Yale Climate Connections: “The modern era of human-caused climate change — the Anthropocene — has also been called the Pyrocene because we’ve entered an age of fire, characterized by large wildfires of increasing size, intensity, and duration. But we propose another term for the modern era: the Aquacene, a time of rapidly increasing flooding from… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Environmental Law
How printers keep us hooked on expensive ink
Public Interest Research Group – Lucas Gutterman: “Manufacturers lock us into buying ink cartridges at exorbitant prices. There are simple steps to end the ink trap… You might question if home printers are relevant, but 47% of American households still have one and our country spends more than $21 billion on ink cartridges per year.*… Continue Reading
Why is climate denial still thriving online?
DW: “Record global temperatures on July 3 kicked off the hottest week ever recorded as intense heat waves gripped the planet. Climate scientist Friederike Otto, of London’s Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, called the heat “a death sentence for people and ecosystems.” Yet, the next day, a political journalist in the United… Continue Reading
Air Pollution in World: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map
“In July 2023, real-time Air Quality information is available for than 50,000 stations in 2000 major cities from 132 countries, thanks to the huge effort from the world EPAs (Environmental Protection Agencies). There are currently more than 50,000 known air quality monitoring stations in the world. In order to keep a high level on consistency,… Continue Reading
Tap Water Study Detects PFSA ‘Forever Chemicals’ Across the US
“At least 45% of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of the chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. There are more than 12,000 types of PFAS, not all of which can be detected with current… Continue Reading
Lobbyist Database
FMinus: “Companies and organizations that are supposed to be on the right side of the environmental movement too often hire compromised lobbyists. Search our database to find out who’s hiring who—and whether or not their track record is consistent with their values. [Search by State or Search by Client] Launched in July 2023, F Minus… Continue Reading
Climate Capital Global Economy Financial models on climate risk ‘implausible’, say actuaries
Financial Times [alt free link]: “Financial institutions often did not understand the models they were using to predict the economic cost of climate change and were underestimating the risks of temperature rises, research led by a professional body of actuaries shows. Many of the results emerging from the models were “implausible,” with a serious “disconnect”… Continue Reading
Drought and Public Health: A Roadmap for Advancing Engagement and Preparedness
Drought.gov: “Drought is one of the costliest and deadliest climate-related disasters in the United States, necessitating public health engagement at a national level. Although drought is not typically thought of as a health hazard, the pathways to human health outcomes are prevalent and numerous. To better understand these pathways, and actions that could be taken… Continue Reading
Human health depends on thriving oceans
The Lancet, June 7, 2023: Human health depends on thriving oceans: “Healthy oceans, from coastal waters to remote high seas and deep seabed areas, are integral to human health, wellbeing, and survival. Covering over 71% of the Earth’s surface, the oceans serve as an essential carbon sink. Oceans also regulate climate-associated human health risks between… Continue Reading
The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained
Vox – 8 things you should know about the number that measures bad air: “It’s not enough to trust the senses to know when it’s a bad air day. Well before you can see or smell smoke, it can start wreaking havoc on the lungs. That haze you can see and smell on a particularly… Continue Reading
The melting Arctic is a crime scene
Alaska Beacon – Microbes warned of this catastrophe – but also drive it: “The Arctic’s climate is warming at least four times faster than the global average, causing irrevocable changes to this vast landscape and precarious ecosystem – from the anticipated extinction of polar bears to the appearance of killer whales in ever-greater numbers. A… Continue Reading
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Tagged by Source
“Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas driving global climate change. However, its increase in the atmosphere would be even more rapid without land and ocean carbon sinks, which collectively absorb about half of human emissions every year. Advanced computer modeling techniques in NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office allow us to disentangle… Continue Reading
