Sat.Oct 12, 2024 - Fri.Oct 18, 2024

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Climate, Energy, and Environment on the Ballot

Legal Planet

Elections are primarily about electing candidates, but many states have adopted some form of popular democracy. This year, the highest-profile state initiatives are about abortion. But there are also seven state initiatives relating to energy and environment. Of those, the two biggest are a $10 billion green bond proposal in California and a proposed rollback of Washington State’s new cap-and-trade program.

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Researchers Parse the Future of Plankton in an Ever-Warmer World

Yale E360

Plankton form the base of the world’s food chain, but warmer and more acidic oceans are affecting their numbers and variety. Some species, on which fish rely, are in decline; others, which soak up carbon, are on the rise, while others are shifting their range and bloom times.

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Hurricanes Helene and Milton Further Proof We’re Not Ready for Fossil Fuel-Caused Climate Change  

Union of Concerned Scientists

In August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its updated forecast for the 2024 hurricane season. It was to be above normal in every regard: more named storms and stronger hurricanes than usual. One of the main reasons for this forecast? Significantly warmer than usual surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, which come largely as a result of human-caused climate change.

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Science is not value free

Real Climate

An interesting commentary addressing a rather odd prior commentary makes some very correct points. Back a few months there was a poorly argued and rather confusing commenary by Ulf Büntgen ( Buntgen, 2024 ) that started: I am concerned by climate scientists becoming climate activists, because scholars should not have a priori interests in the outcome of their studies.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Reflections on “Yes they can control the weather.”

Legal Planet

Since U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted earlier this month that “Yes they can control the weather” — a bunch of commentators have pointed out that she’s wildly wrong. Yes, she’s wildly wrong. No one can make, intensify, or steer hurricanes. No ability to do anything like this is even on the horizon. Her comment obviously got traction because it plugged into a deep strain of populist paranoia, including active, current conspiracies.

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Scientists Breed Corals That Can Withstand More Heat

Yale E360

Scientists have successfully bred corals that are more tolerant of heat, showing for the first time that corals can become better adapted to warming within the space of a single generation.

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6G phone networks could be 9000 times faster than 5G

New Scientist

Next-generation phone networks could dramatically outperform current ones thanks to a new technique for transmitting multiple streams of data over a wide range of frequencies

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How to Make Trees Worth More Standing Than Cut Down

Legal Planet

West of Sydney, Australia, lies the Blue Mountains, a range of plateaus and panoramic canyons forested with eucalyptus trees. Oil in the leaves produces a bluish haze, hence the name of the area. Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, a new NGO called Forest Trends brought together a small international group to the town of Katoomba to brainstorm over increasing capital flows to protect nature, how to “make trees worth more standing than cut down.

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Nine Tons of Illicit Pangolin Scales Recovered in Nigeria

Yale E360

On a single day in August, Nigerian officials recovered more than 9 tons of illicit pangolin scales. The stockpile would be worth an estimated $1.7 million in East Asia, where pangolin scales are sold for their use in traditional medicine.

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Gas Plants Have a Real Climate Problem. So Do Some Proposed Approaches for Addressing It. 

Union of Concerned Scientists

Power plants fueled by methane gas have a serious climate problem. The fuel, commonly known as natural gas, now powers the biggest portion of US electricity generation—more than 40 percent. It has also grown to be the largest source of carbon pollution from the US power sector, even as zero-carbon renewable energy has been growing by leaps and bounds.

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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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Climate Change Made Hurricane Milton Stronger, With Heavier Rain, Scientists Conclude

Inside Climate News

A rapid analysis of rainfall trends and Gulf of Mexico temperatures shows many similarities to Hurricane Helene less than two weeks earlier. By Sean Sublette A preliminary analysis from the team of scientists at World Weather Attribution indicates the rainfall from Hurricane Milton across Florida was 20 percent to 30 percent heavier and rainfall intensity was about twice as likely as it would have been in the climate of the late 19th century.

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Model Uncertainty in Politics and Climate Policy

Legal Planet

The polls are predicting very tight election results. The state results could turn out to be within the margin of error, with half going one way and half the other. But there’s another plausible outcome: a sweep by one side or the other because the polls were all off a few percent in the same direction. If you could get a large and truly random sample of the population and get them to answer all questions truthfully right before they voted, the life of a pollster would be much easier.

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La Niña Looking Less Likely as Ocean Waters Stay Balmy

Yale E360

As ocean temperatures remain stubbornly high, forecasters see a diminished chance that the Pacific Ocean will enter its cooler La Niña phase this fall, as was predicted.

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Powering the Data Boom: How Will the Grid Keep Up?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Data use for everything from video conferences to cryptocurrency to calendars, and related data center construction, is booming. Infrastructure and resources for those data centers are relatively scarce. How will we go forward? Is this a lawless frontier for an industrial revolution that breaks the bounds of human activity, or will we find constraints and apply limits that protect the health and welfare benefits of our society and economy?

