WSJ (paywall) – Facing a consumer backlash and stricter regulation, companies are trying to do what’s eluded them for years: make a better bottle: “ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France— A consumer backlash against disposable plastic plus new government mandates and bans in places such as zoos and department stores have the world’s biggest bottled-water makers scrambling to find… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Years After Deepwater Horizon, Offshore Drilling Hazards Persist
POGO: This is part one of a three-part investigation into offshore drilling safety. Read part two here. Read part three here. “They are known as the “last line of defense” against an offshore drilling blowout and uncontrolled spill. They are supposed to save the lives of oil workers and protect the environment. But, as the… Continue Reading
Impact of expansive natural gas fields on the people and animals of Arctic Tundra
Lens culture: There Is Gas Under the Tundra – In the far reaches of the Arctic tundra, fire and ice coexist in expansive natural gas fields. “We typically think of ice and fire as elemental opposites – two of nature’s most primal forces that cannot exist in the same place at once. But the Russian… Continue Reading
Monumental Disaster at the Department of the Interior
Scientific American – A new report documents suppression of science, denial of climate change, the silencing and intimidation of staff: “…In a new report, Science Under Siege at the Department of the Interior, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has documented some of the most egregious and anti-science policies and practices at the DOI under… Continue Reading
New Index finds air pollution reduces global life expectancy by nearly 2 years
The Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chcago: “Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is the most deadly form of air pollution globally. Its microscopic particles penetrate deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s natural defenses. From there it can enter the bloodstream, causing lung disease, cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. There is also evidence… Continue Reading
Flip side of UN climate report’s findings – change is a mandatory choice the world must make
The Nation: “Ask me when they learn that I study climate politics. Fair enough. The science is grim, as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just reminded us with a report on how hard it will be to keep average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But it’s the wrong question. Yes,… Continue Reading
14-Year-Long Oil Spill in Gulf Coast Likely to Become Worst in U.S. History
Why are stories such as these not at the top of the news…immediately…via the Washington Post: “An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history. Between 300… Continue Reading
Trump Administration Reform and Reorganization Plan: Discussion of 35 “Government-Wide” Proposals
Trump Administration Reform and Reorganization Plan: Discussion of 35 “Government-Wide” Proposals, CRS memorandum, July 25, 2018. “This memorandum provides a brief summary and some preliminary analysis of the Donald J. Trump Administration’s recent proposals to restructure and reform agencies, programs, and operations in the executive branch. Specifically, the memorandum covers the 32 proposals characterized by the… Continue Reading
Secretary Zinke and the Great Public Lands Wholesale
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will offer up nearly 4 million acres of public lands for lease this year, much of it for dirt cheap “The United States is now likely the world’s largest oil producer. Even so, the Trump administration continues its sprint to lease the nation’s public lands to energy companies. From September through… Continue Reading
31 Highest Paying Companies
“Almost every day, nearly 112 million Americans wake up and go to work. The vast majority of them do so to put a roof over their head, food on the table, and otherwise support their chosen lifestyle. While full-time U.S. workers by definition clock in for at least 35 hours a week, the amount of… Continue Reading
Science Under Trump: Voices of Scientists across 16 Federal Agencies (2018)
Union of Concerned Scientists – Center for Science and Democracy – Promoting Scientific Integrity: “A year and a half into the Trump administration, its record on science policy is abysmal: undermining the role of science in decision-making, expanding the influence of regulated industries, excluding public voices, censoring scientists, overriding and dismissing science advice, and hindering… Continue Reading
Who owns the space under cities? The attempt to map the earth beneath us
The Guardian: “…In London, a city with 150 years of trenching, digging and boring to its name, the chaos is reaching new depths. According to Newcastle University’s Global Urban Research Unit, more than 4,600 basements have been granted planning permission in the last decade – in just seven of London’s 32 boroughs. The space under… Continue Reading
