Sat.Jun 26, 2021 - Fri.Jul 02, 2021

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Urban Refuge: How Cities Can Help Solve the Biodiversity Crisis

Yale E360

Cities have long been considered species deserts, devoid of wildlife beyond pigeons and squirrels. But with animals such as snowy owls, otters and bobcats now appearing in urban areas, scientists are recognizing that cities can play a significant role in fostering biodiversity. Read more on E360 ?.

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Detroit Flooding Previews Risks from a Warming Climate

Circle of Blue

Warmer global temperatures cause more water to evaporate from Earth’s surface and oceans, meaning that there is more fuel for storms. Notorious4life. Urban infrastructure in many cities was not built for current and future climate pressures. By Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue — July 1, 2021. Six inches of rain battered the Detroit metro area last weekend, a deluge that overwhelmed the region’s drainage system.

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The Illusions of Takings Law

Legal Planet

For the last century, the Supreme Court has tried to operationalize the idea that a government regulation can be so burdensome that it amounts to a seizure of property. In the process, it has created a house of mirrors, a maze in which nothing is as it seems. Rules that appear crisp and clear turn out to be mushy and murky. Judicial rulings that seem to expand the rights of property owners turn out to undermine those rights.

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From Bach to Bull *: How Facebook Mismanages Disinformation (and What to Do About It)

Union of Concerned Scientists

Social media needs new rules to stop it from undermining the public good.

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Manufacturing Sustainability Surge: Your Guide to Data-Driven Energy Optimization & Decarbonization

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.

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Natural Protectors: Kenyan Women Step Up to Save a Forest

Yale E360

Only a few years ago, Samburu women in northern Kenya were cutting down firewood in the Kirisia forest and burning it to make charcoal. Now, those same women are directly involved in managing the forest, using it sustainably and reporting any illegal activity to authorities. Read more on E360 ?.

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The Stream, June 29, 2021: Detroiters Face Severe Flooding After Heavy Rains

Circle of Blue

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. Residents of Detroit, Michigan, face severe flooding after heavy rain storms last weekend. Louisiana lawmakers plan for a complete overhaul of the state’s water infrastructure. China begins operating the world’s second-largest hydropower generating station amid environmental concerns. Turkey will begin constructing a major canal that opponents say will damage marine ecosystems and the country’s fragile water supply.

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More Trending

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Can We Trust Our Power Plants to Keep Us Cool During Dangerous Heat?

Union of Concerned Scientists

The question isn't just how they suffer from climate change, but how they contribute to it.

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Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Exceed EPA Estimates, Study Finds

Yale E360

A new study finds that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has severely underestimated methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas development, adding to a growing body of work showing that pollution from drilling is greater than EPA figures would suggest. Read more on E360 ?.

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HotSpots H2O: Anishinaabe Activists and Allies Resist Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline, a Project that Threatens Wetlands and Ignores Treaty Territory

Circle of Blue

A Line 3 protestor outside the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, St. Paul. Photo © Lorie Shaull. Christian Thorsberg, Circle of Blue. In northern Minnesota, the new Line 3 corridor, proposed by the Canadian oil company Enbridge, cuts directly through wetlands and waterways that are already struggling in unusually dry conditions. The pipeline also infringes upon centuries-old tribal treaty rights, and runs near, and sometimes through, reservation lines, water crossings, and state forests. .

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LIGO mirrors have been cooled to near their quantum ground state

Physics World

LIGO is designed to detect gravitational waves, but it is also proving to be a fantastic laboratory for pushing the limits of quantum physics. Now, an international team of researchers has cooled the interferometers’ large mirrors close to their quantum ground state. By cooling objects massive enough to potentially feel a detectable gravitational force, the researchers hope to open a new window into gravity’s possible effects on quantum mechanics.

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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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How Dangerous Is the Delta Variant, and Will It Cause a COVID Surge in the U.S.?

Scientific American

A new, more transmissible form of SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly spreading in the country and poses a threat to unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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UK Aims to Dump Coal Early, While Asia Stays the Course

Yale E360

Britain announced that it is aiming to phase out coal power by October, 2024, one year earlier than its previous target date, Reuters reported. By contrast, Asia remains heavily committed to coal, with five countries — China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam — planning to build more than 600 new coal-fired power plants, accounting for 80 percent of planned coal projects globally, according to a new analysis from Carbon Tracker.

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Siemens Tests LOHC Technology For Hydrogen Trains

Environmental Leader

In its latest move to advance hydrogen trains, Siemens Mobility will begin testing liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology (LOHC) technology in partnership with Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energy. The LOHC technology involves an organic carrier liquid absorbing hydrogen, releasing it only when required, which stops hydrogen escaping as a.

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Galactic ‘bridges’ could be the largest rotating structures ever discovered

Physics World

The universe is full of spinning objects. Galaxies, the stars within galaxies, the Earth, the Earth around the Sun, the Moon around the Earth – all rotate around an axis. An international team of astronomers has now added to this list by uncovering evidence that cosmic filaments – tendrils of matter that stretch across hundreds of millions of light years – are also spinning.