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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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Mathematicians have found a new way to identify prime numbers

New Scientist

The first breakthrough in finding prime numbers for over 25 years has mathematicians celebrating, with hopes that the techniques behind the new proof could further advance other areas of maths

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PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 19

PA Environment Daily

The following notices were published in the October 19 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments. Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups -- Keith Eighmey - Martinez #2 Conventional Gas Well: DEP received a Final Report on remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with aluminum, barium, boron, chloride iron, lithium, manganese, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc to meet Statewide Health Standards at the well locate

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'Forever Chemicals' Linked to Poorer Sleep

Yale E360

Young adults with higher levels of certain “forever chemicals" in their blood reported poorer sleep, a new study finds.

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Date Labels and the New California Law

National Law Center

On September 28, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB660 into law. This bill was the first in the nation to. The post Date Labels and the New California Law appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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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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Quantum theory is challenging long-standing ideas about entropy

New Scientist

A mathematical study finds that three definitions of what it means for entropy to increase, which have previously been considered equivalent, can produce different results in the quantum realm

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Long COVID Is Harming Too Many Kids

Scientific American

Pediatric long COVID is more common than many thought, and we keep letting kids be reinfected with new variants

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PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 12

PA Environment Daily

The following notices were published in the October 12 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments. -- Pennsylvania General Energy Co, LLC - Natural Gas, Water Pipelines: DEP issued a Chapter 105 permit covering the installation of nearly four miles of two pipelines in one right-of-way with multiple stream crossings and other impacts located in Cummings and McHenry Townships, Lycoming County.

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‘Legacy’ Forests. ‘Restoration’ Logging. The New Jargon of Conservation Is Awash in Ambiguity. And Politics

Inside Climate News

Among environmentalists, government agencies and logging interests, a war of words is raging over the future of our forests. By Nathan Gilles, Columbia Insight In 2019, conservation activist and longtime Washington state resident Stephen Kropp did something he’d never done before: he explored a forest managed as state trust land by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

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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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Why farming fish is more unsustainable than catching them in the wild

New Scientist

Producing a kilogram of farmed salmon may require 4 or 5 kilograms of wild fish, which isn't a sustainable approach to feeding the world's growing population

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Focusing on Foreign Investments: Congressional Considerations on Evaluating Foreign Acquisitions in U.S. Agriculture

National Law Center

Over the past decade, foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land have grown. At the start of 2023, foreign persons held an. The post Focusing on Foreign Investments: Congressional Considerations on Evaluating Foreign Acquisitions in U.S. Agriculture appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Syracuse Lead Levels Among the Highest Detected in Drinking Water for Decades; Higher than Flint and Newark

NRDC

Syracuse is facing a drinking water safety crisis, as city tests reveal lead levels are more than double levels found by independent experts in the infamous lead in water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan and significantly worse than those in.

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Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves

Scientific American

In a health care system that assumes older adults have family caregivers to help them, those facing dementia alone often fall through the cracks

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Human scientists are still better than AI ones – for now

New Scientist

A simulator for the process of scientific discovery shows that AI agents still fall short of human scientists and engineers in coming up with hypotheses and carrying out experiments on their own

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Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Why Politicians Want You To Pay More For Natural Gas

PA Environment Daily

By Patrick McDonnell, CEO of PennFuture , Former Secretary of DEP This guest essay first appeared in the Observer-Reporter on October 17, 2024 Politicians often speak out against higher taxes, grocery bills, or utility rates, promising to work hard in office to prevent you from paying more. However, there is one notable exception: how much you pay for natural gas.

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Clean Energy Continues its Forward Momentum, but Canada Needs to Step Up

Enviromental Defense

Statement by Aly Hyder Ali, Oil and Gas Program Manager Canada must pay attention to new analysis that reiterates the age of fossil fuels is coming to an end as demand for coal, oil and gas are set to peak before the end of this decade Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – We are pleased to see that today’s report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) reaffirms that the world is very quickly approaching a future where clean energy can meet all growth

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Flying Conservationists Teach Endangered Birds to Migrate

Scientific American

Inspired by a classic movie, conservationists are teaching endangered Northern Bald Ibises to fly south for the winter

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De-extinction company claims it has nearly complete thylacine genome

New Scientist

Colossal, a US firm that is aiming to revive lost species such as the woolly mammoth, says it now has a near-complete genome of the extinct thylacine

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Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Yaw Announce Bill To Withhold Gas Drilling Impact Fees To Municipalities That Set More Protective Standards On Natural Gas Development Than State Law, And While There Is a Legal Challenge To Local Restrictions

PA Environment Daily

On October 9, Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) and Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) announced plans to introduce legislation to prohibit municipalities from receiving Act 13 drilling impact fees if they set more protective standards on the development of natural gas than required in state or federal law and while a challenge to local restrictions is being litigated.