Home » Environment (Page 278)
Category Archives: Environment
Climate Science Part 9 – Jet Stream
Climate Science Part 9 – Jet Stream In this ninth part of our mini-series on climate science, we turn to one of the key suspects in extreme weather events we have experienced in recent years—the shifting shape of the North Atlantic jet stream. And the fingerprints of the changing jet stream can be found in […]
Soil Microbes “Key to the function of agricultural systems”
Soil Microbes “Key to the function of agricultural systems” Dr. Kristine Nichols was the Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute, an independent research institute for organic farming, from 2014 to 2017. Her training and research focus on the microbes living in soil and how to make soil more productive. The Rodale Institute was founded in […]
The Mosquito Gap: Climate Change and Infectious Diseases
The Mosquito Gap: Climate Change and Infectious Diseases OK, I admit it, I’m a freeloader. My neighbors asked if I’d go in on a mosquito control service last spring, and I turned them down. I was skeptical about whether the “eco-friendly” service would actually work. But I was mostly taken aback by the cost: $750 […]
We know how food production needs to change if crisis is to be avoided – so why isn’t this happening?
We know how food production needs to change if crisis is to be avoided – so why isn’t this happening? As the world races toward a projected 9 billion inhabitants, the failings of dominant food systems are impossible to deny. Current food production methods are severely polluting. They are the cause of malnutrition. They are also […]
Aliso Canyon Disaster Highlights Risks, Inadequate Safety Rules Governing Natural Gas Storage
Aliso Canyon Disaster Highlights Risks, Inadequate Safety Rules Governing Natural Gas Storage A recent report spearheaded by researchers at the University of Southern California blames the largest greenhouse gas leak in U.S. history on dysfunctional management and poor regulatory oversight. Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) is the company that operates the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near the Los […]
Nations Won’t Reach Paris Climate Goal Without Protecting Wildlife and Nature, Warns Report
Nations Won’t Reach Paris Climate Goal Without Protecting Wildlife and Nature, Warns Report A sweeping new report released today emphasizes just how intertwined the challenges of climate change and loss of biodiversity truly are. The Paris Climate Agreement and several other United Nations (UN) pacts “all depend on the health and vitality of our natural environment […]
The Science of a Vanishing Planet
The Science of a Vanishing Planet Dorothea Lange Gravestone St. George, Utah 1953There are numerous ways to define the Precautionary Principle. It’s something we can all intuitively understand, but which many parties seek ways to confuse since it has the potential to stand in the way of profits. Still, in the end it should all […]
CDC: Second Wave Of “B-Strain” Influenza Has Begun, “More Severe For Younger Children”
CDC: Second Wave Of “B-Strain” Influenza Has Begun, “More Severe For Younger Children” Despite the flu season finally winding down and overall cases declining, the CDC reports that infections of the less common “Influenza B” strain are on the rise, surpassing “Influenza A” in their most recent weekly Influenza Surveillance Report. This season’s strains are a […]
John Butman: New World, Inc.
Photos.com/Jupiter Images John Butman: New World, Inc. From its start, resources have driven America’s fortunes We all learned in grade school that the Pilgrims sailed to North America to escape religious persecution. That’s wasn’t necessarily the case, explains author John Butman. At least, it certainly isn’t the whole story. In fact, the Pilgrim’s voyage to the […]
Energy Externalities Day 5: Wind Power
Energy Externalities Day 5: Wind Power It’s now day 5 of the Energy Externality Game and time to move onto the first of the new renewables, namely wind power. Loved by Green groups who see only reduced CO2 emissions, wind farms are hated by many others who see a blot on the landscape. Here at […]
Insect Decimation Upstages Global Warming
Insect Decimation Upstages Global Warming Photo by Jaime González | CC BY 2.0 Everybody’s heard about global warming. It is one of the most advertised existential events of all time. Who isn’t aware? However, there’s a new kid on the block. An alarming loss of insects will likely take down humanity before global warming hits […]
Nations Won’t Reach Paris Climate Goal Without Protecting Wildlife and Nature, Warns Report
Nations Won’t Reach Paris Climate Goal Without Protecting Wildlife and Nature, Warns Report A sweeping new report released today emphasizes just how intertwined the challenges of climate change and loss of biodiversity truly are. The Paris Climate Agreement and several other United Nations (UN) pacts “all depend on the health and vitality of our natural environment […]
Our Economy is a Degenerative System
Our Economy is a Degenerative System Impacts of resource hungry exploitative economies “What is 120 times the size of London? The answer: the land or ecological footprint required to supply London’s needs.” — Herbert Giradet Our ecological footprint exceeds the Earth’s capacity to regenerate. A number of useful indicators and frameworks have been developed to measure the […]
Paul Ehrlich: ‘Collapse of civilisation is a near certainty within decades’
Paul Ehrlich: ‘Collapse of civilisation is a near certainty within decades’ Fifty years after the publication of his controversial book The Population Bomb, biologist Paul Ehrlich warns overpopulation and overconsumption are driving us over the edge The toxification of the planet with synthetic chemicals may be more dangerous to people and wildlife than climate change, […]
Global C02 Emissions Rise For The First Time In 3 Years
Global C02 Emissions Rise For The First Time In 3 Years In a worrying development, global CO2 emissions from energy jumped by 1.4 percent in 2017, the first increase in three years. The trend indicates that global efforts to reduce emissions are “insufficient,” according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. Total energy-related […]