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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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See the Highest-Resolution Atomic Image Ever Captured

Scientific American

Scientists achieved a record level of visual detail with an imaging technique that could help develop future electronics and better batteries. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Rainbow Research: Life

The Applied Ecologist

To celebrate UK Pride Month, the British Ecological Society journals have launched ‘Rainbow Research’ – a blog series which aims to promote visibility of STEM researchers form the LGBTQ+ community by connecting each post to a theme represented by one of the colours shown in the Progress Pride flag.

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Oregon Poised to Become 8th US State to go 100% Clean Energy

Environmental Leader

A bill committing electricity providers to deliver 100% clean power to Oregon customers by 2040 passed both the House and Senate of the Oregon State Legislative Assembly on Saturday. The post Oregon Poised to Become 8th US State to go 100% Clean Energy appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Solar device generates electricity and desalinates water with no waste brine

Physics World

A device that can generate electricity while desalinating seawater has been developed by researchers in Saudi Arabia and China, who claim that their new system is highly efficient at performing both tasks. The device uses waste heat from the solar cell for desalination, thereby cooling the solar cell. It also produces no concentrated brine as waste, cutting its potential environmental impact.

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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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Miami Building Collapse Could Profoundly Change Engineering

Scientific American

To pin down causes, investigators will likely gather original drawings of the building’s design, test the structure’s remains and run simulations of how it withstood forces. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Announcing the 2021 Photo Contest Winners

Ocean Conservancy

Thank you for taking the time to enter your photographs and vote for your favorites during our 2021 Photo Contest this summer. I am blown away by the entries and I hope you enjoyed seeing all the incredible submissions we received from around the world. Love our content? Sign up to never miss an update! Sorry, but we failed to add you to the list. Please try again or contact 1.888.780.6763.

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How Sustainability Is Catalyzing Innovation Part 2 of 2: Leaders Leading

Environmental Leader

This two-part series highlights the urgent needs driving innovation in sustainability in part one, and leaders leading – examples of companies innovating for sustainability – in part two. The landscape of organizations innovating around sustainability has increased dramatically over the past few years. Today, we are seeing a broad spectrum.

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Artificial intelligence can spot holes in the Sun’s corona

Physics World

Many Suns: this image taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory shows the Sun at seven different EUV wavelengths (coloured stripes) and magnetic field information (grey scale stripe). Coronal holes are indicated by red contour lines. (Courtesy: Jarolim et al. 2021). Artificial intelligence can be used to detect coronal holes in the Sun’s upper atmosphere, an international research team has shown.

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Covid-19 news: Trial of first coronavirus variant vaccine under way

New Scientist

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

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Ag & Food Law Daily Update: June 28, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: AMS, The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: June 28, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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GE Advances Wind Turbine Blade Recycling With European Partnerships

Environmental Leader

GE Renewable Energy is collaborating with European partners neowa and LafargeHolcim to advance wind turbine recycling and reuse as part of broader efforts to contribute to the European Commission’s (EC) circular economy action plan. As governments and corporations aim to achieve their net zero targets, wind turbines are expected to. Read more ».

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Optical imaging could reduce recall surgery for breast cancer patients

Physics World

Samuel Streeter and colleagues are investigating the use of optical scatter imaging for tumour margin assessment during breast-conserving surgery. (Courtesy: Samuel Streeter). Patients with early-stage breast cancer often undergo breast-conserving surgery, which involves local excision of cancer with a surrounding margin of healthy tissue. The goal is to remove the entire tumour and minimal healthy tissue, but excision is primarily based on visual inspection and relies on the surgeon’s expertise

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Aliens Might Already Be Watching Us

Scientific American

A new star map reveals more than 2,000 stars, some with their own planets, that have a direct view of our planetary presence. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Drier Springs Bring Hotter Summers in the Withering Southwest

Inside Climate News

New research reveals a positive feedback loop with negative consequences linked to lower springtime humidity across an already parched landscape. By Judy Fahys A question has bothered climatologist Park Williams during the decade he’s been probing drought in the Southwest. Like other climate scientists, he knew from research papers and worldwide storm patterns that a warming atmosphere is thirstier and sops up more moisture from oceans and the land.

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Iowa Supreme Court Dismisses Raccoon River Lawsuit

National Law Center

On June 18, 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a decision in a lawsuit concerning regulation of the Raccoon River. The. The post Iowa Supreme Court Dismisses Raccoon River Lawsuit appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Photo captures the subtleties of the magnetic Sun, synchrotron will image millions of insects

Physics World

Subtle beauty: The Magnetic Field of our Active Sun by Andrew McCarthy. (Courtesy: Andrew McCarthy). The UK’s Royal Observatory Greenwich in London has announced the shortlist for its Astronomy Photographer of the Year 13 competition. I’m not sure what the 13 stands for, but it certainly didn’t bring bad luck to the American photographer Andrew McCarthy who has two images on the shortlist.

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U.K. Will Stop Using Coal Power in Just Three Years

Scientific American

A decade ago, 40 percent of the country’s electricity was generated with coal. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Connecticut’s Largest Offshore Wind Project Moves Closer to Approval

Environmental Leader

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to proceed with an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the Park City Wind project, an 804 megawatt (MW) offshore wind project. The post Connecticut’s Largest Offshore Wind Project Moves Closer to Approval appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Clays found in Martian crater hint that the planet was once habitable

New Scientist

Parts of Mars may have been habitable for thousands of years, based on analysis of clays found in one of its craters that could only have formed in a stable, life-friendly environment

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