Nature, Environment, Climate Change, Ecology

David Koch Escaped the Climate Hell He Helped Create

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:45:00 -0400

David Koch is dead.

Amazon fires: the tribes fighting to save their dying rainforest – video

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:18:07 -0400

Indigenous people in Brazil have vowed to protect their land as large swathes of the Amazon forest continue to burn. The largest rainforest in the world absorbs billions of tonnes of CO2 every year, slowing the pace of global heating. It is also home to about 3m species of plants and animals and a million people.

The week in wildlife – in pictures

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:08:01 -0400

Endangered white rhinos, breeding cycads and fires in the Amazon rainforest

Drinking Fluoride-Treated Water During Pregnancy Could Lower Your Child's IQ, Study Finds

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 09:58:41 -0400

Drinking water treated with fluoride during pregnancy may lead to lower IQs in children, a controversial new study has found.

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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many adults and children have seen the dental health benefits of drinking water treated with fluoride over the past 70 years, including stronger teeth and 25 percent fewer cavities. Currently, more than 66 percent of Americans receive fluoride-treated water.

But according to researchers at York University in Toronto, the higher the concentration of fluoride present in a mother-to-be's urine, the lower her male child's IQ score.

For the study, which was published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers tracked 512 mothers, measuring their fluoride exposure by comparing how much was in their community's drinking water, how much tap water and tea the mothers drank, and the amount of fluoride in their urine throughout their pregnancies. Their children received an IQ test between ages three and four.

The researchers found that for every increase of 1 milligram per liter concentration of fluoride in a mother's urine, the child's IQ score dropped 3.7 points. Male children saw a 4.5-point lower IQ score for each 1 milligram per liter, while there was no significant link when it came to female children, though the researchers could not point to why.

"At a population level, that's a big shift. That translates to millions of IQ levels lost," study author Christine Till, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, told CNN.

The results appear to back up the findings of the few previous studies showing an association between increased fluoride exposure and reduced IQ in children, though this is the first study that looked at populations receiving 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water, CNN reported, which is what the U.S. Public Health Service has deemed the optimal ratio.

However, some of the previous studies have been questioned by health experts, The Daily Beast reported, and this one was met with equal skepticism.

Jama Pediatrics editor in chief Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician, added an editor's note saying the decision to publish this latest article was "not easy" and it had been subjected to "additional scrutiny for its methods and the presentation of its findings."

The researchers acknowledged the study wasn't without limitations. They did not measure fluoride exposure for the children after they were born, nor could they have accounted for amounts of fluoride consumed just before samples were taken.

Other experts called into question weaknesses in data collection and measurement, and expressed doubt regarding the gender differences in the findings.

"Whilst the authors are just reporting what they found, I find these sex differences difficult to explain. With a neurotoxicant you might expect both sexes to be affected," Alastair Hay, a professor emeritus of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study, told the Daily Mail.

Groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics also warned against altering public health policy based on this study before its results have been replicated.

"I still stand by the weight of the best available evidence, from 70 years of study, that community water fluoridation is safe and effective," Brittany Seymour, a dentist representing the American Dental Association, told The Washington Post. "If we're able to replicate findings and continue to see outcomes, that would compel us to revisit our recommendation. We're just not there yet."

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Find Out What's in Your Tap Water https://t.co/bplNCTr4WT @EndWaterPoverty @Waterkeeper
— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) July 26, 2017

Can researchers engage safely with the food industry?

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 09:48:27 -0400

Researchers are exploring ways to help scientists better protect their work from the influence of the food industry.

6 foods more likely than chicken to harbor salmonella

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:53:54 -0400

Chicken's always the scapegoat, but there are other sources of salmonella that may not be so familiar.

To fight climate change, we may have to return to the age of airships

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:26:30 -0400

New research suggests zeppelins could replace cargo ships at a fraction of the pollution.

Amazon fires: what is happening and is there anything we can do?

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:14:57 -0400

Why people should be worried about the blazes and increased deforestation in Brazil

Thousands of fires are burning in Brazil, many of them in the world’s biggest rainforest, which is sending clouds of smoke across the region and pumping alarming quantities of carbon into the world’s atmosphere.

Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Overuse of Antibiotics in Cattle Farming

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:14:29 -0400

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Thursday of a drug-resistant strain of salmonella newport linked to the overuse of antibiotics in cattle farming.

The strain sickened 255 people in 32 states between June 2018 and March 2019, leading to 60 hospitalizations and two deaths, the agency wrote in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. And the strain is still making people sick, lead report author and CDC epidemiologist Dr. Ian Plumb told CNN.

"We are continuing to see cases occurring among patients," Plumb told CNN in an email. "The antibiotic resistance pattern of this strain is alarming because the primary oral antibiotics used to treat patients with this type of salmonella infection may not work."

Plumb told HealthDay Reporter that the two patients who died had other illnesses as well, but that the drug-resistant salmonella did contribute to their deaths.

The strain has shown decreased susceptibility to azithromycin and does not respond at all to ciprofloxacin, the report said. Both are commonly used to treat the disease, and, before 2017, fewer than 0.5 percent of salmonella strains found in U.S. patients were resistant to azithromycin.

The outbreak has been linked to the consumption of U.S. beef and Mexican soft cheese, leading investigators to believe the strain is present in cows in both countries, CNN reported.

"The resistant strains developed in animals, and those strains can then be transmitted to humans," Plumb told HealthDay Reporter.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at the New York University Langone Medical Center who was not involved with the study, told HealthDay Reporter that the best way to prevent drug-resistant infections like this is to change farming practices.

"Salmonella is a very common bacteria in livestock, and the problem is that we're overusing antibiotics to try to control this problem," Siegel said. He said that farmers also gave antibiotics to cattle to increase their size.

He said that better human treatments were not the solution, since most of the time the infection needs no treatment at all.

"It's really a change in farming practices that are needed—to stop giving these animals antibiotics," he said.

The CDC also stated that avoiding giving cattle unnecessary antibiotics, especially those also used to treat humans, would help prevent the spread of drug-resistant salmonella.

In the meantime, the CDC recommended that people protect themselves by avoiding soft cheese made with unpasteurized milk and using thermometers to make sure beef is cooked to the proper temperature: 145 degrees Fahrenheit for steaks and roasts and 160 degrees Fahrenheit for ground beef.

