FastCompany: “Click to drop a raindrop anywhere in the world, and River Runner shows you where it ends up. It’s an illustration of how connected our waterways are—and how far pollution that enters our rivers or streams can travel…” Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
A law banning plastic packaging for some fruits and vegetables in France went into effect on Jan. 1
Why not in America? “Thirty types of fruits and vegetables – including cucumbers, carrots, apples, and bananas – will no longer be allowed to be wrapped in plastic, with only packages of over 1.5kg receiving exemptions. Chopped or processed fruits will also be exempted, and providers of some fruits, like raspberries or cherry tomatoes, will… Continue Reading
The Year in Cheer 192 ways the world got better in 2021
Reasons to Be Cheerful – This is a wonderful read not least because amidst the upheavals of life in the time of COVID, individuals and groups around the world have chosen, in a myriad of ways to create change in innovative and impactful ways that benefits the lives of millions around the world. A sustainable… Continue Reading
“Major Reforms Have Been Driven by Crisis”
Issues in Science and Technology: “Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome charitable foundation in the United Kingdom, discusses the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and what society must do to prepare for future global crises. As an infectious diseases specialist and director of Wellcome, Jeremy Farrar was among the first people in the world… Continue Reading
An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security
An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security – October 2003. By Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall. Report prepared for U.S. Dept. of Defense. Released to the public in early February 2004. See also The Pentagon’s Weather Nightmare. The climate could change radically, and fast. That would be the mother… Continue Reading
Annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest and Calendar
“The NOAA Marine Debris Program holds an annual art contest to reach K-8 students and help raise awareness about marine debris. Marine debris is a global issue and we believe that engaging our youth is an important part of addressing the problem. The resulting calendar, featuring the winning artwork, provides a daily reminder of how… Continue Reading
‘The Fuse Has Been Blown,’ and the Doomsday Glacier Is Coming for Us All
Rolling Stone: “New data suggests a massive collapse of the ice shelf in as little as five years. “We are dealing with an event that no human has ever witnessed,” says one scientist. “We have no analog for this”…Given the ongoing war for American democracy and the deadly toll of the Covid pandemic, the loss… Continue Reading
Scientists build new atlas of ocean’s oxygen-starved waters
MIT News: “Life is teeming nearly everywhere in the oceans, except in certain pockets where oxygen naturally plummets and waters become unlivable for most aerobic organisms. These desolate pools are “oxygen-deficient zones,” or ODZs. And though they make up less than 1 percent of the ocean’s total volume, they are a significant source of nitrous… Continue Reading
Winter storms are breaking snow and temperature records and there’s more to come
NPR: “Winter storms sweeping parts of the Western U.S. and the Pacific Northwest have brought heavy snow and record low temperatures in some areas — and there’s more to come. A winter storm warning continues into Wednesday for parts of the border area of Northern California and Nevada. “We’ve had quite a series of storms… Continue Reading
Historic U.S. weather events in 2021, by the numbers
Washington Post: “From record-shattering heat to frigid waves of cold, torrential downpours to relentless drought, 2021 has been a year of extremes in the United States. As personal stories and images illuminate the devastation wrought by the events, the raw numbers also underline the widespread impacts and extraordinary nature of this year’s weather. Below are… Continue Reading
Tropical forests can recover from deforestation remarkably fast and on their own
Washington Post – “Deforestation is a global and accelerating threat. But new research shows that tropical forests can recover naturally and remarkably quickly on abandoned lands. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that under low-intensity use, soil on previously deforested land can recover its fertility in less than a decade. Characteristics such… Continue Reading
The problem with ESG investing, in one chart
Quartz: “Investors poured more than $120 billion this year into exchange-traded funds marketed as comprising companies with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) track records. That’s double last year’s level, and total investment in ESG ETFs could reach $1 trillion by 2025, according to Bloomberg, making them one of the hottest investment products on the… Continue Reading
