Fast Company: “A new tool from Google Earth Engine and the nonprofit World Resources Institute pulls from satellite data to build detailed maps in near real time. Called Dynamic World, it zooms in on the planet in 10-by-10-meter squares from satellite images collected every two to five days. The program uses artificial intelligence to classify… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
Employment Impacts in a Decarbonized Economy
Employment Impacts in a Decarbonized Economy. Decarb America Research Initiative. Key Takeaways. June 6, 2022 – “The Decarb America Research Initiative analyzes a suite of policy and technology pathways for the United States to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our work objectives are twofold: to improve understanding of the tradeoffs between different proposed strategies for achieving net-zero;… Continue Reading
Carbon dioxide now more than 50% higher than pre-industrial levels, June 3, 2022
“Carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2022 at 421 parts per million in May, pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography offsite link at the University of California San Diego announced [June 3, 3033]. NOAA’s measurements of… Continue Reading
800% increase in UN appeal needs for extreme weather-related emergencies over last 20 years
Oxfam: “The amount of money needed for UN humanitarian appeals involving extreme weather events like floods or drought is now eight times higher than 20 years ago — and donors are failing to keep up, reveals a new Oxfam brief today. For every $2 needed for UN weather-related appeals, donor countries are only providing $1.… Continue Reading
Russia in the Age of Climate Change
Klimat – Russia in the Age of Climate Change, Thane Gustafson: “A discerning analysis of the future effects of climate change on Russia, the major power most dependent on the fossil fuel economy. Russia will be one of the countries most affected by climate change. No major power is more economically dependent on the export… Continue Reading
Americans’ Views of Government: Decades of Distrust, Enduring Support for Its Role
Pew – 65% say most political candidates run for office ‘to serve their own personal interests’: “Americans remain deeply distrustful of and dissatisfied with their government. Just 20% say they trust the government in Washington to do the right thing just about always or most of the time – a sentiment that has changed very… Continue Reading
Watch how the climate could change in these US cities by 2050
Vox: “As the climate crisis accelerates, it’s worth asking what to expect if we aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions now, and what would happen if we do nothing. As part of our Weather 2050 project, we used the latter scenario to look at what could happen to temperature and precipitation in US cities by the… Continue Reading
Global plastic waste set to almost triple by 2060, says OECD
“The use of plastics is surging and could nearly triple by 2060, Axios’ Erin Doherty reports. The math for 2060, via a new OECD report out today: The buildup of plastics in bodies of water could triple. Plastic leakage to the environment could double. Almost two-thirds of plastic waste will be from short-lived items, including… Continue Reading
Swimmable Potomac Report 2022
“Our Swimmable Potomac Report summarizing the findings of the Community Science Water Quality Monitoring program has just been published. The good news? The river is frequently safe for swimming, which is more scientific support for lifting the swim ban in DC. Help us tell Mayor Bowser it’s time! We want everyone to be able to… Continue Reading
There’s an Army of Thieves Coming for Your Catalytic Converter
Popular Mechanics – One of the largest crime-waves in recent years could cost you thousands: “…According to the Universal Technical Institute, there are typically 3 to 7 grams of platinum, 2 to 7 grams of palladium, and 1 to 2 grams of rhodium in the standard converter. PGMs are rare. They form inside intrusive igneous complexes,… Continue Reading
Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work
The Atlantic: “…The first problem is that there are thousands of different plastics, each with its own composition and characteristics. They all include different chemical additives and colorants that cannot be recycled together, making it impossible to sort the trillions of pieces of plastics into separate types for processing. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET#1) bottles… Continue Reading
Subak launches ‘Google of climate data’ portal
British Business Focus: “Global tech accelerator Subak today launches the Data Catalogue – a curated online portal connecting shared climate datasets around the world to accelerate climate impact. An extension of Subak’s core ethos of sharing data to accelerate climate impact, the Data Catalogue has been built to make climate data reliable and accessible for academics, analysts, policymakers and… Continue Reading