Winners and Losers: Here’s What Ocean Warming Means for Fish

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 08:00:12 -0400

Climate change has been steadily warming the ocean, which absorbs most of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, for 100 years. This warming is altering marine ecosystems and having a direct impact on fish populations. About half of the world’s population relies on fish as a vital source of protein, and the fishing industry employs more the 56 million people worldwide.

My recent study with colleagues from Rutgers University and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that ocean warming has already impacted global fish populations. We found that some populations benefited from warming, but more of them suffered.

Overall, ocean warming reduced catch potential — the greatest amount of fish that can be caught year after year — by a net 4 percent over the past 80 years. In some regions, the effects of warming have been much larger. The North Sea, which has large commercial fisheries, and the seas of East Asia, which support some of the fastest-growing human populations, experienced losses of 15 percent to 35 percent.

Although ocean warming has already challenged the ability of ocean fisheries to provide food and income, swift reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and reforms to fisheries management could lessen many of the negative impacts of continued warming.

How and Why Does Ocean Warming Affect Fish?

My collaborators and I like to say that fish are like Goldilocks: They don’t want their water too hot or too cold, but just right.

Put another way, most fish species have evolved narrow temperature tolerances. Supporting the cellular machinery necessary to tolerate wider temperatures demands a lot of energy. This evolutionary strategy saves energy when temperatures are “just right,” but it becomes a problem when fish find themselves in warming water. As their bodies begin to fail, they must divert energy from searching for food or avoiding predators to maintaining basic bodily functions and searching for cooler waters.

Thus, as the oceans warm, fish move to track their preferred temperatures. Most fish are moving poleward or into deeper waters. For some species, warming expands their ranges. In other cases it contracts their ranges by reducing the amount of ocean they can thermally tolerate. These shifts change where fish go, their abundance and their catch potential.

Warming can also modify the availability of key prey species. For example, if warming causes zooplankton — small invertebrates at the bottom of the ocean food web — to bloom early, they may not be available when juvenile fish need them most. Alternatively, warming can sometimes enhance the strength of zooplankton blooms, thereby increasing the productivity of juvenile fish.

Understanding how the complex impacts of warming on fish populations balance out is crucial for projecting how climate change could affect the ocean’s potential to provide food and income for people.

Warming is affecting virtually all regions of the ocean.

Impacts of Historical Warming on Marine Fisheries

Sustainable fisheries are like healthy bank accounts. If people live off the interest and don’t overly deplete the principal, both people and the bank thrive. If a fish population is overfished, the population’s “principal” shrinks too much to generate high long-term yields.

Similarly, stresses on fish populations from environmental change can reduce population growth rates, much as an interest rate reduction reduces the growth rate of savings in a bank account.

In our study we combined maps of historical ocean temperatures with estimates of historical fish abundance and exploitation. This allowed us to assess how warming has affected those interest rates and returns from the global fisheries bank account.

Losers Outweigh Winners

We found that warming has damaged some fisheries and benefited others. The losers outweighed the winners, resulting in a net 4 percent decline in sustainable catch potential over the last 80 years. This represents a cumulative loss of 1.4 million metric tons previously available for food and income.

The reddish and brown circles represent fish populations whose maximum sustainable yields have dropped as the ocean has warmed. The darkest tones represent extremes of 35 percent. Blueish colors represent fish yields that increased in warmer waters. (Chris Free, CC BY-ND)

Some regions have been hit especially hard. The North Sea, with large commercial fisheries for species like Atlantic cod, haddock and herring, has experienced a 35 percent loss in sustainable catch potential since 1930. The waters of East Asia, neighbored by some of the fastest-growing human populations in the world, saw losses of 8 percent to 35 percent across three seas.

Other species and regions benefited from warming. Black sea bass, a popular species among recreational anglers on the U.S. East Coast, expanded its range and catch potential as waters previously too cool for it warmed. In the Baltic Sea, juvenile herring and sprat — another small herring-like fish — have more food available to them in warm years than in cool years, and have also benefited from warming. However, these climate winners can tolerate only so much warming, and may see declines as temperatures continue to rise.

Management Boosts Fishes’ Resilience

Our work suggests three encouraging pieces of news for fish populations.

First, well-managed fisheries, such as Atlantic scallops on the U.S. East Coast, were among the most resilient to warming. Others with a history of overfishing, such as Atlantic cod in the Irish and North seas, were among the most vulnerable. These findings suggest that preventing overfishing and rebuilding overfished populations will enhance resilience and maximize long-term food and income potential.

Second, new research suggests that swift climate-adaptive management reforms can make it possible for fish to feed humans and generate income into the future. This will require scientific agencies to work with the fishing industry on new methods for assessing fish populations’ health, set catch limits that account for the effects of climate change and establish new international institutions to ensure that management remains strong as fish migrate poleward from one nation’s waters into another’s. These agencies would be similar to multinational organizations that manage tuna, swordfish and marlin today.

Finally, nations will have to aggressively curb greenhouse gas emissions. Even the best fishery management reforms will be unable to compensate for the 4 degree Celsius ocean temperature increase that scientists project will occur by the end of this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The opinions expressed above are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of The Revelator, the Center for Biological Diversity or their employees.

The post Winners and Losers: Here’s What Ocean Warming Means for Fish appeared first on The Revelator.

DNC Committee Votes Down Climate Debate

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:54:16 -0400

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted down a resolution calling for an official, party-sanctioned debate on the climate crisis, ABC News reported Thursday.

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Activists have been leaning on the party to sanction such a debate as part of the 2020 Democratic primary, but DNC's resolutions committee voted 17-8 Thursday against the measure authored by Washington State Democratic Chair Tina Powdowlaski.

"What you found [was] a section of individuals who wanted to be able to have a climate debate and talk about all the intersectional issues, whether that's jobs, whether it's health care, whether it's national security," Powdowlaski told CBS News. "And what they got was a big stop sign from the DNC."

The Sunrise Movement, a grassroots group that has led the push both for the Green New Deal and for a climate debate, filled the party conference in San Francisco where the vote was held with up to 100 people, HuffPost reported. Before and after the vote, activists sang the union song "Which Side Are You On?" according to The Mercury News.

