By Abene Clayton, The Guardian At least 23 sea lions with suspected domoic acid poisoning rescued from Santa Barbara and Ventura beaches. A beach sea lion exhibiting signs of domoic acid poisoning. Photograph: Olga Houtsma/A Sea lions are stranding themselves on a long stretch of the California coast in what experts say could …
Can Florida’s orange growers survive another hurricane season?
By Ayurella Horn-Muller, Grist A perfect storm of hurricanes, diseases, and water scarcity threatens to wipe out the state’s famed citrus industry. Oranges are synonymous with Florida. The zesty fruit can be spotted adorning everything from license plates to kitschy memorabilia. Ask any Floridian and they’ll tell you that …
US to phase out single-use plastic from federal operations
By Valeria Volcovici, Reuters WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Friday announced it plans to phase out the use of single-use plastics from all federal operations by 2035, as part of its broader strategy to tackle plastic pollution. The phase-out would start with a goal to end …
How the Blob was born
By Micheal Allen, Popular Science With ecosystems increasingly squeezed by anthropogenic warming, even cleaning up pollution can cause problems. In 2013, a huge marine heatwave known as the Blob hit the northeast Pacific Ocean. Temperatures soared to dangerous new highs, killing millions of marine animals and disrupting the broader ocean …
In Georgia, companies want to cut emissions. Utilities are holding them back.
By Emily Jones, Grist With less than half of Georgia Power’s electricity carbon-free, businesses and governments are scrambling to meet looming clean energy targets. With much fanfare and celebration, Georgia Power, the state’s largest electricity provider, just marked a major milestone: Two new nuclear reactors near Augusta are now generating enough …
It’s ‘almost impossible’ to eliminate toxic PFAS from your diet. Here’s what you can do
By Tom Perkins, The Guardian Found in products such as eggs and rice, ‘forever chemicals’ have been linked to cancer, kidney disease and more. In recent years, research has found or pointed to the presence of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in a range of staples, products and beverages across the food system. …
Ant Surgeons? Transatlantic Butterflies? Worms That Make Antibiotics?
By Jules Howard, Slate Invertebrate science is crawling with breakthroughs. It should always be this way. It’s been a busy few weeks in the news in so very many ways, including for science stories about creepy-crawlies and other unsightly animals that make most people—unfairly—recoil in horror. First, there was the …
What we can learn from Mexico’s struggle to ban a potent pesticide
By Erin Nelson, Laura Gomez Tovar, and Manuel Angel Gomez Cruz, Corporate Knights Researchers are helping citrus farmers adopt agroecology practices to transition away from glyphosate, as the Mexican government wavers on whether to ban the weed killer. Farmers around the world all need to deal with weeds. The most …
NATO Report Outlines Growing Climate Risks to Global Security
By Kiley Price, Inside Climate News Extreme weather is fueling global conflict—and hampering NATO’s ability to address it, according to a new analysis. Last week, world leaders from more than 30 countries across North America and Europe gathered in Washington to discuss the top security threats facing members of NATO, …
America’s Aging Dams Are a Catastrophe Waiting to Happen
Wired Climate change presents a growing threat to the nation’s nearly 92,000 dams, many of which are more than 100 years old, as heavy rainfall, flooding, and other forms of extreme weather become more common and severe. Minnesota’s century-old Rapidan Dam captured the national spotlight last week when its partial failure destroyed …