Sat.Sep 21, 2024 - Fri.Sep 27, 2024

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Three International Climate Priorities for UNGA and NYC Climate Week

Union of Concerned Scientists

This week, New York City is hosting the UN General Assembly meetings and the annual Climate Week events. With the continued trend of extreme climate-fueled disasters around the world—including deadly and damaging heatwaves, floods, fires, and storms—the urgency of solutions for the climate crisis couldn’t be clearer. What we hear from world leaders this week will give us an indication of their seriousness in helping to secure an ambitious outcome at the annual UN climate talks, COP29 , in Baku,

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Governor Newsom Should Veto These Four Bills

Legal Planet

This post was co-authored by Ruben Aronin , Principal of the Better World Group. With just weeks to go before November 5, all eyes are on the election, including what it means for environmental policy. And yet, one of the largest threats to California’s clean transportation leadership in recent history has materialized right under our noses — and it’s coming from our own legislature.

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Why Taiwan and Its Tech Industry Are Facing an Energy Crisis

Yale E360

As the world’s largest producer of advanced computer chips, Taiwan is struggling to meet demand for electricity. Highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, soon to shutter its last nuclear plant, and slow to build out renewables, the island is heading toward an energy crunch.

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Forcing people to change their passwords is officially a bad idea

New Scientist

A US standards agency has issued new guidance saying organisations shouldn’t require users to change their passwords periodically – advice that is backed up by decades of research

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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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The Kids Get It: Why Proposition 4 Is the Right Thing to Do

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last week, we received our voter information guides in the mailbox. Before I had a chance to even take a look, I found my fifth-grader reading through the guide with a checklist. Looking over her shoulder, I saw her list of the proposition numbers – most with question marks next to them – but one with a big, bold check mark: Proposition 4. Even though I hadn’t said a word, she gets it.

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Earth system tipping events now seem inevitable – what does this mean for climate governance?

Legal Planet

A tipping point is a system threshold beyond which change becomes self-perpetuating until a qualitatively different stable state is reached. For example a rainforest turns into a grassland, or an ice sheet melts completely. Such shifts are non-linear, and practically irreversible. Fears that growing human impacts might push aspects of the global climate past such ‘tipping points’ are not new.

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Jet contrails may cool the planet by day and warm it by night

New Scientist

An AI-assisted analysis of satellite images suggests the vapour trails produced by aircraft have a net cooling effect in the daytime because they reflect sunlight back into space

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Energy Efficiency Home Retrofits Can Protect You During Extreme Temperature Events 

Union of Concerned Scientists

As human actions worsen climate change, severity and frequency of extreme weather events increase. Within the category of extreme weather events, heat waves and cold flashes push the human body to its upper and lower limits of temperature regulation. When the power fails , our homes are similarly unable to regulate their interior temperatures. However, homes with energy efficiency retrofits can retain cool or warm air longer , while simultaneously saving money throughout normal yearly temperatur

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New Law Reaffirms Local Authority to Ban Oil Drilling

Legal Planet

This morning, Governor Newsom signed a trio of bills— AB 3233 (Addis), AB 1866 (Hart), and AB 2716 (Bryan)—that will protect communities in Los Angeles and across the state from the harms of oil and gas production, the impacts of which are disproportionately experienced in low-income communities of color across the state. He signed the package on a Los Angeles soccer field that overlooks oil wells, joined by community organizers who have led the charge for years.

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Flooding Fueled Methane Surge During Pandemic, Study Finds

Yale E360

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Earth saw a surge in heat-trapping methane. While some researchers believe the spike was related to a global drop in traffic during the pandemic, a new study finds the sudden rise in methane levels was mostly due to the flooding of tropical wetlands.

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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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The brain has its own microbiome. Here's what it means for your health

New Scientist

Neuroscientists have been surprised to discover that the human brain is teeming with microbes, and we are beginning to suspect they could play a role in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's

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These Bizarre Fish Walk on Six Legs and Taste the Location of Buried Prey

Scientific American

A species of legged fish uses taste receptors to search for hidden prey, providing an ideal window for scientists to study the emergence of new evolutionary traits

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The Dirty Truth Behind a Feel-Good Energy Story

Legal Planet

Did you see the story about a new ‘NFL first’? The San Francisco 49ers announced that it was the first NFL franchise to buy sustainable aviation fuel or SAF —enough to fly from San Francisco to LA for their Sunday game against the LA Rams. The story generated headlines , the way any “first” tends to. The 49ers called it “ a meaningful part of our commitment to more sustainable practices” and praised United for its SAF program, which both companies said can reduce greenhouse gas emissions “by up

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To Boost Renewables, Analysts Say, Cut Red Tape and Build Power Lines

Yale E360

The world is nearly on track to triple renewable power by the end of this decade. A major barrier to meeting that goal, or surpassing it, analysts say, is the speed of permitting wind and solar projects and of building new transmission lines.

