Sat.Aug 19, 2023 - Fri.Aug 25, 2023

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Good News! Policymakers ARE Embracing E-Bikes

Legal Planet

After reading the recent (and very dumb) New York Times expose by Matt Richtel on e-bikes , you’d be forgiven for mistaking electric-assist bicycles for the next big threat to human health. But 3 other news stories about the benefits, and growing pains, of e-bikes show there’s real interest in them as a climate solution. Rather than just critique the NYT’s editorial choices , I want to highlight some of what we’re learning from more thoughtful reporting on e-bikes.

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The AMOC: tipping this century, or not?

Real Climate

A few weeks ago, a study by Copenhagen University researchers Peter and Susanne Ditlevsen concluded that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is likely to pass a tipping point already this century, most probably around mid-century. Given the catastrophic consequences of an AMOC breakdown, the study made quite a few headlines but also met some skepticism.

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If South Africa Ends Lion Breeding, What to Do with Captive Cats?

Yale E360

In 2021, the South African government committed to shutting down the country’s captive-lion breeding industry, which provided animals for canned hunts. Among the sticking points slowing progress is what should happen to the thousands of lions that remain on private ranches.

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Extreme Heat Makes Electricity More Expensive, More Polluting, and Less Reliable

Union of Concerned Scientists

Extreme heat has hit hard lately from coast to coast and beyond, and it’s a major way Danger Season has shown up this year. Even as I write this, communities from the Northwest to the Southwest to the Southeast and Puerto Rico are under heat alerts. The direct health impact of heat stress is bad enough, and dangerous. But extreme heat also hits our electricity system in ways that make it more expensive, more polluting, and less reliable.

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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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Energy Department Launches Hydrogen Interagency Taskforce, But Few Details Emerge on Status of Federal Hydrogen Programs

Law and Environment

[ This post is part of our Hydrogen Blog Series. Read the rest of the series here. ] The Department of Energy (“DOE”) held a webinar on Friday, August 18, 2023 on the U.S. government’s national hydrogen strategy. The main announcement was the formation of the Hydrogen Interagency Taskforce, or “HIT,” but the webinar was otherwise light on details regarding the status of key federal hydrogen programs, such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s (“IRA”) hydrogen production tax credit , the Hydrogen Hu

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What Are Heat Pump Air Conditioners?

NRDC

They’re way more efficient and cost-effective than standard ACs. Even better, they double as carbon-slashing heating systems.

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EPA’s New PFAS Definition Will Make it Harder to Protect the Public

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics has made an unusual change that will make the regulation of PFAS chemicals even harder , potentially letting thousands of these dangerous “forever chemicals” escape EPA regulation, thereby endangering the health of millions of people. Specifically, the EPA office says it is planning to define PFAS on a “case-by-case” basis during rulemaking and agency actions, scrapping the idea of a standardized definition of

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Sled dogs are making Svalbard greener with their poo

New Scientist

Satellite images show an increase in greenery at dog sledding locations in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, thanks to the fertilising effect of dog droppings

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The Colors of Stars, Explained

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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The Great Salt Lake and Its Web of Life Face an Uncertain Future

Yale E360

"Vanishing Oasis" — First-Place Winner of the Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — documents how massive withdrawals from rivers that feed the Great Salt Lake are threatening the survival of millions of migratory birds and creating bare lake beds that generate plumes of toxic dust.

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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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In the Fight for Voting Rights, Michigan Is Determined to Win

Union of Concerned Scientists

In 2020, Michigan smashed its record for voter turnout. With 5.5 million voters casting ballots across the state, 71% of residents 18 or older participated in the general election. Two years later, the state broke records again, with the highest midterm election turnout in the state’s history. Compared to the rest of the country, Michigan saw the highest youth voter turnout and largest increase in the number of youths registered to vote.

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India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission starts exploring the moon’s south pole

New Scientist

After the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s historic landing on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s rover has begun researching the composition of the surface and investigating water ice near the lunar south pole

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Social Media Algorithms Warp How People Learn from Each Other

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Ecuador's Government Plans to Keep Drilling in National Park, Despite Vote on Ban

Yale E360

After Ecuadorians overwhelmingly voted to ban new oil wells in a prized national park, the government challenged the legitimacy of the referendum and said it would continue drilling.

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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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We Reviewed More Than 150 Paper on Water Management. Here’s What We Learned.

