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As the Fracking Boom Spreads, One Watershed Draws the Line
As the Fracking Boom Spreads, One Watershed Draws the Line After spreading across Pennsylvania, fracking for natural gas has run into government bans in the Delaware River watershed. The basins of the Delaware and nearby Susquehanna River offer a sharp contrast between what happens in places that allow fracking and those that do not. Over the […]
The Rapid and Startling Decline Of World’s Vast Boreal Forests
The Rapid and Startling Decline Of World’s Vast Boreal Forests Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the fate of the huge boreal forest that spans from Scandinavia to northern Canada. Unprecedented warming in the region is jeopardizing the future of a critical ecosystem that makes up nearly a third of the earth’s forest cover. The boreal […]
A New Global Tinderbox: The World’s Northern Forests
A New Global Tinderbox: The World’s Northern Forests Rapidly rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, and increased lightning strikes are leading to ever-larger wildfires in the northern forests of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia, with potentially severe ecological consequences. Ted Schuur has spent the better part of his career making the connection between climate change and wildfires that […]
Will the Paris Climate Talks Be Too Little and Too Late?
Will the Paris Climate Talks Be Too Little and Too Late? At the upcoming U.N. climate conference, most of the world’s major nations will pledge to make significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But serious doubts remain as to whether these promised cuts will be nearly enough to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. […]
Rachel Carson’s Critics Keep On, But She Told Truth About DDT
Rachel Carson’s Critics Keep On, But She Told Truth About DDT More than half a century after scientist Rachel Carson warned of the dangers of overusing the pesticide DDT, conservative groups continue to vilify her and blame her for a resurgence of malaria. But DDT is still used in many countries where malaria now rages. Any […]
Bitter Wind: A Town Divided Over A Controversial Maine Wind Farm
Bitter Wind: A Town Divided Over A Controversial Maine Wind Farm The proposal seemed straightforward: Erect 16 wind turbines on hilltops in rural Maine and generate enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and enough tax revenue to help a struggling local government in a depressed region. But the 450-foot turbines of the Bowers Wind farm would […]
Global Extinction Rates: Why Do Estimates Vary So Wildly?
Global Extinction Rates: Why Do Estimates Vary So Wildly? Is it 150 species a day or 24 a day or far less than that? Prominent scientists cite dramatically different numbers when estimating the rate at which species are going extinct. Why is that? Most ecologists believe that we are in the midst of the sixth mass […]
With Climate Change, a Terrifying New Normal for Western Firefighters
With Climate Change, a Terrifying New Normal for Western Firefighters In the last two decades, officials in Colorado have watched as massive, months-long wildfires have become a regular occurrence in their state. A Yale Environment 360 video goes onto the front lines with Colorado firefighters who describe what it’s like to continuously confront deadly blazes fueled […]
Undamming Rivers: A Chance For New Clean Energy Source
Undamming Rivers: A Chance For New Clean Energy Source Many hydroelectric dams produce modest amounts of power yet do enormous damage to rivers and fish populations. Why not take down these aging structures, build solar farms in the drained reservoirs, and restore the natural ecology of the rivers? Hydroelectric power is often touted as clean energy, […]
As Ocean Waters Heat Up, A Quest to Create ‘Super Corals’
As Ocean Waters Heat Up, A Quest to Create ‘Super Corals’ With the world’s coral reefs increasingly threatened by warmer and more acidic seas, scientists are selectively breeding corals to create species with the best chance to survive in the coming century and beyond. Are genetically modified corals next? In Hawaii this summer, as corals engage […]
The Wild Alaskan Lands at Stake If the Pebble Mine Moves Ahead
The Wild Alaskan Lands at Stake If the Pebble Mine Moves Ahead Robert Glenn Ketchum This highland backcountry is some of the wildest in North America and supports an impressive array of wildlife. View the photo gallery. The proposed Pebble Mine in southwestern Alaska is a project of almost unfathomable scale. The Pebble Limited Partnership intends to […]
Why the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement May Ultimately Win
Why the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement May Ultimately Win The fossil fuel divestment campaign has so far persuaded only a handful of universities and investment funds to change their policies. But if the movement can help shift public opinion about climate change, its organizers say, it will have achieved its primary goal. Nestled in Vermont’s bucolic […]