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BREAKING: Despite overwhelming support from the public and candidates, the @DNC Resolutions Committee just voted down the resolution to hold a #ClimateDebate

20+ young people with the @sunrisemvmt interrupted the meeting, singing the union protest song “Which Side Are You On?” pic.twitter.com/tYlhWHOiWr
— Sunrise Bay Area

Everything you want to know about Lyme disease

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:34:00 -0400

What is Lyme disease? Here's where you are more likely to get it and the symptoms to look for if you're concerned.

Norfolk scheme brings ancient wildflower meadows back to life

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:00:14 -0400

Restoration project uses seed-rich hay taken from roadside verges to regrow lost meadows

There is something back to front about the idyllic scene on a meadow south of Norwich. Hay is normally gathered in, but this freshly cut, sweet-smelling grass is being carefully forked across a field.

The hay, harvested from nearby roadside verges, is spread to scatter the seeds contained within it, part of an innovative scheme to restore natural flower-rich meadows and reverse losses. More than 97% of Britain’s wildflower meadows have vanished since the 1930s.

Reading festival accused of 'hypocrisy' for giving away free McDonald's chicken while demanding climate change action

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 06:57:47 -0400

Exclusive: 'When more experts are encouraging people to adopt a plant-based diet to fight climate change, you are going in the opposite direction'

Record Amazon rainforest fires spark row between Brazil and France

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 06:17:34 -0400

The Brazilian space agency, INPE, this week reported more than 75,000 fires across the Brazilian part of the world’s greatest rainforest, up 84 per cent on last year

Bolsonaro creates a “crisis cabinet” to address the Amazon forests fires and criticisms

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:56:00 -0400

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro following a Thursday meeting with his ministers at the Planalto Palace announced the creation of a crisis cabinet to address the Amazon rainforest situation.

France and UN lead battle for the protection of fire plagued Amazon rainforest

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:54:00 -0400

France and the United Nations called on Thursday for the protection of the fire-plagued Amazon rainforest as Brazil's right-wing president blamed NGOs for promoting an “environmental psychosis” to damage the country's interests.

Forest fires in Bolivia: half a million hectares, 1.700 fighters and a Super tanker

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:40:00 -0400

Bolivian authorities warned this week that 70% of the department of Santa Cruz — where more than a quarter of the country's population lives — is under “extreme risk” from forest fires. According to the government, nearly 500,000 hectares of forest have now been turned into ashes.

Global heating, quakes and how to avoid pathogen soup: a cartoon about water

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:08 -0400

In an area facing particular threats from earthquakes and global heating, Portland has a duty to take care of its abundant water supply

Oceans of Noise: Episode Three – Science Weekly

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 01:00:09 -0400

During our summer break, we’re revisiting the archives. Today, Wildlife recordist Chris Watson concludes this three-part journey into the sonic environment of the ocean, celebrating the sounds and songs of marine life and investigating the threat of noise pollution

First released: 03/05/2019

As wildlife recordist Chris Watson looks for solutions to ocean noise pollution, he hears from Tim Gordon, whose long-awaited trip to the Great Barrier Reef became a devastating experience when he heard the eerie silence of a dying coral reef, caused in part by global warming.

But despite the pessimistic tone evident in many environment debates, reduction in ocean noise pollution is one area that could spark optimism. Action is being taken across the world – from policymakers to private companies – to address some of the causes of sonic assaults on the underwater acoustic environment. While more action is needed, the future of marine soundscapes is still very much in play.

In Bolsonaro’s burning Brazilian Amazon, all our futures are being consumed | Eliane Brum

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 01:00:08 -0400

The rainforest might seem a remote place, but it is the heart of the planet – and it is under attack as never before

The Amazon is the centre of the world. Right now, as our planet experiences climate collapse, there is nowhere more important. If we don’t grasp this, there is no way to meet that challenge.

For 500 years, this has been a place of ruins. First with the European invasion, which brought a particularly destructive form of civilisation, the death of hundreds of thousands of indigenous men and women and the extinction of dozens of peoples. More recently, with the clearance of vast swaths of the forest and all life within it. Right now, in 2019, we are witnessing the beginning of a new, disastrous chapter. The area of trees being cleared has surged this year. In July, the deforestation rate was an area the size of Manhattan every day, a Greater London every three weeks. This month, fires are incinerating the Amazon at a record rate, almost certainly part of a scorched-earth strategy to clear territory. Why is this happening now? Because of a change in power.

When calling out environmental hypocrisy is nothing but a cynical ploy | Zoe Williams

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 00:59:03 -0400

Those who would benefit from climate inaction try to sabotage green politics by criticising activists. We must resist them

Ever since Al Gore first launched his climate crusade, the sight of any given public figure making the case for action, anywhere other than in their own home, has frequently been met with the following genre of response: if you care so much, how come you took a plane? If you didn’t take a plane, how much did the alternative cost? How much steel does a train use these days, anyway? Wouldn’t it be cheaper, ergo greener, not to go anywhere?

Rail line in Hampshire is world's first to be powered by solar farm

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 20:33:05 -0400

Pilot scheme on Network Rail’s Wessex route could pave way for direct powering of trains

The world’s first solar farm to power a railway line directly is due to plug into the track near Aldershot, paving the way for solar-powered trains.

From Friday, about 100 solar panels at the trackside site will supply renewable electricity to power the signalling and lights on Network Rail’s Wessex route.

Jay Inslee’s parting gift: A plan to save American farms

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 18:22:47 -0400

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the end of his campaign to seek the presidency on Wednesday night since he hadn’t polled high enough to participate in the second round of debates. But he went out with a bang — at least in terms of climate policy. Earlier that same day, he’d released one final policy proposal, the sixth hefty installment in his roughly 200-page climate platform: a plan for rural prosperity.

The proposal boiled down to two main principles: First, pay rural communities for the environmental services they provide, like using crops to suck carbon out of the air. Second, give tons of money (we’re talking billions and billions) to the scientists and educators these communities would need to support their transformation to the engines of a clean economy. As of now, Inslee’s farm plan has gone missing from the web, but those of us ag nerds who read it before it disappeared were pretty impressed. It would be a shame if this were the end of the road, not just for Inslee, but also for his ideas and the homework his team has done.