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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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AI tweaks to photos and videos can alter our memories

New Scientist

It has become trivially easy to use artificial intelligence to edit images or generate video to remove unwanted objects or beautify scenes, but doing so leads to people misremembering what they have seen

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How Your Brain Detects Patterns without Conscious Thought

Scientific American

Neurons in certain brain areas integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events happening in real time

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California’s Electric Car Culture

Legal Planet

Since the Pavley Act passed in 2002, California has been a leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from new cars. Even today, a third of all new U.S. electric vehicles (EVs) are sold in California. Getting here has been the result of a long regulatory process, which helped create a market for companies like Tesla. Achieving California’s ambitious targets will require an exponential increase in EV sales over the next eleven years.

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Extinct Volcanoes Could Be Source of Key Metals Needed for Clean Tech

Yale E360

Scientists have found that some extinct volcanoes, which have not erupted for thousands or millions of years, may contain key metals used in clean energy.

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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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Geoengineering is now essential to saving the Arctic's ice

New Scientist

If we want to preserve the dwindling ice in the Arctic, cutting our emissions is no longer enough – we also need to use geoengineering to refreeze this precious ecosystem

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What Will It Take to Tackle Water Scarcity on the Navajo Nation?

NRDC

With contaminated wells, climate-fueled drought, and limited access to safe water sources, a study seeks solutions—and perspective—from the reservation’s residents.

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Why So Many Kids Still Die in Hot Cars Every Year

Scientific American

Cases of deadly heatstroke of children in cars have remained stubbornly persistent—here’s why they happen and how we can prevent them

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PA Wilds Center: New Viewfinders Installed To Allow Colorblind Visitors To Enjoy Fall Foliage At Leonard Harrison State Park In Tioga County

PA Environment Daily

The PA Wilds Conservation Shop at Leonard Harrison State Park in Tioga County is holding a special “Second Look” event on October 10 to celebrate the shop and the installation of new viewfinders that will allow colorblind visitors to enjoy the colorful fall foliage for the first time. The newly installed colorblindness viewfinders, which were made possible in part thanks to donations made to the Charity Checkout for Conservation at the PA Wilds Conservation Shops.

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The fascinating truth about why common sense isn't really that common

New Scientist

New research is revealing that common sense is a lot more idiosyncratic than we thought, with important implications for tackling political polarisation and the future of AI

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Over a Million Public Comments Call for Old-Growth Forest Protections

NRDC

The public comment period for the US Forest Service’s proposed National Old Growth Amendment closed on September 20th. Hundreds of thousands of people wrote in to critique the agency’s proposal, which falls short of it’s intended purpose to protect public.

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Meet the New Autocrats Who Dismantle Democracies from Within

Scientific American

The new interconnected breed of autocrats gains and retains power by deception, globally undermining democracies through their own institutions

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A Walk in the Woods with My Brain on Fire: Summer

Inside Climate News

In the past few centuries—a geologic instant—the unfathomably long and patient work of Earth is being undone. Text and photos by David Sassoon PLEASANT VALLEY, Mass.—It wasn’t long after dawn—still the cool of the day—but I could feel the weight of summer bearing down. The creek was barely trickling, the beaver pond stagnant. Few insects disturbed its gray surface.

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Plan to refreeze Arctic sea ice shows promise in first tests

New Scientist

Field trials indicate that pumping seawater onto the snow on top of Arctic sea ice can make the ice sheet thicker, offering a possible way to preserve sea ice throughout the summer

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DEP Posted 73 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 28 PA Bulletin

PA Environment Daily

Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the September 28 PA Bulletin -- -- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - September 28 [PaEN] -- The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the September 28 PA Bulletin inviting comments on the proposed Air Quality Maintenance Plan for the Harrisburg/ York Nonattainment Area to meet the fine particulate matter air quality standard.

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Stunning Bird Photographs Showcase Incredible Views of Life on the Wing

Scientific American

Quirky perspectives, separated lovebirds and a tobogganing penguin star in 2024 winners of the world’s largest bird photography competition

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North America’s Biggest Food Companies Are Struggling to Lower Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Inside Climate News

A new analysis finds that companies relying on agricultural commodities are making some progress, but decarbonizing the food system is proving difficult. By Georgina Gustin Some of the country’s biggest food companies are making a small dent in their greenhouse gas emissions, but most are failing to make substantial and critical reductions, even as consumers and government regulators are pushing harder for them to do so.

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Axolotls seem to pause their biological clocks and stop ageing

New Scientist

In most vertebrates, a pattern of chemical marks on the genome is a reliable indicator of age, but in axolotls this clock seems to stop after the first four years of life

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PA Council Of Trout Unlimited Names Eric Null Executive Director

PA Environment Daily

On September 26, the PA Council of Trout Unlimited announced the appointment of Eric Null as the organization's Executive Director. Mr. Null will serve as PATU's representative and provide his leadership to the Coldwater Heritage Partnership which is the coalition of PATU, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Fish and Boat Commission and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

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Breaking Down What Math Really Is with Drag Queen Kyne Santos

Scientific American

Mathematics communicator and drag queen Kyne Santos guides you through the ongoing debate about what math really is.

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