Tag

Environment

All articles tagged with #environment

environment7 hours ago•8 min saved

Coastal heat lingers: SoCal endures record-warm nights amid humid spell

Southern California braces for its hottest week of the year, driven by record-warm nights and unusually high coastal humidity from warm near-shore oceans and the start of El Niño; daytime highs have been milder, but overnight temperatures are pushing records, increasing heat-related risks and stressing power, pets and sleep, with scientists forecasting the warm-night pattern to persist into fall and at least the first half of winter.

via Los Angeles Times|

#el-nino #environment #heatwave

environment9 hours ago•3 min saved

El Niño-fueled fires push Kalimantan’s haze across Southeast Asia

Massive fires in Indonesian Borneo’s Kalimantan, intensified by a strong El Niño, are creating a regional haze that sickens thousands weekly, disrupts schools and work, and spurs government crackdowns on land-clearing burnings while experts warn that peatland drainage and deforestation drive the fires and call for restoration to prevent deeper soil fires.

via The Guardian|

#el-nino #environment #forest-fires

environment16 hours ago•50 min saved

Wildfire policy showdown: full-suppression vs forest health in the West

Under the Trump administration, federal wildfire policy has shifted to a 'full suppression' default via a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a move critics say prioritizes firefighting over forest health and could strain resources while altering long-standing land-management decisions. The effort is being watched closely in California, which has spent heavily on wildfire safety and may face added public-safety risks if coordination with land managers changes. Officials defend the policy as necessary to protect communities during a severe fire season, but experts warn that ignoring ecological benefits of allowing some fires to burn could worsen future catastrophic blazes.

via CalMatters|

#california #environment #forest-service

environment17 hours ago•3 min saved

Australia launches world's largest wild-penguin vaccination drive against bird flu

Victoria is vaccinating wild little penguins against H5N1 bird flu, with over 1,000 birds receiving their first dose as part of what officials say could be the world’s largest such program; about 5,000 penguins on Phillip Island and nearby areas will receive two doses, administered after trapping and weighing the birds, with a second dose due in three weeks, as biosecurity efforts continue alongside a broader wildlife protection plan.

via The Guardian|

#bird-flu #environment #h5n1

environment17 hours ago•49 min saved

Night Swim With Alligators Becomes Close Call for Wildlife Researcher

Rosie Moore, a wildlife researcher filming alligators in the Everglades, turned a night dip into a near-fatal moment when another alligator emerged from behind a tree and lunged at her. She thrust her camera between herself and the animal, it bit the camera, and she scrambled to safety on the bank. The ordeal left her shaken but undeterred, as she returned to fieldwork after the frightening incident.

via Yahoo|

#alligators #close-call #environment

environment18 hours ago•8 min saved

Rabid Beavers Prompt Alerts as Maryland Parks Report Multiple Attacks

A 10-year-old girl was bitten by a beaver at Seneca Creek State Park, part of a string of rabid beaver attacks in Maryland this summer that also hit Cunningham Falls and Hunting Creek Lake. A dead beaver tested positive for rabies, and authorities are searching for other sick beavers while closing affected park areas. Officials caution visitors to keep a safe distance from wildlife and report unusual animal behavior; there is no confirmed outbreak link established yet.

via A-Z Animals|

#beaver #environment #maryland

environment20 hours ago•17 min saved

Great Lakes microplastics study aims to spur tougher plastics rules

Researchers at the Experimental Lakes Area seed Lake 378 with microplastics to study their fate, transport, and entry into the food web, part of a broader effort to push monitoring and policy action across the Great Lakes; the work, along with a growing body of evidence that microplastics are widespread in the basin, has spurred calls for stronger regulation and binational cooperation, even as local pollution issues—like Sarnia's Chemical Valley emissions and nurdle pollution—highlight ongoing health and environmental concerns.

