Data Driven Journalism: “On January 9th of 2017, the official Twitter account of MillionTreesNYC (@MillionTreesNYC) announced that they had reached the initiative’s ambitious goal to plant and care for one million new trees across the City’s five boroughs. Starting in April of 2007 as a joint venture between the city’s Parks Department, private organizations, residents,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
Emails – Oil Was Central in Decision to Shrink Bears Ears Monument
The New York Times: “Even before President Trump officially opened his high-profile review last spring of federal lands protected as national monuments, the Department of Interior was focused on the potential for oil and gas exploration at a protected Utah site, internal agency documents show. The debate started as early as March 2017, when an… Continue Reading
Economist – The known unknowns of plastic pollution
The Economist “…of the 6.3bn tonnes of plastic waste produced since the 1950s only 9% has been recycled and another 12% incinerated. The rest has been dumped in landfills or the natural environment. Often, as with disposable coffee cups, drinks bottles, sweet wrappers and other packets that account for much of the plastic produced in… Continue Reading
America’s Most Toxic Town Is Not Where You Think
A small city in remote Alaska is working to reduce contamination from the nearby Red Dog Mine: “…The village has long had issues with the mine. Ore from Red Dog is transported by eighty-ton haul trucks along a 50-mile road that links the mine to a port on the Chukchi Sea south of Kivalina. There… Continue Reading
The World’s Renewable Energy Cities
“Of the 570 plus global cities reporting to CDP, over 100 now get at least 70% of their electricity from renewable sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar and wind. We expect to see even more cities targeting a clean energy future. Cities not only want to transition to renewable energy but, most importantly – as… Continue Reading
U.S. Taxpayers May Foot the Bill for Billions in Oil and Gas Well Clean-up Costs
Center for Western Priorities: “U.S. taxpayers could be on the hook for billions of dollars in oil and gas well cleanup costs Federal oil and gas bonding levels have not changed since the 1950s and 60s, despite deeper wells and rising reclamation costs. A new report from the Center for Western Priorities estimates the costs… Continue Reading
Hundreds of U.S. Mayors Collectively Oppose Trump Reversal of Clean Power Plan
Yale Environment 360 – “Mayors from 233 U.S. cities, representing more than 51 million Americans in 46 states and territories, have released a joint letter voicing their opposition of the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal the Clean Power Plan, arguing that the reversal would “put our citizens at risk and harm our efforts to address… Continue Reading
Jump in Federal Civil Environmental Litigation
“The latest available data from the federal courts show that during January 2018 the government reported 172 new environmental civil lawsuits filed. This is the third month in a row in which an unusually large number of new environmental matters were filed, bringing the latest quarter to a total of 745 new cases. According to… Continue Reading
OECD – Taxing Energy Use 2018
Taxing Energy Use 2018 – Companion to the Taxing Energy Use Database You do not have access to this content. 14 Feb 2018. Pages: 47. ISBN: 9789264289635 (PDF) ;9789264289437(print). http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264289635-en “Emissions from energy use cause environmental and health damages and they also contribute to climate change. By charging for these damages, taxes on energy use… Continue Reading
Study – Permafrost Stores a Globally Significant Amount of Mercury
“Researchers estimate the amount of natural mercury stored in perennially frozen soils (permafrost) in the Northern Hemisphere. Permafrost regions contain twice as much mercury as the rest of all soils, the atmosphere, and ocean combined.” [full text link to the study] Washington Post: “We already knew that thawing Arctic permafrost would release powerful greenhouse gases. On… Continue Reading
Study – All fossil-fuel vehicles will vanish in 8 years in twin ‘death spiral’ for big oil and big autos
“All fossil-fuel vehicles will vanish in 8 years in twin ‘death spiral’ for big oil and big autos, says study that’s shocking the industries. This speedy revolution, a Stanford economist says, will be driven by technology, not climate policies — and while his timing may be off a few years, there is little doubt about… Continue Reading
The Global Risks Report 2018
The World Economic Forum: “Each year the Global Risks Report works with experts and decision-makers across the world to identify and analyze the most pressing risks that we face. As the pace of change accelerates, and as risk interconnections deepen, this year’s report highlights the growing strain we are placing on many of the global… Continue Reading