In fact, Inslee himself seemed to suggest that other candidates should read up on his plan and crib as much as they want. “It’s a governing document, not a campaign slogan,” the governor said on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show Wednesday night when he announced his withdrawal from the race. “And now it’s open source.”

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Even before the farm policy came out, Vox’s David Roberts (formerly of Grist) was calling Inslee’s overarching climate plan “a fully fleshed-out Green New Deal.” The program wouldn’t just cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, Roberts wrote, but also “make structural reforms to the economy to protect and invest in vulnerable communities, boost innovation and job growth, empower workers, and hold polluters accountable.”

The new farm proposal fleshed out Inslee’s vision a little further. Today, we use petroleum products (cosmetics, plastics, and gasoline are all derived from oil) to get by every day. Inslee suggested overhauling this system by replacing these petroleum-based materials with plant-based materials that can be grown on farms.

Inslee also planned to pay farmers to sequester carbon dioxide, to trap fertilizers that cause toxic algae blooms, and to clean up the water (by maintaining, for example, spongy soil and strips of wilderness along streams). Most farmers want to be good environmental stewards, you see, but their first priority is avoiding bankruptcy. By paying for these environmental services, we could align those often contradictory forces and nudge farmers to do the right thing.

At the same time, Inslee wanted to start funding agricultural research like we mean it. Government spending on agriculture-related research has bounced up and down, but overall it has sloped gently downward in recent years. Inslee wants to put a massive spike in that line by tripling funding for federal ag research and development, which would bring the total to something like $15 billion — an unprecedented amount. He also proposed tripling the number of agricultural extension agents, who are basically local experts who work with farmers in every county to figure out how to apply the latest findings from science to their operations.

For the remaining 2020 candidates, who have put forth a wide range of farming plans, it’s probably a good idea to take notes. Something tells us it’s what Inslee would have wanted.

I think you’ll like my new stump speech. https://t.co/PgDktxu4pi

— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) August 22, 2019

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Jay Inslee’s parting gift: A plan to save American farms on Aug 22, 2019.

Democrats Decide the Total Collapse of the Planet Isn't Worth a Debate

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 16:49:00 -0400

The Democratic National Committee voted on Thursday to reject a proposed 2020 debate on climate change, which sure sounds like a great idea just as things get even more terrifying on that front.

Are farmers setting the Amazon ablaze in support of Bolsonaro?

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 15:35:04 -0400

Farmers are reportedly setting fire to the Amazon rainforest to show support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s policy of opening up protected areas to private ownership. According to a widely disseminated article in a small newspaper, Folha do Progresso, the organizers of this “Day of Fire” are hoping that 2019 sets a record for burning.

Ranchers and farmers routinely use fire in tropical agriculture to clear land for planting and cattle pastures, but the practice had slowed before Bolsonaro took office in January. Brazil’s space research agency reported this week that fires have increased 84 percent this year compared to the dry season last year. On Monday, smoke from rampant fires plunged Sao Paulo into darkness in the afternoon.

Many news outlets have said the 74,000 fires Brazil has seen this year sets a record, but that’s based on statistics that only date back to 2013. And deforestation is actually down from its peak in the 1980s. The real, undisputable news here is that there’s been a spike in fires and deforestation under Bolsonaro. And given the Amazon rainforest’s important role in capturing carbon emissions, the stakes seem much higher.

Christian Poirier, a program director for the nonprofit Amazon Watch, said that farmers were clearly emboldened by Bolsonaro to burn forests. “The fires currently ravaging the Amazon are directly related to President Bolsonaro’s anti-environmental rhetoric, in which he errantly frames forests and forest protections as impediments to Brazil’s economic growth. Farmers and ranchers understand the president’s message as a license to commit arson with wanton impunity, in order to aggressively expand their operations into the rainforest.”

Bolsonaro isn’t exactly taking credit, saying he had a “feeling” that the fires were set by nonprofit environmental groups trying to make his government look bad.

There’s been a huge growth in Brazil’s farms, especially after President Donald Trump’s trade war sent China — the top buyer of U.S. soybeans — shopping in South America. But the farm boom won’t improve the lives of poor Brazilians if it depends on dismantling environmental protections, said Toby Gardner, the director of nonprofit Trase. He sees Brazil trending toward “apparent disregard for devastating effects of environmental degradation seen from the recent and unprecedented spate of wildfires, set by landowners to clear forest for agriculture,” he said in an email.

Brazil’s massive forests are a critical part of the Earth’s life support system. The Amazon holds some 17 percent of the world’s plant-based carbon, and fires release that greenhouse gas. It’s home to millions of unique species and people. Fires are also burning in Brazil’s Cerrado — the central savanna — and its other forests.

People are deliberately starting fires in the #AmazonRainforest to illegally deforest indigenous land for cattle ranching

Pataxó woman:
“These assholes came in and burned down [our reservation]… I want all of the media here to see this” pic.twitter.com/uGFp7RItHK

— Sunrise Movement was going through global warming due to increased carbon dioxide levels from natural processes, which allowed plants called cycads to flourish around…
Read more...

Minnesota will pay homeowners to make their lawns bee-friendly

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:54:52 -0400

A Minnesota spending plan will pay homeowners to transform their lawns into bee-friendly habitats.

The case for retreat in the battle against climate change

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:18:56 -0400

With sea level rise and extreme weather threatening coastal communities, it's no longer a question of whether they are going to retreat; it's where, when and how. In a new paper, researchers advocate for a managed and planned retreat, not a short-term spur of the moment reaction to a massive storm.

Asteroid Ryugu has no dust on it and we don’t know why

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:00:55 -0400

The most detailed pictures yet from the asteroid Ryugu show it has no dust, which is very strange. There are at least three competing possible explanations

Wild giraffes are suffering a 'silent extinction'

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 13:57:24 -0400

The iconic animals have declined more than 40 percent in 30 years, potentially facing extinction yet drawing little global attention until recently.

Bernie Sanders’ ‘Green New Deal’ looks like a trillion bucks (OK, 16 trillion)

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 13:23:29 -0400

Washington Governor Jay Inslee vacated the role of “climate candidate” in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary when he dropped out of the race Wednesday night. By Thursday morning, it appeared Bernie Sanders was poised to fill it.

