A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity, PLOS One, Published: November 8, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293083 “Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species’ distributions and threats. We present an analysis of… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Environmental Law
Climate data can save lives. Most countries can’t access it.
Grist: “Earth just experienced one of its hottest, and most damaging, periods on record. Heat waves in the United States, Europe, and China; catastrophic flooding in India, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Libya; and outbreaks of malaria, dengue, and other mosquito-borne illnesses across southern Asia claimed tens of thousands of lives. The vast majority of these… Continue Reading
We count lights, because the night counts
“Satellite images of the Earth at night are taken after midnight, when most people are sleeping. They therefore do not provide a correct picture of light use in the early evening. Our group of citizen scientists and researchers has previously developed an app to count light sources along street segments – from illuminated windows and… Continue Reading
Winners of the 2023 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest
The Atlantic [no paywall]: “The winning and honored images in this year’s Nature Conservancy photography competition were just announced. Entries from more than 80,000 individual photographers in 191 different countries and territories were judged across 12 different categories. Contest organizers were once again kind enough to share some of their top images with us. The… Continue Reading
New Environmental Justice Playbook for Federal Agencies
White House: “When President Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14096 on Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, he called on the federal government to bring clean energy and healthy environments to all, and to recognize, undo, and mitigate harms to those who have suffered from pollution and the cumulative impacts of other… Continue Reading
Space junk is out of control. Here’s why and what to do about it
Washington Post: “The word “space” implies a lot of it: a near-infinite expanse of emptiness above the atmosphere of this crowded planet. Yet it turns out that the orbits along which rockets fly and from which satellites beam internet connectivity to Earth are a limited resource — and they’re becoming more crowded every day. The… Continue Reading
You can drink the tap water in these 50 countries maybe
Big Think: According to the CDC, 50 countries worldwide have drinkable tap water. But look closer, and the picture is more nuanced…So, which 50 countries are in the CDC’s clean tap water club? There’s most of Europe, excluding most of the Balkans, as well as most of the former Soviet states. Notable exceptions in the… Continue Reading
How Americans View Future Harms From Climate Change in Their Community and Around the U.S.
“A new Pew Research Center survey finds a majority of Americans think climate change is causing harm to people in the United States today and 63% expect things to get worse in their lifetime.When it comes to the personal impact of climate change, most Americans think they’ll have to make at least minor sacrifices over… Continue Reading
Special Flood Hazard Area and Fill Interim Report
Technical Mapping Advisory Council – FEMA: “TMAC 2023 -Special Flood Hazard Area and Fill Interim Report. “There is general agreement that changes in our Nation’s land surface and climate, due to both human and natural causes, are resulting in increased flooding and damage. The best way to combat both the current and future threat of… Continue Reading
The Consequences of Elon Musk’s Ownership of X
The New York Times [read free]: “Now rebranded as X, the site has experienced a surge in racist, antisemitic and other hateful speech. Under Mr. Musk’s watch, millions of people have been exposed to misinformation about climate change. Foreign governments and operatives — from Russia to China to Hamas — have spread divisive propaganda with… Continue Reading
Data – Information is Beautiful
“We love data. And we love getting data good and tight and comprehensive. The technical term for that is “juicy”. Juicy data. In fact, 80% of the work involved in creating an infographic is data-gathering, shaping and checking. Making the data juicy. So here, naturally, is a big-ass spreadsheet of all our best data.” You… Continue Reading
The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory
The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory. BioScience, biad080, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad080 Published 24 October 2023. “Life on planet Earth is under siege. We are now in an uncharted territory. For several decades, scientists have consistently warned of a future marked by extreme climatic conditions because of escalating global temperatures caused by ongoing human… Continue Reading
