Vox: “…BirdCast, forecast provides a three-day outlook of how many birds will be flying overhead across the country — and where. After sunset on Tuesday, for example, BirdCast estimates that 74,000 of them will journey through the skies of New York City. The tool, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Environmental Law
Google Maps tracks global warming with new “Fire” layer, Tree Canopy tool
Ars Technica: “Google Maps is getting a few new features to help people better understand our burning planet. The first is a new “fire” layer in the main map view, which will let you view the exact boundaries of a wildfire just as easily as you can look up the current traffic patterns. Google has… Continue Reading
US says ivory-billed woodpecker, 22 other species extinct
AP: “Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government on Wednesday declared them extinct. It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say they’ve exhausted to find these 23. And… Continue Reading
USA Facts – Climate in the United States
“The United States has experienced a wide variety of extreme weather over the last 125 years, impacting people, communities, and geographies. Track monthly data on how counties experience severe weather, including precipitation and temperature. USAFacts, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic initiative that makes it easy for all Americans to access and understand government data, today launched… Continue Reading
Study: Climate change is disproportionately affecting children
PhysOrg: “International research led by Prof. Wim Thiery of the VUB research group BCLIMATE shows that children are to face disproportional increases in lifetime extreme event exposure—especially in low-income countries. Under current climate policy, newborns across the globe will on average face seven times more scorching heatwaves during their lives than their grandparents. In addition,… Continue Reading
How to make your laptop last longer so you don’t have to buy a new one now
CNET – “Whether you need to delay a new laptop purchase because of uncertain finances (to put it mildly), want to reduce your contribution to the e-waste problem or simply have more important things to think about, there’s a lot you can do to stretch the lifespan of your existing system. The longevity horizon of… Continue Reading
New study shows that drought could shut down the biggest US Hydro Plants in the next few years
“According to newly-released projections from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations, there’s a significant chance that both Lake Powell and Lake Mead — the largest hydroelectric power sources in the country — will stop working in the next few years.” “Five-year projections of future conditions, currently through 2026, in the Colorado River system are typically updated… Continue Reading
EPA Envirofacts
“The preliminary 2020 TRI dataset is now available. The dataset is approximately 99% complete, and will be updated several times in response to data quality analyses and revisions submitted by facilities. For more information, visit https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-preliminary-dataset. The Envirofacts database is now RESTful service-enabled. See the services tab below for documentation and examples, or visit: Envirofacts… Continue Reading
8 important and overlooked questions to ask before buying a home
Washington Post: “…A Flood Factor score, which assesses the likelihood of a flood on a scale of one to 10, is available on Redfin listings and directly from First Street Foundation, which produced the score. Consumers can check Free Home Risk for an assessment of both natural and manmade property risks or a free Home… Continue Reading
Lockdown made cities friendlier for some birds
PopSci: “When much of the world went into lockdown in the spring of 2020, traffic disappeared and pollution levels dropped. Under these conditions, dozens of bird species across North America seem to have flourished, scientists reported this week. The researchers analyzed observations from experienced bird watchers of more than 4.3 million birds representing 82 species… Continue Reading
Spain plans to ban the sale of fruit and vegetables in plastic wrapping by 2023.
El Pais: “The sale of fruit and vegetables in plastic wrapping will be prohibited in Spain’s supermarkets and grocery stores starting in 2023. This is one of the measures in a decree being drafted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, according to sources familiar with the initiative. The new regulation also contains measures to encourage… Continue Reading
NOAA Drought Task Force Report on the 2020–2021 Southwestern U.S
Mankin JS, Simpson I, Hoell A, Fu R, Lisonbee J, Sheffield A, Barrie D. (2021) NOAA Drought Task Force Report on the 2020–2021 Southwestern U.S. Drought. NOAA Drought Task Force, MAPP, and NIDIS. Using the state-of-science and the collective expertise of the NOAA Drought Task Force, this report addresses three questions about the period of… Continue Reading