The Vermont senator unveiled a plan to spend more than $16 trillion in federal dollars on “a ten-year, nationwide mobilization centered around justice and equity” to forestall the climate crisis. He’s calling it — stop us if you’ve heard this one before — the “Green New Deal.”

Yep, Sanders told the New York Times that he’s putting “meat on the bones” of the resolution, introduced in February by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, which called for a “10-year national mobilization” to essentially remake the U.S. into a clean-energy economy. The Ocasio-Cortez and Markey version of the Green New Deal (a.k.a. GND original flavor) is currently being constructed by the think tank New Consensus.

Sanders’ version calls for creating 20 million union jobs he says are necessary for averting climate disaster, phasing out fossil fuels by midcentury, providing $200 billion to the United Nations to aid developing countries in slashing emissions, and spearheading new projects in solar, wind, and geothermal energy. According to the senator’s campaign, the plan will pay for itself in 15 years, in part by levying massive taxes on the income of corporate polluters and increasing penalties for fossil-fuel company pollution. And Sanders said he would declare climate change a national emergency, a step that even Inslee was not ready to commit to. Last month, Sanders proposed a congressional resolution to do just that.

The language in Sanders’s plan indicates he’s ready to tussle with Big Oil: He says he would direct his Department of Justice to go after fossil fuel companies for both civil and criminal penalties. So far, cases winding through the state court systems have not been successful at holding the fossil fuel industry accountable.

“They have evaded taxes, desecrated tribal lands, exploited workers, and poisoned communities,” the proposal reads. “President Bernie Sanders will ensure that his Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission investigate these companies and bring suits — both criminal and civil — for any wrongdoing, just as the federal government did with the tobacco industry in the 1980s.”

The 77-year-old presidential-hopeful also plans to ensure a “fair” and “just transition” for fossil fuel workers. Under Sanders’ Green New Deal, the federal government would provide five years of unemployment insurance, a wage guarantee, housing assistance, and job training to “any displaced worker” who loses their job during the transition to a clean-energy economy.

Moreover, Sanders’ plan pitches a ban on hydraulic fracturing — a.k.a. fracking — and mountaintop coal mining. He also plans on establishing a $40 billion Climate Justice Resiliency Fund specifically to help communities of color prepare for climate impacts.

While the Green New Deal of Ocasio-Cortez and Markey calls for transitioning to 100-percent zero-emission energy generation and slashing emissions from transportation “as much as is technologically feasible” within 10 years, Sanders’ plan ups the ante a bit. He calls for eliminating all emissions from the transportation sector by 2030. And while the original resolution doesn’t exclude the use of nuclear power or developing technologies like carbon capture, Sanders’ proposal prohibits so-called “false solutions,” specifically naming nuclear, carbon sequestration, and geoengineering among them.

But while the Green New Deal (original) and its effect in shifting the conversation on climate in politics has been up to this point most closely identified with Ocasio-Cortez, today’s announcement could essentially transfer the concept to Sanders. So if at the next round of debates, fellow candidate and Senator Kamala Harris utters her support for a “Green New Deal”, as she has in the previous two, she’ll essentially be saying she supports Sanders’ plan. It’s his now — both its transformative allure, as well as its heavy price tag.

But at least, according to Sanders’ estimates, he can get the job done for less than 20 percent of what the Republicans say a Green New Deal will cost.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Bernie Sanders’ ‘Green New Deal’ looks like a trillion bucks (OK, 16 trillion) on Aug 22, 2019.

The Amazon is on fire: 5 things you need to know

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 13:07:26 -0400

The Amazon is on fire. Here are 5 things you need to know.

Wildlife summit votes down plan to allow sale of huge ivory stockpile

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:49:49 -0400

Some African nations at Cites conference argue sales would provide much-needed income

An audacious attempt to allow a huge sale of stockpiled elephant ivory has been defeated at an international wildlife conference. The rancorous debate exposed deep divisions between African nations with opposing views on elephant conservation.

About 50 elephants are still being poached every day to supply ivory traffickers and all countries agree the world’s largest land animal needs greater protection. But southern African nations, which have some of the largest elephant populations, want to allow more legal sales of ivory to fund conservation and community development. But 32 other African nations argue all trade in elephants must end, including the trophy hunting legal in some states.

Jay Inslee Changed Everything

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:41:00 -0400

Jay Inslee, the first presidential climate candidate and noted hottie, is out of the race for the White House. The Democratic Washington governor announced he was ending his campaign on Wednesday night. Despite never really catching fire in the polls, his campaign could very well have altered the course of history for…

Brazil's environment minister heckled at climate conference - video report

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:34:09 -0400

Jeering activists interrupted a speech by Ricardo Salles on Wednesday at the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week conference in Salvador, Brazil. Booing protesters virtually drowned out Salles' speech during which one activist held a placard reading: 'Don't you get tired of your own lies?' The minister and the government of the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, have come under fire for their policies, which activists say are harming the environment

Brazilian minister booed at climate event as outcry grows over Amazon fires

Hidden Trump Report Reveals Water Plan Will Harm Endangered Whales and Salmon

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:29:39 -0400

It's become a familiar story with the Trump administration: Scientists write a report that shows the administration's policies will cause environmental damage, then the administration buries the report and fires the scientists.

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The latest chapter in that book happened this summer in California when federal officials suppressed a scientific report that warned that the administration's plans to deliver more water to farms in California's Central Valley will push critically endangered California salmon even closer to extinction. It will also starve a threatened population of steelhead trout and West Coast killer whales that feed on the endangered Chinook, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Rather than cause the administration to rethink its policy, it treated science as something inconvenient. Two days after the scientists handed in the 1,123 page report, classified as a biological opinion, a fisheries official took it down. The Trump administration then replaced the scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service who had been drafting the biological opinion and brought in other staff to revise the biological opinion, as the Sacramento Bee reported.

In the initial report, released on July 1 and then suppressed, the National Marine Fisheries Service pulls no punches in forcefully concluding that the increased water deliveries will jeopardize the existence of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. The agency wrote that the changes "will produce multiple stressors" on winter-run salmon "that are expected to reduce survival and the overall fitness of individuals," the agency wrote, as the Los Angeles Times reported.

