OECD: “Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options – While plastics are extremely useful materials for modern society, plastics production and waste generation continue to increase with worsening environmental impacts despite international, national and local policy responses, as well as industry commitments. The urgent need to make the lifecycle of plastics more circular calls for… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Environmental Law
A Zero-Carbon Grid Could Prevent Future Blackouts, Study Finds
Yale Environment 360: “A year after a severe winter storm caused widespread blackouts in Texas, the state’s power grid remains vulnerable to extreme cold. But recent research suggests that moving to 100 percent renewable electricity could help prevent future outages, in Texas and elsewhere. For the study, Stanford researchers modeled grid stability in 2050 in… Continue Reading
We Almost Forgot About the Moon Trees
The Atlantic – “A collection of tree seeds that went round and round the moon was scattered far and wide back home. Stuart Roosa, one of the Apollo 14 astronauts, took a small canvas bag of tree seeds with him on the journey. While his fellow astronauts walked on the lunar surface, Roosa and the… Continue Reading
Protecting Nature by Reforming Environmentally Harmful Subsidies:The Role of Business
“Today marks the release of a new Earth Track analysis, Protecting Nature by Reforming Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: The Role of Business, written by Ronald Steenblik and myself. Ron and I have worked together on subsidy transparency, valuation and reform for more than a quarter century at this point, and his expertise has always been hugely… Continue Reading
Study – World’s Rivers Rife with Drugs
The Scientist: “Levels of pharmaceuticals considered unsafe for aquatic organisms were found at more than one-quarter of sampling sites. A study of more than 1,000 sites in 258 rivers on all seven continents finds that pharmaceutical pollution is a pervasive problem worldwide. The work, published today (February 15) in PNAS, surveyed sites in 104 countries,… Continue Reading
New York Is Now Using Cameras With Microphones To Ticket Loud Cars
Road and Track: “If you live in New York and drive a loud car, you could receive a notice from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection telling you your car is too loud. Not because a police officer caught your noisy car, but because a computer did. Road & Track reports: A photo of an… Continue Reading
NOAA – 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
“The Sea Level Rise Technical Report provides the most up-to-date sea level rise projections available for all U.S. states and territories; decision-makers will look to it for information. This multi-agency effort, representing the first update since 2017, offers projections out to the year 2150 and information to help communities assess potential changes in average tide… Continue Reading
The Nature Conservancy releases map to help site renewables
PV Magazine: “With up to 75% of the nation’s large renewable energy projects expected to be developed in the central region of the US by 2050, the Site Renewables Right map, released today by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), is intended to help companies, state agencies, and communities quickly plan, permit, and purchase renewable energy in… Continue Reading
Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities
CRS Report – Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities, Updated February 8, 2022: “Drought―a deficiency of moisture that results in adverse effects―occurs to some extent almost every year in areas of the United States. Droughts can simultaneously reduce available water supplies and increase demands for water. Drought has the potential… Continue Reading
Poorest people bear growing burden of heat waves as temperatures rise
American Geophysical Union: “People with lower incomes are exposed to heat waves for longer periods of time compared to their higher income counterparts due to a combination of location and access to heat adaptations like air conditioning. This inequality is expected to rise as temperatures increase, according to new research. Lower income populations currently face… Continue Reading
This is the wildlife photo of the year, as chosen by the public
(CNN) — “An image of a frozen lake and the reflection of willow branches above the water’s icy surface has claimed the top prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2021. The shot by Italian photographer Cristiano Vendramin, originally among a shortlist of 25 images, was voted for by more than… Continue Reading
New study: “An environmental justice analysis of distribution-level natural gas leaks in Massachusetts, USA”
“A peer-reviewed paper by HEET Director Dominic Nicholas and Salem State University Professor Marcos Luna, was released last week in the journal Energy Policy. Read our update here and coverage by WBUR here. Marcos and Nicholas examined over 26,000 utility-reported leaks in relation to demographic groups. Their findings show that low-income and communities of color,… Continue Reading
