By Robert English, The Cool Down “Freedom is being able to just simply walk out and access places.” In the small town just a light-rail trip away from downtown Phoenix, residents of a place called Culdesac in Arizona are one of the first non-urban communities in the U.S. to boast a walkable, car-free …
Industrial Pollutants Found in Mediterranean Corals for the First Time
By University College London, Phys.Org Pollutants from burning fossil fuels have been found embedded in corals, for the first time, offering scientists a potential new tool to track the history of pollution, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, identified carbon particles emitted …
“Historic” Expansion of Renewable Energy Sources Rewriting the Future of Global Electricity: “We’re Moving Closer”
By Ben Raker, The Cool Down “What some people were saying was impossible only a few years ago is not only possible — but it is happening.” Renewable energy resources saw “massive” and “historic” expansion globally in 2023, with the fastest growth still to come, according to a major new report released …
Parisians Vote in Favour of Tripling Parking Costs for SUVs
By Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian The referendum comes as the city aims to reduce emissions by targeting wealthy drivers in large, polluting cars. Parisians have voted to triple parking costs for sports utility vehicles (SUVs), as the city aims to tackle air pollution and climate breakdown by targeting rich drivers in heavy, …
This App Could Be Key to Securing Fisher Livelihoods, Restoring Fish Stocks
By Scarlett Buckley, Sustainable Brands Abalobi’s easily scalable app enables traceability previously unseen in small-scale fisheries and connects fishers directly with buyers — reducing dependency on middlemen, resulting in fairer prices and ethical produce for consumers. Our oceans and coastal communities globally face a host of looming crises — in …
Some Animals Are Desperately Turning Nocturnal, Study Shows
By Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics Why these creatures of the day are increasingly embracing the cover of darkness. Multiple studies from around the globe have now shown that, as climate change makes daytime temperatures rise, animals tend toward nocturnal behaviors. This switch to nocturnal habits can, unfortunately, increase risks from predators. …
Climate Migration is Our New Reality and New Responsibility
By Tefere Gebre and Nicole Melaku, The Hill The U.S. is now experiencing, on average, a billion-dollar extreme weather event every three weeks (adjusted for inflation) — up considerably from one every four months in the 1980s. In 2023, the city of Phoenix experienced temperatures above 110 degrees for 54 consecutive days. …
China’s Wind, Solar Capacity Forecast to Overtake Coal in 2024
By Colleen Howe, Reuters BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) – China’s installed wind and solar capacity will overtake coal for the first time this year, an industry body forecast on Tuesday. The China Electricity Council (CEC) in a yearly report said grid-connected wind and solar would make up around 40% of …
Early Adopters Share Insights from Piloting Science-Based Targets for Nature
Sustainable Brands Pilot companies say the newfound understanding of their impacts and dependencies on nature is helping change mindsets internally regarding the urgency of meaningful action. In May 2023, 17 companies — AB InBev, Alpro (part of Danone), Bel, Carrefour, Corbion, GSK, H&M Group, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Holcim Group, Kering and L’Occitane Group (which in 2022 joined forces to launch a Climate Fund for Nature), LVMH, Nestlé, Neste Corporation, Suntory Holdings Limited, Tesco and UPM — …
Gulls Swap Natural for Urban Habitats, Machine-Learning Study Finds
Amy Loeffler, Phys.Org A recent study published in Ecological Informatics by a team of University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers has used artificial intelligence to further illuminate a habitat swap among short-billed gulls. Typically gulls live along coastlines and near water sources such as rivers. They feed on bugs and other small mammals, fish or …