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It went on to also highlight the hazards to threatened spring-run Chinook and threatened Central Valley steelhead, as well as endangered Southern Resident killer whales whose numbers are perilously low, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Environmentalists and salmon fishing groups classified the maneuver as a blatant attempt by the Trump administration to manipulate science in order to ratchet up water deliveries to a group of wealthy farmers who used to have a top Trump administration official on their payroll — a charge the administration denies, as the Sacramento Bee reported

"Literally before our eyes, we're seeing science suppressed by monied political interests," said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents commercial fishermen, to the Los Angeles Times.

The biological opinion that the administration put the kibosh on said that harmful impacts will include warm river temperatures lethal to fish eggs and newly hatched salmon; low flows in the Sacramento River; and an increase in salmon deaths at the enormous government pumps that send water south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The winter-run Chinook have been particularly vexing for conservationists. The fish is just one of nine species that are at most risk of extinction in the near future, the scientists wrote in their report, as the Los Angeles Times reported. Their odds of extinction has increased over the last decade, partly because water releases from Shasta Lake during California's severe drought were too warm for salmon eggs and hatchlings. Four years ago, 96 percent of the eggs and new-hatched fish died.

Shelter dog is new 'Lady and the Tramp' star

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:23:50 -0400

A star is born as terrier mix Monte leaves a shelter and heads to Hollywood.

Environmental Groups Sue Trump Administration Over New Endangered Species Act Rules

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:12:31 -0400

A coalition of some of the largest environmental groups in the country joined forces to file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Trump administration's maneuver to weaken the Endangered Species Act.

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The Department of the Interior's changes to the Endangered Species Act — which has successfully protected 99 percent of the animals on the list and saved the iconic bald eagle, grizzly bear and gray wolf from the brink of extinction — make it easier to remove species from the list, ends protection for threatened species that are not yet endangered, and allows regulators to weigh the economic cost of protecting a species, as Ecowatch reported.

The groups that filed the complaint in the Northern District of California yesterday allege that the changes undermine the purpose of the law, according to CNN. The environmental groups claim that the manipulations of the law will drastically weaken protections for plants and animals, while benefiting industry groups and landowners, according to The Hill.

"Trump's rules are a dream-come-true for polluting industries and a nightmare for endangered species," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. "Scientists around the world are sounding the alarm about extinction, but the Trump administration is removing safeguards for the nation's endangered species. We'll do everything in our power to stop these rules from going forward."

The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), National Parks Conservation Association, WildEarth Guardians and the Humane Society of the United States.

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The administration's tweaks to the law are particularly striking for their timing, which come just after a United Nations report that warned of a worldwide biodiversity crisis and predicted the extinction of one million species by the end of the century due to the climate crisis.

"In the midst of an unprecedented extinction crisis, the Trump administration is eviscerating our most effective wildlife protection law," said Rebecca Riley, legal director for NRDC's Nature Program in a statement.

The complaint makes several arguments to the court in asking it to reverse the Interior Department's changes. It claims that the Trump administration violated the National Environmental Protection Act by refusing to analyze how its changes will affect various species. The suit also argues that there are discrepancies between the agency's draft proposal and the final rules. That means another legal requirement was violated since the final rules were never available for public comment, as The Hill reported.

Additionally, the complaint alleges that the Trump administration trampled on the Endangered Species Act by changing the law that requires federal agencies to ensure that actions they authorize, fund or carry out do not harm any species or its habitat that is listed as threatened or endangered.

"Nothing in these new rules helps wildlife, period," said Kristen Boyles, Earthjustice attorney, in a statement. "Instead, these regulatory changes seek to make protection and recovery of threatened and endangered species harder and less predictable. We're going to court to set things right."

The changes to the law could also significantly lengthen how long it takes for species' protection, which could further threaten them, according to CNN.

"The new rules move the Endangered Species Act dangerously away from its grounding in sound science that has made the Act so effective — opening the door to political decisions couched as claims that threats to species are too uncertain to address," said Karimah Schoenhut, Sierra Club staff attorney, in a statement. "In the face of the climate crisis, the result of this abandonment of responsibility will be extinction."

Extinction Rebellion activists convicted of public order offences

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:03:40 -0400

Three protesters found guilty despite intervention of shadow chancellor in their support

Three Extinction Rebellion activists involved in protests in central London in April have been convicted of public order offences at a trial which heard a message of support for them from the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell.

The men were among more than 1,000 people arrested during the environmental group’s demonstrations – which caused large-scale disruption in what organisers described as the biggest act of civil disobedience in recent British history – but are the first to have gone on trial with legal representation.

Microplastics in drinking water, “low risk” for human health, says WHO

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:51:00 -0400

Microplastics contained in drinking water pose a “low” risk to human health at current levels, but more research is needed to reassure consumers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Eating Gluten Early in Life Raises Celiac Disease Risk for Some Kids

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:31:08 -0400

By Kimberly Holland

Children who eat a lot of gluten in their earliest years may have an increased risk of developing celiac disease and gluten intolerance, according to a new study published in JAMATrusted Source.

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Swedish researchers followed 6,605 children from birth to age 5. They recorded each child's gluten intake over a 3-day span every few months during these early years.

At the end of the observational period, the researchers found that children who ate higher amounts of gluten were more likely to develop celiac disease autoimmunity (the presence of antibodies in the blood that indicates celiac disease may develop) and celiac disease itself.

Indeed, children who had a higher gluten intake in that period saw a 6.1 percent increased risk of showing the immunological response to gluten. Also, children who ate higher than typical gluten amounts had a 7.2 percent increased risk of developing celiac disease.

What's more, for every gram of gluten intake per day, the risk for developing the condition increased.

Over the course of the study, which ran from 2004 to 2010, 1,216 children, or about 20 percent of the study participants, developed celiac disease autoimmunity. About 7 percent, or 450 children, developed celiac disease. Most diagnoses came between ages 2 and 3.

"Our study shows a clear association between the amount of gluten the children consumed and the risk of developing celiac disease or pre-celiac disease," Dr. Daniel Agardh, associate professor at Lund University in Sweden and leader of the study, said in a statement.