via Chicago Tribune|

#environment #great-lakes #microplastics

environment20 hours ago•60 min saved

Nevada Sues Federal Government Over Colorado River Cuts, Seeks Court Block

Nevada filed a federal lawsuit in Nevada challenging the Trump administration’s Colorado River operating plan, which could reduce the state’s water allocation by as much as 71% annually (up to 213,556 acre-feet over 10 years). Nevada argues the plan unlawfully curtails its share and would inflict devastating economic and environmental harm, asking for an injunction until federal documents reflect the toll on Southern Nevada’s economy. The suit comes as federal water cuts—unprecedented without a basin-wide agreement—face potential participation from California and Arizona, with Upper Basin states largely spared; experts say the legal path could take years and Lake Mead’s levels are projected to drop further.

via Las Vegas Review-Journal|

#colorado-river #environment #environmental-law

lifestyle22 hours ago•19 min saved

Lettuce Reconsidered: Health, Waste, and a Cyclospora Outbreak

A Washington Post food columnist argues that lettuce provides little nutrition, wastes water and land, and contributes to foodborne illness; with Cyclospora outbreaks linked to iceberg lettuce from Mexico, the piece urges readers to rethink lettuce consumption and consider alternative greens.

via The Washington Post|

#cyclospora #environment #food-safety

environment22 hours ago•3 min saved

Record ocean heat hits new high as El Niño accelerates warming

Global ocean surface temperatures reached a record August average of 21.1C, boosted by a strong El Niño atop decades of human-caused warming. The heat drives more marine heatwaves, contributes to sea‑level rise and more extreme weather, and reduces the ocean’s capacity to absorb CO2. The Arctic is warming fastest, and scientists urge rapid fossil-fuel cuts and stronger protection of marine ecosystems to safeguard coastal communities.

via The Guardian|

#climate-change #el-nino #environment

environment1 day ago•20 min saved

Orange Peel Restoration: How 12,000 Tons Freed a Costa Rican Park from Desolation

In 1997, ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs partnered with a juice company to dump about 12,000 tons of orange peel and pulp on a deforested pasture near Área de Conservación Guanacaste in Costa Rica. Beginning in 1998, the nutrient-rich waste transformed the barren site into a thriving forest, boosting aboveground biomass by roughly 176% in a 3-hectare study area and attracting wildlife such as tayras and a giant fig tree. The surprising ecological revival illustrates how scientifically guided waste rehabilitation can regenerate ecosystems, while researchers caution against unplanned dumping and emphasize learning how to apply such findings to waste management and restoration projects.

via Diario AS|

#biodiversity #conservation #costa-rica

environment1 day ago•3 min saved

Rare Montagu's harrier nests again in secret UK site, six chicks hatched

Britain's rare Montagu's harrier has successfully nested for the second year at a secret site, rearing six chicks across two nests with predator-protective fencing; researchers have fitted two chicks with satellite trackers to map migration and boost protection as climate change and earlier harvest threaten breeding success.

via BBC|

#conservation #environment #montagus-harrier

environment1 day ago•2 min saved

Intruders trigger 24/7 security at Frijoles Fire base camp amid 45% containment

Intruders targeting the Frijoles Fire base camp prompted 24-hour security as the wildfire grows to more than 15,000 acres and reaches about 45% containment, with evacuations in nearby areas and crews working to extinguish heat pockets along the western edge.

via KOAT|

#camp-security #environment #evacuations

environment1 day ago•18 min saved

Southwest Faces Deep Colorado River Cuts as Reservoirs Hit Historic Lows

The U.S. Interior Department released a two-year plan mandating Arizona, California and Nevada to sharply reduce Colorado River water use through 2028 to address record-low reservoir levels, with Arizona facing the largest cuts and California and Nevada also reducing; upper-basin states are not required to cut. The plan aims to stabilize water and power supplies for tens of millions, but could trigger lawsuits as states negotiate longer-term reductions and shared responsibility for the river.

via East Idaho News|

#colorado-river #drought #environment

environment1 day ago•15 min saved

Antipodes Island’s Bird Life Surges After Mouse Eradication

New Zealand eradicated an estimated 200,000 mice from Antipodes Island in 2016–2018 using brodifacoum bait; a 2018 verification confirmed success, and six years of follow-up surveys show native bird populations, including the Antipodes Island pipit, snipe, and parakeets, more than doubling, indicating rapid ecosystem recovery after invasive pests were removed.

via The Times of India|

#antipodes-island #biodiversity-recovery #environment