Enviro

VANCOUVER, Wash. August 14, 2023 – Dry lightning can still be disastrous even when conditions aren’t so dry, a study has found.  These cloud-to-ground strikes during little to no rainfall were previously thought to pose wildfire danger only if occurring with less than 2.5 mm of rain in a day (about 0.10 inches). A Washington […]

As Canadian wildfire smoke continues to impact large swaths of the United States, resulting in poor air quality and negative health outcomes for millions of Americans, more people than ever are feeling the effects of longer fire seasons and a changing climate. Now, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered that wildfires may […]

New research published in Communications Biology shows that humans harvest over one third of all vertebrate species for medicine, collections, clothing and the pet trade. “Humans have emerged as the planet’s most extraordinary predator, doing things that other predators do not. This includes commonly killing or capturing for reasons other than feeding themselves, as well as endangering […]

July 27, 2023 – As sea levels rise and flooding becomes more frequent, many countries are considering a controversial strategy: relocation of communities. A Stanford analysis of planned relocations around the world, published July 27 in Nature Climate Change, reveals a blueprint for positive outcomes from an approach often considered a measure of last resort. The authors find […]

July 25, 2023 – While composting and organic waste ban policies are gaining popularity across the United States, a new study from the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management finds dynamic pricing could be the most effective way for grocery chains to keep perishables out of landfills, reducing food waste by 21% […]

July 25, 2023 – What impacts do agrochemicals have on the ongoing global insect decline? Biologists at the University of Konstanz have found out that aversive learning is impaired in bumblebees exposed to glyphosate. Their study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. “With global insect decline going on at alarming rates, […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 17, 2023 — Following legal pressure from Center for Food Safety (CFS) and courts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn its interim approval of difenoconazole, a potent and toxic fungicide sprayed on a wide range of fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, and soybeans. Numerous endangered species […]

July 12, 2023 – In a study appearing today in Nature, the team writes that they have detected changes in ocean color over the past two decades that cannot be explained by natural, year-to-year variability alone. These color shifts, though subtle to the human eye, have occurred over 56 percent of the world’s oceans — an expanse […]

EVANSTON, Ill. — There is a “silent hazard” lurking underneath our major global cities, and our buildings were not designed to handle it. A new Northwestern University study has, for the first time, linked underground climate change to the shifting ground beneath urban areas. As the ground heats up, it also deforms. This phenomenon causes […]

America’s forests have a tough time in store for them. Climate change is increasing temperatures and decreasing moisture levels across the country, not a winning combination for trees. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and University of Utah sought to determine how our sylvan ecosystems might fare in the near future. The authors combined mathematical models […]

Rising global temperatures are making it harder for birds to know when it’s spring and time to breed according to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A large collaboration led by scientists at UCLA and Michigan State University has found that birds produce fewer young if they start breeding too early […]

Some of the most severe marine heat increases on Earth are occurring in the seas surrounding the UK and Ireland. Satellite measurements show that water temperatures in certain areas are above average for this time of year. The coastal regions off the east coast of the UK, from Durham to Aberdeen, and off the northwest […]

MINNEAPOLIS—A new report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) sheds light on how one U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), allocates funds and highlights the disproportionate level of funding received by industrial agriculture practices. As Congress debates and drafts the 2023 Farm Bill, the report offers […]

As soils in Arctic Alaska become warmer and freeze for shorter periods in winter, mating conditions for arctic ground squirrels are changing.  New research published in the journal Science analyzes more than 25 years of climate and biological data gathered by researchers and students from the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The team members […]

In early 2014, a great anomaly descended upon the seas: A patch of warm water that manifested in the Gulf of Alaska. Scientists called it “The Blob.” A strong El Niño prolonged this marine heatwave through 2016. It extended as far south as Baja California, Mexico, throwing marine ecosystems, weather patterns and fisheries into disarray. […]

May 17, 2023 – New research led by the University of Oxford has found that climate change is causing the hottest days in North-West Europe to warm at double the rate of average summer days. The difference in trends is most pronounced for England, Wales, and Northern France. Worryingly, while current climate models accurately predict the […]

A long-term study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland shows a significant reduction in palsa area due to climate change. At the observation sites, palsa area had decreased by more than 75% from 1959 to 2021. However, climate had only a limited impact on the active layer of palsa mounds. Active layer thickness did […]

May 2, 2023 – Some people see moss growing in their gardens as a problem, but what they may not realise is this ancient ancestor of all plants is bringing lots of benefits to our green spaces, such as protecting against erosion. Now a massive global study led by UNSW Sydney has found mosses are […]

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2023)—A group of community and environmental justice leaders, electric grid analysts, and labor representatives today released new “Equitable Grid Principles” intended to guide electric grid infrastructure decision-making in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. “The clean energy revolution is an exciting opportunity to transform an electricity system that has burdened and […]