By Matthew Daly and Tom Krisher, AP News WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards Wednesday that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles. The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to …
Effects of geoengineering must be urgently investigated, experts say
By Fiona Harvey, The Guardian Impact on ecosystems must be predicted before technology is used, US atmospheric science agency chief says. Scientists must work urgently on predicting the effects of climate geoengineering, the chief of the US atmospheric science agency has said, as the technology is likely to be needed, at …
Why is the idea of the Anthropocene so contentious?
By Sachi Mulkey and Kate Yonder, Grist The question of whether humans created a new epoch has been stirring up drama for almost 25 years. The scientist Paul Crutzen grew tired of the Holocene 24 years ago. The geologic epoch had reigned for 11,700 years, ever since the sprawling ice …
Legal action could end use of toxic sewage sludge on US crops as fertilizer
By Tom Perkins, The Guardian Intent to sue federal regulators charges they have failed to address dangerous levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ known to be in sludge New legal action could put an end to the practice of spreading toxic sewage sludge on US cropland as a cheap alternative to fertilizer, and …
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon down 30% in February
By Reuters SAO PAULO, March 8 (Reuters) – Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fell 30% in February from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government worked toward a pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030. According to preliminary satellite data from …
Colorado could bring back wolverines in an unprecedented rewilding effort
By Christine Peterson, The Guardian Move would be the first return of the animal in North America and is part of ongoing effort to restore native species The Colorado proposal is part of a wolverine comeback after the species was largely trapped and poisoned out of the continental US a …
This Phoenix Recycling Plant Will Give New Life to Old Plastic Items From Goodwill
By Aimee Rawlins, Fast Company Arizona State University and Phoenix hope the the ‘microfactory’ will be offer a new way to think about plastic recycling. PHOENIX—Dozens gathered in an industrial area of the nation’s fifth-largest city in early February to tour a recycling facility billed as a potential solution to …
Hundreds of Thousands of Salmon Dead from ‘Gas Bubble Disease’ in US River
By Maanvi Singh, The Guardian Mass die-off in Klamath River caused by extreme changes in water pressure amid largest dam removal project in US history As many as hundreds of thousands of newly hatched Chinook salmon released into the Klamath River have died due to “gas bubble disease” caused by …
Powering Earth from Space: Can We Solve Our Energy Crisis Without Destroying the Environment?
By Roberto Guerra, Sustainable Brands There is immense potential for sustainable innovation in the ever-growing space economy — in ways that could bring the industry’s own impacts, and an infinite source of solar power, back down to Earth. Ever since the Soviets launched the first satellite into outer space on October 4, …
Sea Cucumbers are the ‘Scum Suckers’ Corals Desperately Need
By Laura Baisas, Popular Science These blob-like invertebrates keep critical ecosystems clean. Sea cucumbers gobble up sediments on the ocean floor and on coral reefs. Georgia Tech/Clements et. al. 2024. Coral reefs all over the world are in serious danger. However, a critical way to keep reefs healthy likely comes from a …