President Biden on Earth Day, April 22, unveiled America’s aggressive new climate target: a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, on the way to the pledge of net zero emissions by 2050. That ambitious target would deliver America’s contribution toward meeting the Paris Climate Agreement and the goal of limiting […]
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Air pollution from fossil fuels caused 8.7 million premature deaths in 2018, study finds
Burning fossil fuels creates harmful air pollution that can worsen lung disease, heart disease, and other health conditions. The consequences can be dire. A new study estimates that air pollution from burning fossil fuels caused 8.7 million premature deaths worldwide in the year 2018 alone. That’s almost one out of every five deaths that year. […]
Posted inCommentary
With seas rising, stalled research budgets must also rise
From 1900 to 2000, the ocean along the U.S. East Coast rose at twice the annual rate of the pace in the previous 19 centuries, according to a recent study from Rutgers University. From Miami to New York to the Maldives to Venice, Italy, coastal cities worldwide know they have a lot of work to […]
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Sea-level rise could submerge fiber optic cables, a key component of internet infrastructure
Your data may be stored in the cloud, but it often travels through cables that are right here on Earth. And as sea levels rise, some of those cables could end up underwater. “The land-based infrastructure is designed often to be water-resistant but not to be waterproof,” says Carol Barford, a research scientist at the […]
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How Nebraska farmer Russ Finch grows citrus year-round using geothermal energy
In Alliance, Nebraska, winters are cold and windy. But for decades, retired farmer Russ Finch has been growing tropical fruit year-round, without an energy-intensive heating system. “We have 13 varieties of citrus: lemons … limes, tangelos, tangerines, you name it,” he says. Finch heats his greenhouse with a geothermal system that takes advantage of the […]
Posted inEnergy
How New York’s Javits Center slashed energy consumption by 26%
New York City’s Javits Center is one of the biggest convention centers in the country. And with a new addition opening this year, it’s expanding. But over the last decade, the center’s carbon emissions have been shrinking – thanks to a variety of improvements. Workers installed high-performance glass and efficient HVAC units and lights. And […]
Posted inAnalysis
Report: All new cars and trucks in U.S. could be electric by 2035
Electricity could power entire new car and truck fleet by 2035 … but only with ‘robust’ policies in place.
Posted inClimate Explained
How to prepare your coastal property for sea-level rise and weather extremes
People who live along the Atlantic seaboard are accustomed to dealing with environmental extremes: salt spray that can kill just about anything green; relentless wind that whips vegetation into Leaning Tower of Pisa shapes; sand, shells, rocks and dead fish that come and go. But rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather, both driven in […]
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Earth is getting a digital twin
Earth will soon have its own digital twin. Computer scientists and climate scientists have teamed up to create a virtual replica of the planet. “And it is based on a computer system that simulates what’s going on out there in the Earth system as closely as possible,” says Peter Bauer of the European Centre for […]
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Free online class from Houghton College helps Christians engage with global warming
Brian Webb wants more conservative Christians to get involved in climate action. “The church is really missing the ball on this,” he says. “We are not actively engaging with what is one of the most complicated and important issues facing humanity today.” Webb is the sustainability director at Houghton College, a small Christian college in […]
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Wildfires can contaminate outdoor marijuana crops
As more states pass laws permitting marijuana use, the legal barriers to growing cannabis are crumbling. But wildfires pose risks to many outdoor growers in California and the Pacific Northwest. Jonathan Vaught is CEO of Front Range Biosciences, a Colorado-based biotech company that breeds hemp and provides nursery expertise to cannabis growers. He says wildfire […]
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Extreme E: Electric SUVs star in televised off-road racing series
In the sport of off-road racing, cars and trucks speed over desert sand, muddy fields, and rocky terrain. Usually, these vehicles have gas-guzzling engines. But a new off-road race series called Extreme E uses electric SUVs. “They’re really powerful,” says Alejandro Agag, Extreme E’s founder and CEO. “They’re quite big and they race very fast […]