By Mariam Amini, The Guardian The chemical compounds that block UV rays may lead to bleaching of coral and a decrease in fish fertility. Urgent investigation is needed into the potential impact sunscreen is having on marine environments, according to a new report. Sunscreens contain chemical compounds, known as pseudo persistent …
Bogs hold a key to climate solutions through carbon sequestration, but many have been drained
By Jess Savage, Grist In Illinois alone, more than 90 percent of wetlands have been lost. Jess Savage / WNIJ Peat bogs sequester a massive amount of the Earth’s carbon dioxide. But even as scientists work to better understand bogs’ sequestration, the wetlands are under threat. On a cold winter …
Eager beavers: rodents engineer Czech wetland project after years of human delay
The Guardian Beavers accomplish long-stalled conservation plan on former army site, sparing crayfish and taxpayers alike. Beavers have long been championed by environmentalists for their ability to protect against flooding, improve water quality and boost wildlife. Photograph: Bohumil Fiser/AOPK CR/AFP/Getty Images Beavers have saved Czech taxpayers $1.2m (£1m) by flooding a …
After the Feds Kept Grizzlies on the Endangered Species List Last Month, State Leaders Try to Remove Them
By Jake Bolster, Inside Climate News Mountain West communities are split over the USFWS’ decision to manage isolated bear populations as one. But many agree that things may soon get worse for large predators. A Grizzly roams through Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Neal Herbert/NPS For over a quarter century, a …
Researchers stunned by thriving population discovered in the heart of bustling city: ‘Vital to the city’s balance’
By Alexis McDonell, The Cool Down “Even in smaller packs, we found pups and lactating females.” In the middle of Mumbai‘s buzzing cityscape, an unexpected wildlife success story is unfolding. Golden jackals, often mistaken for small wolves, are thriving in the city’s mangrove ecosystems, Mongabay reported — proving that even in …
This Kentucky land was devastated by strip mining—now, activists want to bring the bison back
Fast Company A coal mine was the first to wreck the land. Now activists want to keep another extractive industry from taking root there: prisons. On a freezing cold Wednesday afternoon in eastern Kentucky, Taysha DeVaughan joined a small gathering at the foot of a reclaimed strip mine to celebrate …
Microsoft backs nature-based carbon removal
By Andrew Freedman, Axios Chestnut Carbon, a nature-based carbon removal company, has inked a new, long-term agreement with Microsoft to provide the tech giant with removal credits from its projects in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. Why it matters: The 25-year offtake agreement is among the largest U.S. afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) projects …
Preserving Alabama’s Flagg Mountain, the Southernmost Appalachian Peak
By Dennis Pillion, Inside Climate News One of the state’s few remaining old-growth longleaf pine forests, Flagg Mountain connects to the famous Appalachian Trail. A diverse coalition of state and nonprofit organizations are working to preserve and restore this ecologically and culturally significant peak. An aerial view of the tower …
Where air pollution is worsening — or improving
By Carly Mallenbaum and Erin Davis, Axios Change in air quality, by metro area 2021-23 average compared to 2014-16; Micrograms per cubic meter of fine particle pollution Data: EPA; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Why it matters: Poor air quality can lead to long-term health problems. By the numbers: Nationally, 62% of metro areas …
Study Highlights ‘Invisible’ Wildlife Benefits We Lose by Not Protecting Biodiversity
Sustainable Brands New research reveals that the vital benefits wildlife provides to people’s everyday lives are vastly underrepresented across science and policy discussions — an oversight that could have devastating consequences for society and the economy. Led by WWF and published Wednesday in the inaugural issue of Nature Reviews Biodiversity, the study shows …