The New York Times – “The Biden administration will investigate Trump-era political interference in science across the government, the first step in what White House officials described as a sweeping effort to rebuild a demoralized federal work force and prevent future abuses. In a letter to the leaders of all federal agencies, the White House… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
NASA study says it’s the first to directly measure humans’ role in climate change
Observational evidence of increasing global radiative forcing. First published: 25 March 2021 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091585 “Changes in atmospheric composition, such as increasing greenhouse gases, cause an initial radiative imbalance to the climate system, quantified as the instantaneous radiative forcing. This fundamental metric has not been directly observed globally and previous estimates have come from models. In part,… Continue Reading
Prepare for Spring By Finding Bird-Friendly Plants Near You
“Bring birds to your home today by growing native plants. With Audubon’s Native Plant Database, you can find the best plants for the birds in your area. Growing bird-friendly plants will attract and protect the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for, and better for the environment. Explore all of our native… Continue Reading
Global Student Policy Alliance Creates Climate Policy Database
“Students from four universities — including Cornell — and two countries have worked to compile a comprehensive database of climate policy initiatives from the 193 member states of the United Nations. These students comprise the Global Student Policy Alliance, a transatlantic association of think tanks based at Cornell, the University of Chicago, the University of… Continue Reading
Negligence, Not Politics, Drives Most Misinformation Sharing
Wired – “Researchers found that social media users are generally adept at identifying fake news. But that doesn’t always affect their decision to repost it. you don’t need a study to know that misinformation is rampant on social media; a quick search on “ vaccines” or “climate change” will confirm that. A more compelling question… Continue Reading
Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act
H. R. 1019 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a credit for the purchase of certain new electric bicycles. The E-BIKE Act was introduced on 2/11/2021 – “In the case of an individual, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this subtitle for any taxable… Continue Reading
Report: So You Want to Do an Infrastructure Project
The Niskanen Center – “Over the last few generations, American infrastructure construction costs have exploded, even as many peer countries spend a fraction of what the U.S. does on the same bridge or tunnel or high-speed rail line. The difference in costs often boils down to domestic state capacity: bureaucracies in East Asia and Continental… Continue Reading
Plant this disposable face mask when you’re done, and it’ll sprout flower
Fast Company – “Disposable masks are necessary during COVID-19. But we’re burning through them at an astounding rate. Every minute we throw away 3 million masks, which adds up to 129 billion per month. To make matters worse, most of these masks are made of plastic fibers, which are more prone to break down into… Continue Reading
Photography then and now
The Guardian – “Two photographs taken from exactly the same viewpoint at different times in history” – from around the world. I recommend looking at all the photos beginning here. Continue Reading
World Nature Photography Awards 2020
“We are absolutely delighted to announce our 2020 winners, in an inaugural year that saw entries flow in from all four corners of this most precious globe of ours. It also gives us great pleasure to hand the title of World Nature Photographer of the Year to Thomas Vijayan for his image ‘The world is… Continue Reading
A Roadmap for US Global Leadership
A Roadmap for US Global Leadership – Report on Reports – March 2021: “The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded Americans that the world is interconnected and what happens overseas can land on kitchen tables at home in a matter of hours. Upending an already turbulent political and global landscape, American’s health and economic security have been… Continue Reading
Humans Have Completely Transformed How Water Is Stored on Earth
Earther: “Human fingerprints are all over the world’s freshwater. A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that while human-controlled freshwater sources make up a minimal portion of the world’s ponds, lakes, and rivers, they are responsible more than half of all changes to the Earth’s water system. The study used new satellite… Continue Reading
