Environment

This article is by Warren Cornwall and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. When tallying up the myriad things sending planet-warming gases into the atmosphere, don’t overlook bugs. While humans drive up the overall levels of greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels, a... Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden will promote his administration's use of the Defense Production Act to aid in wildfire preparedness during a western swing in which he'll survey wildfire damage in Idaho and California. The administration activated the... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The nation’s capital would need to plant 626,557 trees annually to be a carbon neutral city, a new study finds. The analysis, by comparethemarket.com, pegs Washington, D.C.’s annual carbon emissions at 3,132,786 pounds. It then calculated the number... Read More

There have always been periods of extreme heat in the U.S., but now researchers estimate that climate change could make these periods more frequent, widespread, and severe over the next 30 years.  A recent report from the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden declared climate change has become "everybody's crisis" on Tuesday as he toured neighborhoods flooded by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, warning it's time for America to get serious about the "code red" danger... Read More

This article is by Prachi Patel and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. In what could be an important tool to clean up our lakes and oceans, researchers have made ‘nanojars’ that can capture carbon dioxide and toxins from water. The simple chemical... Read More

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. (AP) — President Joe Biden approved major disaster declarations Monday greenlighting federal aid for people in six New Jersey counties and five New York counties affected by devastating flooding last week from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. At... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The harm to health and finances caused by global warming will fall disproportionately on the U.S. minority population, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report released Thursday. Hotter weather will lead to more severe hurricanes, flooding and poorer... Read More

Wildfires are an increasingly big and increasingly costly reality.  The "severity and overall size" of wildfires has expanded considerably in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. California's 2018 fire season, in particular, broke several dubious records, including... Read More

SITES, Calif. (AP) — In 2014, in the middle of a severe drought that would test California's complex water storage system like never before, voters told the state to borrow $7.5 billion and use part of it to build projects... Read More

This article is by Emma Bryce and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Increasing land cover diversity in agricultural landscapes is about more than protecting nature: it could also increase crop yields across large areas of the United States by up to 20%,... Read More

This article is by Warren Cornwall and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. At a time when the word “microbiome” has made it into the popular lexicon and people extol the benefits of yogurt, kombucha and other fermented foods, there could be another... Read More

TOOELE, Utah (AP) — The sound of the helicopter propeller thundered across the horizon as it dipped down toward mustangs dotting the golden brown plain. The horses burst into a gallop at the machine's approach, their high-pitched whinnies rising into... Read More

Federal regulators on Monday declared the first-ever water shortage at Lake Mead, a reservoir that feeds into the Colorado River and serves approximately 40 million people in the West. The declaration, issued as part of an outlook for the river... Read More

FIREBAUGH, Calif. (AP) — As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California's agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state's most profitable crops. Del... Read More

GREENVILLE, Calif. — Northern California’s extensive Dixie Fire has enveloped over 510,000 acres across four counties as crews work tirelessly to contain the nation’s largest active wildfire. Smoke and ash from various wildfires are causing poor air quality conditions around... Read More

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (AP) — A harvester rumbles through the fields in the early morning light, mowing down rows of corn and chopping up ears, husks and stalks into mulch for feed at a local dairy. The cows won't get... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — People in the Pacific Northwest braced for another major, multi day heat wave starting Wednesday, just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region's most vulnerable people when temperatures soared to 116... Read More

A new study published in the journal “Nature Climate Change” indicates man-made climate alterations could be causing instability in Atlantic Ocean currents which may lead to irreversible changes to the Earth’s ecosystem. The study, entitled “Observation-based early-warning signals for a... Read More

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — California's largest wildfire has leveled much of the downtown and some surrounding homes in a small Northern California mountain community. The Dixie Fire tore through the Greenville on Wednesday evening, destroying businesses and homes as the... Read More

President Joe Biden is expected to announce Thursday that his administration is setting a new national goal for the sale of electric vehicles -- wanting half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 to be powered by... Read More

This article is by Sarah DeWeerdt and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Climate concern is increasing among all age groups, raising hopes that different generations can work together to solve the climate crisis, the authors of a new study say. There’s lots... Read More

BLY, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters in Oregon reported good progress in the battle against the nation's largest wildfire, while authorities canceled evacuation orders near a major blaze in Northern California and another on Hawaii's Big Island. Containment of the Bootleg... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Tracy Harden, owner of Chuck’s Dairy Bar in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, told a Senate panel Thursday about how a 2019 flood along the Mississippi River Delta devastated her community. High waters inundated 548,000 acres, nearly half of it... Read More

This article is by Prachi Patel and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Livestock farming produces a large share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, what with cows belching and farting tons of methane. But the ruminants might be unlikely allies in the world’s fight against... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Smoke and ash from massive wildfires in the American West clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts Wednesday on parts of the East Coast as the effects of the blazes were felt 2,500 miles... Read More

This article is by Prachi Patel and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Single-use straws and forks, plastic sandwich bags and wraps, and disposable cups can all wreak havoc on the environment. Many consumers are switching from these products to reusable alternatives with... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters scrambled on Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that's spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous conflagrations across the U.S. West that are straining resources.  Authorities ordered a new... Read More

Oregon is currently at the heart of one of the most expensive and destructive wildfire seasons of the past decade. According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, six wildfires across the state are currently burning over 280 thousand... Read More

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they'll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season, potentially endangering surrounding communities. Sporadic shortages at some... Read More