Circle of Blue

AUGUST 17, 2021

Federal government declares, for the first time, a Tier 1 shortage due to low water at Lake Mead. Mineral deposits on the canyon walls show where Lake Mead water levels used to touch. The reservoir is the lowest it’s been since it was first filled in the 1930s. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue. The federal government acknowledged changing conditions in the drying American Southwest on Monday, declaring a Tier 1 shortage for the lower Colorado River basin.

Sea Level 363

Sea Level Government 2025 2021 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

2020 US Census data are now available and accessible–and there are an exciting variety of tools for science and democracy advocates to use this data to demand fair and unbiased districting.

2020 362

2020 362

Yale E360

AUGUST 18, 2021

From the Bank of England to the People’s Bank of China, monetary authorities of the world’s largest economies are gauging how climate change could rock the financial system. Though long committed to being “market neutral,” some are even starting to push greener investments. Read more on E360 ?.

Climate Change 331

Climate Change 331

Legal Planet

AUGUST 18, 2021

California is generally known as an environmental leader, but the state has also faced tremendous environmental degradation and destruction. I chronicled my “top 10” worst environmental decisions in the state’s history last year. But what about the good things state policy makers have done? Here is my list of the most significant environmental wins in California since the state’s founding.

Environmental Protection 290

Environmental Protection Ocean Conservation 290

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.

2024

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 16, 2021

Madagascar © Etienne / Flickr Creative Commons. Christian Thorsberg, Circle of Blue –– August 16, 2021. The east African nation of Madagascar is a large, biodiverse island that spans the equivalent length of Florida to the Canadian border. Though its northern and central regions are lush with tropical weather and rainforests, the south is historically dry, comprising vast desert stretches.

Climate Change 290

Climate Change Rainforest 2015 2018 290

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

A Science Network guest blogger reacts to Dr. Steven Koonin's controversial book on climate science, and a perhaps overly credulous review of this book by George Will in the Washington Post.

Climate Change 329

Climate Change 329

Physics World

AUGUST 20, 2021

Jesper Grimstrup is a Danish theoretical physicist who received his PhD in 2002. His life’s mission is to find a theory of everything. In Shell Beach: the Search for the Final Theory , Grimstrup explains how he had a brilliant idea on a trip to China two months after his PhD defence, and how he has since tried to convince other physicists of it. He calls his approach “ Quantum Holonomy Theory ”.

2002 145

2002 2006 2009 2008 145

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 20, 2021

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. The Taliban do not have the expertise to manage Afghanistan’s already troubled water systems, researchers say. The fashion industry in Africa is tainting rivers with discharges of polluted wastewater, a report finds. Indigenous women block the dumping of a poison into a Canadian watershed to kill an non-native fish. Bees in North Dakota struggle in hot, dry weather, with implications for California.

2021 246

2021 Government Conservation 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

We recently received a question from a UCS supporter in Denver about how to best address the urban heat island effect. I forwarded this question to Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, UCS senior social scientist for climate vulnerability, who is quite familiar with the situation.

Cooling 265

Cooling Climate Change 265

Yale E360

AUGUST 17, 2021

In its latest climate plan, Sri Lanka is ruling out new coal power and aiming to reach 70 percent clean electricity by 2030, an important milestone on its way to reaching its goal of a carbon-neutral electricity generation system by 2050, Climate Home News reported. Read more on E360 ?.

2030 230

2030 Electricity 230

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.

Clean Energy

Scientific American

AUGUST 16, 2021

The size of certain infinite sets has been a mystery. Now, it turns out, each one is different than the next, and they can all be ordered by size. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

145

145

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 16, 2021

The Rundown. Trillion-dollar infrastructure package now heads to the House. Ten water and wastewater facilities notified the EPA that they are not receiving enough chlorine or other disinfectants. NOAA publishes an interactive map showing the risk of airborne toxins from algal blooms along Florida’s Gulf Coast. And lastly, FEMA announces funds to help disadvantaged communities prepare for natural hazards.

Environmental Protection 227

Environmental Protection Recycling Climate Change 2023 227

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

With work, school, grocery store, and doctor’s offices being further away, rural drivers can save up to twice as much as city-dwelling counterparts by switching to an EV.

Electricity 253

Electricity 253

Physics World

AUGUST 18, 2021

The internal structure of Saturn has been mapped by using data from the Cassini spacecraft to observe seismic oscillations in the planet’s rings. The study reveals that the core is both larger and more diffuse than previously thought. The research is described in a paper in Nature Astronomy and could improve our understanding of the Saturn’s formation and evolution.

Technology 145

Technology Technology 145

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.

2022

Cool Green Science

AUGUST 16, 2021

Last week, I posted a blog on the growing popularity of trail cameras and included a number of photos and videos of cool wildlife. I have received a number of comments and questions about one video in particular. In it,… The post The Disturbingly Long Tapeworms of Alaskan Bears appeared first on Cool Green Science.

Cooling 144

Cooling 144

Inside Climate News

AUGUST 15, 2021

If news about the written part of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report didn’t alarm you, these five graphic depictions of warming’s impacts will. By Katelyn Weisbrod The Sixth Assessment Report released earlier this week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is chock full of information on how our climate has changed because of human activity and warnings about the challenging future as our planet warms.

