith has been conducting trials that use more sustainable material for packaging and cardboard fibers. The post DS Smith Tests Alternative Fibers to Use in Sustainable Packaging appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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The radical new experiments that hint at plant consciousness

New Scientist

It’s a wild idea, but recent experiments suggest plants may have the ability to learn and make decisions. Are the claims true and if so, what does it mean for our understanding of consciousness and the human mind?

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Methane Hunters: What Explains the Surge in the Potent Greenhouse Gas?

Inside Climate News

Levels of the gas are growing at a record rate and natural sources like wetlands are the cause, but scientists don’t know how to curb it. By Leslie Hook and Chris Campbell, The Financial Times Every year, 6,000 flasks arrive at a laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Inside each is a sample of air, taken from one of a chain of 50 monitoring stations that spans the globe.

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Co_Invest Climate

Environmental News Bits

Sept. 7, 2022, Chicago, ILMore information and to register Join Evergreen Climate Innovations (formerly Clean Energy Trust) for Co_Invest Climate, the Greater Midwest’s premier showcase for climate tech startups, on Wednesday, September 7th in Chicago. This annual event showcases climate technology startups from around the Greater Midwest region and beyond and brings together a community of stakeholders invested in the … Continue reading Co_Invest Climate.

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Ceres Launches Initiative to Showcase Water Risks

Environment + Energy Leader

Ceres has launched the Valuing Water Finance Initiative, a way for 72 corporate water users and polluters to consider water as a financial risk and better protect water systems. . The post Ceres Launches Initiative to Showcase Water Risks appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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