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EartherConservation
Scientists Slam Republican Plan to Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
When Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski re-ignited a decades-old push to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, she tried to make the case that science was on her side. Thanks to technological improvements, the Republican senator argued, drilling on ANWR’s oil-rich coastal plain will have a much smaller footprint in 2017 than it would’ve 30 … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherClimate Change
Dino-Killing Asteroid Struck an Unfortunate Spot, Claim Scientists
Hindsight is 20/20. Maybe you’d be more productive if you didn’t stay up until 3 am binge watching Stranger Things. Maybe you’d be a Nobel-winning scientist if you didn’t smoke too much pot during undergrad and sleep through your lectures. Maybe the dinosaurs wouldn’t have gone extinct if the giant meteor hit…somewhere else. That’s what … Continued
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Earther
FEMA Preps ‘Air Bridge’ to Bring Puerto Rican Hurricane Survivors to New York and Florida
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning to help Hurricane Maria survivors in Puerto Rico leave the island to stay in temporary housing in New York and Florida. Typically, FEMA’s Transitional Shelter Assistance Program provides the funding and resources to house those stranded from disasters—be it in a shelter, hotel, or motel—within their state. … Continued
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Earther
It’s La Niña Time for the Second Year in a Row
For the second time in two years, La Niña has formed just in time to transform winter weather around the world. On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared “game on” for La Niña after analyzing October ocean temperatures and crunching the numbers for their seasonal forecast. The phenomenon could bring a whole … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEarth Science
Algae Are Making Greenland Darker, and That’s Probably a Bad Thing
The Greenland ice sheet is getting darker, and that’s bad news for the Arctic thermostat, since darker surfaces absorb more heat. Now, a pair of scientists have concluded that in at least one section of Greenland, tiny algae play an outsized role in giving the ice its surprising shade. Every summer, a dark area appears … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Earther
There’s a New Push to Bring Solar to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands continue to suffer through the worst blackout in U.S. history after Hurricane Maria rocked the region more than seven weeks ago. But some of the brightest spots in the otherwise slow, scandal-plagued recovery have have come from solar. And there’s a new push to turn the sun into … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Earther
Republicans Decided to Talk About a Dramatic Climate Solution Without Addressing the Actual Problem
On Wednesday, a little bit of climate science snuck its way back into the House Science Committee, better known under Republican leadership as being a mockery of its name and a place where good science goes to die, especially when it comes to climate change. Despite this reputation, the environment and energy subcommittees called four … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Earther
India’s Blinding Air Pollution Is Causing Fatal Accidents
Northern India is dealing with some severe air pollution right now, and breathing the toxic air isn’t the only concern. Driving may be equally dangerous, as evidenced by a massive pileup on an expressway on Wednesday. Air in the region is so full of particulate matter that a thick fog has enveloped the northern plains, … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Cities Need to Look Beyond Their Borders When Fighting Climate Change
When you’re in a major city, it can be easy to forget about the outside world. But city life is not a hermetic experience—in fact, the environmental footprints of cities can stretch around the world. A new study shows that cities are overlooking a major source of emissions as they craft policies to transition toward … Continued
By Ari Phillips -
Earther
Coral Bleaching Has Ravaged Half of Hawaii’s Reefs
Last week, scientists reported that half of Hawaii’s coral reefs suffered serious bleaching in 2014 and 2015 as part of an ongoing, three-year global bleaching event that researchers are still trying to get a handle on. Hawaii is home to some of the most spectacular reefs in the U.S., which bring in around $800 million … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEnvironmental Justice
Google Is Mapping California’s Air Pollution in Mesmerizing Detail
Residents across the country sometimes see Google Street Cars driving down their blocks. In California, these vehicles are gathering air quality data block by block, which could ultimately help shape local policy to benefit people’s health. Google released video footage Tuesday showing how the Golden State is doing when it comes to nitrogen dioxide, a … Continued
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EartherConservation
North Atlantic Right Whales Can’t Handle More Years Like 2017, Scientists Warn
North Atlantic right whales had very a rough year, and they can’t take many more years like it. A new study warns that if we don’t enact tougher and more flexible conservation policies in the face of climate change, the species may be doomed. After centuries of commercial whaling, there are only about 500 North … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Earther
These Photos of the Atacama Desert Will Make You Feel Like You’re on Another Planet
Among our planet’s spectacular landscapes, the northern Chile’s Atacama Desert stands out for its otherworldliness. Sandwiched between Chile’s coastal range to the west and the Andes to the east, the Atacama is doomed to a fate of little to no rain. The desert averages a paltry 0.6 inches of precipitation a year and once went … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Earther
Severe Air Pollution Has Transformed Delhi Into a ‘Gas Chamber’
Imagine looking out your window and seeing nothing but gray—and not a cozy, foggy, rainy day kind of gray, but a thick, dirty, WTF kind of gray. Imagine fog so thick that your usually clear view of the India Gate is blurry, opaque, nonexistent. That’s the reality right now for people in Delhi, India. Schools … Continued
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Earther
Thousands of Idled, Dirty Railroad Cars Are Littering the American Landscape
On an overcast day at the end of October, about 25 tanker railcars rolled through the small town of North Creek, New York, north of Saratoga Springs. They were heading for Minerva in Essex county to join a couple of dozen other railcars parked earlier in the month on a 30-mile stretch of track that … Continued
Tracy Staedter -
Earther
The Trump Administration Wants to Mine the Grand Canyon Because Why Not
Last month, the U.S. Forest Service recommended to President Donald Trump that he re-open lands outside the Grand Canyon to uranium mining, just five years after former President Barack Obama introduced a 20-year ban on new uranium mining on roughly one million acres of surrounding public lands. Obama’s ban allowed a handful of mines that … Continued
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Earther
The US’s Biggest, Baddest Eco-Warriors Represent at the Climate Conference
World leaders have gathered in Bonn, Germany, to talk climate change at COP23, where they will spend two long weeks hashing out details regarding the Paris Agreement. In a year where U.S. climate action has been stuck in reverse, there is real delight seeing what some of the badass names with the U.S. People’s Delegation … Continued
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Earther
Syria Is Entering the Paris Agreement, Leaving the US Alone as an International Embarrassment
In June, President Trump announced his intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, leaving the U.S. as one of three countries wanting to be on the outside of the global agreement to fight climate change. On Tuesday, Trump became the only world leader to not want to be part of the deal, as Syria—the only … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherConservation
One of the World’s Most Gourmet Foods Is Threatened by Climate Change
An extremely expensive truffle has been grown farther north than ever before, a phenomenon researchers attribute to altered growing conditions created by climate change. For the first time, a Mediterranean black truffle, also known as a Périgord truffle, has been grown in the United Kingdom—and not a moment too soon as global warming threatens its … Continued
By Ari Phillips -
Earther
Kids Are Suing Alaska’s Government for Not Addressing Climate Change
Sixteen young adults are taking Alaska’s governor to court, alleging that the state is abdicating its responsibility in addressing climate change. In doing so, they argue the state is threatening their fundamental human rights and not doing due diligence to protect the land for the benefit of everyone. “Being involved with this case is one … Continued
By Brian Kahn