Union of Concerned Scientists

In my previous life as a graduate student, I worked with hydroeconomic modeling. I recently had the opportunity to jump back into that type of research with colleagues from the University of California Davis and Merced. If hydroeconomic modeling sounds like jargon, that’s because it is. In a nutshell, hydroeconomic modeling is a tool for water management.

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Appetite for mind-altering substances is booming among US adults

New Scientist

Rates of cannabis and psychedelic use among adults in the US reached record highs in 2022, part of a decade-long upswing in the use of mind-altering drugs

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ChatGPT Can Get Good Grades. What Should Educators Do about It?

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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As Wildfires Rage, Canada's Oil Sector Looks to Ramp Up Production

Yale E360

Even as unprecedented wildfires hamper Canadian oil drilling, fossil fuel firms are seeking to boost production, ramping up Canada's oil output by 8 percent over the next two years.

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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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How Reliable Are Gas Power Plants? What ICAP, UCAP, and ELCC Tell Us.

Union of Concerned Scientists

One of the biggest challenges with the transition to clean electricity is figuring out how to keep the grid reliable. Extreme heat , winter storms , and flooding regularly remind us that the grid is struggling to keep up in the face of more climate change-fueled extreme weather. Now, if you thought I was going to say that clean energy technologies aren’t capable of providing a reliable electricity supply, you’re way off track.

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Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 25 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga Counties

PA Environment Daily

In July, the Executive Director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission gave his approval to 25 water use permits for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga counties. ( formal notice ) The approvals were granted under SRBC regulation 18 CFR 806.22(e) and (f) that creates a general permit-type process to grant approval for water use by individual shale gas drilling pads.

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Artificial Intelligence Is Helping Us 'See' Some of the Billions of Birds Migrating at Night

Scientific American

Science is turning to machines to unlock the secrets of the vast, mysterious pulse-of-the-planet phenomenon that is nocturnal migration.

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Extremely rare black penguin spotted in Antarctica

New Scientist

For just the second time, biologists have spotted a gentoo penguin with melanism, a genetic condition that results in unusually dark feathers

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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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Colorado makes Buildings More Livable, Less Polluting

NRDC

With a new Building Performance Standard policy, Colorado is leading the nation with clean, healthy buildings.

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Reefs made from culled trees can help kickstart sea life in threatened waters

Frontiers

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer One of the ‘tree-reefs’ being examined after five months in the Wadden Sea. Image credit: Jon Dickson Researchers have shown that structures made from culled pear trees sunk into soft-bottomed seas like the Dutch Wadden Sea provide excellent replacements for naturally occurring hard substrates, of which many have been lost due to human activities.

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How Wealthy UFO Fans Helped Fuel Fringe Beliefs

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Women and men throw spears equally well using ancient atlatl tool

New Scientist

Men typically throw objects with a greater velocity than women can – but with a spear-launching tool called an atlatl, men and women’s throwing velocity is indistinguishable

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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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Emperor Penguin Breeding Failure Linked With Antarctic Sea Ice Decline

Inside Climate News

Other Antarctic seabird colonies have also suffered steep population declines as researchers warn that global warming will take a toll on many ice-dependent species in coming decades. By Bob Berwyn As they have for millennia, thousands of emperor penguins arrived at their breeding grounds on the sea ice clinging to the rugged coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in May and June of 2022.

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15 Western PA Environmental Organizations Call On Gov. Shapiro To Implement RGGI

PA Environment Daily

On August 24, a coalition of fifteen organizations based in Western Pennsylvania has sent a letter to the Shapiro administration denouncing the formation of a secret committee, whose members and meeting minutes are not known to the public, in an apparent attempt to scuttle Pennsylvania’s entrance into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The letter, spearheaded by Protect PT , has been signed by Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania , FracTracker Alliance , Group Against Sm

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Scientists Tried to Re-create an Entire Human Brain in a Computer. What Happened?

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Bees may be able to tell if water contains sugar just by looking at it

New Scientist

If bees can spot sugary rewards at a distance, it may mean that we need to re-evaluate experiments that assess their intelligence

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What’s another $4 billion amongst friends?

Enviromental Defense

Are you outraged about Premier Ford’s $8 billion Greenbelt giveaway? I am too. How would you feel if I told you that the Ontario government is going to blow another $4 billion on another environmentally destructive and indefensible act? A scandal in the making Actually, how do you feel is a better question – because I’m not speaking hypothetically.