Climate Change 143

Climate Change 143

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 20, 2021

New UCS maps show where outdoor workers are most at risk from killer heat.

Climate Change 244

Climate Change 244

Scientific American

AUGUST 19, 2021

Face coverings are essential to protecting children, keeping schools open and slowing the highly contagious coronavirus variant, experts say. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

142

142

Advertisement

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.

Sustainable Development

Enviromental Defense

AUGUST 19, 2021

Lake Erie is a global treasure. The lake is home to thousands of species and complex ecosystems and beautiful sights and vistas. It is also the source of drinking water for millions of people. We often talk about the economic value of the lake in the context of tourism, recreation, and fisheries (commercial and sport). But behind all those facts and figures, we know there are deep personal connections to Lake Erie and that’s a huge part of what makes the lake so special.

2020 141

2020 Government Cooling 2018 141

Inside Climate News

AUGUST 20, 2021

The research suggests that the impacts of the fracking boom may have outrun the science documenting its effects. By Bob Berwyn Fossil fuels don’t just damage the planet by emitting climate-warming greenhouse gases when they are burned. Extracting coal, oil and gas has a huge impact on the surface of the earth, including strip mines the size of cities and offshore oil spills that pollute country-sized swaths of ocean.

Fossil Fuels 141

Fossil Fuels Ocean Greenhouse Climate Change 141

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 20, 2021

Eating healthy gets easier with historic increase in SNAP benefits.

224

224

New Scientist

AUGUST 19, 2021

A 10-metre-wide coral found by citizen scientists in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the widest ever found on the reef, and it is more than four centuries old

145

145

Physics World

AUGUST 19, 2021

(A) Illustrations of a subject wearing a virtual reality headset and the brain–machine interface. (B) The microneedle electrodes that penetrate the scalp to collect the brain’s electrical signals. (Courtesy: CC BY 4.0/ Adv. Sci. 10.1002/advs.202101129). Although Marvel Comics’ portrayal of telekinesis may frighten some, long-range control of objects or machines may eventually be realizable through brain–machine interface technology.

Electricity 138

Electricity Technology Technology 138

Inside Climate News

AUGUST 16, 2021

The findings could help policy makers determine a price for carbon that better reflects future economic impacts like sea level rise. By Bob Berwyn Calculating the future cost of global warming is one of society’s most urgent challenges. And that math will depend on the speed of major shifts in Earth’s climate system, like the complete loss of summer Arctic sea ice or the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which could raise sea level much faster and higher than expected.

Sea Level 139

Sea Level Climate Change 139

Scientific American

AUGUST 19, 2021

A tool built by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the number of fatalities may range from 10,000 to 100,000 or more. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

143

143

Frontiers

AUGUST 16, 2021

By Clarissa Wright, Frontiers science writer. Close-up of a reptile eye, but not the ancient Eudibamus cursoris. Image Aedka Studio/Shutterstock.com. The Early Permian marked a time of major seasonal changes on the planet, as reptiles rapidly diversified. A key innovation is seen in bolosaurids with the ability to run at high speeds on two legs. Scientists from California State University and Carnegie Museum of Natural History in the US and University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, collaborated

Rainforest 137

Rainforest 2006 137

New Scientist

AUGUST 18, 2021

New evidence reveals that Arabia was not a mere stopover for ancestral humans leaving Africa, but a lush homeland where they flourished and evolved

145

145

Physics World

AUGUST 20, 2021

If humans ever do colonize Mars, producing food will be a difficult task. Besides the obvious challenges of providing water and nutrients for plants to grow, Martian farmers will also have to content with damage by cosmic rays – according to researchers in the Netherlands. Although Earth is also constantly bombarded by cosmic rays, ground-level radiation on Mars is about 17 times higher.

Radiation 131

Radiation 131

National Law Center

AUGUST 18, 2021

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: APHIS, The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 18, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

Law 127

Law 2021 Environmental Protection 127

Scientific American

AUGUST 14, 2021

Theories that try to explain these big metaphysical mysteries fall short, making agnosticism the only sensible stance. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

131

131

Environmental News Bits

AUGUST 20, 2021

by Michael Paul Nelson (Oregon State University) and Peter Mark Groffman (CUNY Graduate Center) Record-breaking heat waves and drought have left West Coast rivers lethally hot for salmon, literally cooked millions of mussels and clams in their shells and left forests primed to burn.

Climate Change 116

Climate Change 2021 Natural Resources 116

Physics World

AUGUST 18, 2021

Atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) can exist in a mysterious “supersolid” state in two dimensions, researchers in Austria have shown. The work, which builds on research from 2019 demonstrating supersolidity in one dimension, opens the way to hitherto impossible tests of theoretical predictions about this long-unexplained phenomenon. Supersolidity is a counterintuitive state of matter that was first predicted in 1957 by the theoretical physicist Eugene Gross.

2019 131

2019 Cooling 2004 2012 131

National Law Center

AUGUST 20, 2021

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. There are. The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: August 20, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

Law 122

Law 2021 122