Agardh and colleagues had previously found similar results in a smaller study group of Swedish children only. This new study confirmed those preliminary findings.

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Gluten and Your Genes

It's important to note with this study, said Dr. Gina Posner, pediatrician at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, that the children who were part of the experiment were already predisposed to developing celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

"These are kids that all carry the genotype associated with type 1 diabetes and celiac, so they are more likely to get celiac disease than the general population," Posner said. "Eating more gluten likely triggers the antibodies to be formed. The study is not looking at people without the genotype."

For that reason, the results of the study may be a bit more dramatic than would likely occur in a group that wasn't comprised of all predisposed individuals.

"The incidence of [celiac disease] in the general public is 1 percent, but for young people who suffer from type I diabetes, the incidence substantially increases to between 5 to 10 percent," said Dr. Robert Hamilton, FAAP, pediatrician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, and author of "7 Secrets of the Newborn." "In other words, 5 to 10 percent of young people who have type I diabetes will also have [celiac disease]. This is, of course, a big increase."

Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. It helps form the "glue" that holds these foods together, and it's an essential component of many carbohydrate-heavy foods like pasta, bread and cakes.

People who are sensitive to the protein are often unable to eat these foods because they experience cramping, bloating, diarrhea and gastrointestinal (GI) distress when they do.

Celiac disease, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease. In people with celiac disease, the body attacks and damages the lining of the small intestine. Over time, that can prevent nutrient absorption.

The attention to gluten has been increasing in recent years as diagnoses for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease have been risingTrusted Source. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it's estimated that 1 in 100 people worldwide have celiac disease.

The organization also says more than 2 million adults in the U.S. have the condition and don't know it. These people could, if left undiagnosed, face a lifetime of health complications.

Children who have celiac disease and are undiagnosed could develop a condition called failure to thrive. This happens when children don't attain standard developmental benchmarks because of a disease or disorder that leaves them undernourished.

Recognizing possible risk factors or triggers, such as eating more gluten in a child's developing years, can help doctors and parents shape diets that might be able to lower a child's risk.

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Should Kids Avoid Gluten?

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity have no cure. However, painful and uncomfortable symptoms can largely be avoided if you also avoid gluten.

But Dr. David Blanco, pediatric gastroenterologist at St. Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said parents should "absolutely not" avoid giving their children gluten during these early years.

"The gluten-free alternatives are not fortified with B vitamins and are not considered a healthier alternative unless [you're] diagnosed with one of the three diagnoses," Blanco explained.

Posner added, "A lot of the gluten-free products are higher calorie and lower nutritional value. Unless you are high risk, I wouldn't stop giving your child gluten."

While the results of the recent study might suggest that exposure to gluten could lead to the development of the gluten-related conditions, the results may not apply to your child at all.

Hamilton explained that because this study was done with children who have specific genes for celiac disease, it's not advisable to infer that its results apply to children at large.

"The vast majority of the population is not at risk for [developing a gluten-related condition]," he said. "Thus, for healthy children who do not have these HLA genotypes, there is no reason to stop enjoying gluten-containing foods. They are going to be fine."

In other words, unless you or your child's other parent has a genetic history of such conditions, your child can eat all the crackers, chips and bread you want to give them.

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The Bottom Line

When it's time for your child to begin eating solid foods, talk with their pediatrician. The doctor may suggest testing your child for the genotypes related to celiac disease and type 1 diabetes if there's a family history of either condition.

If the results show your child is predisposed, you can work with the doctor to create a diet plan that may help your child avoid gastric distress and potentially skip a future diagnosis.

But even then, the answer may not be to completely avoid gluten at all costs. Only additional research will be able to uncover if it's possible to somehow switch off genes by adopting a gluten-free diet.

"Going gluten-free prior to speaking to a healthcare professional will many times make the management more difficult. Patients should be screened for celiac disease prior to going gluten-free, because after they have gone gluten-free for several months, the screen will no longer be valid," Hamilton said.

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6 Signs You Have a Gluten Intolerance via @EcoWatch https://t.co/CdmxKjfwAq @goodhealth @WomensHealthMag @cleaneatingmag @BeFitFoods #gluten
— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) November 11, 2016

Reposted with permission from our media associate Healthline.

Bacteria fly into the Atacama Desert every afternoon on the wind

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:00:44 -0400

The Atacama Desert is one of the most hostile places on Earth, but new microbes arrive there every day on dust grains carried by the wind

Sanders Unveils Green New Deal Plan to Avoid Climate Catastrophe, Create 20 Million Jobs

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:00:16 -0400

By Jake Johnson

Calling the global climate crisis both the greatest threat facing the U.S. and the greatest opportunity for transformative change, Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled today a comprehensive Green New Deal proposal that would transition the U.S. economy to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million well-paying union jobs over a decade.

"This is a pivotal moment in the history of America—and really, in the history of humanity," Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said in a statement.

"When we are in the White House," said the Vermont senator, "we will launch the decade of the Green New Deal, a 10-year mobilization to avert climate catastrophe during which climate change, justice, and equity will be factored into virtually every area of policy, from immigration to trade to foreign policy and beyond."

Sanders' plan for an aggressive 10-year mobilization to combat the climate emergency comes amid warnings from the international scientific community that global greenhouse gas emissions must be slashed in half by 2030 to avert planetary catastrophe.

Across the world, Sanders noted on his website, there is an overwhelming abundance of evidence testifying to the severity of the climate crisis and the urgent need for bold action.

"The Amazon rainforest is burning, Greenland's ice shelf is melting, and the Arctic is on fire," Sanders wrote. "People across the country and the world are already experiencing the deadly consequences of our climate crisis, as extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and hurricanes upend entire communities, ecosystems, economies, and ways of life, as well as endanger millions of lives."

To confront the emergency, Sanders' Green New Deal plan would:

Reach "100 percent renewable energy for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030 and complete decarbonization by at least 2050"
Invest $16.3 trillion in creating 20 million jobs, developing sustainable infrastructure and supporting vulnerable frontline communities
Assist international efforts to reduce carbon emissions by providing $200 billion to the Green Climate Fund and rejoining the Paris climate accord
Ban fracking, mountaintop removal coal mining and imports and exports of fossil fuels
"Prosecute and sue the fossil fuel industry for the damage it has caused"
Ensure a fair and just transition for workers currently employed by the fossil fuel industry.

