Monday, June 10, 2019

83 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump - The New York Times

Trump and his supporters are criminals!

By NADJA POPOVICH, LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA and KENDRA PIERRE-LOUIS UPDATED June 7, 2019
President Trump has made eliminating federal regulations a priority. His administration, with help from Republicans in Congress, has often targeted environmental rules it sees as burdensome to the fossil fuel industry and other big businesses.

83 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump - The New York Times

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Fresh mountain smog? 96% of national parks have hazardous air quality – study

Millions of tourists will head out into America’s national parks this summer in search of fresh mountain air. But according to a new report they should instead expect dangerous levels of pollution; roughly 96% of the nation’s parks are struggling with significant air quality issues.

A rainbow is seen across the Yosemite Valley in front of El Capitan granite rock formation in Yosemite national park. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Fresh mountain smog? 96% of national parks have hazardous air quality – study

Friday, June 7, 2019

Rising demand for air conditioning could make climate change even worse

By Sarah Wesseler
Between 1992 and 2016, more than 22,000 people in India died as a result of heat exposure. In 2015 alone, the death toll reached 2,300.
Authoritative projections indicate that under a high-emissions scenario, 75 percent of the country’s population will face dangerous levels of heat and humidity by 2100. Cities that now house millions would become uninhabitable.
Air conditioners
Continue reading at: Rising demand for air conditioning could make climate change even worse

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Earth's carbon dioxide has jumped to the highest level in human history

By Andrew Freedman
The monthly peak amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere in 2019 jumped by a near-record amount to reach 414.8 parts per million (ppm) in May, which is the highest level in human history and likely the highest level in the past 3 million years.
Why it matters: Carbon dioxide is the most important long-lived greenhouse gas, with a single molecule lasting in the air for hundreds to around 1,000 years. The continued buildup of carbon dioxide due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels for energy, is driving global temperatures up and instigating harmful impacts worldwide.
A huge thermal power plant is emitting vapor into the sky, seen from the highway from Tianjin to Beijing.
A thermal power plant located between Tianjin and Beijing. Photo: Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images
Continue reading at: Earth's carbon dioxide has jumped to the highest level in human history

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Toward zero hunger: More food or a smarter food system?

Contact: ericksn@umich.edu
ANN ARBOR—When thinking about ways to end global hunger, many scholars focus too narrowly on increasing crop yields while overlooking other critical aspects of the food system.
That’s one conclusion from a University of Michigan-led research team that reviewed recent scholarly papers discussing the United Nations goal of ending hunger and malnutrition worldwide by 2030. The authors are members of U-M’s Sustainable Food Systems Initiative.
Illustration of a chicken with wheat crops.
Toward zero hunger: More food or a smarter food system?
Full text of the publication

Friday, May 31, 2019

Opinion | Sea-level rise could be even worse than we’ve been led to expect


ONE THING scientists are sure will happen as the world warms is that the seas will rise, putting millions of people at risk of land erosion, flooding and permanent displacement. But ask experts exactly how far oceans will advance, and their answer gets far more qualified. A study published May 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that previous estimates of how bad sea-level rise could get were too conservative — and that coastal communities must contemplate more severe, long-term impacts from humans’ addiction to fossil fuels.

The village of Ilulissat is seen near icebergs that broke off from the Jakobshavn glacier on July 24, 2013, in Ilulissat, Greenland. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Continue reading at: Opinion | Sea-level rise could be even worse than we’ve been led to expect

12 free reports on climate change and the economy » Yale Climate Connections

These resources illuminate the economic risks of climate change and prospects for a cleaner, more sustainable economy.
The significant transformations required to meet the challenges posed by climate change are also, from an entrepreneurial perspective, tremendous opportunities. Inventors, business strategists and, of course, far-sighted entrepreneurs appreciated this perspective for years. Their activities have since been chronicled and analyzed by reporters, researchers, and, in some cases, the entrepreneurs themselves.
Wall Street sign
For this month’s bookshelf on climate change and business, Yale Climate Connections has assembled two different lists. This one covers recent reports from international organizations, trade associations, and research centers. A companion Bookshelf feature compiles 12 full-length hard-cover and paperback books on this subject. The books range from 200 to 704 pages and cost between $18 and $140.
12 free reports on climate change and the economy » Yale Climate Connections