According to the Sanders campaign, the senator's plan would "pay for itself over 15 years" by forcing the fossil fuel industry to "pay for their pollution," eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, slashing military spending that is dedicated to "maintaining global oil dependence," raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and more.

Read the full text of the campaign's Green New Deal plan here.

"Bernie promises to go further than any other presidential candidate in history to end the fossil fuel industry's greed, including by making the industry pay for its pollution and prosecuting it for the damage it has caused," says the campaign's website.

"And most importantly," the website continues, "we must build an unprecedented grassroots movement that is powerful enough to take them on, and win. Young people, advocates, tribes, cities and states all over this country have already begun this important work, and we will continue to follow their lead."

Jack Shapiro, senior climate campaigner with Greenpeace USA, said, "If fossil fuel executives and lobbyists reading Sanders' plan are scared, they should be."

"Sanders has talked the talk on climate change from day one of his campaign. This plan shows he's ready to walk the walk, as well," Shapiro said in a statement. "At this point in the race, speeches and half-measures don't cut it."

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Action, applauded Sanders' proposal as a "game-changer."

"With this aggressive and inspired plan, Senator Sanders has set a clear benchmark for meaningful climate and energy policy in the presidential race and beyond," said Hauter. "This plan includes the bold action and rapid timelines required to adequately address the magnitude of the climate crisis we face."

"Most importantly," Hauter added, "this plan would ban fracking, the toxic, polluting drilling method responsible for almost all oil and gas production in America today. Any serious plan to address climate chaos must start with a ban on fracking and a halt to all new fossil fuel development. Senator Sanders understands this, and he has set the bar for worthwhile climate policy discussion, here and abroad."

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.

Gene editing turns cells into minicomputers that can record data

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:00:11 -0400

Gene editing can turn living cells into minicomputers that record data. The technology could track what happens inside the body over time

Social media turns tide of ocean protection in Brazil

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 10:00:04 -0400

Brazil recently announced the creation of two marine protected areas totaling 900,000 square kilometers.

From the archives: How Brazil’s environmental decisions affect the world

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 09:54:53 -0400

With the Olympics unfolding in Rio, Brazil is a growing leader in shaping our world’s environmental future.

In reviving their traditions, Peruvian women find their voice

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 09:48:37 -0400

Why is it important to think about gender when doing conservation work? In Peru, it means women can grow their knowledge of traditional plants and recover almost-lost ancestral traditions.

How Incan ruins and Brazil nuts are fighting deforestation in Bolivia

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 09:40:56 -0400

Through conservation agreements, indigenous Bolivian communities are expanding their incomes while leaving forests standing.

Nature, Environment, Climate Change, Ecology

David Koch Escaped the Climate Hell He Helped Create

Amazon fires: the tribes fighting to save their dying rainforest – video

The week in wildlife – in pictures

Drinking Fluoride-Treated Water During Pregnancy Could Lower Your Child's IQ, Study Finds

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Can researchers engage safely with the food industry?

6 foods more likely than chicken to harbor salmonella

To fight climate change, we may have to return to the age of airships

Amazon fires: what is happening and is there anything we can do?

Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Overuse of Antibiotics in Cattle Farming

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Winners and Losers: Here’s What Ocean Warming Means for Fish

How and Why Does Ocean Warming Affect Fish?

Impacts of Historical Warming on Marine Fisheries

Losers Outweigh Winners

Management Boosts Fishes’ Resilience

DNC Committee Votes Down Climate Debate

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Everything you want to know about Lyme disease

Norfolk scheme brings ancient wildflower meadows back to life

Reading festival accused of 'hypocrisy' for giving away free McDonald's chicken while demanding climate change action

Record Amazon rainforest fires spark row between Brazil and France

Bolsonaro creates a “crisis cabinet” to address the Amazon forests fires and criticisms

France and UN lead battle for the protection of fire plagued Amazon rainforest

Forest fires in Bolivia: half a million hectares, 1.700 fighters and a Super tanker

Global heating, quakes and how to avoid pathogen soup: a cartoon about water

Oceans of Noise: Episode Three – Science Weekly

In Bolsonaro’s burning Brazilian Amazon, all our futures are being consumed | Eliane Brum

When calling out environmental hypocrisy is nothing but a cynical ploy | Zoe Williams

Rail line in Hampshire is world's first to be powered by solar farm

Jay Inslee’s parting gift: A plan to save American farms

Democrats Decide the Total Collapse of the Planet Isn't Worth a Debate

Are farmers setting the Amazon ablaze in support of Bolsonaro?

Minnesota will pay homeowners to make their lawns bee-friendly

The case for retreat in the battle against climate change

Asteroid Ryugu has no dust on it and we don’t know why

Wild giraffes are suffering a 'silent extinction'

Bernie Sanders’ ‘Green New Deal’ looks like a trillion bucks (OK, 16 trillion)

The Amazon is on fire: 5 things you need to know

Wildlife summit votes down plan to allow sale of huge ivory stockpile

Jay Inslee Changed Everything

Brazil's environment minister heckled at climate conference - video report

Hidden Trump Report Reveals Water Plan Will Harm Endangered Whales and Salmon

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Shelter dog is new 'Lady and the Tramp' star

Environmental Groups Sue Trump Administration Over New Endangered Species Act Rules

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Extinction Rebellion activists convicted of public order offences

Microplastics in drinking water, “low risk” for human health, says WHO

Eating Gluten Early in Life Raises Celiac Disease Risk for Some Kids

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Gluten and Your Genes

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Should Kids Avoid Gluten?

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The Bottom Line

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Bacteria fly into the Atacama Desert every afternoon on the wind

Sanders Unveils Green New Deal Plan to Avoid Climate Catastrophe, Create 20 Million Jobs

​To confront the emergency, Sanders' Green New Deal plan would:

Gene editing turns cells into minicomputers that can record data

Social media turns tide of ocean protection in Brazil

From the archives: How Brazil’s environmental decisions affect the world

In reviving their traditions, Peruvian women find their voice

How Incan ruins and Brazil nuts are fighting deforestation in Bolivia

To confront the emergency, Sanders' Green New Deal plan would: